Redemption With a Purpose

Table of Contents

Delivered From Sin and Darkness
Righteous Without Compromise
Predestined to Greatness
A Universal Call to Repentance
From Sinners to Saints
A Warning About Backsliding
Blessings or Curses

Romans 3:23-26 "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth [to be] a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, [I say], at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus."

Even though we were created in God's very own image and likeness, we have our human faults and shortcomings that interfere with our eternal callings and divine destinies. We must renounce all of our wickedness once and for all time and turn to almighty God for His forgiveness. He will be faithful to hear all of our prayers, so that we are no longer subject to eternal punishment for all our sins.

Man is an imperfect spirit being. His time on this earth is a test and a trial. The first man was disobedient to the Lord and we have all inherited his iniquity in our genetic make-up. We struggle to maintain our relationship with almighty God, but sin interrupts that every time. We have all missed the mark and fallen short of the glory of God and we run the risk of incurring His wrath for our transgression.

Sin is an issue that must be dealt with before we can be set totally free. Thankfully, our heavenly Father knew all this and sent His Son, Jesus Christ to the earth to redeem us of all our iniquity. Christ is both just and the justifier of all those who believe in His name and appropriate His very own righteousness. He who was without sin became sin for us, so that we could be restored to right standing with God.

He was the only sacrifice that was required to satisfy the terms of the Old Testament Law which specified death as a penalty for transgression. Because of His perfect obedience unto death, we have been set free to inherit eternal life and all of its blessings. We are joint-heirs with Christ to all the promises of God for righteousness. We will dwell in His presence one day soon and share in His very own glory.

Romans 8:2-4 "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

We have been released from the penalty of death and inherited eternal life through Christ's obedience on our behalf. He satisfied all the terms of the law with His sacrifice for us. Now we must help to set others free from their bondage to sin and evil. We will share our faith as the Lord arranges our contacts and confront all wickedness that we see. We will appropriate the righteousness of Jesus Christ and be totally successful in impacting the fate of all mankind.

If we are sincere in our desire to please the Lord, we can pray and ask Him for the baptism in the Holy Spirit. He will gladly send His Spirit to us, so that we can be strengthened in our human spirit. We will develop the characteristics and attributes of God Himself and grow in spiritual maturity until we become holy and perfect, just as Jesus was holy and perfect. The Holy Spirit will convict us of any sin, plus lead and guide us into understanding the ways of God.

We will grow in love, peace and joy and become good and gentle in dealing with others. We will be meek and temperate, disciplined and self-controlled, to the point that we can optimally serve the Lord and His people with all patience and longsuffering. We will reflect the very love, mercy and compassion of God Himself to all those we meet. We will be righteous role models for them to imitate, and attract many of them to our faith through our Christ-like example.

Isaiah 53:11-12 "He shall see of the travail of his soul, [and] shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him [a portion] with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors."

Christ was God in all respects, but He laid down His deity while He was on earth, so that He could become one of us. He was born of a woman into the human race, but unlike the rest of us, He was perfect and totally sin free from the onset. He suffered and died an agonizing death, so that we could be vindicated of all our sins and inherit eternal life. He was the only atonement needed for all of mankind.

Through His perfect obedience, we have been released from the penalty of death, and we have received life in abundance to the overflow. We are totally blessed if we have made Him Lord of our lives. We are brand new creatures in Christ and He actually dwells in our spirit man if we give Him access. Through faith in Him, we inherited all the promises of God and we become His sons and daughters.

We have eternal callings on our lives, divine destinies to fulfill in the critical days ahead. We will take back the entire earth for the Kingdom of God and gather in the end-time harvest of souls. We will resume Christ's ministry where He left off and set all of mankind free from their bondage to sin and evil. We will bring peace, order and stability to this world, so all men are treated with dignity and respect.

The Lord, Jesus Christ will share His eternal inheritance with us in the Kingdom of God, if we are faithful to serve Him and His people in the days to come. He will appoint us kings and priests of God and glorify us to all mankind. We will judge both men and angels, and have the heathen for our inheritance in the uttermost parts of the earth. We will rule and reign with Him over all the nations of the world.

Delivered From Sin and Darkness

2Corinthians 4:6 "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to [give] the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."

