Posts Tagged ‘trust’
One Verse That Can Show The Difference Between Being Under The Law And Under Grace,.
Pro 3:5 – 6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and He will direct your paths.
These verses, taken from the Old Testament, can easily show the difference between the Jews living under the Law and the Christians living under Grace.
The Law was a works based system of willing obedience to the Law and all of the promises, blessings and curses that it entailed. Needless to say it was a failure.
In the above scripture, having God direct your life, stated in the last clause, was based on all that was commanded to do by the Hebrews in the beginning. It was a work based command of obedience. In other words, if man did what was commanded of him then God would direct his life. Here man works and God responds with blessings or curses. Because of sin in man, he could not always do what God commanded of him. He failed.”’
What if these scriptures were written in the New Testament to the Christians under Grace. Now living under Grace is a faith based system dependent on God’s will, the person and works of Jesus in His perfect obedience to the Father and the application by the Holy Spirit the results of what Jesus accomplished to the saved; everything Israel could not do on their own.
This might be one way it could be written.
“I trust in the Lord with all my heart and I do not look to my own understanding and in all my ways I acknowledge God, for He directs all my ways as He wills and has blessed me greatly.”
Here God works His will in man and man responds accordingly. Just the opposite of man under Law.
Under the Law, based on the will of man to be obedient, man always fails. Under Grace, based on the will of God, God never fails. In the “faith based” system of being under Grace God works in man both to will and to do of His good pleasure. So what God has willed for man to do man obeys willingly.
How about you. Is your life a works based system trusting in your will of obedience (grudgingly or not) to the Law or a faith based system of being under Grace trusting in the will of God in what He is doing in your life?
One scripture with a view of it under the Law and one view of the same scripture under Grace. Which one describes you?
###
Kept By The Power Of God
1 Peter 1: 5… Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
I once belonged to a certain Christian religion that believed that one could be saved and born-again by an act of their will in choosing to accept Jesus as Savior. This teaching also taught that by an act of their will they could also loose their salvation. Almost everyone to whom I spoke admitted they worried on a daily basis about doing something that would result in loosing their salvation. They had no real assurance of keeping their salvation and of going to heaven when they died. How sad.
In studying scripture I could see that this was not backed up by what the New Testament, especially Jesus, taught. Soon I left and found a church that believed in and taught the opposite.
Instead of me giving my opinion I have decided to let scripture, and Jesus, speak about this and pray that the Holy Spirit will open your heart and give understanding to the reader.
The scripture verse, in context, upon which this essay stands is this.
1 Peter 1:1-5
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, [2] Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. [3] Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, [4] To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, [5] Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Their are a number of scriptures by Jesus that could be used to more than support verse 5 above. Here are only two examples that has been chosen for you to read.
John 6:35-40
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me shall never hunger, and whoever believes in Me shall never thirst. [36] But I told you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. [37] All whom the Father gives Me will come to Me, and he who comes to Me I will never cast out. [38] For I came down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. [39] This is the will of the Father who has sent Me, that of all whom He has given Me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. [40] This is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
John 10:25-30
Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you did not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name bear witness of Me. [26] But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. [27] My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. [28] I give them eternal life. They shall never perish, nor shall anyone snatch them from My hand. [29] My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them from My Father’s hand. [30] My Father and I are one.”
It should be noted that no one is saved (born-again), and staying saved, by an act (work) of one’s own will of the flesh, or mind. Salvation (regeneration) comes only by the will and Grace of God alone, because of the work and obedience of Jesus on behalf of “all” whom the Father has given to Jesus.
In short, salvation and the assurance of still being saved when one dies is given to they…
“Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
How reassuring and humbling that should be to all who are saved and kept saved by the power of of God.
###
Dear Christian Do You Not Hear The Cry From Many As A Result Of Your Wish?
Sometimes God grants our wish for something because it pleases Him to see our joy. Then there are times when God grants our wish that makes us think it would have been better had God said, “No”.
In the Old Testament there came a time when Samuel the prophet became old and the Elders of Israel came to him. They said he was growing old and they wanted a King to rule over them. God heard them and He told Samuel to tell Israel they shall have their King. Also tell them what will happen to them because of their request to have a king instead of trusting in God. For they have rejected Me.
