Ephesians 1:19-22 ( NKJV ) 19and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. 22And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church,
Philippians 3:20-21 ( NKJV ) 20For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.
This is a further discussion in many ways of the purposes of God in salvation. Whatever God purposes He must have the power to carry out. A God who calls ( Romans 8:28,30; Romans 9:24, 1 Corinthians 1:2,9,24,26; Galatians 5:13; Ephesians 4:1,4; 1 Thessalonians 2:12; 5:24, Colossians 3:15; 2 Timothy 1:9; 1 Peter 1:15), and a God who elects (Romans 8:33; 9:11, 11:5,7,28; 1 Thessalonians 1:4; Colossians 3:12; 1 Peter 1:2) is a Sovereign God. But if He lacks the power of his calling and elective prerogatives He cannot, in the final analysis , be called Sovereign and his elective purposes and His calling out a people unto Himself is meaningless. Thankfully, this is not the case.
In our Lord’s high priestly prayer in the Gospel of John, we read; “Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.” The Apostle Peter, who no doubt heard this prayer, in his first epistle, concluded that we are “kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (I Peter 1:5). The Lord Jesus’ prayer that those who were given to Him by the Father, were to be kept by the authority and power of the name of God. It is no wonder then that Peter would state so emphatically that we are kept by the power of God, as it rests on the very authority and reputation of God Himself.
Continue reading ‘Secure In Christ By The Power of God’
Mornings for me have seen some changes of this past year as I received news from my doctor that “Hot Tamales” and “Junior Mints” were not a food group. This meant a change in diet and early morning exercise. The diet change was no big deal, but the exercise was something else. So, in order to assuage the boredom of peddling a recumbent bicycle I turn on the TV and watch the news while I sweat and peddled.
I can remember a time before I came to know the Lord when I was told that my salvation did not depend on my goodness or good works but on Christ. I just found that incomprehensible. Once I came to know Christ I thought I understood the Biblical principle that I was saved by the Grace of God because of the work of Christ on the cross. My understanding was that I added no work or effort to my salvation. While that is true, what I didn’t really get, was that the phrase “not of works” (
se it does not pretend to create salvation, nor to help in it, but it is content humbly to receive it. Faith is the tongue that begs pardon, the hand which receives it, and the eye which sees it; but it is not the price which buys it. Faith never makes herself her own plea, she rests all her argument upon the blood of Christ. She becomes a good servant to bring the riches of the Lord Jesus to the soul, because she acknowledges whence she drew them, and owns that grace alone entrusted her with them.”
a pardoned person and accepted with God while you still sin in this way?’ If I listen to this I drop into despondency , and if I continued in that state I should fall into despair, and should commit sin more frequently than before; but God’s grace comes in and says to my soul, ‘Thou hast sinned; but did not Christ come and save sinners? Thou art not saved because thou art righteous; for Christ died for the ungodly.’ And my faith says, ‘Though I have sinned, I have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and I am a child of God still.” And what then? Why the tears begin to flow and I say, ‘How could I ever sin against my God who has been so god to me? Now I will overcome that sin,” and I will get strong to fight with sin through the conviction that I am God’s child.”
Not long ago I was out on visitation to visit a family who had recently visited the church. But before I went out I used “Google Earth” to locate the address and print out a map. I even went so far as to zoom in on the earth map to get an idea of what their house looked like. I was confident I knew where to go and had the right address. That night it was raining and seemed especially dark. But I was sure that between my research, printed directions, and GPS navigation I would find the right address. I was really proud of myself for thinking ahead as I headed out that evening. I just knew I would find the address and arrive on time for my visit with the new family. All was going well until I came within striking distance of success. As I was approaching their house, in the rain, I miss read a street sign and turned down the wrong street. Even my GPS could not help at this point because I was so close. But the house at the address I pulled up to didn’t look anything like the picture I had seen on “Google Earth.” I was now a bit confused but proceeded to get out of my car and walk up the drive way for the visit. Part way up my doubts grew stronger so I turned around and walked back down the driveway and up to the street corner to double check the street address. I was on the wrong street! The street I needed was a couple hundred feet away.
“It is as much a crime to disturb the peace when truth prevails as it is to keep the peace when truth is violated. There is therefore a time in which peace is justified and another time when it is not justifiable. For it is written that there is a time for peace and a time for war and it is the law of truth that distinguishes the two. But at no time is there a time for truth and a time for error, for it is written that God’s truth shall abide forever. That is why Christ has said that He has come to bring peace and at the same time that He has come to bring the sword. But He does not say that He has come to bring both the truth and falsehood.”
For me, there is no more glorious a thought than to know that I rest in the saving hands of God (
man does not live differently from what he did before, both at home and abroad, his repentance needs to be repented of, and his conversion is a fiction. Not only action and language, but spirit and temper must be changed. … Abiding under the power of any known sin is a mark of our being the servants of sin, for ‘his servants yea are to whom ye obey.’ Idle are the boasts of a man who harbors within himself the love of any transgression. He may feel what he likes, and believe what he likes, he is still in the gall of bitterness and the bonds of iniquity while a single sin rules his heart and life. True regeneration implants a hatred of all evil; and where one sin is delighted in, the evidence is fatal to a sound hope. …
Recent Comments