While we were once lost in our sins and subject to the generational iniquity that we inherited, we have now been set free to receive the gift of eternal life and all of its many benefits. We are the beloved sons and daughters of almighty God Himself. He has blotted all of our transgression from His memory and restored us to our right standing with Him through the precious Blood of His Son, Jesus Christ.

We are blessed beyond measure to have Christ as our Lord and Savior and our perfect role model for righteousness. He has translated us out of the kingdom of sin and darkness into the kingdom of life and light. The threat of spiritual and physical death no longer looms over us. We now have fresh hope and confidence for our future. We are joint-heirs with Jesus to all the many promises of God.

There is no good thing that the Lord will ever withhold from us if we believe the truth and obey Him. We are going back to our beginnings in the Garden of Eden. We can enjoy an intimate relationship with our Creator. All things are being fully restored to us. We have dominion over the world, our flesh and the devil. We can rule and reign in life now, and in the Kingdom to come for all of eternity.

Romans 6:22-23 "But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Just as sin entered into the human race by one man, so did righteousness become available to all through the merits of one man, Jesus Christ. He was as human as we are and served as our substitute in death as the penalty for our sinfulness. He took on the curse of the law, so that we could be made free. Through our faith in Him, we are totally forgiven and inherit the gift of eternal life.

Jesus died so that we don't have to suffer the throes of death as He did. He bore all of our iniquity and served as the complete sacrifice that was needed to satisfy the terms of the law which specified death as our penalty. He served as the atonement for all our sins - past, present and future. He is the Savior of the entire human race, and we owe Him all our thanks, praise and honor.

We should cooperate with our redemption. Our minds are eventually renewed in the truth and our behavior is totally transformed until it becomes godly. If we imitate the laid down life of Christ Himself, our righteousness will never be in question. We should present our bodies as living sacrifices to almighty God, and seek to serve Him and His people, just as our Lord and Savior did.

Colossians 1:12-18 "Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated [us] into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, [even] the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether [they be] thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all [things] he might have the preeminence."

Jesus has returned to be with His Father, but we are His Body on the earth. We have eternal callings on our lives and we must embrace our divine destinies or important work will remain undone. We are to resume Christ's ministry where He left off and minister to His people with love and compassion. We will preach the Gospel with power and conviction and set others free just as we are.

Christ was the firstborn of many sons and daughters of almighty God. We are joint-heirs with Him to the everlasting Kingdom of God. If we walk just as He did on the earth, we will be anointed with divine power and authority to work miracles, signs and wonders in His name. We will heal all those who are sick and afflicted. The blind will see; the deaf will hear and the lame will walk.

We will set captives free of their bondage to sin and evil and cast out demons in Jesus' name. We will tear down all satanic strongholds that interfere with our work or impede our progress. We will overcome all evil with good, and even raise the dead back to life again just as Christ once did. Nothing will ever be impossible to us, if we operate under the unction of the Holy Spirit of God.

Righteous Without Compromise

Ephesians 4:24 "And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."

Righteousness is a choice that each of us has to make on his own. The Lord will never impose His standards on any of us. We must be aware of the generational iniquity that we inherited and do all that we can to overcome our sinful, human nature. Belief in Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior is the best decision that we could ever make. It will change our lives as nothing else can.

The Lord wants to bless us and make certain that we have all of our needs met in abundance. He wants to make a permanent covenant of peace with mankind. However, He has no obligation to provide for those who are sinful and rebellious. If we will humble ourselves, repent of all our sins and seek His face, He will indeed pardon us of all our transgressions and restore us to right standing with Him.

We will be able to approach the throne of grace without fear, shame, guilt or condemnation of any kind. Our God will be attentive to all of our prayers and generous in supplying our needs. If we are obedient to all of His commandments, careful to walk in love and faithful to sanctify ourselves, the Lord will be able to trust us with His divine power and authority to serve Him and minister to His people.

If we imitate the laid down life of our Lord and Savior, we will be sanctified to the point that we can be relied upon in all we think, say and do on the Lord's behalf. He will confer His very own honor and glory on us when we enter into His Kingdom. We will be appointed kings and priests of God and men will look up to us. We will judge both men and angels and rule and reign with Jesus Himself.

