Forgiven and Cleansed

God gave us a conscience. It tells us when we have done wrong. God made us that way not to make us feel guilty all the time. Conscience calls us to confession. That's how God forgives us and gives us a clean conscience. Confession of sin is simply agreeing with God that we have done wrong. God wants us to have a clean conscience. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).

Christ died for all of our sins. When you confess sin to God, all of your sins are forgiven. The Bible teaches that God cleanses us upon confession of our sins.  We are made clean before God through Jesus Christ. "The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). That's how God forgives us.

Why do some people refuse to confess their sin to God and receive cleansing through Christ? There are at least two reasons. First, they don't know the good news in Christ. Secondly, they don't really believe the good news. The believer's confession of sin brings immediate cleansing through Christ. We can have a clean conscience today.

Do you have a sin from the past that makes you feel guilty? Confess it to God. Believe the promise of His word. God will forgive you. That's how God forgives us. That's the reason Jesus died for all our sins. Thank God for cleansing you through Jesus Christ. God will forgive your sins and cleanse your conscience.

God Changes Your Heart

God changes your heart, which is the mind, will, and emotions. It is a work of grace performed by the Holy Spirit within you. Then, God does in you what you could never do for yourself. You are born again (John 3:6-8). You are a new creation in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17). Therefore, all the praise and glory is to God alone. 

God changes your mind by the Holy Spirit (Romans 12:1-2). Then you understood the power of the gospel (Romans 1:16). You repented and received Jesus as your Lord (1 Corinthians 12:3). Repentance means a change of mind. That change was enabled by the Holy Spirit changing your heart (Romans 2:28-29).

God changes your will with new desires. Before, you had no desire for Christ. You were unwilling to receive Christ. Now, God has worked in your heart with a desire for Christ (Philippians 2:13). That's the work of God in your heart through the Holy Spirit (Philippians 1:6).

God changes your emotions. Before, you had no tender emotions toward Christ nor remorse for your sins. Now, you have godly sorrow for your sins, and emotions of love and gratitude toward Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 16:22; 2 Corinthians 7:9-10). That's how God will change your heart.

Christ Our Salvation

John MacArthur wrote that "real salvation is not only justification. Salvation cannot be isolated from regeneration, sanctification, and ultimately glorification. Salvation is the work of God through which we are 'conformed to the image of His Son" (Romans 8:29).

Salvation is not what you have done for God, but what He has done for you, and what He is doing in you through Christ Jesus our Lord. MacArthur summarized it in these words: "Salvation is the work of God." That's why we gladly proclaim that it's by grace alone. It's by God's grace in our Lord Jesus Christ.

As sinners, we could never justify ourselves. However, in Christ we are freely justified from all sin.  We could never regenerate nor sanctify ourselves. Yet, we are certainly regenerated by the Spirit of God, unto faith in Christ.  God's work of salvation is completed when He glorifies us in that day unto the image of Christ.

Salvation is God's work in Christ and you gladly give Him all the glory! Let us give God all the glory today, tomorrow, and forever! Glory to God the Father, who chose us with love in Christ (Ephesians 1:4-6). Glory to God the Son, who loved us and gave Himself for us at the cross. His blood saves us from sin and condemnation. His blood sets us apart as God's people, which is our sanctification. Glory to God the Holy Spirit who regenerated us unto new birth, and He shall glorify us into the image of Christ.

God Revealed In Christ

God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself (2 Corinthians 5:19). The full revelation of God to us is in Christ. What is God like? Jesus is the express image or likeness of God the Father (Hebrews 1:1-3). We know the Father through the Son of God, Jesus our Lord.

God is revealed in Christ as the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. All should agree that the Bible is a book about God. How can we understand who God is? Christ is perfect and complete theology. No wonder Jesus said, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father" (John 14:9). Christ is the total and full revelation of God. The Bible reveals God in Christ.

Both the Old and New Testaments reveal Christ. In the Old Testament, Christ is revealed in prophecy and typology. The first prophecy of Christ coming is found in Genesis 3:15. He is the Seed of the woman. In typology Christ is revealed in signs and symbols, such as the Lamb of God. In the New Testament, Christ is revealed as fulfilling the prophecy and typology of the Old Testament.