1 Samuel 8: [10] And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king. [11] And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. [12] And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. [13] And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. [14] And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. [15] And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. [16] And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. [17] He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants. [18] And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen for yourselves; and the LORD will not hear you in that day.
Their response?… [19] Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us;
And the Israelites, because of their choices, suffered greatly, just as told them by Samuel what God said would happen.
Today, a number of Christian’s are following the same path. They have chosen a man from whom they believe they can have their way in getting what they want. Instead of looking to God. Yet they know not what the consequences might be because of the choices they have made.
God says to them from Romans 1:16-22,28 KJV
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. [17] For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. [18] For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; [19] Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. [20] For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: [21] Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. [22] Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, [28] And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which ought not to be done;
Yes, God does raise up Kings (leaders), but when Christians want a man to rule over them, instead of trusting in God and bowing before His will, like Israel, will we also suffer the consequences of their choices, will the innocent also suffer because of their disobedience in rejecting God?
It is sad how one singular vote could contribute to bringing such pain, worry and heartache to millions of people around the world, let alone the U. S. I fear for us because of their disobedience in the choices they have made. For all choices have consequences.
Does anyone feel regret? God help us all.
You Talk Too Much
From March 2021
Edited for 2025
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 six(56) 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 can agree, that is love talking.
Every morning I usually get up a lot earlier than does my 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.
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.
Update: I have not heard that phrase, “You talk too much”, since then. So, I guess I will be quiet now and just listen and learn.
Happy Anniversary, Sweetheart!
As A Christian – Are You Living By Faith?
From October 2016
In the Bible there are several verses that make the statement, “the just shall live by faith.” Basically these verses are talking about having faith in Jesus for our salvation and that by trusting in Him and His finished work, and not in our own good works, we have received forgiveness for our sins and have been granted eternal life in Heaven.
However, there is another way at looking at the statement, “the just shall live by faith.” For instance, read the following verses from Proverbs 3: 5, 6
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
Here we are told to “trust in the Lord”. What is trusting but the very act of having faith. Depending on how much faith we have will determine how much we will trust. Since we are told to trust with all our heart shows that we should have strong faith in the Lord for what is happening.
Living by faith is basically just trusting in the Lord for the outcome, no matter what we see or do not see – what our understanding is of the circumstances – and that we know that in our trust in the Lord He will lead us in the direction that He wants us to travel.
As our faith grows so does our trust in Him. In our trust of the Lord we will not look to ourselves for the answer. We will look to God instead. The results are that we will see how God is working in our lives, and we will have more peace by our Trust In The Lord.
How about you? Are you living a life of faith? Only by having strong faith can one truly…
“trust in the Lord with all of our heart”.
Another Example of Wrongfully Interpreting A Single Verse of Scripture Out of Its Context
Philippians 2: 12 – Wherefore, my beloved, as ye 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.
Here is a prime example of how a text, taken out of context, can be interpreted to seemingly mean one thing when it proves to be something entirely different when read contextually.
For instance, most of the time this verse is used like this, “now that you accepted Jesus and are saved you must do what needs to be done in order to remained saved.” “You must work out your salvation of your own will.”
A number of Christian religions, who lean heavily on Old Testament scriptural Law, tend to teach that once one is saved by accepting Jesus as Savior need to be obedient to the Law of the Old Testament or they could loose their salvation.
You must work at being obedient to God’s Law, being careful to observe Church teachings, and obeying all that needs to be done to insure you will keep your salvation from failing. Something that the Jews nor Gentiles ever could accomplish, nor ever will. Each day can start with fear of doing something that will cause you to loose your salvation and trembling even at the hint of sinning a sin for which one could not be forgiven.
How can one ever have confidence in their faith, with this kind of teaching, and be at peace with God?
However, the fear and trembling that is mentioned in this verse is a good thing because of what is said in the next verse that is following. Here is where reading this singular verse in its context will show a different and a more pleasing, God honoring, meaning. See if you can notice the reason for the fear and trembling when this verse is read in its context.
Philippians 2:9-15 KJV – Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye 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.
