“Awake to Seriousness and Sin Not

. . . everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him.” 1 John 5:1. Therefore we rejoice over every brother and sister who is led by God’s Spirit, and we truly rejoice to hear each testimony and exhortation that leads to godliness.

The work of the Spirit of God always leads in the direction of the cross. Therefore we can test the preaching we hear by whether there is a cross in it. It rejoices our heart to see proof of the fact that people awaken to the significance and necessity of the cross of Christ, the cross on which we are to hang together with Him daily.

A well-known preacher wrote some time ago that he had often called it bondage to reckon yourself dead to sin, the world, and your self-life, but alive to God in Jesus Christ. However, it had now be­come clear to him that the way of the cross was the way of liberation and blessing. It is good that people receive light, but it is not good that those who don’t have the slightest understanding of the simplest things concerning godliness travel around and preach. This only leads to false liberty.

Another preacher has been powerfully awakened to the fact that the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God, which is the church. He has personally experienced a radical change in his life and has spoken earnestly and seriously about putting off many dif­ferent sins, which he also mentioned by name.

This is very good and blessed, and we are thankful to God for all those who take the matter of being finished with sin seriously, be­cause a person cannot begin on the way of sanctification before he is finished with sinning. This is precisely what many men of the Spirit in our country have been fighting for, for a whole generation, but it has been strongly resisted by the religious leaders. When the word of truth and light was spoken to the assemblies, they called out: Preach Christ!

The time of Jesus’ coming is near and it is now becoming urgent for those who hear the Spirit’s calling to purify themselves and put off all sin. A revival that aims at putting off anger, laziness, and impu­rity—which are works of the old man—is not for the bride. She has already put off all conscious sin and can say together with Paul, “For I know nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this . . .” 1 Corinthians 4:4. The revival which the bride always needs, is to have light and Spirit over her life in order to find her life, her soul-life, and lose it again—always surrendering it into the death of Christ so that the life of Christ might be revealed. But for the religious sinner the trumpet of judgment will sound until he has put off all sin.

May God awaken many to see the emptiness of saying “Hallelujah” and “Amen” with their mouths and at the same time leading disorderly lives. And may there be many more who can lead people to the point where they can put off sin, and then lead them on to the way of sanctification.