Who Are Blessed?

Believers are blessed through God's covenant promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3. God gave him this promise: In you all the nations shall be blessed. That blessing comes to believers through Abraham's Seed, who is Jesus Christ our Lord. Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, and to seeds as of many, but of one, and to your Seed, who is Christ (Galatians 3:16).

Old Testament believers were blessed with the promise that Messiah was coming. As believers today, we know that He has come that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith (Galatians 3:14)

As a believer, you are blessed as Abraham was in Genesis. He was blessed by God as a believer. And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it unto him for righteousness (Genesis 15:6). As believers, we are blessed with the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21). 

Abraham was blessed by God in Genesis, through the covenant promise. We are blessed today as believers in Christ, through the covenant fulfillment. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Jesus said, Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it and was glad (John 8:56).

The Bride-Elect of Christ

Understand the doctrine of election by understanding marriage customs in Bible days. A father chose the bride-elect for his son. God the Father has chosen the bride-elect for His Son (Ephesians 1:4-6). The bride of Christ is the church. The custom of Bible days was for the fathers of the bride and groom to enter a covenant, a binding agreement, concerning the future marriage.

For Christ and the church, the binding agreement is the new covenant or testament. God the Father has entered into an everlasting covenant with His Son (Hebrews 13:20-21). The church is the bride-elect, including all who are born of the Spirit through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. 

In Bible days, the groom paid a price for his bride-elect. Christ loved the church and purchased her with the blood of His cross (Ephesians 5:25). These words from a hymn describes the love of Christ for the church: "From heaven He came and sought her to be His holy bride. With His own blood He bought her and for her life He died."

The groom gave gifts to his bride-elect. Christ sends the Holy Spirit with gifts to the church. They are the three abiding gifts of faith, hope, and love (1 Corinthians 13:13). The greatest gift of all is love. We love Him because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). The church is the bride-elect. Election includes all who are saved by grace through faith in Christ.

Are You Sanctified?

Martin Luther wrote, "There is no justification without sanctification, no forgiveness without renewal of life, no real faith from which the fruits of new obedience do not grow."

In Scripture, Luther recognized all those justified by faith in Christ are also sanctified. Sanctification means you as a believer are set apart with God's people in Christ. When you believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, you were immediately justified and sanctified by the Spirit of God. 

Believers are elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:2). God justifies and sanctifies you as a believer in Christ. God sanctifies you by the blood of Jesus and through the Holy Spirit.

You are justified and sanctified as the purchased possession of Christ. You are bought with the price of His blood shed at the cross. The cross work of Christ is applied to you in both justification as well as sanctification. 

You are justified and sanctified by faith in the gospel, upon trusting in Christ as your Lord and Savior. However, your sanctification is a continuing process of growing in the grace and knowledge of Christ (2 Peter 3:18). Sanctification leads to your glorification at the return of Christ. Until then, you are sanctified in Christ.

How God Calls Us

God calls us to Jesus Christ (Romans 1:6). We are called to Christ through the Gospel. We are called to believe in Christ who died for our sins. We believe that Jesus is our risen Lord. While all people of all nations have a general call to Christ, believers have experienced an effective call. Our call is effective by the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord (1 Corinthians 12:3).

God calls us to Christ by grace alone. Through Him we receive grace (Romans 1:5). Grace is the gift of God, and not of our works (Ephesians 2:8-9). We receive grace and peace from God our Father, through the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 1:7). We receive the grace of God by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit indwells us with the peace of God (Romans 5:1).

God calls us to be saints in Christ (Romans 1:7). Every true believer in our Lord Jesus Christ is a saint, not just a special few. The word saint simply means set apart. We are set apart by the blood of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. The blood of Jesus was shed at the cross to take away all our sins (1 John 1:7). The Holy Spirit seals us (Ephesians 1:13; 4:30).

To be a saint means we are being sanctified. There are three words that describe the call to Jesus Christ. We are justified by faith in Christ. We are being sanctified to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). We shall be glorified into the likeness of Christ at His return (1 John 3:2).

