1 Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander,
Though they are born again of the living and enduring seed—of the Word of God, they still must put aside all malice (or wickedness) and all things like deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander. Peter knew that being born again didn’t get rid of all evil in one’s life. New believers have a new spiritual life, but still they have the old flesh in them, which must be “put aside,” or “abstained from” (v. 14).
It seems that there are constant struggles going on in me. The struggle between the flesh and the spirit is foremost, and is present for every Christian. However, for one that has given into the flesh there is less of a struggle—Satan has him. So, I guess I can be glad, because a struggle indicates that I am still in the war and God is still using me. Nonetheless, I don’t care for the struggle, especially when I am losing the battle of the mind—letting impure thoughts take hold. I, and all of us, need to learn to shut off or put to death those impure thoughts and to think instead on things above where we indeed are seated with Christ—and we so anticipate our glory when we, in every way, are made like Him.
Similarly, there is also a struggle with my time—for the best use of it. And if this is achieved I think I will win more often in the struggle with the flesh; for what I do affects so much what I think. I recently have been listening to John MacArthur’s sermons in Revelations; and that I know is a better use of my time than TV. I hope I can continue this habit. Not much TV is good. And there are other uses of time that are very good too, which I hope to start.
Thirly, there is a struggle with my diabetes diet. I need to keep my carbs down to have that desired blood sugar level. But I love fruit so much; and fruit, though healthy is full of sugar (carbs). So, I need to limit my fruit intake, and also other sweet foods and bread. I am not over weight, yet I am a diabetic. I hate it!
I am reading a biography on Martin Luther. Boy did he have some struggles. Yet he was courageous in the things he did—fighting against his flesh (with much fasting) and against the sins of the Catholic church. He was indeed a hero of the faith.
Jesus deals with this topic of the mortification of sin in Matthew 5:29-30.
“And if your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out, and throw it from you; for it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 “And if your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off, and throw it from you; for it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish, than for your whole body to go into hell.
Some do not identify this passage as one that deals with the mortification of sin, but D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, in his book, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount insists that it does. And notice that it comes directly after verses 27-28, which deals with the sin of adultery; or more precisely, adultery in the…
Stephen Nielsen 