From Sinner to
Saint. The Good News.
I recently asked a Christian congregation: “how many of you
are Sinners?” Without hesitation every hand went up. Than I asked: “How many of
you are saints?” After some hesitation, a few hands began to go slowly up, like
there would be some embarrassment to acknowledge to be a saint. What do you think and how do you feel about these questions? If you
feel embarrassed and would be hesitant to respond with a rejoicing, “yes”,
you do not fully understand the experience of “righteousness by faith”, and you are still burdened and laboring
under the defeating life style of “righteousness
by works”. Please do not take this as criticism but rather as a diagnosis.
There is good news for you. Permit the Spirit of God to open your mind and
heart for this life changing truth of the gospel of Christ. Please understand
that I am writing this to Christians that are born of God because the natural
mind would not be able to understand this at all.
1 Cor 2:14
14 But the
natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are
foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually
discerned.
Let me ask you another question: “Are you saved?” Do you
hope so, or know so? Picture in your mind for a moment that you are
shipwrecked, swimming in the ocean, no land in sight. You know you are lost.
Saving your self, impossible, no way. All your screaming splashing, struggling
would not save you. You know that you would have to totally depend on some one
else or you will drown. But suddenly you see a ship. The coast guard got the
distress signal of your sinking ship and here they are coming for the rescue.
They throw you a flotation ring. You would not say I do not take that because I
do not like that color. You would be delighted to get saved even if it is not
in your own fashion.
Do you think the coast guard would have completed their
rescue if they left you with that flotation ring in the water? No, they did not
save you in the water, they saved you from the water. Now you are
back on solid ground. Do you know that you are saved? Would you not say:
“thanks to the coast guard, they did it”. I am saved. It is your choice to stay
on board and be saved or to jump back into the water and be lost.
Now let us see how this illustration applies to our
spiritual salvation from eternal death into eternal life
We are all born of the flesh, with carnal minds into a
deadly spiritual ocean of sin. This is the realm of the devil. Sin is the cause
of eternal death. And mankind are the living-dead in this dark ocean from which
they cannot rescue them selves
.
1 Cor 15:56
56 The sting of death
is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.
Eph 2:1-3
And you He made
alive, who were dead in trespasses and
sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world,
according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in
the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in
the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind,
and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
What is sin? Only God can answer this. [Be
watchful Satan has deceived many on this.]
“Sin is transgression of the law of God.”
I Jn 3:4
4 Whosoever
committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
“What ever is not from faith is sin.”
Rom 14:23
23 But he who
doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.
“To him who knows to do good and does not do it, to
him it is sin.”
James 4:17
17 Therefore, to
him who knows to do good and does not do
it, to him it is sin.
Can the law save us? No, it just tells us
what sin is, and condemns us if we disobey
Rom 3:20
20 Therefore by
the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Rom 7:7
7 What shall
we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through
the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said,
"You shall not covet."
Please note< the reference is made to the ten
commandments.
Rom 7:11-13
11 For sin, taking occasion by the
commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me.
12 Therefore the
law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.
13 Has then what
is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was
producing death in me through what
is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful.
The law is like a mirror. It shows us if we are dirty or
untidy. Its purpose is not for cleaning or grooming, nor can it do any such
functions
.
Only who can save us? Jesus Christ =
The Anointed Savior.
John 3:16
16 "For God so loved the world that He
gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but
have everlasting life.
John 10:9
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.
Acts 4:12
12 Neither is
there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given
among men, whereby we must be saved.
Acts 16:31
31 And they
said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shall be saved, and thy house.
Rom 5:10
10 For if, when
we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more,
being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
Eph 2:5
5 Even when we
were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace ye are
saved;
Eph 2:8
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves: it is the
gift of God:
2 Tim 1:9
9 Who hath
saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace,
which was given us in Christ Jesus
before the world began,
Titus 3:5
5 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;
Now
since we are saved by Christ, without any merit of our own [no work, no
screaming, no splashing,] we
can say jubilantly with all our hearts and minds: ‘Praise the Lord, He did it.”
I am saved.
If
we had the wrong opinion, that our
salvation would have depended on something we had to contribute, then
hesitation would be in order and give the appearance of modesty. But for such a
marvelous Gift of God, how could any one hesitate praising God, confessing and
sharing, the great things He has done. We have entered in Christ from death
into eternal life. He saved us. We are saved. If we abide in Him, the solid foundation, we remain saved for eternity.
No one can take us out of His hand.
John
10:29
29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is
greater than all; and no one is able to
snatch them out of My Father's hand.
John
5:24
24 "Most
assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall
not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.
John
3:36
36 "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who
does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on
him."
I
Jn 5:11
11 And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and
this life is in His Son.
