John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
John 1: 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
This is who Jesus Christ our Lord is. Plainly stated and revealed. Jesus is or Lord, savior, the Holy Son of the living God, and the word. It becomes easier to understand how He was able to speak so clearly and with conviction in His three years of teaching. Jesus did not have to be concerned about what he spoke or how it may be received. He just spoke the truth as God instructed, and whoever believed, believed. Whoever chose to ignore or dismiss Him did so on their own accord. Jesus came to share the gospel, the truth from God Himself to mankind. He came to bring the message of hope and salvation offered by our God through His grace. This is truly our thanksgiving. Thankful for the grace of God. Thankful that Jesus sacrificed Himself for us, to give us freedom from our sins and a new start for each believer.
No one had done anything to deserve the salvation God offered, only through His loving grace were we all allowed to be forgiven and cleansed. To become a new thing, a new person free of sin and guilt. It remained with this new person we became, to maintain that righteousness. Through His sacrifice, we have had our debt to God paid. The Lord never had anyone go and become clean before He would heal them. The same is for salvation, just accept Christ and be saved. Then you will be come clean. As it is written, all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. Since the Lord God does not lie, then this can be fully believed.
As a new person we are to live Christ like. This is not a command to wear sandals and robes, but to change on the inside. To think and act differently. Jesus said “Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.”
We are to learn from the example of Jesus, we are to love without condemning, or judging. Let God be the judge, in His righteousness. The Lord God did not assign us to judge others, He reserves that for Himself.
Jesus is the Son of God, He delivered the message of love and salvation from God the Father. He took upon Himself the punishment for our sins. Once He had done this, our only responsibility is to believe and obey. The grace of God is our salvation. Peace be with you from the Lord. AMEN.
For all that we have done in our past, to be forgiven on this basis only is truly a great blessing. Imagine, total forgiveness of our sins and transgressions, to be remembered no more by our Lord. What an amazing gift to receive. Forgiveness as only God can give and to get it so freely.
I have always wondered why anyone who understands this would not jump at the chance for complete forgiveness. The life we live is definitely short, even at the greatest length of time. But eternal life is, well eternal, never-ending. To be allowed to live that in the presence of Almighty God is awe inspiring. The creator of heaven and earth and all that is in them, the real God in every sense of the word, to be in His presence is too much to ever imagine.
God the Father, has provided for each person the escape route from our old sinful lives. He has in a sense given us another chance to get it right. So many have said if only I could go back, I would do things differently. We need not go back, only continue forward with nothing to be ashamed of from our past. It just doesn’t matter who we once were, it only matters who we have become. We have become the children of Almighty God.
The old song, “Amazing Grace”, summed it up pretty well.
I would ask you, if you haven’t already. Believe in Jesus, become baptized and be saved by the grace of God through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.