Month: September 2018

We have all sinned

Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Rom 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Because of sin, we deserve death and hell

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Rev 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death

Isaiah 64:6 (excerpt) all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags;

God demonstrated His mercy, grace, and love toward us by doing something so we do not have to go to hell, but instead have the gift of eternal life

Rom 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Jn 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

Jn 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Our response is to receive through faith what He did for us 

Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

Acts 16:30-31 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

Eph 2:8-9 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.

Jn 10:9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

Rom 10:9-10 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. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

After receiving Jesus and what He did for us, we are now free from sin and condemnation

Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Rom 8:38-39 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Do this now –  “behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor 6:2)

Admit that you are a sinner and need to be saved.

Repent, turn from your sin and ask forgiveness

Confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay for your sins and was raised from the dead. (Rom 10:9; 1 Cor 15:3-4)

Pray: Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner.  I know that I need you.  I believe that you died on the cross for me. Forgive me of my sins. Right now, I turn from my sins and open the door of my heart and life to you.  I receive you as my Saviour, come into my life, save me, be Lord of my life, and fill me with your Holy Spirit.  Thank you for what you did for me.  Amen

Next steps

You are now a new creature in Christ

2 Cor 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Get a bible, read it every day and be a doer of the word (Isaiah 34:16; James 1:22)

Pray every day (1 John 5:14)

Seek fellowship with other believers (John 13:35; Hebrews 10:5)

Jeremiah 17:13 O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters

John 8:6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not

John8:8-9 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

• Idolatry is a work of the flesh
• They which do such things as idolatry shall not inherit the kingdom of God ( see also 1 Cor 6:9)

Colossians 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry

• Covetousness is a form of idolatry

1 Samuel 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry

• Stubbornness is as idolatry

Acts 17:16 Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry

• A city can be wholly given to idolatry

Revelation 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

• Idolaters will have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the second death (See also Rev 22:15)
  

1 Corinthians 10:14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.

• We should flee from idolatry (see also 1 Cor 10:7)

1 Corinthians 5:11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat

• Do not fellowship with a pretend Christian who is an idolator

1 Corinthians 8:10 For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol’s temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols

• Avoid meats offered to idols for the sake of those who might interpret it as “being ok” to partake in offerings to idols

John 3:6-8 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.  The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

1 Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

John 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

An example of the importance of examining the context is the various uses of the word “evil”. 

Moral evil is not an invention of God.  Perhaps it could be said He allowed for the capacity for moral evil (a capability for sin and rebellion) as part of giving mankind free will. Personal volition is a gift and the giver of the gift is not morally culpable if the gift is abused.  So it cannot be said that He “created” moral evil – particularly since moral evil is not a created thing but a attribute of sinful behavior.

Jeremiah 19:5 They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind:

Jeremiah 32:35 And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.

Romans 1:30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

God is NOT inventor of moral evil, the context for the word “evil” in the following verses refers to calamity brought as judgement

I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things. (Isaiah 45:7, KJV)

Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it? (Amos 3:6, KJV)

Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good? (Lamentations 3:38)

For those who try to carve up the bible and pick and choose for themselves what they think does or does not apply to them,  they should read the following…

John 5:46-47 For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?