How God Sees You

How does God see you? Look into the word of truth to see. Then, you will understand who you really are. The word of truth is your Bible. God gives you understanding through His word of truth. The Bible reveals how God sees you.

See yourself as someone who has sinned against God. You may not like to think of yourself as a sinner, but the mirror shows only the truth. All of us can say, "I have sinned." To sin is to miss God's goal for your life. That goal is to bring glory to God. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

Don't stop now. Look into the word of truth again. See yourself as someone whom God loves. See yourself at the cross of Jesus. See that He died in your place and for your sins. That's how much God loves you. There is no way that you could be loved more. You can say, "I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).

Now, look into the word of truth one more time. Understand that your life has purpose in Christ. You are a new creation in Christ. God has work for you to do. He has plans for you. "For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them"(Ephesians 2:10).

When You Trust Christ

"In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation" (Ephesians 1:13). Trusting Christ is faith in Him based upon the gospel. It is your salvation in Christ. That word salvation means deliverance. Christ delivers you from the condemnation, guilt, and shame of your sins. He delivers you from all the powers of darkness in your life.

Salvation is received, when you trust Christ. Salvation is your deliverance from spiritual death (Ephesians 2:1), the condemnation of your sins (Romans 8:1), and the powers of darkness (Ephesians 6:12). He does for you what you could never do for yourself. 

When you trust Christ, your life is changed. For He alone can change you, "that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory" (Ephesians 1:12). Your life brings glory to Christ, because He is doing in you what you could never do for yourself.

When you trust Christ, you are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise (Ephesians 1:13). The Spirit of Christ indwells every believer (Romans 8:9). Christ works in you through the Holy Spirit. You have received the three abiding gifts of the Holy Spirit, which are faith, hope, and love (1 Corinthians 13:13).

How Salvation Is Applied

Charles Spurgeon wrote, "I never knew one who could put his hand on his heart, and say, 'I believed in Jesus without the assistance of the Holy Spirit." Spurgeon understood clearly that the Holy Spirit applies the salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ in our lives. According to the Bible, faith is an abiding gift of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 13:13). Without the Holy Spirit, salvation cannot be applied to anyone.

Without the Holy Spirit, we would never see our need for Christ. His work is to convict us of the sin of unbelief, that is not believing in the Lord Jesus Christ (John 16:7-11). He convinces us concerning the truth of the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth, guiding us into all truth. Christ is the truth (John 14:6). The Holy Spirit leads us to know and understand the truth of Christ.

Without the Holy Spirit our hearts cannot be changed to have a personal relationship with God through Christ our Lord. The heart of man is his mind, will, and emotions. Christ lives in our hearts through the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9).

Without the assistance of the Holy Spirit, we cannot truly understand the gospel. Without the assistance of the Holy Spirit, we are unwilling to believe the gospel. Without the assistance of the Holy Spirit, we have no remorse nor sorrow for our sins. By the Holy Spirit salvation is applied.

Walking with God

Walking with God is not a strange mystical experience reserved for only a few. To the contrary, walking with God is the normal Christian experience. It is the birthright of every born again believer in Jesus Christ.

Walking with God is walking in the light. "But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). Walking with God is daily fellowship and communion with Him. That involves talking to God in prayer, and God speaking to us through the words of Holy Scripture.

Walking with God is by faith. He welcomes us to walk with Him. Only by faith can we experience God daily. "For we walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7). The natural eye cannot see God, but the heart of faith knows fellowship with God always and everywhere.

Walking with God is walking with love, that leads us everyday and all the way. Love will walk with us on the right path. Love will walk with us through every valley. Love will keep us all along the way. "And walk in love as Christ has also loved us" (Ephesians 5:2). This love of God comes only as a gift of the Spirit poured out into our hearts (Romans 5:5). It is an abiding gift of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 13:13).

God's Gift to You

Grace is God's gift to you (Ephesians 2:8-9). Grace is given as unmerited favor from God. That means you will never earn it nor deserve it. Grace gives all that you receive from God. Grace can never be bought, earned, nor achieved through personal effort (Romans 11:6).

