Yes, Lord, I know you spoke to me about two specific articles in my previous books this morning. Are these the sparks? I’m referring to “Jesus is the Only Way to Be Saved” and “Man’s Greatest Ability.”
My people need the knowledge so they can share it effectively with others, and those they witness to need the knowledge so they can understand what it is to be a Christian, a true Christian.
Lord, I know I needed to review your teaching, even myself, as a mature believer…for sometimes we get away from the very “foundations” of our faith. We get on other topics and fail to realize that it’s our foundation being firm that will give us what we need to stand.
Elizabeth, you were given that truth from me even as it came out of your thoughts to pen.
——end of conversation—-beginning of obedience:
Readers, the two articles we speak of that will give all believers a FIRM FOUNDATION, are found in the Receive From Me Book Series, already published. The chapter names are 1) Jesus is the Only Way To Be Saved (Volume Two-Page 81) and 2) Man’s Greatest Ability (Volume Two-Page 137). So you may have already read them if you read the previous series. But they are so important to God, that I am going to cut and paste these important articles into my chapter of this book.
Here goes:
Jesus is the Only Way to Be Saved
I Timothy 2:5
John the Baptist declared these words when looking at Jesus: “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”
It was the “sacrificed lamb”, in the Old Testament of the Bible, that had to be “pure and spotless” … NOT THE PERSON having their sin atoned for. This is because the BLOOD washed away SIN for that person. A divine exchange took place: God was satisfied, and the person forgiven, because of the blood that was spilled. This reveals to us how Christ Jesus, known as “The Lamb of God,” would wash our sin away when He went to the Cross.
The GOOD NEWS is that Christ Jesus IS God’s Son, who came down from heaven just to save sinners… not to condemn them…but to free them from sin and from death (the consequence of sin). Most of us know John 3:16, but do we embrace the next verse which I’ve highlighted?
John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
You need not become perfect to come to God. You do need to realize, however, that you need for your own sin to be removed and forgiven, for it has been separating you from God.
It is in the coming TO CHRIST that sin can LEAVE your life, restoring your relationship to God. (Romans 6:20-23; Romans 3:23-24)
THIS IS GRACE. We are not saved by works or by keeping the law, but through FAITH in the Blood of Jesus.
ANOTHER IMPORTANT REVELATION of the BLOOD OF CHRIST:
In modern-day, we run something known as a paternity test to determine “the father” of a child, for the blood comes from the Father and runs through that child’s veins whom he has fathered.
This modern-day “revelation” can help us to understand why the blood of one man could save the world.
Jesus was the one man in history who was “VIRGIN born” and Christ himself testifies that His Father was GOD.
Jesus is a pretty-high authority, wouldn’t you say? And He testifies of himself as THE Son of God, throughout His life.
However, God is an even higher authority, and He himself declared:
“This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:17
Jesus’s Blood is of GOD, HIS FATHER. It is therefore special blood…the blood OF GOD! Therefore, only his pure, spotless blood…that of God’s Only Begotten Son, could hold the power to save the world from the wrath Of God. Jesus was without sin… This is what is meant by being pure and spotless. No “man” but God’s SON could die TO SAVE so that we might be partakers of the love and grace of God and be free from the law of sin and death.
God loved you enough to send His Son to take your place…To become sin for you and l, that you and I could become The Righteousness of God IN CHRIST.
Jesus IS The Way to God! The only way!
“If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST HIS SON CLEANSETH US FROM ALL SIN” (I John l:7).
Praying DOES NOT cleanse from sin.
Joining a church DOES NOT cleanse from sin.
Living a good life DOES NOT cleanse from Sin.
Being baptized in water DOES NOT cleanse from sin.
Partaking of the sacraments DOES NOT cleanse from sin.
Committing your life to God DOES NOT cleanse from sin.
We cannot leave His SON, Jesus, out of it!
THE BLOOD OF JESUS — HIS BLOOD ALONE — CLEANSES FROM SIN!
“In Whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.” Romans 1:7
Religion focuses on what man does or does not do, to appease his god.
Christianity focuses on what God has done For Us, His people.
Then we want to live according to His commands because we LOVE Him! For saving us!
