Homily on Romans 7:15-25a Delivered to St. Christopher's Church New Carrollton - July 5, 2026

 

Wretched man that I am! 
Who will save me from this body of death?

Father, what we know not, teach us; and what we have not, give us; and what we are not make us. For the sake of your Son, Jesus in whose Name we pray.  Amen.

A very devout woman who posted comedic skits on FB to convey a clear Bible doctrine, would in a sobering post declare that she was a saved and born again Christian, and since her baptism, she was no longer a sinner. Friends, she is not the only one who has been taught this untruth. Jesus’ blood cleanses us of our sin guilt – all of the sins we have committed -  so we’re no longer guilty before Holy God. At the very nanosecond following our cleansing, God’s Holy Spirit comes into us giving us new life in Christ; He regenerates us so that we are no longer spiritually dead before God, but rather raised to new life in Christ. *So we have all of this going for us, right? You got the blood that cleanses us. We have had our sin guilt removed. And the Holy Spirit God comes to live in us to begin the work of sanctification, which is a big word that means being transformed into the image of Christ, and the Father puts Christ’s righteousness into us so when He looks on us He sees Christ. So we got all this going for us. Why do we still sin? Why do we still mess up? Before we answer that question, let's identify God's definition of sin – anybody knows that? It's a very simple answer.  God's definition of sin is breaking the law: it's as simple as that.

Let’s look to the Bible for confirmation. In James 2:1-10 the Spirit speaks about loving one’s neighbor – a law, and the different ways that law could be broken. He says that if you claimed to keep the whole law, but chose to ignore one of them, you have broken all of the law. From a practical viewpoint: So if the community ordinances say to pick up after your dog when he relieves himself and you choose not to, you have broken the law, you have sinned. If God says do not lie, and you try to work around that by painting it white to make it a “little white lie” – “it’s just a little lie”-no one needs to know right? ha! God knows - you have broken His law, you have sinned. If the speed limit says 25 and you are doing 45 because you’re late, you have broken the law and potentially placed someone else in danger because of your poor choice; you have sinned.

So the question comes again. Why do we still sin? Because we choose to. But the overarching reason is that we still retain the falleness of humanity from Adam's act of sin. Paul, in his letter in Romans 7, transparently confesses that he is of the flesh – that is, the remaining fallen humanity is still in him – still in us. Never once does he say that the devil made him do it!…This is Paul, the super apostle, telling us he was still a sinner! Like him, we cannot free ourselves from our falleness. Although we have been converted, we have not been relieved of our fallen humanity. The converted side of our being wants to honor the Lord, to obey Him, express our devotion to Him, but sin dwells still in us. We are a new creation, a new life, have new longings and new aspirations, new impulses - that are incarcerated in redeemed humanity. Working toward all that is right, good, and holy is a challenge because it has to penetrate through our fallen humanity and our humanity must war against that. Paul is in anguish; he cries out for rescue from this body of death! 

What is the body of death Paul is referring to? Some suggest it is the fallen humanity; another view is based on a judgment practice in ancient times for one who has murdered another. The murderer is forced to have the dead body – the corpse of the person murdered -- strapped to his back to die a slow death because the decaying body would infest the healthy body and eat him to death. Paul saw the presence of his fallen humanity as a corpse strapped to him – that’s why he cries out – wretched man that I am! Who will free me from this body of death!!?? Paul concludes as we all should conclude: Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! Amen? So in God’s grace we must battle continuously with the sinful fallen humanity per Philippians 2:12-13 – working out with the Holy Spirit our salvation (this is not working for our salvation, this is once we are saved working in tandem with the Holy Spirit's guidance and counsel), removing the old self and putting on the new, following the Spirit’s lead in our transformation - walking that path that He has designed for us.

So, we come back to the whole “am I still a sinner after being saved” question. 1 John 1 clearly answers that question. After affirming God’s salvation plan in Christ, John speaks to the churchgoers at verses 5 to 10 where he clarifies that we still sin after we are saved. He says if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us; we make Christ a liar and God’s word is not in us. But - in good news there is always a "But God": If we confess our sins, He who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and His blood continues to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Does our sinful nature – our fallen humanity that we still carry in us and the battle we daily wage against our flesh, our fallen humanity -- does it make us weary and tired (it certainly makes me tired!), does it make us feel heavy laden? What does Jesus tell us in our Gospel lesson today? Yes, Come to Me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I willgive your rest. That rest is a place in our relationship with Jesus where we can experience His peace and His joy, His rest - even in the battle.

All of us can point to an act of sin or law breaking that we have done since our salvation – we all have whether we accept it or not. Jeremiah 17 says "The heart is devious above all else; it is perverse, so who can understand it?" (often in the Bible the reference to "heart" is not speaking about our physical hearts but, rather, the center of our desires and wills). We must repent and seek God’s forgiveness. One of the more devastating things we do in our fallen humanity is hold onto anger with a death-grip, which becomes bitterness over time to the point where it poisons our relationships with each other, and alienates us from God. It becomes an idol. We choose not to forgive others, Jesus says, then God will not forgive us. We can try to cite our reasons for being bitter – because so and so did this or that, and God just looks at us and asks us do you want me to put the shoe on the other foot? Do you want Me to remember all of your sins and choose not to forgive you?  

In His love and omniscience, God will choose the proper discipline for each of us; discipline - in this instance - being a disciple or one who is learning to live a certain way, a way that focuses on Jesus. God may allow us to feel the consequences of our wrongdoing, giving us a reckoning that we are not progressing in our thinking and doing - showing indications of a maturing faith. He trains us to confess and repent, teaches us the proper fear of the Lord so that we can be forgiven. Isn’t that good news? We are sinners who repent and God forgives us without any condemnation! That we will sin isn’t good news but God’s provision for addressing that is! One of God’s promises is to discipline us in the way He has designed for us; we mess up, commit a sin because our fallen wills and desires that stem from the mind and heart cause us to trip up. Friends:  God loves us too much to let us live in a lie. Hebrews 12:6 tells us He will discipline us; again, discipline doesn't mean beating us over the head with a 2 by 4, even though I make a joke about that sometimes. It is a training in righteousness and godliness. The Spirit uses the instrument of grace – God’s word – to train us. Disciplining may also mean that He sometimes will allow things to happen as a result of our choices influenced by our fallen hearts or wills. He will allow us to feel the consequences of that error so that we may realize we must continue to obey Him even when we don’t want to. Yes, you heard me right – even when we don’t want to. That’s called faith and trust that God’s way is the only way through this battle. And this is true for any Christian who’s born of God. And so when we choose to do it our way instead of God's way, we will suffer the consequences, but God does not condemn us because we who are saved are continually cleansed by the blood of Christ, and restored to the path of righteousness.