Grace from God the Father is always freely given. He is the God of all grace. Grace gives you life, abundant life, and life eternal (John 10:10; Romans 6:23). So, every believer may say, "But by the grace of God I am what I am"(1 Corinthians 15:10). That's by grace alone.

Grace is God's gift through the gospel of Christ to change your life. Nothing else in all the world can change you but God's grace in Christ. Grace operates directly on your heart, to change you from the inside out.

Grace is God's gift through the Holy Spirit to change your heart (Romans 5:5). The Spirit of grace changes your mind to understand the things of God. Grace changes your will to seek God. Grace changes your emotions to have a tender heart for God.

Grace is God's gift in Christ that you may grow spiritually (2 Peter 3:18). You continue to change toward the goal of being conformed to the likeness of Jesus Christ. Without grace, you cannot change yourself. It's by grace alone. That's grace freely given to you by faith in Christ alone.

Know God Our Father

Know God our Father, the Creator ruling as Lord over all. To say God rules over all is simply to say that God is God, beside whom there is no other. God is omnipotent. He has all power in heaven and earth (Psalm 115:3; Romans 11:36; Revelation 19:6).

Know God our Father fully revealed in the character, teaching, and mighty works of Jesus Christ. God the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world and the Lord over all. He came only to do the Father's will (John 5:19). The life of Jesus reveals the express likeness of who God is (Hebrews 1:3).

Know God our Father's love (1 John 4:8, 16). Any theology that is silent toward God's great love for us in Christ has missed the mark. God is love and the Father's love is for sinners (Romans 5:5-8). God loves all people everywhere (John 3:16). God the Father rules over all in love, justice, righteousness, grace, and mercy.

God is not a terrible tyrant, nor a merciless monarch. Know God our loving Father. He is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is Father to all who know him through faith in Christ (Galatians 4:6-7). Yet, God's fatherly nature is revealed to all through common grace, such as creation, fruitful seasons, patience toward those who need to repent, and in sustaining life (Acts 17:24-25).

Why Do We Praise God?

"Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name" (Hebrews 13:15).

We praise God because He has power over all our circumstances. "It's amazing what praising can do." The Bible tells us that Paul and Silas praised God in prison (Acts 16). They were set free and a man, as well as his family, were saved and baptized. God responds to the sacrifice of praise.

We praise God because He is good. It may seem strange to you to praise God when everything goes wrong. Most of us reason that you only praise God when things are going your way. However, believers should praise God all the time, and that includes the bad times. Praise recognizes that God is good all the time, even in the bad times.

We praise God because He changes not. In times of trial and testing, our praise to God recognizes that He is forever the same. Your life situations may change oh so fast, but our God changes not. His love, mercy and grace is constantly there for you.

We praise God because He rules over all. Resolve to praise God when you understand, and when you don't. Even when everything goes wrong, we continue to praise God. We say to God, "Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your name forever and ever" (Psalm 145:2).

Christ Our Righteousness

Charles H. Spurgeon testified, "My hope lives not because I am not a sinner, but because I am a sinner for whom Christ died; my trust is not that I am holy, but that being unholy, HE is my righteousness.

"But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousness is like filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6). We need to receive the righteousness of God in Christ. It is the gift of God received by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Believers are righteous in Christ alone.

How did Abraham become righteous? He became righteous by faith in the Lord. He received God's gift of righteousness by faith. Abraham is our example three times in the New Testament on how to be righteous before God (Romans 4:3; Galatians 3:6; James 2:23)."And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness" (Genesis 15:6). 

How do we become righteous? It's in Christ alone. By faith in Jesus Christ, believers receive the gift of God's perfect righteousness. When we believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we "become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21).

How Are We Sanctified?

Immediately upon regeneration we are sanctified, set apart in Christ (1 Peter 1:2). However, regeneration is an immediate act by the Holy Spirit upon our hearts, whereas sanctification is an ongoing work of the Holy Spirit within us. Simply stated, regeneration is our new life in Christ, whereas our sanctification is growth in Christ.

Regeneration is the operation of the Holy Spirit upon our hearts (i.e., mind, will, and emotions), whereas sanctification is a cooperative work between the Holy Spirit and us. It is necessary for us to yield to the Spirit, otherwise we become carnal Christians (1 Corinthians 3:1-3). Our choice is between the Spirit and the flesh. It is an ongoing battle in every believer's life (Galatians 5:16-17).

