“He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life” (1 John 5:12).
There are many people wandering through this world aimlessly with no idea of how wonderful it is to have life in Christ. Jesus said He came to deliver a different kind of life to those who will avoid Satan’s deceitful schemes (John 10:10). It is a life that can only be known through Him (John 14:6) that tears down dividing walls that seek to destroy the kingdom: “For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall” (Ephesians 2:14). Sadly, only a select few will enjoy this life because it requires denial of self and total submission to the will of God (Matthew 7).
Many blessings befall those who choose to submit to God’s will, the most tremendous of which is the promise of freedom from our past. God told the children of Israel He was going to make a “new covenant” with them and in that covenant their sins would no longer be remembered (Jeremiah 31: 31, 34). This covenant was established through Jesus’ death on the cross (Heb 9:15-18). His death was the sacrifice needed to pay the price for the removal of the punishment of death for our ugly past. Now we are forgiven of all the sin in our past, and if we remain faithful to His teachings, even sins that we occasionally stumble over in the future are forgiven (1 John 1:7). The wonderful life in Christ is abundant in forgiveness.
Another blessing found in this wonderful life in Christ is freedom from sin. Satan uses sin to hold our souls in captivity (Romans 6:23). He disguises it so brilliantly and makes it look so tempting that our flesh experiences great difficulty trying to refuse it. Once we are taken in by its deceit and allow it to enter our heart we become separated from God (Isaiah 59:2) and unwillingly become servants of the great deceiver, Satan. His subtle disguising of sin lured us into his trap of doom and destruction. But Satan’s power is just what Jesus conquered: “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14). God sent His Son to earth to rescue us from sin’s power and to provide forgiveness. His willingness to die on a cross for that purpose reveals a divine love that is matched only by the grace that leads us in the right direction to its reward.
Becoming submissive to God’s plan has transformed many lives. For one to be transformed they must be willing to let God have control of their lives (John 3:16). God’s life is promised to a special kind of people. One can only become this kind of person when he or she decides to die to self, sin and to Satan. This describes those who believe. “Believe” in the Greek language is a verb, or action word, just as the Greek word “agape” or “love” is action. God’s love doesn’t just sit around and do nothing. It is action taken to meet our greatest needs. Believing is also action that takes place in response to God’s love. We must realize how desperate we are without Christ before we will ever come to Christ. Only when we come to Christ knowing our need for His forgiveness can we become full partakers of that glorious revelation of divine love. That active love working in our lives delivers us into the abundant life of loving God as He loves us.
In His Love,
Cub
There are many people wandering through this world aimlessly with no idea of how wonderful it is to have life in Christ. Jesus said He came to deliver a different kind of life to those who will avoid Satan’s deceitful schemes (John 10:10). It is a life that can only be known through Him (John 14:6) that tears down dividing walls that seek to destroy the kingdom: “For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall” (Ephesians 2:14). Sadly, only a select few will enjoy this life because it requires denial of self and total submission to the will of God (Matthew 7).
Many blessings befall those who choose to submit to God’s will, the most tremendous of which is the promise of freedom from our past. God told the children of Israel He was going to make a “new covenant” with them and in that covenant their sins would no longer be remembered (Jeremiah 31: 31, 34). This covenant was established through Jesus’ death on the cross (Heb 9:15-18). His death was the sacrifice needed to pay the price for the removal of the punishment of death for our ugly past. Now we are forgiven of all the sin in our past, and if we remain faithful to His teachings, even sins that we occasionally stumble over in the future are forgiven (1 John 1:7). The wonderful life in Christ is abundant in forgiveness.
Another blessing found in this wonderful life in Christ is freedom from sin. Satan uses sin to hold our souls in captivity (Romans 6:23). He disguises it so brilliantly and makes it look so tempting that our flesh experiences great difficulty trying to refuse it. Once we are taken in by its deceit and allow it to enter our heart we become separated from God (Isaiah 59:2) and unwillingly become servants of the great deceiver, Satan. His subtle disguising of sin lured us into his trap of doom and destruction. But Satan’s power is just what Jesus conquered: “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14). God sent His Son to earth to rescue us from sin’s power and to provide forgiveness. His willingness to die on a cross for that purpose reveals a divine love that is matched only by the grace that leads us in the right direction to its reward.
Becoming submissive to God’s plan has transformed many lives. For one to be transformed they must be willing to let God have control of their lives (John 3:16). God’s life is promised to a special kind of people. One can only become this kind of person when he or she decides to die to self, sin and to Satan. This describes those who believe. “Believe” in the Greek language is a verb, or action word, just as the Greek word “agape” or “love” is action. God’s love doesn’t just sit around and do nothing. It is action taken to meet our greatest needs. Believing is also action that takes place in response to God’s love. We must realize how desperate we are without Christ before we will ever come to Christ. Only when we come to Christ knowing our need for His forgiveness can we become full partakers of that glorious revelation of divine love. That active love working in our lives delivers us into the abundant life of loving God as He loves us.
In His Love,
Cub
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