Posts Tagged ‘Sin’
Fourteen Years and 170 Essays Later
It is hard to believe that it has been fourteen years since Riff’s Christian Journal began.
During that time there have been 170 essays written with an average of a thousand words per each one. The longest was around 3000 words and the shortest was about 500 words. Of course, many of these words were actual scripture verses upon which the essays are written.
The first essay, written in June of 2009, is titled, “What I believe About Sin & Salvation”. Since then each entry into the journal has been on a different topic using scriptures for the basis of that entry. The scriptures used were done to support the thesis of the essay proving the premise that is the reason for the essay.
In short, these essays were, in some ways based on the “Five Solos” that came out of the Protestant Reformation movement. These are:
➢ Grace Alone
➢ Faith Alone
➢ Christ Alone
➢ Scripture Alone
➢ To The Glory of God Alone
In studying for these essays, a lot has been learned from the scriptures, especially the differences between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. Most notably were the facts that the Old Covenant is a man-centered works based system of religion under the Law and the New Covenant is a God-centered faith based system under Grace. Not the least is the fact that the Old Covenant is obsolete and fading away (see Hebrews 8: 7 – 13. To find out who is the Israel about which is mentioned in these verses read Romans 9: 6 – 8. Then read Galatians 4: 28 to find out who are the children of the promise mentioned in Romans 9.)
Only as the Holy Spirit has guided this writer have these essays been written. They came not from the one at the keyboard but from the Word itself to be used as an incentive for what was being written, and for the premise that was being put forth for the reader to consider.
The writer is totally convinced that if it were not for the Grace of God these essays would not have been written. It has been humbling, invigorating and quite a wonderful blessing, as well as educational, to be used by God in this manor, and I do give Him all the glory for all that has been written.
As God wills, I look forward to many more years of service in this capacity to the Glory of God.
I would like to leave with you a prayer, using scripture verses from Colossians to all of you for your future as a Christian. These are varied verses from Colossians chapter 1.
King James Version:
We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which you have to all the saints,
For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;
For this cause we also, since the day we heard, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that you might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
That you might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and long suffering with joyfulness;
Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us qualified to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
Who has delivered us from the power of darkness, and has translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Amen
May God’s blessings be upon every one of you, and may God give you peace in living a life based on the faith of Jesus that has been given to all God’s children by which you believe in Jesus as Lord
Come Unto Me and Rest
Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (KJV)
On a given Sunday from the past, I gave a message on this verse. While it was well received, I always had this nagging feeling that there was something I was missing.
The title of that message was, “Finding rest in a busy world.” So, naturally my focus was on how coming to Jesus could give us rest, physical rest, from how we burden ourselves with our jobs and the worries of life, which can weigh heavy on our hearts.
Fast-forward a number of years…
For quite some time, I have been studying scriptures on the difference between the works-based man-centered religion of being under the Law of the Old Testament and the faith-based God-centered relationship of being under grace in the New Testament.
One verse I had read, in studying living under grace, had a clause in it that kept sticking in my mind. Found in Romans, Galatians and Hebrews, all it said was, “The Just shall live by faith.”, but how do the just live by faith. Faith in what?
Then I remembered the verse on which I had previously preached from Matthew and two words kept coming to mind; “labour” and “rest.” Then it hit me. I had considered Matthew 11: 28 all wrong from a Christian’s point of view.
You see, the word “labour” means – to feel fatigue, work hard, be wearied, and the word “rest” means – to refresh: – take ease, rest. However, I had been looking at this verse in a worldly way, in how works of any kind can be a heavy burden on us, not allowing for any rest.
Instead, I should have been looking in how this verse is related to salvation found only in Jesus, and how Christians should view this verse. Especially in how we need to cease from trying to be obedient to the works of the Law and just rest in our salvation, and live by faith in the works of Christ.
In Galatians 2: 16 we read:
Gal 2:16 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. (KJV)
And in Hebrews 4: 10 we read:
Heb_4:10 (KJV) For he that is entered into his(Jesus) rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. (on the seventh day after creation).
Once a person is saved, we no longer need to keep on trying to be obedient to the Law for our salvation or even in keeping our salvation for we are no longer under the Law but under Grace.
The Law only serves to show us our sinfulness while grace shows how we are forgiven, saved and justified by the faith of Jesus and in His works in His perfect obedience in fulfilling the Law, and not by any works of righteousness, we may think we have done.
When Jesus said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” not only was He talking about salvation but also in how Christians can have rest living by the faith of Jesus. That is why it is said, “The just shall live by faith.”
We can rest in the finished work of Christ. Instead of doing any works of righteousness, we feel we must do.
