July 7, 2024
The Church Is Not Lewd and
Does Not Act with Uncleanly Greed
(Ephesians 4:19)
Overseer Sung-Hyun Kim
Proof of Faith
(Ephesians 4:19)
“Are deeds important? Faith is what matters.” “Let’s not talk about morals anymore. Let’s focus on spiritual things.” “Those who are inspired don’t live by their conscience. Let’s drop these legalistic claims.” “I’ve already been forgiven, so the requirements of the Law don’t apply to me.”
1. Far Off from Evil Deeds
Unfortunately, there are Christians who make such claims. Despite the many Bible verses with a moral character found in both the Old and New Testaments, they neglect these teachings. What we need to clearly understand is that all the words written in the Bible aim to protect us from sin. However, how does sin manifest itself? In other words, how can we recognize sin? Sin reveals itself through evil deeds, that is, unrighteous moral conducts.
2. Seeking the Righteousness of the Law
The Law is not abolished. The commandment of the Law is love. If a person perfectly fulfills love, they have fulfilled the Law. Faith does not abolish the Law; rather, it establishes the Law firmly. What we need to abandon is not the righteousness that the Law demands, but the oppressive attitude that people often show in the process of practicing the Law, where they neglect an individual’s will and choice and impose their will upon others unilaterally.
3. Doing Good
Jesus is the light of the world. Almost everyone has rejected the light and even now dislikes it because they want to persist in committing evil deeds in darkness. Emphasizing faith while advocating evil deeds is no different from boldly walking toward hell. Especially, we must never commit evil deeds like blaspheming the church and opposing it. Let us resolve not to let our children inherit unforgivable sins. Let the Lord’s word, “Those who have done good, to the resurrection of life!” be fulfilled in us and our descendants.
Overseer Sung-Hyun Kim