I
Jn 5:13
13 These things have I written unto you
that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that
ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
Please
comprehend this wonderful truth, that when you believe in Him and are born of
God, you have now eternal life. It is a free gift of God to you and you will
receive immortality when Christ returns to take us home.
What is a
sinner? One who lives in sin. His mind is carnal. His nature is
contrary to the will of God. He disobeys
Gods laws. Self is number one. The seeming good he does has self centered
motives. He bears the fruits of the flesh. Sin is the fruit and work of the
devil. A sinner is born of Satan’s
spirit. and under condemnation. He or she is lost and in a state of spiritual
death..
Gal
5:19-26
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident,
which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,
20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions,
jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,
21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries,
and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time
past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Even
religious people and their leaders [pastors, priests, popes, cardinals,
reverends, rabbis etc]. may be born of their father the devil.
John
8:44
44 "You are of your father the devil,
and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the
beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.
When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and
the father of it.
Please
note that Jesus said this to the clergy of his dais.
Matt
7:20
20 Wherefore
by their fruits ye shall know them.
So
there are only two kinds of people in this world: Children of God, and children
of the devil.
Two
spiritual kingdoms with their citizens
Satan’s
kingdom:
Matt
12:26
26 "If Satan casts out Satan, he is
divided against himself. How then will his
kingdom stand?
His citizens have always been the majority in
this world.
Matt
7:13-14
13 "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide
is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.
14 "Because narrow is the gate and
difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
The Kingdom
Of God.
Rom
14:17
17 for the kingdom of God
Matt
12:28
28 "But if I cast out demons by the
Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God
Luke
17:20-21
20 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees
when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God
21 "nor
will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!' For indeed, the kingdom
of God
Everyone
that is controlled and born of God’s spirit is His and lives in His kingdom.
Rom
8:9
9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God
dwells in you. Now if anyone does
not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.
Rom
8:14
14 For as
many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
Does God
accept sinners?
Praise the Lord, He does. If He would
not, we all would be lost. But He
accepts
only repenting
sinners, who turn away
from sin. They know they are lost in that terrible deep ocean of sin and long
to be saved not in sin, but from sin They no longer have a
desire to live in sin
Rom
6:22
22 But now having been set free from sin,
and having become slaves of God, you
have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.
Matt
18:11
11 For the Son of man is come to save that
which was lost.
Luke
15:7
7 "I say to you that likewise there
will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.
Matt
4:17
17 From that time Jesus began to preach and
to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
Mark
6:12
12 So they went out and preached that
people should repent.
Luke
13:3
3 "I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise
perish.
Acts
2:38
38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be
baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts
3:19
19 "Repent therefore and be converted,
that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from
the presence of the Lord,
Acts
17:30
30 "Truly, these times of ignorance
God overlooked, but now commands all men
everywhere to repent,
Acts
26:20
20 "but declared first to those in
Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to
the Gentiles, that they should repent,
turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.
Repentance
means to turn away from your sins. When you come to Christ for salvation, you
confess your sin, turn away from it, ask for forgiveness and deliverance,
believe and receive it.
The
repenting sinner in baptism dies in Christ and is resurrected into a new life.
He is born of God and lives in His Spirit, Grace and Power. He receives a new
robe which is “The Righteousness of Christ”, and a new name which is “Saint”. The
second name he receives will only be known by the recipient
.
Rom
6:4-7
4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the
dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of
life.
5 For if we have been united together in
the likeness of His death, certainly we
also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,
6 knowing this, that our old man was
crucified with Him, that the body of sin
might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.
7 For
he who has died has been freed from
sin.
2
Cor 5:17
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
Eph
4:24-5:1
24 and that you put on the new man which
was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
25 Therefore, putting away lying, "Let
each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," for we are members of one
another.
26 "Be angry, and do not sin": do
not let the sun go down on your wrath,
27 nor
give place to the devil.
28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but
rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has
need.
29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your
mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of
God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger,
clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.
32 And be kind to one another,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.
10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,
Rev
2:17
17 "He
who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who
overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a
white stone, and on the stone a new name
written which no one knows except him who receives it."'
Does God
give birth to sinners or saints?
1
Pet 1:23
23 having been born again, not of
corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and
abides forever,
I
Jn 2:29
29 If you know that He is righteous, you
know that everyone who practices righteousness
is born of Him.
I
Jn 3:9-10
9 Whoever
has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.
10 In
this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever
does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love
his brother.
I
Jn 4:7
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for
love is of God; and everyone who loves
is born of God and knows God.
I
Jn 5:4-5
4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the
victory that has overcome the world-- our faith.
5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but
he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
I
Jn 5:18
By
faith we live consciously in the presence of God, who is always with us, in us
and for us. If the tempter with all his interesting toys or the gorgeous
promiscuous temptress try to invade your mind, you will not linger or play their
game. Your faith will activate even your legs and you will flee.
