A GENUINE CHRISTIAN
WILL NOT HAVE A PROBLEM
BREAKING HIS OR HER LIFE DOWN
INTO THREE DISTINCT CATEGORIES:
THE FIRST CATEGORY, which should be the most distant past, is when in partial ignorance, we lived a life of sin with no real awareness that, in our moment-by-moment decisions, we were offending the God who made us.
However, we knew by nature, that the things we thought and the things we did, although mostly hidden from the world, were wrong, these thoughts of our conscience, put into our hearts by God himself at the time of our birth.
But only after we had been fully immersed in our life of sin and, being guilty and deserving of death, would we realize the need to be rescued from our condition:
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 6:23 NIV
“In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”
Hebrews 9:22 NIV
THE SECOND CATEGORY, after hearing that sin was a real thing that needed to be dealt with (through the gospel), and that Jesus was sent to make a Way for us to avoid the wrath of God’s judgment by confessing our sins, repenting, and making a sincere lifelong commitment to reject our old lifestyle and adopt a new one…
… a decision to never go back to the time when we made decisions that selfishly pleased our own desires, choosing wealth and pleasure to satisfy our desire to live for the here-and-now:
“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”
John 1:12-13 NIV
Getting baptized, obeying Jesus’ command.
Becoming born of his Holy Spirit by asking:
“If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!””
Luke 11:13 NIV
THE THIRD CATEGORY, by faith, believing that God has made a Way of rescuing you from your fate of eternal condemnation and punishment, you pledge to live the rest of your life in obedience to the Father and his Son through the guidance of his Holy Spirit.
Your pursuit of holiness and righteousness will not be accomplished by your own strength, but with the help of his Spirit who lives within you.
Getting to know God better by reading and studying what he has revealed to us in the Bible, will help your relationship with him to develop, which is his plan for your life.
Then, knowing God and his will, you can be useful for his purpose; becoming fishers of men and teaching them to obey everything God has commanded.
Greg’s passion for Bible study began when his wife, Janel, introduced him to a local men’s BSF group. The daily discipline of God’s Word drew him into closer fellowship with the Lord and inspired him to share Scripture-based reflections on LinkedIn. His mission is to encourage believers to study the Bible for themselves, examine their faith, and live with the assurance of eternal life in Christ. Greg and Janel live in Sterling Heights, Michigan, and enjoy time with their two married children, Emily and Jordan, and their grandson, Jack.
Image by Copilot
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