Saved Without Doubt

As a Christian, there may be times when you doubt your salvation. Such doubts are most often because we focus upon ourselves and not on Christ. Trusting in ourselves leaves room for all manner of doubt. Be saved and sure is focusing upon Christ alone. It's knowing who saved you. 

"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31). Be saved and sure focused upon what Christ has done for you at the cross and through his resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). You are saved by what Christ is doing in you and through you (Colossians 1:27; Hebrews 13:20-21). In Christ alone you are saved. Be saved without doubt, believing and trusting in Christ (Ephesians 1:13-14).

Focused on Christ alone is the way to be saved without doubt. Then, you can say, "I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep what I have committed to him until that Day" (2 Timothy 1:12). Be saved and sure by faith in Christ alone. He alone has the authority and power to save you and keep you. 

Focus on Christ alone to be saved without doubt. Focus on his work for you and in you. The grace of Christ initiates your salvation. What he begins, Christ is more than able to finish. "Being confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you will complete it unto the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6).

God Is Not Partial

The apostle Peter learned through divine revelation that God is not partial. He was a Jew sent by God to preach to Gentiles. "Then Peter opened his mouth and said, 'In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality"(Acts 10:34).

God is not partial, because His love is for the world (John 3:16). The Greek word translated world is kosmos. It means the whole human family, all of mankind. God created the whole human family. He loves all mankind. That leaves none out. God demonstrated his love for us as sinners at the cross of Jesus (Romans 5:8). God's love is received, believing in his only begotten Son.

God is not partial, because His love, mercy, and grace is for all nations, races and ethnic groups. The Bible declares: "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men" (Titus 2:11). There's abundant mercy in God for people of all nations (Revelation 5:9). 

God's love is for people of all nations. Jesus sent the apostles into all nations to preach the gospel and make disciples (Matthew 28:19). The invitation of God the Father, through Jesus Christ, is offered to all people everywhere, with no partiality. "Whoever believes in him will receive remission of sins" (Acts 10:43).

We Walk with God

Believers can walk with God. He welcomes us to walk with him. We can walk with God daily. "For we walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7). God is Spirit (John 4:24). He is your unseen companion everyday and everywhere.

We may say, "I don't feel worthy to walk with God." Neither do I. We don't feel worthy because we are not worthy. Yet, faith in Jesus Christ enables you to walk with God. He died for ally your sins upon the cross. He forgives your sins. In Christ alone, you become worthy to walk with God. Believers walk with God daily by faith in Jesus Christ our Lord.

We walk with God through peace. We have missed God, when there is doubt and no peace. He sustains your faith and peace daily. Your walk with God is walking in the Spirit. "I say then: Walk in the Spirit" (Galatians 5:16). Faith is a gift of the Spirit (1 Cor. 13:13). Peace is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22).

We walk with God through love. The love of God is the constant companion of all who walk with God. Love will lead you each step of the way. Love walks with you on the right path. Love will walk with you through every valley. Love will keep you all along the way. "And walk in love as Christ has also loved us" (Ephesians 5:2). 

The Great White Throne

In Revelation 20:11-15, the apostle John saw a vision of the great white throne of God. This is the last judgment at the end of the millennium, or thousand year reign of Christ on this earth. The throne of God is described earlier in Revelation as surrounded by a rainbow, a sign of God's mercy (Rev. 4:3). Now, the rainbow is gone. White is symbolic of God's holiness. Those who are lost shall be judged without mercy.

God's great white throne is the end of this present age, making way for the eternal age. John's vision sees this earth passing away. He testified, "Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away" (Rev. 20:11). Believers shall see a new heaven and a new earth where righteousness dwells (Rev. 21:1; 2 Peter 3:13).

God's great white throne is the last judgment. The dead are judged according to the open books. John had a vision of the books of works and the Book of Life. "And the dead were judged according to their works" (Rev. 20:12). The Book of Life has the names of all who are redeemed. Elsewhere, it is referred to as the Lamb's Book of Life (Rev. 13:8). Jesus is every believer's Passover Lamb. We are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.