So, go now dear Christian, believe in the love of our Lord Jesus, and live by His faith that was given to you with which to believe in Him when you were born-again and you will have the rest that He promised.
Believing What Christ Said About Eternal Life
If I were to ask you this question, “Do you believe Jesus when He speaks to us?”, most likely you would say “Yes, of course”. What if I were to ask you, “Did Jesus ever lie?”, again you might quickly answer “No, He never did.”, but is this something you really believe?
While there are many different Christian religions, for the most part, they all believe in Jesus for salvation. The problem, however, is that there are many who call themselves Christians that believe it is possible that one could lose their salvation.
If it were possible to lose one’s salvation, along with eternal life, would that not make Jesus a liar? I guess it would depend upon what Jesus has said about eternal life, and the best place to find out what He said is in the Scriptures.
There are three scripture references I would like for you to see. You can read them for yourself and decide what it is you want to believe.
The first scripture verses are from John 6: 37 – 40
John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
John 6:38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
John 6:39 And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
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.
Here we see that Jesus said that He would lose none of all whom the Father gave to Him, and that they would have everlasting life.
The second scripture verses are from John 10: 25 – 29
John 10:25 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.
John 10:26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
John 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
John 10:29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.
In speaking of His Sheep Jesus said that He gave them eternal life and that they will never perish, and that no one can take them from Him. In addition, He reminded everyone that the Father gave them to Him and that no one can take them out of His Father’s hand as well.
The last scripture verse I would like for you to see is this. From John 17: 2
John_17:2 (KJV) As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
God the Father has given to Jesus all power over all flesh, and that Jesus would give eternal life to all whom the Father has given Him.
So, now what is it that you believe? Do you still think that you can have eternal life taken from you? On the other hand, have you been given the assurance that, according to what you have just read, your salvation and the promise of eternal life in heaven is secure in the words of Jesus.
These are but a few scripture verses that are quotes from Jesus, to say that one could lose eternal life is tantamount to calling Jesus a liar. If you still believe eternal life can be lost, you are saying that you do not believe what Christ said about eternal life. It is that simple.
Jesus said:
John 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish…
Saved By Grace – The Act of Being Born Again
Grace, salvation and born-again, many words being bandied about, what do they all mean anyway?
Good question and one in which we will find out the answers but first, let us see some of the verses where these words are used in the Bible. To sort ‘a give us an idea of their meaning.
• Titus_3:5 (KJV) 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;
• John 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.
• Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
• Eph 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, (God) hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Now as to what these words mean here are their Biblical descriptions taken from the original text.
1. Grace – the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life.
2. Saved (salvation) – to save, that is, deliver or protect (literally or figuratively)
3. Born-Again – to regenerate: – be born from above; again,
Being born-again is the action done by the grace of God by which He saves people, and this action all takes place in one moment of time as described in this verse from Titus 3: 5:
Titus_3:5 (KJV) 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;
We know from Ephesians 2:5, 8 that salvation is by God’s grace and In this one verse, we see God saving people through the act of regeneration, of being born-again, by the renewing work of the Holy Spirit all done by the grace of God.
Simply put, when we are born-again by grace we are saved for all eternity.
All this is the work of God, done by His will as He chooses and when He chooses upon whom he chooses. That is why it is said that, “Salvation is all of God.”
God must do all that is involved in anyone’s salvation for no one will ever be saved otherwise. Man, being dead in his sin will never, of his own will, ever choose to proclaim Jesus to be Lord and believe on Him.
Only when anyone is saved by the grace of God will they be able cry out to God for forgiveness and to confess Jesus as Lord and to believe on Him that He lived, He died for sins, and He rose again from the dead to give us eternal life.
It really is quite simple. There is no other way of salvation. We must be saved by grace – the act of being born-again
Irresistible Grace – Thank God For It
What does “Irresistible Grace” mean? In short it is, “the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life.
Two verses out of many that use the word “grace” are in Ephesians 2. One is found in Ephesians 2: 8, 9, which most Christians know and reads:
“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.”
The other is found in Ephesians 2: 4, 5 that reads:
“But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace you are saved;) “
Actually, verse 5 explains quite simply what the action and result is of “grace” being applied to whomever God chooses. It is God’s divine influence upon the heart of the person, who is dead in sins, and makes them alive in their spirit; it is the act of being “born again” by the Spirit of God.
Remember, we are all spiritually dead in our sins and we can do nothing to respond to any call to believe on Jesus. The New Birth must happen first before anyone by faith can believe on Jesus.
