The Israelites had been taught for generations that a promised Redeemer, the Messiah, would one day come. They would hold festivals and have special days dedicated to providing sacrifices to cover their sins. They sacrificed animals, such as lambs, goats, and calves, and it was instilled in the people that blood was necessary for the redemption of sins, but that the animal blood provided only a temporary covering. One day there would be a lasting sacrifice and there would be no more need for sacrifices to be made for sins because the Redeemer would provide a lasting cover for all sins.
What is a Kinsman Redeemer?
All throughout Old Testament times, God was teaching His people, both then and now, that He is faithful and will redeem His people. He provides the way for salvation, and it is by belief in Him and obedience that we can find it. God’s people were constantly rebellious, but God continued to redeem them again and again. This gives us hope today and shows us that God wants His people to be saved.
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.
to redeem, act as kinsman-redeemer, avenge, revenge, ransom, do the part of a kinsman
One way God taught His people about the importance of redemption was by implementing laws and practices to redeem lands and inheritances. If a man died leaving his wife a widow with no children, a near relative of the husband would be called upon to redeem the widow, and carry on the lineage of the deceased husband. He would marry the widow, ensure the land stayed in the family, and they would have children on behalf of the first husband. This was known as a Kinsman Redeemer. We see a real example of this in the book of Ruth where Boaz becomes the Kinsman Redeemer of Naomi. This is also a foreshadowing of what was to come.
9 Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses today that I am buying from Naomi everything that belonged to Elimelech, Chilion, and Mahlon. 10 I have also acquired Ruth the Moabitess, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, to perpetuate the deceased man’s name on his property, so that his name will not disappear among his relatives or from the gate of his hometown. You are witnesses today.”
Another powerful example of redemption in the Old Testament is the Passover. The Israelites would observe the Passover Festival every year as a reminder of God’s redemption of His people at the cost of Egyptian lives. God spared His people, redeeming them, freeing them from Egyptian slavery, and in so doing paid with the blood of Egypt. God showed His people that He would redeem them from any enemy at any cost. When God’s people were freed from Egypt, they were led through the wilderness, and God continued to redeem them time after time and was patient with their disobedience.
25 When you enter the land that the Lord will give you as he promised, you are to observe this ceremony. 26 When your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ 27 you are to reply, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, for he passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when he struck the Egyptians, and he spared our homes.’” So the people knelt low and worshiped.
God redeemed His people throughout Old Testament times and has provided lasting redemption for all who will believe. Redemption is a deliverance from the penalty of sin. It is to be released from a debt owed, freed from bondage, and forgiven of your sins. To be redeemed is to be saved from the consequence we deserve for our sins. The price of sin is death, and redemption of sins requires a blood payment.
13 He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. 14 In him we have redemption,[a] the forgiveness of sins.
Because the price of sin is death, blood must be spilled to pay for sin. Sin cannot be forgiven without blood spilled to pay for it. In Old Testament times, there was a whole sacrificial system in effect but that was not lasting. Sacrifices were needed on a regular basis to continue to receive forgiveness of sins. God had been teaching His people that there would come a time when He would provide lasting redemption.
4 When the time came to completion, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our[a] hearts, crying, “Abba,[b] Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then God has made you an heir.
Redemption is needed in order for sins to be forgiven. Without the forgiveness of sins, we are still enslaved to our sins, and are unable to freely serve God. If we are slaves to sin, we cannot be free servants of God, therefore we are unable to have personal relationships with Him. God loves His people and desires all to be saved, and all to know Him personally. Without redemption, this is not possible. We needed a Redeemer, and we could never redeem ourselves.
18 For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was revealed in these last times for you. 21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
Without redemption, we cannot receive forgiveness or have a personal relationship with the Lord, and therefore we remain in our sin and separation from God. Redemption not only frees us from the bondage of our sin, but also gives the free gift of salvation that comes through faith in Jesus. This salvation redeems us to God, making us children of God and coheirs with Christ. As coheirs, we inherit a place in Heaven after the Last Judgment. Redemption through Jesus is the way to eternal life with the Lord.
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation[a] for all people, 12 instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. 14 He gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people for his own possession, eager to do good works.
God provided His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ, to be the Redeemer of the world. All the laws and practices of the Old Testament for the forgiveness of sins were to prepare the people for the coming Redeemer, the Messiah who would save the people for eternity. Jesus came to be the spotless lamb that was slain on behalf of all who would believe in Him as their Redeemer.
68 Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and provided redemption for his people.
11 But Christ has appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come.[a] In the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands (that is, not of this creation), 12 he entered the most holy place once for all time, not by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.
As blood is the price for sin, Jesus’s blood was spilled to cover the sins of the entire world for all time. He took the whole curse of sin upon Himself as He died on the cross and with His blood paid the sin debt for all of mankind. By faith in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we all have access to eternal redemption, the forgiveness of our sins, and the promise of eternity with the Lord.
13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, because it is written, Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.[a]
When you believe that Jesus Christ is the Redeemer of the world, and place your faith in Him as your personal Savior and Redeemer, you will receive forgiveness of your sins and enter into a personal relationship with God through the blood of Jesus. With saving faith comes true repentance, and repentance leads to a change in direction. We are given the gift of the Holy Spirit to convict, teach, and guide us through this new life with the Lord now that we have been freed from the bondage to sin.
21 But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, attested by the Law and the Prophets.[a]22 The righteousness of God is through faith in Jesus Christ[b] to all who believe, since there is no distinction. 23 For all have sinned and fall short of the[c] glory of God; 24 they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 25 God presented him as the mercy seat[d] by his blood, through faith, to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his restraint God passed over the sins previously committed. 26 God presented him to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so that he would be just and justify the one who has faith in Jesus.
By God’s great mercy, He gives grace to those who believe in His Son, and we become His children as well. As part of God’s family, we are blessed with the presence of God, personal access to Him in prayer, and the strength of Christ to persevere in this life until the ultimate day of salvation and the Last Judgement. When that day comes, those who have faith in Christ and are named as children of God will inherit eternal life with Him. It is by God’s grace through faith that we can receive the incredible gift of redemption and salvation. We cannot obtain it on our own, but only through faith in the precious blood of Jesus that was spilled on our behalf.
16 For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and by him all things hold together. 18 He is also the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything.
If you have not accepted the grace of God and chosen to believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I encourage you to pray to God now and invite Him in, accept Jesus as the sacrifice for your sins, and repent of your sins. Submit it all to God, lay it at His feet, seek the forgiveness of God, welcome Him into your life, and believe that Jesus died and rose again to save you from your sins.
If you would like to learn more about salvation, you can find a couple of studies that may help here:
Isaiah 53 is one of the prophecies about Jesus Christ, the Suffering Servant, nearly 800 years before Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the world. The prophet Isaiah penned several prophecies about the Suffering Servant. They foretell a coming Messiah who would suffer for the sake of deliverance and reconciliation. In Isaiah 53, we read about the Suffering Servant being led like a lamb to the slaughter, as well as further sufferings the Messiah would endure. When Jesus came, nearly 800 years after the prophecies of Isaiah 53, He fulfilled every single aspect of this prophecy, which rightfully gives Him the names of Suffering Servant and Man of Sorrows.
2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no [a]form or [b]comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no [c]beauty that we should desire Him. 3 He is despised and [d]rejected by men, A Man of [e]sorrows and acquainted with [f]grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
4 Surely He has borne our [g]griefs And carried our [h]sorrows; Yet we [i]esteemed Him stricken, [j]Smitten by God, and afflicted.
Sorrow is a mental and physical pain and depression. It is deep and severe. When David was being hunted by his own son, at risk of death constantly, David was deeply grieved by sorrow. David was anguished. This is a sorrow of body and soul, just as the prophecy tells of the Messiah.
17 For I am ready to fall, And my sorrowis continually before me. 18 For I will declare my iniquity; I will be in [a]anguish over my sin. 19 But my enemies are vigorous, and they are strong; And those who hate me wrongfully have multiplied. 20 Those also who render evil for good, They are my adversaries, because I follow what is good.
Grief is a physical and spiritual sickness, anxiety, calamity, and malady. This same word is used to describe a wound of violence against Jerusalem, as well as many physical diseases and even plagues in the Old Testament. Jesus, the Man of Sorrows, is acquainted with grief. This acquaintance is a deep, divine knowing. It is the same word used when referring to God knowing His creation deeply, and His creation knowing Him. It is a recognition, discernment, and revelation. For Jesus to be acquainted with grief is for Him to be deeply aware of, and experienced with, grief.
7 As a fountain [a]wells up with water, So she wells up with her wickedness. Violence and plundering are heard in her. Before Me continually are[b]grief and wounds.
In 2 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul teaches us about godly sorrow. Grief that causes repentance and leads someone to salvation is godly sorrow. This is in contrast with sorrow that leads to death and destruction, which is worldly sorrow. Worldly sorrow is caused by remaining in sin whereas godly sorrow leads to salvation and reconciliation with God.
9 Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. 10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.