"And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire" (Rev. 20:15). The lake of fire is the place of everlasting punishment (Matthew 25:41). It was prepared for the devil and all fallen angels. It is also the place for all who are lost. 

The Gospel for All

Christ is good news freely offered to all nations. The salvation of Jesus Christ is sufficient for all. Yes, all are sincerely invited to Christ. Most assuredly, the gift of eternal life in Christ is certain for all who repent and believe. Therefore, Christ must be preached to all nations and people without exception (Matthew 28:18-20).

The word gospel simply means good news. It's the good news of God about the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). It's good news because Christ died on the cross to save believers from the judgment of sin. It's good news because God gives believers eternal life, through the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is risen from the dead to give believers everlasting life.

If the Christ is offered to all, why are all not saved? Jesus answered the question. "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil" (John 3:19). All people will simply not come to Christ, but many are certain to come to Him. All who do so will not be turned away (John 6:37).

Christ is freely offered to all nations and people. That certainly doesn't mean that anyone is saved without believing on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31). It does mean that the death of Jesus Christ for our sins effectively saves all who believe. Christ risen from the dead saves all who call upon him (Romans 10:9-13). Therefore, Jesus Christ must be preached to all nations and people (Mark 16:15). 

Who God Will Bless

God will bless us in Christ "to the praise of the glory of His grace"(Ephesians 1:6). Grace means that every blessing comes to us as the gift of God in Christ. A gift cannot be bought nor earned. The blessings of God are received by grace through faith in Christ.

God will bless with "every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3). By faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, all the blessings of God are yours. Don't beg God to bless you. Don't  struggle nor strive to receive God's blessings. They are all yours by grace through faith in Christ.

God will bless believers in Christ. In the first chapter of Ephesians, several of those blessings are mentioned. Believers are blessed with God's love, grace, peace, truth, forgiveness, and wisdom, through the Holy Spirit. There are countless more blessings "not only in this age, but also in the age to come"(Ephesians 1:21). All these blessings are ours by God's grace through faith in Christ.

Let us thank God for all His blessings for us in Christ. Praise God from whom all blessings flow! Praise is the expression of grateful hearts to God for all of His blessings in Christ. Worship is giving thanks and praise to God through our prayers and songs. Praise God, because we are blessed in Christ.

God's New Creation

Creation is an act of God. He alone is our Creator. Through the gospel of our Lord Jesus, we become a new creation. God who created us from our mother's womb, now creates us anew in Christ. New life  is by the Holy Spirit, through the implanted Word of God in our hearts (James 1:18). Our mind, will, and emotions are changed by the Holy Spirit.

God's new creation is by grace through faith in Christ. We have a new identity with a new life. Old things pass away. God forgives all our sins, and we start a new life. That's our new life in Christ."Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new"(2 Corinthians 5:17).

God takes away our sins through the blood of Jesus Christ and gives us the righteousness of Christ (1 John 1:7; 2 Corinthians 5:21). God has a purpose in your new life, and that purpose is always good."And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose"(Romans 8:28).

Our old life is buried in baptism (Romans 6:4). We are raised by God's grace to new life in Christ. We are not prisoners to the old things in the past. Trust God to bless and use your new life in Christ. Remember, the old things have passed away. Trust God to do new things in your life, because you are a new creation in Christ.

God Is with You

Don't think of God as being far away, because God is with you always. "For in Him we live and move and have our being"(Acts 17:28) That means God is where you are. Know God is there all the time. Only faith recognizes God is present everywhere. Unbelief cannot know God is present anywhere.

God is with you always. He's where you are now. Even though you don't see God, the Bible teaches that God is everywhere. Theologians use the word omnipresence, which means God is everywhere. Therefore, you can say with the psalmist,"The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth"(Psalm 145:18).