Heb
11:27-28
27 By faith he left Egypt, not
fearing the wrath of the king; for
he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen. 2
Rom 8:31
31 What, then, shall we
say in response to this? If God is for
us, who can be against us?
2
Tim 2:22
22Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and
peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
1 Cor 6:18
18 Flee from sexual immorality. All
other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins
against his own body.
18 We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been
born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.
So
children of God are no longer called sinners. They are saints. Sons and daughters of God.
This
is how God addresses His children. And this is how they address one another.
This is not fantasy but truth.
It
is reality. Experience to all who are born of God.
Rom 1:7
7 To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God
our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Acts
9:13
13 Then Ananias answered, "Lord, I
have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem .
Acts
9:32
32 Now it came to pass, as Peter went
through all parts of the country, that he also came down to the saints who dwelt in Lydda.
1
Cor 1:2
2 To the church
of God which is at Corinth , to those who are sanctified in
Christ Jesus, called to be saints,
with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both
theirs and ours:
1
Cor 14:33
33 For God is not the author of confusion
but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.
2
Cor 1:1
1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by
the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church
of God which is at Corinth , with all the saints who are in all Achaia:
2
Cor 13:13
13 All the saints salute you.
Eph
1:1
1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by
the will of God, To the saints who
are in Ephesus ,
and faithful in Christ Jesus:
Eph
1:15
15 Therefore I also, after I heard of your
faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,
Eph
2:19
19 Now, therefore, you are no longer
strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
Eph
4:12
12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for
the edifying of the body of Christ,
Eph
5:3
3 But fornication and all uncleanness or
covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints;
Phil
4:22
22 All the saints greet you, but especially those who are of Caesar's
household.
12 giving thanks to the Father who has
qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.
Rev
14:12
12 Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the
commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
Rev
19:8
8 And to her it was granted to be
arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous
acts of the saints.
These
are just a few texts that show us how children of God communicate and address
one another.
Sinner
designates the work of the devil. Saint is the gift and work of Christ who is
our Life. Christ was not
a sinner. He became our sin and suffered our death, so that we become His
righteousness and
manifest
His life.
2
Cor 2:14
14 Now thanks be unto God, which always
causes us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest
the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.
2
Cor 4:11
11 For we who live are always delivered to
death for Jesus' sake, that the life of
Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.
Gal
2:17-21
17 "But
if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found
sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly
not!
18 "For if I build again those things
which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.
19 "For I through the law died to the
law that I might live to God.
20 "I have been crucified with Christ;
it is no longer I who live, but Christ
lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by
faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
21 "I do not set aside the grace of
God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in
vain."
How did we
become saints? Is it through our diligent achievement? No it is not
achieved, it is received.
What
glorious inheritance we have graciously bestowed on us in our Lord Jesus. No
hesitation when we can
brag about Him and what He has done and is doing. If you have the achievement
or work related righteousness, you certainly are still a sinner, and it is
understandable that you feel presumptuous to be named a saint. Some even pride
themselves in their “humility” by referring to themselves as sinners.
Children
of God by His gracious gift in Christ are saints. Oh yes, some bible student
might argue that the apostle Paul referred to himself as “chief of sinners” or
the greatest sinner.
1
Tim 1:15
15 Here is a trustworthy saying that
deserves full acceptance:” Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners-“-
of whom I am the worst.
It
would be totally absurd to think that he referred to his present condition.
Reading the previous verses clearly
show that he was writing about his former life as a persecutor of God’s
children and of the .Son of God. But he repented for these sins and did them no
more. The saying he quoted is still trustworthy “Jesus came
to save sinners.” He is the only hope.
1
Tim 1:12-14
12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who
has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry,
13 although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man;
but I obtained mercy because I
did it ignorantly in unbelief.
14 And the grace of our Lord was
exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.
Why
do people sin? They sin because they like it. Why do they like it and do not
want to give it up?
Because
they have become slaves to sin and to Satan. They are not born of God. Some do sin
ignorantly,
2
Cor 4:4
4 whose
minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light
of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on
them.
John
8:34-36
34 Jesus answered them, "Most
assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits
sin is a slave of sin.
35 "And a slave does not abide in the
house forever, but a son abides forever.
36 "Therefore if the Son makes you
free, you shall be free indeed.
Indeed
means in reality. This is not fantasy or philosophy or wishful thinking.
Are saints
perfect? If a saint stumbles into a sin, does he loose his salvation
and does he become a sinner and
a child of Satan ? Certainly not. We buried once our pet dog that got killed.
