Study | The Nations For Christ | Stephen Baker

Knowing God's Purpose for your Life

Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:08:57 -0400

“I STILL DON'T KNOW MY PURPOSE”

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

(Romans 8:28, 29)

“I still don't know my purpose...(Jesus) saved me for something, but I don't know what for.” An inmate in our local jail sent me a letter. He wanted to get close to God but said that he could not seem to. He wanted to know His purpose in life but wasn't sure what it could be. A lot of people are searching for the purpose of life. Knowing God's purpose gives us hope, because it shows us that we are here for a reason. It shows us that our trials in life have a meaning behind them and that nothing is in vain. God's Word gives us the answer to the question, “What is my purpose?” in Romans 8:28-30.

“According To His Purpose”

First of all, we learn from verse twenty-eight that God has a purpose for our lives. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Many people have determined their own purpose for living, but God tells us that He has a purpose for our lives that is far greater than anything we could create. If you believe in Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, then God has a wonderful purpose for you! Notice in this verse, the Bible says that Christians are “...the called according to his purpose.” If the President of the United States were to call you today, you can be sure that there would be a purpose behind it. When God called you to salvation, when He invited you to receive the Lord Jesus as Savior, there was a purpose in it. God has called us “according to his purpose.” God's purpose is more important than that of the President. It is more important than the purpose of a king! The Bible says that Jesus Christ is “...Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.” (Revelation 17:14b) The Lord Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords has called you, and His call is of paramount importance!

What This Call Means

The call of God means certain things for my life. It means, first of all, that I can know that all things work together for my good. That is what the Bible says in Romans 8:28. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” In the next two verses, the Bible explains that there are five things that are working together for our good. “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.” (Romans 8:29, 30) The first thing is God's Foreknowledge. The second, is His Predestination. The third, His Calling; the forth, Justification. The fifth thing that works together with the other four for our good is Glorification. All of these things are necessary to accomplish God's plan for your life. All of them work together to accomplish that plan.

God's Foreknowledge and Predestination have to do with what God knows and determines. Justification is something that has already happened in your life if you are saved. Glorification is something that will happen in the future. We will study these subjects in a moment, but first let's answer an important question.

What Good is All This?

The good that God is working to accomplish in your life is His purpose—His will. To the Christian who says, “I don't know what my purpose in life is,” God tells us that He is already accomplishing His will and purpose in our lives. The Bible goes on to tell us exactly what God's purpose is. “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” (Romans 8:29) God's purpose is to conform us to the image of Jesus Christ. God's purpose, in other words, is to make us like Jesus! The good thing about all of this is that, no matter what you go through in life, God will always work all five of these things together for your good. If nothing else is going right in life for you, these things are. The Bible says, “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:31, 32) These things, which we are about to study, show us that God is for us. God gives them to us freely because we are with Christ. When my friends and I went to London, England in 2006, we toured Parliament. We were treated very kindly by the British guards, even though we had to go through security several times, (it's a long story). But, imagine how we would have been treated if we had walked into Parliament with the Queen! God gives us the royal treatment because we are with Christ. “...how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” Now, let us look at these things, and study them more closely.

“Foreknow"

The Bible says, “For whom he did foreknow...” Did you know that God knew you before you were even born? God said to the prophet Jeremiah in the Old Testament, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5) God knew all about you before you knew about yourself! If you have received Jesus Christ as your Savior, God also chose to know you in a special way. God foreknew you, or knew you beforehand. You did not know God. You may have known about Him, but you did not know Jesus Christ as your Savior. God knew you; though, and now that you are saved, God knows you as one of His children.

“Predestinate”

Those whom God knew beforehand, He also predestined. People talk about destiny and what their destiny is in life. God has predetermined what every Christian's destiny will be. “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” Before you were born, God knew you. Before you were born, God predetermined your destiny.

By the way, if you are reading this and you do not know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, don't let this confuse you. God wants to save everybody, not just a select few! First, realize that you are a sinner. Realize that the price of sin is death and that if you die without Jesus Christ, you will spend eternity separated from God in Hell. Then, realize that Jesus Christ died for your sins on the cross and the Bible teaches that after three days, He rose again from the dead. Realize that God wants to save you, no matter who you are and no matter what you have done. Then, simply trust Jesus Christ to be your Savior. If you will put your faith in Jesus Christ, He promises that you have everlasting life with God. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

If you have believed in Jesus Christ, then He has saved you, and the good news is that He also has predestined you. God has a destiny for you as a Christian. What does the Bible teach that our destiny is? “...to be conformed to the image of his Son...” That is God's purpose for every believer. It is our destiny to be like Jesus Christ, to be conformed to His image.

“Called”

This is talking about God's call to salvation. If you are saved today, it is not because you picked up the phone and dialed God's number. You were running from God. Before you ever came looking for God, He looked for you. “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10) God called you to salvation and you answered! When you did, God justified you.

“Justified”

Justification means that God declares me to be just as if I had always had the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Justification is more than mere forgiveness. Let us suppose that a man who is dressed in filthy, worn-out clothes, and who hasn't had a bath in weeks, is invited to a kind person's home to clean up. His dirty, old clothes are thrown away and he takes a bath until he is sparkling clean. He then leaves the house, clean as can be, without any clothes! That is forgiveness. Justification, though, is when the man takes a bath, is washed perfectly clean, and is given a brand new suit of clothes to wear. When God saves us, He doesn't just take our sins away. He gives us the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ! When God looks at us, clothed in Christ's righteousness, He declares us to be innocent of sin and righteous in His eyes. This is justification.

“Glorified”

It would be too bad if God gave us the righteousness of His Son, changed our lives, and then left our aging bodies to die and be forgotten. God's plan is complete salvation, both of the inside and the outside. Glorification has to do with the time when our bodies will be made like the body of Jesus Christ. Those who are alive will be transformed immediately when Christ returns. Those who are dead will be raised from death. Glorification is the end. It is the goal of God's purpose. We will be completely conformed to the image of His Son.