There is not only the omnipresence of God, but there is also the manifest presence of God. Know God is everywhere all the time, yet God may manifest himself in different ways at different times. God manifested his presence on the Day of Pentecost in a dramatic way (Acts 2). Yet, we should not think of God as only present in dramatic and unusual ways.

Know by faith that God is with you always (Hebrews 11:1-6). No need to seek dramatic manifestations to know that God is with you. Someone may say,"How can God be with me? I can't see Him nor feel His presence." Faith does not require feelings nor manifestations to know that God is with you always. Jesus says, "I am with you always" (Matthew 28:20).

The Gift of Faith

"God has dealt to each one a measure of faith" (Romans 12:3). What God requires of you, God provides for you. Faith is received as a gift of the Holy Spirit. Faith is 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 a gift of 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 you 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 a gift of 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 a gift which comes with boldness. That boldness is confident assurance in Christ. The gift of faith gives you 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).

God's Love for All

God's love is for all nations and races. "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.

God's love is for all through the gospel of Jesus Christ. God's love 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.

God's love is for all through the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 13:13). The Holy Spirit makes God's love real to all believers. Upon confessing Jesus as Lord, the Holy Spirit does something beyond our ability to completely understand. He pours out the Father's love into our hearts. Our lives are changed by love divine.

God's love is forever to all in Jesus Christ. Nothing can separate us from the infinite love of God. That includes trouble, persecution, suffering, and even death. God loves us now and forever. Everlasting life in Christ is the Father's everlasting love (Romans 8:37-38).

The Abiding Gifts

"Now abide faith, hope, and love, these three; but the greatest of these is love"(1 Corinthians 13:13). There are many more gifts of the Holy Spirit, but these three are for all who abide in Christ. The absolute assurance of our new birth is found in these three abiding gifts of the Spirit. Now they abide in you. They are not temporary gifts.

These three abiding gifts of the Spirit enable us to abide in Christ. We are saved by faith in Christ, based upon the gospel(1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Our blessed hope is in Christ, looking for his appearing and our glorification (Romans 8:30; 1 John 3:2). The love of Christ abides in our heart (Romans 5:5; 5:8)."We love him because he first loved us"(1 John 4:19).

Faith enables us to abide in Christ daily. Hope enables us to abide in Christ unto the future. These are gifts of the Holy Spirit. God not only makes sure promises in the Bible, but the Holy Spirit gives us the faith and hope to receive those promises. Faith and hope are abiding gifts for us to abide in Christ. 

Faith and hope enables us to abide in Christ with the greatest gift of the Holy Spirit. That's God's everlasting love. God loves us with an everlasting love that is faithful and forever (Romans 8:37-39). Our personal relationship with God is abiding in Christ. These three gifts of the Holy Spirit are in all who abide in Christ.

The Doom of Satan

The Apostle John saw the vision of Satan's doom in Revelation 20:7-10. This comes at the end of the millennium, or thousand year reign of Christ upon the earth. Satan is loosed to deceive the nations for one last time. This fallen angel has not changed. The present evil age ends with one last conflict.

In the book of Genesis, we read that Satan deceived our first parents in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:9-15). His scheme of deception has always been the same. Freedom from Satan's deception is the truth of our Lord Jesus Christ. He said, "If you abide in my word, you are my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:31-32).

Satan is the author of division, conflict and death. The last battle is called Gog and Magog. This term comes from the Old Testament (Ezekiel 38:22; 39:6). It describes an ancient battle against the people of God. In Revelation 20, it is a symbol for the final battle against God's people. Apocalyptic imagery from the Old Testament is common in the book of Revelation.

The doom of Satan is sure. His eternal destiny is the lake of fire, with the beast and the false prophet. Satan will never again deceive the nations. His torment and punishment is forever. "And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever" (Revelation 20:10). Jesus described "the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matthew 25:41).