June 20, 2025
“Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey Him.” KJV, emphasis added.
This is Peter’s courageous response to the Sanhedrin (Jewish ruling council), who had just commanded them not to preach in the name of Jesus. Peter rejected that command even at the cost of persecution. To obey God is the highest priority for believers in Jesus Christ.
It is a curious and disappointing truth that most evangelical leaders today, teach the exact opposite to what Peter proclaimed. They teach unbelief even if they do so in ignorance and deception. Most all of them, tell their church members that they are born with a sinful nature that they will have with them until they die. Therefore, they say Christians are not able to consistently obey God. They should want to obey God but they should definitely not expect to obey God. Rather, they should obey and believe them instead, thus putting aside Peter’s instructions.
Additionally, most all evangelicals believe that every Christian receives the Holy Ghost when they are born again. But being born-again does not mean that they stop sinning and start obeying God. Not at all, it simply means that they confess that they are sinners, ask for God’s forgiveness, trust that Christ paid the penalty for their sins, have faith in Jesus and receive the free gift of salvation. Repentance from sin comes later but will never result in victory over all sin. But Peter declares that the Holy Ghost is given only to those who obey God. Since these folks do not expect to consistently obey God, they deny what Peter is saying because they proclaim every born-again Christian receives the Holy Ghost even if they do not obey God-ever.
Their false faith is a faith without obedience. Faith without works and faith without obedience is not a saving faith. It is a dead faith. It is the faith of devils according to James. Their faith is a faith without faithfulness and virtue. It is a faith without substance. It is a faith more like mental accent to some truth but not life changing.
Evangelical unbelief in the Word of God is palpable. Many Christians claims this next verse as one that they love. Some even call it a life verse. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:13, KJV. The context is about Paul’s contentment in all sorts of circumstances whether he is poor, hungry or full, suffering or thriving. Most believers probably think this is about success in marriage, business or their profession, having their best life now, prosperity, and the like. But they refuse to believe that Paul was saying that through Christ, they can be victorious over sin and the supposed sin nature their inherited at birth.
Would not this expression, “I can do all things through Christ”, include victory over the sin nature and temptation? Most evangelicals believe that “all things” includes everything but victory over sin even with the help of Christ and the grace of God. What horrible unbelief passes for Christian truth and experience, these days. This verse is just one of many promises in the Word of God about the Christian’s victory over the devil, the world and the flesh. Why is it that those Christians who claim to love and believe the Bible as the Word of God Almighty do not believe it?
Freedom from Sin in the Life of the Believer
The following is a compilation of Bible passages from the King James Version (KJV) that affirm the believer’s freedom from the bondage of sin. These verses emphasize that Christians, through faith in Jesus Christ, are not only forgiven but also empowered and expected to walk in holiness, righteousness, and newness of life.
Romans 6 (entire chapter) – Describes the believer’s death to sin and call to walk in newness of life. The following passages are from Chapter 6 of Romans.
- Sin shall not be your master
- Shall we continue in sin that grace might abound? God forbid.
- How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer in sin?