End Time Prophecy

The Old Testament prophecy of Daniel revealed the time of the end (Daniel 12:7). Daniel introduced the end time that is further revealed in the book of Revelation. Daniel's prophecy of the end time is focused upon the last seven years before the second coming of Christ. The last three and a half years is known as the great tribulation.

The end time is included in the order of First Corinthians 15:20-26. There is a threefold order. First, there is the resurrection of Christ. Second, there is the coming of Christ for the rapture of the church, those who are Christ's at His coming (v. 23). Third, there is the end time, which Daniel prophesied. Then comes the end (v. 24). 

In Revelation chapter 20, the Bible mentions two resurrections surrounding the millennium, or thousand year reign of Christ on this earth. The first resurrection is at the beginning of the millennium. The other resurrection is at the end of the millennium. The martyrs from the great tribulation were included in the first resurrection, along with the Old Testament believers (Daniel 12:1-4).

The souls of the Old Testament saints are already with the Lord. In the resurrection at the beginning of the millennium, they shall receive their glorified bodies (Rev. 20:4-6).  The martyrs of the great tribulation are included in that resurrection. The martyrs  reward is to rule and reign with Christ during the millennium. 

God for All Nations

God is not partial. This is a lesson that the apostle Peter had to learn through divine revelation and in his own experience. Peter preaching to the household of Cornelius was a major change in his thinking. He was a Jew preaching the gospel to Gentiles. Then Peter opened his mouth and said, In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality (Acts 10:34).

God is not partial in His love for the nations of the world (John 3:16). The good news is that God loves sinners, and He proved it at the cross of Jesus. Jesus did not die for good people, because there are none (Romans 3:10, 23). We have all sinned and come short of God's glory. Jesus died for sinners (Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21). Once and for all, God proved His love for the world at the cross of Jesus (1 John 2:2).

God is not partial in His mercy and grace toward all races of mankind. The Bible declares: For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men (Titus 2:11). There's enough mercy in God for all nations (Revelation 5:9). 

God's mercy is sufficient to save anyone from eternal judgment. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me (John 14:6). The invitation to God the Father through Jesus Christ is offered to all nations, races and ethnic groups with no partiality. Whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins (Acts 10:43).

The Battle In You

The battle in you includes temptation of thoughts. The Bible warns of thoughts that become strongholds, hindering our relationship with God. Those thoughts must be pulled down and brought captive to Christ. This is your spiritual warfare, the battle within you (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). 

Temptation is part of the battle in you, and it comes through thoughts. We have a spiritual enemy who temps with thoughts. When those thoughts are not rejected, they become strongholds, leading to bad habits and addictions. The battle is won or lost in your thoughts. 

O LORD, You have searched me and known me ... You understand my thoughts afar off (Psalm 139:1-2). God knows our thoughts. They make a difference in our relationship with God. He gives thoughts that will encourage, strengthen, and comfort you. Those thoughts are found in the Bible. 

Feed your mind on the thoughts of God. In spiritual warfare, God will give you victory in life through thoughts of love, grace, mercy and peace. Think God's thoughts, according to the Scripture.

Ask God to bring to your attention to any pattern of thinking which opposes His good will for you. Pray that all such thoughts be pulled down and brought captive to Christ. The power of temptation is broken as strongholds are destroyed. Bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).

Assurance of Salvation

From time to time some may have disturbing doubts about their salvation. Such doubts are most often because we focus upon ourselves and not on Christ. Trusting in yourself leaves room for all manner of doubt. Assurance of salvation is in Christ alone. 

Faith in Christ alone is our assurance, testifying, I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep what I have committed to him until that Day (2 Timothy 1:12). It's faith in Christ alone. He alone has the authority and power sure to save and keep you. 

Do not focus on your work for Christ, but his work for you and in you. The grace of Christ initiates your salvation. What he begins, Christ is more than able to finish. Being confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you will complete it unto the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6). Your salvation is sure by faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. What he began in you continues even to the final day. That is the day of Christ, when he returns.

