But God created us, and loves us as a father loves his own children. God has set in motion a rescue plan to rescue his chosen ones from the power of sin. His only son Jesus came to earth as a man and died on the cross as a penalty for our sins. Jesus death covers the sins of the whole world, so that all of creation is now under his authority, and is waiting for his return at the end of the age.
God searches every heart. Those he finds worthy he draws to himself. God wants us to repent of our sins, stop sinning and obey his commandments. We respond to God in various ways. God choses those who respond in a way which pleases him and fills them with the holy spirit. Being filled with the holy spirit is called being born from above or being born in the spirit, or being born again. Being born again is entirely by God choice. God chooses who is reborn. We can only respond to God from our hearts. It is God who chooses, and rebirths those he has chosen to become his children. We cannot chose to be reborn, nor can anyone else chose on our behalf, nor can we become reborn by having the correct doctrine or some special knowledge of the bible.
The holy spirit then works in our lives to change us from the inside and to make us pleasing to God. It is impossible for us to change ourselves and change our own hearts. But the work of the spirit is to change us from the inside and to make us like Jesus so that we are holy and pure and acceptable to God. That is the power of God unto salvation.
To make us children of God: Jesus death covers our sins and gives us the right to become Gods children. The holy spirit cleans our hearts, changes us to make us holy before God, and makes us fit to be Gods children.
Without the holy spirit we are not Christians. We only become Christians when God chooses us and elects us to become his children.
Being filled with the holy spirit does not mean you have to speak in tongues, or prophesy or do miracles. Many of the so called signs are false signs. Much of the prophesying, speaking in tongues, healing and miracles which occurs in Christianity is false. The real sign of the holy spirit is the change in peoples lives, the fruit. Making a hard heart soft is the greatest miracle of all. God does give those other gifts as well but only to give glory to him. Manifestations like the Toronto blessing are out of the pit.
Many people who claim to be Christians have not been reborn of the spirit. Many who claim to be born again have not been reborn of the spirit (they have been born of false spirits).
We cannot become Christians by:
- Believing in God and Jesus (Pauline Arminiansim)
- Confessing the name of Jesus (Pauline Arminiansim)
- An emotional feeling
- Deciding we want to go to heaven
- Being a good person - having good intentions
- Improving ourselves to become perfect ( Pelagianism - Holiness Movement)
- Finding God inside us (New Age)
- Finding hidden meaning in the Bible (numerology)
- Knowing secret truths (Gnosticism)
- Irresistible grace (Calvinism)
- Going to church
- Being an elder in the church
- Being on the worship team in church
- Being the pastor of a church
- Being born in a Christian family
- Being baptised
- Understanding the bible or (Western rationalism - dispensationalism)
- By having the correct doctrine
- Church rites church authority last rites
- By the laying on of hands
- By speaking in tongues
- Wanting to be rich and prosperous (prosperity doctrine)
- Wanting spiritual power (Simon the Sorcerer)
- Wanting to escape the tribulation (rapture theology)
- Being Gods chosen people (lost tribes of Israel theology)
- Creating a Godly form of government on this earth (post millenianism)
- Tithing
- Buying salvation
- Penance or purgatory
- Religious icons
- Pilgrimage
- Praying to Mary and or the saints
- Following other religions (universalism all religions lead to the same God)
- Making God in our own image (defining our own salvation)
Nor can we save others by:
- Being baptised on their behalf (Pauline doctrine)
- Paying money on their behalf
- Paying for prayers on their behalf
To become a Christian (a disciple of Jesus) we have to repent or turn from our sins and lead a life pleasing to God (faithful obedience to Gods commandments). If God accepts our repentance he will baptise us with the holy spirit and give us new life through his son Jesus. Every person is accountable to God for their own personal status, and ultimately their own salvation.
Good trees produce good fruit. The rest will be burnt in the fire. All those who are born again by God will be saved and will inherit eternal life. All those who rejected his son Jesus will be condemed to eternal judgement and will be burnt in the fire.
First Published Saturday, June 19, 2010
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