Christ is our Lord and Savior. Christ is the author and finisher of our faith. He is the sacrifice for all our sins. He is our risen Lord. Christ is our assurance of salvation. He is the focus of our faith, the hope of our future, and the love of our lives. Christ is our all and all, now and forever!

Experience God's Love

Experience God's love in his only begotten Son. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). Whoever includes every nation, all races, and every ethnic group. Whoever includes you.

Experience God's love at the cross of Jesus. God sent His Son to die for sinners like you and me (Romans 5:8). He died for our sins at the cross (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Look at God's love in Christ crucified. This is the greatest love story the world has ever known. Yes, God the Father's love for you is forever proven.

Experience God's love through the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). The Holy Spirit makes God's love real to believers. Upon confessing Jesus as Lord, the Holy Spirit does something beyond your ability to completely understand. He pours out the Father's love into your heart. Your life is changed by love divine.

Experience God's love forever. As a believer in Jesus Christ, nothing can separate you from the infinite love of God. That includes trouble, persecution, suffering, and even death. God loves you now and forever. Everlasting life in Christ is the Father's everlasting love (Romans 8:37-38).

How God Is for Us

As a believer in Jesus Christ, rest assured that God is for you. "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31). The answer to that question is obvious. If God is for you, it matters not who else should be against you. God, who rules over all, is for you in Christ. He has forever proven it at the cross, where Jesus died for your sins (Romans 8:33).

God is for us during all the trials, temptations, and problems of life. No matter what you face in life, God is always for you. Therefore, you can depend upon His grace sufficient for every need (2 Corinthians 12:9). Even when you have failed God, you confess and repent of your sins, knowing that He will forgive you (1 John 1:9).

God is for us in any and every problem of life. "In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us" (Romans 8:37). As a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, you are more than a conqueror. Nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39).

God is for us, so we can pray with confidence. That should relieve our reluctance to ask God for help. Come with confidence to God's throne of grace, because God is for us. "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16). 

How Christ Is In You

If Christ is in you now, and you can know for sure. Three simple questions will tell you the truth. First, do you have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ? Secondly, do you have the hope of eternal life in Christ? Most importantly, do you know the love of Christ in your heart, causing you to love the Lord and others?

The abiding gifts of the Holy Spirit are working in all who have a personal relationship with God in Christ. That's how you know the Holy Spirit is in you now. "And now abide faith, hope, and love, these three; but the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:13).

Christ is in you now through the Holy Spirit. You can know for sure through the abiding gifts of the Spirit in you. God's Spirit enables your faith in Christ. He gives you hope in Christ for the future. He fills you with the love of Christ. His love works in your heart, that is your mind, will, and emotions.

Faith, hope, and love in Jesus Christ is sure evidence that the abiding gifts of the Spirit are in your life. Abiding faith is your bond with Christ. Hope in Christ is your assurance of eternal life. The love of Christ in you is the greatest evidence of all, because "God is love" (1 John 4:8, 16). 

Christ is in every believer through the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9). You can know for sure that the abiding gifts of the Spirit are in you. The Holy Spirit enables your faith in Christ. He gives you hope in Christ for the future. He fills you with the love of Christ. His love works in your heart, that is your mind, will, and emotions.

Those Who Will Perish

Jesus said, "Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish" (Luke 13:5). He made it clear. There are no exceptions, repent or perish. Those who are saved have come to repentance. Those who will perish are all who refuse to repent.

God's command to all people everywhere is to repent. "Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent" (Acts 17:30). Those who will perish disobey God's command to repent. That includes all who do not repent.

The word repent (metanoeo) means to have a change of mind that leads to a change of direction in a person's life. It's a change of mind toward God about our sin, and a change of direction in life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

God's command for all people to repent is clear. He saves all who repent. Let us always remember that our responsibility is to repent and believe in Christ (Acts 17:30; John 1:12). God's will "that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9) is His will of command to all people everywhere (Acts 17:30).

What God commands, God gives to us in Christ. That includes our repentance, "if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth" (2 Timothy 2:25). God's goodness in our Lord Jesus Christ leads us to repentance (Acts 2:38; Romans 2:4). Those who will perish reject God's goodness in Christ.