Deuteronomy 6:25 "And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us."

We cannot be blessed unless we remember that almighty God has rules and regulations that we must obey at all times. His commandments were established for our express benefit. They are absolute, moral guidelines that keep us on the right track and prevent us from offending God and hurting one another. If we are faithful to do all that He asks of us, the Lord will reward us for our devotion.

He will imbue us with divine power and authority, so that we can embrace our divine destinies as we should. We will be able to overcome the world, our flesh and the devil. We will walk as Christ walked the earth and operate in the fullness of His very own anointing to do good and destroy evil. Nothing will be impossible to us if we are willing and obedient to do all that God commands us to do.

The Lord wants nothing more than to gather us to Himself in the Kingdom of God that is coming to this earth. It will be a veritable paradise for both God and man. He plans on actually taking up residence with His beloved children and He will take an active interest in all the details of our lives. There is no good thing that He will ever withhold from us, if we are diligent to always remain righteous.

Romans 5:17 "For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ."

We can overcome the world, our flesh and the devil now that we are in Christ and have appropriated His very own righteousness. There is no reason why we should ever sin again. We can actually grow in spiritual maturity until we become holy and perfect, just as God is holy and perfect. If we are obedient to all the commandments and walk in love at all times, we can reign in this life and in the Kingdom to come.

There is a call of God on our lives. The Lord needs us to assist Him in bringing heaven to the earth in the Kingdom of God. We have to sanctify ourselves and consecrate all of our efforts to implementing His eternal redemption plan for mankind. We must be godly role models and willing servants to the Lord and His people. We will resume Christ's ministry where He left off and operate in miracles, signs and wonders.

We will preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all men, women and children of every race, tongue and nation and baptize countless numbers in His name. We will lay hands on the sick and they will be healed of all their afflictions. We will cast out demons that hold others in bondage to sin and evil and set them free to the glorious liberty of the sons and daughters of God. We will even raise the dead back to life once again.

The Lord will generously reward us for our devoted service to Him and His people when we enter into His Kingdom. He will appoint us as kings and priests to rule and reign with Christ over all the nations of the world. He will boast of us to all creation and share His very own honor and glory with us. We will judge both men and angels, and have the heathen and the uttermost parts of the earth for our eternal inheritance.

Predestined to Greatness

1Thessalonians 5:9 "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,"

Even though all of mankind inherited iniquity from our progenitors, Adam and Eve, the Lord has given each and every one of us a second chance to be restored to right standing with Him. We are not destined to eternal punishment for our transgressions unless we choose to keep on sinning. We have salvation made available to us through the merits of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ.

Jesus died for the express benefit of all men, women and children throughout the ages. His atonement on our behalf sets us free from the law of sin and death. We are righteous only through our faith in Him and all that He accomplished. He conquered sin, death and the grave and rose again to eternal life. We can do the very same thing if we believe in Him and confess Him as Lord.

We must, additionally, repent of all our sins and submit ourselves to water baptism. That rite signifies that we are dead to sin and born again to righteousness. We can also ask for and receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit of God. His very own Spirit will come and totally indwell us, so that we are strengthened in our spirit man and able to overcome all temptation to sin in our lives.

2Thessalonian 2:13 "But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:"

The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin and leads and guides us into all truth. He seals our redemption by the Blood of Jesus and helps us to mature spiritually to the point that sin no longer has power over us. Spiritual fruit which are like the characteristics of almighty God Himself develop in us. We are loving and joyful, at peace with God and with others. We become good, gentle, meek, temperate and longsuffering.

Our minds are renewed in the truth and our behavior is totally transformed. The things of this world no longer have a hold on us. We receive a deeper revelation of the ways of God and embrace our divine destinies, as we should. We are attracted to the light of Christ and walk in it, so that we become godly role models for others. We spontaneously share our faith and operate in divine power and authority.

The Lord knows who is beloved children are; He called us from the very creation itself. He wants to fellowship intimately with us. He engineers all of our situations and circumstances, so that we gradually become holy and perfect, just as He is holy and perfect. It is His heart's desire to boast of us to all creation as His very own sons and daughters, and we should be willing to serve Him any way that we can.