Did that make us undertakers? Sin is something foreign, painful and detestable
to a child of God. Did you ever have a splinter in your foot? When every step
was painful and you did not rest until it was removed. And if residual
impurities were left in the lesion, all body systems were mobilized in order to
remove them. Inflammation and expulsion
is the effective reaction. Immediate confession and repentance is followed by forgiveness And
God remembers that sin no more.
I
Jn 2:1-6
1 My little children, these things I
write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ
the righteous.
2 And He Himself is the propitiation for
our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.
4 He
who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a
liar, and the truth is not in him.
5 But
whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know
that we are in Him.
38 He who says he abides in Him ought himself
also to walk just as He walked.
I
Jn 1:9
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful
and just to forgive us our sins and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
My Christian friend if you still think you are
a sinner I encourage you to identify the sin in your life, name it, confess
your sin, repent and surrender it to Christ for forgiveness and cleansing. He
is able to set you free from your sin instantly.
Do
not just ask for forgiveness. Ask for being delivered right now. Believe Him.
He is willing to do it now.
Matt
21:22
22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in
prayer."
Mark 11:24
24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it
will be yours.
Is
it God’s will to take your sin away? Right now? Is He able? Surrender it to
Him. Believe that He has done it.
Believe
that you are dead to that sin.
Rom
6:11-12
count [consider, believe,] yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
1
In
God’s family we find the mature elders, the young and the newborn. For their
age, they are all relatively perfect,
not mature, not completed. The babes are still quite selfish, make a lot of
noise and many messes. But the grown ups and older siblings love them anyway,
patiently cleaning them, feeding them, giving them space and time to grow. No
body would even think to kick them out of the family. Such a thought would be
appalling to our Father and to His children. We love one another, forgive as we
are forgiven, we serve and seek to edify every one in the family,
Isa
49:15-16
15 "Can a woman forget her nursing
child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget,
yet I will not forget you.
16 See,
I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; your walls are continually
before Me.
Eph
2:10
10 For we are His workmanship, created in
Christ Jesus for good works, which
God prepared beforehand that we
should walk in them.
And
God is not done with us. But He promised to finish in us the work that He began
But whatever He does is always 100%.
Never less.
Heb
12:2
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 has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
The mystery
of godliness:
1 Tim 3:16
Beyond
all question, the mystery of godliness is great:
Only when you experience it will you
understand it.
2 Peter 1:3-4
3 His
divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through
our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through
these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through
them you may participate in the divine
nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
Col 3:9-11
Do not
lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10
and have put on the new self, which is being
renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
To be godly or godlike is God’s will for us.
He dwells in us as He dwelled in Jesus.
Manifestations
of the Father’s dwelling in His Son Jesus:
Jesus was sent by His Father to do His work:
John 5:36
For the very work that the Father has
given me to finish, and which I am doing, testifies that the Father has
sent me.
John 5:19-20
"I tell you the truth, the Son can do
nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing,
because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20 For the Father loves
the Son and shows him all he does.
Jesus always did the will of His Father:
John 6:38-39
38 For I have come down from heaven not to do
my will but to do the will of him who sent me.
John 8:29-30
9 The one who sent me is with me; he has not
left me alone, for I always do what pleases him."
John 8:55-56
I do know him and keep his word.
Jesus spoke the words of His Father:
John 7:16
16 Jesus answered, "My teaching is
not my own. It comes from him who sent me.
John 8:28-29
I do nothing on my own but speak just what
the Father has taught me.
John 12:49-50
49 For I did not speak of my own accord, but
the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it.
50 I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just
what the Father has told me to say."
John 14:7-11
7 If you really knew me, you would
know my Father as well. From now on, you
do know him and have seen him."
8 Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father
and that will be enough for us."
9 Jesus answered: "Don't you know me,
Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has
seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10
Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me?
The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living
in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the
Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the
miracles themselves.
God’s
children are also the dwelling or temple of Christ and God.
John 14:20-21
20 On that day you will realize that I am in
my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my
commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be
loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."
John 14:23-24
"If anyone loves me, he will obey my
teaching. My Father will love him, and we
will come to him and make our home with him.
John 15:4
4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you.
No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can
you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
John 15:7-8
7 If you remain in me and my words remain in
you, ask whatever you wish,
and it will be given you. 8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much
fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
John 17:26
26 I have made you known to them, and will
continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in
them and that I myself may be in them."
John 17:22-23
22 I have given them the glory that you gave
me, that they may be one as we are one:
23 I in them and you in me. May they be
brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved
them even as you have loved me.
1 Cor 3:16-17
16 Don't you know that you yourselves are
God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? 17 If anyone destroys
God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are
that temple.
2 Cor 13:5-6
5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your
own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you,
except ye be reprobates?
The Greek word translated here as reprobate
means:” reject, failure, not authentic, fake.
