What Is Conversion?

Millard Erickson wrote, "Conversion is the individual turning to God. ... Jesus spoke specifically of conviction of sin, which is the prerequisite of repentance (John 16:8-11). Without the work of the Holy Spirit, there can be no conversion." 

Conviction comes before conversion. It is conviction by the Holy Spirit. Left to ourselves, we would never turn to God (Romans 3:10-12). The Holy Spirit convicts us of one particular sin above all others, not believing on the Lord Jesus Christ (John 16:8-11). Conviction in itself is not conversion, but it is the Holy Spirit's work before you are converted.

Conversion is repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21). Repentance and faith go together like the two sides of the same door. Repentance is turning away from our sins, in particular the sin of unbelief. Faith is turning to God in Christ Jesus as our Lord. Repentance and faith are one and the same action in conversion. 

Without conviction by the Holy Spirit, no one is converted. The Spirit of God convicts us, before we repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the reason Millard Erickson could say, "Without the work of the Holy Spirit, there can be no conversion."

What Is Saving Grace?

Saving grace comes to you through the Gospel of Christ (Romans 1:16). Grace has all power, because God is gracious. So many look to laws and rules to change people and society. Law may dictate how we should live, what we should do, or not do. Nevertheless, law is powerless to change the hearts and lives of people.

Saving grace is to the praise of God's glory. 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 you can never earn nor merit (Ephesians 2:8-9). We all fall short of God's law, but grace is God changing you to the praise of His glory (Ephesians 1:6).

Saving grace transforms your heart. The Holy Spirit changes you from within. Grace renews your mind, dismissing the guilt of your conscience, and changes your will to do God's good will. Grace is sufficient for your every need. God's Word tells you what to do; God's grace transforms you with the ability to do it.

Saving grace finds you helpless and gives you hope in Christ. Grace finds you without God and brings you to God in Christ. God's grace cannot be bought, earned, nor deserved. God's grace freely gives you unmerited favor through Jesus Christ. "And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace" (John 1:16). Jesus Christ is the fullness of grace. 

Is God Working in You?

"For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). God's good pleasure is in you, when the Holy Spirit works in your life. The Holy Spirit works in you through the abiding gifts of faith, hope and love (1 Corinthians 13:13). 

God is working in all who truly believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 6:19). God is working in you to do his will. God changes your heart (Romans 2:28-29). That's called regeneration or new birth. He gives you a renewed will with a desire to do his will.

God is working in your mind, will, and emotions. He is doing more in you than you can understand. He is always doing more than you ask or think (Ephesians 3:20). God is working in your heart to bring glory to His name. God gives you the ability to do all that pleases him. That includes your ministry gift and power to witness for Christ (Acts 1:8; 1 Peter 4:10-11).

As a believer, God is working in you through the Holy Spirit. He will never leave you nor forsake you (John 14:16-17). Believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption, at the coming of Christ (Ephesians 1:13, 4:30). God, who began the good work in you, will perform it until the day of Christ (Philippians 1:6; 2:13).

Who Are Anointed?

Martyn Lloyd-Jones taught, "We have been anointed and been set apart; we have received this unction, and it has given us this understanding of truth which enables us to say that 'we have the mind of Christ" (1 Corinthians 2:16).

"But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you" (1 John 2:27). The anointing of the Holy Spirit is received to abide in us as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. The word Christ means "anointed one." Christ abides in us as believers, through the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

What does it mean to have the mind of Christ? It means the anointing of the Holy Spirit abides in believers to teach us (1 John 2:27). He teaches us according to Holy Scripture, inspired of the Holy Spirit. The mind of Christ is always according to Scripture.

According to the New Testament, believers are taught by God. Jesus said, "It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall be taught by God.' Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me" (John 6:45).

Certainly, God uses people to teach us, such as evangelists, pastors, and other teachers. However, we are all dependent upon the anointing of the Holy Spirit to teach us. Both teachers and those who are taught must depend upon the anointing of the Holy Spirit to understand the truth. The anointing of the Spirit abides in every believer.

What Is Conviction?

Conviction by the Holy Spirit focuses on the sin of not believing in the Lord Jesus Christ.  The Holy Spirit convicts and convinces us of our need to believe in Christ. Concerning the Holy Spirit, Jesus said, "He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in me" (John 16:8-9).

Conviction by the Holy Spirit prepares us for repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21). God's grace enables us to repent and believe the gospel of Christ. God's goodness leads us to repent (Romans 2:4). 

The Holy Spirit convicts and convinces us to repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance is a change of mind through the renewing of the Holy Spirit transforming your life (Romans 12:2). Faith is an abiding gift of the Holy Spirit. God's preceding grace enables us to repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 18:27).

Both conviction and new birth are the work of the Holy Spirit. Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him (1 John 5:1). Both faith to believe and love are gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 13:13). From conviction to new birth, it's the Holy Spirit working within us.

The Messiah Cut Off

Daniel has an amazing prophecy of the crucifixion of Christ. Jesus is the Christ, also known as the Messiah. Both terms mean "the anointed one." Daniel prophesied about "Messiah the Prince" (Daniel 9:25). He prophesied that Messiah shall be cut off but not for Himself (Daniel 9:26). To be cut off speaks of a curse. The word curse means marked for destruction and cut off. The Son of God died for the curse of our sins at the cross (Galatians 3:13).

Christ was crucified to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins (Daniel 9:24). On the cross, Jesus cried out, It is finished (John 19:30). Jesus came as the Messiah to take away the sin of the world. John the Baptist introduced Jesus as The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). 

Jesus the Messiah was crucified to make reconciliation for iniquity (Daniel 9:24). Iniquity is a synonym for our sin. As sinners, we must be reconciled to our holy God. Only the Son of God can reconcile sinners at the cross. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18).

Jesus Christ was crucified and raised from the dead, to bring in everlasting righteousness (Daniel 9:24). This is the good news, known as the gospel of Christ. He not only died to take away all our sin, but believers receive His righteousness. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21).

What Is Dead Faith?

Dead faith will not obey the word and will of God. Dead faith does not do God's will. Dead faith will not work. God can do anything that He chooses to do without us. However, God has chosen to work through us. Living faith works to do the the will of God. Dead faith does nothing. As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also (James 2:26).

The Bible teaches that we are laborers together with God (1 Corinthians 3:9). It is God's will for faith to work through us. You may 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, it is God who works in you both to will and do of his good pleasure (Philippians 2:13).

Dead faith says, There is nothing that we can do. What will be, will be. Nothing we can do will make any difference. To the contrary, 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, 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. Living faith prays like this: God what would you have me to do? Faith acts on the word of God. Living faith rises up to do something about it. Living faith works.

What Is Salvation?

Salvation is the work of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. There is election by the Father, redemption by the Son, and regeneration by the Holy Spirit. The three eternal Persons of the Holy Trinity work in perfect harmony from the beginning to the completion of our salvation.

Water baptism is in the name of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Jesus commanded believers to be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). Praise be to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for our salvation. The Triune God saves us as believers, to the praise of His glorious grace (Ephesians 1:6, 12, 14).

God the Father chose to save sinners by grace through faith in his Son Jesus. God the Son came to reveal the fullness of God's grace (John 1:14). That grace was fully revealed at the cross of Jesus. His substitutionary death guarantees the complete salvation for all who believe the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). His glorious resurrection is every believer's justification. Jesus completely saves!

