‘For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have an everlasting life’
‘For as many as believed Him, to them He gave the right to be called the sons of God, even to them that believed on His name’
‘Believe on the lord Jesus Christ and be saved’
The popular story of the thief on the cross teaches us a very important lesson. The thief believed that Jesus Christ was the son of God. He believed he was able to save him even though he was about to be killed on the cross for wrongdoing. For that reason he was granted a place in paradise. This didn’t imply that the thief earned the right to paradise; it was a privilege that was granted him not because he deserved it. None of us can ever EARN our salvation, no matter what we do, we’ll never deserve it. It is given to us graciously. Accepting Jesus is able to save you is necessary condition for salvation. But what is it really to us if Jesus chooses to grant unto this person or the other salvation, it is nothing to any of us, if you study his word and your understanding is believe and you will be saved, then by all means believe and be saved…
‘For who has known the mind of God that he should counsel him…’
Now there’s this debate about whether a person can lose his salvation…
Concerning these things, the apostle Paul talks of ‘…not being found worthy after he had preached the gospel of Jesus Christ to others’, he talks of ‘…running the race and finishing it’ about ‘… putting on the full armor of God that we might be able to stand in the evil days’ etc etc
Throughout Paul’s letters he appears to say that after believing and receiving salvation, one can still lose this salvation if they don’t work at it!
Is Paul therefore contradicting the gospel?
You see, when you find yourself reading the bible in bits, you come across a lot of ‘contradictions’ but when you study the bible wholly and in context you find sweet harmony.
Believing is a tricky business. There’s a big difference between resignation and acceptance
When you’ve come to believe that this particular look is what is known as color blue, not many things will make you believe you’re wrong about it or that others might not see it that way, I can hardly convince you that this thing you’ve been referring to as the color blue is actually not blue but what everyone else sees as green neither can I convince you that air is actually water. These things are so set in your mind.
Believing in Jesus is not as simple as believing that Obama has won the elections to become president of the USA and then life goes on. It becomes a character. It becomes you and it forms a character in you, it forms a different persona in you, the way you walk and talk changes. There is no such thing as ‘ on this side of my mind and heart I believe and accept Jesus but on the other side life goes on, nothing has changed.’ Believing Jesus and accepting him affects your whole personality, it affects you totally. For every person that believes there is a different person created, some are given to be evangelist, some preachers, church care takers, encouragers, teachers etc.
This is what some refer to as working towards your salvation. Now if somebody has truly accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior he cannot refuse to live his salvation, its incompatible, like Jonah, when he was sent by God, he found refusing to go was too hot to handle.
Working towards your salvation is simply becoming your saved personality.
Some people keep accepting Christ as Lord and Saviour and then re –accepting each time there is an altar call. Such people ‘accepted’ and then life went on for them, nothing changed, they only tastes but didn’t swallow.
Now one who has become his salvation personality is in no way perfect. Perfection will only come with Christ second coming.
King David committed one of the most grievous sins, he fell heavily yet he was still a man after God’s own heart…
This is surely something to think about
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May the Love and Grace of God remain with you always helping all along the way as we walk through this Great Valley of the shadow of Death together overcoming it through CHRIST with and within us forever!
God bless..much love and eternal respect
I send u early Greetings now so HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!