2 Tim 3:5
5 having a form of godliness but denying its
power. Have nothing to do with them.
Does Jesus and the Father live in you? When
people, including family, friends, strangers see you, do they see Jesus and the
Father?
How do
children of God deal with sin? I heard one Christian brother
ignorantly pray: “And we will fail again, as long as we live”. Do you hear the
applause of the deceiver? Now there is part truth in this if the emphasis is
placed on we. How about when Christ lives in us? Does He fail in keeping
us from failing? Is He unwilling or unable?
Can
you think of one sin in your life that Christ approves of, that He wants you to
keep, or that He is not able to free you from? If you believe this, you neither
understand nor believe in the good news of the saving power of Christ.
Remember: ”You are saved by grace, through faith”. What and whom you believe will
bring you victory or failure. Satan’s bad news says you can not live without
sin. Christ’s good news says I am able and willing to set you free from all
sins if you believe Me and let Me do it.
Jude
1:24-25
24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
25 To God our Savior, who alone is wise, be
glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.
From
pulpits I heard: “ As long as we are in the flesh, we can never be perfect.”
.Does this not sound likefaith
in defeat? Satan, the master deceiver has always been successful in making men
believe in lies. If you believe
that sin will always be part of your life, then you will experience that
spiritual law:” It will be onto you as you believe”. Can you hear the
devil’s approval of this? He likes you to be his workmanship created to
sin. Would you even start a fight knowing that you will lose it?
Believing in
defeat robs you of vitality, initiative
and perseverance. Children of God receive righteousness by faith in Jesus who
has all power in heaven and on
earth. He promised to be with us every day until the end of the world. Living
by faith is living always in His presence. Could you even think of stealing,
lying or committing adultery with Christ and your angel standing at your side?
Do you consciously live in their presence? How wonderful, powerful and
rewarding our faith is! And I mean faith in the wonder working power of Christ.
Heb
11:6
6 But without faith it is impossible to
please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a
rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Heb
11:27
27
[Moses] By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he
endured as seeing Him who is invisible.
1
Cor 15:57
57
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus
Christ.
Remember
the story of David and Goliath. The armies of Israel including king Saul were
afraid of the giant Goliath. He seemed to block their vision of God. Than came
David. Too young to be a soldier. He saw a much greater reality than Goliath.
He lived in the presence of the Almighty God. He knew that He was with him and
for him. He reasoned with King Saul: “The God that delivered me from the paws
of the bear and of the mouth of the lion, will deliver this blasphemer into my
hand.” Faith is victorious. Doubt brings defeat
1
Sam 17:4-7
4 And a champion went out from the camp
of the Philistines, named Goliath, from Gath ,
whose height was six cubits and a span.
5 He had a bronze helmet on his head,
and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five
thousand shekels of bronze.
6 And he had bronze greaves on his legs
and a bronze javelin between his shoulders.
7 Now the staff of his spear was like a
weaver's beam, and his iron spearhead weighed six hundred shekels; and a
shield-bearer went before him.
1
Sam 17:10-11
10 And the Philistine said, "I defy
the armies of Israel
this day; give me a man, that we may fight together."
11 When Saul and all Israel heard
these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.
1
Sam 17:32-33
32 Then David said to Saul, "Let no
man's heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this
Philistine."
33 And Saul said to David, "You are
not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth,
and he a man of war from his youth."
1
Sam 17:34-36
34 But David said to Saul, "Your
servant used to keep his father's sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and
took a lamb out of the flock,
35 I went out after it and struck it, and
delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by
its beard, and struck and killed it.
36 "Your servant has killed both lion
and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he
has defied the armies of the living God."
1
Sam 17:37
37 Moreover David said, "The LORD, who delivered me from the
paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand
of this Philistine." And Saul said to David, "Go, and the LORD be
with you!"
1
Sam 17:40-42
40 Then he took his staff in his hand; and
he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd's
bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near
to the Philistine.
41 So the Philistine came, and began
drawing near to David, and the man who bore the shield went before him.
42 And when the Philistine looked about and
saw David, he disdained him; for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking.
1
Sam 17:45-46
45 Then David said to the Philistine,
"You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of
hosts, the God of the armies of Israel , whom you have defied.
46 "This
day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take
your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the
Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a
God in Israel
1
Sam 17:49
49 Then David put his hand in his bag and
took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so
that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth.
1
Sam 17:51-52
51 Therefore David ran and stood over the
Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with
it. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.
52 Now
the men of Israel and Judah arose and
shouted, and pursued the Philistines as far as the entrance of the valley and
to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell along the road
to Shaaraim, even as far as Gath
and Ekron.
