Category: eternal life

…But We Have Been Given God’s Grace

Sunday, December 25, 2011

“In whom [the Lord Jesus Christ] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;” (Ephesians 1:7 KJV).

In yesterday’s devotional, we learned how we, the sinful human race, are worthy of our holy Creator God’s wrath. God has created a special place, hell, for Satan and those who follow his sinful rebellion against God (Matthew 25:41). The simple truth is that, because of our sinful nature (and the resulting sinful actions), we all deserve to go to hell, and ultimately, separated from God forever in the lake of fire (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Revelation 20:14,15; Revelation 21:8; et al.).

“But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (Romans 5:20b). God, in His grace, dealt with our sin at Calvary’s cross, and took it out of the way. Through the finished crosswork of God incarnate, Jesus Christ, the riches of God’s grace are manifest. God left heaven’s glory to live in a human body, to “humble himself, and become obedient unto death, even the death of the cross”(Philippians 2:5-8). Why?

  • To commend God’s love toward us (Romans 5:8).
  • To die, not simply for us, but as us (Romans 6:3-9; Colossians 2:11-15).
  • To undo the damage caused by sinful Adam (Romans 5:12-21; Colossians 1:20-21).
  • To “put away [our] sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Hebrews 9:26).
  • To deliver us from Satan’s policy of evil, and make us sinners saints (Colossians 1:12-14).
  • To give us everlasting life…His life (Galatians 2:20) and thus, do for us what we could not do for ourselves—accomplish our salvation from the second death (spiritual death) (Ephesians 2:1-9)!
  • To give us “peace with God” (Romans 5:1).

Today, God is not imputing the world’s sin unto it (2 Corinthians 5:18-20). Everyone, regardless of religion, race, or social standing, can now receive forgiveness through the Lord Jesus Christ. All they have to do is place their faith in the Gospel of Grace as found in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4—“that Christ died for our sins, He was buried, and He was raised again for our justification!”

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM arC MINISTRIES!

*This is excerpted from a larger Bible study titled “Emmanuel 2.” The Bible study can be read here and watched here.

The Expensive Getaway

Thursday, December 15, 2011

“For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9 KJV).

We often hear of exotic getaways like Fiji, the Caribbean Islands, and Hawaii. While these vacations are pricey, they are ridiculously cheap when compared to heaven, “the expensive getaway.”

“[God] will render to every man according to his deeds: to them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life” (Romans 2:6,7). God will give eternal life to any individual who has perfect righteousness. He demands 100 percent perfection—even 99.999 percent righteousness is far too less for God to accept.

The price to enter heaven’s glory is far too expensive for us. We all have a few “good” works here and there… mere pocket change! By nature, we are spiritually poor, bankrupt of righteousness. We have all offended God: “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Our lives are filled with many sinful acts, including hatred, lying, gossiping, cursing, and coveting. These sins offend God’s righteousness, so what will you do with them?

Today’s Scripture gives us the Good News. At Calvary’s cross, God fully and completely dealt with our unrighteousness. Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, died for your sins, to give His life so you could have an opportunity to be made righteous in Him! King David wrote: “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12).

When we trust the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour, God “imputes” (applies) His righteousness to us (2 Corinthians 5:21). As today’s Scripture says, in Christ, we are rich indeed: we are spiritually rich because Jesus Christ accomplished our salvation. In Christ Jesus, we are justified, made perfect in God the Father’s sight, thus able to enter heaven (Romans 3:21-31).

One day, at the rapture, we Christians will take our expensive getaway. Are you ready for the vacation of a lifetime? Saints, our flight is coming! Stay tuned…. 🙂

The Death of Evolutionary Theory

Thursday, December 8, 2011

“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” (Romans 5:12 KJV).

Historical secular geology teaches that earth’s fossil record was assembled over a period of four billion years, the result of at least five mass extinctions that wiped out 90% of earth’s species.

Modern humans, scientists claim, have existed for just a small fraction of earth’s 4.6-billion-year history (at most two million years). In other words, historical geology claims that death was not caused by man’s sin (since the fossil record contains the remains of plants and animals that died before man “evolved”). This is obviously contradictory to the Bible, which plainly teaches sin and death came into the world after man/Adam disobeyed God (today’s Scripture). According to the Bible, there was no such thing as death until man’s existence.

If we believe that creatures died prior to man, then we are also forced to conclude Adam’s sin did not cause death, and thus, we undermine the Gospel of Grace. The Bible clearly declares that just as eternal death came by Adam’s disobedience, so eternal life comes by Jesus Christ’s obedience (Romans 5:15-19). If the Bible is wrong about death being associated with Adam’s sinfulness, then could it also be wrong about eternal life being associated with Christ’s sinlessness? See how evolutionary theory even attacks the Gospel of the Grace of God?

Either we believe God’s Word (the Bible) or we believe evolutionary theory. It is that simple, friends. We either believe God or we do not. Evolutionary theory does not fit the Biblical creation account.

The placement of death before man’s existence is just one of the many theological (and scientific) flaws of evolutionary theory. Not only does evolutionary theory diminish God’s purpose and plan for mankind, but it also blinds the minds of the lost. Evolutionary theory keeps the unsaved from seeing their sinful state and their need for the salvation that God has so graciously provided us in Christ Jesus and His finished crosswork on Calvary.

Evolutionary theory is extinct!

Society’s Shift from the Priceless Gift

Saturday, November 26, 2011

“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man” (Hebrews 2:9 KJV).

Black Friday. White snow. Green cash being spent. Bank accounts going into the red. Holiday blues. Ah, the colors of the year-end holiday season hustle and bustle. Discerning shoppers browsing for bargains. Bratty kids whining for every trinket they see. Retailers using “Jesus’ birthday” as the backbone of their advertising campaigns. Ah, the distractions that keep us from focusing on the Priceless Gift—Jesus Christ killed for our sins, buried, and raised again for our justification (Romans 4:25).

Sadly, for the next month, consumers will mostly ignore the gift that Someone already bought them! This priceless gift has a lifetime warranty, lasting as long as God lives… forever. It cannot be found on a retailer’s shelf, for it is too valuable. It cannot be purchased because you are too poor to pay for it! It cannot be lost because once you accept it by faith it is yours forever. Eternal life

This Priceless Gift is described in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4: “how that Christ died for our sins, He was buried, and He was raised again the third day.” Beloved, here, in the Gospel of the Grace of God, we see the wrath and righteousness of God clearly manifested in that Jesus Christ shed His sinless blood for our unrighteousness (sins). But, as today’s Scripture teaches, we also see the grace of God clearly manifested: Jesus Christ tasted death for us, though we did not deserve it (and still do not deserve it).

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8,9). Every day since you have been alive, God has been offering you the Priceless Gift of eternal life in Jesus Christ. Why not accept it by faith? Trust in the finished crosswork of Jesus Christ alone, and God will save you FOREVER.