here is a separation between the old nature of man
and God. The old nature was judicially done away with on
the Cross. We are no longer to serve the ‘old’ but live for the ‘new’, ‘in
Christ’. Every believer who is born of the Spirit of God is dead to the
old nature and alive in our Lord Jesus Christ because God places us in
relationship through the death of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. The Cross represented the end of a relationship with the world.
Every believer is judicially identified with Christ in His death. We are no
longer in bondage to the power of sin. Sin no longer has power or control
over us. We are free because we are ‘in Christ’. In regards to
self-crucifixion Paul is only speaking in Galatians 5:24 of a crucifying of
the fleshy appetites and ways. Our freedom in Christ must be maintained. We
are not immune to deception.
Justification is an absolute which is final
when we are united to Jesus’ life at conversion. We are justified all at
once. All the righteousness of Christ became judicially mine by imputation
from God. Righteousness is not a spiritual provision we must attain.
We are part of a new creation in Christ and
have put on a new man as seen in Eph 4:22-24; “... that you put off,
concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to
the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you
put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness
and holiness.” We put off the old man (past tense) to put on the new man
(past tense). We see the same truth in Col 3:9-10; “Do not lie to one
another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on
the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who
created him,”
The new creation is the whole body
of believers. We are part of the whole new creation. We are part of the
whole new relationship we have with God in Christ. The old man was a part of
the old creation before God placed us in Christ. “But of Him (God) you are in
Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God; and righteousness and
sanctification and redemption;” -- 1 Cor 1:30.
Our old man is seen in 1 Corinthians 15:45,
the first Adam, and in 1 Corinthians 15:47 calls him the first man. God
placed us in Christ who is the last Adam, a life-giving Spirit. “And as we
have borne the image of the man of the dust, we shall bear the image of the
heavenly Man.” -- I Corinthians 15:49. Now we can agree wholeheartedly with 2
Cor 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things
have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
The old versus
the new is clearly seen again in the contrast of the fifth chapter of Romans.
It is about the death of the old identity versus the identity of the new man
in Christ, the life-giving Spirit, our Lord Jesus Christ. We clearly see the
contrasts in Rom 5:12-21; “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the
world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all
sinned; (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when
there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over
those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of
Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. But the free gift is not like the
offense. For if by the one man's offense many died, much more the grace of God
and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. And
the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the
judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free
gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. For if by the
one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive
abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through
the One, Jesus Christ. Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came
to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act
the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by
one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience
many will be made righteous. Moreover the law entered that the offense might
abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin
reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal
life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
The word justification in the Biblical sense
of salvation means that God does not hold us accountable for our sins. He
canceled the debt for our sin because of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus
Christ. When we receive the gift of godly sorrow which leads to true
repentance for our sins, God prepares our heart to receive the Holy Spirit.
When we receive the Holy Spirit, He assures us God forgave us and that He cast
our sins into the sea of forgetfulness, NEVER to be used against us again.
Come now, and let us reason together, says the
LORD, Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
-- Isaiah 1:18
Our Sins Are Removed From Us Forever
The LORD is merciful and gracious, Slow to
anger, and abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us, Nor will He
keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor
punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the
earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is
from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father
pities his children, So the LORD pities those who fear Him. -- Psalms
103:8-13
The Gospel Of Christ
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ,
for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew
first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed
from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith." -- Rom
1:16-17
Now faith is the substance of things hoped
for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good
testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of
God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are
visible. -- Heb 11:1-3
But without faith it is impossible to please
Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a
rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. -- Heb 11:6
But what does it say? "The word is near you,
in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach):
that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart
that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart
one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto
salvation. For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to
shame." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord
over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For "whoever calls on the name of
the LORD shall be saved." How then shall they call on Him in whom they have
not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?
