Tag: saved

The Crown of Life

The Crown of Life

Believers in Jesus Christ receive the crown of life. Let’s remember that before Jesus came, God had made a covenant with Abraham and his descendants. Jesus came so that the Gentiles might also be saved, and that atonement might be made for the sins of all of mankind.  Jesus is the Lamb of God, and he was the perfect sacrifice for all of mankind.  (see John 1:29, 36)

Believers are not promised an easy life in the Bible.  We are warned in 2 Timothy 3:12 that those who desire to live godly in Jesus will suffer persecution.  We must stop and realize that the enemy would not be attacking Christians so desperately if we did not possess something of great value.

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.  (Jas 1:12 NIV, emphasis added)

Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer for ten days. But be faithful, even if you have to die, and I will give you the crown of life.  (Rev 2:10 NCV, emphasis added)

Trials of various types test a Christian’s faith, develop endurance in their lives, and help develop spiritual maturity in them.  We can all read in 1 Peter how Jesus responded to persecution:

Although he was abused, he never tried to get even.  And when he suffered, he made no threats.  Instead, he had faith in God, who judges fairly.  (1 Pet 2:23 CEV)

The Lord will give every believer the sustaining grace that they need to go through such trials victoriously.  We just need to hold onto our faith in God and in His ability to uphold and sustain us spiritually, mentally, and emotionally through persecution.

Let’s consider how we can stand firm in our resolve to continue speaking the Word of Life boldly, even under the threat of persecution.  

Before persecution begins, we must prepare for it by cultivating the Word of God in our hearts. This means that we memorize various passages from the Bible and review them regularly to make sure we retain them.

Scripture teaches that we carry the Word of God in two places: in our mouths, and in our hearts (see Romans 10:8, and Deuteronomy 30:14).  Remember this vital truth:  Whenever persecution attempts to silence the Word that is in our mouths, it is the Word that is in our hearts which will sustain us. 

We carry the incorruptible Seed of the Word of God in our mouths and in our hearts, and we cannot begin to fathom the fruit that will come from that Seed.  Hold fast to the Seed that has been sown in your hearts, brothers and sisters!  It will uphold and sustain you, along with the very real presence of the Prince of Peace who never leaves us.  Glory to God!

All Are Made Alive in Christ

All Are Made Alive in Christ

God has made believers alive together with Jesus Christ.  Hallelujah!

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our wrongdoings, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved) . . .  (Eph 2:4-5 NASB)

For as in Adam all die, so also in the Messiah will all be made alive.  (1 Cor 15:22 ISV)

Consequently, just as condemnation for all people came through one transgression, so too through the one righteous act came righteousness leading to life for all people. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man many were constituted sinners, so also through the obedience of one man many will be constituted righteous. 20 Now the law came inso that the transgression may increase, but where sin increased, grace multiplied all the more, 21 so that just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.  (Rom 5:18-21 NET)

Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.  (1 Cor 15:45-49 NIV)

Before a person becomes born-again, they are dead in their evils and sins.  Even when we were in that state, God loved us.  Because He loved us, He gave us a Savior and Redeemer. 

As believers in Christ, we identify with and are linked together with Christ in His resurrection.  Therefore, His life becomes our life.  Not only that, but the Lord gives us a brand-new type of life—eternal life.  (Rom 6:23)  Eternal life is our present possession!  That is almost too much for us to comprehend.

This is a precious and priceless gift, and we have reason to rejoice and thank the Lord!

Saved, Sanctified, Justified

Saved, Sanctified, Justified

We, who believe in Jesus Christ, have been saved through God’s mercy.  We have been cleansed, sanctified, and justified in and through Jesus, our Savior.

He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.  (Tit 3:5 NIV)

The indwelling Holy Spirit is constantly cleansing us and renewing our minds. One tool that is helpful is the Word of God.

