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.

Why Should We Pray?

Wayne Grudem wrote, "God does not want us to pray so that he can find out what we need, for Jesus said, 'Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.' Instead, God wants us to pray so that our dependence on him can increase."

Grudem was right. We never pray to inform God about anything. He knows all things, the end from the beginning. He certainly knows every need we have or ever shall have. He knows what we need before we ask him. He is omniscient, knowing all that has been, shall be or could have been.

Dr. Grudem taught that we should pray to express our dependence upon God. We are not self-sufficient. We are more aware of our dependence upon God through trials, temptation, and difficult days. Prayer  depends on God to supply our needs (Matthew 6:11).

Prayer includes adoration, confession and thanksgiving to God. Yet, you also come to God most often to express your dependence upon him. In those times, you make your requests known unto God. You admit your need and seek God's help. You ask God to supply your need according to his will. Prayer is the way to express your dependence on God.

Grudem maintains that "God wants us to pray so that our dependence on him can increase." We are totally dependent on God. It's in him that we live and move, and have our being (Acts 17:28). Prayer is expressing your dependence upon God, knowing that he shall supply your needs (Philippians 4:19).

Is Christ Living In Us?

Christ lives in us by faith. That means we have new life, the life of Christ. We can truly say, "Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).

Christ lives in us through the Holy Spirit, also known as the Spirit of Christ. His presence is experienced through faith, hope, and love. These are the three abiding gifts of the Holy Spirit. "And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:13). 

The Spirit of Christ lives in us through three abiding gifts. Faith is in your heart to trust Christ as your living Lord and Savior. Hope is given to trust Christ with your future. Most importantly, the love of Christ is in you. The love of Christ enables you to love God and others.

The Spirit of Christ lives in all believers (Romans 8:9). Christ is in our lives by faith. Christ lives in us by hope that the world didn't give us, and the world can't take it away. Most importantly, the love of Christ lives in us, bringing peace and joy. The Holy Spirit is the witness of Christ living in us, through faith, hope, and love.

Why Did Christ Die?

"But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God" (Hebrews 10:12). Jesus Christ died as our one sacrifice for sins forever. He died in the place of every believer, to take away all our sins. He is risen from the dead, and now at the right hand of God to save all who believe the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). 

Christ died as our one sacrifice for sins forever. He is the only way we are reconciled to God. We have all sinned (Romans 3:23). Only the blood of Jesus can take away all our sins (1 John 1:7). God proved his love for us as sinners at the cross of Jesus (Romans 5:8). Only one sacrifice can forever cleanse you from all sin. 

Christ died as every believer's one sacrifice for sins forever. Christ died in our place. He took our judgment and punishment. He paid the complete debt of all our sins forever. That is the testimony of every true believer in our Lord Jesus Christ. It's not what we do, but what Christ did for us. Believers receive the one and only sacrifice for their sins in Christ alone.

The Old Testament sacrifices were never complete. They were offered again and again, with endless repetition. They pointed toward the one and only sacrifice that takes away sin. They pointed to Christ who died as the one sacrifice for sins forever. There is no other name whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12). 

Who Are Cursed?

The word curse means to be cut off, that is cut off from the blessing of God and marked for destruction. God's covenant of law promised blessings to those who obey and curses to those who disobey (Deuteronomy 28:15-24). Those cursed in sin are cut off from the blessings of God.

Martin Luther taught that Christ died for the curse of our sin. "He voluntarily fulfilled all righteousness, living under the law without spot or blemish, bore our sins, became a curse for us, and offered himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. This is the atoning, reconciling work of Christ."

Those cursed are controlled by a spirit of disobedience (Ephesians 2:1-3). They are under the dominion of sin and the curse of the law. The only hope of salvation is in the sacrifice of Christ alone.  As Luther said, Christ "became a curse for us, and offered himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world."

The curse of sin is removed by faith in Christ as our sacrifice! Luther taught that Christ in the atonement "became a curse for us" at the cross (Gal. 3:13). He wrote, "This is the atoning, reconciling work of Christ." That means by grace through faith in the sacrifice of Christ, believers are free from the curse! 

What Is Regeneration?

Abraham Kuyper, in his classic book on the Holy Spirit's work, wrote, "There is one great act of God which re-creates the corrupt sinner into a new man, the comprehensive act of regeneration, which contains three parts: quickening, conversion, and sanctification." 

Regeneration makes believers spiritually alive in Christ. We were spiritually dead to God, until the Holy Spirit awakened us to new life in Christ. "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins" (Eph. 2:1). We are made spiritually alive to a personal relationship with God in Christ.

Regeneration enables our conversion to Christ. Conversion has a negative and positive aspect. Negatively, you turn away from your old life through repentance. Positively, you turn to God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit's work enables you to repent and believe the gospel.

