Be Careful!
Today’s Passage – 1 Corinthians 10 – 12
Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. (1 Corinthians 10:12)
I have been saved now for over 20 years, and in that time I have witnessed many who have fallen away from the will of God. Some of them kind of gradually pulled away, slowly retreating from Christian service and from worship. Others never got in all the way in the first place, and just vanished off of the scene almost without notice. Still others have experienced dramatic falls. These were the people that were very active in the ministry, serving wherever they could, attending every service and special meeting; some have even attended Bible College. But then all of a sudden something happens in their life and they are gone. And most of the time no attempt is successful in bringing them back. I remember when I was in Bible college, we had a guy who fit this description. He was a real go getter. He worked his way up into the favor of the pastors and leaders in the church. He was thought by everyone to be the next Lee Roberson. However, one day he got mad about something, and he quit. To my knowledge, he is not even in church today.
I hate to see people fall away. I have seen some fall into immorality; some into liberalism; and some seem to just fade away. I know it is going to happen sometimes, but I really struggle with it. Most of these people who I have witnessed through the years were better Christians than I ever could be. It scares me really. I figure if it could happen to them, it could also certainly happen to me. Our text verse tells us that we had better be careful, because we are not above falling ourselves.
After observing this process through the years, I have noticed some ingredients in some of the people who have fallen, and I believe if we can watch out for these things in our life, striving to keep them away from us, we can avoid falling away.
1 Pride – I have noticed through the years that many of those who have walked away from God had a haughtiness about them; a self-reliance. They were very bold about their walk with the Lord, but they were more dependent upon themselves than Him. They were like Peter when he told the Lord that he would die for Him. In their mind, they could not conceive the possibility of falling away. As I mentioned before, I am afraid. I know that it has only been the grace of God that has kept me straight this far. Years ago, we had a man that was attending our church that had a drinking problem. He gloriously got victory over the alcohol and was doing very well. He boldly asserted that his drinking days were over. Another man in our church who also had a drinking problem in the distant past, one day said to me that this other brother would soon be back on the bottle. I asked him how he could possibly know that. He told me something that I will never forget. He said the man will drink again because he doesn’t fear falling; and unfortunately, he was right. In a short time the man went back to drinking, and left the church.
2 Critical Spirit – I guess this could fall under pride as well. I have observed that many of the people that I have seen leave their Christian faith to go off into the hog pen of this world have been very critical of others who were struggling with sin. They could not understand how another brother or sister didn’t do everything perfectly like they thought they did. These people were very quick to point out the flaws of others, but couldn’t even fathom a problem in their own lives.
3 Workaholic – I want to be careful here that I make myself clear. I am not against work. I love it, perhaps too much so at times. Out of the three ingredients that I am listing here, I would probably most often be guilty in this area. By workaholics, I am talking about people who feel that the work of God is completely dependent upon them. They take the responsibility of the entire church on their shoulders. They feel that if it weren’t for them, the ministry would die. They think that God is dependent upon them, instead of the other way around. These people eventually become frustrated with their lives, and they also get extremely frustrated with others around them that aren’t “puling their weight” as they should. They throw a lot of guilt trips on others who are not as dedicated as they are. They fail to see that they are just a spoke in the wheel, not the hub, which is Christ. Remember, Elijah had this attitude. He thought he was the only one serving God, but he was reminded that God had seven thousand that not bowed the knee to Baal.
Do you see any of these ingredients in your life? You can remove pride by asking the Lord to humble you. Sometimes God has to let you fall in order to humble you; but perhaps you don’t have to let it get that far. You can remove your critical spirit by developing compassion. I find, that just spending some time with hurting, struggling people helps me to develop compassion for them. The ministry is a people business. Sometimes we forget that. The workaholic thing is tough to deal with. But please be assured that God is perfectly capable of running His church without you. You can be a part of the process, and be dedicated and proficient in what you do, but don’t feel that you are the only one that is serving.
