In Christ, we are sons of God

Believers, did you notice something amiss where the devil quoted parts of Psalms 91 to our Saviour Jesus when he tempted Him in the wilderness (Matthew 4?) It reads: "5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:

‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’

and,

‘In their hands they shall bear you up,

Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”

This quote is from Psalms 91:11-12. The complete verses read:

11 For He shall give His angels charge over you,

To keep you in all your ways.

12 In their hands they shall bear you up,

Lest you dash your foot against a stone.

The devil left out "To keep you in all your ways."

You see, the devil and his agents cannot quote Scripture completely or in its correct context because it would be counter-productive to do so. People will be saved! Jumping down from the pinnacle of the temple to prove that He is the Son of God definitely wasn't on our Saviour's agenda. He knew that He was the Son of God and didn't have to kow-tow to the silly demands of the world to prove it. It wasn't His way and God's angels only "keep you in all your ways." 

For us in Christ, "our ways" is the path of righteousness which Christ our Shepherd put and leads us on; it is NEVER our own righteousnesses from works of the law or things that Satan and his ministers on the pulpit ask us to do to prove that we are children of God.

The devil subtly left this crucial part of verse 11 out! This is what he still does through his agents in churches today, questioning the righteousness of those that our Lord God has made righteous in Christ by using the same "If you are the Son of God" refrain that he did with our Saviour and pointing believers to the law and things to do to prove their sonship; his agents quote bible passages out of context and omit parts for their own shady agendas.

1 Peter 3:3 is a favourite of those who try to twist the Scripture to suit their own shady purposes. It says of women:

"whose adorning -- let it not be that which is outward, of plaiting of hair, and of putting around of things of gold, or of putting on of garments,"

Hypocrites like to pounce on the "plaiting of hair" and "putting around of things of gold" parts, banning their church members from doing these things; but just like the Accuser, they conveniently leave out "putting on of garments." If anyone is going to interpret this verse as meaning "don't do hair," "don't wear gold" and such, then they must stick with it all and not wear any garments: go naked everywhere. 

The verses before and after give us the full context. Remove the text from its context and you will be left with a con. How we make our hair and what we wear cannot "improve our righteousness" before God neither can they make or un-make people sons of God. See James 2:10. If you are keeping the law and doing things like these to be or remain a child of God, you have to keep ALL. But ALL have sinned. Believers, this is how we are made (and remain) sons of God: John 1:

"12 but as many as did receive Him to them Him gave authority to become sons of God -- to those believing in His name, 13 who -- not of blood nor of a will of flesh, nor of a will of man but -- of God were begotten."

Jeremiah prophesied of our Saviour long ago saying of Christ: 

"...And this is the name by which He will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.”" (Jer.23:6) 

To "receive Him" entails receiving Christ as our righteousness and forsaking that which comes from our puny attempts at keeping the law and doing things that we think makes us holy by human effort. This is how we are made righteous in God's sight: 2 Cor. 5:21 says of our Abba Father-

"For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

No more, no less. When we have Christ as our righteousness and forsake ours which comes from law-keeping and wearing only long skirts and baggy suits, The Lord our Righteousness Himself in us determines everything- how we live, how we dress, how we give and how we love (faith works) - because "no longer I that live but Christ that lives in me."

If you have received and believe Christ, having Him as your righteousness and not yours from keeping the Ten Commandments or eschewing things like weaves (women) and skinny trousers (men) in order to prove your holiness to the world, then you are redeemed; the ransomed of the Lord. He leads you on the path of righteousness. Isaiah 35:8 says of you who walk this road:

"A highway shall be there, and a road,

And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness.

The unclean shall not pass over it,

But it shall be for others.

Whoever walks the road, although a fool,

Shall not go astray."

The Lord our Shepherd Himself keeps us from going astray, not our own knowledge of good and evil (remember the tree of the same name)

Our status as "sons of God" isn't dependent on who we're descended from or human effort at doing what is right. It is of God's power and dependent only on receiving and believing Jesus Christ. Believers, when you try to make yourself the "son of God" or prove that you are by keeping the law and doing "good things" when you have already are a child you you are dashing yourself from the pinnacle of the temple! Galatians 5:4 says

“For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace.”

This means that if you believe that it is your law-keeping/what you do or don’t do that makes you right with God, you can call on the name of Jesus all you want but it will be an effort in futility. You can’t mix law and grace; the law did not come through Jesus Christ. Grace and Truth did. And this Truth is not the Ten Commandments. Grace (Christ Himself) is the Truth that sets free.

Believers, don't let anyone deceive you into coming under the curse with incomplete or 'out of context' bible passages! If you take a 'text' out of 'context,' you will be left with a 'con!'

Ask our Lord Jesus Christ to lead you on the path of righteousness. He is our Shepherd! The Holy Spirit will teach you all things! Ask now.

Believe Right and you will Live Right.