Therefore thus says
the LORD:
"If you return,
then I will bring you back;
you shall stand
before Me;
if you take out the
precious from the vile,
you shall be as My
mouth,
let them return to
you, but you
must not return to
them.
Jeremiah 15: 19
Jehovah God
through the mouth of Jeremiah gave that admonition to the Israelites and it's
first application is to the Israelites.
The second application, or principle, is for all Christian believers. Often, Christians pursue those things that
are not Scriptural, or the will of God, and they need to return to God and
never return to that which is not according to the will of God. God is love! God is just! We must
understand that those things that are the nature of God apply
equally; therefore, we do not just lean upon the fact that God is love. God is just and demands that justice be
satisfied. Sin required justice and
this God did by coming in the form of a man, Jesus Christ, Son of Man, and Son
of God, the Only Begotten Son of God who willingly paid the debt owed to
Himself by dying upon the cross. If we
have wandered, and followed, after doctrines that are not Scriptural, even
though many have tried to place the force of Scripture upon doctrines, we need
to return to true doctrine. How can we
do this? Just as what we are doing and
that is to examine doctrines to see whether or not they are scriptural and as Authentic Christians who desire in every way to please God we will shun those
things that are displeasing to Him and grab hold of those things which He will
accept. So we will continue!
When you accepted Jesus Christ as
your Savior did you receive a full and complete salvation: or, are you missing
certain things? What does Scripture
actually teach us? Does it teach us
that our salvation is full and complete when we receive Jesus Christ by
faith? John the apostle in his Gospel
of John wrote: "But as many as
received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who
believe in His name" (John 1: 12).
What does it mean to have become a child of God? What things were in included in the
"package" of salvation when one believes? Let us look at Scripture and see if Scripture tells us those
things: "In Him we have redemption
through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His
grace" (Ephesians 1: 7). With
him that "package" then forgiveness is part of that
"package." We have been
working through Corinthians and especially in the last blogs Chapter 12 so we
will look there to see it as Paul tells us about any other things that were in
included in the "package" of salvation: "For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members
of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ" (1
Corinthians 12: 12). Membership is
into the body of Christ and is one of those things that are included in the
"package" of salvation. As
John pointed out in the above verse, (John 1:12), entrance into the family of
God is also that which is included in the "package" of
salvation. Included in this
"package" of salvation is something that I am sure we all could use: "Therefore, having been justified by
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1). One thing that is included in this
"package" of salvation is so important that we cannot overlook it: "And this is the testimony; that God
has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not
have the Son of God does not have life"(1 John 5: 11 -- 12). A question that now needs to be answered is
whether or not the Holy Spirit is included in our "package" of
salvation especially in the initial part of our salvation where we have
converted to Jesus Christ? Or are we to
receive the Holy Spirit, something that is yet to be realized, something that
is to come at a later time? Paul
answers that question for us what he wrote to the Romans: "Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been
poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us" (Romans
5:5). Paul was not speaking in regards
to the Holy Spirit being given at a later time after conversion, no, he was
telling us that the Holy Spirit was given to all Christian believers upon their
conversion. One of the terms that is
associated with some Christian churches is the term: FULL GOSPEL. What does this term mean? The implication is that some have and others
do not a full Gospel. Included in this
would also be that the simple preaching of Jesus Christ who died upon the cross
is not enough, therefore simple salvation in Christ is not enough for there is
more that you would need, and that need is to have the "Pentecostal"
experience especially that of speaking in tongues. Is this what Scripture teaches: "For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus
Christ and Him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2: 2)? The error that is presented is simply this a
deficiency in the understanding of what Scripture is actually teaches for if we followed their way of thinking or doctrine then you would
have to believe that you can be saved and not have the Holy Spirit. Furthermore it is often stated that you can
be saved but you still need to have the baptism of the Spirit. This implication is simply saying that you
can be saved but you still do not have certain gifts that you need
Scripture
teaches that is: salvation is to be found in Jesus Christ and that salvation is
full and complete, lacking nothing.
When you receive Jesus Christ you receive everything that comes with
that decision and conversion to Jesus Christ: "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us
all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things" (Romans
8:32)? True and authentic
Christianity is a life that is not seeking or trying to get additional gifts
and additional blessings for our life, our Christian life, is to grow in Jesus
Christ and to discover all that we already have in Him. We are to learn how rich we really are in
Jesus Christ.
Thus says the LORD of hosts:
"Do not listen to the words of the prophets
who
prophesy to you. They make you
worthless;
they speak a vision of their own heart, not from the
mouth of
the LORD."
Jeremiah 23:16
God gives us peace
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