The sorrows and grief that the Man of Sorrows carried were for our transgressions. For the sins and wickedness of the world, Jesus bore our grief and carried our sorrows. He became like one of us, becoming fully man and fully God, and lived a human life in which He experienced immense pain and suffering firsthand. During His ministry, He also displayed His deep knowledge of grief by healing the afflictions of so many people. Sin leads to sorrow and grief.
16 When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, 17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:
“He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses.”
Sorrow and grief are the results of sin and wickedness. Sin grieves God, and the sorrows imparted on Jesus were because of the sins of the world. We are grieved and experience our own sorrow because of the curse of sin on all mankind. We live in a sin-filled world that is contaminated by the presence of sin and evil, and sin leads to destruction. This destruction is eternal separation from God and all that is good.
23 Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, 24 but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25 who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified [a]freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a [b]propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
When Jesus bore the full weight of all the sins of the world as He hung on the cross to die, He bore our grief and carried our sorrow, and experienced that separation from God at that moment. He knew the ultimate grief and sorrow as He carried all the world’s sins so that we would not have to suffer that sorrow for eternity.
46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
Jesus bore our griefs, and He was also acquainted with grief. To be our Messiah, our Great High Priest, Jesus had to know our grief firsthand. He had to experience the same pains and sufferings we experience. He also had a knowledge of grief by healing the ailments and afflictions of so many we read about in scripture. Jesus, the Man of Sorrows, carried the sorrows and griefs of the world so that those who believe in Him as the Man of Sorrows would not have to bear their own sorrow for eternity.
7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines [a]and troubles. These are the beginnings of [b]sorrows.
Jesus died so that we would not have to be separated from God forever. Because God loves us so much that even though we deserve this death He sent His One and Only Son to die in our place so we could be reconciled to Him if we have faith in the blood that was spilled for our sake. Choosing to have faith in the Man of Sorrows leads to freedom from bondage to sin, and gives you personal access to God, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the strength of Jesus Christ over sin in your life.
34 “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with [a]carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. 35 For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 Watch therefore, and pray always that you may [b]be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
With faith comes guidance through this life, leading us in the ways of God, and preparing us for eternity with Him. We must be watchful, always aware that Christ could return at any time, and we should be found ready for Him as His Bride when He returns. Faith enables us to endure to the end, resisting the evils of the world, and heals us of worldly sorrows because of unrepented sin.
Sin leads to death, and for those who never choose to believe in the Man of Sorrows, death is a permanent, eternal death of their relationship with God. While we draw breath, there is still the opportunity to choose faith in Jesus Christ. We never know how much longer we have, so we never know when our last opportunity to believe will be.
9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
11 But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.
If you have not accepted the grace of God and chosen to believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I encourage you to pray to God now and invite Him in, accept Jesus as the sacrifice for your sins, and repent of your sins. Submit it all to God, lay it at His feet, seek the forgiveness of God, welcome Him into your life, and believe that Jesus died and rose again to save you from your sins.
If you would like to learn more about salvation, you can find a couple of studies that may help here:
When John the Baptist sees Jesus, he declares that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. This is an essential point of the Christian faith, and there is so much beauty and depth to this fact all who call on the name of Jesus should know and believe. John the Baptist was born with the mission to prepare the way for the coming of the prophesied Messiah. When John saw Jesus, he saw the Holy Spirit descend on Jesus, which was the sign John had been told would reveal the Lamb of God. The Lamb of God, the coming Messiah, was a promise the Israelites had been waiting for many generations.
29 On the next day John[a] saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God[b] who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one about whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who is greater than I am,[c] because he existed before me.’ 31 I did not recognize[d] him, but I came baptizing with water so that he could be revealed to Israel.”[e]
32 Then[f] John testified,[g] “I saw the Spirit descending like a dove[h] from heaven,[i] and it remained on him.[j]33 And I did not recognize him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining—this is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have both seen and testified that this man is the Chosen One of God.”[k]
35 Again the next day John[l] was standing there[m] with two of his disciples. 36 Gazing at Jesus as he walked by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”[n]
The prophet Isaiah prophesied about the coming Messiah who would be a lamb led to the slaughter. This lamb would be a great sacrifice, would not fight his death sentence, and by His stripes, all who believe in Him would be healed. Jesus came to earth, the Only Begotten Son of God, to live a sinless human life fully God and fully man, and then go to the cross to die on behalf of all mankind. His brutal torture and death on the cross fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah.
4 Surely He has borne our [a]griefs And carried our [b]sorrows; Yet we [c]esteemed Him stricken, [d]Smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded[e] for our transgressions, He was[f]bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes[g] we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord [h]has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.
Back in Genesis, we see Abraham obediently take his son to be sacrificed. Abraham had been promised that his descendants would fill the earth and “be as numerous as the stars” (Genesis 22:17). This son God had just commanded him to take and sacrifice was the son God promised to Abraham to fulfill His promise, yet Abraham trusted God and took his son in faith. When Abraham gets to the place God told him to go and make the sacrifice, Abraham tells his son God will provide the lamb for the sacrifice. As Abraham lifts his blade to sacrifice his son, God stops him – and gives him a lamb to sacrifice in place of his son.
7 Then Isaac spoke to his father Abraham and said, “My father.”
And he replied, “Here I am, my son.”
Isaac said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide[a] the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” Then the two of them walked on together.
This is a picture of what Jesus did for us as our sacrificial lamb. The penalty for sin is death, and for sin, there must be a blood sacrifice for redemption. To be forgiven, blood must cover the debt. In the Old Testament, the people would travel to attend the annual Passover Festival where a sacrifice would be made on behalf of the sins of the people for that year. Every year, the blood of an innocent lamb must be spilled for the people to be forgiven of their sins.
When Jesus came and died on the cross, He was the last lamb, the final sacrifice, and His blood was spilled for all the sins of all the world for all time. There became no more need for annual sacrifices, but instead, faith in Jesus as the Lamb of God and the blood He spilled on your behalf is what leads to salvation and the forgiveness of sins.
Death of the lamb for the redemption of mankind
Salvation is not obtained through money, good works, or anything else we could possibly do. Salvation is only obtained through faith in the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, whose blood was spilled for your sake. By believing in the divinity, sinless life, brutal death, and incredible resurrection of Jesus Christ you will be saved from the penalty of your sins because Jesus already paid the price of your debt. Nothing else will bring you into a relationship with God, give you the gift of eternal life and forgiveness of your sins, and nothing else will break the chains of wickedness that have kept you away from the Lord for so long.
17 If you appeal to the Father who judges impartially according to each one’s work, you are to conduct yourselves in reverence during your time living as strangers. 18 For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was revealed in these last times for you. 21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
For those who have entered into a relationship with God through faith in the Lamb, you are also given the gift of the Holy Spirit to help you live according to your faith. His Holy Spirit also teaches you to persevere toward the ultimate day of salvation when Jesus will return again to defeat sin and Satan once and for all, and unite His bride to Him for eternity.
9 Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.”
The Holy Spirit is given to all who believe in the Lamb of God. He teaches us how to live according to our faith, and how to please God with our whole lives. Once we are saved, our faith should transform us from our former selves who remained in sin, to our new selves who have been made spiritually alive through Jesus. This spiritual life causes believers to live in ways that follow Jesus, glorify God, and prepare us for eternity with Him.
6 Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Therefore [a]purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed [b]for us. 8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
As the Lamb of God was sinless, we are called to live worthy of His sacrifice and resist the temptations of sin in our lives by the power of Christ that now dwells in us. We are now to live set apart for God, and not continue in the same ways we once lived before we knew Christ. Christ calls on us to repent, not harbor sin in our lives, and not remain in relationships that keep us in bondage to our sins. We are to be in the world but not of the world, and instead, be the light of Christ in the lives of others.
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
We are not only blessed in this life by our faith in the Lamb but there are eternal promises awaiting those who believe in Jesus as their Passover Lamb. Jesus is the only One who is worthy to receive blessing, honor, and glory. As the One who defeats sin and death, He is the One we should worship, and should be the reason for all that we do. Our whole lives should be with the Lamb as our focus and cornerstone, and with eternity with Him in mind. Our reward is not here in this life, but in Heaven with Him at the end of the age.
8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying:
“You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, 10 And have made [a]us kings[b] and priests to our God; And [c]we shall reign on the earth.”
11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice:
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!”
13 And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying:
“Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and [d]ever!”
14 Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the [e]twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped [f]Him who lives forever and ever.
7 And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, 8 but they [a]did not prevail, nor was a place found for [b]them in heaven any longer. 9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. 12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, and all who believe in Him will have their names written in the Book of Life. Jesus will advocate for those whose names are in the Book of Life declaring their sin debt paid in full. By His blood, we will be sealed for eternity, forgiven of all sin, and dwell in the House of the Lord forever. There is no more curse of sin and evil – only the goodness and glory of God because of the Lamb who was slain.
11 Then I saw a great white throne and one seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from his presence, and no place was found for them. 12 I also saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged according to their works by what was written in the books. 13 Then the sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them; each one was judged according to their works. 14 Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
19 And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share of the tree of life and the holy city, which are written about in this book.
