Introduction
Salvation should be at the front of most people’s minds, its just a tragedy that there are many erroneous teaches about how a person is saved in the first place. We know we receive God’s free gift, the Holy Spirit, at our baptism but how does this all tie together with grace and works? Can we be sure we’re saved?
The function of human blood was not understood until Wm Harvey in 1615. Long before Harvey the Bible stated “the life of the flesh is in the blood” (Leviticus 17:11). From the earliest of times there has been a spiritual reverence given to blood by God. God told Cain his murdered brother’s blood “cries out to me.” First reference to its sacredness. God is holy, righteous and blameless. Therefore He cannot tolerate sin in heaven. The Lamb Of God
In John chapter three, we have a man by the name of Nicodemus, a Pharisee and also a ruler (teacher) of the Jews coming by night to speak with Jesus. He had come to the conclusion that Jesus was someone special. He said, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” Seizing the opportunity Jesus will begin to discuss one of the great doctrines of the New Testament. A New Birth
Some believe that Paul and James contradict one another. The famous German Reformer, Martin Luther having established his doctrine of salvation by faith only, concluded that James was not an inspired book and should be removed from the N. T. He called it an epistle of straw. But even Luther’s followers rejected his conclusion about James. Grace And Works
By contrast today many ardently believe the Holy Spirit dwells in the Christian only “through the word.” By this they mean He dwells in us “representatively” through the Word. The Word of God and the Holy Spirit are not the same. The Holy Spirit is the third person in the Godhead. The Holy Spirit inspired certain men to write the Word. Thus, the Word is not the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit’s Indwelling!
Of the three persons in the Godhead we give less recognition to the Holy Spirit than we do to the Father and Son. There are many mysteries about the Holy Spirit but we need to be aware of the truths that are given, especially in view of the false claims concerning Him. Following are five fundamental truths about the Holy Spirit. If we can grasp these truths we should never have a problem of being mislead in our understanding of Him. The Holy Spirit And The Gift(s)!
The amazing grace of God has made all the difference. “Amazing Grace” is probably the most favourite and most often sung hymn today. When asked to define grace probably the most common answer given is, “the unmerited favour of God.” While this expresses a truth about grace it falls far short of telling us what grace really is. The concept of grace is so profound and great that no finite mind or human language can fully comprehend or explain it. The Amazing Grace Of God
Just outside the city of Jerusalem there was a hill known as Golgotha, sometimes translated as Calvary. One day three crosses were raised on this hill. Three crosses in a row. Usually we see only one; the one Jesus hung on, as its significance is so much greater than the other two. The Three Crosses
Some years ago, I was teaching a lady’s class on the assurance of our salvation. At the close of the class one of the most faithful and dedicated ladies in that congregation came to me and said, “I don’t believe we will know for sure that we are saved until we die. Others expressed similar thoughts. The conclusion to this thinking is that even though you have been baptized for the remission of your sins and live the Christian life you must wait until death before you will really know whether you are saved. The Not For Sure Trap!
We have all seen and heard them. On T. V., radio and maybe in person. The evangelist delivers a powerful message dealing with sin and judgment. At the close of the sermon he tells his audience they need to pray the sinners’ prayer. He usually says something like the following. “By a simple prayer of faith you can invite Christ into your life now. Just say, thank you Lord, come into my heart.” The Sinner’s Prayer