God Is Changing Us Into The Image of Jesus Now

I resemble my dad. He is seventy-six years old with straight, white hair. He is also partially bald. I am thirty years old. I have brown, curly hair and I am balding. But dad and I really do resemble one another, not necessarily in looks; but in mannerisms, thoughts, way of life. I even dressed like dad before I got married and my wife started trying to make me look younger. We talk about someone being “a spitting image” of someone else. God wants to change us, gradually, into the image of our Savior.

It is clear that God's purpose for our lives is that we be like Jesus. We will be, perfectly like Him one day, but right now we should be progressively becoming more and more like Him. God wants us to be kind like Jesus. He wants us to do good works like Jesus. He wants us to forgive like Jesus. Wasn't Stephen like Jesus when he died as the first martyr of the Christian church? As he was being pelted with rocks the Bible says, “And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.” (Acts 7:60) He was being like Jesus who said, as He hung on Calvary's cross, “...Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do... (Luke 23:34) God often uses the things that happen in our lives, good things and bad, to conform us to the likeness of Jesus Christ. Can you learn to forgive your enemies? Can you learn to pray for those who treat you wrong? Can you show the kindness of Jesus Christ to those around you? Can you win souls like Jesus Christ did—explain to lost sinners how to go to Heaven when they die? One day, we will be just like Jesus Christ. Until then, God is slowly conforming us to His image. There is a great purpose for your life, and it is to be like Jesus Christ, in word, in deed, and in attitude. In every area of life, God is working to make us more and more like His Son.

Walking Into A Freight Train

God has been teaching me about praying for my enemies and about the attitude that I should have towards them. He has been teaching me about some areas in my life that are not what they ought to be. I have a choice to make and so do you. Some Christians choose to fight against what God is doing in their lives. They walk contrary to the will of God. But, fighting with God is like walking into a freight train. You will get knocked down every time. Some of you reading this, God is trying to do a work in your life and you always seem to be getting knocked down. You go back to your old, sinful ways, and God judges you. You say, “Why do things in my life always turn out wrong?” Maybe it is because you are walking against God's will. If you will turn around and follow Christ and do what the Bible says, you will find the blessings that come, as God changes your life from the inside out.

Mistaken Identity?

After John the Baptist was executed, King Herod, who had him put to death, heard about Jesus. He said, “...This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.” (Matthew 14:2) Most people would say that they would like to be more like Jesus, but here, Herod says that Jesus must be John the Baptist! What a man John must have been! Of course, John was just trying to be like Jesus Christ. In Herod's mind, there was a family resemblance. There was a likeness. When people see us, they should see Jesus in the way we live our lives. If they do, we will be fulfilling the purpose for which God has saved us.

Like Jesus

Now you know what your purpose is, and that should give you hope. No matter where your life is today, if you are saved, one day you will be like Jesus Christ. “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” (Romans 8:29) Jesus was the “firstborn among many brethren” that is, He was the first to rise from the dead with a perfect, resurrection body. One day, at the resurrection of believers, our bodies will be changed into perfect human bodies that can never die, never get sick and never grow old. In Philippians 3:21, the Bible says that Jesus Christ “...shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.” No matter where you are right now, your future is guaranteed. It is your destiny to be like Jesus.

(This article is part of the book: HOPE: God's Shelter in the Storm's of Life. You can download the book in PDF format here.)

How to Experience God's Hope in your Life

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 23:54:23 -0400

GOD'S FORMULA FOR HOPE

“And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”

(Romans 5:5)

Hope can keep us going through the hardest times and the roughest storms that life can bring our way. Emily Dickinson, the 19th Century American poet wrote:

"Hope" is the thing with feathers―

That perches in the soul―

And sings the tune without the words―

And never stops―at all―

And sweetest―in the Gale―is heard―

And sore must be the storm―

That could abash the little Bird

That kept so many warm―

I've heard it in the chillest land―

And on the strangest Sea―

Yet, never, in Extremity,

It asked a crumb―of Me.

Everyone in the world wants hope, but in order to have real hope, we have to follow God's formula. God tells us, in His Word, how we can have hope that will last through the most challenging storms of life.

Verse one of Romans, chapter five says, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Peace goes hand in hand with hope in helping me to live a happy, successful Christian life. If I have peace with God and the hope of Jesus Christ in my heart, I can sail through the stormy seas of life in victory! The word, justified in this verse is a very interesting word. Let's suppose that you had just committed a crime and that you were standing before the judge. “Are you guilty of the charges?” the judge asks. “Yes, your Honor. I am guilty” you reply, with your head hung towards the ground. “Well then,” says the judge. “The verdict is, NOT GUILTY – INNOCENT OF ALL CRIMES!” This may seem like an unlikely senario in a court of law, but it is exactly what happens when a person accepts Jesus Christ as Savior. God declares him to be “not guilty” and innocent of all sin. That is what the Bible means when it says, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:” (Romans 5:1) The word, “justified” means to declare a person to be innocent of sin and righteous.

How good does a person have to be to go to Heaven? Jesus said, “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:20) The Scribes and Pharisees were very religious, and on the outside, they were as clean as a hound's tooth. Jesus taught that outward righteousness and religion are not enough. A man or woman who will enter God's kingdom has to exceed this type of righteousness.

How good does a person have to be? Well, they would have to be good enough to not have any sin, because God promises that He will judge sin. “The soul that sinneth, it shall die...” (Ezekiel 18:20a) “Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” (James 1:15) “For the wages of sin is death...” (Romans 6:23a) The penalty of sin is death—separation from God forever in Hell.