Regeneration gives us a desire to grow in Christ. We are sanctified in Christ in order to mature as believers. We grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. We desire the "sincere milk" of God's word. This comes through Bible study and teaching. We are enabled by the Holy Spirit to understand more and more of God's truth in Christ.

In the New Testament, salvation is past, present, and future. "He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6). Through regeneration believers have been saved in Christ. Through sanctification believers are growing in Christ.

Grace Alone Saves Us

Grace alone saves us from the law of sin and death. Preceding grace awakens us to our need of Christ (John 16:7-11). Grace enables us to repent and trust the Lord Jesus Christ. God began this work of grace in us and continues to complete it (Philippians 1:6). God's salvation for sinners is all of grace.

Grace alone saves us through the work of the Holy Spirit. He enables us to turn by faith to Christ as Savior and Lord (1 Corinthians 12:3). Grace continues to work in believers, until God finishes in us what He began. Salvation from beginning to completion is all of grace.

There is no way we can merit nor earn our salvation. It comes to us only by the grace of God, as a gift to be freely received. Only faith in Jesus Christ receives the grace of God. 

Don't fall for the idea that you can somehow be good enough to merit God's saving grace. Sinners are saved by grace, and it's all of grace. God's grace alone is always and only unmerited favor.

Grace alone saves us through faith in Christ (John 1:16). "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9, ESV). It's by grace alone, received through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Understand the Gospel

Understand the gospel is the good news of God through Christ. The Lord Jesus died for our sins. The power of the Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead. Jesus is "declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead" (Romans 1:4). 

Understand the gospel through the Holy Spirit. He has the power to change our hearts, that is our thoughts, desires, and emotions. The Holy Spirit makes a change in us which is real and permanent. That's the gospel in power (1 Thessalonians 1:5).

Understand the gospel is salvation in Christ alone. We confess is Lord, because we believe He is risen from the dead (Romans 10:9). That's the power of the Holy Spirit in you. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation for all who believe. The power of the Holy Spirit is found through the gospel of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:16).

Understand the gospel is not forced upon you against your will. However, through the gospel you are empowered to do God's will. "For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). Through the gospel, your will is set free from the bondage of sin to do the will of God. That's the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit.

What Is Repentance?

Repentance is turning from unbelief to faith in God through Christ. That is "repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus  Christ" (Acts 20:21). We were going in the wrong direction, which is unbelief. We turn and go in the opposite direction, that is faith in Christ.

Left to ourselves, we have no desire to turn from the old life of sin and unbelief. We have pleasure in our sin and depravity. We see no reason to trust in Christ. Only until the Holy Spirit convicts and convinces us of our need for Christ are we awakened to our lost condition. The Spirit of grace awakens us to our condemnation in sin (John 16:8-11).

Awakened to our true condition before God, we are enabled to truly repent and trust Christ. The Spirit of grace who awakens us, also enables us to turn from the old life to become a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). God grants us repentance (2 Timothy 2:25). The Holy Spirit enables us to have faith in Christ (Galatians 5:5). By the grace of God, we repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Repentance is a change of mind about sin and Christ. When we repent, our hearts are transformed and our minds are renewed by the Spirit of God. "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God" (Romans 12:2). 

God's Power Over All

God's power over all is illustrated in the Bible. "Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?" (Romans 9:21). The potter is an image of God. We are like clay in his hands. The analogy of the potter reveals how God is omnipotent. As the potter has power over the clay, so God has power over all.

God's power over all is seen in creation. The Bible declares, "It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves" (Psalm 100:3). The power of God is revealed in all of creation. Those who refuse to acknowledge God as the Creator over all must be left with the foolish conclusion that nothing made everything. Yet, God's creation reveals God's power over all.

God's power over all is revealed in Christ. After the resurrection, Christ declared all power given unto him in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18). That reveals the deity of Christ. Only God has power over all. God's power is revealed in our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, Jesus "the same Lord over all is rich unto all who call upon him" (Romans 10:12).

