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. You 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 Hearts

In the Bible, the word heart is often a figure of speech for the mind, will, and emotions. God's work of grace is performed in your heart by the Holy Spirit. Through the gospel of Christ, God changes your heart. That is to say, God changes your mind, will, and emotions.

God changes your mind by the Holy Spirit (Romans 12:1-2). Then we understand the power of the gospel (Romans 1:16). We repent and receive Jesus as our Lord (1 Corinthians 12:3). Repentance means a change of mind. That change is enabled by the Holy Spirit changing our hearts (Romans 2:28-29).

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

God changes your emotions. Once we had no tender emotions toward Christ nor remorse for our sins. Now, we have godly sorrow for our sins, and emotions of love and gratitude toward Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 16:22; 2 Corinthians 7:9-10).

Salvation That's Real

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 by what we have done for God, but what he has done for us, and what he is doing in us 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 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 (Philippians 1:6).

Salvation is God's work in Christ. 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.

The Gospel in Power

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). As people hear the gospel, leave the results to the Holy Spirit.

The gospel in power is through the Holy Spirit. He bears witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ. People are saved, when the gospel is heard in the Word and Spirit. 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). Evangelism saves people through the gospel of Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Pray that God will use you to share the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. Give all the glory to God for those who are saved. Recognize your total dependence upon the Holy Spirit. God will use you as a witness for Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.

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." That's the gospel in power.

God's Love Revealed

God's love is revealed through words in the Bible. "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 revealed 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.

God's love is revealed 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.

God's love is revealed 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).

If God Is for Us

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

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

God is for us to conquer the trials and problems of life. "In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us" (Romans 8:37). As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are more than conquerors. Nothing can separate us 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. We 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). 

Living Faith Works

Some may think that faith does nothing, and depends upon God to do everything. However, the Bible teaches that we are laborers together with God (1 Corinthians 3:9). It is God's will for living faith to work through us. Let me illustrate. Put a glove on your hand to do the work before you. The glove does not do the work alone, neither can it. The hand works through the glove. So, God works through us (Philippians 2:13).

Living faith works through us. God can do anything that He chooses to do without us. However, God has chosen to work through us. Living faith confesses, prays, and does the the will of God. "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also"(James 2:26).

Living faith says, "I will do the word of God. He has put it in my heart. He is working through me to the praise of his glory. I am a doer of the word." The Bible says,"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves"(James 1:22).

Maybe you are in a situation where you are asking God to do something about it. If so, pray like this, "God, what would you have me to do?" Living faith is a doer of the word. It rises up to do something about it. Living faith works through you to do God's will.

God's Grace Received

God's grace is received through the Gospel (Romans 1:16). The Gospel is the power of God changing our lives through Christ our Lord. So many look to laws and rules to change people and society. The law may dictate how we should live, what we should do, or not do. Nevertheless, the law is powerless to change the hearts and lives of people.

Grace is received as the gift of God. Grace is far more than a theological term or a religious song. Grace is God Himself. He is the God of all grace. Grace is undeserved favor that we can never earn nor merit. Grace is the gift of God, and not of our works (Ephesians 2:8-9). 

Grace is received through regeneration of the Holy Spirit. That is new birth (Titus 3:5). Grace changes us from within. Grace renews your mind, taking away the guilt of conscience, and renews your will to do God's good will. The law of God tells what we ought to be; the grace of God makes us what we ought to be.

Grace is received by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Grace gives us the unmerited favor of God through Jesus Christ. "And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace" (John 1:16). Receiving Jesus Christ is the fullness of grace to change us. Believing Christ is receiving Christ (John 1:11-12). Grace freely saves us through faith in Christ.

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 refuse to repent. Jesus made it clear.

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 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). All who will perish reject God's goodness in Christ.

How God Is Revealed

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, 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 not only through the created order, but also through 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.

All are under the corruption of sin. We may willfully choose 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. 

How God Is Faithful

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."

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

God is faithful to covenant promises through 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.