13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings:
15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
Did you notice verse thirteen? When one, by God’s Grace, is born again by the will of God, and not by the will of man, he is indwelt by the Holy Spirit who begins to work God’s will in him for the works God created for him (Ephesians 2: 9, 10). You will start to see yourself in a different light, with a change of thought and language and in how you will start to treat other people in a more friendly and helpful manor, and more.
These changes, at first, will seem strange and maybe even scary, not knowing what is happening to you and who or what is causing this change. Verse thirteen explains quite plainly what is happening and why. For it is God who is at work in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.
Some of these changes may seem wrong and upsetting at first as it may be something you do not want. That is why in verse fourteen we are told to do these things without murmurings and disputings. You may not enjoy some of these changes, but overtime they will become second nature to you.
This will happen because of God working His will in you that you wonderfully begin to see the changes that are taking place in your life, and that can be a scary thing at first. Eventually you will start to expect seeing how God is working His will in your life for your good and God’s glory.
God is at work in you in keeping you saved so that you do not have to fear loosing your salvation. It is God’s job in keeping you saved by His grace and not of your will. For no one is justified before God by man’s will, only by the faith of Jesus is anyone justified.
Again you can see how reading a scripture verse alone can be taken to mean one thing but when it is read in its context the full meaning comes to life. Never take for granted what someone says is what a single verse means until you read it in its full context.
Would not what God says be more meaningful than what man or a religion says?
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.
Giving Thanks To A Great God
When it comes to eating a most wonderful meal, November is the month for me.
This is a month for giving thanks and nothing says giving thanks more than Thanksgiving. The meals at this time of the year are fantastic. Especially the ones I remember as a kid from the late 1940’s to the early 1960’s.
From my Mom to my Grandmothers they all knew how to cook from scratch and using nothing but fresh – never frozen – meats and vegetables, mostly from their garden.
The fresh Turkey was always nicely brown, fork tender and juicy. Filled with wonderful stuffing that was moist and tasty. The “smashed”, yes smashed, potatoes were nothing like today’s “whipped” smooth and wimpy potatoes. Those potatoes, which I still make myself, where hardy, full of russet flavor, buttery and so wonderfully stiff with a thickness that it would hold up to any homemade gravy from the pan drippings of the Turkey. Add a side of corn and you have a fantastic meal. Except…
Except, it was even better when you had a side of homemade cranberry relish, made with real cranberries, apples and oranges with sugar for added sweetness.
We ran everything through an old style hand cranked food processor (grinder). Beginning with the cranberries dumped into the intake funnel, as you turned the hand crank to crush the berries out came the ground up berries and juice. Then the apples were added, peeling and all, along with the oranges just sliced with the rind still on, all through the same manual food processor.
Once the right amounts of fruits were added, all the ingredients were mixed with a big spoon while adding sugar to the mixture for the sweetness one wanted. Then it was finished… ummm, not quite.
For best results, the mixture was best made about two weeks before Thanksgiving so that it could sit and marinate, and the results were an added measure of taste that was out of this world. Not to mention, that whoever made this relish always filled a quart-canning jar with the relish, seal it with paraffin wax and a lid, and set it in the back of the refrigerator until…
Until Christmas!
At this point, after having sat for so long in a cold environment the result from the fermenting process gave the relish an extra added boost of extravagant flavor and a taste that no canned relish or sauce could ever duplicate. Can you say “ambrosia”?
Not to be outdone by the meal there was one last thing to have; either a big slice of homemade pumpkin pie topped with homemade whipped cream, or a big hunk of homemade thick apple pie topped with real homemade ice cream. What a way to finish a scrumptious meal.
However, before the meal, one thing was always done before any eating took place, and that was the saying of grace.
Now this was something that the kids always took turns in saying and it was very appropriate for little children to say as it was also the way Jesus wanted people to be in following Him – with the faith of a little child.
Our version went like this…
“God is great, God is good and we thank Him for our food. By His hands, we all are fed. Thank you Lord, for our daily bread. Amen.”
You see, food is a blessing. We do not need to ask God to bless it. It already is blessed because God has given it to us. All we need to do is to be grateful to God for our daily bread and just give Him heartfelt thanks in return.