God the Holy Spirit is also known as the Spirit of grace, applying salvation to every believer's heart. The Holy Spirit seals every believer as the guarantee of our complete salvation unto glorification in the day Christ returns (Ephesians 1:13-14).

Will You Hear God?

God speaks to us. "Today if you will hear his voice, do not harden your hearts" (Hebrews 3:15). God speaks today through the Bible. It's God's love letter to us. The Holy Spirit inspired the words of Holy Scripture centuries ago, and still speaks today through it. 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. 

God speaks to all of his children. God has important things to say to us through the Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16). He is speaking in a personal and intimate way to every believer. God communicates that we may 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 the Holy Scripture, speaks to the hearts of all God's children. God shares His thoughts with us. They are eternal thoughts found in the Bible from the Father above. God speaks to encourage us, console and comfort us. He speaks to strengthen our faith and assure us. "God is love" (1 John 4:8). God speaks to us with love.

Who Are Righteous?

Believers are righteous through faith in Christ (Romans 3:21-22). Believers are justified and accounted righteous before God. It is never self-righteousness, but the righteousness of God in Christ. Righteousness is God's gift to believers in Christ.

Believers are righteous in Christ alone. The apostle Paul speaks of the righteousness of Christ imputed to believers in 2 Corinthians 5:21. "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." Martin Luther called it the great exchange. Christ takes away your sins and gives you His righteousness.

Believers are righteous by faith alone in Christ. The Christian life can never be based upon your self-righteousness, which is as filthy rags before God (Isaiah 64:6). You give up all hope in self-righteousness and become righteous before God in Christ alone. Only faith in our Lord Jesus Christ can impute perfect righteousness to you before God. Simply stated, you are accounted righteous by faith in Christ.

Believers are righteous by God's grace alone in Christ. Your sins were imputed or accounted to Christ at the cross. His righteousness is imputed or accounted to you by grace alone through faith alone. There is only one way you can receive the righteousness of God. That's by grace alone through faith in Christ.

What Is Reprobation?

C. H. Spurgeon wrote, "Election does not involve reprobation. There may be some who hold unconditional reprobation. I stand not here as their defender, let them defend themselves as best they can. ... If he be lost, damnation is all of man; but, if he be saved, still salvation is all of God."

Reprobation is a personal choice described in Romans 1:28. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting. Reprobation is not God's choice. Those who are reprobates have made their own choice. 

God gives people over to their own choice who reject the love and grace in Christ. Therefore, God gives the reprobate over to his own depravity. God is passive in reprobation, allowing those who are lost to go on in their sin and unbelief. The lost are responsible for their own condemnation.

Election is God's choice; reprobation is the choice of those who are lost. God chose to save people in Christ before the world began (Ephesians 1:4-6). Those who are lost make an obstinate choice to reject God and His Son Jesus Christ. As Spurgeon stated, "If he be lost, damnation is all of man."

Christ at Whose Door?

Jesus said, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hears my voice, and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me" (Revelation 3:20). 

While some Bible teachers say the words of our Lord in Revelation 3:20 were only to the church as a whole and not to individuals, Charles Spurgeon had another opinion. He was quite convinced that it was a personal invitation to anyone. That's Christ at the door.

Spurgeon pleaded, "Dear reader, hearken to His invitation, and let His good words sink into your soul. As you do so, your life will begin anew and you will be on your way to Heaven." 

Spurgeon exhorted his readers with Revelation 3:20, writing, "Therefore, I urge you not to refuse the Lord Jesus who is knocking at the door of your heart. Remember that He knocks with a hand that was nailed to the cross for you. Your good is His object, so incline your ear to Him and let Him come in."

This personal invitation is issued to you by the Lord Jesus Christ and to anyone who will hear His voice. The Lord's voice comes to us through these very words of the Bible. His promise is sure to you and all who open the door. Jesus Christ says, "I will come in to him." 

Do You Fear God?

Godly fear is the highest reverence for God. To the contrary, tormenting fear is not from God. It is never good, and always evil. It doesn't come from God (2 Timothy 1:7). Yet, godly fear motivates us through faith in God. "By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark" (Hebrews 11:7).

"And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good, but I will put My fear in their hearts, so that they will not depart from Me" (Jeremiah 32:40).

Those who fear God are saved according to the everlasting covenant of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jeremiah prophesied the everlasting covenant. It is confirmation to us as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ (Hebrews 13:20-21). It means God is working in us what pleases Him. He puts His fear in our hearts.

Those who fear God have evidence of their salvation in Christ. Fearing God is designed for our good and gives us assurance that we will not depart from Him. Godly fear is evidence that God is at work in us. God says, "I will put My fear in their hearts, so that they will not depart from Me" (Jeremiah 32:40).

Do you fear God? Those who don't fear God are lost without a saving relationship with God. "There is no fear of God before their eyes" (Romans 3:18). However, those who fear God should thank Him for putting it in their hearts.

What Is Providence?

Life is not ruled by random chance. Providence is at work in all things, 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). Providence includes all things, bringing all glory to God.

The providence of God works daily in your life. Providence works in your life 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. Providence works in all things.

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.

Providence brings purpose in 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). 

Providence took certain 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 for you when you understand, and when you don't.

Are Your Sins Gone?

Charles Spurgeon preached, "Now, he who believes in Jesus, who puts his hands upon the head of Jesus of Nazareth, the Scapegoat of His people, has lost his sins. His faith is sure evidence that his iniquities were of old laid upon the head of the great Substitute. The Lord Jesus Christ was punished in our place."

The scapegoat in the Old Testament symbolically took away the sins of the nation of Israel (Leviticus 16). The High Priest laid his hands upon the scapegoat. That symbolized the transfer of the peoples sins to another. Then, the scapegoat was led into the wilderness, symbolizing sins taken away. That Old Testament figure points to our Lord Jesus Christ. As a believer in Christ, your sins are gone. 

The scapegoat in the Old Testament foreshadowed Jesus taking our sins away. The Lord Jesus Christ was punished in our place as sinners at the cross. That's the Gospel of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). He who was sinless, was punished for our sins. Through faith in Christ, your sins are gone.

Spurgeon taught the truth of the Gospel, when he declared faith is the evidence. By grace through faith in Christ, your sins are gone. The Bible teaches, "the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). God's Son has taken all our sins away. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is evidence that your sins are gone.

How Is Christ Rejected?

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

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

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

Faith is an abiding gift of the Holy Spirit; unbelief rejects the gift of God in Christ. Faith is testifying that Christ is trustworthy; unbelief will not trust in Christ. Faith is walking the light of Christ; unbelief stands in darkness without Christ. Faith in Christ is from a heart transformed by the grace of God; unbelief is from a hardened heart rejecting Christ.

How Did God Promise?

God promised with a covenant oath. God's promises to believers are based upon a covenant oath that cannot be broken. In ancient times, covenant vows were sealed in the death of a sacrificial animal. God's everlasting covenant is sealed in the blood of His Son (Hebrews 13:20). It's God's covenant word to you as a believer in Christ.