So I am going to cite some scriptures that urge us to seek God’s mercy, advises us how to protect ourselves from the world, the flesh, the devil – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride in riches. Part of the godliness training is our accepting & wearing our spiritual armor that God has provided us for defensive and offensive purposes. In Ephesians 6:10-18 the Spirit directs us in putting the armor on; we are fighting spiritual battles so spiritual armor is a necessity. Every day God wakes us up we must put on that armor. Every vulnerable part of our faith walk is to be protected, lest we get lured back into sin. The parts of this spiritual armor are: the breastplate of righteousness, shield of faith, truth girded about our loins, feet ready to share the good news, helmet of salvation, sword of the Spirit, and praying in the Spirit – the last two items being critical to the effectiveness of the rest of the armor.  We cannot do this apart from the Holy Spirit and God’s Word. If you think that you can be transformed and protected in your walk without God’s Word and His Holy Spirit, then you have been deceived in a mortal way. Because we cannot. Peter tells us,in his first letter 5:8-9, that the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking to devour someone. Who is he looking to devour? Not the people he already has in his control. He's looking to devour us. Those who have been chosen by God. Because he does not want to see us have that victory that Zechariah talks about in our first lesson where we are rejoicing in God. The devil does not want us to rejoice in God: he wants us to hate God as much as he does. As we commit to the effort of the Spirit’s work in us, we will see ourselves beginning to mature to the extent that our sin acts begin to dwindle. 

In addition to armor, we have an advocate in this struggle: 1 John 2 identifies our intercessor as none other than our high Priest Jesus Christ, who continually intercedes for us. Also see Romans 8:34. As we wrap up I want to refer you to a small handful of scriptures about what else God provides for us in our battle: His amazing love and mercy.  While we don’t have the time today to read them through I'll give you the cite and you can check your Bible or BibleGateway and search forgiveness of sins – long list of scriptures!     The scriptures I will share are just a glimpse of what God is doing. This instrument of grace that He gives us is powerful. But do not abuse God’s grace by sinning on purpose. You open yourself up to the devil. Jot these down: Psalm 32:1,3,5,11. Psalm 103:11-14; Isaiah 44:21-22. They all confirm to us God’s mercy and love in the act of forgiveness of our sins, blotting out our mess-ups, intentional or unintentional. Remember, though, not to take God’s grace in vain like Israel did; the Old Testament is filled with accounts of their sin which led to their utter destruction. An even closer to home example: last summer we began praying as a church for the church without a script seeking God’s face, direction, grace and mercy and His provisions. Each week I looked forward to the prayer group growing; however, each week the prayer group lost a member, until after a month of that we were down to 3, sometimes 4 people. And then, it ceased altogether. Shortly thereafter, a brick gets thrown at the upstairs kitchen window, and through the window in our sanctuary. Not too long after that, a brick is hurled at the front door and then thrown through a sanctuary window. Then the man goes around to the chapel window, kicks it in, and once inside he trashes the chapel. A coincidence – I think not. God’s ways and discipline are sometimes to allow the negative in order to produce the positive in us. Do not abuse God’s grace, but rather rejoice that He has loved you and I before we were a little twinkle in our daddy's eye - from before the beginning of time, that He has given us everything we need to fulfill our calling. That He extends us mercy and grace – things we do not deserve in the least bit. Friends - Is God good to us? Can we praise Him again for all He has done and is doing for us individually and what He desires to do for St. Christopher’s to keep our hearts open and our church doors open. Let’s end with the 1^st verse and Refrain we sang at the beginning of the service and Rejoice– Amen? Waving our scarves lifting our hands: let’s give Him praise and honor - maestro.  

ENDING – Brothers and Sisters – In all our battles, may we cling to the Rock who is Christ as we move thru battle against the world, the flesh, the devil, the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of riches, so that when we are finished with this life and this body of death, our reward will be total bliss, no more tears, only complete joy to the glory of God. Amen?

Born Again - Response to the Word (at St Christopher's Episcopal Church, Sunday, March 1, 2026)

 

(I ask for your grace in this delivery - it is a critical message that will exceed the recommended 15 minute time frame. The topic of being born again is essential to understanding your salvation. So here we go...)

Born Again – The Fundamental Doctrine in Salvation (John 3)

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God… Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”  

How many of us--who are not in the medical profession--have seen a child being birthed? It’s a moment of awe isn’t it? We know all about the process, but to see it happen, oh how miraculous! How emotional! Jesus uses that circumstance of a woman in labor allegorically in John 16 as he describes God’s work of salvation; remember, in the first century there was no such thing as epidurals – women gave birth in pain in vertical positions to allow gravity to assist in the birth. That is still a practice in some parts of the world.  Her pregnancy – while beautiful – is often uncomfortable when sitting or sleeping, limits a mother’s mobility and balance sometimes. Her body changes not just in shape but also in function. Every part of her body is impacted. So -- all throughout the pregnancy – from conception to full term, who physically has been doing the work of nourishing and caring for the child in the womb?

         Right – the mother! It is an act of love and sacrifice. And when her time has come to give birth, it is called labor for a reason! It is painful Mothers – AMEN? The mother groans, pushes, groans and moans, pushes, steadily and repeatedly, and the energy and effort become a difficult struggle, the pain heightens; both pregnancy and the immense strain and stress of childbirth happens and yet she cannot stop the process. She doesn’t stop. When the child finally enters the world, mom is so excited to see the precious babe that the struggle was worth it. She no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy of having brought a human being into the world. So how much effort did the baby have to put forward? Did he or she consciously say I want to get out of here – let me hurry up the process? Or just the opposite, I don’t want to leave this home, so I’m going to stay! No, the child does not control the birth process, does not aid in nor direct the process. The woman does all of the suffering, all of the anguish, all of the groaning and moaning and pushing, in order to birth her child. And then, when the child is birthed, it screams and is discombobulated, confused  because he or she is no longer in the comfortable home that was well furnished for them. All of the bright lights, the sounds, the different hands are so foreign to him or her and makes the crying sometimes more intense! But after a while, when hearing the mother’s voice and heartbeat the child begins the process of acclimating to its new life.
Similarly, Jesus, our Lord and Savior, also groaned, moaned,   list it   so that following His struggle, we too could be birthed.

