06/07/2019
____________________________________________________________________________
Acts
13:38-39 So let it
be clearly known by you, brothers, that through Him forgiveness of sins is
being proclaimed to you; and through Him everyone who believes [who acknowledges
Jesus as Lord and Savior and follows Him] is justified and declared free of guilt from all things, from which you could
not be justified and freed of
guilt through the Law of Moses.
Because of one’s
personal faith in Jesus Christ as Savior, God graciously credits His
righteousness to the believer. Justification denotes a legal standing with God
as designated only by God. God declares a believer to be acquitted (absolved,
freed of all charges), then designates the believer to be brought into right standing
before Him.
When a person makes a conscious choice to
repent of their sins and accept Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior
they are justified {declared or made righteous in the sight of God}.
Justification is the result of faith which is given to the soul the very moment
a person accepts Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.
When Jesus was hanging on the cross, the
thief on the cross beside Him was justified the moment that he turned his eye
of faith to Jesus; and Paul, after years of service, was not more justified
than was the thief with no service at all.
Romans
8:1-4 - Therefore
there is now no condemnation [no guilty verdict, no punishment] for those who
are in Christ Jesus [who believe in Him as personal Lord and Savior]. For the
law of the Spirit of life [which is] in Christ Jesus [the law of our new being]
has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do
[that is, overcome sin and remove its penalty, its power] being weakened by the
flesh [man’s nature without the Holy Spirit], God did: He sent His own Son in
the likeness of sinful man as an offering for sin. And He condemned sin in the
flesh [subdued it and overcame it in the person of His own Son], so that the
[righteous and just] requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us who do not
live our lives in the ways of the flesh [guided by worldliness and our sinful
nature], but [live our lives] in the ways of the Spirit [guided by His power].
In Ephesians 1,
Paul prays for believers to comprehend God’s great power at work in them. He
then describes how this same power resurrected Christ from the dead and seated
him in heavenly places, far above all rule and authority. God’s power
was displayed through His Son, Jesus Christ; when Jesus conquered both evil and
the grave through His resurrection. Having ascended to the Father; Jesus Christ
now rules from His Throne of Righteousness and empowering believers with the
same power from God that He displayed.
Ephesians
1:18-21 And [I pray] that the eyes of
your heart [the very center and core of your being] may be enlightened [flooded
with light by the Holy Spirit], so that you will know and cherish the hope [the divine guarantee, the confident
expectation] to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance
in the saints (God’s people), and [so that you will begin to
know] what the immeasurable and
unlimited and surpassing
greatness of His [active, spiritual] power is in us who believe. These are in
accordance with the working of His mighty strength which He produced in Christ
when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His own right hand in the
heavenly places, far above all
rule and authority and power and dominion [whether angelic or human], and [far
above] every name that is named [above every title that can be conferred], not
only in this age and world but
also in the one to come.
John
3:3 Jesus answered
him, “I assure you and
most solemnly say to you, unless a person is born again
[reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified], he
cannot [ever] see and experience the kingdom of God.”
Since Jesus made it clear that a person who
wants to follow Him must be born- again in the Spirit it is in the believer’s
best interest to pay close attention to the characteristics and traits of True
Believer’s.
As human beings it would be next to
impossible for us to exhibit all the characteristics and traits ALL of the
time. We can however call upon the Holy Spirit to teach us how to incorporate
them into our lives. Jesus said the Holy Spirit would be our helper once He ascended
to the Father {John
14:16, 26; 15:26}.
As you study through all of these
characteristics and traits; it is my prayer that our Heavenly Father will open
your {Spiritual} eyes so you will be able to discern between the darkness Satan
has placed upon this world and the light {power of God} that you will be in
this world as you draw closer to God through obeying His Word for your life.
Get up and stand on your feet. I have
appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you [to serve] as a minister and as a witness [to testify, with
authority,] not
only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will
appear to you,
[choosing you for Myself and] rescuing you from the Jewish
people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, to open their [spiritual] eyes so that they may turn from
darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive
forgiveness and release from
their sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified (set apart,
made holy) by faith in Me. Acts
26:16-18
31
Characteristics of a believer
10 Traits of a
TRUE Christian
6.