If you have not accepted the grace of God and chosen to believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I encourage you to pray to God now and invite Him in, accept Jesus as the sacrifice for your sins, and repent of your sins. Submit it all to God, lay it at His feet, seek the forgiveness of God, welcome Him into your life, and believe that Jesus died and rose again to save you from your sins.
If you would like to learn more about salvation, you can find a couple of studies that may help here:
in 1 Thessalonians 1, Paul writes a letter to the church at Thessalonica. Paul has a beautiful way of identifying Jesus Christ in the greetings of his letters to various churches. It is important to never take these introductions for granted and miss an incredible lesson about who Jesus is. In 1 Thessalonians Paul opens his letter by describing Jesus as the one “who delivers us from the wrath to come.” (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 NKJV) Jesus is our deliverer.
What is the wrath of God?
9 For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
As our Deliverer, Jesus draws those who believe in Him to Himself to rescue them from the wrath of God. God’s wrath is His response to sin and disobedience, and those who resist the gospel. God’s wrath is a punishment for the wicked, those who relish their sin and atheism and are hostile toward God.
that in God which stands opposed to man’s disobedience, obduracy (especially in resisting the gospel) and sin, and manifests itself in punishing the same
vessels into which wrath will be poured (at the last day)
the day on which the wrath of God will be made manifest in the punishment of the wicked
9 Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, But establish the just; For the righteous God tests the hearts and [a]minds. 10 [b]My defense is of God, Who saves the upright in heart.
11 God is a just judge, And God is angry with the wicked every day.
God is a jealous God. As our Creator, He has made each and every one of us and has given us all that we have. All that we have and all that we are is for His purposes and glory. When we do not do what God has planned for us, and we go our own way rather than God’s way we become enemies of God. Disobedience to God and failing to give Him glory is to live in sin and be His adversaries instead of His children.
2 God is jealous, and the Lord avenges; The Lord avenges and is furious. The Lord will take vengeance on His adversaries, And He reserves wrath for His enemies;
God is very clear that those who choose to live in conflict with Him will receive His wrath. He will repay evil just as He promises, and will always be just in His judgment. His holiness requires justice for sin, and His wrath is the due punishment for all disobedience and hostility to His will and commands.
30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.”
He is also very clear that He makes Himself known to all of His creation, so there is not a single person with an excuse for remaining in their sin and ignorance and failing to believe in Jesus and obey the Lord. He makes Himself known and draws all of us to Himself, and sent His One and Only Son to die the death we deserve in order to deliver us from His wrath. He does not want any of us to perish under His wrath but wants us to be delivered and live in unity with Him. When we choose not to obey God, we choose to receive His wrath rather than His mercy.
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who [a]suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is [b]manifest [c]in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and [d]Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
As our Deliverer, Jesus delivers us from the wrath to come. While in this life, though, there is evil all around us that Jesus has the power to deliver us from as well. When we believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Deliverer, we receive His Spirit and are able to fight against the evil of this world, as well as the evil spiritual forces wreaking havoc in unseen places.
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
Our[a] Father [b]in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. [c]Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 3 Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, [d]But deliver us from the evil one.”
By our faith in Jesus, we can escape the clutches of the devil and his evil schemes, and resist sin and temptation in our lives. We are able to flee from evil and cling to God and His goodness. Without faith in Christ, we would still be enslaved to this sin and wickedness, unable to resist it. With Jesus, His power over sin and death sets us free and delivers us from the fate of those enslaved to their sin.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves,[a] you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?
As we trust in Jesus for our deliverance, He strengthens us against the schemes of the devil in this life, and also delivers us from an eternal separation from God and all that is good. Faith in Christ as our deliverer gives us the strength to persevere through the trials of life, and the confidence to stand before God on the Day of Judgment with Jesus as our Advocate. On that day, those who have obeyed God and trusted in Christ as their Savior will be delivered from God’s eternal wrath, which is the fiery pits of Hell.
36 He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
Those who have faith in Jesus have their names written in the Book of Life, and their sins will be forgiven because of the precious blood of Jesus that was spilled for their sake, and accepted by them as their personal sacrifice. Faith in Christ delivers you from the fate of Hell and into an eternity with God and His eternal glory. Eternity with God will not be tainted by sin, pain, shame, guilt, or tears. We will spend eternity in Heaven, and because of our faith in Jesus Christ as our Deliverer, we will not suffer the eternal wrath of God we deserve.
32 There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death. 33 And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. 34 [a]Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” And they divided His garments and cast lots.
Jesus died on the cross so that all who believe in Him would be forgiven and delivered from the punishment for sin. As He died, He prayed for God to forgive those who mocked, beat, and sent Him to die. The people disobeyed God, denied Christ, and remained unrepentant in their sins. They ridiculed Jesus as though He was powerless to save Himself while He allowed Himself to be sacrificed for the deliverance of all of mankind.
41 Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the [a]scribes and elders, said, 42 “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. [b]If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe [c]Him. 43 He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ”
During Jesus’ ministry, He gave many warnings. One warning He gave is to flee from the wrath to come, calling the hypocritical and blasphemous Pharisees a “brood of vipers”. He goes on to explain that there should be “fruits worthy of repentance”. To flee from the wrath to come, which is burning for eternity away from God and all goodness, we must place our faith in Jesus as the Deliverer and bear fruits of our faith.
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance,
True faith requires repentance, which is to agree with God about your sin and turn away from it to follow Jesus. To bear the fruits of repentance means that you must completely turn from your sin and live in obedience to the Lord. By living according to the will of God, and abiding in Him, we will produce evidence of our faith and repentance throughout our lives. As we produce these fruits we are growing in faith, and in our likeness of the Lord, becoming more like Him in preparation for the day of Judgment.
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
5 But in accordance with your hardness and your [a]impenitent heart you are [b]treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 who “will render to each one according to his deeds”: 7 eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; 8 but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, 9 tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the [c]Greek; 10 but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
If you have not accepted the grace of God and chosen to believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I encourage you to pray to God now and invite Him in, accept Jesus as the sacrifice for your sins, and repent of your sins. Submit it all to God, lay it at His feet, seek the forgiveness of God, welcome Him into your life, and believe that Jesus died and rose again to save you from your sins.
If you would like to learn more about salvation, you can find a couple of studies that may help here:
Jesus Christ is Our Hope. Hope is a joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation. Through Christ, all who believe in Him receive eternal salvation, are welcomed into a personal relationship with God, and are given the Holy Spirit. Our hope in Jesus should shape our focus, our lives, and all we do and say. This hope is not a passive hope, but a confidence in the future He promised to those who hold to faith.
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope,
joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation
Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of [a]God! Therefore the world does not know [b]us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
Hope in Christ leads to many things in the life of a believer. We must first come to know Jesus and believe in Him as Savior. The Truthabout Christ is revealed through the Word of God, and we should diligently seek to learn and understand the wisdom and knowledge revealed to us through Scripture, which gives us hope. Those who are believers have the Holy Spirit to guide them into the Truth so that they may learn and understand, and then know what to do with the Truth they have learned. As we allow God to guide us through His Word, revealing to us what He knows needs to be revealed at any given time, our hope in Christ will grow as well.
4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the [a]patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.
4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
As we trust in Jesus, place our hope in Him, and grow in faith through the Word, we learn more about our redemption through Jesus Christ. Jesus is our hope for redemption – it is through Him we can be saved. There is salvation for those who believe that Jesus is the One and Only Son of God who came to earth and lived a sinless human life, fully man and fully God, went to the cross to die a horrendous death that we ourselves deserved, paying the debt for our sins, and then 3 days later rose from the dead, later ascending into Heaven to sit at the right hand of God.
24 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
Our hope in Christ leads to salvation, which will impact us in this life, but its full benefit will be experienced in eternity. Redemption reconciles us to God so that we can have a personal relationship with Him through our faith in Christ, and then prepares us for the hope ahead in eternity when we can be with Him forever. When we place our hope in Him, it is not only for this life, but for all time. Our focus should be on our eternal fate, and our hope in Christ will help us to live today for the hope we have for tomorrow.
Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers,[a] you have no need to have anything written to you. 2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 5 For you are all children[b] of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.
22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now. 23 Not only that, but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits—we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 24 Now in this hope we were saved, but hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? 25 Now if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience.
28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am [a]gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Our hope is found in eternity, not in earthly, temporal things. When we focus on Christ as our hope, the veil over our hearts is removed and we are given access to God through Christ. With this unveiling, we are given spiritual life through the indwelling of God’s own Spirit. With the help of His Spirit we are able to discern the difference between eternal and temporal things, and also learn to see worldly things with eternity in mind.
12 Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech— 13 unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. 14 But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. 15 But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. 16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Through our hope in Jesus, we gain freedom from the bondage of sin over us. Through the power of Jesus, the control of sin over our lives is broken and we are able, with the help of the Spirit, to resist sin and temptations. Through our hope in Jesus, we also gain freedom from fear, anxiety, and anger and we have free access to His peace, joy, and strength in all circumstances.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Through this freedom, we are able to choose the path Christ has for us. As we grow in faith and are sanctified by His Spirit, we learn to let Christ rule our lives and lead us in this new freedom we have in Him. When we allow Christ to rule our lives, we live with eternity in mind, strive to make a Kingdom impact, and use our freedom to draw others out of bondage to sin and toward this freedom found through faith and hope in Jesus.