God promised with a covenant oath forever. Our faith in God, the forgiveness of our sins, our eternal destiny, and God's work in our lives are all guaranteed through God's covenant word. "Forever O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven" (Psalm 119:89). God's covenant promises are made with an oath forever.

God promised with a guarantee in Christ (Hebrews 7:22). His oath of covenant promises are for every believer in Christ. Jesus is your surety or guarantee to the covenant promises that cannot be broken (Hebrews 7:22). The Bible declares God's word is forever settled in heaven. That's God's covenant word to every believer. 

God promised in an everlasting covenant for all who believe in Christ. Read the promises of God in the Bible, which are forever the same. God has sworn with a covenant oath, and will not repent. He will not change His mind. "God, who cannot lie, promised before time began" (Titus 1:2). God's covenant promises in Christ are Yes and Amen (2 Corinthians 1:20).

How Are We Justified?

We are justified based upon the righteousness of Christ. His sinless life and substitutionary death on the cross for sinners is the basis for your justification. Your sin debt is paid in full, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:24).

We are justified by faith in Christ. Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1). Faith is trust and confidence, relying upon Christ alone. By faith in Christ, sinners are justified with God.

We are justified through grace in Christ. Faith receives the grace of God in Christ. Faith is the evidence that the believer is justified before God. It is the assurance of faith. Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed (Romans 4:16).

We are justified in Christ unto righteousness. The only way we can become righteous before God is by faith in Christ alone. Righteousness is the gift of God to believers. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness (Romans 4:5).

Is God's Spirit In You?

The Bible teaches that God is everywhere. He is omnipresent. However, God's will is to indwell believers. He makes His home in your heart. Believers in Jesus Christ become the house of God. You are God's temple. The Holy Spirit is in you. "Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God" (1 Corinthians 6:19).

The Holy Spirit is in all who truly believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit indwells you to do God's will. He changes your heart. He gives you new desires. God works in you according to His good pleasure. "For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). God is pleased with you, because the Holy Spirit is working in you.

The Holy Spirit is in your heart. That is your mind, will, and emotions. He is doing more in you than you can understand. He is always doing more than you ask or think (Ephesians 3:20). The Lord will use your life to bring glory to His name. The Holy Spirit gives you the ability to do God's will.

Thank God today that the Holy Spirit is in you. Rest in the assurance that He will never leave you nor forsake you. Rely on God's ability to do more through you. Give God all the glory for what He does in you and through you. Remember, wherever you go and whatever you do, the Holy Spirit is in you.

The Prince of Princes

 The Prince of princes (Daniel 8:25) is our Lord Jesus Christ in prophecy.  The expression refers to the one who is ruler over rulers, the highest one above all rulers. Jesus said after his glorious resurrection, "All power is given unto me in heaven and on earth" (Matthew 28:18). He is the "God of gods" (Daniel 11:36). Jesus is the "King of kings" (Revelation 19:16). These titles make it clear. Jesus is Lord over all.

Daniel (8:17, 23) speaks of the "time of the end." Jeremiah the prophet called it the "time of Jacob's trouble" (Jeremiah 30:7). It is a time when God's wrath will be poured out on planet earth (Revelation 16:1). It is the final period of history we know as the great tribulation (Matthew 24:15-22). 

The background for Daniel 8:23-26 is the end times, when Antichrist will oppose God and God's people. The "king of fierce countenance" is the Antichrist. He will be an evil character like unto Antiochus Epiphanes in several ways. Compare Daniel 8:23-26 with Daniel 8:9-14. Both blaspheme God and persecute the Jewish people. Both claim to be gods who deceive the people.

All of the above sets the stage for the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Prince of princes, Lord over all, will defeat all his enemies with the sword of his word (Revelation 19:21). That's when Jesus our Lord defeats Antichrist. The beast and his false prophet are "cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone" (Revelation 19:20).

Do You Trust God?

Trust God's word. The Bible gives you the written promises of God. You can trust the promises of God, because He is the Promise-Keeper. His word of promise is your sure foundation. You can trust God through every situation of life. Trust God with absolute confidence in His word of promise. 

All relationships are built upon trust. Your relationship with God is trusting Him. God is trustworthy. As a child will trust his father, so God invites you to trust Him as your Father in heaven. If an earthly father can be trustworthy, your Father in heaven is infinitely much more. In God you trust as your Father in heaven.

Trust God when you don't understand. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding"(Proverbs 3:5). We cannot understand all the ways of God. Trusting God is confidently believing in His ability to help us and direct us.

Trust God in all circumstances. "He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust" (Psalm 91:2). No one can force you to trust God. On the other hand, no one can stop you from trusting God. If your heart is changed by the grace of God, you will trust in the Lord.

Did Christ Die for All?

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

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

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

The atonement of Christ is sufficient in value for all. The gospel is offered freely to all. However, the saving power of the atonement is applied only to those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31). Therefore, Dr. Robertson concludes that it is "efficient for some."

Who Receives Grace?

Believers receive grace as unmerited favor. There is no way we can merit nor earn the favor of God. It comes to us only as the gift of God. Faith in Jesus Christ saves us by the grace of God. Don't fall for the idea that you can somehow be good enough to merit God's favor. Grace is not for good people. Grace is for sinners, and that includes all of us (Romans 3:23).

Believers receive grace as salvation from the law of sin and death. It is by grace through faith we are saved (Ephesians 2:8-9). God works in and through us to do his will by grace. The Spirit of grace works in our hearts, which is the mind, will, and emotions. God's grace gives us the ability and desire to do God's will (Philippians 2:13).

Believers do not receive grace in vain. "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain, but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me" (First Corinthians 15:10). As a believer, you can say," by the grace of God, I am what I am."

Believers receive grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace reveals God to us and in us. It's not what we do for God (Romans 11:6). Grace is what God has done for us in Christ. All that we are, or ever hope to be, is by the grace of God.

What Is New Birth?

New birth is through the Word and the Spirit. The word of the gospel is about the Word who became flesh, Jesus Christ our Lord (John 1:14). New birth is through faith in Christ who died for our sins, our Lord Jesus risen from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). The Holy Spirit, who inspired the written word of God, brings your new birth through the gospel of Christ.

New birth means you are transformed, cleansed, and renewed (Romans 12:2; Ephesians 2:4; 1 John 1:7). Your mind, will and emotions are transformed and renewed. You are cleansed of all sin. It is by the Holy Spirit who regenerates you, that you become a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Before new birth, you were spiritually dead, but now made alive in Christ Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. You witness an actual miracle of God in your life. It is the power of God unto salvation, through the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 1:16; 10:9).

The same Spirit of God who moved in creation, now moves in your new birth. When you are truly born again, that is regeneration. If anyone is in Christ, he has become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). The Holy Spirit regenerates your heart, which is the mind, will and emotions (Romans 12:2). The gospel comes to you not in word only, but in power and much assurance through the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians. 1:5).

How Did God Save Us?

Grace saved us through unmerited favor. There is no way we can merit nor earn the favor of God. It comes to us only as the gift of God. Faith in Jesus Christ saves us by the grace of God. Don't fall for the idea that we can somehow be good enough to merit God's favor. Grace is not for good people. Grace is for sinners, and that includes all of us (Romans 3:23).

God saved us from the curse of sin and death. It is by grace through faith we are saved (Ephesians 2:8-9). God works in and through us to do his will by grace. The Spirit of grace works in our hearts, which is our mind, will, and emotions. God's grace gives us the ability and desire to do God's will (Philippians 2:13).