In the critical days that lie ahead, He may ask us to perform the seemingly impossible. The Lord will always equip us to do His work and never leave us or forsake us. We will have legions of ministering angels to assist us in our efforts on His behalf. We will work miraculous feats in His mighty name and overcome all evil with good. Our task will be to rescue all of mankind from their bondage to sin.

Romans 8:28-30 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate [to be] conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified."

Almighty God needs our help in implementing His eternal redemption plan for all mankind. We are to partner with Him in rescuing others from darkness and destruction. He called us from the very foundation of the world to be justified by the Blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. Once we are born again, we become like Christ in every way and we can learn to walk in His very own anointing.

We can preach the Gospel, just as He did and see many saved to eternal life with all its many benefits. We are able to lay hands on the sick and they will recover. We cast out demons in Jesus' name and set men free from their bondage to sin and evil. We can even raise the dead back to life once again, if we fully recognize our God-given power and authority to overcome evil with good.

The glory of God encompasses His people and we work miracles, signs and wonders to attract men to our faith. We will be totally successful, if we appropriate Christ's righteousness and imitate His laid down life. The Holy Spirit works in and through us to do His will. We are simply earthen vessels called for His use. We can impact the fate of the entire world if we are willing and obedient.

Nothing will be impossible to us if we embrace our divine destinies and function as we were meant to do. The Lord will imbue us with His very own divine power and authority so that we can partner with Him in bringing heaven itself to the earth. We will confront all world governments and challenge them to eliminate wars, violence and conflict, so the entire human race is at peace.

We will command all of creation to be in harmony and subject to our dominion. Plants and animals will be compatible with one another. We will regulate the climate so it is always temperate and predictable. There will be no more natural disasters that cause devastation and destruction for mankind. We will even reverse the effects of pollution, so that the whole planet is cleansed of defilement.

Ephesians 1:3-5 "Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly [places] in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,"

We have been predestined for greatness. We are the actual sons and daughters of almighty God Himself, joint-heirs with Jesus to all the promises for righteousness. We can function just as our Lord and Savior did on this earth. We can impact all of mankind through our efforts on their behalf. We will preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, and set man free in the truth of its message.

The blind will see; the deaf will hear and the lame will walk just as they did during Christ's time with us. We will resume His ministry where He left off and heal all those who are sick and afflicted. Demons will fear us, as we set our brothers and sisters free from their bondage to sin and evil. We will tear down all strongholds that attempt to impede the coming of the Kingdom to this earth.

All of creation will be impacted by our efforts. We will eliminate all wars, violence and conflict among men and restore peace to all of our affairs. We will share all that we have with those in need and eradicate all poverty, lack and oppression off the face of the earth. We will command order and stability in nature and make certain that there are no more natural disasters that harm any of us.

Very soon now, the Lord will generously reward us for serving Him and His people. He will boast of us to all creation. We will be appointed kings and priests of God, and judge both men and angels. We will have the heathen and the uttermost parts of the earth for our inheritance. We will share in Christ's very own honor and glory, and rule and reign with Him over all the nations of the world.

A Universal Call to Repentance

2Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

The Lord loves all of mankind with a deep, abiding love. He is merciful and compassionate to His creatures. It is not His will that anyone should perish for lack of knowledge in the truth. He wants to gather us to Himself in the Kingdom of God for all of eternity. We must encourage every man, woman and child that we meet to repent of their sins and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

We should be godly role models for all of mankind. We can set many free to receive the gift of eternal life, if we share our faith as the Lord arranges our contacts. We must warn others of the impending judgment and urge them to be converted and born again in their spirits. There is no way that anyone can be saved from their sins, unless they believe in Christ and appropriate His righteousness as their own.

All have fallen short of the glory of God because sin is part of our human nature. However, we do not have to keep on sinning. We can learn to overcome all wickedness and evil by imitating the life of Christ Himself. He was as human as we are, but perfect and obedient at all times. Although that may be a formidable challenge for us, we can strive for holiness and perfection in our walk with God.

Jeremiah 33:8 "And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their iniquities, whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against me."

We should be sincere and contrite for all of our sins, and repent from the heart. Sin displeases God and hurts others; it defiles us and is intolerable to our Creator. He is holy and perfect, and no evil can dwell in His presence. His greatest desire is to gather us to Himself, so that He can nurture and protect us in the everlasting Kingdom of God. However, our sin prevents that from happening.