Stand[a] fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
Those who have the Spirit living in them have been given the gift of new life because of their hope in Jesus. The Spirit makes you new, and begins the sanctifying work of transforming you according to the righteousness of God. As the Holy Spirit works in you, and you grow in your knowledge and understanding of the Word, you will learn how to live the life God has called you to because of your hope in Christ.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
22 to take off[a] your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires, 23 to be renewed[b] in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on[c] the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth.
9 Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
13 Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be sober-minded and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Our hope, or confident expectation, in what is ahead should lead us to focus on what our hope is in, and to prepare for it. If our hope is in Christ, and we confidently expect the eternal promises ahead, then we are called to do what is pleasing to Christ in this life, knowing that one day we will give account for what we do while we wait for Christ to return and eternity to begin. As we learn and grow through the Word and the Spirit, we should live what we learn. We should also lead others in the Truth as the Spirit guides us to do.
Therefore, having been justified by faith, [a]we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces [b]perseverance; 4 and perseverance, [c]character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
9 But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation, though we speak in this manner. 10 For God is not unjust to forget your work and [a]labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. 11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 that you do not become [b]sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
The hope we have in Christ is not meant to be a private matter. We are called to go out into the world and share our hope, spreading the good news of the gospel throughout the world. Faith is not meant to remain private. Our hope and faith should run so deep we cannot help but want others to share in it with us, growing the Kingdom of God, bringing glory to the Lord, and living out the great commission Jesus gave to His disciples before ascending back to Heaven.
19 Go [a]therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” [b]Amen.
3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant.[a] He is a faithful minister of Christ on your[b] behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
We should grow in our hope by going deeper in scripture, learning to discern and obey the Spirit, and therefore live in the will of God, live in our Christian freedom, and be sanctified through our own spiritual journey. We are also called to proclaim the good news to others, teach others what we have learned through God’s Word and walking with the Spirit, and encourage others to come to Christ themselves. Our hope is not just for us, but should be used to glorify God, and draw others to the Light of the World so they, too, may have hope and be redeemed. God places us where we are so that we may shine His bright light and Truth wherever we are.
13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us [a]diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. 15 For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things?
Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. [a]For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
If you have not accepted the grace of God and chosen to believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I encourage you to pray to God now and invite Him in, accept Jesus as the sacrifice for your sins, and repent of your sins. Submit it all to God, lay it at His feet, seek the forgiveness of God, welcome Him into your life, and believe that Jesus died and rose again to save you from your sins.
If you would like to learn more about salvation, you can find a couple of studies that may help here:
Jesus is the Word, and the Word is the One who sets free. We are set free through believing in the Word and are disciples of Jesus when we abide in the Word and the Word abides in us. To be His disciples, we not only believe in the One who sets free, but we continue to learn more about Him through His Word, grow in our faith and understanding, and become better examples of Jesus as we mature spiritually.
31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
If you hold to the Word, endure in it, continue in its instructions, and live your life according to the Word of God, you are a true follower of Jesus. If we abide in the Word, we will know the Truth. We must be in the Word, continuing to learn from it and live according to what we have learned, and in so doing we will find freedom through knowing the Truth from the Word of God.
The Truth sets us free from bondage to sin. When we are enslaved to sin, it has a hold on us and our lives. Our decisions are influenced by the pull, weight, and temptations of sin, and draw us away from God. Before we come to believe in Jesus as our Savior, we are living in our sin and are destined for destruction because death is the price for sin.
4 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, Nor shall evil [a]dwell with You.
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified [a]freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a [b]propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
When we believe in Jesus, we believe that His death was for our own personal sake, that He died the death we deserve so that we would not have to pay it ourselves. God does not want us to be separated from Him, but sin cannot dwell with God, and death for sin is separation from God. God wants a relationship with each of us, and Christ died in our place so that we could be in a relationship with God, and have His Spirit live in us to teach and guide us.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
Without faith, we are enslaved to sin. By faith in Jesus, we believe the Word of Truth, repent of our sins, are set free from the power of sin over us, and have the power of Jesus Christ to conquer sin in our lives. To repent of our sins means we agree with God so deeply about our sins that we cannot help but turn away from our sins, look to Jesus for our salvation, and follow the conviction and guidance of God’s Holy Spirit.
To Abide in the Word, we must grow in the Word
As we come to know more of the Word, God reveals more of His Truth to us, which continues to sanctify us and strengthen us against temptation and sin. By knowing the Word deeper, we are able to go from the infant stages of faith to more mature stages of faith. It is like going from being bottle-fed milk to eating solid food. At newer stages of faith, we have a more basic understanding of the Word, which is like the milk, and as we abide in the Word we should be moving up to the meat, that is diving deeper into the Word and what God wants to reveal to each of us through it in order to grow our faith and glorify Him more.
2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and [a]behaving like mere men?
To grow in the Truth and abide in the Word, we must continuously learn more about the Word. The Word is given for our instruction and when we fail to learn from His Word, we fail to prepare and equip ourselves with the tools needed for spiritual warfare and the resisting of sin and temptation. Sin loses its hold on us and loses its appeal as we learn more about God and His righteousness, and our divine purpose to glorify Him in all things.
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for [a]instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Holy Spirit leads us to understand the Truth that sets free
When we remain as infants in our faith, we are lacking the knowledge of the Truth that sets us free from the bondage of sin. The more we know, the more there is to believe. The more we believe, the more we receive from God. The more we receive, the more we can bring God glory with what He has given. Just as Christ glorified God in all He has done and will do, we are to bring God glory as well. The more we know of the Truth, the more glory we can bring to our Father in Heaven.
Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, 2 as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He [a]should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. 4 I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.
When we have faith in Jesus, the One who sets us free, we are forgiven of our sins and enter into a personal relationship with God the Father through Jesus the Son. We are given the gift of the Holy Spirit, who guides all of us into all truth, reveals Jesus, declares what is to come, and reveals the truth about righteousness, condemnation, and sin. Once we come to believe the Truth that sets free, the Holy Spirit continues to work in us, guiding us in righteousness, and helping us to understand the Word and apply it to our lives at every stage of our faith.
7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. 8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; 11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He [a]will take of Mine and declare it to you.
The One who sets free should have priority in our lives. The freedom we have in Christ should never be taken for granted, nor taken lightly, but honored, cherished, and put first in all we do. Christ died in our place so that those who believe in Him as the One who sets free would truly be free from the power of sin and the fate of eternal separation from God. To prioritize Jesus is to invest in His Word, learn from Him constantly, and apply what we learn to our lives. We should be guided by His Holy Spirit, and go through the growing pains of going deeper in our faith in order to bring God glory and reveal the Truth that set us free to others so they too may be free indeed.
16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 [a]gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
God’s Not Dead scene gives an explanation about being enslaved to sin
I don’t quote or reference movies and other media very often, but I find the God’s Not Dead movie series valuable as a Christian. Take a look at the following clip of a scene from God’s Not Dead that gives a chilling explanation of one way we become enslaved to sin, and why we need the One Who Sets Free.
Have you accepted the grace of God?
If you have not accepted the grace of God and chosen to believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I encourage you to pray to God now and invite Him in, accept Jesus as the sacrifice for your sins, and repent of your sins. Submit it all to God, lay it at His feet, seek the forgiveness of God, welcome Him into your life, and believe that Jesus died and rose again to save you from your sins.
If you would like to learn more about salvation, you can find a couple of studies that may help here:
Just as Christ is our Savior, He is our Mediator. He is our go-between, intervening for us to God. Jesus was our ransom, paying the price for our sins, and becomes our Mediator between us and God so that we can enter into a personal relationship with God. Jesus restores us to God when we have faith in Him as our Savior, and from then on we can personally know and speak with God through our faith in Jesus Christ.
5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,
God is the only God, and Jesus is the only Mediator. There is no other Mediator by which we can be saved or gain access to God. Jesus is the only One. Those who have faith in Jesus as their Savior gain Him as their Mediator, and are then able to pray to God and grow in holiness. He teaches us how to live godly lives and grow in our relationship with God the Father. As we learn and grow in faith, Jesus will one day be our Mediator on the Last Day.
12 And there is (A)salvation (B)in no one else, for (C)there is no other (D)name under heaven given among men[a] by which we must be saved.”
In all of these ways, Jesus leads us to salvation through faith in Him, by the grace of God, and is the door to the ultimate salvation in eternity. By faith in Jesus, we are saved, redeemed to God through His blood, and then sanctified to be saved on the Day of Judgement.
We are all called to godly living, allowing sanctification to take place in our lives every day. To be sanctified is to be made holy, and this should be an active pursuit of all believers. Active faith bears the fruits of sanctification, and godly living is evidence of true saving faith in Jesus Christ. As we grow in our faith, we should likewise be growing in godliness, learning how to become more like Jesus and less like who we were before we had faith in Jesus.