I only know of one sinless, perfect person who has ever lived, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ! So when, by faith, I receive Jesus Christ as my personal Savior, this is what happens. God takes all of the sin off of my record: every time I have told a lie, stolen something, desired to have something that belonged to someone else, taken God's name in vain, or broken any of God's commandments; God takes all of my sins away! But He doesn't stop there. God places the righteousness of Jesus Christ on my record, so that in His sight, I am sinless and perfect. Then, when God looks at my record, He has to declare me to be innocent of sin and righteous because He sees, on my record, the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ!

That is how we can experience peace with God. Everybody wants peace, but you can never have true peace with God until you are justified. The only way that you can be justified is by placing your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1) If you have never trusted in Jesus Christ to be your Savior, why not do it now? Christ died for your sins on the cross. He was buried, and after three days, He arose from the dead. He is alive and able to forgive your sins and save your soul. If you will trust Him as Savior, you can have peace with God. God will declare you to be righteous and innocent of all sin in His sight!

The Bible goes on to say, “By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:2) Grace is when I get good things from God that I don't deserve. I do not deserve to go to Heaven, but I am going there! That is God's grace. The Bible teaches that we have access into God's grace by faith in Jesus Christ. Faith in Jesus Christ is like a master key that unlocks God's treasures of grace. It is like an “all access pass.” We stand before God innocent and righteous. We do not deserve this, but it is a reality for every believer in Jesus Christ, “By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” While we stand before God sinless and righteous, we “rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” Even though I am sinless in God's sight in Heaven, I am still far from perfect here on earth. One day, I will not come short of God's glory any more. I will be like Jesus Christ. That is my hope—the glory of God!

Now here is God's formula for hope. It is: Tribulation + Patience + Experience = Hope. Notice what the Bible says. “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope:” (Romans 5:3, 4)

Tribulation

The first part of God's formula for hope is tribulation. In other words, we have to go through trouble to get hope. Now that is not the way I would have planned things; how about you? I don't like suffering. I do not enjoy trouble. But, God says that if you want hope, you have to go through tribulation. The good news is, if you are going through trouble in your life right now, you are a prime candidate for hope! When my mother died in 2002 of Lou Gehrig's disease, that was a time of tribulation for our family. It was also a time of hope, because we could look to God's promises in the Bible that life does not end at death. For the Christian, there is the firm hope of meeting again in Heaven! The road of tribulation takes us to a place of hope, but not before it gives us something else that we need in life. That brings us to the second part of God's formula for hope...

Patience

Patience is something that we all can use. Going through tribulation in life teaches us to patiently wait on God. Strong's Concordance says that the word translated “patience” in this verse means “cheerful (or hopeful) endurance, constancy.” I do not enjoy going through trouble. I endure it. Because God is in the equation, I can endure it cheerfully or hopefully, looking to the time when I will be delivered from the situation, or when the trial will be over. The Bible says that Jesus Christ, “...for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2b) Here was Jesus, hanging on the cross, suffering for our sins. He did not enjoy the sufferings that He went through. He endured them for the joy that was to come after. The joy of rising from the dead; the joy of seeing millions of sinners saved—this joy caused Him to endure the cross. We do not have to enjoy tribulations in life. We simply need to know that tribulation causes us to have patience, which we all need, and that it will result in hope.

I didn't get married until I was thirty years old. I wanted to, but I could not find the right girl for me. During the time of waiting for a wife, I surrendered to go to the mission field. My wife also wanted a husband, but could not find the right man. She surrendered to the Lord and moved to Peru, South America for a year and a half to serve as a missionary. The Lord taught us to patiently wait for Him. When the time was right, He brought us together. We are so glad that we waited for one another. Both of us wanted to serve God, and now we are able to serve Him together! The loneliness of being single while others our age were married and having children was also a time of trusting God, waiting on Him and learning patience. You say, “I sure do need patience!” Good, but you cannot have patience without going through tribulation. You learn to patiently wait on God through the trials of life. You say, “Well, I've been in some tribulation and now I'm learning to patiently wait for God to work. I want to experience God's deliverance!” Then you are in the right place, because the next part of God's formula for hope is experience.

Experience

This is my favorite part of God's formula. I have seen it time and again in my own life as a Christian. I go through the trial. I wait on God. God works, and I experience His deliverance! Are you a Christian? Are you going through a trial right now? It will not last forever. Deliverance will come. You will experience God's hope in your life!

One of the Devil's tools is to make us think that there will never be an end to the trial we are going through. That is not true. There will be an end. There is light at the end of the dark tunnel we walk through. Jesus Christ is there. He has walked with us all the way and He is the light of hope when it is all over. Some Christians endure sicknesses that lasts throughout their lives, but they enjoy God's sweet presence and powerful hope here on earth. In eternity, there will be no more sickness or doctors, no more hospitals or pain.

My father's business went through some very bad years financially. He was worried and depressed. One day, he and my mother came to the Bible college and church that I was attending near Knoxville, Tennessee. The late Dr. Al Smith was there that evening singing and telling stories about some of the great hymns of the Christian faith. He told the story of Stillman and Civilla Martin and their hymn, “God Will Take Care of You.” As Dr. Smith sang the song,

Be not dismayed whate'er betide,

God will take care of you;

Beneath His wings of love abide,

God will take care of you.

God will take care of you,

Thro' ev'ry day, O'er all the way;

He will take care of you,

God will take care of you.

Dad realized that God would take care of him. He did not need to be depressed. My mother was a musician; dad was not. I do remember, though, how he learned to play “God Will Take Care of You” on our family piano, and he would practice it over and over again, reminding himself of God's concern for his situation. The Lord did deliver, and when he should have gone out of business, dad recovered and began to do well again!

John the Baptist sat in prison, depressed and doubting who Jesus was. He sent two of his disciples to ask Jesus if He was the Son of God, or if they should look for another. “Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.” (Luke 7:22, 23) Jesus gave the answer when John needed to hear it most, and John experienced God's hope in the midst of his prison cell. Where are you today? God can give you hope. Jesus Christ can deliver you from your doubts, from your depression, from your loneliness. Jesus Christ is the answer to whatever problem you are going through!