It puts us back under the curse of the law and makes the sacrifice of Jesus Christ to no avail. We cannot ever deliberately sin and expect to remain guiltless before God. The penalty for sin is death, plain and simple. If we purposely rebel and disobey any of the Lord's commandments, we will be condemned to never ending punishment for our wickedness in the unquenchable lake of fire.

If we pray and ask the Lord for His help, He will deliver us from all evil and strengthen us in our spirit man so that we can avoid all temptation to sin. He will purge and cleanse us of all that is displeasing to Him if we are truly sincere. We should cooperate with this sanctification process, so we are deemed worthy to enter into His everlasting Kingdom and reap all the many benefits of eternal life.

We should experience godly sorrow whenever we make mistakes, and do all that we can to make good on them. If we repent from the heart, confess our sins and ask the Lord for forgiveness, we will be reinstated to our former righteousness. We will be able to enter into His awesome presence without shame, guilt or condemnation of any kind, and be regarded as His very own sons and daughters.

Mark 1:15 "And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel."

The Gospel of Jesus Christ must be preached in every nation of the world. All of mankind has to be given the opportunity to hear the truth and alter the course of their lives. Unless we repent and believe what the Lord speaks to us, we cannot be saved to eternal life. He has sent His Son to redeem us from all of our sins and teach us His way of doing things and being right.

We have no excuse for ignorance or rebellion. Salvation is being made readily available to each and every one of us. If we are receptive to the truth, we will repent from the heart and choose Christ as our Lord and Savior. If we submit ourselves to Him, walk in love, and obey all of the commandments, we will have glorious liberty as sons and daughters of almighty God.

Our minds will be renewed and our behavior transformed until it actually becomes perfect. The more we imitate the life of Jesus Christ, the stronger and more spiritually mature we will become. The Lord will reveal our divine destinies to us, so that we can serve Him and His people. We will lead many others into redemption through our righteous and godly example.

From Sinners to Saints

Luke 15:7 "I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance."

All of heaven rejoices when we repent and confess our transgressions before almighty God. The Lord loves His people passionately and He desires to have a continuous, intimate relationship with each of us. However, our sin separates us from our Creator and threatens us with the penalty of death. Only divine forgiveness sets us free to be all that we are called to be in the Lord.

Jesus Christ came to redeem us from our sins, not to condemn us. He took on all of our iniquity as if it were His very own, and then paid the penalty of death for the benefit of all mankind. He loved us so much that He wanted to spare us the pain and suffering that sin brings. Those who repent and believe in His name are forgiven of all their sins and set free to receive eternal life.

We have been bought with a dear price. Our lives are no longer our own. We must strive to be sin free at all times and protect our righteousness at all costs. If we should sin and miss the mark, we must be quick to repent and ask for forgiveness once again. We cannot be in deliberate sin and rebellion and hope to remain innocent in God's eyes. The law will convict and sentence us to death.

1John 9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

The Lord is for us, not against us. He takes no pleasure in the destruction of His people. He does not want to impose the penalty of death on us for our iniquity. He has made salvation readily available to each and every one of us. There is no reason why anyone should perish. Christ died for the sins of all mankind and the Lord is ready, willing and able to impute His righteousness to us.

We may struggle initially in our walk with God, but it becomes much easier for us, as we persevere and practice our faith with due diligence. If we renounce our sinful nature; ask the Lord for His purging fire to burn out all iniquity in us; and commit ourselves to righteousness in all that we think, say and do, we will eventually see an appreciable difference in how we conduct ourselves.

If we should make mistakes after receiving Christ as our Lord and Savior, our God is extremely lenient with us. If we confess our sins, He is always willing to forgive us and restore us to right standing with Him. He is not mean-spirited; He takes no delight in our failures. He even offers us the baptism of the Holy Spirit, so that we are strengthened to overcome all sin and evil.

It is possible for us to control our fleshly lusts and subdue our selfish souls, so that we walk uprightly before our Creator at all times. The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, leads and guides us into a full knowledge of the truth. We can grow and develop in spiritual maturity until we become Christ-like and imitate His laid down life. We will ultimately become holy and perfect.