7 (A)In him we have (B)redemption (C)through his blood, (D)the forgiveness of our trespasses, (E)according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 (F)making known[a] to us the mystery of his will, (G)according to his purpose, which he (H)set forth in Christ
Faith in our Mediator makes us new. Our old self dies and we are reborn spiritually, given the gift of God’s Holy Spirit which Jesus promised God would send in the name of Jesus to all who love and obey Him. The Holy Spirit will indwell believers and will teach us the things of God. In order to learn from the Holy Spirit, we must learn the Word of God as well.
23 Jesus answered, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.(A)24 The one who doesn’t love me will not keep my words. The word that you hear is not mine but is from the Father who sent me.(B)
25 “I have spoken these things to you while I remain with you. 26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit,(C) whom the Father will send(D) in my name, will teach you all things(E) and remind you of everything I have told you.(F)
The Word of God teaches us about God and the way in which He wants us to live so that we may bring Him glory, draw others to Himself through faith in Jesus, and become more and more like Jesus by obeying the Word. The Holy Spirit will reveal God’s truths, wisdom, and knowledge, help us understand, and remind us of what we have read and learned.
12 For the word of God is(A)living and powerful, and (B)sharper than any (C)two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is (D)a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
As we learn more about God, grow in godly living, and increase in faith we will also learn to focus on the Kingdom of God and Heavenly things over things of this life and world. We must be focused on the will of God and bringing Him glory, and resist the temptations we face in this life. Christ as our Mediator will provide for all of our needs as we navigate this earthly life, giving us His strength, His Word, His peace and joy, and anything else we will need along the way.
3 So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.(A)2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.(B)3 For you died,(C) and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
When we have faith in Jesus, we gain access to God the Father through our faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus intercedes for us with God, and our faith brings us into right standing with our Heavenly Father. When we are reconciled to God through Jesus, we are instructed to pray to God. We are taught to pray in the name of Jesus Christ. When we pray by faith in Jesus, and by faith we are aligned with God, our prayers are heard. Our faith in Jesus is the key, and as we learn to live a godly life, we become more aligned with God and His will and learn to pray for the things He wants us to pray for.
12 “Truly I tell you, the one who believes in me(A) will also do the works that I do. And he will do even greater works than these,(B) because I am going to the Father.(C)13 Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it so that the Father may be glorified(D) in the Son.(E)14 If you ask me[a] anything in my name,(F) I will do it.[b](G)
The closer we become to Jesus, the stronger our prayer life should also become. We can have confidence in our relationship with the Lord, and confidence to pray by faith. When we pray according to the will of God, we get to make an impact on the Kingdom of God. This is possible because Christ mediates for us with God. We are seen through His blood, being made children of God through our faith in Jesus.
2 Therefore I [a]exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 (A)for kings and (B)all who are in [b]authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and [c]reverence. 3 For this is(C)good and acceptable in the sight (D)of God our Savior, 4 (E)who desires all men to be saved (F)and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Through prayer we can intercede for others, lifting them up to God in the name of Jesus, and pray for our own needs and lives as well. We also learn to praise God, be thankful in all circumstances, and place our focus on Jesus Christ. As our prayer life increases by faith, our trust in God’s Sovereignty also increases, and we grow in our faith, relationship with Him, and sanctification by Him.
10 This is so that God’s multi-faceted wisdom(A) may now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavens.(B)11 This is according to his eternal purpose(C) accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him we have boldness and confident access(D) through faith in him.[a]
On the Day of Judgement Jesus will also mediate for those who have walked with Him by faith. Those who have done the will of God and called on the name of Jesus to be saved will have their names written in the book of Life, and Jesus will mediate for us saying that because we had faith in Him, our debt has been paid, and our sins will be forever wiped away. We will have gained the right to inherit eternity with God because Christ mediated for us with God.
16 (A)For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten (B)Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 (C)For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
Jesus mediates on the Day of Judgement for those who have faith and obeyed the will of God through faith. Those who love God obey God, and those who love and obey Him will come to Him by faith in Jesus and will allow the sanctification of the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus to occur throughout their life. Through sanctification, the fruits of a growing faith will be evident in the way you live, love, and obey God in every area of life.
11 Then I saw a great white throne and one seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from his presence, and no place was found for them.(A)12 I also saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened.(B) Another book was opened, which is the book of life,(C) and the dead were judged according to their works(D) by what was written in the books. 13 Then the sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades(E) gave up the dead that were in them; each one was judged according to their works. 14 Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.(F) This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
On the Day of Judgement, we will all stand before God to be judged. Those who truly accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior will be judged according to their faith and the works that were produced as evidence of their faith and personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We are not saved by works, but by faith in Jesus. If our faith does not produce godliness, we will be judged accordingly on the Last Day. Those who have obeyed God and done His will by true faith in Jesus will be welcomed into eternity with God, never having to suffer from the curse of sin again.
15 Therefore he is (A)the mediator of a new covenant, so that (B)those who are called may (C)receive the promised eternal inheritance, (D)since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.[a]
Jesus died to save all who would believe in Him as Lord. All who come to Jesus in faith, and who obey Him out of love and faith, will be blessed because of His divine mediation between us and God the Father. We don’t have to wait for this mediation, as He is with us throughout our life on this earth, and the closer we come to Him in this life, the more eagerly we get to wait for His return and the day we will be judged and welcomed into His Kingdom forever.
20 But our citizenship is in heaven—and we also eagerly await a savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform these humble bodies of ours[a] into the likeness of his glorious body by means of that power by which he is able to subject all things to himself.
If you have not accepted the grace of God and chosen to believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I encourage you to pray to God now and invite Him in, accept Jesus as the sacrifice for your sins, and repent of your sins. Submit it all to God, lay it at His feet, seek the forgiveness of God, welcome Him into your life, and believe that Jesus died and rose again to save you from your sins.
If you would like to learn more about salvation, you can find a couple of studies that may help here:
All of us at one point or another were wanderers, living life apart from Christ, needing repentance and the forgiveness that only faith in Jesus provides. Every human being is tainted by the curse of sin, and none of us are able to enter eternity with our Heavenly Father on our own efforts. We all fall short and it is only by the grace of God that we are offered Jesus Christ, the Shepherd and Overseer of Souls, as a living sacrifice in our place. Those who choose to place their faith in Christ are those who have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of Souls, repenting of our sins, and entering into a relationship with our Father in Heaven.
25 For (AH)you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned (AI)to the Shepherd and [h]Overseer of your souls.
of Gentiles passing over to the religion of Christ
to turn one’s self about, turn back
to return, turn back, come back
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 24 But they are justified[a] freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 25 God publicly displayed[b] him[c] at his death[d] as the mercy seat[e] accessible through faith.[f] This was to demonstrate[g] his righteousness, because God in his forbearance had passed over the sins previously committed.[h]26 This was[i] also to demonstrate[j] his righteousness in the present time, so that he would be just[k] and the justifier of the one who lives because of Jesus’ faithfulness.[l]
Jesus is the Head of the Church, presiding over all of His people. He is also the guardian of His people. He is in charge of ensuring that those He oversees are doing what they ought to be doing. Not only this, but He is the Overseer of souls. He guards, leads, and is in charge of our very souls, that part of us that will live on into eternity. He shepherds our souls and oversees not only the things we do but the part of us that affects our very emotions, thoughts, desires, and minds. Jesus is charged with the duty of leading our very souls to salvation.
the seat of the feelings, desires, affections, aversions (our heart, soul etc.)
the (human) soul in so far as it is constituted that by the right use of the aids offered it by God it can attain its highest end and secure eternal blessedness, the soul regarded as a moral being designed for everlasting life
the soul as an essence which differs from the body and is not dissolved by death (distinguished from other parts of the body)
As we enter a relationship with our Heavenly Father through faith in Jesus, we humbly submit ourselves to His instruction. As followers of Jesus, we are commanded to be obedient to His teachings and live by the example that He sets. Faithful obedience is commendable before God and is the calling we have through faith.
18 (B)Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. 19 For this is(C)commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully.
As followers of Jesus, we are to live a life of faithful obedience to the Word and will of God. By this, we live in active faith, proclaiming the gospel with the skills, resources, talents, and circumstances God has given us, and drawing others to Himself. Faith is not idle but is constantly working, growing, strengthening, stretching, and impacting. True faith produces fruit as evidence. We should never sit idly by while others work the harvest, but we should be workers in the harvest ourselves no matter the cost. Those who endure in faith – living out active faith in Jesus Christ – will be saved.
15 For (A)I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.
Not only are we to be obedient to Christ, but we are to be obedient to those He has placed in positions of authority over us in this life. We are all called to be humble, placing ourselves in the position of a servant. As Christ also humbly served all of mankind, we also are to take up His example and serve others with humility. This is all helpful in the great commission and will share the light and love of God in this darkening world.
