Forgiven 7 Verses!
Christ has Forgiven Us and We Rest in the Assurance of His Death and Resurrection
6 VERSES THAT ASSURE US OF OUR FORGIVENESS
How does a Christian know that they can be sure of what they have embraced in their belief in Jesus Christ and the promises He has made to us. This assurance is real and I will walk you through the six verses that establish that you are walking with God, in a relationship with Him. It is not wrong to seek assurance, Paul complimented the Bereans for double checking his message. Let us look in the Book of 1 John (taken from the CSB):
1 John 1:5-7 (Walk in the Light) “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you. God is light. and there is absolutely no darkness in Him. If we say, “We have fellowship with him and yet we walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth. If we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”
1 John 1:8-10 (Confess our Sin) “If we say, “We have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’ If we say, ‘We have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”
1 John 2:3-5 (Keep his Commandments) “This is how we know that we know him: if we keep his commands. the one who says, ‘I have come to know him, and yet he doesn’t keep his commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps his word, truly in him the love of God is made complete. This is how we know we are in him…”
1 John 1:9-10 (Love your Brothers and Sisters) “The one who says he is in the light but hates his brother or sister is in the darkness until now. the one who loves his sister or brother remains in the light, and there is no stumbling in him.”
1 John 15:17 (Do not love the World) “Do not love the world or the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and pride in one’s possessions - is not from the Father, but from the world. And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does the will of God remains forever.”
1 John 2:22-23 (Confess Christ) “Who is a liar, if not the one who denies that Jesus is Christ? This one is the antichrist; the one who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father, but he who confesses the Son has the Father as well.”
The italicized portions above are the indicators of proper conduct to support our claim to believing in Jesus. You can see that it requires a critical step; our participation. One cannot ignore the role that we play in our being in right relationship with Our Lord and Savior. You cannot be a “Secret Christian” … it makes you a liar.
“Assurance grows by repeated conflict, by one repeated experimental proof of the Lord’s power and goodness to Save; when we have been brought low and helped, sorely wounded and healed, cut down and raised again, have given up all hope, and have been suddenly grabbed from danger, and placed in safety; and when those things have been repeated to us and in us more than a thousand times over, we begin to learn to trust simply in the word of God, beyond and against appearances: and this trust, when habitual and strong, bears the name of assurance; for our assurance has degrees.” John Newton, author of the hymn “Amazing Grace”
OUR FAITH IN OUR FORGIVENESS
All scripture in this portion of the post taken from the NKJV
“This message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood , of Jesus, His son, purifies us from all sin.” 1 John 1:5-7 NIV
This walking is a person’s way of life. We must reject sin as anything that is acceptable. We will fail from time to time. yet we have an advocate in Christ who sis at the right hand of the Father. We must confess and repent of any sins we commit immediately and then get up and move forward. Our living points to our belief. This cannot be repeated enough; we are what we do, not what we say.
“A righteous man may fall seven times, and rise again, but the wicked shall fall by calamity.”Proverbs 24:16
To join with Christ as a believer we have to turn away from darkness/sin. He is sinless and we must decide to emulate/mimic Him. Living constantly in God’s will is the proof of what we claim when we state we are saved. Are we suddenly perfect, of course not. We have to exhibit a life that is in pursuit of doing God’s will in all things. Our purpose becomes seeking and living the way we have been told to and confessing when we stray and getting back into line … living to please our Lord and Savior. It is a lifelong endeavor.
John uses the word “light” to represent righteousness. His use of darkness is clearly meant to equal sin. John is repeating what he learned from Christ and God. Our actions demonstrate the truth or lie of our claims. What type of life have we been living? Here is the verse that will illustrate the results of Christian living taken from Galatians 5:22-26
“… the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”
Daily check your life. If you are living with these actions in your life you are living like a devoted Christian, “If we live in the Spirit let us also walk in the Spirit.” To achieve this we must live like Jesus. We must serve him by being like him in every way we can. Love is the key here. Our love for God and our Savior for our very existence and knowing there is a plan for us to overcome the sinful nature we are born with is a foundation for us. Stand on that with reassurance and strength.
Living like Christ brings two things to us all: fellowship and cleansing; cleansing while in the light of the only perfect human. Fellowship with Him and people of a like mind and lifestyle. All the while sharing with others and growing in our lives as new creatures.
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The Apostle John wrote this and his other Epistles near the end of his own life; sometime around 85-90 A.D. He wrote at a time when many of the witnesses of Christ’s time on earth were dead. Also, many believe he was the last Apostle living. The Roman Emperor Dometian had been killing Christians since A.D. 81. John waited and told what he had seen and come to understand in his own way as he was inspired. He said in 1 John 5:13 “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” That is not a bad place to start wouldn’t you agree?
PRAYER POINT - YOUR REAL ENEMY
God is still there watching over us and offering the same miraculous promises He has always held out for us. Nevertheless, we must be aware of our real enemy who is also there, seeking to destroy our hope and expectation of joining with God and His son one Day. Be strong even though storm clouds are gathering. We live with hope and full expectation of the return of our Lord and Savior.
“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers through the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” 1 Peter 5:8-10
“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of the world and the ruler of the kingdom of the air, who is now at work in those who are disobedient.” Ephesian 2:1-2
“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 in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, stand.”
It seems to many believers that the “leaders” (the disobedient) of the world are acting on the behalf of Satan. He wants us dead, and it appears that they do too. This is not happening by accident. Our work is to stand fast in our belief and to pray for increasing strength and the peace of mind that can only come through a firm belief in Jesus Christ and the help provided by the Holy Spirit. Immediately confess any sins that enters your life and pray for the sins of our country. Seek God’s intervention in what is happening on earth to allow time to share the gospel with more and more people. Remember, prayer is our most effective tool for seeking God’s support in any effort we put out to advance His will.
“The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” James 5:16
RAISE YOUR CHILDREN TO KNOW GOD
The Bible is filed with parental advise; here are 7 verses to help us understand how to rear our babies in a Godly way!
From the NIV
Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not turn from it.”
Ephesians 6:4 “Fathers, do not exasperate your children, instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”
Proverbs 23:13-14 “Do not withhold discipline from a child, if you punish him with a rod, he will not die. Punish him with the rod and save his soul from death.”
Deuteronomy 6:7 “Impress them (scriptures) on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”
Ephesians 4:29 “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
Philippians 4:9 “Whatever you have learned or heard from me, put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”
Proverbs 1:8-9 “Listen my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck”
Children are gift to us and we are entrusted with their upbringing. Treat them the way you would have wanted to be treated. Honestly and with patience and the Love of God.
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