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

God is faithful to covenant promises in the Bible. Our assurance of salvation is trusting God's great faithfulness. The sure evidence is the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 10:9). He is every believer's covenant surety (Hebrews 7:20-22). God's great faithfulness is our sure salvation in Christ.

Saving Grace Received

God's common grace is 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 must be received.

Saving grace is received by faith in Christ. The only way that you can have a personal relationship with God is through saving grace in Christ. 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.

Saving grace is received believing the gospel of Christ (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 in Christ alone (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). 

Saving grace is freely received in Christ. 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 saving grace of God. Don't fall for the idea that you can somehow be good enough to merit God's favor. Saving grace is not for good people. Saving grace in Christ is offered to sinners, and that includes all of us (Romans 3:23).

Who God Will Save

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).

The Lamb of God

Christ died according to the Scripture. The prophet Isaiah foretold how Jesus Christ died. 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 would die centuries before it was fulfilled.

Christ died as the Lamb of God. He died 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). Jesus died to redeem believers out of all nations (Revelation 5:9). Jesus died as the sacrifice for our sins.

Jesus, like the passover lamb in the Old Testament, died in the place of others. He is every believer's substitute at the cross. He took our judgment and punishment. He shed his blood and poured out his life on our 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 Christ 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 Christ died on the cross for us, knowing that he was the sacrifice that takes away all our sins (1 John 1:7).

Whom God Loves

God loves all nations. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). That includes every nation, all races, and every ethnic group (Revelation 5:9). 

God loves sinners. He proves it. 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 us is forever proven.

God loves believers through the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). The Holy Spirit makes God's love real to us. 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 loves us forever. As believers 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 Holy Spirit in 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 the Holy 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 wants to use us in ministry to others, through the work of the Holy Spirit flowing out of us (1 Peter 4:10-11).

God's 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 you, even out of you, flowing as rivers of living water. 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).

How God Will Provide

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

God will provide as our heavenly Father. He knows our needs before we ask. Prayer is not designed for us to inform God. He knows all things. Prayer receives from God our Father. Jesus said to pray,"Our Father in heaven"(Matthew 6:9). He taught us to make our requests based upon our needs."Give us this day our daily bread"(Matthew 6:11). God provides as our 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 God's character. It's who He is and what He does. The Lord will provide.

How God Chose Us

"He chose us in Him [Christ] before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love" (Ephesians 1:4). The doctrine of election is all about God's love in Christ. God chose his people in Christ before the creation of the world. That includes our responsibility to repent and believe the gospel (Acts 16:30-31; 17:30).

God chose us in Christ. How then are we in Christ? Only when a person hears the gospel of Christ and believes on him can it be said that he is in Christ (Romans 16:7). We are saved by faith in the Lord Jesus (Romans 10:9). Having believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, we are baptized by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). That's what it means to be in Christ.

God chose us unto faith in Christ. Believers are the church, the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27). In the Old Testament God's chosen people were known as the nation of Israel. In the New Testament, God's people are known as the church, which is both Jews and Gentiles who know Jesus Christ as Lord. God's chosen people are in Christ.

God chose us in Christ to be "holy and and without blame before Him in love "(Ephesians 1:4). Believers are blameless, because the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7). Believers are holy because we have received the righteousness of God in Christ (Romans 3:24-26; 4:5). This is never self-righteousness. It is the imputed righteousness of Christ, which believers receive through the gospel, by grace through faith. 

Christianity Is Christ

Martyn Lloyd-Jones pointed out, "Christianity is Christ. It all centers around Him, and every doctrine that we have and every idea that we possess is something that comes from Him. Therefore, we must of necessity start with Him."

Christianity is Christ as the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end of theology. 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. Christianity is God revealed in Christ.

Christianity is Christ in both the Old and New Testaments. 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.

Christianity is Christ as 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. Christianity is Christ as our all and all, now and forever!