I hate to see people fall away. Please, consider these thoughts that I have developed above. I want to serve alongside of the all of the people of this church until the Lord returns. I believe God wants to use all of us to do great things; but we must remember that it is all about Him, not us.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
Bought With A Price
Today’s Passage – 1 Corinthians 6 – 9
“For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Corinthians 6:20)
I apologize for the late post. I overslept this morning listening to the rain and wind beating against the windows and roof of the house. It was an easy day to stay in bed a little longer.
Let me give you a parallel verse to the one listed above:
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” (Romans 12:1)
God says that we are bought with a price, meaning we no longer belong to ourselves. Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price by shedding His blood on the cross of Calvary. The context of 1 Corinthians 6:20 has to do with committing sin, which we have no right to do as believers, but I believe this verse tells us much more than to not commit sin. It deals also with our desires, our will. We really have no right to do with our lives that which we desire to do, unless those desires are God-given desires. Romans goes on to tell us that it is reasonable for us to yield our will to the will of God. I often quote another verse from Romans:
“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.” (Romans 7:18)
Notice that the “no good thing” that Paul refers to in this verse is his will; and “that which is good” is the will of God. This tells us the same thing that our text tells us. We have no right to do with our lives that which we desire. Our desires need to be surrendered to God. He owns us. He purchased us on the Cross of Calvary. This does not just mean that we shouldn’t commit sin, it goes way beyond mere obedience to His moral laws. Our goals, desires, and especially our passions need to yielded to the control of the Holy Spirit of God.
God desires to mold us and shape us to perform an ordained work (Ephesians 2:10) for Him, He has the perfect plan for our lives; and His plan will bring us the most fulfillment, and the most happiness. We may think we know what we want, but we must be very careful to determine that the thing which we want is what God wants for our lives. We often sing the song, “This World is Not My Home”; but really when you think about it, we could sing, “This Life is Not My Own”. We belong to God. He has purchased us, and it is our reasonable service to give our lives completely to Him.
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts from 1 Corinthians by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Grow Up
Today’s Passage – 1 Corinthians 1 – 5
And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. (1 Corinthians 3:1 & 2)
The church at Corinth was a church that had many issues which we could sum up into one main category, carnality. They were a very carnal church. Paul says here in the verses above that they were babes. The symptoms of their carnality can be seen throughout these chapters. For instance, they had a problem with unity; they were divided. Some of them were following Paul; some Apollos; some Peter. They ought to have been following the Lord; this way they could also get behind anybody else that was also going the same direction. Man worship seems to be a symptom of the carnality in our churches today as well. We love to pick out a spiritual guru who will do all of the work for us. He will get to know God and study for us, and he will tell us what we need to know. You see, this way we won’t have to get to know God ourselves. I praise God for the many different men that God has used in my life, but they were all just men. I still needed to follow God on my own, just in case one of these men ahead of men decide to take a detour away from God.
Another symptom of the church in Corinth which revealed their lack of spiritual maturity, and their carnality, was immorality. There were many within the body of Christ there that could not control their passions. They were committing some of the worst types of sin including fornication, and unfortunately, it did not appear that the church was dealing with it. They did not seem to be too upset about it. Our churches today are much the same way. It is almost as if we have given up trying to fight immorality anymore. The world we live in has certainly become a cesspool of immorality, so we figure that as long as we are not as bad as they are, we are doing ok. I don’t think God sees it the same way.
How can we reverse this trend? How can we try to conduct our churches in a way where we are still loving and reaching people with problems, yet we are maintaining a mature, separated walk with the Lord. I believe if a church is going to be able to pull its people away from the world, and lead them into a separated lifestyle of service, it will have to have these three ingredients:
1 There must be some shining examples – The leadership of the church, beginning with the pastors, must be men of God that are excited and passionate about serving the Lord. These men and women do not see separation as something to endure, but rather a lifestyle that they enjoy. These people don’t have to do what they do, they love it.