“And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope:” (Romans 5:3, 4) By the way, I can understand glorying in victory or glorying when things go well. But, the Bible says, “...not only so, but we glory in tribulations also...” After studying this subject, we understand why a Christian glories in tribulations also. Because, tribulation gives us patience, experience and finally...

Hope

All of us need hope during the storms of life. How do we get the hope that we need? When we go through tribulation, we learn to patiently wait on God. When God's deliverance comes and we experience it, the next time we go through a trial we will have hope based on what God has done for us in the past. To illustrate, the first time I ever went into a prison to preach it was a frightening experience. It is not as frightening now as it was then, because I know basically what to expect. My past experiences prepare me for the future. It is similar to the way a soldier who is well trained for combat is better prepared to face the situation than one who is not. The battle-hardened soldier is even better prepared than the fresh troops who have just entered the theater of combat. Through experience, God prepares us for future trials.

One of the most troubling things about a trial is the fact that we cannot tell for sure what the future holds. We do not know what will happen next. We do, however, learn from past experience that God remains the same. The Lord Jesus Christ is a certainty. “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8) I may not necessarily know what to expect from a situation in life, but I do know, from experience, what to expect from God! He is always there. “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Hebrews 13:5) God cares about me. “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) No situation of life is too hard for Him to handle. “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for me?” (Jeremiah 32:27)

So, experiencing God in my life during a time of trial gives me hope for the future. It can also give hope to others. The Bible says, “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” (2 Corinthians 1:3, 4) When we go through a time of trouble in our lives, God comforts us and gives us hope. The Bible teaches that we can take the comfort that God has given to us, and use it to help others. I remember Pastor Clarence Sexton telling a story about Dr. Curtis Hutson, the late editor of “The Sword of The Lord” newspaper, and former pastor of the largest church in the State of Georgia, who died of cancer. Dr. Hutson said that it never helped when someone told him that they had cancer. It did help, however, when they told him that God had strengthened them during their cancer. Everyone is going through, or has gone through some trial. If God has been a strength and encouragement to you during yours, telling another person what God has done for you helps to spread hope. By the way, it will make you feel good too. Sharing God's comfort in your own life will comfort others, and give you happiness in knowing that you can minister to someone else and be used of God to bring hope to someone who needs it!

The Bible goes on to say in Romans 5:5-9,

“And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”

The greatest hope that any one of us can have in life is that Jesus Christ demonstrated His love toward us, while we were yet sinners, by dying in our place on the cross. This hope means that I can be sure that God loves me through the trials of life, and I am guaranteed a future of hope when I die. I will be “...saved from wrath through him.” (Romans 5:9b) I never will experience God's wrath against my sins. Jesus Christ took my place on the cross, and I believe in Him. God promises me salvation from the penalty of sin and everlasting life in Heaven. This is true hope! We can place our faith in Jesus Christ through the trials of life. He will never let us down.

My faith has found a resting-place,

Not in device or creed;

I trust the Ever-living One;

His wounds for me shall plead.

Refrain:

I need no other argument,

I need no other plea;

It is enough that Jesus died,

And that He died for me.

Enough for me that Jesus saves,

This ends my fear and doubt;

A sinful soul I come to Him,

He'll never cast me out.

My heart is leaning on the Word,

The written Word of God,

Salvation by my Savior's name,

Salvation thro' His blood.

My great Physician heals the sick,

The lost He came to save;

For me His precious blood He shed,

For me His life He gave

I need no other argument,

I need no other plea;

It is enough that Jesus died,

And that He died for me.

-Lidie H. Edmunds

(This article is part of the book: HOPE: God's Shelter in the Storm's of Life. You can download the book in PDF format here.)

What if God took away your salvation?

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 00:48:14 -0400

What If God Took Away Your Salvation?

John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Some people lose assurance of their salvation because they think that they are no longer saved. When I was younger, I was watching a preacher on T.V., and he taught that it was possible for one to lose his salvation. I went to my room and prayed. I was very upset because I thought that if that was true, then I could never be secure in Christ. I felt like I sinned all of the time. If salvation could be lost, I would lose it.

My father came home and I told him what the preacher had said. Dad explained it this way. Let us suppose that God says to me, “You are saved; you have everlasting life and you will never perish. I promise you. You will go to heaven when you die.” Now the truth of the matter is that God has said that.

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” (John 5:24)

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” (John 6:47)

"Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me. But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one." John 10:24-30

Now, if God promises me that I have everlasting life and that I will never perish, and then He later comes to me and says, “Oh, too bad. You sinned. You will not go to heaven when you die. You will be spending eternity in hell.” If God did that, then He would have lied.

As a young man, that settled it for me. What dad said made sense. God cannot lie. I have believed in Jesus Christ, therefore, I am saved forever. God has promised. The same promise that Jesus Christ gave me when I was a young teenager, fearful of going to hell; that same promise is being kept by the Lord Jesus Christ today. All of the verses that seem to teach that we can lose our salvation must be read in context and compared against the multitude of Scriptures that teach that the one who has believed in Jesus Christ is saved and will go to heaven when he dies.

Repentance and Faith: A relationship that cannot be broken

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 00:47:48 -0400

Repentance And Faith:

A Relationship That Cannot Be Broken

Let's talk about repentance for a moment. Sometimes the Bible gives the requirement for salvation as repentance, and sometimes as repentance and faith although, most of the time, believing in Jesus Christ is presented as the only thing that we must do to be saved. Repentance and faith are often separated into two requirements for salvation by well-meaning preachers. It is better, though, to look at repentance and faith in the same way we would look at two sides of a coin. Remove the side of the penny that has Lincoln’s face on it and you no longer have a complete penny. Remove the side with the Lincoln Memorial on it, and you have only half a coin. Remove repentance from faith, and you no longer have real faith. Remove faith from repentance and you cannot have the genuine article. You see, it is sometimes said that if I believe and do not repent that I am not really saved. If we closely examine the Bible’s teaching on saving faith and what it actually is, then we will see that it is impossible to believe without repenting.