And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless
they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who
preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!" But they
have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our
report?" So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. --
Rom 10:8-17
For the message of the cross is foolishness to
those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
-- 1 Cor 1:18
Now He who has prepared us for this very thing
is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. - 2 Cor 5:5
For by grace you have been saved through
faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest
anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for
good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. -- Eph
2:8-10
We Are Justified And Called To Find Peace With
God
For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham
believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." -- Rom 4:3
He did not waver at the promise of God through
unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being
fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And
therefore "it was accounted to him for righteousness." -- Rom 4:20-22
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we
have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have
access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the
glory of God. -- Rom 5:1-2
Now hope does not disappoint, because the
love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given
to us. -- Rom 5:5
But God demonstrates His own love toward us,
in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. -- Rom 5:8
For if by the one man's offense death reigned
through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the
gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. --
Rom 5:17
Therefore, as through one man's offense
judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's
righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of
life. -- Rom 5:18
For as by one man's disobedience many were
made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous.
-- Rom 5:19
I Died With Christ And Died To The Power Of
Sin's Rule On My Life
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in
sin that grace may abound? -- Rom 6:1
Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin
live any longer in it? -- Rom 6:2
Or do you not know that as many of us as were
baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? -- Rom 6:3
Therefore we were buried with Him through
baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory
of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. -- Rom 6:4
For if we have been united together in the
likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His
resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the
body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of
sin. -- Rom 6:5-6
I Am Free From Condemnation
There is therefore now no condemnation to
those who are in Christ Jesus, 'who do not walk according to the flesh, but
according to the Spirit.'* -- Rom 8:1, *added to original text.
I Have Been Put Into Christ By God's Doing
But of Him (God) you are in Christ Jesus, who
became for us wisdom from God; and righteousness and sanctification and
redemption; -- 1 Cor 1:30
I Have Received The Spirit Of God That I Might
Know The Things Freely Given To Me By God
Now we have received, not the spirit of the
world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have
been freely given to us by God. -- 1 Cor 2:12
I Have Been Given The Mind (Attitude) Of
Christ
For "who has known the mind of the LORD that
he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ. -- 1 Cor 2:16
I Have Been Bought With A Price. I Am Not My
Own. I Belong To God.
Or do you not know that your body is the
temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are
not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your
body and in your spirit, which are God's. -- 1 Cor 6:19,20
I Have Received The Holy Spirit As A Pledge (A
Deposit or Down Payment) And Guarantee
Now He who establishes us with you in Christ
and has anointed us is God, -- 2 Cor 1:21
In Him you also trusted, after you heard the
word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed,
you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our
inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of
His glory. -- Eph 1:13,14
I Have Been Blessed With Every Spiritual
Blessing
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual
blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, -- Eph 1:3
Since I Have Died, I No Longer Live For
Myself, But For Him (Christ)
For the love of Christ compels us, because we
judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live
should live no longer for them-selves, but for Him who died for them and rose
again. -- 2 Cor 5:14
The Life I Am Now Living Is Christ's Life. He
Desires To Live His Life Through Me
"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no
longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in
the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for
me. -- Gal 2:20
I Have Been Chosen By God
... just as He chose us in Him before the
foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him
in love, -- Eph 1:4
I Was Predestined (Determined By God) To Be
Adopted As A Son
...having predestined us to adoption as sons
by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, -- Eph
1:5
I Have Been Redeemed, Forgiven, And Am A
Recipient Of His Lavish Grace
In Him we have redemption through His blood,
the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to
abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, -- Eph 1:7,8
I Have Been Made Alive Together With Christ
...even when we were dead in trespasses, made
us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), -- Eph 2:5
I Have Been Raised Up And Seated With Christ
In Heaven
... and raised us up together, and made us sit
together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, -- Eph 2:6
I Have Direct Access To God Through The Spirit
For through Him we both have access by one
Spirit to the Father. -- Eph 2:18
I May Approach God With Boldness, Freedom And
Confidence
...in whom we have boldness and access with
confidence through faith in Him. -- Eph 3:12
I Have Been Delivered (Rescued) From The
Domain Of Darkness (Satan's Rule) And Transferred To The Kingdom Of Christ
He has delivered us from the power of darkness
and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, -- Col 1:13