Seeking
Those Which Are Lost – 1
Timothy 2:4; Ezekiel
18:32; Romans
1:16; Matthew
10:28; Luke
12:8-9
10. Do You Visit Orphans and Widows? – Psalm
68:5; Isaiah
1:17; Zechariah
7:9-10; Matthew
25:36-40; James
1:27
7 Characteristics
of a Mature Christian
The
Bible gives us many marks of a growing believer, like perseverance and
spiritual fruit, but the Bible specifically mentions the following 7
characteristics in conjunction with the Greek word teleios {completeness of
Christian Character}:
2. Not easily
swayed by false teaching {Ephesians
4:13-16} – So grounded in the truth
of God’s Word, he/she quickly recognizes falsehood.
3. Rooted in love
{Ephesians
4:13-16} – Our words and actions
flow from love for our fellow believers.
4. Serves the
church {Ephesians
4:13-16} – A Christian cannot grow
to his/her full potential apart from a vital connection to a local church. He/She
must find their place of mutual service and encouragement.
5. Lives with an
eternal perspective {Philippians
3:13-15} – The reality of the
spiritual and eternal drives his/her life. He/She purposefully strives to
continual spiritual growth because he/she knows this life is temporary.
6. Controls
his/her tongue {James
3:2} – If a Christian has good
control of his/her speech, you know he/she is on a path to maturity!
7. Reflects God’s
character to the world {Matthew
5:48} – God wants us to grow in
spiritual maturity in order to reflect the character of Jesus to a watching
world.
In order to evaluate whether we too are following Jesus, we must
understand what experiences are true of those who are genuine followers.
1.
Born Again - “Jesus answered him, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless
a person is born again [reborn from above—spiritually transformed,
renewed, sanctified], he cannot [ever] see
and experience the kingdom of
God.” {John
3:3}. This is the first
qualification to become a follower of Jesus. We must confess and repent of our
sins, by faith receive God’s forgiveness, surrender our lives to Christ as our
Savior and Lord, and start walking in His ways. Being a Christian is not just
becoming better or improving ourselves; it’s an entirely new life born of the
Spirit.
2.
Prayer - “Now at
this time Jesus went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night
in prayer to God.” {Luke
6:12}. If we follow Jesus, we
will be a person of prayer just as He was. In fact, it will be a major part of
our lives, not just an occasional plea for help when we’re in need. For prayer
to become a priority, we must make it a daily habit to have a quiet time alone
with God. Starting and finishing each day in prayer is a good way to make sure
we are walking in Christ’s footsteps.
3.
Listening - “While he
was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from
the cloud said, This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased and delighted! Listen to Him!” {Matthew
17:5}. Too often many of us
begin the morning with thoughts of everything we need to accomplish that day.
Although fulfilling our responsibilities is important, it’s more essential to
spend time listening to the Father, asking Him to guide us into His plan for
our lives as well as for the day ahead, and not our own. As the sovereign Lord
and Master not only of the universe but of our individual lives, God requires our
submission and obedience to His will. That’s why we must take time to listen to
Him as we read His Word and pray.
4.
Belief - “For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave
His [One and] only begotten
Son, so that whoever believes and
trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not
perish, but have eternal life.” {John
3:16}. Just as we trusted
Christ for salvation, so we must continue to live by faith as we follow Him. If
we don’t believe Him, we’ll live self-centered lives and won’t do what He says
or walk in His ways. But as genuine followers of Christ, we’ll trust Him with
our difficulties, pain, temptations, and needs, relying on Him to enable us to
do whatever He says.
5.
Obedience - Once more Jesus addressed the crowd. He said, “I
am the Light of the world. He who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but
will have the Light of life.” {John
8:12}. Following requires
obedience, and when this is the desire of our hearts, we recognize how foolish
it is to go our own way. Sin always leads to loss and the death of something
whether it’s opportunities or blessings {Romans
6:23}. If we stubbornly
refuse to obey God, He will send enough heartache and trouble into our lives to
correct us. It is always good to obey Him because He is the source of every
good thing.
6.
Love - “and you shall love the Lord your God with all
your heart, and with all your soul (life), and with all your mind (thought, understanding), and with all your strength.” {Mark
12:30}. We can’t follow
Christ with a divided heart—half in the world and half with God. The love we
are to have for Christ involves our entire being. Therefore, we can’t allow
impure thoughts, images, and words into our minds and claim to love Him at the
same time. Wholehearted love for Christ affects what we think and watch, what
we do, and where we go.
7.