Man can’t get to God apart from Jesus Christ: “FOR THE WAGES OF SIN is death; but the GIFT OF GOD IS eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 623).
Sin pays singular wages: DEATH! Christ died for our sins “according to the Scriptures” (1st Corinthians 15:3). It took the DEATH OF JESUS, and the shedding of HIS BLOOD, to pay sin’s debt, and bring REDEMPTION FROM SIN.
“And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and WASHED US FROM OUR SINS IN HIS OWN BLOOD…” (Revelation 15).
We read in 1st Peter 1:18-19 “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; BUT WITH THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST His Son cleanses us from all sin.” I John 1:7
The only way to have your sins forgiven, and your name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, is by appropriating the precious blood of Christ Jesus. Self-Righteousness has no place. No person is “better than” another, or more “righteous” when we become aware that we are saved by the blood. We become “blood brothers” so to speak, and members of the Family of God, knowing our righteousness is only in Christ.
Your sin was placed upon Jesus when he went to the Cross to shed his own blood to obtain eternal redemption for you. The divine exchange, when you “Receive Jesus Christ as Your Personal Savior” is that you immediately become righteous (in right standing) in your position with God, through Christ. His wrath immediately turns away from you, and you become his son or daughter and a part of the Family of God.
Saving Faith is when you come as a sinner in need of a Savior, and you actively place your trust upon Jesus Christ to forgive and save you, because of the blood that He shed for you as the pure spotless Lamb of God. These verses link the Old and New Testaments so we can see the truth about the Blood of Christ:
- “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given It to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for IT IS THE BLOOD THAT MAKETH AN ATONEMENT FOR THE SOUL.” —Leviticus 17:11
- “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but BY HIS OWN BLOOD he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.” —Hebrews 9:12
It’s the Blood of Jesus that washes your sin away and makes atonement for the soul! The Blood basically buys you (redeems you) out of the Kingdom of Darkness, then puts you into the Kingdom of Light.
The work of the blood is continuous. If you stumble in your Christian Walk…meaning you sin as a Believer, you confess your sin to God and trust his blood to wash it away and you begin anew to walk uprightly.
I John 1:9 is a great verse to memorize so condemnation doesn’t come on you:
“If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness.”
Think of the blood as a fountain flowing deep and wide…jump in that blood and splash it all over…its power is continuous to cleanse you of your sin and to cleanse your conscience too.
Christ’s blood is permanently on the mercy seat in heaven, and available for your access as a believer.
Now, this is very important to know: The Holy Spirit is given to Believers in Christ to live inside of you, to help you to walk in the light (meaning in obedience to God and in love for Him), and to guide you in your Christian Walk. According to Ephesians 3:19, we can “know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God”!
What is to set Christians apart, from all other people on the earth, is that we are made righteous through Christ, because we basically “died with Him at the cross” and then we have the Holy Spirit given to us, and so Christ now Lives within us, through His Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is the communicator between heaven and earth, between God and Christ and you! He is the one also who leads people To Christ, so you are not reading this page by accident. The Spirit is leading you to a new life in Christ. The Spirit is God within you.
Daniel 12:10 tells us:
Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand.
This is what THE BLOOD does for us! Do you want to be one of those who is purified, made spotless, and refined? I pray so…
Take a moment, right now, to click this link, and listen to this song about the Blood of the Lamb. Here is the link:
Only By The Blood of The Lamb – Elizabeth Ann Smith – Receive From Me
IF YOU ARE READY TO RECEIVE THE BLOOD OF CHRIST, JUST ASK JESUS TO BE YOUR LORD AND SAVIOR… AND LET HIM TAKE THE RULE OVER YOUR DAILY LIFE. HE IS GOD.
I will walk you through a simple prayer that God will indeed respond to.
Pray the prayer below out loud in faith, believing in what you speak, as you talk to God. The Spirit of God and Christ, the Holy Spirit, will come to live within you, and your new life will begin. Your old life will pass away, as it is, for you will become a new creation in Christ Jesus.
The Lord will transform you by renewing your mind, with the Word of God.
Our obedience to Him is how we reveal to the World that we are His and show Him that we love and trust Him. We serve out of love because He first loved us.
