NEW LIFE IN
CHRIST
If
you have turned from sin and in sincere faith received Jesus
Christ as Savior you are a Christian. This opens up the door to
all the exciting opportunities of the Christian life.
NEW
RELATIONSHIPS
You
have been born into God's family by the Holy Spirit. This means
that God is YOUR FATHER, Jesus Christ is YOUR BROTHER, and the
Holy Spirit is YOUR GUIDE. It also means that every other
Christian is Your brother and sister---both those on earth and
those who have gone to heaven. You are a member of the family of
God!
REMOVED FROM A
TERRIBLE LOST CONDITION
The Bible
teaches:
1. You were spiritually dead.
"And you He made alive who were dead in trespasses and
sins." Ephesians 2:1.
2. You were under condemnation (sentenced to Hell for your
sins). "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who
does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed
in the name of the only begotten Son of God." John 3:18.
3. You were spiritually blind. But the natural man does not
receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness
to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually
discerned." 1st Corinthians 2:14. "But even if our
gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose
minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest
the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image
of God, should shine on them" 2nd Corinthians 4:3, 4.
4. You were a servant of sin. "Jesus answered them, 'Most
assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin."
John 8:34. (See also Romans 6:16, 17).
5. You were under the wrath of God. "He who believes in the
Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son
shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." John
3:36.
6. You were
bound for the Lake of Fire.
"Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is
the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of
Life was cast into the lake of fire." Revelation 20:14, 15.
You can
rejoice that since you have received Christ, you have been forever
delivered from the awful curse of eternal punishment.
A WONDERFUL
STANDING IN JESUS CHRIST.
The Bible
teaches:
1. That for Christ's sake, God has forgiven you all your sins. "Therefore,
let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man (Jesus)
is preached to you the forgiveness of sins;" Acts 13:38. "In
whom (Jesus) we have redemption through His blood, the
forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:14
2. You are justified (declared righteous) before God. "And by
Him (Jesus) everyone who believes is justified from all
things from which you could not be justified by the law of
Moses." Acts 13:39. "But to him who does not work but
believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted
for righteousness." Romans 4:5.
3. You are born into God's family by the Holy Spirit, "But as
many as received Him (Jesus) to them He gave the right to
become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who
were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the
will of man, but of God." John 1:12, 13. "Jesus answered
and said to him, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born
again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.' Nicodemus said to Him,
'How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time
into his mother's womb and be born?' Jesus answered, 'Most
assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the
Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of
the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is
spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born
again.'" John 3:3-7.
4. You now possess eternal life. "He who has the Son has
life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the
Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life..."
1st John 5:12, 13.
5. You are a new creation. "Therefore, if anyone is in
Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away;
behold, all things have become new." 2nd Corinthians 5:17.
6. You are a
member of Christ's body. "For as the body is one and has many
members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one
body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized
into one body---whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or
free---and have all been made to drink into one Spirit." 1st
Corinthians 12:12, 13.
7. You have
been reconciled to God. " For if when we were enemies we were
reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having
been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life." Romans
5:10. "
All this does
not mean the battle is over. It is really just the beginning. A
fish encounters no real difficulty until it begins to swim against
the stream. As a Christian you are now swimming against the
current of Satan, the world and your own fleshly nature. God will
help you, however, and you can rejoice in these wonderful
promises: "You are of God, little children, and have overcome
them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the
world." 1st John 4:4.
Copyright ©
2004 Thomas E Berry
Scripture quotations from NKJV unless otherwise noted
Copyright © 2008 Truth Helpers Inc.
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