Romans 6:16-19 "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness."

The Lord is eager to have an intimate relationship with us, but sin interrupts that. He has made it very easy for us to be forgiven of our sins. He sent His very own Son, Jesus Christ, to the earth to be our substitute. Christ died for the sins of all mankind, and His redemption is made available to each of us. There is no reason why we should ever be alienated from our God or run the risk of damnation.

All of us have missed the mark and fallen short of God's glory, but we do not have to make a habit of sinning. We can appropriate the righteousness of Jesus Christ by faith and be justified before God. If we should be tempted and sin after receiving our salvation, we can always invoke God's grace and repent from the heart. If we confess our sin, He will forgive us and even blot it from His memory.

We must be diligent to protect our right standing with God, and attempt to remain sin free at all times and under all circumstances. It may not be easy for us to do so, but it is indeed possible. By the power of His Holy Spirit, we can be made aware of our sins and be strengthened to overcome them. If we ask the Lord to deliver us from all evil, He will actually lead and guide us into spiritual perfection.

A Warning About Backsliding

Ezekiel 18:24 "But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, [and] doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked [man] doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die."

Once we are born again, we have a corresponding obligation to remain sin free at all times. We must be obedient to all of God's laws and walk in love, as we have been instructed. We need to be baptized in Christ's name and ask for the Holy Spirit to indwell us. The Spirit will convict us of any sin, lead and guide us into all truth and strengthen us to avoid all temptation we incur.

As long as we maintain our right standing with almighty God, our lives will go well for us and we will be eligible to spend all of eternity in His presence. However, if we should ever turn away from the truth and purposely rebel against our Lord, we will perish in our own transgression. We make the sacrifice of Christ to no avail when we knowingly sin and fail to repent and ask forgiveness.

The wages of sin are death and our redemption is not automatic. We must guard our righteousness at all times. The Bible says that we should work out our own salvation with "fear and trembling." That means that we have to develop a reverent fear of the Lord and avoid all situations and circumstances that might cause us to fall from His grace and be condemned to eternal punishment.

We will have to renounce the wicked ways of the world and separate ourselves unto God, so that He can assist us in our spiritual maturity. The Lord is always willing to protect us from evil, if we are diligent to avoid temptation to sin, whenever and wherever we can. He will strengthen us in our spirit by the power of His Holy Spirit and preserve us blameless until the return of Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 2:1-3 "Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let [them] slip. For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard [him];"

We have to protect our righteousness once we are born again in our spirits. We cannot ever take our salvation for granted. Were it not for the perfect love and obedience of the Lord, Jesus Christ, we would all still be lost in our transgressions. He paid a dear price for our redemption with His very own Blood, and we should do whatever we can to remain sin free.

It is imperative that we walk in love at all times and under all circumstances. We must diligently obey all of the commandments and seek the Lord's perfect will for our lives. We should pray, study and meditate on the Word of God, so that we can be fortified against all temptation to sin and evil. We can also ask for and receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit of God.

This will revolutionize our lives and draw us closer to the Lord. We will be given the gift of spiritual tongues, so we can better communicate with Him. Spiritual fruit will grow and develop in our lives, so that we can optimally relate to God and to others. We will learn to walk in love, peace, joy, gentleness, goodness, meekness, temperance and longsuffering.

Our salvation will be secure and we will grow and develop into full spiritual maturity, until we achieve holiness and perfection in our relationship with the Lord. He will be able to trust all that we think, say and do, so that we can be given divine power and authority in our lives. We will be able to usher in the eternal Kingdom of God and overcome all evil with good.

Hebrews 6:4-6 "For [it is] impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put [him] to an open shame."

There are some who will fall away from the one true faith in these last days and fail to repent of all their transgressions. Unfortunately they will seal their fate for all of eternity. It is virtually impossible for anyone who has known the Lord intimately and deliberately rebelled against Him, to be restored again to righteousness. Our faith is an all or nothing proposition.

We are not ever in the position to negotiate with our Creator. He has certain expectations for us that are not subject to dispute or debate. His commandments are inviolable. If we purposely disobey them, we will be damned for our impudence. The wages of sin are death and we will be relegated to both a permanent, spiritual separation from God and physical death, as well.

