Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
James 4:4
We were not created to be God’s enemies. In the beginning, when it was just Adam and Eve, they walked for a time in friendship with God. There was no sin in the world at that time so there was no occasion to be opposed to God and His holy ways of love. As we all know, they chose to sin against the commandment God gave them. God gave them the commandment not to eat of the tree because He wanted them to spiritually mature in love. It takes a challenge or a commandment for God to test our hearts to know if our love for Him is real or not. In the beginning there was no such thing as sin. Sin entered the world through their selfish choice and spiritual death was the result. Spiritually dead people are God’s enemies. This is the counsel of Scripture.
To be at enmity with God means that one is no longer walking as a friend of God through love and holiness but has became God’s enemy through a selfish choice to sin. It only takes one sin to become God’s enemy. We can walk as His friend for days or weeks or years, but if we sin, we forfeit our relationship with God. For what? For temporary pleasure. It’s not rational to give up an eternal relationship with the living God in order to please ourselves, but that’s just what the world has done. All have sinned. That’s not to say that you have to continue in your sin. All it takes is repentance and then abiding in that repentance through continual obedience. You can do it! You can obey God! It’s possible to walk as a friend of God. Friends don’t stab each other in the back. God won’t stab us. Are we willing to stab God in order to get what we want? That’s called murder. Yet God does not die from our sin. It just causes Him unspeakable spiritual pain in His heart. We need a mediator after we go astray in our sin. We need reconciliation. That comes through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.
Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
Ephesians 2:15-16
If sin makes us God’s enemies, then righteousness by faith makes us His friends. Abraham was called the friend of God, because he lived by faith. We have a better covenant through Christ than what Abraham had. If he could be God’s friend under the former covenant, then surely we can overcome sin through the new covenant, washed in the blood of Jesus Christ!
Christ came to make the way back to God, the Father. Sin was the problem, so Christ died for our sins. He was raised from the dead for our justification. When we walk in Christ, it’s just like we never sinned against God! The Spirit of Christ washes us and regenerates our formerly dead spirit when we repent to God and put faith in the life and death of Christ. Christ truly becomes the Lord our righteousness. We walk in the footsteps of Christ and in the faith of Christ, who trusted the Father completely in all His doings. That’s the pathway to life for us as well. Christ has killed the hatred between us and God! The former man is dead with Christ and now we are raised to newness of life through faith in Christ! Glory to God forevermore!
Christ died to make forgiveness and reconciliation possible. No one is automatically saved. Christ is an invitation to the sinner to change his sinful ways and be born again by the blood and suffering of Christ. God will not force anyone to put down their weapons of sin. God made a way to influence us to holiness, righteousness and love by personally demonstrating it in His Son, Christ. We must be moved profoundly by God’s generosity and be moved to pick up our cross daily and follow Christ. We must repent of our former sinful ways and choose to deny self, the way Christ did. This is the way to eternal life. Knowing the Father and the Son by living the way they do, by love and holiness.
For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
Romans 8:5-8
We have two choices. Live in the flesh and die or live by the Spirit and live forevermore. To be in the flesh doesn’t mean that you are living in a flesh body. Everyone does, even Christ. There is nothing wrong with our flesh bodies. It doesn’t make one a sinner to have a flesh body. No, to be in the flesh means to live an unregenerate life, full of carnal thoughts and sins. Having a carnal, sinful mind makes us the enemy of God. Christ came to give us a new mind. Yes, Christ has Lordship over all things, including our thoughts. We are able to bring EVERY THOUGHT into captivity to the obedience of Christ, according to 2 Corinthians 10:5. Being born again and then later Spirit filled, we have new thoughts and a renewed mind. We have the mind of Christ. We think the way Christ thought when He was on earth. That is, we must please the Father! We must, we must!
It takes time and effort to learn to walk as a completely faithful witness of Jesus Christ. Most people will sin after being born again. Yet, you don’t have to. 1 John 2:1 says that IF any man sin. IF is always a choice. Sin can’t exist until one chooses to create it through a choice to lust. That’s it. Abide in Christ and YE SHALL NOT FULFILL THE LUST OF THE FLESH! If you sin, repent of that sin immediately and be rejoined to God through Christ. Then, carry on serving Christ faithfully. God requires our whole heart in order to serve Him. God lives with His whole heart and we are made in His image with a heart of our own. What will you do with your heart? Will you obey Christ and bring great joy to heaven, or will you sin and go the way of the devil? The choice is yours, but choose wisely. Christ died so that we can have victory over sin and be God’s enemies no more. God bless you in your holy pursuit of HIM, amen.
Thank you brother for blessingus with this mystery.
Thank you for sharing this truth of God’s Word and for diligence in bringing it forth. God’s blessings on you as you continue to search the scriptures for all that God has in His abundant storehouse for all of His children.