Garden of Gethsemane the cup.  Jesus' sacrifice was greater than we can imagine. His horrific torture, then nailing Him to a cross was only part of the sacrifice. On that cross hung not just a person, but a bearer of EVERY SIN EVER DONE BY EVERY HUMAN AND WOULD BE DONE UNTIL THE SECOND COMING. The weight of all of those sins made Jesus grotesque to the Father. So much so that it shadowed --in Jesus' human experience--the presence of the Father. In Habakkuk 1:1-4, 13 the Spirit says that God cannot approve sin, He doesn't look upon it with approval. Perversion of justice, violence, etc. -  God is Holy, God is Righteous. The uncountable sins Jesus bore placed Him at odds with the Father; Jesus would cry out at His darkest hour, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" (My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?) No one else could effect the redemption required for our salvation. (Hebrews 9:11-15,18-22) In our Triune God’s divine plan of salvation, He alone does all of the work, He choreographs the timing and the circumstance. He determines the means of grace for our salvation: sola scriptura--Scripture alone (the Word of God with which we are sanctified and trained for eternal life); sola fide - justification, i.e., being declared righteous by God: that it is by Faith Alone that we are saved, and that is not of our own; and, sola gratia - by Grace Alone does God save us, not based on works or actions on our part.  We are incapable of adding anything to salvation. Jesus says that you are not a Christian unless you are born again, even if you choose to call yourself Christian. HARD SAYING. Not everyone who says Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, Jesus clearly says to all who profess to be a follower of Christ.

In our text, we are introduced to Nicodemus: he was an important guy. A Pharisee, and member of the authoritative Jewish body called The Sanhedrin. He doesn’t approach Jesus in the street in daylight hours, but makes his way in the dark of night to speak to Him. He gives Jesus accolades as he lets Jesus know that, "well, I am an important guy who holds you in respect and…” Jesus stops the flow of flattery; see, Jesus knew that Nicodemus wanted to know if Jesus was going to restore the kingdom at that time. He tells Nicodemus straight out: “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above” And Jesus continues: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus, who spent years ingesting the Mosaic law and the ‘add ons’ the Pharisees thought fit, was clueless. Jesus softens the delivery with an illustrative explanation - “Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’  The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” In other words, you cannot see the actual birth or regeneration, but you see the effects. 

So what does it mean to be born again? Let me tell you what it is not: it’s not being 'refreshed' as a Christian or 'revived' after a long absence from worship. Being born again is not an 'altar call'. It’s not the words/rituals by a religious leader. No. How many persons present know that they have been born again? How do you know? When I was 14, I was encouraged to get baptized – full immersion baptism. I had followed the rules of the denomination and they thought I was ready for this. But, it wasn’t until 45 years later, 45 long years – in God’s timing – that I was born again. Baptism did not effect my regeneration; no words spoken over me effected my regeneration. It was the work of God alone through His Holy Spirit that 'resurrected' me from spiritual death. It only happens once. How many times can you be born physically? 
     Following the saying that the Gospels proclaim Jesus, and the epistles explain Jesus, Paul by H.S. offers clarity in this act of regeneration or being born again.

[Read Ephesians 2 one through 10 to everyone and make comments as I do so.] If you have your Bible, turn with me so that you can make notes.  Reads vss 1-3. We were physically born spiritually dead in our trespasses and sin – King David recognized in Psalm 51 that he was a sinner in his mother’s womb – a baby, yet he like everyone before and after him born into this world he was born with the deadly sin passed on by Adam. We all were born spiritually dead,  separated from God - which was the initial consequence of Adam's and Eve's sin - spiritual death. We were born from our mother's womb spiritually dead; it wasn't discovered on any hospital equipment in the delivery room - it is a condition shared by every person born since the fall of Adam and Eve, whether we wish to acknowledge it or not – see God already has!  We had no interest in God in our spiritually dead estate, no interest in His word, no desire to know God, but rather live for ourselves – to satisfy our immoral desires. We were under the influence of the sinful world culture and power of the devil. God says that because of that we were to Him children of wrath! A few weeks ago we read in Corinthians that there were persons in that church who were spiritual, having been born again into Christ, and also those who had not been so, who were referred to as unspiritual. Yet here’s the best part of passage--verse 4. But. God. Turn to your neighbor and say But God.” Whenever you see text that says But God, you can expect God to be doing, saying or initiating something beyond our power. READ 4 ….And then we come to the clincher, verse 8. Some of you may know this verse by heart so feel free to speak it out loud. God The Holy Spirit tells us: …read 8;The Holy Spirit comes into us to make us alive spiritually and to give us the faith to accept Jesus as our Lord. We can't raise ourselves from the dead. Jesus did not say to Lazarus – could you at least open the door so that we can call you out of the tomb…Lazarus, first take off the cloths you’re wrapped in and when you’re ready say Amen.  No, no. Lazarus had no part in his resurrection. Was only when Christ brought him back to life, Lazarus was able to obey Jesus’ call to come out.  EXPLAIN SPIRITUALLY DEAD CANNOT HAVE FAITH.

We do not have the power. God does not send us a calendar appointment that says on March 3 be ready to be born again. You can’t get ready, YOU ARE SPIRITUALLY D-E-D – you don’t know when it will happen. And this is a very critical point because there are denominations that do not teach this important Bible doctrine, rooted in scripture, that comes directly from Jesus and the Holy Spirit. And it's really important to understand that by grace you have been saved through faith that wasn't your own doing, because you did not have faith= you were dead. God had to put His Holy Spirit in us to make us alive to Him. ADAM AND EVE WHAT GOD SAID TO THEM. If you eat of this fruit….. and from the instant that they rebelled against God they became spiritually dead. They realized it, felt ashamed and hid from God. From that point in time until Jesus comes again, all people born are physically born spiritually dead. (Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit - He was the only fully human, fully God individual who was born spiritually alive!!) If we were not born again we’d still be children of Wrath deserving eternal death.  There was nothing we could do or say that would take us from spiritual death to spiritual life. Verse 10 says that in His act of regeneration, He has given us purpose - we’re created in Jesus for good works – that is, we have received special gifts—spiritual gifts and talents, so that we can be Jesus in this world, to tell out the gospel to others, to make disciples. Isn't it really important to understand Bible doctrine if we are going to make disciples of people? Amen?