- We also should walk in newness of life, not sin
- The old man is crucified with Christ that the body of sin might be done away and that we should not serve sin
- Recon yourself dead unto sin but alive unto God
- Let not sin reign in your mortal body
- Yield yourself to God as instruments of righteousness
- Sin shall not have dominion over you
- Shall we sin because we are under grace? God forbid
- If you yield yourself to sin, the result is death or if you yield yourself to obedience the result is righteousness
- Being made free from sin, you became servants or righteousness
- Being made from sin, you have fruit unto holiness and the end is everlasting life
- The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life
John 8:34–36 – Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin… If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed
Galatians 5:1 – Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free…
Galatians 2:20 – I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless, I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me…
Colossians 3:5–10 – Mortify therefore your members… put off the old man… put on the new man
Ephesians 4:22–24 – Put off the former conversation of the old man… put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness
1 John 3:6–9 – Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin…
1 Peter 2:24 – He bare our sins… that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness
Titus 2:11–12 – The grace of God… teaching us that… we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age
2 Corinthians 5:17 – If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature…
Romans 8:1–2 – There is no condemnation to them which are in Christ, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit….the Spirit has made you free from the law of sin and death
Romans 8:12–14 – We are debtors, not to the flesh… if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live
Romans 13:12–14 – Let us cast off the works of darkness… put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ
1 Thessalonians 4:3–7 – This is the will of God, even your sanctification… God hath not called us unto uncleanness
Hebrews 10:14 – For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified
Hebrews 12:1–2 – Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us…
1 Corinthians 6:9–11 – Such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified…
1 Corinthians 10:13 – God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able…
2 Timothy 2:19 – Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity
James 1:21–22 – Lay apart all filthiness… be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only
James 4:7–8 – Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you
1 John 1:7 – If we walk in the light… the blood of Jesus Christ… cleanseth us from all sin
1 John 2:1 – These things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate…
1 John 5:18 – Whosoever is born of God sinneth not…
Matthew 5:8 – Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God
Matthew 7:17–20 – A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit…
Matthew 12:33–35 – Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh…
Luke 1:74–75 – That we… might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness…
Psalm 119:11 – Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee
Proverbs 28:13 – He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy
Isaiah 1:16–18 – Wash you, make you clean… cease to do evil; learn to do well…
James 1:22– Be ye doers of the word and not hearers only who delude themselves
Galatian 6:7-9.- You reap what you sow. If you sow to the flesh, you will reap destruction. If you so to the Spirit you will reap eternal life
Philippians 2:12 – Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling
2 Corinthians 5:17 – If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away all things have become new
John 8:34-36 – Whoever commits sin is the servant of sin…if the son sets you free you are free indeed
Galatian 5:1 – Stand fast in the liberty Christ has given you and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage
Galatian 2:20 – I am crucified with Christ
Colossians 3:5-17 – Mortify your members on earth; fornication, uncleanness…..lie not to one another, seeing you have put off the old man with his deeds and have put on the new man
1 Peter 2:24 – That we being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness
Philippian 4:13 – We can do all things through Christ
Jeremiah 26:13 – Amend your ways and your doings
Genesis 4:7 – sin is crouching at your door, it desires to have you, but you must rule over it (NIV)
Here are a few more that you can look up if you are interested.
- Show or prove your repentance by your deeds
- Put on Christ
- Jesus said abide in Me
- Be holy
- Jesus said abide in my love
- Jesus said if you love me keep my commandments
- Jesus said go and sin no more, (two times in the gospels)
- If the righteous are barely saved what will become of the godless man and sinner
This list is not exhaustive. There are many more passages that contain the same message that we are able and required to get right with God and cease from wickedness. Genuine faith or saving faith is a faith of obedience and good works or works of righteousness. Saving faith always, like the true grace of God, cleanses us from all unrighteousness. The popular evangelical idea that a disobedient faith (a faithless faith) is salvific is false and ruinous to your future.
Evangelical leadership today tells Christians that living in sin is to be expected. It’s normal Biblical Christianity. The verses above rebuke that lie do they not? These carnal leaders tell us that the hope of living without constant sin in our lives is a dangerous pipe dream, a lie and is heretical. The light that is in them is darkness and oh how great is that darkness. They tell Christians that obedience to God is impossible and impractical. Peter, in a direct rebuke to modern evangelical leadership, said that we should obey God (as if it was possible and practical) rather than men.
That is especially true with respect to religious but unenlightened men and women who turn the grace of God into unrestrained sexual liberty and lawlessness of all kinds. Peter rejected their notion that Christians were unable to obey God and repent of all sin. Jude 1:4 says, “For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.” Modern evangelical leadership has turned the grace of God into a license to sin with eternal impunity. Do not listen to them and do not obey them. Listen to the voices presented to you in the many passages of the Bible that tell a very different story. There is light and salvation in those words.