This
is faith in action. This is not self-confidence but God confidence. Under the
new covenant, the faithful no longer take part in physical warfare but by faith
they are victorious in all their spiritual battles. Christ has defeated the giant
and by faith we know that our victory in Him is 100%
Is
this not the best news the world has ever heard? Christ our victory. Freedom
from Satan and his slavery of sin. Shout it from every mountain top. Experience
and proclaim it 24/7. And if you discover an evil spirit still hiding in one of
the closets of your heart, command him in the name of Jesus to get out and stay
out for ever. You have received that authority and power from Christ who has
all authority in heaven and on earth.
Luke
10:19
19 I have given you authority to
trample on snakes and scorpions and to
overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.
Matt 10:1
10 He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and
sickness.
Eph
6:10-13
10 Finally, be strong in
the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor
of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle is not
against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities,
against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil
in the heavenly realms.
2 Cor 10:3-6
3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power
to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments
and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we
take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 6
1 Cor 15:57
57 But thanks be to God!
He gives us the victory through our
Lord Jesus Christ.
We have experienced that God had the power to
free us from sins in the past, therefore we know that there is no sin too big
in our lives that the Almighty God is not able to overcome. Who would limit the
Holy One by unbelief? When we knew that the seed of David = Jesus defeated the
giant Satan, there is for us no fear or doubt until every stronghold of the
devil is broken and every evil spirit is overcome. Christ, who is in us, is
more than a conqueror. When we are in Him, our fortress, we are invincible.
Satan only has power you if you give it to him. Praise the Lord, Satan is
defeated. Christ will free us from every unclean spirit and their strong holds
that keep us in sin so that the world will know that there is the Almighty God
and Savior in us, who is willing and able to save to the outermost. He does not
work part-time nor does He do patchwork. From the beginning His workmanship is
very good, it is always perfect. When He calls us to perfection, who are we to
limit the Almighty?
Matt
5:48
48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Can
He overcome sin by making us obedient to His will? Are you willing? Most of the
time? Do you find that the good that you desire you can not do, but the bad you
do not like you do? If so, you are experiencing the law of sin in your life.
Rom
7:23-25
23 But I see another law in my members,
warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my
members.
24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
25
Thanks be to God, who does this through
our Lord Jesus Christ! This, then, is my condition: on my own I can serve God's law only with my mind, while my
human nature serves the law of sin. [TEV}
There
is good news for you. What you are not able to do, Christ is able to
accomplish. Yes He is also willing. Will He be defeated? Never. Do you believe
Him? Is there a sin in your life He is not able to overcome? Oh yes, but only
the ones you are not willing to surrender to Him. How much time does He need?
Do not limit in your unbelief the Almighty. Let Him have His way right now, and
experience what He can and will do. Christ came to destroy the works of the
devil and set you free. There is freedom in Christ.
I
Jn 3:8
8 He
who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was
manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
Do
you want Christ to destroy all the works of Satan in your life? All without reservation? Now?
Do you believe Him or the devil?
Satan
inspires reasoning based on past realities: I have sinned so often, therefore I
am a sinner, this is my Nature.
I can not help it. I have lied so often, therefore I am a liar and I will lie
when I have to.
I have stolen things, therefore I am a thief,
because I have needs. God inspires us to look upon Jesus and trust that The One
that overcame one sin in us is able and willing to overcome all sins, also the
ones that are not known to us at this time. He does not work part time or
partly, He completes what He started. What He does is always 100 %.
.
Heb
12:2
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 has sat down at
the right hand of the throne of God.
What
we could not do, Christ has done and is doing in our lives. But remember, He is the one and only author
of our faith. Let non other influence and shape your faith.
Rom
8:1-4
1 There is therefore now no condemnation
to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the
Spirit.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in
Christ Jesus has made me free from
the law of sin and death.
3 For what the law could not do in that
it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on
account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,
4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do
not walk according to the
flesh but according to the
Spirit.
Our
minds and faith are not set on what we can do or on the flesh, but on Christ and what He can and will do.
Rom
8:5-9
5 For those who live according to the
flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the
things of the Spirit.
6 For to be carnally minded is death,
but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.
8 So then, those who are in the flesh
cannot please God.
9 But
you are not in the flesh but in the
Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not
have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.
You
may have also heard the expression: “My old man made me do it,” or “that was my
old nature.”
Our
belief need to be grounded in the word of God. If we truly want that God puts
our “old man” to death, He
does a thorough job. And He buried that old carnal man in baptism with Christ,
never to be resurrected. Christ
is not in the business to resurrect “the old man” or “old woman”. Do not give Satan
that authority.
Rom
6:6-15
6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him,
that the body of sin might be done away
with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.
7 For he who has died has been freed from sin.
8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe
that we shall also live with Him,
9 knowing that Christ, having been
raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him.
10 For the death that He died, He died to
sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.