I Have Been Redeemed And Forgiven All My Sins
(The Debt Against Me Has Been Canceled)
...in whom we have redemption through His
blood, the forgiveness of sins. -- Col 1:14
And you, being dead in your trespasses and the
uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having
forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements
that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the
way, having nailed it to the cross. -- Col 2:13,14
Christ Himself Is In Me
To them God willed to make known what are the
riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in
you, the hope of glory. -- Col 1:27
I Have Been Firmly Rooted In Christ And Am Now
Being Built Up In Him
As you have therefore received Christ Jesus
the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the
faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. -- Col
2:6,7
I Have Been Made Complete In Christ
...and you are complete in Him, who is the
head of all principality and power. -- Col 2:10
I Have Been Spiritually Circumcised (My Old,
Unregenerate Nature Has Been Removed)
In Him you were also circumcised with the
circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the
circumcision of Christ, -- Col 2:11
I Have Been Buried, Raised, And Made Alive
With Christ
..buried with Him in baptism, in which you
also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him
from the dead. And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision
of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all
trespasses, -- Col 2:12
I Have Been Raised Up With Christ. I Died
With Christ. My Life Is Now Hidden With Christ In God. Christ Is Now My
Life.
If then you were raised with Christ, seek
those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of
God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you
died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life
appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. -- Col 3:1-4
I Have Been Given A Spirit Of Power, Love And
A Sound Mind (Self-Discipline)
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but
of power and of love and of a sound mind. -- 2 Tim 1:7
I Have Been Saved And Called (Set Apart)
According To God's Doing
(God) who has saved us and called us with a
holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and
grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, -- 2 Tim 1:9
(Salvation is) not by works of righteousness
which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the
washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, -- Titus 3:5
I Am Sanctified And Am One With Christ
For both He who sanctifies and those who are
being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call
them brethren, -- Heb 2:11
I Have A Right To Come Boldly Before The
Throne Of God (The Throne Of Grace) To Find Mercy And Find Grace In Time Of
Need
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of
grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. -- Heb
4:16
I Have Been Given Exceedingly Great And
Precious Promises By God By Which I Am A Partaker Of The Divine Nature (God's
Nature)
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the
knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us
all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him
who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly
great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the
divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through
lust.- 2 Pet 1:2-4
I Am Justified Without The Deeds Of The Law
"Therefore let it be known to you, brethren,
that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; "and by Him
everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be
justified by the law of Moses. --Acts 13:38-39
But now the righteousness of God apart from
the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the
righteousness of God which is through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all
who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of
the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth to be a propitiation by His blood,
through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance
God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at
the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of
the one who has faith in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By
what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a
man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. - Rom 3:21-28
Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you
and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the
hearing of faith?; just as Abraham "believed God, and it was accounted to him
for righteousness." Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons
of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the
conditions by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, "In
you all the nations shall be blessed." So then those who are of faith are
blessed with believing Abraham. -- Galatians 3:5-9
We Are Saved By Grace; Both The Jew And The
Gentile
"Now therefore, why do you test God by putting
a yoke on the neck of the disciples
which neither our fathers nor we were able to
bear? "But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall
be saved in the same manner as they." Then all the multitude kept silent and
listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had
worked through them among the Gentiles. - Acts 15:10-12
The Purpose Of The Law
Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to
Christ, that we might be justified by faith. -- Gal. 3:24
Everyone Is Saved Through God's Grace, His
Unmerited Favor And Presence In Life
. . . for all have sinned and fall short of
the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus, -- Romans 3:23-24
We Are Saved By Grace And The Gift Of Faith By
His Mercies
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His
great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made
us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up
together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in
His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved
through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of
works, lest anyone should boast. -- Ephesians 2:4-9
Only His Spirit In Our Life Will Reveal The
Life Of Christ Through Us
"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in
sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. "You will know them
by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles?
"Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. "A
good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. "Every
tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
"Therefore by their fruits you will know them. "Not everyone who says to Me,
'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of
My Father in heaven. "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we
not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many
wonders in Your name?' "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you;
depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' -- Matthew 7:15-23
Not By The Deeds Of The Law
Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh
will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
--Romans 3:20
Not By The Works Of The Law
"knowing that a man is [not justified by the
works] of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in
Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the
works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.
-- Galatians 2:16
Not By Works Of Righteousness But Because Of
God's Mercy
For we ourselves were also once foolish,
disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice
and envy, hateful and hating one another. But when the kindness and the love
of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we
have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of
regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us
abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His
grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. -- Titus
3:3-6
EXAMPLES OF FAITH
A leper is cleansed.
And behold, a leper came and worshipped Him,
saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." Then Jesus put out
His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." And immediately
his leprosy was cleansed. -- Matthew 8:2-3
The dead are raised, the infirm are healed.
While He spoke these things to them, behold, a
ruler came and worshipped Him, saying, "My daughter has just died, but come
and lay Your hand on her and she will live." So Jesus arose and followed him,
and so did His disciples. And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for
twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment; for she said
to herself, "If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well." But Jesus
turned around, and when He saw her He said, "Be of good cheer, daughter; your
faith has made you well. “And the woman was made well from that hour. And when
Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute players and the noisy
crowd wailing, He said to them, "Make room, for the girl is not dead, but
sleeping." And they laughed Him to scorn. But when the crowd was put outside,
He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. -- Matthew 9:18-25
The Centurion's faith
Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a
centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying
at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented." And Jesus said to him, "I will come
and heal him." The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that
You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be
healed. "For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I
say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and
to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." When Jesus heard it, He marveled,
and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found
such great faith, not even in Israel! -- Matthew 8:5-10
ETERNAL JUDGMENT
hen our Lord Jesus Christ returns, He is
coming to reward everyone for what they have done. Jesus paid the price for
anyone to receive eternal life but His sacrifice will not be effective for
everyone. His ransom for many was sufficient but we need to understand the
difference between this and being a ransom for everyone. A biblical gospel
teaches that we cannot make a decision to be born again. The rebirth is a
decision based on the grace of God being extended to an individual. Are we
willing to surrender control of our life to gain His? When we renounce
self-willed interests, overcome the sins that so easily beset us, and follow
the Lord even when it is not convenient. This is not necessarily a sign of a
mature Christian lifestyle; these are simply signs of following the Way He
ordained.
There is no short cut to maturity;
everyone maintaining a close knit relationship with God goes through the
school of obedience. Jesus loved us so much He became obedient to the
hardship of the Cross to give us eternal life. Will you trust God for the
desires of your heart and the rewards He wants to give you in this world and
the next?
Our Lord paid a debt we could not
pay, a debt He did not owe. Jesus asks of us is to live a life worthy of the
sacrifice He made and walk after the things of the Spirit. Before we blow
away like the dust of the earth, as the grass and flowers of the field, we
should become obedient to God, the Holy Spirit, and do God's will because of
our love for Him. The fear of the Lord should be a reverential awe for the
believer, because of God's demonstrated love for us. For the unbeliever, the
fear of God leads to anxiety and apprehension due to the impending judgments
for their sins. God's love casts out all fear. Our own fears and trembling
come from knowing His will and not doing it. The Holy Spirit is here to
convince us of the changes we need to make. The Holy Spirit is a gentleman and
works through the revealed Word of God with its influence and conviction. The
Holy Spirit never works out of the context of the Word! At the same time, He
is waiting to empower us to respond to His love for us and overcome the
world. The Holy Spirit will convince us of anything that impedes us as we
digest the written revealed Word and He draws us closer to Himself. He wants
His light to shine through us so that by our love He will draw the world unto
Himself.
