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The Faith of Our Salvation Was Written By Jesus
Our salvation is not of our works. We know this by scripture, especially one that is written in Ephesians 2: 8, 9. Here is what it says.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
It is by grace, and not by our works, that we are saved, and we are given this gift of faith with which we believe on the Lord Jesus, and this gift of faith comes from God. The question is this. Whose faith is given to us through which we believe?
The answer is given to us in Hebrews 12:2
Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who 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.
The faith through which we believe was created by Jesus. He wrote our faith by His obedience to the Father while He was here on earth. Only Jesus lived a life in perfect obedience to God and, in doing so, He did for us what we could not do for ourselves.
The faith, through which we believe is given to us, after being saved by grace, and it is through the perfect faith of Jesus by which we are justified. The proof of this is our believing in Jesus as Lord through this faith given to us for one specific purpose – our Salvation.
Jesus created our faith; He authored it and finished it through His perfect obedience. Without His faith given to us we would not, and could not, be saved.
Gal_2:16 (KJV) Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Truly, Jesus wrote the faith of our salvation. Praise God that He did.
I cannot imagine my imperfect faith, that I would work up, satisfying God’s justice and being forgiven for my sinful and imperfect life. It just would not be good enough.
The Secret of the Church and Marriage
Do you know that the Scriptures tell us exactly how a marriage and family should be? Do you also know that the Church is the example of a marriage?
Read the verses below, even the ones that may shock you, and you may even hate to see what these verses say. See the role of how husbands and wives, in the family, are to play, and how the role of men and women in the Church give an example of why that should be. Read these verses several times and pray for God to give you understanding of them.
At the bottom, you will find a couple more supporting verses to the ones you will now read…
From Ephesians___
Eph 5:22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
Eph 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
Eph 5:24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Eph 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
Eph 5:27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Eph 5:28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loves his wife loves himself.
Eph 5:29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourishes and cherishes it, even as the Lord the church:
Eph 5:30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
Eph 5:31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
Eph 5:32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
Eph 5:33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
Jesus is the husband and the church is the wife, and for this reason, we have a perfect example of how a marriage is to be according to God. Marriage is to be between one man and one woman, with the husband being the head of the family.
As for the order of Church hierarchy, the Scripturesgives us the example of how that is to be, not just in the Church but in the marriage as well.
Please read these supporting verses :
From 1 Corinthians___
1Co 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
1Co 14:34 Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.
1Co 14:35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church
From 1 Timothy___
1Ti 2:8 I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.
1Ti 2:9 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with braided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;
1Ti 2:10 But (which becomes women professing godliness) with good works.
1Ti 2:11 Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.
1Ti 2:12 But I do not permit a woman to teach, nor to have authority over the man, but to be in silence.
Many people try to explain these verses away just so they can have their own will accomplished instead of God’s will. Most of these are born again believers who have never read the Scriptures for themselves or havenot been taught the truth that is found in them; as we have just read. There are also quite a few CINO’s – Christian In Name Only members in the Church who have become conformed to the world and not to Christianity and who try to push their worldly views on the true disciples of Jesus.
You have been given the secret of the Church and Marriage. You have seen and read the Scriptures. You now know the truth. May God open your understanding so that you may see the truth in God’s Word, and come to a knowledge of God’s ordained purpose for the Church and Marriage.
May God open the hearts of every one who reads these Scriptures.
Raising Lazarus – A Salvation Example
I have always felt that the raising of Lazarus from the dead by Jesus was more than just a miracle event. I could never get away from the thought that it had something to do with salvation.
Sometimes we read secondary verses were we just gloss right over them and not give them even a passing thought. There was one verse that I read several weeks ago, which I had read many times before, and I just could not get it out of my mind. Then it hit me, the verse explained what happened at the tomb of Lazarus. Before I give you that verse let us revisit the raising of Lazarus.
Here was Jesus standing outside the tomb of Lazarus in the cemetery. Others were standing around watching to see what Jesus would do and Jesus did not disappoint them.
The first thing we notice is that Jesus said loudly, “Lazarus, come forth.”
Now think of this. Lazarus was dead. He had been lying in the tomb for several days and there was no life in him, and when Jesus called out to him to “come forth” what was the first thing that had to be donebefore Lazarus could respond at all. Think about that for a moment while we look at the secondary versementioned above.
The verse is found in 2 Timothy 1: 9 carried over from verse 8. Here it is.
2Ti 1:8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;
2Ti 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
So, what was the first thing that had to be done before Lazarus could respond? He had to be given life – saved. Otherwise, he would not have been able to respond to the call to “come forth”. Just like Lazarus we, too, can do nothing unless we are “first” given life – saved.