God Revealed to All

God is revealed to all through creation and conscience. Reason concludes from creation, there must be a Creator. Conscience convicts us when we have done wrong. Even though God is revealed to all, still we may resist and refuse to believe. Therefore, we are without excuse before God.

Let no reasonable person say there is no God. Creation declares the glory and wisdom of God in the created order (Romans 1:19-21). If there is no God, then the irrational conclusion is simple. Nothing made everything. What a foolish conclusion. That's God's common grace resisted. God is revealed to all.

God is revealed to all not only through the created order, but also through our conscience (Romans 2:15). We are created as responsible moral agents. However, when we ignore conscience in our sin, we would like to think that we are not accountable to God. Yet, God's common grace resisted leaves no excuse.

Mankind, in the corruption of sin, willfully chooses to reject common grace. We don't want to be accountable to God, because of our own natural bias to sin. If there really is a Creator and conscience is true, we need an excuse. However, God revealed to all gives no excuse. 

Believe God's Promises

Charles H. Spurgeon wrote, "The whole burden of our salvation rests upon the faithfulness of our covenant God. The whole matter of salvation is centered on the attribute of God's great faithfulness."

Believe God's promises according to the everlasting covenant (Hebrews 13:20-21). God's covenant promises are for every believer (Hebrews 8:10-13). He is faithful to keep his covenant promises. God has bound himself to his people forever with his oath of covenant promises.

Believe God's promises for you in the gospel. Jesus died on the cross as the everlasting covenant sacrifice. God is faithful to forgive and cleanse you from all sin, through the blood of Jesus (1 John 1:7-9). The power of God's covenant promises are proven forever through the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Believe all God's promises in Christ. They are Yes and Amen for you (2 Corinthians 1:20). God will not break his covenant word. He has sworn with an oath. Your faith stands upon God's covenant promises. That's God's oath of promise. To doubt God's word in the Bible is to doubt his great faithfulness.

Believe God's promises found in your Bible. That's the assurance of your salvation based upon God's covenant promises. Your assurance is faith in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, as your covenant surety (Hebrews 7:20-22). God's covenant promises makes your salvation sure in Christ.

God's Saving Grace

God shows common grace to all. For example, common grace gives us rain with fruitful seasons, providing for the natural needs of all mankind. God's goodness to all is common grace. Yet, common grace is not saving grace.

God's saving grace is in Christ. The only way that you can have a personal relationship with God is through grace alone in Christ alone. He must reveal himself to you and in you. That has been appropriately called amazing grace. It's not what you do for God. It's what God has done for you in Christ. All that you are or ever hope to be is by the grace of God.

God's saving grace is to believers through the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Every believer's testimony echoes the words of the apostle Paul, "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain" (First Corinthians 15:10). Grace gives all the glory to God. That's because grace is always God's gift to you, that you never merit nor earn. 

God's saving grace is freely given. There is no way you can merit nor earn the favor of God. It comes to you only as a gift to be freely received (Ephesians 2:8-9). 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 gift. Grace is not for good people. Grace in Christ is offered to sinners, and that includes all of us (Romans 3:23).

God Will Save Whoever

The promise of God is to save whoever calls upon the Lord. He promises to respond. The promise is not for only a few. It's for whoever. His promise is to save whoever calls upon the Lord. That includes you. "Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13).

Whoever calls on the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved. The word Lord speaks of his rule over all. He has all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18). Jesus is Lord, which means that he died for our sins, and he is risen from the dead (Romans 10:9).

No one is beyond the Lord's saving power. He saves us from the power of sin and the spiritual powers of darkness (Colossians 1:13). As we call upon the Lord, he is more than able to save us to the uttermost (Hebrews 7:25).

The promise of God is to save whoever. He is not only powerful enough to save whoever, but he is also good enough to do so. "For the Lord is good" (Psalm 100:5). Those who trust God's goodness will not be disappointed. "For the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him" (Romans 10:12).

Christ Died for Us

The prophet Isaiah foretold how Jesus died as our substitute. He died in the place of every believer, for our sins. It was prophesied centuries before it happened. "He was led as a lamb to the slaughter" (Isaiah 53:7). The Bible is such an amazing book. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, the Bible declares by the foreknowledge of God, how Christ died for us centuries before it was fulfilled.

