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.