Even Jesus gave thanks for food as He did at the last supper:
Luk_22:19 (KJV) And he took the bread, gave “thanks”, and gave it unto His disciples…
The food is the blessing…
“God is great, God is good and we thank Him for our food. Amen.”
Assurance of Eternal Life Kept By God
Do you believe in eternal life? In the Scriptures, like John 10: 28, the word for eternal means, “perpetual(also used of past time, or past and future as well): – eternal, forever, everlasting,”
Here is what John 10: 18 says about eternal life in its context:
Joh 10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep
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.
If you read the bible at all, you will recognize that these verses are of the story of Jesus being the good shepherd. These words are the words of Jesus as He spoke them to the Pharisees. In these verses, we hear Jesus giving assurance to His Sheep that they have eternal life and that they will never perish nor will any of them be lost.
In fact, in another verse in the gospel of John chapter 6 Jesus again says that He will not lose any of all that the Father brings to Him. In John 6: 37 – 40 Jesus says the following:
Joh 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.
Joh 6:38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
Joh 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.
Joh 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.
These sayings by Jesus are very clear and specific that once a person is saved (born again), and given eternal life, they have the assurance of Jesus that they will “Never” be lost again. He says, “ALL that the Father gives to Him will come to Him and that He will lose “NONE” of them.”
Yet, there are some Christian religions that teach that you can lose your salvation based on what “you” do after you are born again. They are very much like what Paul says in Galatians 3: 2 – 3:
Gal 3:2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Gal 3:3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
Works of any kind do not save anyone nor do works of any kind after being born again keeps one saved, for we are not justified by any kind of work. As Paul says in Galatians 2: 16:
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.
For by grace are we saved through the faith of Jesus given to us by which we believe on Him and are justified by this same faith, the faith of Jesus, that is given to us as a gift as explained in Ephesians 2: 8, 9.
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
You see, we are not given the gift of eternal life by anything that we do, nor are we kept saved for eternal life by works of any kind on our part. Actually, we are kept by God as we see in 1 Peter 1: 3 – 5:
1Pe 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1Pe 1:4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
1Pe 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Once one is born again by the Spirit of God, we are forgiven, Justified by the faith of Christ and kept by the power of God giving us all the assurance we need that eternal life is ours forever.
Any good work that one does after being saved is not done in order to keep our salvation. No, good works are done as evidence of our salvation. Faith in Christ proves one is saved and already has eternal life, given by Jesus and kept by God.
If you still believe that you can lose your salvation and suffer loss of eternal life, instead of what God tells us in Scripture, then maybe you are not yet one of the sheep that belongs to Jesus.
Would you rather trust in yourself, or in the power of God for assurance of eternal life!
Jesus, Politics and Peace
Too many people believe that Christianity and politics go together, especially among the evangelical community. However, what does God say in Scripture about Jesus and politics.
The results of the thesis mentioned are in the first verses you are going to see.
From 1 Timothy 2: 1, 2:
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.
How does the recent election year wrangling fit in with these verses? They do not. Everything that happened during that time went against everything that God said for Christians to do.
In addition, in everyday politics, with different parties seeing different views contributing to divisions among so many people, notably among Christians, these commands from God are not being obeyed; anything but being obeyed.
Here are a few other verses to read. See how politics fits into any of them.
2Ti 2:3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
2Ti 2:4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.
Rom 13:1 let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
Rom 13:2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
Heb 12:14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
The premise of all of these verses is that Christians are to live in peace with everyone. In politics that cannot be done. It is that simple.
Voting is one thing, as long as we remember that when the counting is over Christians are to accept the results of the election, without reservation, because the results are God’s will. To rebel against the results of an election is to rebel against God.
One cannot be involved with politics and live in peace with “everyone”. You either follow Jesus, and be obedient to Him, or you follow your political party’s leaders and do what they say and be at odds with everyone who does not believe in your politics. Is this how you, a Christian, want to be?
As 1 Timothy 2: 2 says, “that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life – with everyone – in all godliness and honesty.”
You just cannot serve both Jesus and politics and have peace with everyone. It is one or the other. Choose wisely.
May God open your heart and give you insight and wisdom. Amen.
Riff's Christian Journal 