God's power over all is experienced in salvation (Romans 1:16). The apostle Paul is our example. He testified, "But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, to reveal his Son in me" (Gal. 1:15-16). He became a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). He was transformed by the power of God in Christ (Romans 12:1-2). 

Be Firm In Your Faith

Your faith will be tested by the world. It will be mocked by the scoffer. It will be threatened by life situations. Nevertheless, faith's firm foundation will not change with the times, break under pressure, nor crumble into doubt and unbelief. Faith is a gift of God upon a constant, firm foundation. Faith stands upon the truth of God. "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17).

The most important part of a house is not what the eyes can see. By far, the most important part of any house is a firm foundation. Otherwise, the house is subject to many hazards. So it is with our faith. Faith must have a firm foundation or it will not stand the test of time. 

"You have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 3:15). Our faith has a firm foundation upon the Lord Jesus Christ, according to the Holy Scriptures.

The Bible is a firm foundation. All Scripture is inspired by the Holy Spirit. Our faith stands upon a firm foundation. Faith based upon anything else cannot survive the test of time. "But the word of our God stands forever" (Isaiah 40:8). Our faith stands firm, because the word of God stands forever.

How Grace Is Sufficient

God says, "My grace is sufficient for you"(2 Corinthians 12:9). Grace is God's gift (Ephesians 2:8-9). Grace brings favor from God, when you don't deserve it. Grace gives you all that you receive from God. Grace can never be bought, earned, nor achieved through personal effort. Grace always comes freely from the God of all grace. 

God's grace is sufficient to give you life, abundant life, and life eternal. Believers may truly say, "But by the grace of God I am what I am" (1 Corinthians 15:10). All we are, or ever hope to be, is by God's grace. 

God's grace is sufficient to change your life. The fullness of that grace is found in Christ alone (John 1:16). Nothing else in all the world can change you but God's grace in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). Grace operates directly on your heart, to change you from the inside out. Grace changes your mind to understand the things of God. Grace changes your will to seek God. Grace changes your emotions to have a tender heart for God.

God's grace is always sufficient in Jesus Christ. It's not of your works. It's all of grace (Titus 3:5-7). Come out with your hands up. Lift your hands to the God of all grace. He alone is the One who changes you from glory into glory. Surrender to God's grace. "It was grace that brought you safe thus far, and grace will lead you home." God's grace is sufficient for you. 

Full Salvation In Christ

Full salvation is from God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The triune God is full salvation. One eternal God is experienced in our salvation. Consider how our salvation is the work of the Holy Trinity.

Full salvation is from the Father, through the Son and by the Holy Spirit. You come to know God as your Father, through faith in God the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. The only way to God the Father is through God the Son (John 14:1-6). Salvation is applied to you by God the Holy Spirit. The Godhead is revealed to you in salvation.

God the Holy Spirit enables you to come by faith to God the Son. "No one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:3). God the Holy Spirit leads you to believe the gospel. You believe Christ died for your sins. You believe Christ is risen from the dead. You believe and confess Jesus is Lord.

God the Holy Spirit gives the assurance of full salvation, as you confess Jesus is Lord. "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God" (Romans 8:16). This is your assurance: "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).

Whom Christ Died to Save

"He was led as a lamb to the slaughter" (Isaiah 53:7). Here, the prophet of God declared by the foreknowledge of God, Jesus crucified centuries before it was fulfilled. In the mind and plan of God, Jesus is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8). How Christ died is of eternal importance.

God's plan to save sinners was foreordained before creation. God has one sacrifice for the sin of the world. It was foreshadowed in the Old Testament through animal sacrifices. It is remembered according to the New Testament through the Lord's Supper.

Christ died for the sin of the world. John the Baptist pointed to Jesus as the fulfillment of that prophecy. He said,"Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). Believers may say, at the cross of Jesus, my sin is taken away.

Christ died in the place of others. He is every believer's sacrifice for sin. He took our sin and our judgment. He shed his blood and poured out his life on our behalf. He died that we may have life eternal. Our sin debt was paid by Christ crucified. Every believer may testify, "Christ died to take away my sin."