In verse nine we see the steps God takes to save anyone. He first saves us, gives us life, and then calls us with an holy calling. We, in our spirit, are like Lazarus in his body. We are dead spiritually in our sins,devoid of spiritual life, and in this state we can do nothing to respond to God. Just like Lazarus was devoid of life he, too, could do nothing to respond to the call of Jesus to “come forth”.
Take another break for a moment, think about what just has been said, and look at these verses that will help to clarify this.
Joh 6:65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Have you seen it? These verses speak of how we, as Lazarus, are dead and before we can respond to the call of Jesus to “come forth” we first must be given the ability to respond, we first must be given life. In other words, we must be “born again”.
This explains what we read in 2 Timothy 1: 9. Salvation is given to us through the new birth – being born again – so that with this new life we can respond to the call of God, as He wills, to “come forth” as Jesus calls.
Now do you see it? 2 Timothy tells us God’s steps to our salvation. Just as Lazarus needed to be given life (saved) before he could respond we, too, are first given life (saved) – being born again by the will of God – and then He calls us and we respond as He wills. If you see it, you will also notice that God had planned this even before the world began.
God saves us and calls us, and we believe on Jesus all because it is done by God. Without first being born again (saved), if Jesus were to call anyone by name to “come forth” no one would respond. We would just stay dead in our spiritual tomb.
Salvation is “all” of God, from beginning to end. There is no way we can save ourselves. It is God who saves us and calls us, individually, to “come forth”, and when He does, we respond with a resounding “YES”!
The importance Of The Resurrection Of Jesus
Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.
Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise.
For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.
1 Corinthians 15: 22 – 19
But now, Christ is risen and has been seen by, not only the Apostles, but by as many as 500 followers as well.
He is risen … Jesus is risen in deed…
You Talk Too Much!
The month of March is very special to my wife and me. It is when we celebrate our wedding anniversary. This year we will celebrate fifty two (52) years of marriage and we are even more in love with each other than ever before.
I know my wife loves me for she will tell people that I have very few faults and none of them is bad, except for one. She tells me that I, “Talk too much” and never know when to shut up. I just keep going on and on and on. With this, I will agree. If she can say it and I canagree, that is love talking.
Every morning I usually get up a lot earlier than doesmy wife. I like spending this time washing up, getting breakfast, enjoying the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. Then I will get paper, that I usually retrieve off of the front porch when I first come out of the bedroom, take it with me into the living room with my coffee and settle into my favorite seat and enjoy them; mostly the coffee these days, however.
During the washing and the making of breakfast and coffee, I like spending time with God. It is not a kneel down and pray kind of a meeting. It is just a time that I like talking with God and telling Him my thoughts, concerns and thanks intermingled with some praise and worship of Him. Sometimes, though, it seems I have a hard time saying anything and will just ramble on. Until, until just one particular morning.
Right in the middle of my rambling I suddenly became blank in my thoughts. I could not think of anything to say and it scared me. Then suddenly a verse came to me and I knew it was from God. Through His word, He was talking to me.
What I heard made me think that He must have been listening to my wife, for what I heard was this, “You talk too much… “”Be still and know that I am God… “” .”
One part from my wife and the important part from Psalm 46: 10
Of course, God was right. Every morning during our time together I was doing all of the talking. Many times, it was only words of repetition just to hear me thinking. I was never quiet. Never listening for Him and forgetting that God will only talk to me through His word.
It has taken me quite a while to be obedient in this respect for I do like talking. Just ask my wife. Yeah, once I get started I do talk too much. I never know when to quit and I just keep going on and on and on. However, with God’s nudging, I am learning to listen to my wife more and, more importantly, listen to God more.
It is amazing how many more wonderful qualities I am discovering about my wife since I have been listening more to her and have become less at going on so when I do talk. It is still on a learning curve, but getting better.
God’s presence in the morning has started to become more real to me as well. I find when I do talk less and just enjoy spending time with Him, while talking less,it has actually brought me closer to Jesus than ever before.
You know, as my wife has said, “You talk too much” and having God tell me, “Be still and know that I am God…” has been a wonderful learning experience for me. I have become closer and more in love with both of them than ever before.
You know, I do believe that God really does listen to His children. If it happened to me, it can happen to you. I was going to say, “I pray God does the same for you”, but He already knows that, for He knows my every thought. I am glad that He does for those moments when I am still, knowing that He is God.
