Even though in times past we were dead in our sins, God fixed that:
Even when we were dead in sins, (God) hath quickened us together in Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus,
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. ~ Ephesians 2:5-10 KJV (emphasis added)
See, in man's sinful condition, we are all born into a life with no hope and without God. Basically, we are walking dead. But that all changed when God in his infinite love and kindness toward us, provided the ultimate solution. It doesn't require us to perform anything, because we are not capable of changing ourselves from sinners into beings of light by our own works. No, we are to get our sin problem fixed first, and then walk in good works. Does that make sense?
By grace, God allowed his Son, Jesus, to come to earth, live in a human form being exposed to sinful temptations just like us, yet live a perfect, sinless life, and then be executed on a cross for one purpose - to pay our sin debt with His own blood.
By grace, all we have to do is to accept God's gift of life by believing in Jesus and we are forever freed from the penalty of sin (eternal damnation and death). GLORY TO GOD! I'LL TAKE IT!!
By faith in my Heavenly Creator, I acknowledge and repent of my sin, and believe in Christ Jesus. This is the true gospel of salvation. By God's grace, we are no longer slaves to sin. Yes, we still do sin as long as we live on this earth, but we are forgiven when we repent.
JUST ASK GOD, FOLKS! He made it so easy. Just ask Him and accept Jesus as your Redeemer now; by faith - not by works, because Jesus already did the work. There is no power in our good deeds without a personal relationship with Jesus first. But now, having faith in Jesus, the Restorer of us to God, everything changes.
By grace, our sin problem is now fixed. Praise God! We go from having no hope, without God, to being fully alive in Him. Please take that step of faith now; as there is no guarantee of tomorrow. Part of God's gift comes with terms. There is an expiration date to God's grace. Once we die, we die in a sinful state without Jesus and are forever lost:
That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
But now in Christ Jesus, ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
For He is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
... Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ being the chief cornerstone;
In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
~ Ephesians 2:19-21 KJV
By grace then, we are saved, and by faith we are kept in the household of God. We are seated in heavenly places near Him, so we will forever be with our LORD - in this world or the next, Jesus has us in His hands always. What a Savior!
"Thank You, Jesus, for fixing my sin problem once and for all. Forgive my sins and create in me a new heart for the lost. I give you my heart out in the open, not in secret. In faith, give me wisdom and knowledge of Christ so that my little light shines for You going forward; sharing the gospel of Jesus to all who will hear. Bless the reader, dear LORD, with comprehension of Your WORD; to know the love of Christ and walk in His peace that passes all understanding. Amen!"
Thank you for visiting this blog. By the grace of our LORD, I hope God's WORD has blessed you today.
That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. ~ Ephesians 3:17-19 KJV
