“The LORD knows those who are his,” and “All who belong to the LORD must turn away from evil.”
Sometimes I think many Christians try to play God the fool. But God is not fooled—he knows his own; they hear his voice and obey his commands. They are in him, and in his love, they confess him without shame, and turn away from all wickedness. We are made holy in Christ and are expected to remain faithful to that transformation. Faith meaning fully relying upon Him. Trusting in him like a parachute. We don't simply believe it's a parachute, we trust it fully that it will save us from death. We trust in His word, and believe his promise to be fully reliable. We make ourselves able to receive God’s holiness by choosing honorable purposes and fleeing from temptation. This preparation prepares us for service in his kingdom plan.
We are to flee evil.
Pursue righteousness, love, and peace.
And call upon the name of Jesus Christ.
This redemption plan equips us to serve on Christ rescue missions. Finding and protecting, teaching and nurturing the lost lambs. We are saved so that we'll become what He intended for us, his servants freeing the captives from the grip of the Devil. This is the foundation laid by the Divine Architect, God almighty. And it's sealed. Inscribed upon his foundation are the names of his apostles, (Revelation 21:24).
And throughout the ages God has been writing his word upon the hearts of all his children, and writing their names upon the palm of his hand and in the book of life. He knows them intimately. He knows what they do and don't do. He knows their failures and slip ups in the life of piety. And it's a miracle of miracles that the children of God have been what they've been, and are still being what they are being, and somehow have not been annihilated long ago. Only by the grace of God. That being the foundation upon which their faith stands. And they bear the seal, the mark of the King. The mark by which the angels were told would signify those whom they are not to harm. They will only pour out God's wrath upon the people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads (Revelation 9:4).
And what then is that mark founded upon, how then did His children receive this mark? What was their faith?
Romans 10:9-10
"if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation."
These are the ones whom He knows and protects. They are the Lord's, not merely made so by their protestations, naming the Lords name, but also by departing from iniquity made evident by their changed nature. Christ gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity. What did he forgive? Our sins. Therefore it is iniquity that He hates, and he would have us flee from it, and believe it is not his intention for us to remain enslaved to it. Freedom from the grip of sin is his plans for our lives. It is for the forgiveness of sin that he gave his life so that we may live. When he says we must believe, it is meant that we should believe we are in need of that forgiveness of sin.
And this is why, "All who belong to the LORD must turn away from evil."
It's a must.
Not a suggestion.
And you've got to speak it, confess it. Your life depends upon it. He'll pay the restitution, but you've got to make the call.
The perfect prayer of confession:
Luke 18:13
‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner!’