Repentance is not reformation, nor is it remorse. There are several different Greek words that are translated as repent, repentance, etc. in our English Bible. While these words have different shades of meaning, the basic idea of saving repentance is “to think differently” or “to have a change of mind.” Here are some verses that demonstrate that repentance is a change of mind.

John the Baptist preached...

“Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.” (Matthew 3:8-9)

The Jews were trusting in their lineage to get them to heaven. They were descendants of Abraham. John the Baptist said that they needed to change their minds. Notice in this sentence how the words “think not” are used along with the word “repent” to explain what their change of mind was to be about.

The Lord Jesus Christ preached...

There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. (Luke 13:1-5)

Here, in a similar manner as the verses in Matthew, the words, “Suppose ye” and “Think ye” are used along with the word “repent” to explain what the change of mind is to be about.

The Apostle Paul preached...

“Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:” (Acts 17:29-30)

The Greeks believed that God was a god (or for that matter, many gods) made by men’s hands. They were idolaters, and they worshiped all kinds of humanistic, false deities. Again, the words, “we ought not to think” are used to explain what the repentance, or change of mind, is to be about. They were to change their minds and acknowledge the true and living God. They were to turn from their trust in idols.

Repentance from trust in idols was a big theme in the preaching of the early church to the people who were part of the ancient Roman Empire. Those who are not Jews are called Gentiles in the Bible. The Gentiles worshiped many gods. They trusted in these gods for their salvation, both on earth and in the afterlife. Paul commended the Christian converts in the church at Thessalonica. He wrote, “For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.” (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10) These Gentiles “…turned to God from idols…” Their idols could not save them. They changed their minds in repentance and realized that only Jesus Christ could give them eternal life. They realized that

He alone was the Son of God and they turned to Him from their idols.

Repentance Inside Out

Now let me say here that repentance is something that is internal. It should manifest itself on the outside in actions, but it is a work that God does in the heart of man.

“Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God” (Romans 2:4-5)

Notice that these unbeliever’s hearts were impenitent. They would not repent in their hearts. Belief is also something that happens in the heart, but manifests itself on the outside.

“For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:10)

A man can reform all day long on the outside and never repent. Repentance is a change that happens primarily on the inside of man. In fact, in the book of Jonah, the Word of God actually says that the outward, physical, turning from sin that the people did was a work.

So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water: But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not. (Jonah 3:5-10)

“And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way…” Now we know that salvation is not by works, but that we are to do works after we are saved. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:8-10) “…The People of Nineveh believed God….” That is what verse five says. First they believed, then the works came. First there was a change on the inside, in the heart; then in the life, and on the outside.

Turning From Dead Works Toward God

The Bible tells us in the Book of Hebrews about the foundation of the Christian faith. “Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God” (Hebrews 6:1)

Saving repentance is “repentance from dead works.” This is the first block in the foundation of Christianity. The Jews were trusting in the works of the law to get them to heaven. The Gentiles were trusting in the works of their hands, their idols. Both Jews and Gentiles were to repent and place their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Also, the Bible talks about saving repentance as being repentance toward God. In Acts 20:21 Paul says that he went about, “Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The Jews thought that God was a God who would accept their good works and lineage and would save them because of these things. They needed to change their minds. The Greeks believed that God wasn’t the true and living God but that there were many gods made by men. They needed to change their minds.

Sinners today need a change of mind toward God as well. When we see God high and lifted up, then we will see ourselves as wicked, lost, helpless sinners. Our problem is that we preach a kind of a self-exalting repentance that says, “Reform. Clean up your life and God will save you.” If we understand that God is holy, just and perfect, it will cause us to realize how lost we really are, and we will not be foolish enough to think that we can do anything to change our own lives. Repentance is not a half-hearted change of mind. It is a radical change of mind that says, “I am a lost sinner and I can do nothing to save myself. Only Jesus Christ can save me.” As long as men see themselves as only partially sinful, then they will see Jesus Christ as only a partial Savior. That is why genuine repentance is necessary to have genuine faith in Jesus Christ.

Lystra

Now the fact that you cannot have true, saving faith without repentance is clearly seen in Paul and Barnabas’ preaching in the city of Lystra.

And there they preached the gospel. And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked: The same heard Paul speak: who steadfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked. And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men. And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker. Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people. Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out, And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein: (Acts 14:7-15)

Paul and Barnabas were preaching the gospel, which the Bible defines as the good news of Jesus Christ who died for our sins, was buried and arose from the dead. (Cf. 1Corinthians 15:1-4) God’s Word tells us that this good news is the power of God to salvation to everyone who believes.

Romans 1:16 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”

The people in Lystra thought that Paul and Barnabas were gods because a man who was listening to Paul preach was healed. The people wanted to worship them, but Barnabas and Paul ran through the crowd crying, “…ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein.” Here is saving faith clarified for the idol-worshipping audience. Faith in Jesus Christ is faith in Him alone. It is not inclusive faith. You cannot trust in Jesus Christ and your idols for salvation. No. It is exclusive faith. It must be faith that looks to Jesus Christ alone. True belief in Jesus Christ includes a genuine and radical change of mind. That is why the word “repent” is never used in the Gospel of John. It is not because repentance isn’t important. It is because when a man truly puts his faith in Jesus Christ as Savior, he has repented.