22 And (A)you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. (B)But he who endures to the end will be saved.
We will be hated for our faith, but the Lord tells us we have no need to be afraid. This is part of enduring, that we will suffer and be persecuted for our faith but we must remain faithful, standing firm, trusting in the Lord to the very end. We will not always understand, it will not make sense, but it would not be faith if we knew all the answers. The example that the Shepherd and Overseer of our Souls sets for us can be trusted, and by His strength, we can endure.
7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet (A)He opened not His mouth; (B)He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. 8 He was (C)taken from [a]prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For (D)He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken. 9 (E)And [b]they made His grave with the wicked— But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any(F)deceit in His mouth.
5 (A)Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, (B)with fear and trembling, (C)in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; 6 (D)not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7 with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, 8 (E)knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.
6 (A)In this you greatly rejoice, though now (B)for a little while, if need be, (C)you have been [a]grieved by various trials, 7 that (D)the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though (E)it is tested by fire, (F)may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,
Active faith requires living by the example that Jesus sets for us all throughout scripture. His responses in every situation we read about, every lesson He teaches us through His Word, every manner in which He treated others of all backgrounds, and even every prayer He lifted up to Heaven are all opportunities to learn. We should learn about Him, and by learning about Him we should be learning how to live more like Him.
20 For (A)what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. 21 For (B)to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for [a]us, (C)leaving [b]us an example, that you should follow His steps:
22 “Who(D) committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”;
23 (E)who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but (F)committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 (G)who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, (H)that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—(I)by whose [c]stripes you were healed.
As the Shepherd and Overseer of Souls, He is the source of true rest for our souls. By abiding in Him, learning from Him, and truly living in active faith, He will provide all that we truly need and lead us to eternal rest. All that we will go through in this present life will be worth the blessings ahead of us in eternity with Him for those who endure.
29 Take My yoke upon you (A)and learn from Me, for I am [a]gentle and (B)lowly in heart, (C)and you will find rest for your souls.
Spend time with Jesus every day. Learn more from Him, and prayerfully live out every day for Him. As we continue to live in this darkening world, we must cling to the Light of the world, the One who has the power to lead us in the right direction, and the strength we need in order to endure every trial we will face along the way.
6 But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve (A)in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.
If you have not accepted the grace of God and chosen to believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I encourage you to pray to God now and invite Him in, accept Jesus as the sacrifice for your sins, and repent of your sins. Submit it all to God, lay it at His feet, seek the forgiveness of God, welcome Him into your life, and believe that Jesus died and rose again to save you from your sins.
If you would like to learn more about salvation, you can find a couple of studies that may help here:
In John 10 we learn that Jesus is the door, also referred to as the narrow gate, for His sheep. He explains that those who enter by Him are saved. Through Him is the only way to salvation. We are warned that there are others, thieves, robbers, and strangers, who will try to enter salvation by other ways, and will also seek to prevent others from entering salvation by Jesus.
7 Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who ever came [a]before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 (C)I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
Jesus warns that there are those who seek to obtain salvation and eternal life by means other than Himself, and these He refers to as thieves and robbers. He warns us that they seek to steal, kill, and destroy. With this, they will seek to lure the sheep (believers) away, leading them to the path of destruction. The enemy wants to steal our confidence in the Door we have entered by, our joy in His faithfulness, and our peace in His promises. The enemy also wants to kill our relationships, our progress, and our faith, and lead us into complete destruction, where the enemy himself is headed.
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
We are commanded to flee from the voice of strangers. This requires us to know the voice of our Shepherd, and recognize the Door by which we must enter, and the path which we are meant to follow. We must learn more about the correct way through Jesus to salvation and eternal life, and recognize when it is His voice and instruction, or that of a stranger leading us astray and away from the godly path.
10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
to put out of the way entirely, abolish, put an end
to ruin
render useless
to kill
to declare that one must be put to death
metaph. to devote or give over to eternal misery in hell
to perish, to be lost, ruined, destroyed
to incur the loss of true or eternal life; to be delivered up to eternal misery
8 (A)But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, (B)their portion will be in (C)the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is (D)the second death.”
We enter through the narrow gate when we enter through Jesus. The way to salvation is through Jesus alone, the narrow gate, the only door, and it is a difficult path to follow Him. This difficult path leads to salvation and eternal life, and He promises to provide for us along the way. We will never be left alone. We have His presence, guidance, wisdom, protection, and grace with us always to lead us down His path.
13 (B)“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 [a]Because narrow is the gate and [b]difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
8 All who ever came [a]before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 (A)I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
Those who belong to Jesus will recognize His voice. They will learn to discern the difference between Holy Spirit guidance and the deceptive tactics of the enemy. In order to tell the difference, though, it is not a matter of simply entering through the Door and belonging to Jesus, but also following His commands and teachings. This requires being committed to learning more about Him through His Word and prayer daily.
12 And there is (A)salvation (B)in no one else, for (C)there is no other (D)name under heaven given among men[a] by which we must be saved.”
We abide in Christ when we cling to Him, look to Him, follow Him, and strive to live the life He wants us to live. When we abide in Christ we are more in tune with the difficult path we are meant to walk as followers of Jesus. Those who are of God will not follow the voice of strangers. They will be able to identify the source of the instructions and guidance they have received because they are so close to Him that they know what lines up with His instructions through His Word, and what does not.
38 Then Peter said to them, (A)“Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the [a]remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
life real and genuine, a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, in the portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ, but after the resurrection to be consummated by new accessions (among them a more perfect body), and to last for ever.
over and above, more than is necessary, superadded
exceeding abundantly, supremely
What door will you go through?
There is the door that leads to salvation, and the door that leads to destruction. Jesus is the only way to salvation, and any other will lead to destruction. Those who enter the door that is Jesus choose to put their faith in Him as the Savior and walk the difficult path to eternal life.
36 (A)He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the (B)wrath of God abides on him.”
6 Jesus said to him, “I am (A)the way, and (B)the truth, and (C)the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 (D)If you had known me, you would have (E)known my Father also.[a] From now on you do know him and (F)have seen him.”
5 He who overcomes (A)shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not (B)blot out his name from the (C)Book of Life; but (D)I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
Those who choose the wide gate choose to walk through the door of destruction. Although this path may be an easier way of life, it will not lead to eternal life in the Kingdom of God. The struggles we go through in this life for the sake of faith in Christ are incomparable to the joy that awaits us in Heaven with Him.
24 (A)“Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for (B)many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 (C)When once the Master of the house has risen up and (D)shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, (E)‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, (F)‘I do not know you, where you are from,’
9 And (A)they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded (B)the camp of the saints and (C)the beloved city, but (D)fire came down from heaven[a] and consumed them, 10 and the devil (E)who had deceived them was (F)thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where (G)the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
If you have not accepted the grace of God and chosen to believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I encourage you to pray to God now and invite Him in, accept Jesus as the sacrifice for your sins, and repent of your sins. Submit it all to God, lay it at His feet, seek the forgiveness of God, welcome Him into your life, and believe that Jesus died and rose again to save you from your sins.
If you would like to learn more about salvation, you can find a couple of studies that may help here:
Jesus makes seven I Am statements throughout the Gospel of John, five of them are absolute statements in which He uses the exact same words God used when identifying Himself to Moses at the burning bush. Each of these I Am statements teaches us about His omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence. When Jesus goes to see Mary and Martha after their brother, Lazarus, has died He declares “I Am the resurrection and the life”.
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
life real and genuine, a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, in the portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ, but after the resurrection to be consummated by new accessions (among them a more perfect body), and to last for ever.
Resurrection is the divine miracle of someone who is dead being raised to life in body and soul. This is either temporal life, such as with Lazarus, or eternal, glorified life, which is the case for Jesus when He rises from the dead after the crucifixion, and will be the case for His followers upon His return.
9 He is the one who saved us[a] and called us with a holy calling, not based on[b] our works but on his own purpose and grace, granted to us in Christ Jesus before time began,[c]10 but now made visible through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus. He[d] has broken the power of death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel!
In declaring that He is the Resurrection and the Life, He is declaring that He is God, and He is also foretelling His own resurrection. He is also teaching that He is the source of the resurrections of the righteous and unrighteous; the living and the dead.
6 Jesus told him, “I am(A)the way,(B)the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you know me, you will also know[a] my Father.(C) From now on you do know him(D) and have seen him.”
Jesus being the Life indicates that He is the giver of life – all things are created through, by, and for Him, through faith in Him those who believe obtain spiritual life, and one day will obtain eternal life. Not only this, but with eternal life everything will be made new, and the righteous will also receive new spiritual bodies that will, by the power of Christ, be immune to the power of death.
11 Moreover if the Spirit of the one[a] who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, the one who raised Christ[b] from the dead will also make your mortal bodies alive through his Spirit who lives in you.[c]
12 So then,[d] brothers and sisters,[e] we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh 13 (for if you live according to the flesh, you will[f] die),[g] but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are[h] the sons of God.