Christ died on the cross in every believer's place. The testimony of faith is made sure by the Holy Spirit working grace in your heart. Has it happened in your heart? If so, you see Christ died to take away all your sin (1 John 1:7). Jesus Christ died to save every believer. 

Why God Saved You

Why did God save you? God saves sinners for one reason, all to the praise of His glory (Ephesians 1:6, 12, 14). He delivers you from the law of sin and death. Give God the glory!

God made us to bring glory to His name. We have all sinned, which is to fall short of the glory of God. Man in sin has missed the purpose of God for his life. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). When we live in sin, we dishonor the glory of God.

God saved you by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, to the praise of His glory alone. Give God the glory for your salvation in Christ Jesus!

God saved you to the praise of His glory, through the Son of His glory. Our salvation in Christ is to the praise of His glory alone. Believers are to live for God's glory in all things, now and forevermore. 

The Christian life may be defined as living for the glory of God. "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31). The will of God is the glory of God. All of life is to God's glory. To God alone be glory now and forevermore. Give God the glory!

Pray with Confidence

The promises of God are sure to all who believe in Christ."For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us"(2 Corinthians 1:20). That's confident prayer in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Confident prayer is according to God's promises in the Bible. His answer will be Yes and Amen in Christ. You may be reluctant to ask God for anything because you think He may say no to you. His Yes is in His word when you ask in Jesus name. Jesus Christ is the Amen to your requests. Amen means "so be it."

Make the Bible your prayer book. It is inspired of the Holy Spirit. The promises are sure to you as a believer. Your confidence and faith is strengthened when you ask according to God's promises. He hears and answers "Yes." Confident prayer is according to God's word and will. 

Praying the Bible promises of God through Christ is asking and receiving. When you ask God according to His word of promise, you are asking according to the will of God. This means you are certain of God's will."Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us"(1 John 5:14).

You may believe God can do anything, but will He do what you are asking? It's certain He will, if it's according to His word of promise. The word of God is the will of God. That's confident prayer.

Believing Is Receiving

Scripture makes it absolutely clear. Salvation is believing on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31). God sent His Son into this world to save sinners from condemnation and wrath to come. Believing is receiving Christ (John 1:11-12).

Believing is receiving the Gospel of Christ. It's through the shed blood of Jesus Christ that all our sins are taken away. God accepts us based upon believing the resurrection of Christ (Romans 10:9). The Gospel of Christ is our sure and certain foundation of assurance (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).

Believing is receiving the imputed righteousness of Christ. His righteousness becomes our righteousness through faith in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21). God does not accept us for who we are and what we have done. To the contrary, He accepts us in His Son. We are the righteousness of God in Christ.

Believing is receiving  the word and Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9). The same Holy Spirit who inspired the Holy Scripture is the same Holy Spirit who applies our salvation in Christ. That assurance comes with peace from God. Peace is a fruit of the Spirit in your heart and life (Galatians 5:22). "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1).

God's Covenant Promises

God's everlasting covenant makes promises to His people (Jeremiah 32:40). They are promises that cannot fail, because God cannot fail! God promises us an everlasting relationship. God promises not to turn away from doing good for us. God promises to put His fear in our hearts, so that we will not depart from Him.

God promised an everlasting covenant with His people. It is not temporary. He promised an eternal relationship. The eternal God has given us eternal life through Jesus our Lord (John 3:16). It's the gift of God to all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 6:23; 10:9).

Another promise of the everlasting covenant is that God will not stop from doing us good. That doesn't mean that we are exempt from temptation, trials, and spiritual warfare. It does mean that God is at work in us for good. All things will work together for our good according to God's purpose (Romans 8:28). God is working in us according to His good will to do what pleases Him (Philippians 2:13).

God covenant promises to put His fear in our hearts, so that we will not depart from Him. Covenant fear is awe and reverence for God. Covenant fear is evidence that God is working in our hearts. This promise is our eternal security with God (Acts 10:2, 22, 35; 1 John 2:19).

God Saves Sinners

God saves sinners. Being a sinner includes all of us, for all have sinned (Romans 3:23). Jesus Christ is salvation for sinners who believe the gospel. God proves His love for sinners at the cross of Jesus (Romans 5:8).