And then we come to the next hard saying of Jesus to Nicodemus and to us all: Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” For years, even centuries, theologians have shared varying interpretations of what the water could be.  3 prominent ones: Some say that it represents the water of baptism. BCP, Pastor Prince, me and others I’m sure, says that (1) baptism is an outward sign of the inward grace of God - it is a symbol of the internal work of regeneration and a public declaration that the person has received Christ as Lord.

(2) the amniotic fluid of the physical birth of a human. Premise—we’re born humans and based on that, we can be born again. (that may not hold since mammals with four legs also have wombs with babies in amniotic fluid)
(3) the water of God's Word. Next week our Gospel read is from John chapter 4, where we see Jesus seeking out Samaritan woman.Meets up with her at Jacob’s well, and He says – Give me a drink. She’s astounded -- you're a Jew, you're not supposed to be talking to me. And Jesus said, If you knew who was asking you, He would give you living water, and you will never thirst again. Jesus associates Himself with Living Water. Also in Eph 5, Paul is led by Spirit to write to the church about the spiritual life of the family. He describes the children, the wife, and then he talks about the husband. Husbands are to love their wives just as Christ loves His bride, the Church, that He laid down His life for her & who He sanctifies by cleansing her with the water of the word. Husband is to imitate that in his own family. Cleansed by the water of the word. Jesus, of course, is the word, and His words are backed with Holy Spirit and Divine power . Rom. 1:16 gospel of Christ power of salvation. He is the Way The Truth and the Life. Thus differing interpretations;

But the important take away here, brothers and sisters, is that regeneration is not an act of our own. It is impossible for us to achieve. These are hard sayings, one of the reasons being that different denominations have differing views on salvation, yet the clear truth can be found in scripture and if that truth is not taught then as someone told me recently, I’ve got so many other options to choose from to guess what it means!

After the instantaneous miracle of regeneration we enter into a new life in Christ, in union with Christ. Psalm 23, Matthew 7:14—paths of righteousness, narrow road. God provides what we need to live this new life. Like the baby who gets acclimated to his/her new life outside the womb and grows, gaining knowledge and skills, the Holy Spirit guides us, trains us in godliness, and nurtures us with scriptures in our spiritual growth. 

The born again experience is different for everyone: There may initially be joy. May be frustration at times - metaphorically it's like living in a certain house and certain neighborhood for years and suddenly finding yourself in a different kind of house and different kind of neigborhood. As time goes by, something inside you begins changing. You start wanting to know God. You start desiring to be in His word. You start the struggle of sanctification, about which Jesus prayed for us on his last night in his human journey that we would be sanctified by the truth. When we are born again, we become joined with Christ, that is, in union with Him.

As noted previously, it was 45 years between my baptism and my being born again. God never left me nor forsook me, even tho I was not the sterling character calendar girl for the cover of Spiritual Living Magazine. Because I wasn’t – I was still spiritually dead. yet He never left me nor forsook me, even when I was living in my trespasses and sins. And I am so grateful. It took me almost a year afterwards to begin to get grounded in the word and it was sometimes a confusing time because I had to shake off the false teaching that had been drilled into me.  And it may be true of others –a period of adjustment under the guidance of the Holy Spirit as we begin to engage in spiritual disciplines – God’s means of grace that He uses as instruments in our new life in Christ:  Bible study, (the Holy Spirit will help you understand those things that didn’t make sense before you were regenerated), the prayer relationship with the Father, and the Holy Spirit himself indwelling us. How many of us know this: that we serve a Triune God, and according to Jesus’ words in John 14, that the Father Son H.S. will come to us and live inside of us who are born again. And we will bear fruit worthy of the gift of new life in Christ.

       Friends, this is our Blessed Assurance. We are heirs of salvation because we have been made alive, regenerated, born again by the Holy Spirit, who even at this very moment is working a work in us!

 

Thank you for your gracious patience. This was not an easy topic that one skimps through, but it is a vital one. So thank you. Let us pray.

"Sirs, What Must I Do To Be Saved?"

 [This talk was delivered by me June 1, 2025 at St. Christopher's New Carrollton; based on Acts 16:22-34, John 17:20-26; Revelation 22]

The jailer falls down before Paul and Silas and asks:
“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

Some Christian groups maintain that baptism is required before a person can be saved; some say that only those baptized in their denomination or in a certain way will be saved. Some say that you have to be well-schooled in a catechism prescribed by their denomination before you can be considered a candidate for salvation. And some denominations teach that once you are saved, you can be lost.

But how did Paul respond? Any body?

"Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." Let everyone say it together!

He did not say: Well, first, you have to sign up with our church and commit to tithe or otherwise your membership will be declined. Then you must complete 20 hours of doctrinal learning and pass the test at the end. If you cannot pass the test, you may need to repeat part or all of the class. And then, perhaps, we can talk about baptizing you so that you can be saved.|| Nor did Paul say – oh, well, you weren’t born into the –name the particular Christian denomination – I mean, you worshiped idols! We’re going to have to take this under advisement to figure out if you are even a candidate for salvation. And neither did Paul say – oh, your lifestyle does not sync up with Christian values; you have to change your lifestyle before we can even continue the discussion about how to be saved.

No - none of that was said nor implied. Why? Because the Holy Spirit had already positioned the jailer for salvation. You see, it was not a coincidence that Paul and Silas wound up in this particular jailer’s prison. Let’s see what God’s Word says about this. If you have your Bible or a Bible app on your phone, go to Ephesians 2. We are going to look at verses 1-10. Ask for a reader. Now as we read this passage let’s allow the Holy Spirit to teach us.

