It is a shame that for many believers, death is bigger saviour than Jesus Christ. Only after death, will there be rest, or peace, or health, or anything good. Only after the last breath will their minds be at ease from torment, worry and depression. And yet, this false humility in life could not be further from where the truth of Jesus Christ and salvation is.
2 Corinthians 6 verse two says this clearly-now is the day of salvation. Paul when he writes to the churches, salutes them as saints, as brothers and sisters in Christ who already belongs to God.
Even to the church in Corinth, which had sexual immorality, this is how he greets them in 1 Corinthians 1, verse 2 (Amplified Bible) “To the church (assembly) of God which is in Corinth, to those consecrated and purified and made holy in Christ Jesus, [who are] selected and called to be saints (God’s people), together with all those who in any place call upon and give honor to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:”
John is even more explicit in his address in 1 John 5 vs 13, again from the Amplified Bible “I write this to you who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) the name of the Son of God [in the peculiar services and blessings conferred by Him on men], so that you may know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that you [already] have life, yes, eternal life.”
I write this to you who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) the name of the Son of God [in the peculiar services and blessings conferred by Him on men], so that you may know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that you [already] have life, yes, eternal life.”
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He wants us to know, with settled and absolute knowledge that we are saved and we belong to God. It is not a decision that will happen when you die, or something that will be determined after you die-it is a question that is answered here, now and today. It is a question solely dependent on one question, “Do you believe in the Christ, The son of the living God? That he has come, and died in your place and is raised again from the dead?” Because when you do, you are saved.
Salvation is not a function of your behaviour or good acts. The purity required by God is of a standard that calls hatred murder, and a lustful look adultery. It is a purity attained only by Jesus who chose to die in your place, and in mine. Do not be deceived into thinking that you can add onto what God has done by living a smoke, drink and alcohol free temperate life. A single thought of ill towards another is all it would take to make you impure before God. In this also lies the freedom and confidence that we can have in Christ. He did it-he settled the score and I am free. I am free here, now today and forevermore.
Look at the words of the apostles concerning salvation in Acts 16: 31 (Amplified) “And they answered, Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ [give yourself up to Him, take yourself out of your own keeping and entrust yourself into His keeping] and you will be saved, [and this applies both to] you and your household as well.” Their words are as clear as daylight. And the theme is consistent throughout the gospel-believe in Jesus, and you will be saved. And when you have believed, you now belong.
This will sound like a license to sin for some. ‘Are we not giving people permission to live debaucherously if we tell them that all they need to do is believe? Will people not throw themselves head-first into sin if we preach that all they needed to do was believe? Don’t we need the rules and commandments to keep peoples’ behaviour in line?’ Or maybe the feeling will just be that wow, ‘Is that all I need to do? Must I not do something self-effacing in-order to gain God’s approval and have any worth before him?”
For starters, it is this simple message that allowed a few men in the upper room to transform the face of the world. It did so because it works. It does not need additions. The reason we feel this may lead people into sin is we do not have a full appreciation of just how much we have been forgiven from. We so easily compare ourselves to the Hitler’s and Stalin’s of this world and lull ourselves into believing that surely, ‘We are not that bad before God. We are at least good people.’ This lull deceives us into believing we did not really need that much forgiving since our sins were really not that grievous.
If we could fully see that the holiness of God is exacting and just in its demand for pure perfection. If we could fully see just how our own hearts were incapable of drawing closer to God, we would not have any of the doubts. In fact, once we know just how much we have been forgiven, we are drawn to serve God with all our strength.
If we could fully see just how our own hearts were incapable of drawing closer to God, we would not have any of the doubts. In fact, once we know just how much we have been forgiven, we are drawn to serve God with all our strength. #God’sgrace #savedbygrace
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When you know, and are confident that you belong to the household, you long to bring honour and glory through your life to your father. It is the goodness of God, that leads us to repentance-to changing how we think and live in the now. When you realise that God has said you are worth the blood of Jesus Christ, you know he has valued and cherished you even whilst you were yet a sinner, and that your acts cannot make Him love you less or more.
And because it is not about my acts. It is about a finished work that has fully paid the price, we have redemption (Colossians 1 vs 14, Eph 1 vs 7). Have being a reminder that this is now, the forgiveness of sins, the washing to be white as snow is now.
You do not have to live in fear that a vaccine could take your salvation away. No Covid19 vaccine is going to make you lose your salvation. The idea is preposterous in light of what Jesus Christ has done. It does not matter who has said what about this matter. You are saved only because you believe in Jesus Christ. That, and that alone.
You do not have to live in fear that a vaccine could take your salvation away. No Covid19 vaccine is going to make you lose your salvation. The idea is preposterous in light of what Jesus Christ has done. #JesusSaves #Vaccine #savedbygrace
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Now that I know I will not lose my salvation because of the vaccine, what about if its contents are harmful by design you ask? What if there is indeed a big conspiracy out there around it? That is a separate concern for which I will not tell you what you must do. The Holy Spirit is your guide.
I will however encourage you with this word from Mark 16 verse 18 “…if they drink any deadly thing, it shall never hurt them…” That is what I believe. If it is indeed harmful by design, it will not harm me because my Father has made that promise to me, and to anyone who believes.
Selah.
