Forgiven AND RECEIVING TRAINING

Ever thought anything like this:

"I'll go ahead and enjoy the 'pleasure' of this sin because I know God will forgive me."  I have. 
This is a gospel diluted by our desire to continue in sinful pleasures, so we lop off our action from this following truth:

God's grace not only forgives.  God's grace trains! 

For the grace of God has appeared bringing salvation for all people,
TRAINING US TO RENOUNCE UNGODLINESS AND WORLDLY PASSIONS
AND TO LIVE SELF-CONTROLLED, UPRIGHT AND GODLY LIVES
in the present age
waiting for our blessed hope
the appearing of the glory of our great God and savior, Jesus Christ
who gave himself for us
to redeem us from all lawlessness
AND TO PURIFY FOR HIMSELF A PEOPLE FOR HIS OWN POSSESSION
WHO ARE ZEALOUS FOR GOOD WORKS.
                                           Titus 2:11-14

One of my soapboxes is the same as that of the onlooking, non-believing world.  "Christians have a faith they don't act on - therefore, they are hypocrites."  Well, yeah, we'll always be seen as hypocrites because our righteousness before God is in Christ, not our perfect lives (that line is for you, too, Christians)! ... BUT, this accusation has legitimacy, too ... we don't apply the grace of God which trains us to remove the residue of sin.  We wallow in it.

Don't apply the forgiveness of the gospel without its training.  This ain't God's gospel, it's your own ... and therefore insufficient -- which is a big problem now ... and later ...

If you need some counsel with this, you should contact us at Harvest.  We're learning to train.