Sharing - “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations [help
the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and obey My words], baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” {Matthew
28:19}. This is Jesus’
command, and if we are going to follow Him, we will share the truth of God’s
Word with others, regardless of whether they like us or not. In a world of
hatred, bitterness, animosity, and death, Christ’s followers are risking their
lives to bring the gospel to people throughout the world. Each of us can surely
say something to spark the interest of someone we know who is not following
Jesus.
8.
Service - “If anyone serves Me, he must [continue to faithfully] follow
Me [without hesitation, holding steadfastly to Me, conforming to
My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of
faith in Me]; and wherever I am [in
heaven’s glory], there will My servant be also. If anyone
serves Me, the Father will honor him.” {John
12:26}. Jesus came as a
servant, and as His followers, that’s what we should do as well. All of us have
the capacity to serve the Lord in some fashion by serving others. Service comes
in many different forms: helping, caring, encouraging, comforting, giving,
teaching, or sharing God’s Word.
9.
Suffering - “For you
have been granted [the privilege] for Christ’s sake, not only to believe and confidently trust in Him, but
also to suffer for His sake” {Philippians
1:29}. If we are following
Jesus, we can expect to experience some form of suffering. We may be rejected,
suffer financial loss, or even lose relationships because we make people feel
uncomfortable and don’t fit in with those who love the world. But this should
not stop us from following Jesus and sharing the gospel.
Examine
Yourself
One of the hardest things for humans to do
is examine themselves to see if the life they are living is pleasing to God. No
one will ever be able to completely without fault live perfect lives by keeping
everything written in Scripture. Remember, the only one who was perfect at it
was Jesus Christ. We strive to live holy lives just as Jesus Christ our example
did {1
Peter 1:15-17}. Let each of us kneel
before the Lord in reverence free from guilt asking Him to help us examine our
lives bringing to light those things we need to repent and turn away from in
order to be pleasing unto Him. Keeping the
command in 2
Corinthians 13:5-7 will give us a
starting place in cleaning out our lives for our Lord.
Test and
evaluate yourselves to see
whether you are in the faith and
living your lives as [committed] believers. Examine yourselves [not me]! Or do
you not recognize this about yourselves [by an ongoing experience] that Jesus
Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test and are rejected as counterfeit? But I hope you will acknowledge
that we do not fail the test nor
are we to be rejected. But I pray to God that you may do nothing wrong. Not so
that we [and our teaching] may appear to be approved, but that you may continue
doing what is right, even though we [by comparison] may seem to have failed. 2 Corinthians 13:5-7
Although we
may be tempted to pick and choose which of these qualities we want to pursue,
all these practices are essential elements of our walk with Jesus and should
become an important part of our lives as we follow Him.
Are you a
follower of Christ? If you find any of these characteristics difficult to
accept and practice, ask God in prayer to work them into your life so you can
follow Jesus more fully.
God has
given up everything we need to live a {Dynamic Spiritual} life through the
truths found in His Word. Know this my friend that you can be {Made Alive in
Christ Jesus} through surrendering your life to Him, repenting of your sins and
being made knew through Spiritual Rebirth.
For His divine power has bestowed on us [absolutely] everything
necessary for [a dynamic spiritual] life and godliness, through true and personal knowledge of Him who
called us by His own glory and excellence. By these He has bestowed on us His
precious and magnificent promises [of inexpressible value], so that by them you
may escape from the immoral freedom that is in the world because of
disreputable desire, and become sharers of the divine nature. For this very
reason, applying your diligence [to the divine promises, make every effort] in
[exercising] your faith to, develop moral excellence, and in moral excellence,
knowledge (insight, understanding), and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, steadfastness, and in your steadfastness, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly affection, and in your brotherly affection, [develop
Christian] love [that is, learn to unselfishly seek the best for others and to
do things for their benefit]. For as these qualities are yours and are increasing [in you as you grow
toward spiritual maturity], they will keep you from being useless and
unproductive in regard to the true knowledge and greater understanding of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever
lacks these qualities is
blind—shortsighted [closing his spiritual eyes to the truth], having become
oblivious to the fact that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore,
believers, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and
choosing you [be sure that your behavior reflects and confirms your
relationship with God]; for by doing these things [actively developing these
virtues], you will never stumble [in your spiritual growth and will live a life
that leads others away from sin]; for in this way entry into the eternal
kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly provided to you. Therefore,
I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them and are established
in the truth which is held firmly in your grasp. I think it right, as long as I
am in this earthly tent, to