2 There also needs to be strong exhortation – Bible principle must be preached and taught with a conviction that can only come through the power of the Spirit of God. Messages need to be flooded, not with the philosophies of men, but with the principles contained in the Word of God. The people need to hear, “Thus saith the Lord”.
3 There also needs to be service exercise – People need to have a purpose, and they need to be busy serving the Lord. Let’s plug people in to some type of service that enables them to use their gifts for the glory of God.
4 There also needs to be a spiritual excitement – We get beaten down by the world enough. Our people need to see God working. They need to be convinced that this is real, that we are really on the wining team. There needs to be some spiritual victories that will motivate the people to keep going. Nothing is more motivational than seeing people saved, and seeing peoples lives changed.
Carnality will be less of a problem in a healthy, vibrant, excited, motivated, and growing church. People will be able to resist the pull of the world if there is a stronger pull coming from within the walls of the church.
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts from 1 Corinthians by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Responsibility
Today’s Passage – Romans 14 – 16
It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak. (Romans 14:21)
There is a lot of talk these days about liberty. As New Testament Christians we have been made free from the bondage of the law, but that does not give us license to sin; and it does not give us the right to use our liberty to cause a weaker brother in Christ to stumble and fall. We no longer have an exhaustive list of do’s and dont’s to live by (or not live by). We live by faith, but the Bible tells us that whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
In our fundamental churches across America, many things are preached against. Each church is different. Some churches are a little more separated than others are. Some have long lists of leadership (and even membership) requirements; but even these churches could not possibly completely specify what is right for every given situation. However, as believers, we have the indwelling Spirit of God, which will guide us into all truth, and help us decide what is right and what is wrong. We must remember, though, that we must take into account that what we do affects other people. Let me give you an example that I have heard many times: Let’s say that I feel that a glass of wine every now and then is acceptable (by the way, I don’t), and God would not prohibit me from drinking in moderation. I may have the liberty to do that; I mean I’m saved eternally, aren’t I? and that glass of wine may not be a problem for me. However, what I must take into consideration that by drinking the wine, I may be influencing a younger brother in Christ the wrong way. He may not be able to handle it, it may cause him to fall away from God, and do injury to himself and others. The bottom line is that there are things that I may have the liberty to do, which may cause my brother to stumble and fall. I therefore have to understand that I have a responsibility before God to be a proper example and influence to my children, and to my brothers and sisters in Christ.
The wine example is just one of many I can think of. This principle can be applied to many areas: television, music, movies, occupations; the list goes on and on. You and I must follow the principles of the Word of God, and the leadership of the Spirit of God in every decision, so that the liberties we take do not adversely affect anyone else. No man is an island: we don’t live to ourselves; our lives are intertwined together; and we are our brother’s keeper. I am not trying to turn us into a bunch of Pharisees who spend their time micro-examining everybody else’s lives, I am merely advocating that we assume some responsibility regarding our influence on others. And the higher we are in leadership, the greater the influence we have, and the greater the responsibility we must accept.
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts from Romans by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
What’s The Difference?
Today’s Reading – Romans 11 – 13
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Romans 12:1 & 2)
Have you ever used the expression, “what’s the difference?” In our culture, people use that little phrase all of the time and for a variety of meanings. However, this morning, I am truly asking the question, what’s the difference? What I mean by that is: what is different about you from the rest of the world? I once preached a message from 2 Corinthians 5:17 called “What’s New About You?”. The Bible is very clear that we who are Christians ought to be different from the world. We are not to be enamored by all of the things that this world has to offer. (1 John 2:15 – 17) God’s people have God, the Holy Spirit indwelling them, and He ought to make a big difference in our lives.