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved and sure (Acts 16:31). We are saved by what Christ has done for us at the cross and through his resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). We are saved by what Christ is doing in us and through us (Colossians 1:27; Hebrews 13:20-21). Christ alone saved you and not yourself. Assurance of salvation is by faith in Christ alone!

Experience God

The Bible was not written simply to give you academic information about God. It was written that we may experience God today in a personal way. The Bible is our 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 personally experience God. We experience God in our hearts through believing in Jesus our Lord (Romans 10:9).

Experience God through 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 our hearts to God is true prayer. Prayer is not a monologue. It's a dialogue with God. We talk to God and listen with our hearts (Hebrews 3:15).

Experience God through worship. Understand that worship is our personal response to God's love and goodness. We worship God daily with our songs of praise and prayers of thanksgiving. We surrender our body, will, and emotions to God through worship.

Experience God with others in public worship, family prayer, and small groups. Hearing testimonies of how others come to experience God is helpful. We are encouraged in our faith. We trust God to work in our lives, that we may know Him daily. We know that God is working in us, for our 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).

God Promises You

The Bible is a book filled with promises. They are not empty promises, because they are the sure promises of God. He does not lie. God who cannot lie, promised before time began (Titus 1:2). Stand by faith upon what God promises you in Christ.

God promises to save you, when you call upon the Lord. Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Joel 2:32; Romans 10:13). Whoever includes everyone who believes the promise of God. You can be saved and sure, based upon the promise of God. Call upon the Lord Jesus. He will save you.

God promises to completely save you. He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6). God works in the life of every believer. He works faith, hope, and love in you as abiding gifts (1 Corinthians 13:13). What God starts, He finishes. God promises to complete this work in you.

God promises with a Yes and Amen in Christ. Through faith in Christ, all the promises are Yes to the glory of God in you. 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). Therefore, give glory to God for all that He promises you in Christ. God promises to work through you in Christ. What God promises you in Christ is sure, with a Yes and Amen.

Christ Is the Gospel

The word gospel means good news. Jesus Christ is the good news for sinners, and that includes all of us (Romans 3:23). Jesus Christ died for our sins. On the third day he was raised from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). The gospel saves all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:30-31).

Christ is the gospel as the Son of God (John 14:6). We come by faith to God the Father, through God the Son. Romans 1:1-4 explains how we know God's Son. Jesus our Lord is introduced to us through the gospel from God. 

Christ is the gospel revealed through the Holy Bible. That includes the books of the Old Testament in the Bible. The prophets foretold the coming of Messiah, who is God's Son. The first prophecy of his coming is in Genesis 3:15. He is the Seed of the woman. Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22 describe his death at the cross. Psalm 16:8-11 declares his resurrection. 

Christ is the gospel through the power of the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 1:5) Jesus is declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead (Romans 1:4). The same power that raised Jesus from the dead works in our hearts to confirm the good news of God. The power of the Holy Spirit works in believers to know Jesus as Lord (1 Corinthians 12:3).

The Time Is Near

In Revelation 1:1-3 we are warned that end time events are imminent. They could begin at any time. These things which must shortly come to pass (vs. 1), and the time is near (vs. 3). When they suddenly begin, they will happen rapidly. That is to say, the rapture of the church will happen suddenly and unexpectedly, followed by the seven year Tribulation (1 Thess. 4:13-18; 5:1-11).

The rapture of the church is Christ coming for his bride, to be taken to the Father's house (John 14:1-3).  After the removal of the church, the righteous judgments of the Lord will be poured out upon the earth. This seven year period of Tribulation was prophesied in the Old Testament (Jer. 30:7; Daniel 9:27; 12:1). It is the seventieth week of Daniel's prophecy (Daniel 9:24-27).

Jesus prophesied the same Tribulation period. He said, For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved, but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened (Matthew 24:21-22).