God's Grace Resisted

God's grace is resisted by rejecting the gospel of Christ. Those who do have "insulted the Spirit of grace" (Hebrews 10:29). The Bible teaches that people resist the Spirit of grace, 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 grace 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 of grace 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 of grace reject the gospel of Christ. As a result, they face their own just condemnation (John 3:18).

How to Hear God

"Today if you will hear his voice, do not harden your hearts" (Hebrews 3:15). God speaks to us through the Bible. It's God's love letter to us. 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.

The word "heart" is a symbol for your inner being. That's the mind, will, and emotions. God's word to us 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. 

God 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 us to experience his love in our hearts, "because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us" (Romans 5:5).

The Holy Spirit, who inspired Holy 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 your heart with love.

The Holy Spirit's Seal

"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. God has sealed every believer in Christ.

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 with the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit of promise comes to us 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 our seal of promise, to be our Guide, Counselor, Helper and Comforter. The Holy Spirit was promised to us as believers 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). 

Sovereignty Not Fatalism

Sovereignty without human responsibility leads to fatalism. On the other hand, teaching human responsibility while neglecting God's sovereignty leads to deism, where God is simply not ruling in our world. Then, God is nothing more than a spectator. Neither can ever be acceptable according to Holy Scripture.

Concurrence is God's sovereignty plus our responsibility. The Bible teaches both. Consider this illustration. The farmer plows the soil, sows the seed, and continues to cultivate the field. Yet, only God can give the increase. This was the illustration given by the apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 3:5-9). Here we understand the sovereignty of God concurrent with our responsibility.

God is sovereign over all. He is the Almighty, beside whom there is no other. He is the Creator, sustaining and ruling over all. Yet, God has given us choice that makes us responsible and accountable to Him. Therein, we find the basis of God's judgment. Therefore, God speaks to us in the Bible with exhortations and commands.

Concurrence is God's sovereignty including our responsibility. Theological systems that teach God's sovereignty without our responsibility will lead to the error of fatalism. God's sovereignty and our responsibility are always concurrent.

God's Sure Mercies

"And I will make an everlasting covenant with you, the sure mercies of David" (Isaiah 55:3). The everlasting covenant promises us a personal relationship with God. We know from the Bible, that it is God's will to extend mercy, even the sure mercies of David. God made covenant with David concerning the coming of Christ (2 Samuel 7:12-16). It was a sure promise, because it was the promise of God fulfilled in our Lord Jesus Christ.

God's sure mercies are for us are in covenant with Christ (Hebrews 13:20-21). God's oath of promise is to have sure mercies upon us in Christ alone. It's God's sworn promise through the everlasting covenant. Simply stated, covenant means that God will never change His mind.

God's sure mercies for us are secured at the cross of Jesus. He died for our sins (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). God accepted the sacrifice of Jesus in our place. God declared it to be true by raising Jesus from the dead (Romans 10:9). All who believe the gospel of Christ are in covenant with God.

God's sure mercies promise to cleanse believers from all sin through Jesus Christ (1 John 1:7-9). The covenant sure mercies of God in the Lord Jesus Christ saves all who believe (Acts 16:31). God's everlasting covenant mercies are sure to us by faith in Christ.

Election Is In Christ

Election is in Christ 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).

Election is in Christ 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.

Election is confirmed through faith in Christ (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.

Election is in Christ 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).

Election is in Christ 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).

The Gospel for All

The gospel is our salvation (Romans 1:16). The gospel is simple and clear for all to understand. Christ alone died for our sins according to the Scripture. He was buried and raised from the dead on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).

The gospel is freely offered to all people everywhere without exception. Christ is offered for all to receive, calling upon the name of the Lord (Romans 10:13). Believers confess Jesus as our Lord risen from the dead (Romans 10:9).

Jesus commanded His disciples to preach the gospel to everyone (Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:47). Christ offers himself to all people in all nations. Believing in Jesus our Lord is receiving him (John 1:11-12).