Christ died as the Lamb of God, dying for the sins of the world. John the Baptist pointed to Jesus as the fulfillment of the prophecy. He said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). He died to redeem believers out of all nations (Revelation 5:9). That is how Jesus died as our substitute.

Christ Jesus, like the passover lamb in the Old Testament, died in our place. He is every believer's substitute at the cross. He took your judgment and punishment. He shed his blood and poured out his life on your behalf. He died that believers may have life eternal. Our sin debt was paid in full by the Lamb of God.

Every believer can testify, that on the cross Jesus died in my place. Our testimony of faith is made sure by the Holy Spirit working grace in our hearts. By faith we see how Jesus died on the cross for us, knowing that he was the sacrifice for all of our sins (1 John 1:7).

How Faith Is Given

"God has dealt to each one a measure of faith" (Romans 12:3). What God requires of you, God provides for you. Faith will. come as a gift of the Holy Spirit. Faith comes to you as a gift of God's grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). Faith is one of the three abiding gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 13:13).

Faith is given by the Holy Spirit, through the word of God. The word of Holy Scripture is inspired by the Spirit of God. The same Holy Spirit gives us faith from God through the word of God. "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). Therefore, "receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls" (James 1:21).

Faith is given by the Holy Spirit, through Jesus Christ our Lord. We are "looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2). Faith is not self-confidence. To the contrary, it is confidence in God through Christ. He is both the author and finisher of our faith.

Faith is given with boldness. That boldness is confident assurance in Christ. The gift of faith has bold access to God through "Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him" (Ephesians 3:11-12).

The Spirit Indwells Us

Charles Spurgeon testified of how God's Spirit is in all believers. He said, "Where the Holy Spirit dwells within a living child of God, He later rises out of the very midst of him as a fountain or a river, so that others may come and participate in the Spirit's gracious influences."

Spurgeon made it clear that God's Spirit is in all believers to flow out of us for the benefit and blessing of others. He quoted John 7:38. Jesus said, "He who believes in me, as the scripture hath said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." The Holy Spirit indwells us and flows out of us. He indwells believers to bless us. He flows out of believers to bless others.

Spurgeon was gifted as a pastor-evangelist. He knew that souls were saved through his ministry, because of the work of the Holy Spirit. All believers have at least one ministry gift of the Spirit. God uses us in ministry to others, through the work of the Holy Spirit flowing out of us (1 Peter 4:10-11).

The Holy Spirit flows out of believers to touch the lives of others. The Holy Spirit both indwells us,  and flows out of us to reach others. The Holy Spirit does the work through us, even out of us, flowing as rivers of living water. We give all the glory to God, knowing that the Holy Spirit works both in us, and through us. "For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure"(Philippians 2:13).

God's Providence Over All

Life is not ruled by random chance. Providence is at work over all, because providence is the work of God. "For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever" (Romans 11:36). God's providence includes all things, bringing all glory to God.

God's providence works daily in our lives. Providence works in our lives according to a divine plan. Providence sees what is ahead and prepares the way. Providence works in the least details of your life, as well as the greatest things. God's providence works in all things.

God's providence proves that chance and luck are myths. Providence works according to God's eternal purpose, "the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will" (Ephesians 1:11). That's providence, not chance.

God's providence is the purpose of your life (Romans 8:28). Providence is always working for good in the lives of all who love God. When providence encounters evil, it works to bring good out of it (Genesis 50:20). 

God's providence uses circumstances in your life to bring you to faith in Jesus Christ. Providence is for you in Christ. Providence opens doors of opportunity for you to do God's will. Providence works over all, when you understand and when you don't.

Whom God Will Bless

God will bless every believer with the forgiveness of all sins and life everlasting, through Jesus Christ our Lord. This good news is offered freely to all. It comes as the gift of God. "For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8).

God will bless every believer in the gospel. The death of Jesus Christ was for all our sins. Eternal life is through his resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Only the death of Jesus Christ at the cross can save us from the condemnation of our sins. The resurrection of Christ proves that eternal life is in Jesus the Son of God by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 1:1-4). 