Those who have faith in Jesus are given the gift of the Holy Spirit, and have personal access to the power of Him who was raised from the dead defeating sin and death. By the power of Jesus, we can resist sin in this life and obtain the promise of eternal life. Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we can rely on His almighty strength in our own battles, and cling to Him, enduring until the end of our earthly lives in faith, whenever that may be for each of us.
To expand on your understanding, explore these studies as well:
There will be a resurrection of life for the righteous, those who are followers of Jesus, and another resurrection of condemnation for the unrighteous, those who died in their unbelief. There will also be a resurrection of the body – those who have faith in Jesus as the Resurrection and the Life will be blessed with an eternal spiritual body and death will no longer have any power over them, while the unrighteous will be condemned to suffer for their unrighteousness.
28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in [a]hell.
28 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29 and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.
Those who have done the will of God, believed in Jesus Christ as the Resurrection and the Life, and endured to the end of their earthly life in faith and obedience to the Lord, will obtain the promise of eternal life after Christ returns. Those who have fallen away or clung to unbelief, dying without personal faith and relationship with Jesus, will have died in their sin, without the blood of Jesus to cover them, and will not have their names written in the book of Life. Those whose names are not written in the Book of Life are sent to spend eternity in the Lake of Fire, separated from God and all that is good with no chance of relief or release.
28 “Do not be amazed at this, because a time[a] is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and will come out—the ones who have done what is good to the resurrection resulting in life, and the ones who have done what is evil to the resurrection resulting in condemnation.[b]
31 But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”
12 Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. 14 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.
12 Then He also said to him who invited Him, “When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. 13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the[a]maimed, the lame, the blind. 14 And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”
Because of the resurrection of Jesus, we get to benefit from the power of resurrection by means of receiving a resurrection body. Those who have died for their faith will get to reign with Christ as part of the first resurrection, while the rest will be given their resurrected bodies after Christ’s 1,000-year reign. Just as we share in the earthly body given to Adam, those who have faith in Jesus as the Resurrection and the Life will inherit a spiritual body as Jesus has a spiritual body after His resurrection.
4 Then[a] I saw thrones and seated on them were those who had been given authority to judge.[b] I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. These[c] had not worshiped the beast or his image and had refused to receive his mark on their forehead or hand. They[d] came to life[e] and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were finished.)[f] This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is the one who takes part[g] in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them,[h] but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.
20 But our citizenship is in heaven—and we also eagerly await a savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform these humble bodies of ours[a] into the likeness of his glorious body by means of that power by which he is able to subject all things to himself.
35 But someone will say, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” 36 Fool! What you sow will not come to life unless it dies. 37 And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare seed[a]—perhaps of wheat or something else. 38 But God gives it a body just as he planned, and to each of the seeds a body of its own. 39 All flesh is not the same: People have one flesh, animals have another, birds and fish another.[b]40 And there are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies. The glory of the heavenly body is one sort and the earthly another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon and another glory of the stars, for star differs from star in glory.
42 It is the same with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable.[c]43 It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living person”;[d] the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 However, the spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and then the spiritual. 47 The first man is from the earth, made of dust; the second man is from heaven. 48 Like the one made of dust, so too are those made of dust, and like the one from heaven, so too those who are heavenly. 49 And just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, let us also bear[e] the image of the man of heaven.
Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life. He is the author and perfector of life, gives new, spiritual life to those who believe in Him, and one day all who believe will also be resurrected as He was resurrected. Those whose names are written in the Book of Life will be with Him for eternity one day, and those who choose to continue in their rejection of Him as the Resurrection and the Life will inherit eternity separated from Him and all that is good. Today is the day of salvation – we are not promised tomorrow and should seek to know Jesus Christ as our Risen Lord while there is still time before time runs out and He returns to judge the world.
Have you accepted the grace of God?
If you have not accepted the grace of God and chosen to believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I encourage you to pray to God now and invite Him in, accept Jesus as the sacrifice for your sins, and repent of your sins. Submit it all to God, lay it at His feet, seek the forgiveness of God, welcome Him into your life, and believe that Jesus died and rose again to save you from your sins.
If you would like to learn more about salvation, you can find a couple of studies that may help here:
As we have explored the names of Jesus that speak of Him as the Son of Man, Son of God, and the Truth each name has been leading up to and preparing us to focus on Jesus as Savior. Over the next couple of months, we will be exploring Jesus’s different names that teach us more specifically about Him as our Savior, beginning with the name Savior itself.
As we study Jesus as Savior through the remainder of this year’s studies, we will learn some of His most important names and roles. These names will help us to better understand His other names as Son of Man, Son of God, and the Truth, and the goal is always to learn more about Him, His role in our lives, and grow in our faith and relationships with Him. If you are here and do not know what it means to have a relationship with Jesus, you are also in the right place! No matter where you are on your personal journey, this is relevant for you.
In 1 Timothy, the Apostle Paul exhorts, or encourages, Timothy to pray for others, as well as for those in positions of power and authority. He explains that this should be done because it is good and acceptable to God. He then further explains that God wants everyone to be saved and to know the truth. God desires for all to be saved.
Therefore I [a]exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in [b]authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and [c]reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time
This doesn’t say all ARE saved, but that He desires all to be saved. He also desires that all come to know the truth, not that all will or do know the truth. So if God desires it, why are all people not saved and why is there so much confusion and conflict about “the truth”?
God takes pleasure in all people being rescued from danger and destruction, being delivered from the penalties of sin and judgment, and in making all people partakers of salvation through Jesus. It is pleasing to God for us to pray for others, and it is pleasing to God for all to be saved from destruction.
Jesus gave Himself as a ransom for all people
Paul goes on to explain that there is One Mediator between God and men (mankind), and that is Jesus Christ. Jesus gave Himself as a ransom for all. The word for “gave” indicates that He willfully gave as a gift, to supply. He gave Himself as our ransom. This word for ransom means “what is given in exchange for another as the price of his redemption” (G487). Jesus exchanged places with us to pay the price of our redemption so that we did not have to pay the price ourselves. He supplied Himself to pay the wage we owed. He did this as a gift, not unwillingly, not grudgingly.
Jesus gave Himself as a ransom for all of us, but why did He do that? Why was it necessary for Jesus to die in our place? Back in Genesis, we read about the very beginning of creation. God created everything in 6 days and rested on the 7th day after He saw that everything was “very good”. He had created man and woman in His own image, placed them in the Garden of Eden, and put them in charge of the animals and the earth.
One day, a crafty serpent came along and deceived Eve, leading her to question God, which resulted in her and her husband, Adam, performing the first sin of mankind (Genesis 3). Ever since the sin of mankind has been on every single person to ever live.
18 Therefore, as through [a]one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one[b] Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. 19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.
20 Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, 21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
God, being holy, hates sin. Adam and Eve had to leave the Garden of Eden because of their sin causing them to be separated from God and killing their perfect relationship and unity with Him. God in His righteousness also requires justice for sin. Sin is such a serious matter that the penalty for sin is death, therefore all sin is deserving of death.
17 All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death.
God in His mercy knew we could never pay the price for sin, and did not want us to have to pay that price and be eternally separated from Him. He wants communion with His creation. In His grace, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, to live a sinless human life and die a horrible death carrying the entirety of every single sin to ever be committed in all of existence. He loved us so much that He bore the full weight of the sins of the world to pay the debt that we all owe for our sins.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Because Jesus is God, He had the power to resist sin, to carry the weight of the world’s sins to the cross, and also to rise from the dead 3 days later defeating the power of sin and death. He paid the price for us so that those who believe in His holy and precious works on our behalf, those who have faith in Him as their Savior, would be redeemed. Those who have faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior can receive the forgiveness of God for their sins, are justified through the blood of Jesus, and enter into a personal relationship with God.
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
We all need a Savior because, without Him, we would be eternally separated from God, the source of all that is good, and the One who created us and knows us better than we know ourselves. Faith in the Savior is the only way to eternal life and a personal relationship with God, the Creator of the Heavens and Earth who is working all things together for the good of those who love Him. Not only this, but without faith in the Savior, we miss the blessings, strength, peace, joy, and so much more that comes from a personal relationship with our Lord and Savior.
Therefore, having been justified by faith, [a]we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
12 But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be[a] children of God, to those who believe in his name, 13 who were born, not of natural descent,[b] or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man,[c] but of God.
14 The Word became flesh and dwelt[d] among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son[e] from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Because God takes great pleasure in the salvation of each and every human life, He chose to save mankind by sending Jesus, the Only Begotten Son of God, to live a sinless human life on earth, being 100% God and 100% man, and then die the death we deserve.
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
The penalty for those who choose sin over salvation and die in their sin without faith in Jesus as their Savior is eternal separation from God. The penalty for sin is death, and all who choose to remain in their sin will reap the consequence of eternal suffering that never ceases. This is not what God wants for any of us, but unfortunately is what so many choose by denying Jesus as their Savior.
10 For to this end[a]we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.
11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.
God draws all of creation to Himself and reveals Himself through creation. There is not one person or created thing that is not drawn to God, and He is clear that there is no excuse for those who reject Him. He desires all to be saved and gives the option to each and every one of us, revealing Himself, drawing us in, and teaching us about Himself. He does not force it on anyone, but gives us each a choice to come to Him, heed His promptings, seek Him out, or not.