The Lord will indeed transform your life, and when you die, you will go to heaven, for you abide in Christ.
This is a verse to give you faith as you pray: “Now, this IS Eternal Life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” John 17:3
Almighty God,
I know that I am a sinner and I do not deserve eternal life or earn it by my works. My sin has separated me from you, and only Jesus Christ’s blood can reconcile me to you.
I repent of all my sin, and I choose to turn away from sin, and desire to be free of sin’s consequences.
I believe Your Son Jesus Christ died, shedding his blood, washing away all the guilt and condemnation and penalty for my sin… for ALL my sin… and that He rose from the grave to make me a new creation, and to prepare me to dwell in your presence forever.
Please Jesus, come into my life, take control of my life, forgive and cleanse my sin, and save me. I am now placing my trust in you alone for my salvation. I accept your gift of eternal life.
I will live my life for you, and make you my Lord, giving you the rule over my life.
Enable us to be in a close relationship and give me your wisdom for making my life’s decisions. Fill me with your righteousness, peace, and joy.
From now on I will call you Father God.
Thank you, Father. I belong to you now. Thank you for saving me through Jesus.
In Jesus’ name, I pray this, Amen.
(Pause and just be still for a moment before the Lord; You, by faith, have just received New Life in Christ!)
You’re HOME, My Friend. Welcome to the Family! You now are a part of the Kingdom of God and are a member of God’s family through Christ.
Now that you’ve received the gift of salvation, ask God to completely fill you with the Holy Spirit, for you will need His empowerment within you to live for Christ. Then enjoy growing In Christ by being taught more about the Christian walk. Get a bible of your own or download a bible app to read the bible. It’s God’s love letter to you! Find a good local bible-preaching church so you can grow in the knowledge of your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Be baptized by them to identify yourself with Christ’s death publicly. This too is obedience to the Word.
There is so much to learn, and it will be so exciting for you!… to be taught by the Spirit of God in the Word of God. Check out my website receivefromme.com for songs to instruct you in righteousness. You can access lyrics and it’s a fun way to learn. Enjoy reading this book and others I put out too.
I just couldn’t leave this most important chapter out of my book… for knowing Jesus as your own personal Savior, and understanding your salvation, is the first step in your amazing journey as a Believer.
To close, I wrote this happy song to let you know what is in store for you, when you have been saved! Take a listen and get excited!
Here is the link:
When I Am Saved – Elizabeth Ann Smith – Receive From Me
Now…Enjoy the Journey! (smile)
And here is that second article: Man’s Greatest Ability:
Recently the Lord revealed to my heart that the greatest ability that we have, that far surpasses any capability we might exhibit, is the ability to repent.
I have pondered that insight for a number of days now, and desire to write about what the Holy Spirit has shown me, believing this article will truly change many lives.
Perhaps “your” life!
Think about it with me and I will “show you something” to help you understand.
First, let me define what repent really means.
To repent is to feel or express sincere regret or remorse about one’s wrongdoing or sin, enough so, that a person chooses to turn away from it, and turn toward God, and receive forgiveness through the blood of Jesus, resulting in fruit keeping with repentance.
Matthew 3:8-10 states that true repentance involves “fruit” or evidence of the fact.
Hebrews 9:22 states that without the shedding of blood there is no remission (forgiveness). The good news is that Jesus did shed his blood and made atonement for all sin, so that we are always and forever “able to” repent.
This ability to repent far exceeds any capability of ours; for sooner or later, each one of us sins, or fails, or has something we need to turn away from… knowing it does not please a Holy God. Our capability to lead a righteous life is indeed in Christ, but within our own sinful nature is also the capability to do evil.
Therefore, the greatest ability we have is to repent. As with a computer, we simply press “delete” or “backspace” upon our error, erasing our error, so that we can once again enjoy advancing forward. So too, with repentance, our own sin is erased, and glorious fellowship is restored, or given, with our Father God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
So then, whether we do repent is up to each one of us, and we also have a choice of when to repent. We have totally free will in this matter. Yet God is always pursuing us, revealing to us when we’ve gone astray, and desiring for us all to come to repentance.