Jesus Christ suffered and died, so that all of mankind could be set free from its bondage to sin and evil. We have been given an awesome opportunity to be rescued from our sinful nature once and for all time. If we should fail to appreciate our redemption, purposely violate God's laws and reject all of His advances, we will ultimately perish in our own ignorance and rebellion.

The Lord will have no recourse but to banish us from His holy presence, and deny us entry into His everlasting Kingdom. Sin is sin, and it requires payback or atonement. If we deliberately disobey God and fail to repent of it, we will be cast into the unquenchable lake of fire with all the other wrongdoers, where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth for all eternity.

Blessings or Curses

2Peter 2:20-21 "For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known [it], to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them."

Our God is not going to put up with our bad behavior indefinitely. He has been more than patient and understanding, infinitely merciful and compassionate to us. He will sovereignly act to rid the earth of all evil in the very near future. There is a strict judgment that is coming on the entire human race for all of our works in the flesh. No one will escape His scrutiny.

We are without excuse; we have been shown the truth. All of us have fallen short of the glory of God and require redemption. Jesus Christ came to this world to set us free from all of our generational iniquity and our sinful human nature. If we reject Him and all that He did for us, we will be eternally condemned. There will be no other recourse, but that we perish.

If we become entangled in the things of this world after discovering a knowledge of the truth, we will be devoured by our own wickedness. We will be judged and found guilty, and be banished to the lake of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth by all those who are eternally punished for their lawlessness. They will be on the outside looking in forever more.

Romans 1:17-19 "For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed [it] unto them."

The Lord has made redemption through Jesus Christ available to all of mankind. We are without excuse; we inherently know the truth. None of us is righteous in our own strength. We have all fallen short of God's glory and we continue to make mistakes on a daily basis. We can make a quality decision to repent of our sins and go in another direction with our lives. We need not perish in our ignorance and rebellion.

If our faith is strong and we walk in the light of it, we will value our righteousness and protect it all costs. We will obey all of the Lord's commandments and walk in love as we have been taught. We will crucify our fleshly lusts and forego all selfish, soul ambitions. We will seek the Lord's perfect will for us and cooperate with our redemption. Our God will be pleased with us and bless us beyond all our expectations.

However, if we disobey the Lord and transgress His laws, we will be found lacking and incur His displeasure. He is under no obligation to provide for us if we are deliberately defiant. He will leave us to our own devices and banish us from His awesome presence. We will be on the outside looking in and denied entry into His everlasting Kingdom. We will be relegated to eternal punishment in the lake of fire.

There is a fiery judgment coming on the wicked and rebellious. They will not escape the Lord's wrath or be spared from His condemnation for their sins. Their belligerent behavior will be their downfall. Our heavenly Father is good and loving, merciful and compassionate, but He is also a fierce opponent of all that is evil. He will soon dispatch His Son, Jesus Christ, back to the earth to rule and reign with a rod of iron.

Deuteronomy 11:26-28 "Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day: And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known."

We have blessings and curses available to us, depending upon what decisions we make. Our eternal fate lies in the balance. We can choose to appropriate the righteousness of Jesus Christ by faith and cleanse ourselves of all defilement and be generously rewarded for our faithfulness. We must, additionally, obey all of the commandments and walk in love for God and others at all times.

If we are deliberately disobedient, we will bring curses on ourselves. The Lord will not acknowledge those who are stubborn and rebellious. We will be without divine providence and protection, and wide open to demonic oppression and total destruction for our sins. That will grieve our heavenly Father, but He will not be able to rescue us from our plight, if we willfully shut Him out of our lives.

Our God is a consuming fire and He will burn all the iniquity out of His people one way or another. We can cooperate with our salvation or we will go to perdition. He will never impose His standards on us; our free will is inviolable. We should repent of all our lawlessness now, so that we can be saved to eternal life with all its many benefits. It will be too late to change our fate at a later date.

Topics for Discussion

1. Delivered From Sin and Darkness
2. Righteous Without Compromise
3. Predestined to Greatness
4. A Universal Call to Repentance
5. From Sinners to Saints
6. A Warning About Backsliding
7. Blessings or Curses

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