“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Grace and faith. Paul writes that twice in case we didn’t get it the first time. The Grace gives us the ability to believe, the faith gives us the ability to act. We humans can presume and tell ourselves that “someday I’ll get around to ‘formalizing’ or settling into my salvation – right now I need to focus on my career/my university education/sowing my oats before I can take that next step” – as if salvation is something to be attained on a checklist of things to-do.

Believing here means committing our life to Christ. We are willing to sacrifice our perceived ‘lordship’ to make Christ our Lord and Sovereign. So the question that is begged to be asked is “what are we being saved from?” What do we think we are being saved from? Let’s look again at verses 1-3. Ask for a reader.

The same Holy Spirit moved Paul to write in Romans 6:20-23, that we are all born spiritually dead because of Adam’s sin DNA we carry. We are born slaves to sin. But by grace through the faith we receive, we are saved by the blood of Christ, and given new life (called regeneration or being born again as Jesus spoke about in John 3) – you see God is the author of our faith and of our salvation, so that no one can boast about how she or he won God over. Say Amen if you believe because what God has done in you?

In our Gospel lesson in John 17, Jesus tells us that in addition to His praying for us – yes He sits at the Father’s right hand and intercedes for us (Rom 8:34) who have been chosen and saved by the Father, Jesus put His Spirit in us – not for ornamental value or to lord over someone, but rather to humble us so that we may be one and love one another as He loves us. In the preceding verses of John 17, Jesus indicates what He is praying to the Father for us: protection in Jesus’ name and protection from the evil one; to have Jesus’ joy in us; and that the Holy Spirit would sanctify us by the truth of God’s word and the transformative work the Spirit would do in us, and that we may be with Him and see His glory.

I’d like to share a story with you that I came across. There was a man who had been convicted rightly of murder, and subsequently found guilty and sentenced to death. He was put on death row in prison. He admitted his guilt and knew that the state’s response was life for life. As his appointment to his execution grew nearer, something began stirring within him. Most of his life was a fight against the goads, and he had hurt or harmed others just as others had done to him. But one day, a noise-cancelling quiet came over his cell. When you are on death row, quietness is a luxury that you did not have, yet at that point in time, all the surrounding noise was silenced. He hears a voice that asks him why is he here? The voice not so much audibly as internally speaks his name and asks again, why are you here, and tells him that he had fought against Him much of his life. The voice begins to sound like thunder, and the cell vibrates; no one else heard it or felt it but the man. For the first time in his life the man experienced a fear that he could not fight against. It must be a dream he reasoned. Then a strange bright light engulfs the cell and the Voice says: I Am Jesus whom you have been fighting against. Now, in this place, I have chosen you to serve me and teach my word to those fellow prisoners here who are lost and to whom I will direct you, so that they may experience the release from the real prison – the prison of sin and death. I declare you righteous and have freed you and I am sending you to others in this place so that the Holy Spirit will be in you and will guide you to bring back to me those men who have been in a life-long prison like you. In this place I will use you to plant my church. Very soon you will hear footsteps that are coming to your cell to tell you that your execution has been permanently stayed and that you will be relocated to another area where I will show you all you will need to accomplish the work I have for you. Long story short, the light fades and the man hear the footsteps. Still in awe and a fear inexplicable, he watches the warden open the cell door, and tells him the news about the execution pardon. What had once been a pathway to hell, was now a mission field for God. The man asks for a good study Bible and is mentored by another prisoner who also became born again in the prison, and together they establish a prison ministry that was both challenging and rewarding.

Like Paul and the man in the story, we have all been at war with God at some time in our lives. Some of us are still kicking against the goads. These last 7 weeks have been a repeated opportunity from God, a repeated summons from the Holy Spirit God and the Bride of Christ – His Church – to Come. To come into real relationship with Jesus, to be one in Him and in the Father, and desire, thirst for Him. To Come, and drink in the water of Jesus’ truth for sanctification as His saints or people separated unto Him to be remade in His image. To be blessed with the healing tree of life that Adam and Eve forfeited. To respond to the voice who has been asking you, why are you here, still stuck in your unrighteousness? Jesus says He is coming soon, and His reward is with Him to repay according to everyone’s work. Jesus – whose very name means salvation – and in whose Name by God’s will we too will know the awe and inexplicable joy of His salvation.

In the mustard seed of faith given us by God we ask: Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And Jesus tells us, COME BELIEVE ON ME, YOUR LORD JESUS. LET ANYONE WHO IS THIRSTY COME. LET ANYONE WHO SEEKS ME COME AND TAKE THE LIVING WATER FREE–it is already paid for! AMEN! HALLELUJAH!

 We’ve come this far by faith…

The Unpardonable Sin - What is It and Why?

This post was added in April 2024 during our Bible study on Luke's Gospel.

Luke 11:14-23 and its synoptic (parallel) account in Mark 4:20-30, also parallels Jesus' words recorded by Luke in chapter 12, verses 8 to 12. The repeated statements speak of sin against the Holy Spirit. These parallel accounts also illumine the mystery of the nature of the Triune God. Luke 12 and Mark 4 specifically note that sin and blasphemy against the Father and Son will be forgiven, but one who sins and blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. Frankly, this is one of the hardest statements in scripture. What is also illumined here is the holiness of God  - the depth of which we cannot grasp, and His choice to show mercy to whom He wishes to show mercy. Mercy is not a required response from God; do not be misled: God owes no one mercy! (another hard statement) He says so Himself:  "I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy to whom I will show mercy." (Exodus 33:19; Romans 9:13-18)  I have attempted within my understanding of the Scriptures to offer what is meant by the deadly penalty of blaspheming the Holy Spirit; see the attached below. 

Unpardonable Sin – Jesus’ Message on Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit

The matter raised in Luke’s Gospel and Mark’s Gospel concerning sin and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit illumines for us even more the great mystery of the Triune Godhead – a mystery that cannot in human terms be fully explained nor comprehended.

Before we look at that dynamic, let us get a definition of blasphemy: Merriam-Webster says that “blasphemy, in a religious sense, refers to great disrespect shown to God or to something holy, or to something said or done that shows this kind of disrespect; heresy refers a belief or opinion that does not agree with the official belief or opinion of a particular religion.” Vocabulary.com puts it this way: “If you're saying something bad about a god, or taking the Lord's name in vain [the opposite of the Lord’s prayer where we say “Hallowed be your name”] or, questioning a religious institution in any way, you could be accused of blasphemy — insulting something sacred.” Blasphemy also includes a total and continued disregard or rejection of something holy or sacred. Since the Godhead is 3 in 1, i.e., all are co-equal, co-eternal, co-existent, omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient, how can only one of the Godhead be insulted to the extent of unforgiveness?

