What can we know if we keep renewing our mind in Christ?...

The will of God—that which is good, acceptable, and perfect in God’s sight concerning His plan for us.

The most important knowledge any individual can possess is the will of God for his life. It appears that many—perhaps most—Christian people are not certain of the will of God for their lives.

It often is difficult to prove the will of God for ourselves. At other times we are certain of the Lord’s will. In all instances, the first business of the Christian each day is to pray for the will of God and to perform God’s will to the best of his knowledge and ability, always asking the Lord for grace to help in the battle.

There is no true Christian discipleship other than the constant performing of God’s will to the best of our understanding. God’s will is to be done in singleness of heart and mind with no wavering. Our whole life is to be committed to God. Nothing less than total commitment is acceptable to the Lord Jesus.

Any gospel that teaches we can be accepted by the Lord apart from the rigorous doing of His will each day is not of God. It is the contemporary lie that is preached and taught in so many Christian churches. The winds of Divine judgment soon shall blow upon the nations. The broom of destruction shall sweep away the easy, comfortable, lying message that terms itself "the Christian Gospel."

God’s will can be proven only by the offering of our body a holy living sacrifice to Christ, and by the transformation of our personality through the renewing of our mind continually in the Word and ways of God. It is interesting to note that the Israelites were given numerous laws and ordinances to follow, but seldom were they admonished to follow God’s personal will for their lives.

But as soon as we begin reading the New Testament we notice the stress on doing God’s will for us personally, apart from religious ordinances.

Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).

It is true also the concept of God as Father is not stressed in the Old Testament but is emphasized in the New Testament.

No doubt the two changes are related. Under the old covenant the Lord required that we observe specific ordinances. Under the new covenant our Father directs every aspect of our daily life.

There are no quick, easy ways to the knowledge of the Lord. Those who desire a quick, easy method to determine the Lord’s will abide in deception. The true Christian way is the way of cross-carrying obedience to Christ. Anyone who seeks another way will stumble and fall.

It has become a common practice in Charismatic circles to trust in "words"—special bits of information spoken to the believer from a supernatural source.

The author is one who thinks he hears from the Lord while in prayer. He has been well acquainted for over forty-five years, with the ways of the Pentecostal-Charismatic churches, with tongues, prophecy, "words," laying on of hands, and other phenomena.

We would insert a note of caution at this time. It seems many believers, including ministers, are receiving words that are not from the Lord. The occurrences of delusion may indicate that the spirit of deception has been given increased access to the heavenlies and is able to deceive even experienced saints.

At one time we were able to test the spirits by asking them if Christ has come in the flesh or if Jesus is Lord of all. Now, it appears, deceiving spirits are able to answer yes to these questions. How, then, can we test the spirits?

Only by presenting our body a living sacrifice, proving the will of God in each instance. It helps also to observe carefully the fruit of our behavior, to see if righteousness, holiness, love, joy, and peace are in evidence; also, if our conduct is according to the Word of God.

It seems ministers who have heard from the Lord in time past are now hearing from demons. Each of us needs to return to the Lord and petition Him constantly to remove the darkness, the treachery, the lies from our heart and mind.

There is a verse in Daniel that suggests in the last days the enemy will be given access to the heavenlies.

And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land. And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them. Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down (Daniel 8:9-11).

The above passage contains very serious information of concern to the Lord’s holy people. We will have to keep very close to the Lord if we are to survive the spiritual horrors now at hand.

It may be well at this point to consider what Paul has taught thus far in the Book of Romans.

In the early chapters Paul described the new covenant. God has given us His own righteousness, which we are to receive by faith. We are saved by faith in the grace of God.

Then we discovered that Paul was not teaching that we are to accept our forgiveness and then live our life in the flesh, expecting the Lord Jesus to come and bring us to Heaven on the basis of our verbal agreement with the facts of redemption.

Rather, Paul keeps on insisting that we are obliged to walk "in the Spirit," meaning that our thinking, speaking, and acting are always to be governed by the energy and wisdom of the Holy Spirit of God.

Paul goes on to explain that the saints, the brothers of Christ, were elected, chosen in Christ before the world was created. Part of this eternal program includes a temporary setting aside of the greater part of the nation of Israel so some Gentiles may be added to the root of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Now we have arrived at the response that, in the light of the mercy and compassion of God under the new covenant, is expected of each person who receives Christ as Lord and Saviour.

Each of us is to present his or her body a holy and living sacrifice to Christ to be used according to His will. There is no other acceptable Christian discipleship. The grace of God under the new covenant assists those who take up their cross and follow Jesus.

But, one may ask, many Christian people live and die without ever having truly turned over their lives to Jesus. Are they lost?

Our answer to this commonly asked question is as follows:

The Lord Jesus Christ commanded us to take up our cross and follow Him. If we do less than that we will have to give an answer for our lack of diligence when we see Him.

The Scripture gives us hope that some will be saved by fire, as was Lot, entering naked into the Presence of Christ. We believe the individual who is trusting in a last-minute entrance into Paradise is taking a terrible risk with his immortal soul. There is a scriptural basis for his being cut out of the vine (John 15:2); for being cast into outer darkness (Matthew 25:30); and for not being permitted to go with the Bridegroom when He appears (Matthew 25:12).

It must be kept in mind also those who were not able to possess their soul will enter eternity with much of their personality burned away by the fire of Divine judgement.

The Scriptures teach clearly and directly that each believer will be revealed before the Judgment Seat of Christ and will give an answer for his behaviour in his body. Each of us will be rewarded exactly as our work has been (II Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 22:12).

It is our belief that the churches have overemphasized the teaching of freely given grace (limiting the definition of grace to "forgiveness") and have not considered as carefully the implications of II Corinthians 5:10 and Revelation 22:12, which most certainly are directed toward the disciples of Jesus.

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