In John 6: 44 Jesus says this:
“No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him:”
In addition in 1 Corinthians 2: 14 the Apostle Paul wrote this:
“But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
The Apostle John made things quite clear when he wrote this in 1 John 5:1
“Whosoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God:”
These verses by Jesus, Paul and John make it quite clear that regeneration, or the act of being born again by the “grace” of God, precedes and causes saving faith.
Therefore, by these few verses alone, if regeneration (being born again) had to result from believing faith of the unregenerate in order to be saved—then no one would ever be regenerated (born again) and saved.
This is why “grace” is the irresistible action first applied by God upon the heart of man so that the unbelieving and unregenerate man can, and will, believe on Jesus, and why we should give thanks to God. For it is by God’s “irresistible grace” that we are saved.
Thank God for His divine grace upon our unregenerate hearts, that we would first be born again to give us a new life, being made alive in our spirit, that we might now and forever believe on the Lord Jesus.
The Cross Is Not The Focal Point
Many people will look upon the cross with wonder and ponder its meaning. Very few people, however, will look to the cross as to what happened upon it and why.
Isaiah the Prophet said this about the future:
Isa 53:3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Isa 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
Isa 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Isa 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Isa 53:7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth
Then, many years later, Jesus said this about Himself:
Joh 10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
Joh 10:12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
Joh 10:13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
Joh 10:14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
Joh 10:15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.
Joh 10:16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, andone shepherd.
Joh 10:17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
Joh 10:18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
Later on Jesus said this:
Joh 10:24 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.
Joh 10:25 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.
Joh 10:26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
Joh 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
Joh 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any manpluck them out of my hand.
Joh 10:29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck themout of my Father’s hand.
The cross, itself, is not the focal point of all of this. What is the focal point is what Jesus did upon the cross, to die in our place for our sins, and to secure forgiveness for all of His sheep, and to save us from facing the wrath of God that is to come on Judgement Day.
Jesus laid down His life of His own accord so that all whom God gave to Him will receive forgiveness for sins, be given eternal life, and to insure that we shall never perish nor be taken from the love of the Father.
It is for us to look unto Jesus and be saved. For all who call upon the name of Jesus, confess that He is Lord,and believe that, after His death and burial, He was raised from the dead, will be saved, called and justified.
Many will see the cross and not see Jesus, but all who are of the sheepfold of Jesus will not only see Him but will also follow Him when He calls them to come with Him.
How about you? Do you just see the cross or do you see Jesus and hear Him calling you to come with Him? For Jesus said:
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
The Unknown Sin Of Most Christians
The sin of most Christians is one that we do not realize we have done. This sin, about which I speak, is the sin where we take credit for being born again of our own will and not by the will of God.
People are always being told to just “accept” Jesus as savior and you will be saved. I thought this as well, even saying it, until I started studying the scriptures for myself.
The following verses made me see that it was by God’s will that we are saved and not by our own will. I could no longer say, “I was saved when I accepted Jesus.” Instead, what I now say is, “When God saved me…”
We all realize that we are a sinful people. Because of this sinfulness, we are spiritually dead to God. As we read in these scripture verses.
In Ephesians 2: 1 we read the following:
1 – “And you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins;”
From Colossians 2: 13 we read:
13 – “And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses;”
In being spiritually dead our will is free only to act according to our nature and, since we have a sin nature, it is our nature to commit acts of sin. That is why we take credit for our salvation. It is natural to say “I” and we see no wrong.
The word “quickened” in these verses talks about the act of being “born again”. So when does the act of being quickened or “born again” occur, and when are we saved if we cannot choose to be saved of our own will?
In my studying this question, these verses made me see that it is by God’s will that we are saved and not by our own will.
In Ephesians 2: 4, 5 we read this:
4 – But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5 – Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)”
Now we see that the act of being “born again”, and awakened from being spiritually dead, occurs by God’s grace while we are still dead in our sins.
Further on in Ephesians 2: 8, 9 we read these verses:
8 – “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 – Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
We must be given life before we can respond to God calling us. Just like Lazarus had to be given life before he could respond to Jesus calling out to him to “come forth”. If he had not been given life, Lazarus would have stayed in the grave. So we, too, would remain in our dead spiritual grave unless we are first given life to respond.
In Romans 9: 11 – 16 where the Apostle is giving a defense of the doctrine of election, he explains why God chose Jacob over Esau:
11 – “(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)
12 – It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.
13 – As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
14 – What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.
15 – For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
16 – So then it is not of him that wills, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.”
We see here that it was not by Jacob’s will, or because of any works that he might do, that God choose him over Esau. No, for it was by God’s will, according to election, that Jacob was chosen.