And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.  (1 Cor 6:11)

. . . that he might sanctify her [the Church], having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word . . .  (Eph 5:26 ESV, words in brackets added)  Another way that we are continuously cleansed and sanctified is through a daily reading of the Scriptures as well as constant meditation upon them.  This is what we may choose to do in order to cooperate with the Holy Spirit, our teacher.

. . . 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.  (Gal 2:16)  This Bible verse reiterates the truth that no one is justified by fulfilling the law but rather through an ongoing faith in and relationship with Jesus Christ, the Savior of mankind.  Praise God!

Pleasing All Men in All Things

Pleasing All Men in All Things

We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.  (Rom 15:1 NIV)

Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God, 33 just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.  (1 Cor 10:32-33, emphasis added)

Don’t do anything for selfish purposes, but with humility think of others as better than yourselves. 4 Instead of each person watching out for their own good, watch out for what is better for others.  (Phil 2:3-4 CEB)

We’re instructed by God’s Word to watch out for what is best for others and pleasing to others.  We’re also urged to avoid selfishness and encouraged to care for each other.  That’s a tall order, right?  The apostle Paul said that he pleased all men!  Wow, he is a righteous example to us all.

So why did Paul ‘please all men’?  He did it so that many people would be saved.  By his pleasing and caring behavior toward others, he won many, many people to the gospel of Jesus Christ.  All of those people accepted Jesus as their Savior and Lord.  Paul didn’t do it in order to be a man-pleaser but in order to win souls to the Kingdom of God. His motivation was pleasing in God’s sight.

For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.  (Gal 1:10)

. . . not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart . . .  (Eph 6:6)

Our assignment as followers and servants of Jesus Christ is to please God first, but also to demonstrate God’s love to all people.  That means doing top-notch work in our jobs (even those who are self-employed).  It also means finding ways to cooperate kindly with our earthly neighbors whether we have a house, condo, apartment, or a tent. 

We also, as servants of Jesus, represent Him in our families, with our friends and within our communities and churches.  As ambassadors for God’s Kingdom, we have the honor and privilege of being ‘the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.’  (2 Cor 2:15) May our conduct and our conversation be as a pleasant perfume to the lost and the hurting as well as to the Lord Jesus.  Praise the Lord!

Be Ready!

Be Ready!

Why does the Lord want us to be ready to tell people about salvation at a moment’s notice?  One reason is that the Lord is not willing that any should perish; He wants everyone to be saved.  (2 Pet 3:9)

Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.  (2 Tim 4:2)  He wants us to be ready whether it’s convenient and whether it’s inconvenient—when the world mentality (at any given time) is “pro-Christian” or “anti-Christian.”  Our heart attitude should be eager to share the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ.

No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.  (2 Tim 2:3-4)  The warfare in which we’re engaged is to share the gospel with as many people as possible, regardless of their response or reaction.  Leave that part in God’s hands.  When we accepted Christ as our Savior, we were automatically enlisted as a soldier in the army of the Living God. 

You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men . . .  (2 Cor 3:2) Not only do we share the gospel with our words, but we share it by the lives that we live.  People will read us as easily as they read a book or a letter. 

What are you sharing through your day-to-day life?  Is your readiness joyous and filled with hope and courage?  If so, then it will be good and edifying to read!

You Will SAY

You Will SAY

If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will SAY to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.  (Mt 17:20b, emphasis added)

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): 9 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.  (Rom 10:8-9)

These verses teach us that one consequence of faith is words.  Our faith encourages and inspires us to speak to our situation (circumstances) and command them according to the Word of God.  In Romans 10, we’re reminded that the word of faith is in our mouths and our hearts. The passage then proceeds to elaborate on the “word of faith” message.

Faith says:  “I confess Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, and that God raised Him from the dead; and therefore I am saved.”  This means that in ANY trial, trouble, or evil circumstance in our lives, we can calmly and peacefully expect Jesus to:

  • deliver us,
  • protect us,
  • heal us, and
  • meet our every need.

Study the Bible and locate passages of Scripture that you may speak into your situation with a faith-filled heart.  Then wait in hope and expectation as God works on your behalf.