I personally have discovered that it’s best to have the “when” be when the Lord shows you the issue. In other words, when you hear your conscience speak loudly within.
If you delay, your heart can harden toward God, you could reap more widespread consequences from your sin, or you may influence others to sin or go away from God. None of these consequences is in your best interest!
Do we realize how glorious is this Ability?
It is always available to us!
That is, if we, ourselves, do not harden our hearts so many times that our desire to access our ability to repent is diminished or non-existent.
When my two sons were grade school age, they had an Etch-A-Sketch. Have you ever had one of them yourself?
Well, one of my sons “goofed up” as he tried drawing something… getting totally exasperated with himself. So, I, in encouragement, grabbed hold of the Etch-A-Sketch and said something like, “Let’s get rid of that mistake and start anew! It’s a good thing your mistakes can just be erased!” (I then showed him how to shake it up, and as he did, we watched the silver wash away all his mistakes.) “See, you can start all over!” As I said these words aloud, an instant revelation came to me from the Holy Spirit, and out my mouth, it came: “An Etch-A-Sketch represents a picture of grace and forgiveness of sins, with the silver powder acting as the BLOOD OF CHRIST does.”
The display screen is as Our Life. If our life displays or reveals an error, gross sin, mistaken path, misled alliance, failure, a broken promise, abusive action, selfish tendency, etc., we need only to repent to activate the BLOOD which then ERASES all that was done outside of the will of God. We need not remain miserable, exasperated, ashamed, or fretful!
In fact, even as an Etch-A-Sketch erases a picture, so too, is grace greater than sin! When a person hands the Etch-A-Sketch to the next person there is no evidence of what “had been” written there. It is dissolved. Invisible. Gone! So too, sin is gone! Forever erased in the sight of God. He remembers it no more.
Jesus wipes your Slate Clean!
Then
God sees the Slate Clean!
How awesome is that!
Now, you might be thinking, “Well, sometimes, with an Etch-A-Sketch there is some residue from what was there before”, and yes, this is true. You need to apply that powder again with a shake and away it goes! And so too, you may need to go to the Lord and receive grace, a few more times, to cleanse your own conscience, so that it is erased forever. Sometimes it is a process, at our end, as the water of The Word washes away residue, as our own faith in the atonement is built up, i.e., we embrace our own forgiveness of sin. Evidence of cleansing is that we become God-conscious rather than Sin-conscious when the work is complete.
Sometimes, the remembrance of “what was” may be upon people around us, who then may continually remind us of our sin, to our chagrin. And sometimes a temporal consequence is resultant, even though an eternal consequence is absolved. So, remember, to repent is all about what is between you and God, and God himself sees it no more.
Every single “present moment” can be a “new beginning” of walking with the Lord in perfect peace. Inner strength to walk in the midst of others’ judgments, to embrace the consequence of our sin, and to go on cleansed and feeling whole is granted us as part of this grace of repentance. Inner peace is then given to us.
The Holy Spirit is within every believer in Christ to clear our consciences as we repent. This is also why a criminal can repent and serve his time, and yet be at perfect peace in jail for as many years as his term of a sentence when he has truly repented.
The point of this simple illustration of the Etch-A-Sketch is to reveal that to repent is a great ability that we have as Believers. To repent is available to all. For Jesus calls sinners to repentance, so he can free them from sin. This is why He came! A person just needs to know that it is Jesus’ blood that can cleanse and grant reconciliation to God, causing a rebirth…a pure blank slate now to be written upon. Then the new Christian must choose to let God create a masterpiece out of their shaken life. When sin is shown to them, they repent and turn from it, and the process will lead them toward godly living.
My son discovered that it became easier for him to draw, and he became better and better at the Etch-A-Sketch, for he was no longer intimidated by the thought of making a mistake. He knew it could easily erase, and he could start again. This is also true of how grace and repentance work in a believer’s life. The longer a person walks in Christ, the easier it is for them to be free of sin…and the need to repent and wipe the slate clean becomes less frequent as a person becomes “perfected” in such great grace.
So, what do we do after we repent? The focus must then go to fulfilling the Lord’s command of Matthew 3:8
“Produce fruit keeping with repentance.”