God saved us by grace alone. "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain, but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me" (First Corinthians 15:10). Every believer can say," by the grace of God, I am what I am."

God saved us through love divine. Grace gives God's love to us, while we were yet sinners. His love is received through the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5, 8). It's not what we do for God (Romans 11:6). Love is God's grace for you at the cross of Jesus. All that we are, or ever hope to be, is by God's grace for sinners.

Is God Good to All?

The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made (Psalm 145:9). Many theologians refer to this as common grace. That's not because grace is common, but it is common to all mankind. The line is drawn between common grace and saving grace. Common grace restrains evil, gives people time to repent, provides fruitful seasons and food, and many other benefits that are common to all mankind.

Bruce Demarest wrote, "In sum, God's common grace facilitates that sustains and enhances life on a fallen planet." This planet is morally fallen with the sin of all mankind. While judgment is coming, until then God is good to sustain the world in which we live.

God shows common grace even to those who reject God's goodness and compassion. They falsely believe there is no God who will judge them. To others, the goodness of God leads them to repentance. Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? (Romans 2:4).

God is temporally the Savior of all mankind in grace common to all. God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe (1 Timothy 4:10). However, the time of God's common grace will end for those who reject his goodness and grace in Christ. To the contrary, saving grace in Christ Jesus our Lord is everlasting.

What Is God's Oath?

Covenant is made with an oath that cannot be broken. In ancient times, a covenant oath was sealed in the death of a sacrificial animal. God's everlasting promises are sealed in the blood of His Son (Hebrews 13:20-21). God's promises in the Bible are for you and every believer in Christ.

God's oath promise is forever. Our faith in God, the forgiveness of our sins, our eternal destiny, and God's work in our lives is forever. Forever O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven (Psalm 119:89). God's covenant promises are based upon an oath forever.

God's covenant oath is our guarantee. His oath of covenant promises are for us as believers in Christ. Jesus is our surety or guarantee to the covenant oath that cannot be broken (Hebrews 7:22). The Bible declares God's word is forever settled in heaven. That's God's covenant oath of promise. 

God's promises are Yes and Amen for every believer in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20). Read the covenant promises in the Bible, which are forever the same. God has sworn with a covenant oath, and will not repent. He will not change His mind. God, who cannot lie, promised before time began (Titus 1:2). That's what God promises with an oath to us in Christ.

When Are We Saved?

We are saved, when we trust in Christ. It is not our works, but the work of God in us. Grace is not something that we deserve, but God freely gives us (Ephesians 2:8-9). Grace takes away all our sins at the cross of Jesus (1 John 1:7). Grace gives us the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21). Grace gives us faith to trust in Christ (Philippians 1:29). Faith comes to us by hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17).

We are saved, when we receive the gift of God in Christ. He is the fullness of grace (John 1:16). Believing on the Lord Jesus is receiving the gift of God. Preceding grace awakens us to our need to believe in Christ (John 16:7-11). Grace enables us to believe on Christ (Acts 15:9-11). Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. 

We are saved, when we believe the gospel of Christ (1 Cor. 15:1-4). We receive the gift of salvation through the gospel of Christ. That gift can never be bought, earned, nor achieved through personal effort. The gift of God is bestowed through the gospel of Christ. The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23).

We are saved, when the Holy Spirit changes our hearts. The Spirit of grace operates directly on our hearts, to change us from the inside out. God's grace changes your mind to understand the things of God (Romans 12:2). Grace changes your will to desire God's good will (Philippians 2:13). Grace changes your emotions to give you a tender heart toward God (Ezekiel 36:26).

What Is Abiding Faith?

Abiding faith in Christ is in all who are saved, as a gift of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 13:13). Abiding faith is from God the Father, through the work of the Holy Spirit in your heart. It is anchored to the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for your sins and was raised from the dead. The Spirit of grace enables you to believe the gospel of Christ.

Abiding faith is not just mental assent nor human effort. It is a result of the Holy Spirit bringing you to a point of confidence, assurance, and trust in the living Christ. It's faith that the world didn't give you, and the world can't take it away. Abiding faith pleases God, because He is working in you. "For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). 

When you have abiding faith in Christ, be assured that God is working in you what is well-pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ, "the author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2). "But without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6).

God is the one who gives you abiding faith in Christ. It is by the grace of God that you are enabled to live by faith. "For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God"(Ephesians 2:8). It's all of grace as the gift of God in Christ.

Is Christ in the Psalms?

The apostles in the New Testament preached Christ from prophecy in the Old Testament Scripture, and that includes the book of Psalms. Before the New Testament was completed, they preached the gospel of Christ according to the Scripture, which meant the Old Testament Scripture (1 Cor. 15:1-4).

Prophecy reveals the gospel of Christ in the Psalms. We see Christ dying and rising again. We see Christ coming the second time and reigning over all. Verses in the Psalms are quoted in the New Testament. Psalms revealed Christ in prophecy.

The Psalms prophesied Christ suffering death at the cross (Psalm 22). Psalms also declared the resurrection of Christ (Psalm 16:8-11). That is the gospel of Jesus Christ foretold in the Psalms.

The book of Psalms prophesied the present day priestly ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ, as our Intercessor with God the Father (Psalm 110). Psalms also prophesied the second coming of Christ (Psalm 2).

The apostle Peter preached Christ and the resurrection on the Day of Pentecost from the book of Psalms (Psalm 16:8-11; Acts 2:25-28). That means the first gospel sermon in the Christian church was on Christ from prophecy in Psalms.

Who Has God Chosen?

God's chosen people are in Christ. He foreknew us as justified and glorified in Christ. God foreknew our salvation in Christ. In Romans 8:28-30, God foreknew us as glorified in Christ. God foreknew all who shall be in Christ (1 Peter 1:2).

God's chosen people believe the gospel of Christ. That includes everyone who repents and believes the gospel (Luke 13:3, 5; Acts 16:31). Only those who repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved. As believers, we experience the gospel in power with assurance. That is the Holy Spirit working in our hearts (Romans 1:16; 1 Thessalonians 1:5).

God's chosen people are saved by grace through faith in Christ. We are justified through the death of Jesus Christ for your sins. Justification is by faith in the power of his resurrection. Justification means all your sins are taken away through the blood of Jesus (1 John 1:7). The righteousness of Christ is accounted to you (2 Corinthians 5:21). God declares you justified by faith in Christ. "It is God who justifies" (Romans 8:33).

God's chosen people shall be glorified into the image or likeness of Christ. Glorification is salvation complete. "We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is" (1 John 3:2). What is future for us as believers in Christ is now in the foreknowledge of God. Therefore, God foreknew us as glorified in the very image and likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 8:28-30).

Who Experiences God?

The Bible was not written simply to give you academic information about God. It was written that you may know God today in a personal way. The Bible is the believer's guide to experience God. The Bible is like a menu in a restaurant. "Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good" (Psalm 34:8). To taste and see is to experience God in a personal relationship.

Believers experience God in prayer. The Bible teaches you how to pray. It's important to understand that prayer is a personal conversation with God. It's more than speaking words from memory. Opening your heart to God is true prayer. Prayer is not a monologue. It's a dialogue with God. Talk and listen with your heart (Hebrews 3:15).