Peaceful – A Christians Lifestyle
The Christians who took part in the rebellious actions on January 6, 2021 against Congress did so thinking they were doing the will of President Trump, when actually they were acting in disobedience to the will of God.
I can only imagine that they were:
1. Not real Christians but Christians in name only.
2. Have never read the New Testament for themselves on living the Christian life.
3. Were never taught from the pulpit how a disciple of Jesus is supposed to live their life after having been born again by the Spirit of God.
If any of these had happened, they would have known a very simple verse on how to live the Christian life. It is found in Romans 12…
Rom 12:18 If it be possible, as much as lies in you, live “peaceably” with all men.
Rom 14:19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.
As followers of Jesus, we are to live peaceably with all men.
What they did that day was anything but peaceful. They should have known that as disciples of Jesus they are also soldiers of Jesus in the spreading of the Gospel of salvation found only in Jesus and, as soldiers, they should have been obeying this command from 2 Timothy 2…
2Ti 2:3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
2Ti 2:4 No man that wars entangles himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.
The only way a Christian would not want to become involved with the affairs of this life would be if they were following the commands found in 1 John 2…
1Jn 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1Jn 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
If anyone loves the things of this world, they would have found it easy to take part in the rebellion on that January day and, in doing so, showing themselves that they may not be a Christian at all. That is why it would have been so easy to take part in that violent and disastrous action.
Christians are to be different. We are to be peaceful and loving people showing forth the love of God to others. There are many verses in the Scriptures that speak of how a Christian is to be, and here are a few of them:
2Co 13:11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.
Col 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
Heb 12:14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
1Pe 3:11 Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.
On that day in January, there is one thing they who called themselves Christians should have been doing:
1Ti 2:1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
1Ti 2:2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
1Ti 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
They who said they were Christians on that infamous day need to ask themselves, “Are they really disciples of Jesus?”
Maybe another question they should ask is this, are they attending a “Real” Christian church or just one that plays at being Christian. They certainly need to start reading the New Testament Scriptures for themselves and asking God to give them understanding into His Word. They should also be looking at their church leadership to see if they are qualified to be pastors, elders, deacons, etc.
The bottom line is this. Christians are to live peacefully with all men. For that is their lifestyle according to the Word of God. On January 6, 2021, many people showed by their actions that they are Christians in name only; their church leadership has failed them, or both.
How Will They Believe?
For more than ten years this Journal has been has been publishing monthly essays based on the premise that Jesus is God and that by Him, and Him alone, will anyone be forgiven for their sins and by Him be given entrance into Heaven, and there to spend eternity with God.
However, unless a person hears about Jesus how will they believe and be saved? For we read in Romans 10 this:
Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved
Believing that Jesus is Lord, and by calling upon Him to be Lord over you, and believing that He was raised from the dead is at the root of salvation for anyone. How, then, can anyone believe in something about which they have not heard?
To believe in anything is something about which you first must be told. If you do not know about it how will you be able to make an informed decision one way or another on whether or not it is something in which you will believe.
To believe in Jesus you first must hear about Him. Second, it is only by hearing about Jesus that you will receive the faith with which to believe in Him. In Romans 10 again we read these verses:
Rom 10:14 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?
Rom 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Believing on anything comes only by gaining faith from what you have heard. In this case, faith about Jesus will only come by hearing from the word of God. That is why every essay posted in this journal is backed up by the Scriptures – God’s Word.
God’s Word must prove what is written or it is not presented in any of the essay’s you will find in this monthly journal.
This is the reason for this Journal. It is to present Jesus to the public through its writings in hopes that God, through the Scriptures that are presented here, will bring faith to someone. So that by this faith they will believe in Jesus, call upon Him and to proclaim Jesus to be Lord of their life, and by that to find out that they have are forgiven for their sins and are saved from the wrath to come upon all who reject Jesus.
Jesus is God, and to everyone who confesses Him to be Lord, to believe that He has been raised from the dead and will proclaim Him as such, has the proof in their heart already of their salvation. Only they who believe can openly make this confession about Jesus.
How about you, do you believe?
Being In The Presence Of Jesus
Did you ever wonder what it must have been like in the time of Jesus, being in His presence and listening to His every word? I have, and no matter how hard I try, nothing comes close to knowing what those encounters were like.
However, I do know a way that I can come into the presence of Jesus and listen to His every word whenever I want; even when I have the need to be with Him and to hear what He has to say to me.
Now you might think that I am talking about prayer, and it could be part of it but no it is not about prayer. Here is a hint.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
John 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,
Need another hint? Try this.
Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
So, what is the Word of God? Yes, it is the Scriptures. However, Who is the Word of God? See John 1:1 above. Jesus is the Word of God and the Scriptures are the Word of God written by God. Did you catch that?
Every time you pick up the Bible to read it, you are reading the Word of God; the very words of Jesus just as if He were sitting with you and talking to you. Every time you read the Scriptures, you are actually in the presence of Jesus listening to everything He has to say to you.
Now the Bible itself is not Jesus but the Words that are in the Scriptures are the very Words of Jesus and by reading them, you are in His presence, and He is talking to you personally. Think of that for a moment. By reading the Scriptures, you are with Jesus listening to His every word.
Just like two of His disciples after the resurrection. They were heading to another town when they met up with Jesus and, in the process, He told them all things that must happen.
Luke 24:32 And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?
When you read the Scriptures Jesus will do the same for you, for you are in His presence. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us. When you read the Scriptures, your faith will become stronger because you are hearing directly from the Word of God, His name is Jesus, and you are in His presence.
Marriage – An Ordained Invention
Is marriage just a tradition or is it more than that? Many people will tell you that there is no such thing as a traditional marriage. You see, a tradition can be a ritual, a practice or a habit, but does the biblical description of a marriage make it a tradition?
In Genesis 2, we read the following:
Gen 2:18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
Gen 2:20 but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
Gen 2:21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
Gen 2:22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
Gen 2:23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
Gen 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
Gen 2:25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed
The first marriage ever performed, God invented it, did the ceremony Himself and ordained that this is what marriage should be. After Adam did not find a helper for himself among the animals God then created the woman to be the one to stand by the side of Adam to be his lifelong mate, to work together, to be a companion in a loving relationship.
Eve was someone created different from Adam to become the missing part of man, to complete him but to have different feelings, thoughts and actions, and made so that the two would come together in a physical way for pleasure and creation. God created the man and the woman to become one in mind, body and soul. No other combination can be the same.
Jesus, during His time on earth, affirmed this to be God’s intention and that marriage was to be a lifelong commitment between a man and a woman.
In the Gospel of Mark chapter 10, this is how Jesus responded when confronted by some Pharisees about divorce.
Mar 10:2 And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him.
Mar 10:3 And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you?
Mar 10:4 And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put heraway.
Mar 10:5 And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.
Mar 10:6 But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.
Mar 10:7 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife;
Mar 10:8 And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh.
Mar 10:9 What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
You see in these verses that marriage is to be a lifelongcommitment – until death separates them, and marriageis to be between a man and a woman.
For a marriage to be between anyone else is to separate what God invented marriage to be, ordained and performed by God Himself, when He joined Adam and Eve in that first marriage.
Any other kind of a marriage disobeys God’s creation, separates what God has ordained for a marriage to beand will not, now or ever, be blessed by God.
As affirmed by Jesus:
Mar 10:6 But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.
Mar 10:7 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife;
Mar 10:8 And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh.
Mar 10:9 What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
So yes, marriage between a man and a woman is a tradition, invented and ordained by God to be the one and only way for a way marriage to be.
Accept Jesus or Confess Him Lord?
Actually, both words “accepting” and “confessing” each have different meanings and only one is biblically correct.
I am sure you have heard it said many times, “If you just accept Jesus as your Savior you will be saved.”Well, you will not find that phrase anywhere in the Bible. Only once in the New Testament is the word “accept” used and it is not in connection with Jesus at all.
However, confessing that Jesus is Lord is written and it is stated in connection with being saved. In Romans 10: 9 we read:
Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
And in Philippians 2: 10, 11 we read this:
Php 2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
Php 2:11 And that every tongue should confessthat Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Accepting anyone for any reason does not mean that you are subject to them.
Jesus stated the following in giving a good example. In Luke 9: 12, 13, 14 we read these words by Jesus in a parable He was giving:
Luk 19:12 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.
Luk 19:13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.
Luk 19:14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.
These servants “accepted” this man to be a nobleman, and King, but they hated him and stated as such and even said that they would not have him to reign oven them. They accepted him but they did not confess him to be their lord and master, and accepting Jesus as Savior does not automatically get you saved.
However, when you “confess” that someone is Lord you are also saying that you are subject to him, will obey him and will follow him no matter what.Confessing Him to be your Lord is proof that you are saved. As it is written in Romans 10: 8 – 13:
Rom 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Rom 10:11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
Rom 10:12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
So, which would you do, which have you done – accept Jesus as Savior or confess Him to be your Lord?
Riff's Christian Journal 