The death and resurrection of Christ saves any sinner and every sinner who repents and believes the gospel (Acts 16:31; 17:30). The command of Christ is to preach the gospel to all people in all nations (Mark 16:15).

Jesus crucified for our sins and risen from the dead is offered to every sinner (Romans 10:9-13). Furthermore, it is made sure to every sinner who believes. Faith in Christ is our assurance based upon the promise of God's word (Romans 10:17).

God saves sinners who repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 24:46-47; Acts 16:31). The gospel offered to all is made sure to those who believe and receive (John 1:12-13). Christ is our salvation and Christ is our surety of salvation (Hebrews 7:22).

God saves sinners. The results are guaranteed beyond doubt. The price has been paid at the cross to guarantee our redemption from all sin (1 John 1:7). Our salvation as sinners is in Christ alone.

Be Bold in Your Faith

God wants you to be bold in your faith toward him. Boldness is certainly not arrogance nor pride. It is confidence, assurance, and certainty. A bold faith has no doubt. With such faith God is pleased.

Bold faith walks with God. It prays confidently. Bold faith ministers to others with assurance. It's a faith that simply will not be denied. Genuine faith in God and His Son Jesus is bold. "Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him" (Ephesians 3:11-12).

Bold faith is not based upon what you do, but what Jesus has done for you at the cross. It's based upon the shed blood of Jesus. Bold faith is not self-confidence. To the contrary, it's confidence in Christ alone. Have bold faith through Christ. "Therefore, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way" (Hebrews 10:19). Bold faith in God is through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Bold faith in God begins at the cross of Jesus. The price has been paid for you to have bold faith. It was paid in His blood. Three days later, the Spirit of God raised Jesus from the dead. Bold faith is based upon the power of His resurrection. The same Spirit of God gives you bold faith."God has dealt to each one a measure of faith"(Romans 12:3).

The Curse of Sin

Martin Luther taught that Christ died for the curse of our sin. "He voluntarily fulfilled all righteousness, living under the law without spot or blemish, bore our sins, became a curse for us, and offered himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. This is the atoning, reconciling work of Christ."

The word curse means to be cut off, that is cut off from the blessing of God and marked for destruction. God's covenant of law promised blessings to those who obey and curses to those who disobey (Deuteronomy 28:15-24). The curse of sin cuts us off from the blessings of God.

Mankind living in sin is controlled by a spirit of disobedience (Ephesians 2:1-3). He is under the dominion of sin and the curse of the law. His only hope of salvation is in the sacrifice of Christ alone.  As Luther said, Christ "became a curse for us, and offered himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world."

The curse of sin is removed by faith in Christ as our sacrifice! Luther taught that Christ in the atonement "became a curse for us" at the cross (Gal. 3:13). He wrote, "This is the atoning, reconciling work of Christ." That means by grace through faith in the atonement of Christ, we are free from the curse! 

The Gospel In Power

John Owen wrote, "Take away the Spirit from the gospel, and you render it a 'dead letter' of no more use to Christians than the Old Testament is to the Jews." He understood that the gospel is effective through the Holy Spirit. And, without the power of the Holy Spirit, the gospel changes no one.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is our salvation. The apostle Paul defined the gospel in these words, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek" (Romans 1:16). That is the gospel of Christ for everyone to hear, but saving only those who believe. They experience the power of God through the gospel changing their lives.

Christians are to spread the gospel for all to hear. The preacher proclaims the gospel to one and all without exception. That's our responsibility to the command of Christ (Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:15). Having obeyed the command of Christ, we leave the results to God. The gospel is the power of God, through the Holy Spirit convicting and drawing people to Christ (John 16:8-11). 

It is not our methods nor our schemes that makes the gospel effective. Without the power of the Holy Spirit effectively drawing people to Christ, all is vain. That is no excuse to disobey the command to spread the gospel. It is however to make us constantly aware that only God gives the increase (1 Corinthians 3:7). The Spirit of God makes the gospel effective!

Come Holy Spirit

Look at the second chapter of Acts. See something that is often overlooked. Whenever Jesus is honored and exalted, the Holy Spirit comes. Contrary to what some people assume, the important thing here was not that the Holy Spirit had come. More importantly, the Holy Spirit came to confirm the message of the Lord Jesus Christ. Thousands were saved through the gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit.