The Tribulation period will end with the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (Rev. 19:11-16). Jesus will return with his saints (1 Thess. 3:13). Christ will come to the earth in great power and glory (Matt. 24:27-31; 2 Thess. 2:7-12). 

How God Shows 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's mercy is not earned by our efforts, because it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs. Will power and works can never save us. God shows mercy in Christ.

God shows mercy 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 shows mercy in the blood of Jesus taking away all our sins (1 John 1:7). Mercy through the gospel of Christ transforms our lives. God's mercy changes our hearts to change our lives. Only God can change our hearts. The word heart is a symbol for our mind, will, and emotions.

God shows mercy working in believers. God's mercy renews our mind to understand the will of God (Romans 12:1-2). Such a change enables us to repent and come to faith in Christ. The word repent comes from two Greek words. Meta means change. Nous means mind. God's mercy leads us to repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 2:4; 10:9).

Be Saved and Sure

Jesus died for our sins on the cross. He is risen from the dead for our justification. We become children 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). Be saved and sure as a believer in Christ.

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. Be saved and sure by faith in Christ.

There is no way that we can repay our sin debt to 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. As a believer in Christ, you are free from a debt that you could never repay. 

In Jesus Christ our Lord be saved and sure, according 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 our mind; (2) God will be our God and we are His people; (3) We will all know the Lord; (4) God will forgive our sins and remember them no more.

The Unpardonable Sin

Jesus made it very clear, there is an unpardonable sin. To blaspheme the Holy Spirit is the unpardonable sin. To blaspheme is to speak evil of the Holy Spirit. It is uniquely against the Holy Spirit and not God the Father nor God the Son. It is an intentional sin that no one commits ignorantly. It is a deliberate sin with eternal consequences (Matthew 12:31; Mark 3:28-30).

Why is blaspheming the Holy Spirit unpardonable? It's because only the Holy Spirit can convict us that we may believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (John 16:7-11). Only the Holy Spirit can make Christ real to our hearts. He is the agent of new birth through faith in Christ. Saving faith is the gift and work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts (1 Corinthians 13:13; Philippians 1:29). 

Understand that blaspheming is not resisting the Holy Spirit. A person may resist the Holy Spirit and later yield to receive Jesus as Lord (1 Corinthians 12:3). Blaspheming the Holy Spirit is not committed by someone who has been saved, whose heart has already been transformed by the Holy Spirit (Romans 12:2). It is committed by someone who has rejected the gospel of Christ totally and finally.

Jesus warned people who saw His miracles and attributed them to the devil, that they would receive no forgiveness in this life nor the world to come. Jesus performed all His miracles by the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:38). Those people adamantly reject Christ, as well as His miracles, and the greatest miracle of all, the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 1:3-4).

The Covenants of God

Covenants in the Bible are based upon God's oath of promise revealed to and for His people. The framework of the Bible is in God's covenants. To understand clearly the scope of the Bible, it is necessary to understand covenants.

The Bible reveals two major covenants (Galatians 4:21-31). The Old Covenant is also known as the Old Testament, and the New Covenant as the New Testament. The point is that God works through covenant with people. God's covenants point us to Christ. 

The Old Covenant came to the nation of Israel through Moses as the mediator. It was the covenant of law, commanding holy days, sacrifices, and priestly rituals, that pointed toward our great High Priest Jesus Christ. It was Christ alone who fulfilled the Old Covenant and made the one final and only complete sacrifice for sin.

The New Covenant came through the Lord Jesus Christ, who is forever the one and only Mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5-6). Jesus is the Prophet, Priest, and King of the New Covenant, which is the everlasting covenant (Hebrews 13:20-21). All who trust in our Lord Jesus Christ are God's chosen people in Christ, through the promises of the everlasting covenant. The New Covenant is in Christ.

When Christians Sin

Dr. James P. Boyce wrote, "Christians are not presented in the Bible as completely pure and holy, but on the contrary, the very best of them acknowledge the existence of sinful tendencies and pronounce any idea of freedom from the presence of sin to be a delusion."