In our text, the Word of God teaches that we are not to be conformed (molded by the influence of the culture); but rather we are to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. This comes when we yield to the Spirit within us and apply the principles contained in the Word of God to our lives. I found it interesting that prior to chapter twelve in this letter to the Romans, the focus seemed to be on the nation of Israel and how they continued to strive to find acceptance to God (unsuccessfully) through a system of works. You see the Jews never had a problem with appearing different from the rest of the world, as they were a very separated people. In chapter 11, the focus seems to shift to the Gentiles. Now the Gentiles didn’t have as much problem with the faith part. They were eager to believe the Word of God and trust the Lord Jesus; but they did have a problem with living a consecrated, separated life after their conversion to Christianity. The problem was their culture. The Jews were never a part of the godless culture of the Gentiles. To be part of the “in crowd” in Judaism meant that you lived a separated lifestyle. They did, however, have a big problem transferring their trust from their works to the finished work of Jesus on the Cross of Calvary. Not so for the Gentiles, they believed easily; but they struggled with the Christian life.
We also struggle with walking as Christians ought to walk. Under the inspiration of God, Paul gives us the formula for success. We are to separate from the conforming influences of this world; and then saturate ourselves in the transforming power of the Word of God through the Spirit of God. If we will do those two things, the Christian life will be much less troublesome; and our life will shine that much brighter.
Have a great day in church today.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl
Today’s Reading: Romans 8-10.
Romans 8:37 – Nay, in all things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
Good morning. I know it’s early, but the question I want to pose today is this: are you a conqueror, or more than a conqueror? What or who do you think about when you here the word conqueror? Do you think of Communist leaders like Lenin, or chairman Mao, who murdered people to gain power? Chairman Mao’s policies are credited to the deaths of 77 million people. Do you think of the Faciests like Hitler, who took a massive army and conquered most of Europe. Do you think about the Catholic church which sent out an army of Crusaders to force people to convert over to their form of religion? Do you think about the Muslims who butchered 50,000 Christians in the city of Fez, in Moroco? What about Nero, who dipped Christians in wax, mounted them on a pole, and then set them on fire to light his palace? But we are more than conquerors! We are more than conquerors through our Lord Jesus Christ!
We are more than conquerors MENTALLY
Philippians 2: 5-11 says: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon himself the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
And God is conforming us to the image of His Son. We can have the mind of Christ. We are more than conquerors!
We are more than conquerors PHYSICALLY.
We can do all things – Philippians 4:13; We can endure all things – 2Timothy 2:1-10: because we are more than conquerors through our Lord Jesus Christ! Think about Stephen who saw heaven opened revealing the Lord standing, and waiting for his arrival in heaven. Think about the multitude of Christians who went to their deaths and onto eternal life because of their love for the Lord Jesus Christ. We are more than conquerors through Him that loved us!
And we are more than conquerors SPIRITUALLY.
Romans 8:2 tells us: “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”
Read the rest of chapter 8 about the working of the Holy Spirit. You will come to the same conclusion that in all things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.”
Peace (John 14:27)
Posted in Devotions, Guest Posts, Thoughts from Romans by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Peace
Today’s Reading – Romans 4 – 6
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: (Romans 5:1)
For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partitionbetween us; (Ephesians 1:14)
“And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.” Colossians 1:20
What does it mean to have peace with God? The Scriptures referenced above and many others in the Bible indicate very clearly that we who have been born again through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ have peace:
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)
Let me summarize a few thoughts on this peace that God gives His children:
1 Peace is the absence of conflict. The Bible indicates that we were at enmity with God because of our sin. We were born in a sinful condition and we continued in that state until we received the forgiveness that comes through a relationship with Christ. I am no longer God’s enemy. I am His child.
2 Peace is the absence of worry. I no longer have to worry about “the wages of sin”. Hell is no longer an option for me. I have been forgiven from all sins: past, present, and future; and I have a place reserved for me in Heaven. I don’t deserve any of it, but God in His grace loved me enough to save me. God not only frees me from worry regarding my eternal destiny, but as I yield myself to His will and His Spirit in this life, I can also be free from the worries that so often plague us all. Will I be provided for? Will I be protected? I am assured through the Word of God that as I seek Him first, He will take care of all of the rest.
