OUR GOD’S SO GREAT SALVATION

There is an old saying, IF YOU ARE ONLY BORN ONCE, YOU WILL DIE TWICE, BUT IF YOU ARE BORN TWICE YOU MAY ONLY DIE ONCE (meaning you may not die if you are alive when Christ returns).

In the Gospel of John chapter three we see Jesus introducing a whole new spiritual truth, in verse 2 He says “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Then in verse 5 Jesus tells us unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

SO TO SEE AND ENTER THE KINGDOM OF GOD WE MUST BE BORN AGAIN.

We sure understand the natural reproductive process God designed to cause a woman to become pregnant and give birth to a child, I wonder if we really comprehend what is means to be SPIRITUALLY BORN again.

Peter tells us in 1 Peter 1:23 AMP. N.T.
You have been regenerated (born again), not from a mortal origin (seed, sperm), but from one that is immortal by the ever living and lasting Word of God.

MESSAGE Your new life is not like your old life. Your old birth came from mortal sperm; your new birth comes from God’s living Word. Just think: a life conceived by God himself.

For this to take place, many other things must happen first, Jer. 17:9 NKJV

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked Who can know it?

Because of Adam & Eve’s sin we have inherited a sinful nature, and we have no interest in the things of God, nor any desire for that to change.

This is where the Holy Spirit will move into our world, and will begin to CONVICT US of our sinfulness, He may bring people across our path, or create situations to make us think and consider our sinful lives people may witness to us, or we hear the preaching of the Word of God (GOD’S WORD IS ESSENTIAL IF WE ARE TO BE BORN AGAIN).. The Holy Spirit has this awesome ability to begin to woo us and draw us to a place of REPENTANCE.

Paul expresses it so well in Eph. 2:8-9 NKJV For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

AMP. N.T. For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God;
Not because of works [not the fulfillment of the Law’s demands], lest any man should boast. [It is not the result of what anyone can possibly do, so no one can pride himself in it or take glory to himself.]

N.L.T. God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

PASSION For it was only through this wonderful grace that we believed in him. Nothing we did could ever earn this salvation, for it was the gracious gift from God that brought us to Christ! So no one will ever be able to boast, for salvation is never a reward for good works or human striving.

MESSAGE Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing!

Our Salvation is totally undeserved, but for the unmerited GRACE & FAVOUR OF GOD. The Paul says FAITH comes into our heart, (Rom. 10:17 NKJV So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. These things make it possible for us to respond to what has been happening in our personal world, we cry out GOD BE MERCIFUL TO ME A SINNER, and in a moment of time, what is recorded in 1 John 1:9 NKJV takes place “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”.

The result of this is expressed in 1 John 5:13 AMP. N.T I write this to you who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) the name of the Son of God [in the peculiar services and blessings conferred by Him on men], so that you may know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that you [already] have life, yes, eternal life.

MESSAGE My purpose in writing is simply this: that you who believe in God’s Son will know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you have eternal life, the reality and not the illusion.

We receive that total assurance that we have been FORGIVEN, and know that we have eternal life NOW, and our Names are written in the Lamb’s book of life (Rev. 21:27 NKJV.

Then the process of Biblical Discipleship must begin, and we learn and appropriate, that Jesus didn’t just die on the Cross to deal with the sin question, but also purchased for us an INHERITANCE NOW Eph. 1:11-12 NKJV In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.

MESSAGE It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.

This INHERITANCE NOW gives us the keys and tools and armour to live holy, victorious life AMEN.

There will be nothing new in this blog, but I trust you are blest and encouraged as you are reminded today.