11 Likewise
you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive
to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it
in its lusts.
13 And do not present your members as
instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present
yourselves to God as being alive from the dead,
and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
14 For
sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under
grace.
15 What then? Shall we sin because we are
not under law but under grace? Certainly not!
Likewise
or in the same manner, reckon or consider
yourselves dead indeed to sin, but alive in Christ.
It
is by inspiration of the holy spirit that we think that way, feel that way,
live by faith that way, because Christ lives
in us. And if Satan injects any other idea into your mind, bid him to depart
immediately.
2
Cor 10:5
5 casting
down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of
God, bringing every thought into captivity
to the obedience of Christ.
It
may appear that we work our salvation with fear and trembling, but we know that
it is He that is at work in making us willing and also to complete it.
Phil
2:12-13
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you 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 who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
Without
Him we can do nothing. But all things are possible to him that believes in His
ability and willingness.
John
15:5
5 "I am the vine, you are the
branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
Mark
9:23
23 Jesus said to him, "If you can
believe, all things are possible to him
who believes."
Rom
8:37-39
37 Yet in
all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
38 For I am persuaded that neither death
nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor
things to come,
39 nor height nor depth, nor any other
created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in
Christ Jesus our Lord.
1
Cor 15:57
57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
How
do we understand “whatever is not from faith is sin?.”Rom.14:22,23
What is the
basis for our faith?
Rom
10:17
17 So then faith comes by hearing, and
hearing by the word of God.
The
faith and conscience of a child of God is based on the word of God only.
Religions and also “Christian denominations” have captured and bound the mind,
faith and conscience of their members to their doctrines and
traditions.
Matt
15:3
3 He answered and said to them,
"Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?
Mark
7:8
8 "For laying aside the commandment
of God, you hold the tradition of men-- the washing of pitchers and cups, and
many other such things you do."
Mark
7:9
9 And He said to them, "All too
well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.
Mark
7:13
13 "making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which
you have handed down. And many such things you do."
Matt
15:9
9 And
in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' "
We
meet confessing Christians with a Catholic faith and conscience, a Protestant
faith and conscience or an Adventist faith and conscience etc. Depending on
their indoctrination. I met Catholics who believed that eating meat on Fridays
was sin. If they did eat, their conscience would condemn them. I met Adventists
that believed to eat any meat is sin. If they eat meat their conscience would
condemn them. I met Protestants who believed that working on Sunday is a sin.
If they would work on Sunday their conscience would condemn them. Are there any
such laws given by Good? Certainly not. These are rules and traditions of men.
No matter how good they seem to be, they are not defining sin. The only
authority to define sin is God. Men set them selves above God when they teach
something to be sin when God‘s word says it is not, or when they teach
something is not sin when God says it is. God’s moral commandments are not
changed or deleted.
Matt
5:17-20
17 "Do not think that I came to destroy
the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.
18 "For assuredly, I say to you, till
heaven and earth pass away, one jot or
one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.
19 "Whoever
therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so,
shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches
them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 "For
I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the
scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
As
we grow up and mature, many sources have programmed our minds and it is
important to question ourselves:
Why do I believe what I believe? Is it because it is written in God’s word or
did it come from an other source. The spirit of God will lead us into all truth, if we let Him.
2
Cor 10:5
5 casting
down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of
God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.
The sin of omission. To know to do good
and not doing it.
This
does not mean a monetary response to every beggar or give me letter. It also
takes guidance of the spirit to know were, when and how to respond to any
situation at hand.
Matt
25:45
45 "Then He will answer them, saying,
'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of
these, you did not do it to Me.'
Matt
25:34-37
34 "Then the King will say to those on
His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared
for you from the foundation of the world:
35 'for I was hungry and you gave Me food;
I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;
36 'I was naked and you clothed Me; I was
sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.'
37 "Then the righteous will answer
Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and
give You drink?
Matt
25:40
39"And the King will answer and
say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to
you, inasmuch as you did it
to one of the least of these My brethren, you
did it to Me.'
Remember
that your spouse is a son or daughter of your King and He takes it very
personally how you do or talk to him or her. This also applies to your
children, relatives, friends and strangers.
James
2:15-17
15 If a brother or sister is naked and
destitute of daily food,
16 and one of you says to them,
"Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the
things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?
17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does
not have works, is dead.
James
2:9-10
9 but if you show partiality, you commit
sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
10 For whoever shall keep the whole law,
and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.
If
we would try to achieve righteousness by works, we would fail in despair. It
would be like trying to consciously regulate every function of your body –
every breath, every heart beat, every chemical process etc. It is impossible.
It would take a super genius. Righteousness by faith experiences the super
genius Jesus in us who causes us to will and to do His will.
