If more forgiveness needs to be dispersed by God, then Jesus would need to keep offering Himself again and again. We have a better proclamation inside of a new and better covenant. Sins weren’t just covered; they were taken away.




GRACE BLOGS COLLECTION
by Sandra
by Michael
I have seen the weaponization of the Bible more times that I can count. I hate to admit that I’ve been guilty of this myself. Christians tend to find a verse that backs up their belief system and then they use that verse against people who disagree with them. That is not what the Bible was intended for.
The post How Saying “the Bible Says” Becomes Dangerous appeared first on Michael Wilson.
by kingdomlife
Anytime that we discuss freedom as it relates to believers in the kingdom of God, we must realize that freedom means different things to different people!
In Acts 22, an incident in the life of Paul powerfully illustrates the New Testament truth regarding Christian freedom in the kingdom of God!
And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned? When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain, saying, Take heed what thou doest: for this man is a Roman. Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said, Yea. (As a Roman Citizen or a FREE man, Paul had rights!) And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this FREEDOM. And Paul said, But I was born FREE. —Acts 22:25-28 (KJV)
Freedom meant something totally different to the Roman captain than to Paul.
Many today believe that their Christian May freedom is obtained by ‘paying a high price’—hard work, moral discipline, personal sacrifice! They think that if you sacrifice much in zealous pursuits of Christian discipline, you are ultimately rewarded with victory and freedom.
But I like what Paul said, “Maybe your freedom cost you a high price, but I was born FREE.” Before we can understand and experience true freedom, we have to know that it’s not something we obtain through personal sacrifice, we are born into it!
That doesn’t mean that our freedom was without cost. It came at a very high cost—THE LIFE OF THE SON OF GOD. The degree to which you understand and believe in the freedom you are born into in Christ is the degree of true freedom you will experience in everyday life!
Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he [man] thinketh in his heart, so is he.”
“Thinketh” means “to calculate; to put a valuation on.” “What” and “who” we value in our hearts determines where we go and what we become! Therefore, the way I believe about God and our relationship, controls the way I see and relate to myself and others.
Before we can understand and experience true freedom, we have to know that it’s not some- thing we obtain through personal sacrifice, we are born into it!
All the experiences of our lives, can be directly linked to the condition of our hearts or our belief system! (Prov. 4:20-23)
You can be a God-fearing, Holy Spirit-filled, Bible-quoting, morally-disciplined Christian, living in a reclusive commune! But if your beliefs are still deeply rooted in performance religion, you’ll never be free from the destructive behaviors and bondage that dominate your life.
Unfortunately this is the sad reality of many Christians in the church today.
The Jews served God based on performance religion that unknowingly kept them in bondage. Jesus said to them:
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? —John 8:31-33 (KJV)
They didn’t even recognize the religion they were in. They thought that everything was just great!
They served God under a system governed by rules, regulations and performance that could never make them acceptable before God. This is what they needed to be set free from, and it’s the same for many today.
Jesus said, “you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” That truth is relationship with God—free from legalism, self- righteousness and the guilt of the law! Jesus came to give us freedom and abundant life in Him. Celebrate the freedom you were born into every day!
Blessings, Arthur
by Sandra
by kingdomlife
I often hear people talking about a Grace Revolution taking place in the church today. I think it is more of a “Grace Reformation” that has the potential to sweep throughout the whole world!
Jesus said, ”And this good news of the kingdom (the Gospel) will be preached throughout the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then will come the end.” —Matthew 24:14 (AMP)
Jesus did not say that the Gospel should, could or might be preached. He said this Gospel of the kingdom WILL be preached! Never in all of history has it been more possible for this scripture to be fulfilled than in the time we are living in today. The question we need to ask ourselves today is this:
“Will we be the ones to preach it?”
Are we ready to take this challenge to boldly go into all the world and preach this gospel as a witness to all nations?
The religious world is suspicious of the Gospel of Grace because they feel that they are losing control. That’s why Paul wrote to the believers at Galatia saying,
In [this] freedom Christ has made us free [and completely liberated us]; stand fast then, and do not be hampered and held ensnared and submit again to a yoke of slavery [which you have once put off]. — Galatians 5:1 (AMP)
Most of us are not easily hampered or ensnared by the scare tactics of condemnation, guilt, judgment and shame any longer. There are, however, other methods of hampering being used to try and restrict people today: the threat and accusations of heresy, false doctrines and error. Many men and women of God have become afraid to preach the Gospel of Grace and Peace because of the potential accusations that could be leveled against them!
The Word of God assures us that if we stay focused on Jesus and God’s love for people, there is no fear of deception, delusion or error!
Are we ready to take this challenge to boldly go into all the world and preach this gospel as a witness to all nations? Just like in the days of Paul and many other men of God throughout history who have preached this gospel in times of reformation, there is mounting pressure to compromise
this message. It’s a pressure warranting “so-called” balance, referring to the message of the gospel as hyper-grace, sloppy agape and greasy grace!
In Jesus is all Truth!
Paul, writing to the Church at Ephesus, said;
“But you did not so learn Christ! Assuming that you have really heard Him and been taught by Him, as all Truth is in Jesus [embodied and personified in Him]” — Ephesians 4:20-21 (AMP)
Even in the book of John, Jesus taught extensively on the Truth and the Truth being in Him! (John 14:6)
If we keep our focus on Jesus as the Christ, as the one and only reason and solution for our redemption and salvation, we are abiding in the truth, and the truth is in us!
The Guarantee of God
In the book of First Corinthians, Paul assures us of God’s ability to hold, keep and maintain us to the end!
“And He will establish you to the end [keep you steadfast, give you strength, and guarantee your vindication; He will be your warrant against all accusation or indictment so that you will be] guiltless and irreproachable in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah)”. 1 Corinthians 1:8 (AMP)
The Holy Spirit of God
When we live in the awareness of the presence of the Holy Spirit in us and on us, it becomes impossible to go into error.
“But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall everything I have told you. Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you… Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.]”— John 14:26 (AMP)
I’m not making light of heresy or error in any way. What I’m saying is that a fear of error will hinder us from the freedom of peaching the Gospel fully. God assures us that He will keep us from falling into error through the leading of His Holy Spirit that dwells in us!
Keep the Message Alive
Jesus said, “Staying with it – that’s what God requires. Stay with it to the end. You won’t be sorry, and you’ll be saved.” — Matthew 24:13 (MSG)
If we are going to be the generation who is going to preach the Gospel as a testimony and witness to the whole world, we are going to have to keep this message alive!
So my charge and encouragement to us all today is this:
Stay with it to the end. Keep this Gospel alive! Do not give in. Do not give up. Do not go back. Do not recant!
by Sandra