Believers experience God through worship (John 4:24). Understand that worship is your personal response to God's love and goodness in Christ. Worship God daily with your songs of praise and prayers of thanksgiving. Surrender your body, will, and emotions to God through worship (Romans 12:1-2).

Believers experience God with others in public worship, family prayer, and small groups. Hearing testimonies of how others have experienced God is helpful. Be encouraged in your faith. Trust God to work in your life, that you may experience Him in a daily relationship. Know that God is working in you for your good and His glory, "for it is God who works in you, both to will and to do for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13).

What Is God's Wrath?

"He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God" (Rev. 19:14-16). Jesus our Lord revealed the love of God at His first coming. He reveals the wrath of God at His second coming. Those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ receive the love of God. Those who reject God's Son in unbelief and rebellion receive the wrath of Almighty God.

The winepress is a symbol of the wrath of Almighty God. God will totally crush all those who live in rebellion against Him. Their defeat is swift and complete. In Bible days a winepress would be found at a vineyard. Grapes were harvested and thrown into the trough. They were crushed as the grape juice flowed into another trough. That symbol pictures the total defeat of God's enemies.

The Son of God shall reveal divine omnipotence on earth. He strikes the nations with the sword of His word. He rules with a rod of iron. Those symbols reveal that Jesus our Lord has all power in heaven and on earth. Jesus has the words on His robe, "King of Kings and Lord of Lords." 

Jesus shall come with the armies of heaven. That includes the redeemed of the Lord, as well as holy angels. Those who are redeemed wear clean white robes. That symbolizes the righteousness of the saints. Jesus has taken away all our sins and given us His righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21). The redeemed of the Lord witness His victory over all the enemies.

The Son of Man

Jesus is referred to most often in the New Testament with the terms Lord and Christ, followed by the Son of Man. That title comes from the Old Testament prophecy of Daniel. He wrote, "I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man was coming with the clouds" (Daniel 7:13). Elsewhere in the Old Testament only God is mentioned coming with the clouds of heaven (Psalm 104:3; Isaiah 19:1). Son of Man refers to a  divine-human ruler. That is the God-Man, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus spoke of himself as the Son of Man in the New Testament more than any other title. He was referring to the title in Daniel's prophecy of a coming Messiah. In the Gospel of Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus refers to himself as the Son of Man sixty-nine times. In the Gospel of John, Jesus uses the same title for himself twelve times.

As the Son of Man, Jesus came to bring the kingdom of God. He taught about the kingdom of God and demonstrated it in signs and wonders. As the Son of Man, Jesus had authority on earth to forgive sins (Mark 2:10). He forgives every believer's sins. He died to pay the penalty for our sins. His resurrection proves it. That is the Gospel of the Son of Man.

Jesus will return as the Son of Man in clouds of glory to rule with dominion in the everlasting kingdom of God. "Then to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed" (Daniel 7:14).

What Is God's Mercy?

"So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy" (Romans 9:16). God shows mercy, not earned by our efforts, because "it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs." Our will power and efforts can never save us. God's mercy in Christ for our salvation.

God's mercy is in Christ crucified for our sins. That is to say, the sacrificial death of Christ satisfies the demands of God's holiness and wrath against our sin. God's just wrath is satisfied for sinners who trust in Christ alone for mercy and justification. "And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world" (1 John 2:2).

God's mercy takes away our sins through the blood of Jesus (1 John 1:7). Mercy transforms our lives. God's mercy changes our hearts to change your lives. Only God can change our hearts. The word heart is a symbol for our inward nature. That's the mind, will, and emotions.

God's mercy transforms and renews our minds (Romans 12:1-2). Such a change enables us to repent. The word "repent" comes from two Greek words. Meta means change. Nous means mind. God's mercy leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4).

Why Are All Not Saved?

"For this is good and acceptable to God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:3-4). God desires all to be saved from death, judgment, and everlasting punishment. God sent His Son into the world to make the one and only sacrifice which is sufficient to save all (John 12:32; 1 John 2:2). Then, why are all not saved?

Not all will come to "the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:4). Jesus said, "I am the truth" (John 14:6). The Spirit of truth uses the word of truth to bring us to the one who is the truth (John 16:13; 17:17). God will not save anyone who rejects the truth. Those who reject the truth, believe the lie. They perish, "because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved" (2 Thessalonians 2:10).

Not all will trust in Christ. None who sincerely trust in Christ will be turned away (John 6:37). No one who believes in Him will be disappointed (Romans 10:11). God's call to salvation is for all nations, Jew and Gentile (Romans 1:16; Acts 1:8). The gospel of Christ is freely offered to all.

Not all will repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31; 17:30). This speaks of our responsibility. Those who refuse to repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ are responsible for their own just condemnation (Luke 13:3, 5). All who repent and believe the gospel of Jesus Christ will be saved (John 3:36; Acts 2:37-39).

Is Jesus Your Lord?

"That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9). Is Jesus your Lord? If so, you believe that Jesus is risen indeed. Therefore, you confess Jesus is Lord.

Jesus risen from the dead is the singular most important doctrine in the Christian faith (1 Corinthians 15:17). The salvation of every believer rests upon the resurrection of Christ. It's the miracle you must believe to be saved. Confessing Jesus as Lord is the earliest confession of the Christian faith. It focuses upon the resurrection of Jesus as our confession of faith.

If you are willing to confess Jesus is Lord, then the Holy Spirit convinced you (John 16:7-11). The Holy Spirit illumines your mind and brings you to repentance, a change of mind, concerning the resurrection of Christ. Then and only then, you will truly confess that Jesus is Lord, because you know the truth personally. "No one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:3).

Believing the gospel and confessing from your heart that Jesus is Lord means you are saved. The word saved means to be delivered from the condemnation and judgment of your sins. Also, it means to be delivered from the wages of sin which is death (Romans 6:23). To be saved is to receive eternal life through the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. If Jesus is your Lord, you are saved.

How Is Christ in You?

The Christian life is Christ in you (Colossians 1:27). The Spirit of Christ, also known as the Holy Spirit, indwells every believer (Romans 8:9). Upon believing the gospel of Christ, you are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, "having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise" (Ephesians 1:13). The Holy Spirit is in you with the abiding gifts of faith, hope, and love (1 Corinthians 13:13).

The Spirit of Christ is in you with the gift of faith. It is the faith of Jesus Christ. "Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2). The Holy Spirit abides in every Christian with the gift of faith. It is faith from Christ and faith in Christ. Faith is trust, confidence, and reliance upon Christ.

The Spirit of Christ is in you with the gift of hope. It is your hope in Christ. The Holy Spirit brings hope in Christ. It is the hope of glory, which means the hope of the believer's glorification. Everything you are, or hope to be, is in Christ. We are "looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13).

The Spirit of Christ is in you with the gift of love. It is the Father's love for us in Christ and our love for Christ. Love is a gift of the Holy Spirit and the greatest evidence of Christ in you. Without the love of Christ, there is no real and true Christian life. Christ in you is the love of the Holy Spirit in your heart (Romans 5:5).

Will God Teach Us?