Regeneration sanctifies us, which means to be set apart in Christ. Through conversion, we are set apart to new life in Christ (1 Peter 1:2). Sanctification by the Holy Spirit begins in conversion and is completed in glorification (Romans 8:30; 1 John 3:2). Sanctification is the process of spiritual growth in Christ (2 Peter 3:18).

Is Christ Your Savior?

J. I. Packer wrote, "If we do not preach about sin and God’s judgment on it, we cannot present Christ as a Savior from sin and the wrath of God. And if we are silent about these things, and preach a Christ who saves only from self and the sorrows of this world, we are not preaching the Christ of the Bible. We are, in effect, bearing false witness and preaching a false Christ. Our message is 'another gospel, which is not another."

Dr. Packer gave a most serious warning about preaching a false Christ. It is preaching a false gospel, "another gospel, which is not another" (Galatians 1:6-8). It is not preaching Christ according to the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Christ our Savior died to save us from all our sins (1 John 1:9). Christ our Savior is risen from the dead, to save us from the wages of sin, and give us eternal life (Romans 6:23).

Is Christ your Savior from sin (Matthew 1:21)? We have one problem that results in all our other problems. We have all sinned against God (Romans 3:23). The gospel is Christ saves believers from the condemnation of our sin and the wrath of God, which abides on those who believe not the Son of God (John 3:36). 

Is Christ your Savior from the condemnation and judgment of sin? Christ saves people out of all nations (Revelation 5:9). You must repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38-39;16:30-31). In repentance, you turn by faith from the old life to new life in Christ our Savior. 

How Is God Good?

God is good in creation. He made all things good in the beginning. It was man who sinned, and brought evil into the world. All the goodness we know and experience comes from God, because God is good to us. "For the LORD is good" (Psalm 100:5). 

God is good in conversion. "The goodness of God leads you to repentance" (Romans 2:4). When we repent, our mind is changed. We know that we can really trust God, because we know that God is always working for good. We trust the goodness of God in life. "Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him" (Psalm 34:8).

God is good to believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. God's goodness is in us through the Holy Spirit. "But the fruit of the Spirit is ... goodness" (Galatians 5:22). The Holy Spirit bears the fruit of goodness in every believer. We give Him all the glory, because God is working for good within us.

God is good in all things. God is working all things together for good. "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28). That does not mean bad things can never happen to us. It does mean that we can trust God to work for our good in all things, according to God's purpose.

What Is Spirit Baptism?

John R. W. Stott wrote a classic book on the baptism and fullness of the Holy Spirit. He taught that "1 Corinthians 12:13 indicates that the baptism of the Spirit is identical with the gift of the Spirit, that it is one of the distinctive blessings of the new covenant, and because it is an initial blessing, is also a universal blessing for members of the covenant."

"For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have been all made to drink into one Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:13).

Dr. Stott made it clear that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is not found in the Old Testament, because it is distinctive in the New Testament. Every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ is baptized with the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ, the church. It is our union with Christ, and our unity with the members of Christ. 

Jesus prayed that those who believe in him should all be one (John 17:11). His prayer is fulfilled with the baptism in the Spirit. This baptism is not for only some believers in Christ, but for all in one body. That's the reason Dr. Stott taught "the baptism of the Spirit is identical with the gift of the Spirit."

Dr. Stott made an important summary statement on the baptism of the Spirit. He wrote, "The fundamental truth that is involved is that by uniting us to Christ, God has given us everything." That is to say, we have already been blessed in Christ with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3).

Who Opens Hearts?

"The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul" (Acts 16:14). Lydia heard the gospel and believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. Before her conversion, the Lord opened her heart to understand the gospel. God opened her heart, enabling her to believe the gospel. 

Pray for others who don't understand the gospel of Christ. Ask God to open their hearts to hear and respond to the gospel. Knowing that the Lord always gives us a choice to believe in Christ, we must first hear and understand the message. Our salvation is through faith in Christ, upon hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17).

God opens hearts to bring salvation. The Lord changes our hearts, that we may love Him and desire to obey His word. "And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live" (Deuteronomy 30:6). Likewise, the New Testament teaches the same (Romans 2:28-29).

God opens the hearts of believers to understand more about the Bible. This enables us to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ (2 Peter 3:18). The Holy Spirit guides believers into all truth (John 16:7-13). God opens our hearts to experience more of his grace.

What Is God's Word?

God word is based upon an 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). God's covenant word in the Bible is for every believer in Christ.

Our faith in God, the forgiveness of our sins, our eternal destiny, and God's work in our lives is 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's covenant word is sure for every believer in Christ. Jesus is your surety or guarantee of the covenant promises that cannot be broken (Hebrews 7:22). The Bible declares God's word forever is settled in heaven. That's God's oath in the covenant word to you as a believer. 

God's covenant word for you in the Bible is 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 God's covenant promise for you in Christ.