- Salvation (born again)
- The Christian Walk/Transformation
Salvation being that all inclusive work of God on our behalf, whereby we are forgiven: He justifies us, He sanctifies us, He glorifies us, He baptizes us into the Body, He seals us with the Holy Spirit, He fills us with the Holy Spirit.
All this and much more the instant we believe that Jesus died for us as a cursed man, went to Hell in our place and rose up on the third day with the promise that we have a place with Him in heaven.
Then follows the grace walk were we enter into a personal relationship with the Father, His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship.
There is no other way to heaven but by individual faith in the work of the cross.
Many Christians mix the two steps together and live a life of guilt, not sure of their salvation. Many non-believers hear a twisted message that leaves them knowing for a fact that they are not good enough to live a goodie goodie christian life. They aren't worthy or just don't care to be judged as a well behaved christian and called a hypocrite.
So how do you know you're destination ends in heaven? How can you be so sure to were your faith is a fact?
For one, the bible tells us so.
Some Christians say they feel it in their heart, they just know. I suspect it is the Spirit of God in them. On those days when they don't feel it in their heart, their faith grows until the feeling of certainty returns.
Philippians 4:7 (AMP)
7 And God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
I personally know because I have spent my life talking and listening, meditating and hearing His word in me. God is my companion in life, I share everything with Him, good and bad and I believe that He sent Jesus in to my world not to judge me but save me and love me. I love and adore my Lord, in turn He affirms His love for me in countless natural and supernatural ways.
Listen, God longs for, desires our heart, He waits for us to respond to His love; only by our choice, our faith.
How can God Who is a God of love and mercy possibly consign people someday to that awful Lake of Fire?
What more has He done to draw us to His love than sending His only son in our place. How more simple can He make it, believe He desires our free heart; nothing else needed, nothing else but just accept His free gift.
We don't even need to change anything or sign up for service, just accept Him in our heart. Then the Spirit of God changes us from the inside out, His grace, His love.
Here is the sin; this world twists and turns this simple truth from a gift to something complicated. People believe they have to repent or be baptised or speak in tongues and then believe. Yes, maybe before Jesus was resurrected but no more. And it was only for the Jews, all this though shalt not or else stuff does not apply to the Gospel of grace. All this false teaching in churches around the globe make salvation very complicated. The truth shall set you free, the simple truth of salvation. Simple enough for a child, nothing complicated, just believe in your heart.
Jesus Christ will one day say, depart from me, I never knew you.
Not: well, I knew you for a while but then you kind of slid away from me, came back a couple times but I don't really know you now. NO, Jesus told those Pharisees the religious legalistic leaders, I never knew you. They never believed in Him as we do when be are instantly filled with the Spirit of God. Old man gone.
Its the grace walk, after salvation, were our head should be. No more concern over salvation, no confession or penance or back sliding guilt trips needed (unless it helps your walk or a tradition, but only your walk or for tradition). Many Christians (too many) place their focus on loosing their gift, like its going to be taken away and then it must be earned back, ridiculous.
As we take the next step forward out of darkness into eternal light, it is the will of God for us to search Him out and discover His kingdom and righteousness. Meditating on the old and new testament we must learn that the Spirit of God living in us is what changes us, not our works but the works of the Holy Spirit. We mature through spiritual growth to eventually learn to enjoy our relationship with our Heavenly Father, enjoy falling in love with Him more and more every day to were we notice, wow, I am also loving my neighbors and even my enemy's more each day. I feel less fear and more compassion. You may even notice your longing to study the Bible and all of the sudden, church has become a part of who you are.
All Christian doctrine comes from Paul. Paul's writings to the Gentiles (the Church). They are the thirteen books of Romans through Philemon. Although Paul also wrote the book of Hebrews, he wrote it to the Jewish believers who had been saved under the gospel of the kingdom, the teaching of the twelve apostles of the circumcision (Jews). Hebrews was not written to the Gentiles even though it is a beautiful scripture of faith.
It is important to slowly read and understand Paul's writings first, for they relate to grace and the church age we live in today. It is also important to understand that the rest of the Bible was written without the knowledge of the coming gospel of grace but under the gospel of the kingdom. There are many clues in the old gospel of all that has come and is to come from Jesus to the final judgement day. That's why we can see the Son of God and the Spirit of God everywhere throughout the old testament. Jesus is the word of creation.
If we could get in the habit of understanding whom is writing to whom and how it relates to us today, then we would experience less confusion in our walk.
The path to heaven is very narrow, but also very easy and simple, faith plus nothing else, a gift.
Our walk on the other hand goes everywhere our choices take us, right or wrong, were covered by the blood of Jesus regardless of religion or denomination. Reject the hate that is preached and taught by your own parents relatives and friends. The world will know we are Christians by our love not by our hate of others beliefs and lifestyles.
Example: Mormons are non-christian or like the Church of Christ believes that if you aren't baptised you are not saved or Jehovah Witness or Evangelicals will not see heaven because only Catholics are true christian. Gays, mixed race couples, the unclean will not see heaven, if you dress wrong wear make-up listen to the wrong music, an endless list. REJECT THE HATING, only God knows the heart and that is what matters.
Romans 3:24-25 (AMP)
[All] are justified and made upright and in right standing with God, freely and gratuitously by His grace (His unmerited favor and mercy), through the redemption which is [provided] in Christ Jesus, Whom God put forward [before the eyes of all] as a mercy seat and propitiation by His blood [the cleansing and life-giving sacrifice of atonement and reconciliation, to be received] through faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in His divine forbearance He had passed over and ignored former sins without punishment.
What a joy to walk in grace with our Heavenly Father through the worst this corrupt world brings to the best this beautiful world shares with us.
No comments:
Post a Comment