What does it take to get to heaven? I recently got into huge debate with someone that vigorously and whole heartily stood by Romans 10:9 (NIV), which says If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved and she was convinced she didn't have to change her ways. Afterward I had to do some confessing and repenting for what I said to her, the word is true, so if you confess and believe you are saved. Plus it's God not me that decides who has truly been saved, but my point was that salvation is a gift that keeps on giving.
With true salvation we grow in our faith and spiritual walk, which gives us a boldness in God, we will have a new heart, a heart to please God, and a renewed mind. When we are saved, we become a new creature in the Lord. We now have new desires, new ambitions, a new home, new gifts and a new love for God and for fellow man. God's will for Christians is to become more and more like Jesus Christ. That happens by becoming immersed into doing right by God and to live and seek His approval. When we get baptized we become immersed into water to symbolize a death, burial and resurrection. After baptism we become babies in Christ, like babies we have to learn and be taught what is God's will and how to live in it. As we read the bible more, pray more, fellowship with others who are living according to the word, we grow more and more like Jesus.
Everyday will be an adventure to seek ways to be of service to God, which would certainly please Him. With salvation comes a hunger to seek after God and know more about Him. That hunger would cause us also to seek after the things God cares about. Those who are saved have answered God's call to be saved. (Romans 8:28)
2 Peter 1:3, says His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Consider also
1 Thessalonians 1:5 which says, The gospel came to us not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction.
Just getting into Heaven shouldn't be our only goal, God's plan for our salvation is to deliver us from sin. John 3:16-17, says that God's love for us is so great that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
1 Timothy 2:4, says He wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. As stated in Romans 12:1-2, we must present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is our spiritual worship. We need not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of our mind, that by testing we may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Even though good works won't get you into heaven, we should look to do good, so we store up treasures in heaven, (Matthew 6:20)(Matthew 10:41) When we live sacrificially for God or serve Him by serving the body of Christ, we store up treasure in heaven. We have to be careful of our motive. Those that do go works for praise here on earth have already received their reward. So whatever you do, do it for the uplifting and glorifying of God.
Showing posts with label Kingdom minded. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kingdom minded. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Sunday, July 19, 2015
The Wages of Sin...
As children we are told what's right and wrong, once we grow up how can a unbeliever be expected to know what's right and wrong. Certainly knowledge comes through us seeking the truth or being taught right and wrong. Believers go to church and hear a word from God through the preacher about what's right and wrong. Also through experience, we learn our sinful deeds will lead us to face very real consequences for our actions. Even though unbelievers haven't read the bible to know the written moral laws, we all are accountable to know there are standards in which we should live by.
The consequences of living and engaging in sin.
Sin separates us from God
Sin leads to emotional instability
Sin leads to a lack of self control
Sin brings God's judgement
Sin opens more opportunities to sin
Sin will keep you from hearing or seeing God
Habitual sinful behavior leads to strongholds (feeling of enslavement, powerless to stop)
Living in sin will keep you from inheriting the Kingdom of God
Sinful living hardens your heart against God
Sinful living suppresses the spiritual nature, which causes a spiritual and physical death
A mind that is set on fleshy satisfaction is hostile to God (Romans 8:7)
Sin causes a sense of being lost and creates confusion in the mind
There's one thing I'd like to make clear, we have two natures living inside of us. We have a sinful nature because of our fleshly bodies and desires. Our spiritual nature comes from God creating us in His image.
God created the flesh to be a vessel or temple that would be strong enough to hold our spirit. The greatest thing about freewill is that we have a choice of whether we use our bodies in the way in which it was intended which is for the building up of God's kingdom, or to use it in a way that will lead to our demise. God's design and plan for our physical bodies is to be used to carryout His work, instructions and will. Romans 12 instructs us to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice. We are to use our bodies to serve God with our Spiritual Gifts.
List of Spiritual Gifts (1 Corinthians 12):
Word of wisdom
Word of knowledge
Special faith
Healing miraculous
Power of prophecy
Distinguishing of spirits
Speaking in Tongues
Interpretation of tongues
Paul told the believers in Galatia that “the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit wants what is contrary to the sinful nature. Romans 6:23
The objective of this lesson is to point out and demonstrate the reality and seriousness of sin and its consequences of death and point lost sinners to Christ. We understand that God gives us daily renewed grace and mercy (Lamentations 3:22-24), but that doesn't give us a license to sin. Continually engaging in sinful behavior without remorse makes us an unrepentant sinner. We need to keep in mind that in sin we don't have a good nor close relationship with God. So if we want to go to heaven, we have to sow into building a right relationship with Him. Salvation is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8) that cost us nothing, but we do have to work to build a strong relationship with Him. The more you put into a relationship, the more you get out of it. This is certainly true with God. Sowing into spiritual things helps us resist the desires of the flesh. (Galatians 6:8)
Hosea 10:12 says, Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the Lord, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.