3 Peace is the absence of turmoil. Life these days seems to be full of stress and turmoil; but again as we yield to God in our lives, and live according to the plan laid out for us in His Word, I can dramatically reduce the amount of stress that I experience in my life. And even when life gets a little bumpy I am assured of grace which is sufficient to give me an inner peace even in in the most turbulent storms.
Do you have peace? You can have it only if you are in a right relationship with God. Receive Him as your Saviour, and then yield your life to Him. Most of the world knows nothing about real peace, but for God’s children peace should and can be just a normal part of life.
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts from Romans by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Today’s Passage – Romans 1 – 3
Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. (Romans 1:21)
I woke up this morning a little before 6; and I started to go through my normal routine of making coffee, and going to my chair in the living room to read God’s Word. But this morning things were different in my house. Nearly every room in the house had people sleeping in it, including the living room. Last evening, Katelyn’s mother and brother arrived; and early this morning Sami, Melissa, and Wesley came in. It’s been a long time since the whole family was all together. What a joy to spend this Thanksgiving with family. I am truly blessed of God.
I didn’t forget about the text. In this morning’s reading, I noticed in the latter part of the Roman’s 1, Paul gives a list of what man is capable of in his worst state. The description given there includes a list of some of the most wicked sins imaginable. We see this list of sins displayed before our eyes every day in this ungodly world that we live in. However, the people who are guilty of these things in our text did not start out in such a state. The Bible reveals that at one time these people knew God. The problem started back in verse 21, where the Scripture reveals that they did not give God the glory; they were not thankful. A lack of thanksgiving to God, and to people whom God has used in your life is a first step in a downward spiral which will ultimately lead to an immoral, godless lifestyle.
Thanksgiving begins in our attitude. You cannot sincerely express thanksgiving unless it is in your heart. We all need to examine our hearts to see if we have the right attitude. Do you find yourself often looking on the dark side of life? Is your cup always half empty instead of mostly full? Do you find yourself envious of what others may possess? Do you whine and complain a lot about your circumstances. If you do, you have an attitude problem that only God can fix. But it can be fixed. You must first confess to God the sin of ingratitude and discontentment. Then you must ask Him to help you change your perspective on life. It really is a matter of perspective. Have you ever seen on television children from a third world country, living in the most deplorable conditions, playing contentedly, seemingly oblivious to their adverse circumstances? Have you ever known a person who struggled with a debilitating and painful illness who seemed to always have a smile on their face? These people have a positive outlook on life. They have a good perspective. You and I live in America, and most of us have health, yet we complain constantly like spoiled children. We need to look at life differently.
On a practical level, there are some things that you and I can do that will help change our perspective. For instance, you could write in a journal or a diary a list of the blessings that God has given you. When you find yourself feeling negative and down on your life you can pull it out and review how really blessed you are. Take time to think about the good things that God has done for you. If we really think about it, we all have been blessed of God far more that we could possibly deserve.
Once you get the attitude right, it will be easy for you to express gratitude and thanksgiving audibly, and through some tangible actions. Take some time today to think about what you are thankful for and who you are thankful for, and then go through the process of expressing your thanks to the people who have been a blessing to you; and most of all to God, who has sent those blessings your way.
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts from Romans by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Thankful for Preachers
Today’s Passage – Acts 26 – 28
And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him. (Acts 28:30&31)
The last few verses of Acts sum up the purpose of Paul’s entire life, to preach Christ. No matter where he went, and no matter who he was talking to, Paul preached Christ. In these last three chapters we see Paul rehearsing his testimony before Herod and Festus. Later we see him being the spiritual leader during the crisis of the shipwreck; and later still he is ministering to the people on the island of Melita. Paul had one focus in life and that was to be an ambassador for the Lord Jesus Christ. He could have gotten bitter about his unjust treatment; he could have gotten discouraged because of his lack of liberty; but he just kept preaching Christ: to kings and governors; to soldiers; to his fellow prisoners; to the barbarous people on the island; to the Jews and Gentiles at Rome.