Charles H. Spurgeon wrote, "No man can know Jesus Christ unless he is taught by God. Tell me not of systems of divinity, of schemes of theology, of infallible commentators, of the most learned people, or of the most arrogant doctors, but tell me of the great Teacher who will instruct the sons of God and make us wise to understand all things. The Holy Spirit is the Teacher." 

Jesus promised that God's Spirit would guide his disciples into all truth (John 8:31-32; 16:13). While the Spirit of God gives pastors and other teachers the ability to minister the word of truth, yet he alone is the great Teacher. He is the one who inspired the Holy Scripture. Believers are taught by God's Spirit to understand the Bible.

God's Spirit teaches all who are born again. He teaches us about the only one who can take away our sins, Jesus the crucified one. He teaches us to confess Jesus is Lord (1 Corinthians 12:3). The Holy Spirit teaches us about the one who saves us, Jesus in the power of his resurrection (Romans. 10:9). His teaching always glorifies Jesus, the Son of God, according to the Scripture (John 16:14).

The Holy Spirit teaches us more and more about Jesus. Our prayer should be: "Spirit of God my teacher be, showing the things of Christ to me." Every believer in Christ should be taught by God, through Holy Scripture inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16).

Did God Foreknow Us?

"God is not limited by time. With him there is no present, past and future, but one eternal now. He knows all things from the beginning" (J. Clyde Turner, These Things We Believe). 

God knows all that is past, present, and future. What God knows now about the future is revealed in Bible prophecy. Our knowledge is limited. The foreknowledge of God is unlimited.

God foreknows all things simultaneously. Our knowledge is limited by time and space. God is omniscient knowing the end from the beginning (Acts 15:18). We know in part and only in part. God foreknows all things now.

God foreknows the names and exact number of all who shall be saved. They are now justified and glorified in Christ as far as the knowledge of God. The apostle Paul wrote of God's foreknowledge in terms of prolepsis, knowing the future now as already accomplished (Romans 8:29-30). Yet, God's command is for all people everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30; 2 Peter 3:9).

God foreknows all who shall be in Christ. That includes all who will repent and believe the gospel (Acts 2:38; 13:48; Ephesians 1:4, 13). God turns none away who will repent and believe on our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:30-31). Yet, God foreknows now all who shall be saved in Christ (1 Peter 1:2). 

How Do Christians Die?

Wayne Grudem explained, "When Christians die, their souls go immediately into God's presence. Although their bodies remain in the ground, their souls go into the presence of their Creator. This is why Paul writes of being away from the body through death (2 Corinthians 5:8) and departing in death to be with Christ (Philippians 1:23)."

Dr. Grudem presented the New Testament teaching about the death of Christians. This exposes such errors as purgatory and soul sleep. Nowhere does the New Testament teach that Christians go to a place called purgatory, but as Grudem said, "their souls go into the presence of their Creator." Also, Christians are not unconscious as in soul sleep.

Grudem clearly stated the New Testament teaching about a Christian's death. It is "being away from the body in death." That is "departing in death to be with Christ." Death is separation of body and soul. Christians may understand what they face at death, with the expectation of being with Christ.

When a Christian faces death, the testimony of the apostle Paul should bring comfort and hope. He wrote, "We would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:8). In another letter, he wrote, "My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better" (Philippians 1:23). That's what happens when Christians die.

Does Faith Receive?

The Bible says, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31). As a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, you are saved according to what God promises you. Faith is based upon what God promises you. Faith receives the promises of God.

Believe that the promises of God are for you. Trying to live by faith without the promises of God leaves us with doubt and unbelief. Our victory is faith in the promises that cannot fail, because God will not fail to keep His word of promise. What God promises you is found in the Bible.

God keeps His promises. All the promises of God are for believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. "For all the promises of God in Him are Yes and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us" (2 Corinthians 1:20). God keeps His promises to you as a believer, unto the praise of His glory. 

Do you read and believe the Bible to receive what God promises you? What God promises you is Yes and Amen in Christ. That's your victory to the glory of God. Receiving answered prayer is based upon what God promises you in the name of Jesus Christ. Faith receives what God promises.

What Is Deliverance?

"We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one" (1 John 5:19). Evil comes from the sinful desires of people, and the wicked one, as well as other spiritual powers of darkness (Romans 3:10-18; Ephesians 6:10-13). We live in this present evil age "under the sway of the wicked one."

Deliverance is from evil through prayer. Christ revealed God's goodness to those in bondage to sin and the wicked one. Jesus taught us to pray, "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" (Matthew 6:13). That's the will of God to deliver you from evil, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Deliverance is from evil through the gospel of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Christ died for your sins and defeated Satan, as well as all unclean spirits at the cross (Colossians 2:13-15). The resurrection of the Lord Jesus is your deliverance and victory (1 Corinthians 15:54-58). Deliverance from the evil one comes as you call upon Jesus our risen Lord (Romans 10:9, 13).

Deliverance is from evil through the power of Jesus our Lord. Jesus died to take away all your sins (1 John 1:7). God raised Jesus from the dead to break the power of death. His resurrection power is your deliverance from the wicked one and all powers of darkness. God's deliverance is from evil through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, who has all power in heaven and in earth (Matthew 28:18).

What's a Carnal Mind?

A carnal mind is enmity against God. A carnal mind is controlled by thoughts of rebellion against the will of God. That is true until we repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. A carnal mind has no peace with God. The carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be (Romans 8:7).

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1). Having been justified in Christ means "our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness." We are justified by faith in Christ alone. That means you have no enmity against God. We have peace with God, by grace through faith in Christ.

We have peace with God in Christ, through the gospel. Our carnal mind is transformed by the renewing of the Holy Spirit. Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God (Romans 12:2).

Having been justified by faith in Christ, our mind is transformed. Enmity against God is transformed into peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Our renewed mind experiences repentance. The word repent means a change of mind. Our mind is renewed to understand God's good will, according to the Bible.

What Is Unbelief?

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

Unbelief cannot receive the blessings of God in Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "You believe in God, believe also in Me" (John 14:1). All the blessings of God come to us in Christ. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3). Believing is receiving Christ.

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

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

How Will Jesus Return?

In Revelation 19:11-13, the return of Jesus Christ is described in apocalyptic imagery. That includes symbols that would have easily been understood in the First Century A.D. The symbols are like a parade in Rome after a great military victory. The General of the army would lead the parade riding on a white horse. His soldiers would follow. 

John identified the one riding on the white horse in his vision. "And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war" (Revelation 19:11). Jesus Christ is the faithful witness (Revelation 1:5). His testimony is faithful and true (Revelation 1:2)."He is called The Word of God" (Revelation 19:13). Christ the Living Word of God is the faithful and true witness to the written word of God in the Bible.

John wrote, "Now I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse" (Revelation 19:11). He sees Christ returning on the white horse, crowned with many crowns. Those crowns symbolize Jesus as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. 

"He was clothed in a robe dipped in blood" (Revelation 19:13). Roman generals would wear robes stained with the blood of their enemies. That was a sure sign and symbol that the enemy was defeated and destroyed.

Who Has God Adopted?

The Holy Spirit confirms our adoption into God's family through faith in Jesus Christ, that we may know Him as your Father. Jesus taught us to address God as our Father in prayer. Through faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit brings us to know God as our Father. We come to God as our Father in Christ by the Holy Spirit.

