“Cut Off All the Evildoers” (Ps 101)

My eyes shall be on the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in a perfect way, he shall serve me. He who works deceit shall not dwell within my house; he who tells lies shall not continue in my presence. Early I will destroy all the wicked of the land, that I may cut off all the evildoers from the city of the LORD. (vs6-8)

The Lord's business is cutting off evil doers, exalting the righteous, and doing justly in judgment and mercy. He is not a god that countenances sin, as if it is no big deal and unworthy of punishment. Instead, He REWARDS the righteous with favor and the wicked are consumed in wrath. Thus, He warns us ahead of time what manner of persons we must be.

1. We must trust in Christ for the removal of our sins. It is NOT enough to “do good”. We must be made good by grace, never seeking to earn our way into heaven. He says, “not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph 2:9). Good works are the fruit of faith, but they are not the way that we get started in the kingdom. We are JUSTIFIED by faith - by believing on the Lord Jesus' death and resurrection, how God laid sins upon Him, punished Him, and resurrected Him to the throne. Now, he who believes, doing nothing else but BELIEVES on Jesus as Lord (to command me) and as Savior (to save me by faith alone), shall be saved.
2. We must have obedience in behavior, for faith without works is dead (James 2:20). The Apostles teach us that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of Christ. We read, “D you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor 6:9-11). It isn't possible to live the same way, in slavery to sin, after you have been saved. It isn't true that the Son sets men free, only to watch them drown in slavery to sin. He says, “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:34-36). 2 Peter condemns all who do not practice the Scriptures, and he teaches us to make our election sure by holiness of conduct. If Christ won't save the liar, thief, or the drunkard... if there is no mercy in judgment for the hypocrite, the slanderer, and the rebel... then we CHANGE our ways down here, trusting Him to forgive us of what we are (and have done), and to make us brand new by the Spirit's power.

You and I must believe this without any effort in ourselves to improve, and then we must IMPROVE ourselves continually by the gospel. Never condemn yourself for the sins Christ forgives, and never use forgiveness as an occasion to sin with impunity. In all things, believe and do. He says, “I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me” (Ps 101:3). Hear the gospel and live it out.