Our “fruit” must come forth in keeping with our repentance. This is how we show God we rejoice in our forgiveness and how we reveal to others that we are His.
Did you lie? …then the fruit would be to resolve to tell the truth.
Did you fornicate? …then the fruit would be to resolve not to have sex outside of the marriage covenant.
Did you steal? Steal no more.
Were you grumbling and complaining? …then change your attitude!
Did you fight with someone? …then say you’re sorry, forgive them, and look together for your solution in Christ.
Were you mean and hateful? …then be kind and loving.
When one truly realizes the greatest ability we have is to repent, and he or she exercises that ability immediately when the need arises, then this ability to walk in our grace gives us the capability to walk in the righteousness of Christ. We know we can “shake that Etch-A-Sketch”, i.e., wipe out the sin that creeps in, by putting it under the blood. We can do this with each misstep we take that is not in Christ…so our path can be righted…and fellowship restored.
Another reason why our greatest ability is to repent: Because our sin is never too much, or mistake ever too big, for the blood not to erase, when appropriated.
Christ’s capability gives us this ability.
NEVER will God not forgive true repentance. He loves the sinner and wipes away the sin.
It is a lie of Satan that God hates sinners.
What He hates is sin, and how it keeps us from Him, and how it leads us to destruction… for sin carries consequences.
Repentance is always available to anyone who will believe in God’s capability to provide that forgiveness. Yes, again I say you must be, or become, a Believer in Christ to be forgiven.
It is an ability only available IN CHRIST.
It is only His Blood that cleanses away the sin.
He went to the cross as the spotless Lamb of God and paid for your redemption by having your sin placed upon Him.
Actually, the scripture says, He became sin for us…that it might be destroyed.
There is one other thing that can mislead too. Let me warn you of that. Okay?
The Word of God says, in II Corinthians 7:10, that “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” Worldly sorrow lacks “repentance” and brings death. Repentance is more than just a sorrowful emotion, of “getting caught” or wanting to avoid “a consequence”. Godly sorrow is grief that is for God’s sake and produces remorse of the soul which then reverses itself and restores to life…it leads to salvation through Jesus, and to a transformed life.
Jesus said, “Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.” (See Matthew 5:4) He was referring to ones whose own hearts grieve because of how their sin has displeased the Lord. When they become fully aware of this, and repent, He promises, “They…shall be… comforted!” Hallelujah! And blessed means here means “Happy are they”! Your mourning indeed turns to joy when you know you are forgiven …and are comforted! (smile)
Let’s go back to the Etch-A-Sketch, our picture of grace. We had to “access” that cleansing substance on our slate by taking an “action”. It was our choice to shake that “Etch-A-Sketch” to erase what was written upon it… So too, a sin revealed requires the choice to take an action on our part. It is an act of our own free will to do the action of repenting after coming to recognize what needs to be repented of or erased.
To refuse to do that “repenting” (as with the Etch-A-Sketch not being shaken up to start afresh) means mistake upon mistake is built up more and more, causing us greater and greater exasperation and unhappiness in our own lives, as we get further and further away from God and others in relationship. We go deeper and deeper into a pit… a pit of despair, that is.
Yet also, here again… we see the greatest ability we, human beings in all the world, have been given! God can even erase “all that buildup!” Once we see and recognize our sin before God… this ability remains there to access! This ability surpasses understanding! Oh, what grace! Repenting can erase it all! He even gets us out of pits! Psalm 40:2 says, “He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay; He set my feet upon a rock and established my goings!” This is such good news!
But WAIT! WARNING!!! Our free will is involved here! If we choose not to appropriate our ability to repent, once sin is revealed, it can indeed eventually become too late to have our slate wiped clean. We can go to hell and suffer the permanent consequences for sin, and not just earth’s temporary consequences. For the individual Believer, when the choice is made to continually ignore conviction, after knowing the joy of being In Christ, scripture warns them, in Hebrews 6:4-12 and in Hebrews 10:26-39 that this condition of hardening the heart causes them to not avail themselves of this, their greatest ability to repent. Those who sin against the Holy Spirit, who is faithful to convict of sin, will instead repeatedly choose not to respond, and they will indeed lose their salvation. The Amplified Version of 10:29 states that when Christ’s blood is considered common and unhallowed, the Holy Spirit is profaned, insulted, and outraged! He has imparted the grace TO REPENT and the blood was given to cleanse! But even believers can walk away from grace. This too, is “free will” …
Grace requires the action to stay IN CHRIST and resting your faith in what He has done by repenting when convicted, by the Spirit, of sin.