It's all about Whom you believe

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 00:47:30 -0400

It's All About Whom You Believe

“For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” (2 Timothy 1:12)

The Apostle Paul had been thrown in prison for preaching the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, here he is in jail and he writes to the young evangelist Timothy and says, “…I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” A lot of people think that salvation is some kind of a commitment that they make to God. In other words, “I promise that if You will save me Lord, I will do so and so.” That is not what Paul is talking about here when he uses the word, “committed.” He is saying that “I have committed something to Jesus for safe keeping. I am trusting Jesus with the matter of my soul’s salvation. I am persuaded that He is able. I have put the responsibility of getting me safe home to heaven into His hands and I am persuaded that when the Day of Judgment comes, He will keep that which I have committed unto Him.” It is like committing money to a bank and trusting the bank to keep it safe. The word “keep” in this verse has the idea of guarding something. Here comes the thief to the bank to steal your money, but bank security is guarding and protecting it. Here comes the judgment day, but Jesus Christ is guarding your salvation. He will keep you safe from judgment.

Notice that Paul did not say, “I know WHAT I have believed.” He said, “I know WHOM I have believed.” Many people are trusting a WHAT to get them to heaven. They say, “Oh, I trust my church to get me to heaven.” But, it is not a matter of what you believe, but whom you believe. Going to church will no more make you into a Christian than going to a garage will make you into an automobile. If you are trusting in a church or good works or baptism or any THING to get you to heaven, then you are not saved. The Bible is clear, only Jesus Christ can save you, and your faith must be in Him alone.

Acts 4:12 says, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

In John 14:6 Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Jesus says that He is the way to the Father. No one can come to the Father but by Him. If Jesus is the way, then how can baptism, or church, or good works be the way? If there is no other name given among men, whereby we must be saved, then how can a man say that the Bible teaches that there is some other way to heaven besides the Lord Jesus Christ? It is not WHAT you believe, but WHOM you believe.

If you have trusted in Jesus Christ for your salvation then you are saved. If you are trusting in a church, or good works, or baptism, then you are lost. It is not WHAT you believe but WHOM you believe.

Also, it is not a matter of WHERE you believe. You can be saved anywhere. Do you think that God is limited in His power so that He can only save people at church? If that is true, then how did the jailor in the story that we just read get saved in jail? Or, how did Zacchaeus, the tax collector in Luke nineteen get saved in a tree? How did Cornelius in Acts chapter ten get saved at home? It is not WHERE you believe but WHOM you believe.

It is also not a matter of HOW you believe. Some people think that in order to be saved, that they must cry and be extremely sorry for their sins. I used to think that I wasn’t sorry enough for my sins, and truth of the matter is, I wasn’t. No one is. We can never look on sin with the same hatred and contempt as a Holy God. Sorrow over sin is a good thing, but the point of “I know whom I have believed” is that in order to have assurance of your salvation, you must stop looking at yourself, and what your motives are, and how sorry you are, and you must look to the Lord Jesus Christ. If you will look to Him and see His death on the cross as the answer to your sin problem then you can have assurance. Simple faith in Jesus Christ brings eternal salvation to the sinner.

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 00:47:10 -0400

Believe

Let’s examine the word “believe.” If we are going to understand salvation, then we have to understand this word. The Bible tells us over and over again that the way to be saved is to believe in Jesus Christ.

For example:

John 3:15, “That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

John 3:18, “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

John 3:36, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”

John 6:40, “And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”

John 11:25, “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live”

Acts 10:43, “To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.”

Acts 13:39, “And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.”

Acts 16:31, “And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”

The word “believe” in the Bible means to “trust.” The Word of God teaches that I will be saved if I “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul and a man that he was working with named Silas had been put in jail. In Acts chapter sixteen, and verse thirty, the jailer came to them and asked the question, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Now, if you ask the average person that question today, he will give you fifty-dozen things that you have to do to be saved. I have heard a preacher say that you had to walk down a church aisle to be saved. There are people who say that you have to confess every sin in order to be saved. We are not concerned here with what people say. What does the Bible teach? I could say that in order to be saved, you had to stand on your head and count to a thousand and then run around town screaming at the top of your lungs for four hours. It wouldn’t make any difference.

The Bible says,

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved…”

When I read this Scripture and say that the way to be saved is by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, people begin to object. I am a Baptist and I mean that I have seen Baptists object to this. I quoted some verses that taught that salvation was by believing in Jesus Christ to a Jehovah’s Witness one time, and he kept on saying “No, No, No.” I quoted “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved” to a man who believed that people had to be baptized to be saved, and he objected because I kept on quoting the same verse over and over, as if God didn’t really mean what he said in that verse. It doesn’t surprise me when cult members object to salvation by faith alone, but when supposed “Bible-believing” Christians object to it, it is a little unnerving to say the least. Why would you object when the Lord Jesus Christ presented the way of salvation as through faith in Him? Why would you object when the apostle Paul presented the way of salvation as by faith in Jesus? Perhaps Jesus Christ and Paul were not as skilled as we are at presenting the Gospel. Maybe we could teach them a thing or two.

The Word “Believe” Means To “Trust”

As we said before, the word “believe” means to “trust.” I could say, “I believe in Santa Clause.” Or, “I believe in the Tooth Fairy.” In other words, I am saying that I believe that they exist. That’s not what the Bible is talking about here. People are not saved because they believe that Jesus exists. They are saved because they trust in Him for their soul’s salvation. A father has a son who plays little league ball. His son is up to bat and the father says, “Son, I believe in you!” Now, everyone knows that he doesn’t mean, “I believe you exist.” He means, “I have faith in you; I have confidence in you. I believe that you can do it.” That is what the Bible means when it says, “…Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved...” (Acts 16:31) It is the idea of putting your faith in Him, of placing your trust in Him. It is the idea of having confidence in Him that He will save you and keep you saved. Second Timothy 1:12 explains this idea very clearly. “…I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” Here, the words “believe” and “commit” are interchangeable. To believe in Jesus is to commit the matter of my salvation into his hands. It is to trust in Him to save me from hell and to get me to heaven.