inspire you by reminding you, knowing that the laying aside of this earthly tent of mine is imminent, as
our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 2
Peter 1:3-14
{Made Alive in Christ} And you [He
made alive when you] were [spiritually] dead and separated from Him because of your transgressions and sins,
in which you once walked. You were following the ways of this world [influenced
by this present age], in accordance with the prince of the power of the air
(Satan), the spirit who is now at work in the disobedient [the unbelieving, who
fight against the purposes of God]. Among these [unbelievers] we all once lived
in the passions of our flesh [our behavior governed by the sinful self],
indulging the desires of human nature [without the Holy Spirit] and [the
impulses] of the [sinful] mind. We were, by nature, children [under the
sentence] of [God’s] wrath, just like the rest [of mankind]. But God, being [so
very] rich in mercy, because of His great and wonderful love with which He loved us, even when we were
[spiritually] dead and
separated from Him because of our sins, He made us [spiritually] alive together
with Christ (for by His grace—His undeserved favor and mercy—you have been
saved from God’s judgment). And He raised us up together with Him [when we
believed], and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, [because we are] in Christ Jesus, [and He did this] so
that in the ages to come He might [clearly] show the immeasurable and unsurpassed riches of His grace
in [His] kindness toward us in Christ Jesus [by providing for our redemption]. Ephesians 2:1-7
Remember
this journey is NOT meant to be easy; however we have this strength in Christ
Jesus who overcame this world to show us that it is possible.
I have told you these things, so that in Me you may
have [perfect]
peace. In the
world you have tribulation and
distress and suffering, but be
courageous
[be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world. [My conquest is
accomplished, My victory abiding.] John
16:33
I pray you will trust the Holy Spirit to
guide you through this journey of life. Keep studying the Word {2
Timothy 2:15} so you will know the
Truth.
Forever in Christ Jesus service,
Scriptures for further study
17 Bible Verses that Will Remind You of Your Identity in Christ
1. John
1:12 ~ But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the right
[the authority, the privilege] to become children of God, that is, to those who believe in
(adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name.
2. Romans
8:28 ~ And
we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us]
causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God,
to those who are called according to His plan and purpose.
3. Ephesians
1:7 ~ In Him we have redemption [that is, our deliverance and salvation]
through His blood, [which paid the penalty for our sin and resulted in] the
forgiveness and complete pardon
of our sin, in accordance with the riches of His grace.
4. John
15:16 ~ You have not chosen Me, but I
have chosen you and I have appointed and
placed and purposefully planted
you, so that you would go and bear fruit and
keep on bearing, and that your fruit will remain and be lasting, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My
name [as My representative] He may give to you.
5. Romans
6:6 ~ We
know that our old self [our human nature without the Holy Spirit] was nailed to
the cross with Him, in order
that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves
to sin.
6. Genesis
1:27 ~ So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him;
male and female He created them.
7. Jeremiah
1:5 ~ “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you [and approved of you as
My chosen instrument], and before you were born I consecrated you [to Myself as My own]; I have appointed you
as a prophet to the nations.”
8. 1
Peter 2:9 ~ But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation,
a [special] people
for God’s
own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies [the wonderful deeds and
virtues and perfections] of Him who called you out of darkness into His
marvelous light.
9. Galatians
2:20 ~ I
have been crucified with Christ [that is, in Him I have shared His
crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body I live by
faith [by adhering to, relying on, and completely trusting] in the Son of God,
who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
10. John
15:15 ~ I do not call you servants any longer, for
the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you [My] friends,
because I have revealed to you everything that I have heard from My Father.
11. Ephesians
2:10 ~ For
we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ
Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used]
for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He
set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged
and made ready for us].
12. Philippians
3:20 ~ But
[we are different, because] our citizenship is in heaven. And from there we
eagerly await [the coming of] the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ…
13. 2
Timothy 1:7 ~ For
God did not give us a spirit of timidity or
cowardice or fear, but [He has
given us a spirit] of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline [abilities
that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control].
14. Colossians
3:1-4 ~ Therefore
if you have been raised with Christ [to a new life, sharing in His resurrection
from the dead], keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is, seated
at the right hand of God. Set your mind and
keep focused habitually on the
things above [the heavenly things], not on things that are on the earth [which
have only temporal value]. For you died [to this world], and your [new, real]
life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, appears, then
you also will appear with Him in glory.