On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit exalted the risen Christ. The great outpouring of the Holy Spirit was the work of the living Christ. Pentecost declared Jesus is risen indeed!  The Holy Spirit always works to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ. Come Holy Spirit to save people through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Jesus promised those early disciples that He would empower them with the Holy Spirit to witness for Him (Acts 1:8). That's exactly what happened on the Day of Pentecost. They witnessed the work of the Holy Spirit drawing people to Christ from many different nations.

The Holy Spirit came to exalt Jesus on the Day of Pentecost through preaching. The apostle Peter preached a sermon about Christ from the Old Testament Scripture and declared the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. The Holy Spirit was the witness to the truth of Jesus Christ. On the Day of Pentecost, Jesus Christ was exalted in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Come Holy Spirit, as we declare Jesus is Lord.

The Secret of Great Faith

Would you like to have great faith? Probably, most Christians would. The only problem is that most of us look for great faith in all the wrong places. There is a secret to having great faith. What is great faith? It's a secret revealed in your Bible.

Understand that faith never comes alone. You will never find faith where you do not likewise find hope and love. These triplets are never separated. If you have one, the other two must be there also. "And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:13). Please note that faith is not the greatest. Love is always the greatest, because "God is love" (1 John 4:8).

Therefore, the secret to great faith is always great love. Faith always follows love. God's love will always give you the faith and hope you need for every trial and test. You need not ask to be filled with great faith. No! Never! Ask God to fill you with His love. Faith will come with love every time.

To have great faith, you need God's love. Those who want strong hope only need to yield to more of God's love. Ask God to fill you with His love. That's the Spirit-filled life, "to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God" (Ephesians 3:19). Love is the secret of great faith.

Be Blessed In Christ

Be blessed by God in Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "You believe in God, believe also in Me" (John 14:1). All the blessings of God come to us in Christ. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3). Believers are blessed in Christ.

Unbelief is the sin which rejects God's Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Unbelief cannot receive God's blessings in Christ. Unbelief spurns the goodness of God. Unbelief is the choice of a heart that is hard against the goodness of God. It never considers that it could be wrong, even eternally wrong. Unbelief defiantly says, no, to all that God graciously offers in Christ. Unbelief is the sin that rejects the love, goodness, and grace of Christ. 

The Holy Spirit comes to expose the sin of unbelief. Jesus taught that the Holy Spirit convicts of unbelief, "of sin, because they believe not in Me" (John 16:9). Don't let unbelief rob you of God's blessings in Christ. Faith receives all the blessings of God in Christ (Ephesians 1:3).

Faith comes as an abiding gift of the Holy Spirit; unbelief rejects the gift of God in Christ. Faith testifies that Christ is trustworthy; unbelief will not trust in Christ. Faith walks in the light of Christ; unbelief is satisfied to stand in darkness without Christ. Faith in Christ comes from a heart transformed by the grace of God; unbelief comes from a hardened heart rejecting Christ. Be blessed in Christ or cursed in sin.

The Atonement Applied

Greek scholar A.T. Robertson commented on Hebrews 2:9, "that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone." He wrote: "This phrase is purpose, not result. The author interprets and applies the language of the Psalm to Jesus and puts Christ's death 'instead of every man,' as the motive of the Cross. His death was in behalf of everyone, and was sufficient for all, efficient for some" (A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, Concise Edition, 2000) 560. 

The gospel offers an atonement that is sufficient in value for all sinners. The invitation of the gospel is offered to all, because the atonement of Christ is sufficient for all. In a word, the atonement is unlimited in the value and worth of sufficiency. That's what A.T. Robertson meant when he wrote that it is "sufficient for all."

The atonement is sufficient in its scope, but it is also efficient in its application. It is applied only to those who repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38-39; Acts 16:30-31). For this reason, A.T. Robertson could write that the atonement of Christ is both "sufficient for all, efficient for some."

The atonement of Christ is sufficient in value for everyone. It is offered freely to all. However, the saving power of the atonement is applied only to those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, Dr. Robertson concludes that it is "efficient for some."