A Question of Faith

Here’s a question to think about. How can someone believe in Jesus if they don’t believe His words? I was talking to a man in prison one time who professed to be a Baptist. I asked him what he thought a person had to do to go to heaven, and he said something to the effect of, “Love your neighbor.” It amazes me how people who are in jail would think that they could be saved by good works, but self-righteousness is everywhere. I took him to John 3:16 and showed him what Jesus said about getting to heaven. Jesus did not say that we have eternal life by “loving our neighbors.” He said that we have eternal life by believing in Him as Savior. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) He saw the words of Jesus, yet he would not change his mind and reject his false idea about salvation. He said that I had given him something to think about, but he refused to believe the simple words of Jesus Christ at that moment. How can a person really believe in Jesus and be a Christian if they don’t even believe John 3:16? Believing in Jesus means that I trust what He has promised. I know that I have eternal life and that I will go to heaven simply because I believe in Jesus Christ as my Savior. That is what Jesus said, and I believe His words.

Synonyms For “Believe”

Several different words are used in the Bible interchangeably with “believe.” Often times, preachers have taught that these words express different requirements for salvation. For instance, in John chapter one, verse twelve, the Bible says, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” Some well-meaning preachers teach that it is not enough to believe in Jesus as Savior. You must also receive Him. God makes it clear with the expression; “even to them that believe on his name” that receiving Jesus as Savior means to believe on Him. The words are synonymous. Also, to “call upon the name of the Lord” in Romans 10:13 is just a way of expressing faith. Read verses thirteen and fourteen together to get the full meaning. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed…?” (Romans 10:13-14) We cannot call unless we believe, or trust in Jesus Christ for salvation. We put far too much emphasis on getting people to pray a prayer when they are saved. When I was young and wanted to be saved, I thought that there was a certain prayer that I had to pray. I wanted to know what that prayer was. But a prayer will not save anyone. The moment we trust in Jesus Christ for our soul’s salvation, He saves us. Prayer is an outward expression of inward faith. Putting our faith into words is good; but faith alone in Jesus Christ saves.

The blessed man

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 00:46:46 -0400

The Blessed Man

“What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.” (Romans 4:1-8)

Everyone wants to be happy. People look for happiness in liquor and drugs. They look for happiness in illicit sex, or in money. Sin will only bring you a temporary happiness. God tells us how we can have real happiness that will last. David wrote, “Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.” (Romans 4:7) The word “blessed,” here means “happy.” The Bible teaches that we can be happy Christians.

You Can Be Happy If You Know That Your Faith Is Counted For Righteousness.

Abraham was the father of the Jewish nation. The Bible tells us that he is also the father of all who trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior.

Now, the Bible says “…If Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.” (Romans 4:2) The word “justified” is a legal term. It means that God, the great Judge of the universe, bangs the gavel down and says, “You are not guilty of sin; you are righteous and sinless.” When God justifies a man, He declares that man to be righteous.

The Word of God says that “If Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory…” In other words, let’s say that Abraham was walking around, living his life and doing good works. God looks down from heaven and sees Abraham living a good life. God bangs the gavel down and says, “Abraham, you are righteous!”

The Bible teaches that if that had happened, Abraham would have had something to glory about. He would have had something to brag on. He could have gone to work and said, “Hey boys, guess what! God said that I was righteous because of all of the good things I’ve been doing!”

But the Bible says “…but not before God.” In other words, that’s not the way that it was.

“For what saith the scripture?” (Romans 4:3a) That’s always a good question to ask isn’t it? What does the Bible teach? We are not concerned with man’s opinion. What does the Bible say about the thing?

“Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.” (Romans 4:3b)

In the book of Genesis, the first book in the Bible, the Word of God tells us the story of Abraham. In Genesis chapter fifteen, the Bible says that God took Abraham and showed him the stars in the sky. God told Abraham that his descendents would be like the stars. God’s Word tells us that “Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.” The moment that Abraham believed what God said, God counted Abraham’s faith for righteousness.

Abraham was a sinner like all of us. The Bible says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Abraham had told some lies. He had done things that he shouldn’t have done. His father was an idol worshipper and he had grown up being taught to worship idols. Yet, God justified Abraham. God said, “Abraham is righteous. He is not guilty of sin.” When Abraham believed God, the Lord counted Abraham’s faith for righteousness.

Now this truth applies to all of us. All of us are sinners. But, when we believe in Jesus Christ, God counts our faith for righteousness and He declares us to be righteous. When I was a young teenager, I knew that I was a sinner, lost and on my way to hell. One day, I trusted Jesus Christ as my Savior. When I believed, or trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ, God declared me to be righteous.

“Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” (Romans 4:4,5)

If I tell you I will give you a free gift if you will go and wash my car, then I am not really offering you a free gift. You are earning it. If a man worked for his salvation, then God would owe it to him. “Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.” But none of us can work for our salvation. We cannot earn salvation. God does not owe us anything.

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3:5)

“But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” (Romans 4:5)

When we believe in Jesus Christ, God counts our faith for righteousness. Here’s an illustration to help explain this. God looks at my record in heaven. He sees sin on my record. He sees lying, cheating and so on. Now, I believe in Jesus Christ. I trust in Him to be my Savior. The moment that I believe in Jesus Christ, God takes all of the sins off of my record, and God puts the righteousness of Jesus Christ on my record. He puts the good things that Jesus did on my account in heaven. This is a doctrine that we call imputation. God puts the righteousness of Jesus Christ on my record and takes my sins away.

“But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” If I don’t work, and never have done anything good, but I believe in Jesus Christ, God counts my faith for righteousness. God puts the righteousness of Jesus Christ on my record, takes my sins away, and justifies me; declares me to be righteous. That ought to make you happy just thinking about it! God will take the sins off of your record, put the righteousness of Jesus Christ on your record, and declare you to be righteous and sinless in His site. All of this because you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. “Blessed is the man!”

