Saving faith to mature faith…
Dec 23
"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name."(John 1:12) Scripture teaches that "by grace are ye saved through faith" (Ephesians 2:8), and that faith (or belief, same word) in the substitutionary work of Christ on the cross is essential to salvation (John 3:15-18, etc.). But faith does not stop there; it grows as a Christian matures. Let us look at some of the characteristics of a growing faith in God. One who has accepted God’s gracious offer of forgiveness and salvation, one who, by faith, has found God trustworthy, comes to trust Him and His promises in other areas as well. Paul, who had been sorely persecuted for his faith, claimed, "nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day" (2 Timothy 1:12). God will faithfully fulfill His promises, and we can have faith that He will.
In Him is no darkness at all…
Dec 16
Some have suggested that the gospel message is the most important truth in the Bible--and, perhaps, from a temporal human standpoint it may well be. However, there is another more frequent message throughout all of Scripture here summarized by John: "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5). In the Bible, God's "light" is clearly focused on intellectual and moral holiness. That unique holy nature both drives and limits the revelation of Himself to His creation. In the intellectual sense, God is the source of all Truth (Psalm 119:130; Psalm 36:9). The holiness of God requires truth and because of His holiness, God cannot lie (Titus 1:2). Whenever God reveals anything, He must reveal the truth about Himself and His nature. The opposite of Truth, even though it may contain some truth, is the active agent which opposes God's Truth as it is revealed to His creation.
If you say you love Jesus – then, why are you so critical?
Dec 09
"Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaks evil of his brother, and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law, and judges the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judges another?" James 4:11-12 Christians commit two types of sins related to criticism. One is that of criticizing others; the other is taking offense when they criticize us. Criticism is, in reality, judging, and as our text brings out, none of us are really qualified to judge others. Only God is qualified to judge. "Let us not therefore judge one another any more" (Romans 14:13). Criticism almost inevitably generates resentment, quarreling, and enmity. It actually harms the character and testimony of the critic as much as that of the recipient. Even unspoken criticism is harmful. Love "seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil" (1 Corinthians 13:5). This does not mean that Christians should condone doctrinal error or moral evil when circumstances indicate clear conflict with Scripture. "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment" (John 7:24).
Every man must and will confess…
Dec 02
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9) The Bible book in which this glorious promise is given was written entirely to the saint of God, not to the unbelieving sinner. Confession is what saints do when they sin. Repentance is what sinners do before they become saints. Confession is agreement (identity) with the sin against God. Repentance is reversal (changed mind) to trust (from me to God). Psalm 51 is a classic prayer of confession. King David poured out his heart of sorrow for the terrible affair with Bathsheba, and yearned for God to "wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin" (Psalm 51:2). David acknowled that "against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight" (Psalm 51:4). He confessed his sin, and asked God, "restore unto me the joy of thy salvation" (Psalm 51:12).
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