"For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, 'Abba! Father!' The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God" (Romans 8:15-16, ESV).

In New Testament days, the Roman law for adoption illustrated how we are adopted into God's family to know Him as our Father. In those days, if an older man did not have a son, he could adopt one according to the law. First, he must choose the son. Second, he must pay a price to adopt a son. Third, there must be witnesses present at the official adoption ceremony.

The illustration makes it clear how we are adopted to know God as your Father. God chose us in Christ (Ephesians 1:4-6). He paid the price through His only begotten Son at the cross. Jesus paid it all for us to be God's adopted children. The Holy Spirit is the witness that we are adopted as God's children by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Ancient of Days

Daniel the prophet had a vision of God as the Ancient of Days (Daniel 7:9-10, 22). Ancient of Days describes the one and only eternal God. He was before the days that He created in the beginning. He is from everlasting to everlasting.

Daniel describes the Ancient of Days in apocalyptic symbolism. He sees God like a man of great age. His hair appears white as wool. His robe is white, because God is righteous and holy. His throne is like a flame of fire, which symbolizes His judgment.

The Son of God is seen in the same imagery as Father God, in what we call the second coming of Christ (Daniel 7:22). This same imagery is seen in the book of Revelation (1:12-14). 

The prophet Daniel and the apostle John speak of the same end time events. God in Christ is coming in great glory to establish the everlasting kingdom with His saints (Daniel 7:13-14).

In the book of Revelation, John sees the saints of God clothed in white garments (Revelation 3:18). The Ancient of Days, clothed in a white robe, likewise clothes every believer in white, which is the righteousness of God in Christ. How can that be? "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Who Shall We Be?

Who shall we be, when we see Christ? We will one day be changed into the very likeness of Jesus. "We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is" (1 John 3:2). That's the work of God in our lives. Until that day, the Lord is still working in us.  Remember, we are a work in progress.

Life is always changing, and so are we. That means we are becoming who we shall be. We are not there yet. God is still working on us, as believers in Jesus Christ. God knows who we shall be, but we are not there now. 

Every believer is becoming more and more like Jesus, but we have a long way to go. "For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son" (Romans 8:29). That is when we are glorified in Christ at his coming. As far as God is concerned, we are still a work in progress. 

Sanctification means we are becoming who we shall be in Christ. We are not there yet, so don't be too hard on yourself. From time to time, we may stumble and fall. We all do, but our Father in heaven will not forsake us. God will lift us up with His strong arms of love.

Be patient with other believers, when they stumble and fall. God is still working on them too. "Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted" (Galatians 6:1). Judging other believers doesn't help. Just remember who we shall be, "we shall be like Him."

What's Daily Cleansing?

John Owen (1616-1683) a Puritan theologian saw the believer's need for daily cleansing. He wrote, "Go daily to Jesus for cleansing. Hence also is manifest the necessity we have of continual applications to Jesus Christ for cleansing virtue from his Spirit and the sprinkling of his blood on our consciences to purge them from dead works."

There are no perfect Christians here below. Our temptations continue. Our battle with the flesh is reality (Galatians 5:17). Our sanctification is not perfect nor complete in this life. Our growth in holiness continues, but we do sin from time to time. Free from the bondage to sin, we are not yet free from the temptation to sin.

Our Lord Jesus not only cleansed us at the point of conversion, but he graciously continues to cleanse us as we confess our sins (1 John 1:7, 9). Scripture warns us not to claim that we are sinless. If we do, then we only deceive ourselves (1 John 1:8, 10). John Owen saw every believer's need for daily cleansing. 

Owen recognized the need for daily cleansing from our sins as believers. Not only did he recognize the need, but more importantly, he recognized that cleansing is open daily for all believers. Our conscience witnesses to our need. The blood of Jesus avails for our daily cleansing from all sin.

How Will God Provide?

God is Jehovah-jireh, meaning the LORD will provide (Genesis 22:14). God will provide for all who trust in His name. That means by faith you can trust in who God is. It's not just who we want Him to be. He reveals His name to all believers. You can trust in His name, receiving from Him according to your need.

God provides as your heavenly Father. He knows your needs before you ask. Prayer is not designed for you to inform God. He knows all things. Prayer receives from God your 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.

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,"And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus"(Philippians 4:19). God will provide for you by Jesus Christ. Ask God to provide for you in Jesus name.

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 the LORD will provide. His name reveals His character. It's who He is and what He does. God is Jehovah-jireh. Trust in the name of the LORD. God will provide for you.

Who Will Fall Away?

Charles Spurgeon said, "Temporary faith is no faith at all." Jesus spoke of "those who believe for awhile, and in time of testing fall away" (Luke 8:13). However, saving faith can stand the test, because it is an abiding gift of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 13:13). Saving faith remains, abides, continues through all manner of testing. 

Jesus taught that those who fall away only believe for awhile. This is recorded in the Parable of the Sower (Luke 8:11-15). The problem in this case is recognized in the person's heart. Those who fall away have a heart that has not been changed by the grace of God. It leads to apostasy, or falling away (1 John 2:19).

Those who are born again do not fall away, because God takes away the heart of stone and gives a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26). The new heart is like rich soil for the seed of the Gospel of Christ to bring forth fruit unto salvation. Those who are born again have a heart changed to become a new creation in Christ (Romans 2:28-29; 2 Corinthians 5:17). 

When we are born again, our hearts are changed with new desires. The heart is the mind, will, and emotions, as the term is most often used in the Bible. God works in us "both to will and to do for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). A new heart includes a will changed by God's grace. God began the work of salvation in us and continues unto completion (Philippians 1:6). Therefore, we do not fall away.

How Is Faith Given?

Jesus paid every believer's sin debt in full (1 John 1:7). The risen Christ saves us and all who believe on Him (Acts 16:30-31). The Spirit of God gives faith in Christ for salvation.

The Bible refers to the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of grace (Hebrews 10:29).  Grace comes before our response to the gospel. The Spirit of grace initiates our conversion. The Spirit of grace brings salvation to all who believe the gospel of Christ. 

The Holy Spirit convicts us of the sin of unbelief. The Holy Spirit convicts us, pricks our hearts, and awakens us to the need for the Savior (John 16:7-11). The Spirit of grace prepares us to be saved through faith in Christ. 

God's grace gives faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and we are saved (Ephesians 2:8-10). The gospel of grace is Christ crucified for our sins and risen from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). The Holy Spirit brings the gift of faith in Christ (1 Corinthians 13:13). Faith is received through the word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit (Romans 10:17; 2 Timothy 3:16).

God our Father draws us to Christ, through the Spirit of grace (John 6:44). The Holy Spirit enables our response to the gospel of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:3). To be saved by grace alone means the Spirit of grace gives us faith. We respond to the gospel through the Spirit of grace, believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Will God Change Us?

God changes us through the Gospel of Christ. What happens when God changes our heart? The heart is an expression of our inner person. That's our mind, will, and emotions. The Spirit of God changes our hearts, confessing  Jesus is Lord (Ro. 10:9; 1 Cor. 12:3). God's Spirit enables us to know Christ in a very personal way.

God changes our mind. God renews our mind to understand spiritual things that are taught in the Bible, "by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God" (Ro. 12:2). The Holy Spirit is our teacher, giving us more and more understanding through the Bible.