Phil
2:13
13 for it is God who works in you both to
will and to do for His good pleasure.
This
is the righteousness of Christ which is experienced in peace and great joy.
9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of
the Godhead bodily;
10 and you
are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
The
gospel, which is the good news of
Jesus, that promises us salvation from sin and freedom from sin, stands
opposite from the bad news of the deceiver that persuades men to believe that
they are life long slaves
to sin.
Whom
do you believe? You will know it by the fruits of your faith in your life.
God
bless you with the mind of Jesus.
What is the
sin that does not lead to death?
1
John 5:17
17
All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death.
Scripture
makes reference to a period of ignorance.
Acts
17:30
30
Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men
everywhere to repent,
We
all had or have periods of ignorance, when our understanding of the will of God
was limited. We were mistaken
and did not know it. What we thought to be right turned out to be wrong. We are
held accountable for
what we know or could know if we so desired.
There
are also people who never had access to a bible or have not been able to read.
They will be judged according
to the light that was given to them by the holy spirit or the internal law. It
is not our job to decide whom Jesus has saved. Only He knows that.
Rom
2:14-16
14
for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law,
these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, 15 who show the work
of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and
between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them 16 in the day
when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.
Ignorance
is not bliss. It robs us of many blessings that come from knowing and living
the will of God.
Elective
ignorance does not avoid judgment.
To
know and live in the perfect will of God is peace and joy. It is life more
abundantly.
John
10:10
I
have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more
abundantly.
God
and all heaven is for us and with us. It is His will that no one should be
lost. But we are blessed with a
free will to choose life or death.
Ro
6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of
God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Which sin
will not be forgiven?
Heb 10:26-29
For
if we sin willfully after we have
received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for
sins,
27 but a certain fearful expectation of
judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.
28 Anyone who has rejected Moses' law dies
without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
29 Of how much worse punishment, do you
suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot,
counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing,
and insulted the Spirit of grace?
1 Jn 5:16
There is sin leading to death. I do not say
that he should pray about that.
Mt 12:31-32
31 "Therefore I say to you, every sin
and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the
blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.
32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son
of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever
speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age
or in the age to come.
Mk 3:29-30
29 but he who blasphemes against the Holy
Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation"
30 because
they said, "He has an unclean spirit."
The position of the theologians, that the
spirit of Christ, who is the word of God,
is unclean or not true, made it impossible for them to repent, accept the truth
and find forgiveness. Rejecting truth, justifying evil or sin, deadens the conscience and makes repentance
impossible. Unrepentant sinners do not find forgiveness.
The evil spirit of enmity and dissention
leads to intentional misunderstanding and misquotation for the purpose of influencing false witnesses to bring
accusations and condemnation. The “accuser of our brethren” is at work.
Lk 19:47
47 And He was teaching daily in the temple.
But the chief priests , the scribes, and the
leaders of the people sought to destroy Him,
Mt 26:59-63
59 Now the chief priests, the elders, and all
the council sought false testimony
against Jesus to put Him to death,
60 but found none. Even though many false witnesses came forward, they
found none. But at last two false
witnesses came forward
61 and said, "This fellow said,'I am able to destroy the temple of God
62 And the high priest arose and said to Him,
"Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?"
63 But
Jesus kept silent.
Mt 27:1
11And while He was being accused by the chief
priests and elders, He answered nothing.
Truth has no need to defend it self.
As it was in the days of Christ’s humanity,
carnal minds possessed by the spirit of enmity and strife, misquoted Him and
appeared as false witnesses against Him, so it always was and will be in the
experience of His servants.
Jn 15:20-24
20 Remember the word that I said to you,'A
servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me , they will also
persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
21 But all these things they will do to you
for My name's sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.
22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they
would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.
23 He who hates Me hates My Father also.
24 If I had not done among them the works
which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also
hated both Me and My Father.
Mt 5:11-12
11 "Blessed are you when they revile and
persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.
12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great
is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before
you.
Many religious hierarchies, in order to
control their believers and keep their minds captive, prohibit them to listen
to differing views. According to their doctrine, if you doubt their leadership,
you commit heresy, a deadly sin.
Jn 7:48
48 Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees
believed in Him?
Human nature tends to meet what is new, not customary or inconvenient, with hesitation,
skepticism and rejection.
Closed minds are prisons. Only truth can set
us free.
Blasphemy against the holy spirit is a very
common occurrence. To consider any revelation of the spirit of truth to be error and reject it as such, darkens
the mind, dulls the conscience and negates repentance. It is
unwise to talk in ignorance and make judgments.
Jn 8:32
32 And you shall know the truth , and the truth shall make you free."
Jn 8:36
36 Therefore if the Son makes you free , you shall be free indeed.
1
Thess 5:24
24 The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it.