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us (1 John 1:8). This verse was written to those who are Christians. There is a battle that goes on within every Christian (Galatians 5:17). It's the conflict of the Spirit and flesh. Christians are indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9; Ephesians 1:13-14). Yet, Christians still live in a corruptible body of sin, the flesh. 

The conflict between the Spirit and flesh is within Christians in this life. Dr. Boyce contrasted justification and sanctification."It is not a sanctification to be completed in this life. It is not like justification, a single act, but it is a continuous process. The work goes on throughout the lifetime of the believer, nor is it completed before death."

When Christians sin, we confess our sins to God for cleansing. First John 1:9-10 makes it clear. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

God's Will for You

God's will for you as a believer is through the everlasting covenant. 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). Through the everlasting covenant, God's will is revealed for you. God's will is to work in you through Christ, our great Shepherd (Hebrews 13:20-21).

And I will make an everlasting covenant with them. This is a remarkable contrast with the old covenant law. It was a temporary covenant (Hebrews 8:13). The people of God broke it. It was conditional, based upon the peoples obedience. God's will for you as a believer in Christ is in the everlasting covenant. God works in you, based upon the obedience of Christ Jesus. 

I will not turn away from doing them good. Under the conditional promises of the old covenant law, God had to turn away from doing good to His people, because of their sins and transgressions. Their disobedience brought the curse of the law. God's will for you through the everlasting covenant is in Christ, who died to take away the curse of sin for you. God will not turn away from doing you good (Romans 8:28).

I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me. Under the old covenant law, God's people turned away from Him, even to the point of serving false gods in idolatry. God's will is revealed for you through the everlasting covenant. He has changed your heart (Romans 2:28-29). God has put His fear in your heart, that you will not depart from Him. 

The Book of Revelation

The Revelation of Jesus Christ (Rev. 1:1). Those are the first words in the book of Revelation. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all (Rev. 22:21). Those are the last words of the book. From the beginning to the end, it is about Jesus Christ. That's the reason it is not called the book of revelations. The Revelation is Jesus Christ.

There are more than four hundred references to the Old Testament in the book of Revelation. The most repeated image is that of the Lamb. That symbol reminds us of the Old Testament sacrificial system and points to the cross of Christ. The crucified One is alive for all to see. He is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). 

The Revelation is Christ. It is not revelations. It is Revelation, singular. It is the Revelation of One, even our Lord Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament, Christ is revealed in prophecy, promise, and typology. Those who understand the book of Revelation are focused upon Christ.

Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth. That's what the book of Revelation describes in apocalyptic language. It is a book about Christ revealed in power and great glory. It is a book about judgment. Everyone will give an account to God. Christ brings this world as we know it to its appropriate end. Understand the book of Revelation reveals Jesus Christ our Lord as the Revelation.

Why God Created You

God created you for a purpose. Life is not a cosmic accident. God has us on this planet for a real purpose. Life is not a meaningless journey with no goal. God has purpose in all things. That certainly includes you. What is God's purpose?

God not only wants you to understand your purpose in life, but He wants you to see exactly how that purpose is fulfilled. God has revealed it to you in the Bible. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, the Bible tells why God created you. God made you to the praise of His glory.

God made all things for His glory. You were created to bring honor and glory to God. If we live selfishly, we miss the purpose of God. That's called sin in the Bible. It means that we fall short of the glory of God. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).

God provides the way for you to live for His glory. The way is Jesus Christ. He is the way to a life full of purpose. God changes your heart to live for His glory through Christ. He shall conform all believers to the likeness of Christ, to the praise of His glory (1 John 3:2). You were created to bring glory to God in Christ. 

We who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory (Ephesians 1:12). The purpose of your salvation in Christ is to God's glory. The purpose of your worship is to the praise of God's glory. Your prayers are to bring glory to God. Then you pray, For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever (Matthew 6:13).