The gospel of Jesus Christ includes every blessing. "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). God will bless believers through the gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord.

The word Gospel means good news. The good news is our Lord Jesus Christ offered to you and all people everywhere (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-47). God sent his Son to die for our sins, and Christ was raised from the dead according to the Scripture (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Jesus Christ our Lord brings all of God's blessings to every believer.

God's Love and Wrath

"And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world" (1 John 2:2). Propitiation satisfies the wrath of God. In our salvation, propitiation satisfied the holiness of God's justice through the sacrifice of Christ at the cross.

God's justice was satisfied at the cross of Jesus. Propitiation (Greek: hilasmos) is a New Testament word which means satisfaction. Christ crucified satisfied the holiness and justice of God to save guilty sinners. In our place, Jesus died to take the punishment of our sins.

The propitiation of Christ was seen at the cross, because of God's love for sinners. "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Christ crucified is love's crowning deed, satisfying God's justice. 

God's justice was paid in full for every believer in our Lord Jesus Christ. Justice paid the price for believers in the sacrifice of Christ at the cross. Believers in Christ our Lord receive God's love (John 3:16). Those who believe not in Christ face God's wrath abiding upon them. 

"He who believes in the Son has everlasting life, and he who does not believe in the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him" (John 3:36).

The Holy Spirit Resisted

The Holy Spirit is resisted by those who reject the gospel. They thereby have "insulted the Spirit of grace" (Hebrews 10:29). The Bible teaches that people resist the Holy Spirit, because their hearts have not been changed by the grace of God. The responsibility of man is his own just condemnation in rejecting the gospel  of Christ.

"You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you" (Acts 7:51). Only the Spirit of God can change the heart of man, which means our mind, will, and emotions. By resisting the Holy Spirit, people are insulting the only one who can apply the gospel of Christ to our hearts.

The Holy Spirit, who changes the corrupt heart of man, is the same Spirit who convicts the heart of man. Conviction is grace that precedes new birth (John 16:7-11). When conviction is resisted, grace is resisted. Conviction deals specifically with the sin of unbelief, in essence, rejecting the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Why would anyone reject the gospel of Christ? Jesus said, "And this is condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil" (John 3:19). Therefore, those who resist the Spirit, by rejecting the gospel of Christ, face their own just condemnation.

How to Hear God

"Today if you will hear his voice, do not harden your hearts" (Hebrews 3:15). God speaks to you through the Bible. It's God's love letter to you. The Holy Spirit inspired the words of Holy Scripture centuries ago, but He still speaks through them. Those who believe not, can only read printed words on paper. Believers read words that speak to their hearts. Hear God today through the Bible.

Hear God with your heart. The heart is your mind, will, and emotions. His word to you is through the Holy Spirit. God's voice has been seldom heard by the ears of men, even in Bible times. God's word in the Bible will speak daily to your heart. 

Hear God today. He has important things to say to you through the Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16). God speaks in a personal and intimate way to every believer. God communicates with you to experience his love in your heart, "because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us" (Romans 5:5).

God's Spirit, who inspired the Scripture, speaks to the hearts of all God's children. God shares His thoughts with you. They are eternal thoughts found in your Bible from the Father above. God's thoughts encourage, console and comfort you. His thoughts strengthen and assure you. "God is love" (1 John 4:8). God speaks to you today with love.

The Holy Spirit Seals Us

"In Him (Christ) you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise" (Ephesians 1:13). Scripture is clear, upon believing the gospel of Christ, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. 

In Bible days, important letters were written on scrolls of parchment. It was rolled together and sealed in such a way that the recipient of the letter knew that no one had changed the message. We could say, it was signed, sealed and delivered. This custom was used to illustrate our security in Christ. Believers are sealed by God's Spirit.

The Holy Spirit of promise comes to you through faith in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:2, 5). The Holy Spirit is the covenant promise of God to you and every believer (Acts 2:38-39). God says, "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them" (Ezekiel 36:27).

The Holy Spirit is your seal of promise, to be your Guide, Counselor, Helper and Comforter. The Holy Spirit was promised to you as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:13). Every believer is sealed with the promise of the Spirit, unto the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30). That's the day Christ returns and believers are glorified into His likeness (1 John 3:2). 

