If In This Life Only We Have Hope In Christ, We Are of All Men Most Miserable- Part 1410

"Let no man deceive you. He that does righteousness is righteous -- even as He is righteous ... whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin, for His Seed remains in him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest ..." (I John 3:1-10)

Sadly, there are those who want to discount the gift that the Lord willingly offers to one and all-- a gift that He paid for in full, with His own precious blood on a cross. Instead, these say that His precious blood only covers our sin up until the moment we ask Jesus into our heart. After that, the onus (according to these so-called teachers) transfers to us. We are responsible for producing work that is consistent with our salvation.

Instead of "By grace ye are saved by faith, and that NOT of ourselves -- it is the gift of God" we are suddenly inundated with a list of chores that need to be done to secure our salvation going forward. And in the midst, the idea of salvation solely as a consequence of our Lord God willingly became our Saviour gets lost in the shuffle.

But what does the scripture say?

1. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit, for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death ..." (Romans 8:1-2)

2. "For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacks these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that He was purged from his old sins ..." (II Peter 1:8-10)

3. "But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, 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 -- which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life." (Titus 3:4-7)

4. "For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order. Christ the firstfruits; afterward, they that are Christ's at His coming ..." (I Corinthians 15:20-23)

5. "The Holy Ghost this signifying that the way into the holiness of all was not yet made manifest while as the first tabernacle was yet standing .... how much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this cause, He is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, that they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance ..." (Hebrews 9:8-18)

6. "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of His own will begat He us with the Word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures." (James 1:17-18)

Does this mean that after we have repented that we are to do nothing? Of course not but the instruction is different. Indeed, as James wrote, "Be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves ... for if any be a hearer of the Word, and not a doer, he is like a man beholding his natural face in a glass ... but whosoever looks into the perfect law of liberty, and continues therein, he being not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed." (James 1:1:22-27)

This instruction includes believing in Jesus by faith. This includes repenting and being water baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sin, so that ye/we shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. (Acts 2:36-47) This includes understanding the principles of the doctrine of Christ, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. (Hebrews 6:1-2)

Thus, we are no longer sin focused but rather, running the race that has been set before us in Christ Jesus -- the one and only Lord of glory who loved us so much that He Himself would choose to become the perfect sacrifice for you and I. "According to His abundant mercy He hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power of God through salvation ready to be revealed in the last time -- wherein ye greatly rejoice." (I Peter 1:1-7) 

In other words, "whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin, for His Seed remains in him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest ..." (I John 3:1-10) 

Therefore, "through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: and by Him all that believe are justified by the law of Moses." (Acts 13:38-52)

His Name is JESUS, and He shall save His people from their sin. (Matthew 1:21-23)

Stand in the offering plate.