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.