Rest easy, if you have a conscience active right now at all, you are not “there”. No fear need be… just simply repent now. (Don’t necessarily believe this? …then continue, and read the three verses from Revelation, near the end of this article, and you will hear what Christ Himself says about the danger some of you are in.)
It is only a “Believer”, or one who is repenting to “Become a Believer”, that exercises this greatest ability known to man: the ability to repent, and it leads to their salvation, in this life, and in the life to come.
To repent can become very easy … and it may be done continually …as a lifestyle …with great joy! For remember from our earlier verse: “we will be comforted!” The Lord delivers us from our sins as we continually bring them before him in godly sorrow over them. We experience the pain of seeing our need, but then the great joy in having sin removed.
You need not become sin-conscious or look for sin. The Holy Spirit will do the work of revealing sin to your conscience, and the written Word of God will expose unknown or hidden sins. A prophet may speak, a sermon may be heard, an authority figure rebuke you, etc. God uses many ways to reveal things for us to repent of. Let peace be your guide. If your peace is lost, there is usually a reason…
Is some sin revealed? You “respond” in repentance. Quickly receive the blood, wiping it away! Rejoicing, then simply follow Christ in that area from now on, believing your slate is wiped clean.
There is no need for penance, which means an act of self-abasement, mortification, or devotion performed to show sorrow or repentance for sin. You don’t have to be miserable for a season! The blood is sufficient to wipe your slate clean and to cleanse your conscience!
Repentance is of the heart. Always, Jesus says to the repentant one, “Neither do I condemn you… Go and sin no more.”
He expects that his forgiveness will be met with our turning toward righteousness.
In fact, and worthy to note: Following true repentance, the Holy Spirit may direct you to make some restitution toward someone you have sinned against, so that reconciliation may be made with them. Repentance is toward God, and Restitution is made toward one another. It is a natural chosen response to a changed heart, for within it the love of God can thereby again flow freely, and reconciliation with your neighbor can then be possible… as far as it depends upon you, that is. Believers can’t always control how another person or business, or entity will respond to our restitution, but at least it will “open up reconciliation” from on our side of things, removing any obstruction.
It will bring great joy if we understand that this ability to repent Surpasses Any Capability. We are no longer “self-righteous” (ignoring our need to repent), “heathen” (ignoring our need for God’s plan of forgiveness), or “hardened by sin’s deceitfulness” (ignoring the grace that is set before us).
We, instead, realize the incredible ability Christ purchased at the Cross, by spilling his blood, is the ability to repent and go forward forgiven and cleansed. Healing and deliverance, all a part of our atonement from sin, come from our continually accessing our ability to repent, due to what Christ did for us! Isn’t that simply amazing!!
If you’re not healing, or being delivered, perhaps you’re not repenting. The Spirit is prompting me to warn God’s people, for this is sometimes the case, though not always.
With all the talk of grace out there in the world… I exhort and speak the truth:
Grace still needs action and response on our part: to regularly repent to receive cleansing. Even though salvation from sin is by grace and not of our works lest any man should boast. We still must choose to access this great ability that He has offered and paid for. It is an amazing privilege of ours as Believers in Christ!
In closing, I am led, by the Spirit of God, to give you, from the Word of God, an increased desire to exercise your greatest ability: TO REPENT.
I will leave you three verses from Revelation that have the instruction from Our Lord Christ Jesus TO REPENT in them.
Listen carefully. Please.
Revelation 2:5
“Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent, and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you, and remove your lampstand from its place.”
Revelation 3:3
“Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know what time I will come to you.”
Revelation 3:19
“Those whom I love, I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.”
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Okay, so now that these two articles are within this chapter… having set a firm foundation of doctrine… I will now proceed with the rest of my writing.
It’s going to get good!