The Power of Evangelism

In his book Joy Unspeakable, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones states, "Go through Acts and in every instance when we are told either that the Spirit came upon these men or that they were filled with the Spirit, you will find that it was in order to bear a witness and a testimony." He observed in the book of Acts, the anointing of the Holy Spirit to use men in evangelism.

The power of evangelism is through the Holy Spirit. He bears witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ. He uses us to share the gospel in power. Jesus said, "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit is come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8). That's New Testament evangelism.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16). The gospel comes not in word only, but through the power of the Holy Spirit. "For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance" (1 Thessalonians 1:5). Anointed evangelism is in the Word and the Spirit.

Let us pray that God will use us to share the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. Let us also give the glory to God for those who are saved, recognizing our total dependence upon the Holy Spirit. God wants to use us in evangelism through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Be Saved and Sure

Jesus died for our sins on the cross. He is risen from the dead for our justification. We become children of God by faith in the Lord Jesus (Galatians 3:26). Jesus intercedes for believers, that the Father will "keep them from the evil one" (John 17:15). This is the present day ministry of Jesus, as every believer's High Priest (Hebrews 7:20-25). Jesus shall return to glorify all who believe in Him (1 John 3:2). Be saved and sure as a believer, if Jesus is your surety!

Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant (Hebrews 7:22). A surety is a guarantee. In Bible days, the word surety was used to describe someone who guaranteed another person's debt would be paid. All of us have a sin debt to God. The good news is Jesus paid it all. Be saved and sure by faith in Christ alone.

There is no way that we can repay our sin debt against God. We have broken God's law. Our conscience testifies as much. The good news is that Jesus paid it all. Believers look to the cross of Jesus, where He died in our place. Our sin debt to God's justice was paid, not in part but the whole. As believers, we are free from a debt that we could never repay, when Jesus is our surety. 

In Jesus Christ our Lord be saved and  sure, according to God's promises. In the new covenant, God makes four promises to every believer, guaranteed through Jesus Christ (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 8:7-13). These promises are: (1) God will put His laws in our mind; (2) God will be our God and we are His people; (3) We will all know the Lord; (4) God will forgive our sins and remember them no more.

The Lord Opens Hearts

Because of our sinful nature, the Lord opens hearts to respond to the gospel of Christ. The Spirit of grace enables us to respond freely to the gospel. In conversion, we respond to the Holy Spirit through repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul (Acts 16:14). These words speak of Lydia, a woman who worshiped God but had not yet heard the gospel to believe in Christ. God opened her heart to hear and respond to the gospel. The word "heart" describes our mind, will, and emotions. It is a term for our innermost person.

God's Spirit of grace goes before conversion opening hearts to hear the gospel and choose to receive Christ (John 1:12-13). It may be identified with the convicting work of the Holy Spirit (John 16:7-11). It is the gospel call for you to trust the Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:13). The Spirit of God opens your heart to convince you concerning the truth of the gospel.

Your heart is opened to hear and understand the gospel. He enables you to respond freely to the call of Christ. God works concurrently with your choice. Jesus stands at the door of your life and knocks. You may open the door by believing the gospel to receive Christ (Revelation 3:20; John 1:12).

Christ Is Our Election

Christ is our election unto salvation from eternal judgment. Christ is our deliverance from condemnation. Election is God the Father's choice to save sinners in Christ (Ephesians 1:4-6). Reprobation is the opposite of election. It is the reprobate's choice to reject God's salvation in Christ (John 3:18).

Christ is our election by God's grace. He saves us from the condemnation of our sin. God's grace is his goodness, leading us to repentance (Romans 2:4). The reprobate chooses to obstinately reject the goodness of God's grace in Christ. 

Christ is our election confirmed through faith (2 Peter 1:1,10); reprobation is confirmed through continual rejection of Christ. Election gives mercy to sinners through Christ crucified (Romans 5:8). Christ risen from the dead brings justification to sinners by faith alone (Romans 4:5; 10:9). The reprobate is hardened in his own sin that rejects Christ forever. 