One last verse that sums all this up quite nicely is found in John 1: 12, 13 where we read the following:
12 – “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, to them that believe on his name:
13 – Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
Many pastors will quote verse 12 but never follow up with verse 13, which explains verse 12.
You will be told that if you receive Jesus you will be given the right to become children of God. When actually this verse is saying that God first gives man the right to become children of God and, in response, man will receive Jesus.
Verse 13 explains this and tells us how this happens, and when. The first thing we read in verse 13 is “Which were born”. This is talking about being “born again” which has to happen first, and the act of being “born again” is not by one being born into a Christian family, or because of any good works, NOR BECAUSE OF THE WILL OF MAN, but of God.
You see, it is by God’s will that anyone is saved, and we are saved by grace which is the act of being “born again”. Because we are spiritually dead, we have to be given life, spiritual life, first before we can believe on Jesus and confess Him to be Lord.
In saying, “When God saved me…” gives God credit for our salvation, and rightly so. For it is by His will, not ours, that we are born again and given the power to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and to be brought into the family of God.
Divine Grace – God’s Choice
How were you saved?
Most likely the answers you would give would be deceiving, because no matter what you would say, unless you said that by “God’s Grace Alone” you were saved you would be giving a wrong answer.
Eph 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Eph 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now workethin the children of disobedience:
Eph 2:3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
Eph 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Eph 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Eph 2:7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
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.
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Unsaved man in his natural state is spiritually dead. In this condition he can do nothing to be saved. “Eph 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.” God must do a work in your heart to save you.
Remember Lazarus? He was in the grave and dead for four days when Jesus came along. Jesus called out for Lazarus to “come forth”. Guess what. Nothing would have happened unless God did a work before Lazarus could respond. What do you think that would have been? Jesus “first” had to give life to Lazarus before he could even hear what He was saying, and then respond to come forth just as Jesus commanded.
With that in mind, you will notice in verse one above that it says, “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.” God tells us that it is by His will, and not man’s will, that we are saved. We need to be “quickened” or Born Again to be saved. It is by God’s will and God’s “grace” that we are quickened.
The great preacher Charles H. Spurgeon, in speaking on Grace, said the following,
“If any man be saved, he is saved by Divine grace, and by Divine grace alone; and the reason of his salvation is not to be found in him, but in God. We are not saved as the result of anything that we do or that we will; but we will and do as the result of God’s good pleasure,and the work of His grace in our hearts.”
Man being dead in his sinful state can do nothing to be saved. Not even will himself to be saved. He will never hear the call of Jesus to “come forth” unless he is first given life, “born again”, in order to hear Jesus call him and respond as God wills for him to do and that is to come forth and confess that Jesus is Lord.
It is by God’s Grace alone, and not by man’s will, that we are saved. If you do not agree with scripture maybe you have not, as yet, ever experienced the Grace of God in your life, and you are still dead in your trespasses and sins thinking that you are saved.
My prayer is that God will do a work of life in the heart of all who reads this message and truly make you a born-again child of God. All because of the Grace that Jesus works in all whom He saves.
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.
A Greater Freedom
On July 4, 1776 the American colonies declared its independence from Great Britain claiming itself to be a free nation comprised of 13 states creating a country called The United States of America. The rest is history.
However, do you know that there is even a greater freedom, one that God offers to man from which they need to be set free or perish?
This is something everyone who has ever lived, is living now and will live in the future already has, and is something with which they are born. There is none better than Jesus to explain what it is from which man must be set free.
Read these verses from John 8 in which Jesus is speaking:
Joh 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
Joh 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Joh 8:33 They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayestthou, Ye shall be made free?
Joh 8:34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
Joh 8:35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
Joh 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
In verse 34 the word “servant” actually means “Slave”. The problem is that everyone is born with a sin nature, making everyone a servant, or slave, to sin. Everyone who dies without being set free from this slavery will perish. Only in Jesus can this freedom be found. As Jesus said, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” Jesus also said, “No one can come to the Father except by me.” No one else can give you this freedom.
Receiving this freedom is easy. In Romans 10: 9, 10 we read 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. (set free from sin)
Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
You can receive your own freedom. Repent of your sins. Believe on the Lord Jesus. Call upon Him as Lord, submit to His will, and receive the freedom, true freedom from being a servant to sin to being a servant to God, which only Jesus can give.
Make this time your time to receive your freedom. Believe on the Lord Jesus now and be saved from suffering eternal punishment because of your enslavement to sin. Jesus will set you free, truly free indeed.
Today you can proclaim this your Independence Day.
Riff's Christian Journal 