You Can Be Happy If You Know That Your Sins Are Forgiven.

“Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.” (Romans 4:6-8)

Some people teach that men have been saved in different ways at different times. In other words, when the Law was given, people were saved one way. After the Law, people were saved another.

But we have just read about Abraham, who lived before the Law, being saved by faith in Jesus Christ. Now here is a quote from David, who lived during the time of the Law, and he testifies that men under the Law were saved the same way as Abraham—by faith! Of course, the people to whom the book of Romans was written were living after the Law, yet they are told that they are saved the same way as Abraham and David: by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

David says that I can be happy if my “iniquities are forgiven.” (Romans 4:7a) If my sins are forgiven, I can be happy. Before I was saved, I was worried about dying and going to hell. Now that my sins are forgiven, I don’t have to worry about that anymore. I know that I am going to heaven when I die. That makes me happy.

Also, David says that we are blessed if our “sins are covered.” (Romans 4:7b) Now, we all try to cover up our sin. If a little child does something wrong, he tries to hide it from his parents. Adam and Eve, in the Garden of Eden, as soon as they had sinned, tried to hide from God. But, you cannot hide your sins from God. That’s foolish. We cannot cover our sins; but God wants to cover them. When we believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior, God covers our sins. The wonderful thing is, when God covers our sins, He takes them away. He hides them.

In the Old Testament, they would take two goats. They would kill one, confess the sins of the nation of Israel over the other one, and send it off into the wilderness. This was all symbolic of the Lord Jesus Christ dying for our sins, and by His sacrifice, taking our sins away.

“As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:12)

I’m happy because my sins are forgiven and taken away by the Lord Jesus Christ!

You Can Be Happy If You Know That God Will Not Put Sin On Your Account.

“Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.” (Romans 4:8)

The word, “impute,” means to charge to someone’s account. The Bible says that I am happy if I know that God will not charge sin to my account.

I have heard an old preacher give this illustration. It will be a blessing to you. The Devil comes to God and says, “Did you see Stephen Baker commit that sin?” God says, “No, I didn’t see it.”

“Sure you did!” The Devil says. “He just committed a sin.” God says, “I did not see any sin.” The Devil says, “Write that sin down. Put it on his account.” God says, “I will NOT write it down. I will NOT put it on his account.”

God will not charge sin to the believer’s account. That ought to make a Presbyterian shout!

Now, this does not give me a license to sin. We need to understand the difference between RELATIONSHIP and FELLOWSHIP.

As far as my relationship with Jesus Christ is concerned, God will not put sin on my account. When God looks at me, I am sinless and perfect. God only sees the righteousness of Jesus Christ. So, I am not worried about losing my salvation. Well you say, “Brother Stephen, what if you sin?” I wish I didn’t sin, but I do sin every day, and so do you.

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1John 1:8)

God will not write my sins down. He will not charge those sins to my account. As far as going to heaven is concerned, I am righteous in the site of God and I will go to heaven when I die because of the Lord Jesus Christ.

My relationship with God is always the same. I am always His child, and saved, and holy, and righteous in His site. All of this happened the moment I believed in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Fellowship is a different thing. I am my father’s son. If I come home and take a knife and cut up the couch and break the lamps and windows and set fire to his car, I will still be his son, but he is going to kick me out of the house. I will not lose my relationship. I will lose my fellowship.

When we sin, as Christians, we lose our fellowship with God. We lose our closeness to Him. We can have it restored by confessing, or acknowledging our sins to God.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

You can be a happy Christian today! You can know that because you have believed in Jesus Christ, all of your sins are forgiven and you are righteous in the site of God. God has declared you to be guiltless and righteous in His site and He will never charge sin to your account again.

If you sin, admit it. Acknowledge your sins to God so that you can have your fellowship restored, and you can walk close to God again.

You can know for sure that you will go to Heaven

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 00:45:00 -0400

"Do you know for sure if you were to die today that you would go to Heaven?"

You can have the peace and hope that comes from knowing, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you will go to Heaven.

First of all...

1. YOU MUST REALIZE THAT YOU ARE A SINNER.

The Bible says, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)

We are all sinners. No one has lived a perfect life.

2. YOU MUST REALIZE THAT THERE IS A PRICE ON SIN AND THAT PRICE IS DEATH.

"For the wages (the payment) of sin is death..." (Romans 6:23a)

This means that if we die without our sins being forgiven, we must be separated from God forever in Hell. We need someone to save us from our sins. That's where the Lord Jesus Christ comes in.

3. YOU MUST REALIZE THAT JESUS CHRIST DIED FOR YOUR SINS.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

The Son of God, The Lord Jesus Christ, who has never sinned, shed His blood and died for us on the cross. He suffered in our place. He paid for all of our sins.

Jesus died, and was buried. After three days, He arose from the dead. The Bible teaches that He will come again, one day, to judge the world.

4. YOU MUST TRUST JESUS CHRIST AS YOUR PERSONAL SAVIOR.

"Believe on (trust in) the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved..." (Acts 16:31a)

Everlasting life in Heaven is a free gift. No good works, church, baptism or reformation can save you.

The way to be saved is to simply believe that Christ died for your sins, was buried and rose from the dead, and to trust in Him alone to get you to Heaven.

If you would like to trust Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, tell Him. Pray this prayer:

"Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and that I do not deserve to go to Heaven. I believe that You died for me, and the best I know how, I trust You as my Savior. I depend on You alone to get me to Heaven. Thank You for saving me, and for giving me a home in Heaven. Amen."

100% SURE!

According to the Word of God, if you have believed on Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, you now have everlasting life. You will never be condemned to Hell. You will go to Heaven when you die.

"...He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." (John 5:24)