I’ll be honest – I do not know. I cannot on my own provide any verifiable light through any speculation - I can only go by what I am finding in scripture, and in researching Biblical references and works that exposit on this matter to get as close as possible (still lightyears away I’m sure) to a way to understand this. The following is a very limited explanation; one day, as the Bible says, we will be able to see and understand more fully some of the spiritual mysteries that challenge us now. Yet, I suspect that even then there will not be full disclosure as God is beyond the comprehension of any creature!

We agree on humans’ inability to fully explain and comprehend the Trinity; we can only offer very weak examples to try to illustrate the complex revelation of the Godhead. Personally, I only have very weak and very limited examples, which most assuredly pale in comparison to our Triune God. I share what I’ve found thus far.

(1)Let’s say that a trade association has 3 senior vice presidents who are all co-equal in executive authority, who co-exist within the association structure with responsibilities equal in importance to ensure a well-run organization. But they each possess a specific role unique to them within the context of the organization’s mission. One of the SVPs has the oversight, authority and leadership role of being an intermediary between the company’s paying member companies so as to develop a coalescense with their companies’ goals, and to develop in thought and action the face and voice of the industry. Another SVP has the oversight, authority, and leadership of the company’s Human Resources division to ensure that the company is well- and dynamically staffed, that all employees carry out their duties, follow company guidelines and that the company is in compliance with DOL regulations, and work as a team to promote the industry’s goals. The other SVP has oversight, authority, and leadership of the company’s financial assets and standing, ensuring that budgets are properly met, that financial assets and liabilities are correctly accounted for under existing national accounting standards, that the company is financially solvent and profitable, with an excellent credit standing that ensures the association’s goals will be undergirded by the financial wealth required for continuation of the industry’s goals. Each executes their unique but equal-in-authority roles as a leadership team to ensure that the mission of the organization is fully realized.

(2)Another example I came across: a Christian man whose three main roles and identities are the “priest” or faith leader of his family, a husband, and a father. The man physically does not change with each identity or role; those roles are unified within him.

Again, the foregoing are very weak examples! Like negative 1 minus 1! And are more symbolic or metaphorical than solid, literal explanation!

As noted, the Triune Godhead – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, are co-equal, co-existent, and co-eternal. They operate as One in three personhoods. God the Father begot God the Son and the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are consubstantial, each person of the Godhead being the One Eternal God and in no way separated. All alike are uncreated and omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are understood by and revealed to us primarily within the context of salvation and worship, as explained in Scripture. As the Godhead they are in agreement in all things; again, our best understanding of our Triune God of Love is within the context of God’s salvation plan. God the Father “orchestrates and creates the plan”, God the Son implements the plan, and God the Holy Spirit administers the plan. Who was it that “administered” the first advent of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ? Who was in Him everyday during His humanity? Jesus further and succinctly describes the Holy Spirit’s role in the salvation plan in John 14-17 (see, for example, 14:16,26; 15:7-15,26-27; and 17:11-12,17-19). The Holy Spirit likewise God-breathed the words of the Father and Son to the epistle writers, who explain the salvation plan in depth. The Holy Spirit’s work includes convicting the world, that is, declaring the world to be wicked and sinful, deserving of God’s wrath, unable through any human effort to reconcile a relationship with a Holy God. He declares the need of a Savior-Redeemer. He indwells those believers who have been redeemed and saved through the implementation of the Son who shed His blood to cleanse them of the sin guilt and penalty. Ephesians, as in other letters, speaks to the salvation orchestration and implementation, and Romans, as well as the other epistles, speaks to the work of the Holy Spirit in believers. The Holy Spirit speaks and administers the Word of God in the lives of believers, God-breathing The Truth into each one continually as they feed on His Word, thus sanctifying each through transforming and regenerating the sin-laden hearts and souls of believers into the new life as children of God and heirs. (I have only pointed to two passages; you will find the salvation message and planall throughout the epistles.)

So here is what I think to be the crux of the matter as to the sin and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit: Rejecting the sacred work of the Holy Spirit, continuing in unbelief and defiant irreverence, resisting His work and refuting His conviction, denying His sentience and speaking of Him as being a created force of God – thus denying His personhood, discredits and blasphemes Him. Such persons who reject the directions, signs, warnings, the opportunities that He repeatedly makes available to enable persons to do that “U-turn” back to God the Father and God the Son, who are rejecting His calling for whatever reason, continue condemned and on the “broad road” that leads to the just punishment of eternal separation from God (Ephesians 2; Romans 5:1-9). “Continue condemned” because as Ephesians and Romans tells us plainly, all of the offspring of Adam were born dead spiritually, with the prognosis of permanent death – eternal darkness and separation from God, unless by God’s grace they believe and trust in Christ and thus escape the wrath of God, who imputes Christ’s righteousness into them, placing His Spirit within them.

There are some clerics who teach against the Holy Spirit, who claim that the whole world is going to be saved according to their narrow interpretation and twisting of scripture (see varying examples here and here). They also teach against the Holy Spirit through false doctrine, refuting or substituting the truth (see 2 Peter 3:15-17). There are those who say that since Jesus ascended into heaven and no longer is physically present to perform miracles, that it is not possible to blaspheme the Holy Spirit. Yet this Holy Person of the Godhead has already declared that such continued sin against Him equates to blasphemy, an unpardonable sin. 

 

…this is how I am understanding this matter at this time (April 2024) based on what I am gleaning from Scripture and hearing. I still have ????? and will continue to have them. But what I will not question is what the Holy Spirit has already stated clearly, speaking and testifying by and with the words of the Father and Son as He is charged to do.

Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health, Questions 8 & 10

“Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health,” Donald S. Whitney. 2001. NavPress*
Questions 8 & 10:  Do You Still Grieve Over Sin? & Do You Yearn for Heaven and to Be with Jesus? (excerpts and highlights from Chapters 8 & 10, with references to “Respectable Sins – Confronting the Sins We Tolerate,” Jerry Bridges, NavPress. 2007.) 

