“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me …to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19, NIV)
In God’s scheme of things, He operates in dispensations of time, or ages, in order to fulfill His purposes. God speaks a word, and then patiently allows that word time to take root and bear fruit. Eventually, He moves on into another dispensation or age and speaks another word, etc.
All of these dispensations will culminate in one grand purpose called the “end of the ages.” (see Ephesians 1:10) It seems that on the other side of that is another age that we now refer to as eternity, and that there was another age, or perhaps ages, that transpired before the current age. There is evidence, biblical and paleontological, to suggest that another civilization or civilizations existed on this planet, possibly before Adam and Eve. However, the Bible says little about the previous ages and the one(s) to come.
Our current dispensation, the age of the Gentiles, is an extension of a time that Jesus Himself christened as “the year of the Lord’s favor” in which the Gospel of the Kingdom was preached first to the Jews. During this time, God is primarily working His purpose in allowing the nations to hear and respond to the Gospel. This indefinite period culminates in the Church coming to preeminence (Ephesians 4:13) and then being “caught away,” resulting in a time of judgment on all “who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” (2 Thessalonians 2:12).
In the lives of individuals, God operates in much the same way as nations.
“For He says: ‘IN AN ACCEPTABLE TIME I HAVE HEARD YOU, AND IN THE DAY OF SALVATION I HAVE HELPED YOU.’ Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”(2 Corinthians 6:1-2).
The “day” here does not necessarily mean a literal 24 hours, but a season for a person to respond to the urging of his own conscience in response to truth. In my own life, there was a period in which I sensed the urging of the Holy Spirit to make a decision to follow Christ beginning when I first heard and understood the Gospel. This became stronger and stronger until God in His mercy set me up with a clear opportunity to make a choice for or against Him. If I had hardened my heart I don’t know that I would have ever had such chance again. The opportunity may have been lost.
Don’t think that your opportunity has passed. The fact that you are reading this demonstrates the mercy of God giving you an opportunity to respond to the urging of the Holy Spirit on your own conscience. With your heart believe the Gospel and with your mouth confess that you are a child of God. Then thank God for His amazing love and ask Him to fill you with His very own Holy Spirit, Who will guide you in all His paths..
The life of looking for God’s opportunities is an exciting adventure in being led by the "inward witness." Learning to know His voice, to see His hand, and to respond in maintaining a life in harmony with Him should be your goal. If you mess up, admit it to God and look for the next open door or window of opportunity. God is full of mercy!
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Righteous By Faith! Receive Forgiveness of Sins
‘I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.' (Acts 26:17-18)
Notice how this is worded: “that they may receive….” Traditional religion with an emphasis on man’s effort says that we must confess the sin, then God will forgive. But Jesus did not say to St. Paul, ”if they confess their sin I will forgive them.” The revelation to the Apostle is that all men have been forgiven for all time because of the atoning work of Christ on the Cross. One only needs to receive the GIFT by faith to be considered righteous (in right standing with God).
…having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. (Colossians 2:14)
One segment of Christianity has as a doctrine that Christ died for a few “elect” and “predestined,” and that those who were not covered by the sacrifice on the Cross cannot be saved. But I read that God is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)
The idea of confession of sin as a stipulation for forgiveness is put forth only once in the New Testament, never in the writings of Paul. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) But this comes right on the tail of a solid emphasis on the fact that our forgiveness is continual because of Jesus’ sacrifice; “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin." (1 John 1:7)
The only time a Christian ever needs to confess his sin to God is when the Holy Spirit brings it to mind. We need not trudge through the past or go over our lives with a fine toothed comb to search our hearts for sin. Paul: “In fact, I do not even judge myself.” (1 Corinthians 4:3) The writer of Hebrews makes it clear that because believers have been purified by Christ’s finished work, His once for all sacrifice, we should have “no more consciousness of sins.” (Heb 10:2) Hallelujah!
If we believe that confession of sin is necessary for God’s forgiveness in our lives then we will live under a sense of dread and condemnation constantly because our lives are always subject to presumptuous and unintentional sins. We will be too ashamed to abide in our Father’s presence. The confession of sins to receive forgiveness has become, for many, a work of the flesh that only gives temporary relief of a guilty conscience.
Receive forgiveness of sins today! It is only necessary for you to believe Christ died for your sins and confess Him as your Lord. God is not angry with you any more for any reason. Jesus has already been judged for every shortcoming of yours, yesterday’s and tomorrow’s. The only sin that stands between a man and God is rejection of Christ's finished work!
Say, "Jesus, thank you that you have already forgiven my sins. I accept the free gift of eternal life. Make me a child of God, the Father. Amen.
Notice how this is worded: “that they may receive….” Traditional religion with an emphasis on man’s effort says that we must confess the sin, then God will forgive. But Jesus did not say to St. Paul, ”if they confess their sin I will forgive them.” The revelation to the Apostle is that all men have been forgiven for all time because of the atoning work of Christ on the Cross. One only needs to receive the GIFT by faith to be considered righteous (in right standing with God).
…having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. (Colossians 2:14)
One segment of Christianity has as a doctrine that Christ died for a few “elect” and “predestined,” and that those who were not covered by the sacrifice on the Cross cannot be saved. But I read that God is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)
The idea of confession of sin as a stipulation for forgiveness is put forth only once in the New Testament, never in the writings of Paul. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) But this comes right on the tail of a solid emphasis on the fact that our forgiveness is continual because of Jesus’ sacrifice; “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin." (1 John 1:7)
The only time a Christian ever needs to confess his sin to God is when the Holy Spirit brings it to mind. We need not trudge through the past or go over our lives with a fine toothed comb to search our hearts for sin. Paul: “In fact, I do not even judge myself.” (1 Corinthians 4:3) The writer of Hebrews makes it clear that because believers have been purified by Christ’s finished work, His once for all sacrifice, we should have “no more consciousness of sins.” (Heb 10:2) Hallelujah!
If we believe that confession of sin is necessary for God’s forgiveness in our lives then we will live under a sense of dread and condemnation constantly because our lives are always subject to presumptuous and unintentional sins. We will be too ashamed to abide in our Father’s presence. The confession of sins to receive forgiveness has become, for many, a work of the flesh that only gives temporary relief of a guilty conscience.
Receive forgiveness of sins today! It is only necessary for you to believe Christ died for your sins and confess Him as your Lord. God is not angry with you any more for any reason. Jesus has already been judged for every shortcoming of yours, yesterday’s and tomorrow’s. The only sin that stands between a man and God is rejection of Christ's finished work!
Say, "Jesus, thank you that you have already forgiven my sins. I accept the free gift of eternal life. Make me a child of God, the Father. Amen.
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