Christ is our election by God's active will to save us as believers. Reprobation is God's passive will to let others continue in their sin and unbelief. Election is the will of God in Christ (1 Peter 1:1-2). Reprobation is the will of man in sin (John 5:40).

Christ is our election in salvation to the praise of God's glory. God saves us by faith in Christ to the praise of His glorious grace (Ephesians 1:6). God passively allows those who are reprobate to reject Christ unto their own just condemnation (John 3:19).

How God Will Provide

God is Jehovah-jireh, meaning the Lord will provide (Genesis 22:14). God will provide for all who believe in his name. That means you can trust in who God is. It's not just who you want him to be. God's name is revealed to you and all believers. You can trust in his name, as the Lord provides for your need.

God will provide as our heavenly Father. He knows your needs before you ask. Prayer is not designed for us to inform God. He knows all things. Our prayers receive from God our Father. Jesus said to pray,"Our Father in heaven"(Matthew 6:9). He taught us to make requests based upon our needs."Give us this day our daily bread"(Matthew 6:11). God will provide as your Father in heaven.

God will provide according to our needs. All of us have needs. Fear says, No one is going to provide for your needs. You are a needy person with no one who can help. Faith says, "My God shall supply all of my need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus"(Philippians 4:19).

Our greatest need is not physical nor financial. Our greatest need is spiritual. We need God. We need faith that God will provide. God's covenant name among others is Jehovah-jireh. It means God will provide. His name reveals His character. It's who He is and what He does.

Walk In the Light

"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). Through the gospel, as believers see the truth of Christ by the Holy Spirit. We are able to walk daily in the light of Christ.

"For it is God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians 4: 6). That is the light of the Holy Spirit. Our hearts are enlightened to see the glory of God in Christ.

Light comes to our hearts through the gospel of Christ (1 Thessalonians 1:5). The change is sudden and abrupt. It's like turning on a light in a dark room. That's the way the Spirit of light changes those who have lived in darkness. New birth scatters our darkness into light. 

The Holy Spirit brings us out of darkness into the light without any resistance. It comes by new birth, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not our achievement. Rather, illumination of the Spirit comes from without, changing our hearts within. Jesus is the light, as the Holy Spirit opens "the eyes of your understanding"(Ephesians 1:18).

When We Trust God

The first lesson a baby learns in life is to trust. The bond between a mother and the infant is trust. The baby learns to trust the mother to be there. The cry is heard and mother's loving arms lift the infant for nurture and care. So all who are born again know how to trust God.

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding"(Proverbs 3:5). None of us can understand all about the greatness of God. Our understanding is limited. Like an infant who does not understand the mother, yet trust is developed. There is so much that we don't understand about God. Trusting God means we don't lean on our own understanding.

Trusting God is based upon His word of promise. He is faithful to all of His promises."God who has promised cannot lie"(Titus 1:2). Our bond with God is based upon His word of truth found in your Bible. When we trust God, we are trusting His word.

Trusting God is trusting His word of promise in the Bible. Read the promises of God. Pray the promises of God. Trust God to always keep His word of promise in your life. Trust God when you understand and when you don't. Are you trusting God with all your heart?

Your Spiritual Battle

Temptation is part of our spiritual warfare, and it comes through thoughts. We have a spiritual enemy who tempts with thoughts. When those thoughts are not rejected, they become strongholds, leading to bad habits and addictions. Your spiritual battle is won or lost in your thoughts. 

Your spiritual battle involves tempting thoughts. The Bible warns of thoughts that become strongholds, hindering your relationship with God. Those thoughts must be pulled down and brought captive to Christ. This is the spiritual battle within you. Bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).

Ask God to bring your attention to any pattern of thinking which opposes his good will for you. Pray that all such thoughts be pulled down and brought captive to Christ. The power of temptation is broken as strongholds are destroyed. O LORD, You have searched me and known me ... You understand my thoughts afar off (Psalm 139:1-2).

Thoughts make a difference in our relationship with God. He gives thoughts that will encourage, strengthen, and comfort you. Those thoughts are found in the Bible. Feed your mind on the thoughts of God. In our spiritual warfare, God will give victory through thoughts of love, grace, mercy and peace. Think God's thoughts, according to the Scripture.