The gospel saves every true believer from the condemnation of sin (John 3:17). Believers are saved from everlasting punishment (Matthew 25:46). Believers are delivered from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light (1 Peter 2:9).

The gospel is received by faith or rejected by unbelief (John 3:18). Those who reject the gospel of Christ are judged and perish in their own unbelief (John 3:16). That's because they believe not the Son of God (John 3:36).

Jesus Our Amen

We end our prayers with the word Amen. That word means "so be it." It's a covenant term from the Old Testament. When Israel entered into the old covenant, known as the law of Moses, they spoke collectively the word Amen to agree with the commandments. Today, we use the same term to end our prayers.

The old covenant law was conditional, based upon the obedience of the people. The new covenant is unconditional, based upon the complete and perfect obedience of Jesus Christ. Therefore, we pray in the name of Jesus our Amen. That means believers in Jesus our Amen receive all of God's new covenant promises.

The Bible teaches that Jesus is our Amen, according to the new covenant, also known as the everlasting covenant (Hebrews 13:20-21). Observe the contrast. Under the old covenant, the people promised with an Amen to obey God. Yet, they disobeyed. However, under the new covenant Jesus is our Amen. Jesus is the "Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation" (Revelation 3:14).

According to the law, we are all covenant breakers. In essence, we have all sinned (Romans 3:23). Jesus came to fulfill the law and bring the promises of the new covenant. Jesus is our Amen of all the promises of God (2 Corinthians 1:20). All of the promises of God are for believers through the perfect obedience of your Amen, the Lord Jesus Christ!

Christ Our Mediator

The Lord Jesus Christ is the one and only Mediator with God, through the everlasting covenant. He works in believers to do what is well pleasing to God (Hebrews 13:20-21). God the Father is well pleased in his only begotten Son. We can only please God when his Son Jesus works in us, and through us to the praise of his glory. 

"For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time" (1 Timothy 2:5-6). A mediator brings two parties together who are in disagreement. God's disagreement with us is on one issue alone. That is our sin. There is only one Mediator with God. Jesus is the believer's one and only Mediator.

God the Father gave his only begotten Son as our one and only Mediator of his mercy, grace and love (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). Rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ is rejecting God's mercy, grace and love. Jesus is our one and only Mediator with God, because he alone is the God-Man. He is fully God and fully man, as incarnate deity.

Jesus gave himself as every believer's ransom at the cross. He is the gift of God the Father, who alone has paid the price to set believers free from condemnation and wrath (John 3:18, 36; Romans 8:1). That's why Jesus is our one and only Mediator with God. Jesus died for sinners at the cross. He is risen from the dead as the believer's one and only Mediator with God.

How to 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 can trust God.

Trust God and lean not on your own understanding. The Bible says, "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. Trust God and lean not on your own understanding.

Trust God by believing his promises in the Bible. Trusting God is believing his promises according to Holy Scripture. He is faithful to all his promises in the Bible. Our bond with God is based upon his word of promise found in the Bible. If you trust God, you are trusting the promises of his word.

Trust all God's promises 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. If you trust God, you are depending upon his word.

Two Sides of God's Will

Millard Erickson wrote, "We must distinguish between two different senses of God’s will, which we will refer to as God’s "wish" (will-1) and God’s "will" (will-2). The former is God’s general intention, the values with which He is pleased. The latter is God’s specific intention in a given situation, what He decides will actually occur."

Dr. Erickson spoke of two senses in which we understand God's will in the Bible. One way is God's will in the sense of a wish. The other sense is God's done. You could say that the Bible speaks of God's will of command and God's will of decree that shall be done.

God's will of command is what he wants us to do. It's God's revealed will for our lives. We have all disobeyed God's revealed will in one way or the other. That is sin, and we have all sinned (Romans 3:23). Understand the other sense of God's will is his decree. It shall be done. 

God's will of command is seen in Acts 17:30. God commands all people to repent. That side of God's will is his desire for all to repent. However, God's will of decree is seen in Acts 17:31. He has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness. It shall be done according to God's decree.