God is faithful to those who are faithful to Him. We must respect that there's no way we can get ourselves into Heaven, so that's why we shouldn't lean on our own understanding. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6) and it's His example in which we need to seek after, emulate, study and pray to take on His character, to truly have any chance of receiving God's gift of salvation.
Even though unbelievers will not be held to the same standards as believers are held, unbelievers will still not only have to answer for their sins, but they will be also be held accountable for their works and pay for their own sins in eternity (Rev 20:11-16). Likewise believers will also have to stand and give an account to God for the works they've done or not done.
Unbelievers are still accountable to know God's commandments. The wages of sin don't just affect those who believe, because ignorance of the law is no excuse to continue in sin. ” Luke 12:48, says “But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.” Romans 3:19, says we are accountable to know God's law. Romans 2:12-16, says If you sin without knowing what you’re doing, God takes that into account. But if you sin knowing full well what you’re doing, you will be judged by the law.
The Message for today is whether you're a believer or unbeliever, we are all sinners and sin effects us all. So let us not boast about our goodness, we should acknowledge and profess our gratefulness for God being a loving, compassionate and forgiving God even when we don't deserve it.
The consequences of living and engaging in sin.
Sin separates us from God
Sin leads to emotional instability
Sin leads to a lack of self control
Sin brings God's judgement
Sin opens more opportunities to sin
Sin will keep you from hearing or seeing God
Habitual sinful behavior leads to strongholds (feeling of enslavement, powerless to stop)
Living in sin will keep you from inheriting the Kingdom of God
Sinful living hardens your heart against God
Sinful living suppresses the spiritual nature, which causes a spiritual and physical death
A mind that is set on fleshy satisfaction is hostile to God (Romans 8:7)
Sin causes a sense of being lost and creates confusion in the mind
There's one thing I'd like to make clear, we have two natures living inside of us. We have a sinful nature because of our fleshly bodies and desires. Our spiritual nature comes from God creating us in His image.
God created the flesh to be a vessel or temple that would be strong enough to hold our spirit. The greatest thing about freewill is that we have a choice of whether we use our bodies in the way in which it was intended which is for the building up of God's kingdom, or to use it in a way that will lead to our demise. God's design and plan for our physical bodies is to be used to carryout His work, instructions and will. Romans 12 instructs us to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice. We are to use our bodies to serve God with our Spiritual Gifts.
List of Spiritual Gifts (1 Corinthians 12):
Word of wisdom
Word of knowledge
Special faith
Healing miraculous
Power of prophecy
Distinguishing of spirits
Speaking in Tongues
Interpretation of tongues
Paul told the believers in Galatia that “the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit wants what is contrary to the sinful nature. Romans 6:23
The objective of this lesson is to point out and demonstrate the reality and seriousness of sin and its consequences of death and point lost sinners to Christ. We understand that God gives us daily renewed grace and mercy (Lamentations 3:22-24), but that doesn't give us a license to sin. Continually engaging in sinful behavior without remorse makes us an unrepentant sinner. We need to keep in mind that in sin we don't have a good nor close relationship with God. So if we want to go to heaven, we have to sow into building a right relationship with Him. Salvation is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8) that cost us nothing, but we do have to work to build a strong relationship with Him. The more you put into a relationship, the more you get out of it. This is certainly true with God. Sowing into spiritual things helps us resist the desires of the flesh. (Galatians 6:8)
Hosea 10:12 says, Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the Lord, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.
God is faithful to those who are faithful to Him. We must respect that there's no way we can get ourselves into Heaven, so that's why we shouldn't lean on our own understanding. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6) and it's His example in which we need to seek after, emulate, study and pray to take on His character, to truly have any chance of receiving God's gift of salvation.
Even though unbelievers will not be held to the same standards as believers are held, unbelievers will still not only have to answer for their sins, but they will be also be held accountable for their works and pay for their own sins in eternity (Rev 20:11-16). Likewise believers will also have to stand and give an account to God for the works they've done or not done.
Unbelievers are still accountable to know God's commandments. The wages of sin don't just affect those who believe, because ignorance of the law is no excuse to continue in sin. ” Luke 12:48, says “But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.” Romans 3:19, says we are accountable to know God's law. Romans 2:12-16, says If you sin without knowing what you’re doing, God takes that into account. But if you sin knowing full well what you’re doing, you will be judged by the law.
The Message for today is whether you're a believer or unbeliever, we are all sinners and sin effects us all. So let us not boast about our goodness, we should acknowledge and profess our gratefulness for God being a loving, compassionate and forgiving God even when we don't deserve it.
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