There are several types of judgment
concerning mankind. One type is to get men to change their ways and conform
to the will of God. Eternal judgment deals with the everlasting fate of men.
We know there is a judgment of the just and unjust. There is also another
judgment for rewards that will happen for the righteous who God places 'in
Christ'. God will save the faithful from the wrath to come and we shall be
changed when we are caught out and gathered to be with Jesus in the clouds, an
event known as the "rapture". Between this event and the marriage of the Lamb
they will receive their rewards for service, obedience to the Word, and the
leading of the Holy Spirit.
God is faithful to those ‘in
Christ’. Jesus is our Source and Life. Our new lives are now being
transformed. Browse through the following verses to confirm the truths that
God presents in His Word:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly
places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the
foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him
in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself,
according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His
grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved. Eph 1:3-6
When Christ who is your life is
revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory. -- Col 3:4
...so that you are not lacking in any
spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. He
will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day
of our Lord Jesus Christ. -- 1 Cor 1:7-8
“being confident of this very thing, that
He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus
Christ;” -- Phil 1:6.
...for it is God who works in you both
to will and to do for His good pleasure. -- Phil 2:13
I can do all things through him who
strengthens me. -- Phil 4:13
For our sake he made him (Jesus) to be sin who
knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
-- 2 Cor 5:21
He (God) is the source of your life in
Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and
sanctification and redemption, -- 1 Cor 1:30
For you died, and your life is hidden with
Christ in God. -- Col 3:3
Taking Up The Cross
Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone
desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and
follow Me. "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever
loses his life for My sake will find it. "For what is a man profited if he
gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in
exchange for his soul? "For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His
Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his
works. -- Matt. 16:24-27
Judgment Of The Righteous And Unrighteous Dead
"When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and
all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.
"All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one
from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. "And He will set
the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. "Then the King will
say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the
kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 'for I was hungry
and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger
and you took Me in; 'I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you
visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.' "Then the righteous will
answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty
and give You drink? 'When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked
and clothe You? 'Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'
"And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch
as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'
"Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed,
into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 'for I was
hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 'I was
a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick
and in prison and you did not visit Me.' "Then they also will answer Him,
saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or
sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?' "Then He will answer them,
saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the
least of these, you did not do it to Me.' "And these will go away into
everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." -- Matthew
25:31-46
Our Works Shall Be Tried By Fire
For no other foundation can anyone lay than
that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this
foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's
work will become manifest; for the Day will declare it, because it will be
revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is.
If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.
If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved,
yet so as through fire. -- 1 Co. 3:11-15
Jesus Was Judged For Our Sin Already
And you, being dead in your trespasses and the
uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having
forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements
that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the
way, having nailed it to the cross. -- Colossians 2:13-14
God Chastens His Children So We Won’t Suffer
His Wrath
For if we would judge ourselves, we would not
be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may
not be condemned with the world. -- 1 Co 11:31-32
Jesus Is Our Advocate In Heaven When We Fail
And Sin
This is the message which we have heard from
Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and
do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light,
we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son
cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves,
and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins and to 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. My little
children, these things I write to you, that you may not sin. And if anyone
sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He
Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for
the whole world. -- 1 John 1:5-2:2
Those Who Walk After The Spirit Are Free From
Death And Sin
There is therefore now no condemnation to
those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but
according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has
made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in
that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the
likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,
that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not
walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live
according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those
who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be
carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. --
Romans 8:1-6
A Call To Persevere, To Overcome The World
Do not love the world or the things in the
world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For
all that is in the world; the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the
pride of life; is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is
passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides
forever. -- 1 John 2:15-17
Let this mind be in you which was also in
Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not
consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation,
taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being
found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the
point of death, even the death of the cross. -- Philippians 2:5-8
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always
obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out
your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you
both to will and to do for His good pleasure. -- Philippians 2:12-13
![[Under Construction]](http://abundantprofitclub.com/undercon.gif){kind=small}