In this paper I have reflected on both Questions 8 and 10, as they complement each other. 

Do You Still Grieve Over Sin?

God Hates Sin. Put that on a street sign, and I guarantee you that each reader will come up with their own definition of sin. We readily do so because we have a warped view of sin; we often compare our righteousness as favorable over another’s. We find it hard to see ourselves as sinners. We are good people who do good things. We characterize sinners as persons who commit wicked and evil acts against people – especially children. We take offense at being called a sinner; a person, when a Bible teacher quoted to the group Psalm 51:5, “we are all born in sin” -- she defensively responded, “I wasn’t! my mother and father were married!” The apostle Paul, the one hand-picked by Christ to be sent to the Gentiles with the good news and to whom was given much power and grace, who was also given a glimpse of heaven, even he admits to his own sin estate, which makes his Spirit-led writings on sin more compelling.

What does God call sin? Lawbreaking. Any just law, but especially God's law. When Adam and Eve broke the law in the Garden of Eden, going against God’s command not to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, acting on pride and desire to be equal to God, sin was imprinted on and inside humankind. We all inherited Adam’s “sin DNA” so that every human born carries that “DNA”. We all are sinners, born to die, since Adam’s sin carried a death penalty. Therefore, everyone born, regardless of their character and conduct, are reckoned by God as sinners even in the womb. 

God grieves over sin. He hates it. He sees the damage and destruction it causes in those who were created in His image. It separates us from Him. Inherited sin causes spiritual darkness and results in spiritual death. Sin mars God’s image in us; the character of God, the mind of Christ – all parts of that image were once in Adam and Eve. Their descendants’ God-image reflects something like a mirror into our souls that has been smeared over with a liquid haze in which a very faint and distorted reflection of God is seen. Sadly, there are some mirrors into souls that have shadowed and dark imperceptible reflections – more akin to the impact of the prince of darkness on such souls. 

We often think of the impact of the sin DNA as affecting our conduct and behaviors. However, the impact of man’s sin on humankind has been devastating to the human body. Over the thousands of years, the human body has broken down from total perfection to a flesh and blood frame in which diseases and conditions of many kinds inhabit - some curable and many uncurable. This is a universal consequence of the inherited sin condition from Adam. Sin’s effects have caused every generation since Adam and Eve to suffer with divers degenerations: e.g., the number of births of children with deformed body parts, missing chromosomes or other gene-related issues, born intersex, blind, deaf, unable to speak, with predispositions to cancers, juvenile diabetes, and the list goes on. These traits of inherited sin continue to increase despite medical and scientific breakthroughs. 

In addition to its impact on humankind physically, mentally, and spiritually, all of creation has suffered from the influence of humankind’s fall due to intentional sin - going against the law of God. When Adam was placed in the Garden, to be joined by Eve, they were given dominion over creation as God’s appointed stewards; they were co-regents of the earthly kingdom; they were the 'earthly management' placed by God to steward His earthly creation - everything with life on the earth, even the earth itself. Both humans and animals – “everything that has the breath of life” – were created to be plant and vegetation eaters. That was God’s original plan for a world of peaceful coexistence between man and beast. But when sin came, this peace was damaged, and within time humans and animals became carnivores.

 Dr. Whitney shares an experience where he once “heard seminary professor John Hannah say, ‘The closer one comes to Christ, in one sense the more miserable he becomes.’ Those who have a Holy Spirit implanted love for holy truth, holy things, and [for] the Holy One, can’t help but feel miserable when they are reminded of that which is unholy within them.” The closer we grow to Christ through the work of the Spirit in us, the more sensitive we become, seeing the “red flags” of potential sin more quickly.

 How should we grieve our sin? A young child – maybe 2 or 3 years old –has learned what to say to their parent to avoid chastisement. “Jimmy, did you hit your sister?” Jimmy weighs the question, then spurts, “She hit me first!” Mother: “Jimmy and Jenny, say I’m sorry.” Jenny, still playing with her doll, says a quick “I’m sorry.” Jimmy mimics her apology “I’m sorry.” And ten minutes later they are back at it! Well, older youth and adults do the same thing. To avoid whatever embarrassment or punishment that could result, we are quick to blame someone else, and/or offer our apologies which are so hollow the words come out like words shaped with outlines only. Like Adam and Eve did when God called them out of hiding. The Genesis account does not record an apology from either. We grieve because we get caught, we grieve at the consequences of being found out. But are we truly sorry? Do we see our error as a sin against God? Dr. Whitney notes that the Bible passage at 2 Corinthians 7:8-11 juxtaposes godly grief or sorrow with worldly grief focused on the punishment. True godly grief or sorrow is more than admitting our transgressions. Considering against whom we have committed the sin, should a child of God feel more than a perfunctory “I’m sorry” that is momentary to get him/herself off the hook? Does our “sorry” lead to sorrow? 

Jesus, in His Sermon on the Mount, delivered a set of beatitudes to the listening crowd. One of them is: “Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.”  We more often than not feel this beatitude at a time of loss, during a funeral service, or when mourning over the death of a loved one. The Lord My Shepherd who comforts Jesus' listeners knew, but Jesus wanted His hearers to understand the deeper meaning of the mourning He spoke about. He wanted them to know that the legal standards of the Mosaic Law were more than just laws; they were a bridge to relationship with God, an opportunity to reflect His character and holiness and grow in intimacy with Him. The people felt righteous because they obeyed the laws, and saw that as a bridge to blessings from God. The righteous teachers took pride in exacting strict adherence to law. Jesus notes in His Sermon, however, that it is a merciful heart that yearns for God – that is what God desires. Jesus, on the mount, would further clarify the foundation of the Law, that even in our so-called righteousness from obeying the law, we are still sinners in our thoughts, desires, in our DNA. We are still lawbreakers. Thus, His message exhorts us to mourn over such sins – feeling deepest sorrow that we have grieved our Heavenly Father. Genesis 6, linked to above, plainly states that our sin grieves God. Knowing that, we ought to feel a sorrow that leads to a change of heart, a repentance – a sorrow that seeks and gives forgiveness. To return to a right standing before God. Do we really mourn our sinful thoughts and actions? 