I am thankful for the faithfulness of Paul, and men (and women) like him that have also been faithful to preach Christ. I was saved because someone was faithful to preach the gospel to me. In fact, I had several somebodies who had witnessed to me. I am thankful for my friend Kathleen who preached Christ to me; and for Pete; and for Doug, a dairy man at Shoprite who invited me to church; and for Reverend Riter who knocked on my door while canvassing for a bus ministry; and for men on the radio like J. Vernon McGee who were also faithfully preaching and teaching, and were used of God to ultimately reach me.
I am also thankful for the men of God that He has used to influence my life after my conversion; men who discipled and trained me. I couldn’t possibly list all of the people that have helped me a long the way; but let me mention one: Pastor Rick Wedemeyer is the one man that I have had a relationship with since the early days of my salvation. Pastor Rick has never turned me away. Even when he was going through turbulent times himself, he always had time to encourage me, and he always helped me.
I wonder if my life will have the same impact and influence on this generation. I want to be faithful to preach Christ to my generation as Paul was to his; and I also want to be used of the Lord to help develop and mentor younger Christians. How about you? Do you desire to be a faithful ambassador for the Lord? Do you witness when given the opportunity? Do you take time to teach those that are still babes in Christ? You and I are saved because somebody else was faithful. Let’s be faithful also.
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts from Acts by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Don’t Put It Off
Today’s Passage – Acts 23 – 25
“And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.” (Acts 24:24 & 25)
In the passage that we have read today, Paul, after having been arrested for allegedly inciting a riot at the temple in Jerusalem, has been brought to Caesarea for his own protection. The Jews at Jerusalem wanted him dead, so in order to protect Paul who was a Roman citizen, the chief captain secretly brought him out of the city. While in Caesarea, Paul had the opportunity to proclaim the Christian faith to the governor, Felix, and his wife, Drusilla. The Bible tells us that Felix trembled, which means that he was under conviction, he believed at least partially what Paul had testified to him about the Lord Jesus, and about the consequences of rejecting Christ, yet he postponed a decision for Christ until he had a “convenient season”. I wonder if that convenient season ever came for Felix or his wife. I hope he did, but somehow I doubt it. History teaches that Felix’ wife Drusilla was tragically killed when Mt. Vesuvius, a volcano near Pompeii, erupted in 79 AD. Imagine dying in such a way, only to spend eternity in a much worse state.
It has been my observation throughout the years since my salvation that people need to decide for Christ when they are being invited to receive Him. Many times that convenient season never comes. I strongly urge you who are reading this post, if you are not sure about your eternal destiny, please open your heart to the Lord today. Don’t put it off, tomorrow is not guaranteed. Salvation is simple:
First, you must recognize your need – you are a sinner, and the wages (payment) for sin is death (eternal separation from God in Hell). (Romans 3:10; 23; 6:23)
Second, you must believe that Jesus Christ, God the Son, came to earth and died to satisfy the debt that you and I owed for our sins. The Bible tells us that without the shedding of blood there can be no remission of sins. Somebody has to pay for your sins. Jesus already did, so you don’t have to.
Third, you must receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. The Bible is clear that if you call upon the name of the Lord Jesus, placing your faith in Him, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9 – 13)
You can call upon the Lord today and be assured that He not only will hear you, but He will also save you! You don’t have to worry about eternity ever again.
“These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” (1 John 5:13)
By the way, if you are a Christian, now is also a convenient season for submitting to the will of God for your life. God expects our full obedience to Him. It is our reasonable service.
“(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)” (2 Corinthians 6:2)
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts from Acts by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.