15. Romans
8:37 ~ Yet
in all these things we are more than conquerors and gain an overwhelming victory through Him who loved us [so
much that He died for us].
16. Psalm
139:14 ~ I will give thanks and
praise to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your
works, And
my soul knows it very well.
17. 2
Corinthians 5:17
~ Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him
by faith in Him as Savior], he is
a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the
previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things
have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life].
Unfailing Love
Psalm
36:7 {NLT} - How
precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings.
Psalm
55:22 - Cast
your burden on the Lord [release it] and He will sustain and uphold you;
He will never allow the righteous to be shaken (slip, fall, fail).
He will never allow the righteous to be shaken (slip, fall, fail).
Acts
14:21-22 - They
preached the good news to that city and made many disciples, then they returned
to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening and establishing the hearts of the disciples; encouraging them to remain firm
in the faith, saying, “It is through many tribulations and hardships that we must enter the
kingdom of God.”
Believer
Justified
Psalm
71:16 I will come with the mighty acts of the Lord God [and in His strength]; I will make mention
of Your righteousness, Yours alone.
Isaiah
42:21 The Lord was pleased for His righteousness’ sake to make the law great and prove to be glorious.
Isaiah
46:13 I bring My justice near, it is not far off. So My salvation will
not delay. I
put salvation in Zion, My glory in Israel.
Habakkuk
2:4 - Look at
the proud one, His soul is not right within him, but the righteous will live by his faith [in the
true God].
Matthew
12:37 For by your words [reflecting your
spiritual condition] you will be justified and
acquitted of the guilt of sin; and by your words
[rejecting Me] you
will be condemned and
sentenced.
Acts
13:38-39 So let it be clearly known by you, brothers, that
through Him forgiveness of sins is being proclaimed to you; and through Him
everyone who believes [who acknowledges Jesus as Lord and Savior and follows
Him] is
justified and declared free of
guilt from all things, from which you could not be justified and freed of guilt through the Law of
Moses.
Romans
1:17 - In the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed,
both springing from faith and leading to faith [disclosed in a
way that awakens more faith]. As it is written and forever remains written, “The
just and
upright shall live by faith.”
Romans
4:1-3 - What
then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather humanly speaking, has found?
[Has he obtained a favored standing?] For if Abraham was justified [that is,
acquitted from the guilt of his sins] by works [those things he did that were
good], he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the
Scripture say? “Abraham believed in (trusted, relied on) God,
and it was credited to his account as righteousness (right living, right standing with God).”
Romans
3:21-26 - But now the righteousness of God has been
clearly revealed [independently and completely] apart from the Law, though it
is [actually] confirmed by the Law and the [words and writings of the]
Prophets. This righteousness of God comes through faith in Jesus Christ for all
those [Jew or Gentile] who believe [and trust in Him and acknowledge Him as
God’s Son]. There is no distinction, since all have sinned and continually fall short of the glory
of God, and are being justified [declared free of the guilt of sin, made
acceptable to God, and granted eternal life] as a gift by His [precious,
undeserved] grace, through the redemption [the payment for our sin] which is
[provided] in Christ Jesus, whom God displayed publicly [before the eyes of the
world] as a [life-giving] sacrifice of atonement and reconciliation (propitiation) by His blood [to be received]
through faith. This was to
demonstrate His righteousness [which demands punishment for sin], because in
His forbearance [His deliberate restraint] He passed over the sins previously
committed [before Jesus’ crucifixion]. It was to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so
that He would be just and the One who justifies those who have faith in Jesus
[and rely confidently on Him as Savior].
Romans
5:1-2 - Therefore, since we have been justified [that is,
acquitted of sin, declared blameless before God] by faith, [let us grasp the
fact that] we have peace with God [and the joy of reconciliation with Him]
through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed). Through Him we also
have access by faith into this [remarkable state of] grace in which we [firmly
and safely and securely] stand. Let us rejoice in our hope and the confident assurance of
[experiencing and enjoying] the glory of [our great] God [the manifestation of
His excellence and power].
Romans
5:15-21 - But
the free gift [of God] is not like the trespass [because the gift of grace
overwhelms the fall of man]. For if many died by one man’s trespass [Adam’s
sin], much more [abundantly] did God’s grace and the gift [that comes] by the
grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, overflow to [benefit] the many. Nor is the
gift [of grace] like that which came
through the one who sinned. For on the one hand the judgment [following the
sin] resulted from one trespass
and brought condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift resulted from many trespasses and
brought justification [the release from sin’s penalty for those who believe].