In his book, “Respectable Sins – Confronting the Sins We Tolerate,” Dr. Jerry Bridges asks that while we mourn or are grieved about the “big sins” – sexual sins and idol worship within the Church, “why do we not also mourn over our selfishness, our critical spirit, our impatience, and our anger? It is easy to let ourselves off the hook by saying that these sins are not as bad as the flagrant ones of society. But God has not given us authority to establish values for different sins. Instead, He says through James, ‘Whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for [is guilty of] all of it.’…When a person commits murder, he breaks God’s law. When a Christian lets corrupting speech (that is, speech which tends to tear down another person) come out of his/her mouth (Ephesians 4:29), he/she breaks God’s law.” All sin is lawlessness.  He further notes that “In our human values of civil laws, we draw a huge distinction between an otherwise ‘law-abiding citizen’ who gets an occasional traffic ticket and a person who lives a ‘lawless’ life in contempt and utter disregard for all laws. But the Bible does not seem to make that distinction. It simply says sin – that is, all sin without distinction – is lawlessness.” “Sin is sin.” Dr. Bridges continues, “even those sins I call ‘the acceptable sins of the saints,’ those sins we tolerate in our lives – are serious in God’s eyes. Our religious pride, our critical attitudes, our unkind speech about others, our impatience and anger, even our anxiety; all of these are serious in the sight of God.” In his book, Dr. Bridges exposits on other so-called ‘respectable’ sins: ungodliness, anxiety and frustration, discontentment, unthankfulness, pride, selfishness, lack of self-control, impatience and irritability, anger, judgmentalism, envy, jealousy, and related sins, sins of the tongue, and worldliness.  

As we enter our journey of transformation and sanctification through the Holy Spirit, Dr. Bridges reminds us that in collaboration with God’s Spirit, we are to put to death the various expressions of sin in our lives. (Romans 8:13; Colossians 3:5) In chapter six, he offers seven general directions for dealing with sins. Not enough space to fully explain here, but I will list them.

 

First – we should always address our sin in the context of the gospel; our sins are forgiven and we are accepted as righteous by God because of both the sinless life and sin-bearing death of our Lord Jesus Christ – both together are the greatest motivations.

 

Second – we must learn to rely on the enabling power of the Holy Spirit. We can never get beyond our need for the Spirit, and should cultivate an attitude of continual dependence.

 

Third – while depending on the Holy Spirit, we must also recognize our responsibility to diligently pursue all practical steps for dealing with our sins. This is the meaning of Philippians 2:12-13.

 

Fourth – identify specific areas of ‘acceptable’ sins. (covered in the book’s chapters on specific sins) As we read each chapter, humbly ask the Holy Spirit to help us see if there is a pattern of that sin in our life, which will enable us to better put it to death.

 

Fifth – find specific applicable Scriptures to each of our subtle sins, (use concordance) memorizing them, reflecting on them, applying and praying over them as we ask God to use those God-breathed words to help us deal with those sins.

 

Sixth – cultivate the practice of prayer over the sins we tolerate. Prayer is one of our major directions for dealing with sin; through prayer we consciously acknowledge our need of the Holy Spirit for dealing with our sin and stay aware of the presence of them.

 

Seventh – we should involve one or two other believers with us in our struggles against our subtle sins in a mutual relationship as we seek to exhort, encourage, and pray for one another.

 

…The biggest motivator in our spiritual battles against sin is in Chapter 10 of Mr. Whitney’s book: Do You Yearn For Heaven And To Be With Jesus?

Mr. Whitney states that “those who have been on a long pilgrimage increasingly desire to reach their destination, especially one as glorious and excellent as Heaven. Those who have spent decades loving and living for Jesus naturally long to see Him.” That is the message of Romans 8:22-23. Paul makes a similar statement in 2 Corinthians 5:2. “These longings for the coming great change in body and place are simply part of a normal, healthy, growing Christian life.” Does our yearning for heaven in and of itself confirm that we know the very one with whom we wish to be, or is our yearning focused on getting relief from this hard life? 

Mr. Whitney offers that “the question is not merely, ‘Do you yearn for Heaven and to be with Jesus?’ but also, ‘For which Heaven and Jesus do you yearn?’” Do we yearn for a place of holiness? If being holy as God is holy is off-putting for us in our earthly existence, then we will hate heaven. Are we longing for and looking forward to a heart without sin? To have a pure heart to see the Lord? To being clothed in righteousness? That is what growing Christians increasingly long for – not just a “rest” from troubles and difficulties, but a holy heaven, holy relationships in heaven, a Holy Jesus, a holy joy, where we will be able to gaze and gaze upon the Lamb of God, on Jesus our Savior. Is that the thing we want above everything else? Is our groaning for that kind of heaven? 

I confess that at one time my “heaven” was a place of green valleys, of beautiful sunsets, of peace all around me, of a Garden of Eden. The more I grow in Christ, the more I know Him personally, I find my desire for Him is growing more than a desire for a heavenly geography. 

We have the Spirit of the Living God moving in us, motivating us, energizing us, developing joy into a once burdened heart. We are riddled by sin’s woes, and we work with that same Spirit to put off those things displeasing to God. But, let us not forget that this struggle is not forever:

·  “You are from God, little children, and have overcome [the spirit of the evil one]; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” 1 John 4:4

·  ⁴For whoever has been born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith. ⁵ Who is the one who overcomes the world, but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 1 John 5:4-5

·  The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will grant to eat from the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.’ Revelation 2:7

·  The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.’  Revelation 2:11

·  The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows except the one who receives it.’  Revelation 2:17

·  The one who overcomes, and the one who keeps My deeds until the end, I will give him authority over the nations;   Revelation 2:26

·  The one who overcomes will be clothed the same way, in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.   Revelation 3:5

·  The one who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.   Revelation 3:12

·  The one who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat with My Father on His throne.   Revelation 3:21

 

For these things we fight the good fight of faith; we do spiritual battle against sin and the evil one everyday. We know that we have the power to be faithful to the end, because Jesus has given us that kind of power that raises us up to life with Him. We are victors who will see the one for whom we yearn, Jesus Christ, in all of His glory and splendor, and we shall be clothed with His righteousness.

 

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. -  Ephesians 3:20-21