God changes our will. God "works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). We are then willing to do God's will, with a desire to serve Him and minister to others for His glory. We become doers of the word and not hearers only (James 1:22). 

God changes our emotions. We then have a godly sorrow for your sins. We are moved with compassion to help others. Perhaps we may feel a burden to pray for someone. Remember that God does the work in our heart, and that includes our emotions.

What's God's Guarantee?

"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. Jesus is every believer's guarantee.

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. Believers are free from a debt that we could never repay. Jesus is our guarantee at the cross.

Jesus is your guarantee 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 your mind; (2) God will be your God and we are His people; (3) We will all know the LORD; (4) God will forgive your sins and remember them no more.

Jesus is every believer's guarantee, dying for your sins and risen from the dead for your justification. You can only be a child 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). God's covenant promises for you are guaranteed in our Lord Jesus Christ.

What Is Righteousness?

Righteousness is a gift received by faith in Christ. The Christian life can never be based upon our self-righteousness, which is as filthy rags before God (Isaiah 64:6). To the contrary, we give up our self-righteousness, and become righteous before God in Christ alone. Only Jesus Christ can give us perfect righteousness before God. Simply stated, believers are righteous in Christ alone.

Every true believer in Christ is accounted righteous before God. Our sins were imputed or accounted to Christ as our sacrifice for sin at the cross. We receive his righteousness by faith alone. There is only one way we can be righteous. It's by faith in Christ alone.

Righteousness is accounted to every believer. "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21). Martin Luther called it the great exchange. Christ takes away every believer's sins and gives us his righteousness.

Righteousness is God's gift to believers. Upon trusting in Christ, every believer receives righteousness given to us by our Savior and Lord. It is known as imputed righteousness. Through faith in Christ, believers are accounted righteous before God. It is never our self-righteousness, but the righteousness of God in Christ.

How Are You Saved?

You are saved by faith in Christ (Eph. 2:8-10). God's grace is freely given to you through faith in Christ. You become an heir of God, and a joint-heir with Christ (Romans 8:16-18). Upon believing in Jesus Christ our Lord, you are saved (Acts 16:31).

You are saved by grace alone. Salvation can never be bought, earned, nor achieved through personal effort. Grace is received freely as the gift of God. Saving grace in Christ is received with new life, abundant life, and life eternal (Romans 6:23). So, you can testify, "But by the grace of God I am what I am" (1 Corinthians 15:10).

You are saved through the Holy Spirit (John 3:6-7). Nothing else in all the world can change you but the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9). The Holy Spirit operates directly on your heart, to change you from the inside out. The Holy Spirit changes your mind to understand the things of God (Romans 12:2). The Holy Spirit changes your will to repent (Philippians 2:13). The Holy Spirit changes your emotions to have a tender heart toward God (Ephesians 4:32).

You are saved unto a future to be glorified into the image and likeness of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:28-30). Your eternal future is sure in Christ. The God of all grace changes you from glory into glory through Jesus Christ our Lord. You shall receive a glorified body like that of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 John 3:2).

Is Salvation God's Work?

We are God's workmanship, by grace through faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:8-10). Our salvation is the eternal purpose and work of God the Father. Our salvation was purchased through the Son of God at the cross. Christ effectively works in us by the Holy Spirit.

God chose to save believers in Christ before the world began (Ephesians 1:4-6). God's eternal purpose in Christ was foreordained. God called us through the gospel to be justified by faith in Christ. That is God's work in us through Christ.

God the Father works through Christ to save us. Jesus accomplished the Father's will through His sacrificial death and resurrection. That is the gospel of our salvation in Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). God the Father works through the Son to save all who believe.

The Holy Spirit works in us through Christ (Romans 8:9). "He who has begun a good work in you will complete unto the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6). The Holy Spirit changes our lives through faith in Christ. We are transformed by the Holy Spirit to walk in newness of life, through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:4, 12:2; 1 Corinthians 12:3). Salvation is God's work in us.

What Is Prophecy?

"For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" (Revelation 19:10). Prophecy is a gift of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit as the Prophet, Priest and King. Both words Messiah and Christ mean anointed one. Jesus is the Prophet that Moses said would come (Deuteronomy 18:15). His coming was prophesied many times in the Old Testament. 

In the book of Revelation, prophecy is the testimony of Jesus. That prophetic book is from Jesus and about Jesus. The apostle John was instructed to write what he saw and heard. In Revelation, chapters 19 and 20, we read about the second coming of Christ and the events which follow. Jesus said, "Surely, I am coming quickly" (Revelation 22:20). That means it will be sudden when he comes, rather than immediately.

The book of Revelation is prophecy about Jesus Christ. He is both the Prophet and the Revelation. "Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye shall see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of earth shall mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen" (Revelation 1:7). Those who have rejected the Gospel of Christ will be terrified. The day of their judgment has come (Revelation 20:11-15).

The prophecy of Revelation tells us how to be saved and sure. It's by grace alone. Grace is the gift of God in Christ alone. It is by faith alone that we receive the grace of Christ. "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8). So, the book of Revelation ends with these words. "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen" (Revelation 22:21).

Who Is Spiritually Dead?

The spiritually dead live according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience (Ephesians 2:2). The spiritually dead have no faith in Christ. Another spirit works in them, the spirit of disobedience. Their lifestyle is according to this present evil world. The spiritually dead have no personal relationship with God.

God gives believers new life through our Lord Jesus Christ. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (Ephesians 2:4-5). Believers receive new life from the mercy and love of God in Christ. Because Christ lives, believers are spiritually alive to God. Christ is our new life.

What did we do to deserve new life with God? The answer is nothing. It's because of God's mercy toward us. It is God's mercy and grace through faith in Christ alone. We were spiritually dead, but now by grace you have been saved (Ephesians 2:5). By grace through faith in Christ, we have new life.

New life is received by the mercy of God through the gospel of Christ. Before we trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ, we were spiritually dead. The word dead means separated. We were spiritually dead, that is separated from God. And He made you alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1). That's our new life in Christ

The Son of God

"Look!" he answered, "I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God" (Daniel 3:25, NKJV). Those are words spoken by King Nebuchadnezzar. He ordered three men put in the firey furnace, because they would not bow to the statue of a false god. He described the fourth man "like the Son of God." Is that a reference to the pre-incarnate Christ? In Daniel 3:28, the king also described the fourth man as God's Angel.

W. E. Vine wrote, "The relation between the Lord and the 'angel of the Lord' is often so close that it is difficult to separate the two (Exodus 3:2, 4, 7-8, 12). This identification has led some interpreters to conclude that the 'angel of the Lord' was the pre-incarnate Christ."

Charles C. Ryrie explained that "the Angel of Yahweh is a Christophany, a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ. The Angel spoke as God, identified Himself with God,  and exercised the prerogatives of God (Gen. 16:7-12; 21:17-18; 22:11-18; Exod. 3:2; Judg. 2:1-4; 2 Sam. 24:16; Zech. 1:12; 3:1; 12:8). Appearances of the Angel ceased after the incarnation of Christ, which supports conclusions that He was the pre-incarnate Christ."

In the New Testament, Jesus Christ the Son of God makes a promise to every believer, "I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20). When believers go through trials of faith and testing, we should never doubt the promise of Christ. Always is His word of assurance to each of us.