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who [a]suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is [b]manifest [c]in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and [d]Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like [e]corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, 9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, 10 but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,
For those who have faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior, He gives the gift of the Holy Spirit, each of us is reborn with new spiritual life, and His Holy Spirit indwells us, teaching us, guiding us, and transforming us. He begins the sanctifying work of making us more like Jesus and less like our sinful nature. We have direct access to the power of Jesus that defeated sin and are also given direct access to talk to our Heavenly Father.
While Paul was writing to Timothy to encourage him in his ministry work, he made the point not only about salvation but also of the importance of prayer. Prayer is an essential part of every believer’s life. Those who have faith have access to talk to God, seek His help, give Him praise, and worship Him in Spirit and truth.
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
We are taught that as followers of Jesus, those who have faith in Jesus as our Savior, should pray for others, leaders around the world in every level, and ourselves. We should worship the Lord, praise Him with thankfulness, lift up the needs of others, and seek His presence and guidance in our own lives. We should also be praying for the salvation of others.
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 [a]But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
God desires all to be saved, and once we are in a personal relationship with our Creator by faith in Jesus we get to play a role in drawing others into the beautiful gift of salvation as well. By praying with and for others we get to participate in God’s plan to draw others to Himself for salvation.
37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
Jesus is at the door every day, every moment, awaiting the turn of the nob and the invitation inside. He will not force the door open, but He will keep knocking. None of us knows the day or the hour He will stop knocking on the door and the last opportunity to invite Him in has just passed by. Today is the day of salvation. Today is the day to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Not because you’re afraid of the eternal consequence, but because of what He has done for your sake while you were still in your sin.
While you were still in your sin, He paid the penalty for your sins. Even before you knew you owed an eternal debt, He paid it in full so that you would not have to suffer from the eternal separation from God. He loves you so much that He humbled Himself to live a human life, resisting sin, and carrying everyone else’s sins to His death on the cross, paying the debt we all owe. He knew then what the future held, from beginning to end. He knew who would come to Him and who would not. He knew every sin you would ever commit and knowing all of that He died in your place because He still loved you so much He wanted to save you from the consequence of your sin. He wanted to give you a way into communion with God.
He has His hand out to you today. I pray you take His hand, accept Him as your Savior, and by faith begin anew with Jesus Christ as your cornerstone and strength.
Dear Lord,
I don’t know who will read this, but You do. You know who needs to hear this today, right now, this minute this second, and I pray over them that you convict their heart and that they humble themselves into Your holy embrace. I pray that today is the day they open the door and invite You in. For those who already know You, I pray that You convict them to share your love, truth, and salvation with the world in all the ways you have called and prepared for them to do. Draw them to You today and teach them of Your holiness, love, mercy, goodness, and grace. Teach them to be Your children, and to grow to become more like You each day. Thank you for drawing them here today, Lord, and thank you for the strength You give each of us, and all You have planned ahead for each and every one of us.
Amen
Have you accepted the grace of God?
If you have not accepted the grace of God and chosen to believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I encourage you to pray to God now and invite Him in, accept Jesus as the sacrifice for your sins, and repent of your sins. Submit it all to God, lay it at His feet, seek the forgiveness of God, welcome Him into your life, and believe that Jesus died and rose again to save you from your sins.
If you would like to learn more about salvation, you can find a couple of studies that may help here:
Over the last several weeks we have explored many of the names of Jesus as the Son of Man. Before we transition to exploring many of the names of Jesus as the Truth, let’s take a look at the names of Jesus as the Son of Man and take time to pray and reflect on how knowing Jesus deeper in these ways helps us to grow closer to Him.
Son of Man
God reveals Himself to all of His creation and draws us all to His Truth and to His Son. No one can come to Jesus in faith unless God draws them, and God draws all of His creation into a relationship with Him. It is then up to each of us whether we choose to acknowledge Him, to have faith in Jesus, or not. If we choose to believe and have faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we will be justified in the sight of God and receive the gift of salvation through the blood of Jesus. If we choose to reject God’s promptings and revelations of Himself, He will give us up to sin and the consequences of our sin which is eternal separation from Him and all that is good.
9 “Today salvation has come to this house,” Jesus told him, “because he too is a son of Abraham.
10 For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.”
In knowing His identity as Messiah we learn the importance of the history in scripture, the foretellings and prophecies, and the gift of understanding provided when we choose to have faith in Him. He provides us with all we need in this earthly life to prepare us for the promise of abundant and eternal life in Heaven with Him all throughout His Word, and commands us to learn from His Word, meditate on it, remember it, and do what it says. Seek Him and His Kingdom, obey Him in love, and follow Him in faith.
40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard John and followed him.
41 He first found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah”[a] (which is translated “the Christ”),
When we have God within us through the gift of His Holy Spirit, we begin to see the world through His eyes rather than our own. We are made new in Him by our faith because of His grace. As He changes our perspective, He also changes our hearts, our minds, and our nature.
“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”
Our Spiritual blessings are reserved for us in Heaven but in this earthly life those who believe in the Son of Man get to see and experience glimpses of the full blessings to come while we actively wait in hope, in confident expectation, for the fulfillment of the promise. By God’s grace, our souls are accepted through faith in the Beloved, and these blessings come through the power of God’s Holy Spirit to those whose souls have been accepted by God. We get a glimpse of these spiritual blessings in this life, but believers get to experience the perfect and full blessings when we get to Heaven to spend eternity with the Lord.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,
5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He [a]made us accepted in the Beloved.
We are each a temple for God’s Spirit and are called to be united with the Body of Christ, leaning on the strength and understanding of Christ throughout all areas of life. If we are not trusting Jesus as the cornerstone of our life, we are not aligned with Him and are not building our life on His truth. We were made through, by, and for Jesus, and He calls on us to live aligned with Him in faith, allowing His Spirit to fill us, guide us, and align us to the Way of salvation through Christ.
19 So, then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household,
20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.
21 In him the whole building, being put together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.
22 In him you are also being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit.
Trusting Jesus as our Good Shepherd gives us peace that surpasses understanding as we trust in Him to guard, lead, and control our lives in the ways He knows are best for us. We are immeasurably blessed when we choose to enter into a personal relationship with Him and enter through the gate into the promise of salvation that can only be obtained through Jesus Christ.
14 “I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me,
15 just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father. I lay down my life for the sheep.
16 But I have other sheep that are not from this sheep pen; I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. Then there will be one flock, one shepherd.
We are called to trust in our Great High Priest who is without any sin or blemish to intercede for us with God on our behalf, making us right with God and able to enter into His presence and receive His Spirit. Just like the Israelites were all given specific jobs to do, we too are called by God to work for Him and bring Him glory throughout our lives.
As we lean into His Spirit and trust our Great High Priest we will learn and grow in our dependence on God, our humility and recognition of our sin condition, and seek His forgiveness and provisions to become more like Him all the time.
14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
Scripture teaches us that if we abide in the Lord, live as He teaches and calls on us to live, be diligent in prayer, meditate on scripture, and obey it, we will know that we are in Him. It is very clear that true faith is evident in the works produced because of that faith. These works stem as a result of true faith, and will always match up with what scripture teaches.
This is how we will know we have Jesus as our advocate – that our faith produces godliness in our lives, character, nature, actions, and words. True faith changes our heart condition and we begin to naturally desire and display godly things instead of worldly and sinful things. There is a true inward-to-outward transformation that happens when we have Jesus as our advocate.
1My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
As we wait for Christ to return for His bride, we are to be like the 5 virgins who were wise. They prepared for a long wait, not knowing how long before their bridegroom would come for them. Because they prepared, they were ready when their bridegroom came for them.
We must be careful not to follow the example of the 5 foolish virgins who were not prepared and expected those who were prepared to provide for them when the time came. Due to their lack of preparation, they were left behind.
28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’
29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete.
Just as husbands are to be head of their wife, being placed by God in a position of loving leadership over her, Christ is head of the Church, His bride. He oversees His people in many ways that are also emphasized by the marriage relationship between a husband and wife.
22 And he subjected everything under his feet[a] and appointed him[b] as head over everything for the church,
23 which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.
A life tethered to the Rock of Jesus is a life tethered to hope and joy in all circumstances. When we are tethered to Him, we can live in true freedom. As we grow in our relationship with Jesus we will grow in faith, strength, courage, peace and perseverance. Where we are weak He is strong and we can rest and rely solely on Him for all that we need, allowing Him to strengthen us spiritually and prepare us for eternity with Him.
1 Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea,
2 all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,
3 all ate the same spiritual food,
4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.
These beautiful names of Jesus as the Root of David and Bright Morning Star speak of Jesus as King of kings and Lord of Lords, sovereign over our whole lives. If Jesus is truly the Lord of our whole lives we will look to Him and His Word and live by it. We will not dwell on earthly things, but will focus on Jesus and allow Him to teach us how He wants us to see both earthly and heavenly things.
16 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”
17 And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.