For if by the trespass of the one (Adam), death reigned through the one (Adam),
much more surely will those who
receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in
[eternal] life through the One, Jesus Christ. So then as through one trespass [Adam’s sin]
there resulted condemnation for all men, even so through one act of
righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. For just as
through one man’s disobedience [his failure to hear, his carelessness] the many
were made sinners, so through the obedience of the one Man the many will be
made righteous and acceptable
to God and brought into right
standing with Him. But the Law came to increase and expand [the awareness of] the trespass [by defining and
unmasking sin]. But where sin increased, [God’s remarkable, gracious gift of]
grace [His unmerited favor] has surpassed it and increased all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, so
also grace would reign through righteousness which brings eternal life through
Jesus Christ our Lord.
1
Corinthians 1:18-31 – The Wisdom of
God
1
Corinthians 6:9-11 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit or have any share in the kingdom of
God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor
adulterers, nor effeminate [by perversion], nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor
drunkards, nor revilers [whose words are used as weapons to abuse, insult,
humiliate, intimidate, or slander], nor swindlers will inherit or have any share in the kingdom of
God. And such were some of you [before you believed]. But you were washed [by
the atoning sacrifice of Christ], you were sanctified [set apart for God, and
made holy], you were justified [declared free of guilt] in the name of the Lord
Jesus Christ and in the [Holy] Spirit of our God [the source of the believer’s
new life and changed behavior].
2
Corinthians 3:1-3 Are we starting to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some
[false teachers], letters of recommendation to you or from you? [No!] You are
our letter [of recommendation], written in our hearts, recognized and read by
everyone. You show that you are a letter from Christ, delivered by us, written
not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but
on tablets of human hearts.
2
Corinthians 5:21 - He made Christ who knew no sin to [judicially] be sin on our behalf,
so that in Him we would become the righteousness of God [that is, we would be
made acceptable to Him and placed in a right relationship with Him by His
gracious lovingkindness].
Galatians
2:16 - we know
that a man is not justified [and placed in right standing with God] by works of
the Law, but [only] through faith in [God’s beloved Son,] Christ Jesus.
Galatians
3:23-24 - Now before faith came, we were kept in custody
under the Law, [perpetually] imprisoned [in preparation] for the faith that was
destined to be revealed, with the result that the Law has become our tutor and our disciplinarian to guide us to Christ, so that we may
be justified [that is, declared free of the guilt of sin and its penalty, and
placed in right standing with God] by faith.
Titus
3:4-7 - But when
the goodness and kindness of
God our Savior and His love for
mankind appeared [in human form as the Man, Jesus Christ], He saved us, not
because of any works of righteousness that we have done, but because of His own
compassion and mercy, by the
cleansing of the new birth (spiritual transformation, regeneration) and
renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out richly upon us through Jesus
Christ our Savior, so that we would be justified [made free of the guilt of
sin] by His [compassionate, undeserved] grace, and that we would be
[acknowledged as acceptable to Him and] made heirs of eternal life [actually
experiencing it] according to our hope (His guarantee).
Hebrews
6:4-6 - For [it is impossible to restore to repentance]
those who have once been enlightened [spiritually] and who have tasted and consciously experienced the
heavenly gift and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted and consciously experienced the good
word of God and the powers of the age (world) to come, and then have fallen
away—it is impossible to bring them back again to repentance, since they again
nail the Son of God on the cross [for as far as they are concerned, they are
treating the death of Christ as if they were not saved by it], and are holding
Him up again to public disgrace.
James
2:21-25 - Was our father Abraham not [shown to be] justified
by works [of obedience which expressed his faith] when he offered Isaac his son
on the altar [as a sacrifice to God]? You see that [his] faith was working
together with his works, and as a result of the works, his faith was completed
[reaching its maturity when he expressed his faith through obedience]. And the
Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham
believed God, and this [faith] was credited to him [by God] as righteousness and as
conformity to His will,” and he was called
the friend of God. You see that a man (believer) is justified by works and not
by faith alone [that is, by acts of obedience a born-again believer reveals his
faith]. In the same way, was Rahab the prostitute not justified by works too,
when she received the [Hebrew] spies as guests and protected them, and sent them away [to escape] by a
different route?
No comments:
Post a Comment