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Archive - April 2007 Preaching to the SpiritsPosted Apr-04-07 08:02:26 PDT For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison, who disobeyed long ago, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built.
1 Peter 3:18-19
The meaning of preaching "to the spirits in prison" is not completely clear, and commentators have explained it in different ways. The traditional interpretation is that Christ, between his death and resurrection, announced salvation to God's faithful followers who had been waiting for their salvation during the whole Old Testament era. Matthew records that when Jesus died, "the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people." (Matthew 27: 52, 53). In any case, the passage shows that Christ's Good News of salvation and victory is not limited. It has been preached in the past, as well as in the present; it has gone to the dead as well as to the living. God has given everyone the opportunity to come to Him, but this does not imply a second chance for those who reject Christ in this life.
Why continue to live with sins that Jesus has already died for? Whether you understand it or not, believe it and go free. It is our responsibility to acknowledge our need and His responsibility to meet that need. This, in fact, he has already done. Count it as so and move on. Heavenly Father, we admit that we are sinners and that we cannot save ourselves. However, we acknowledge that Jesus is our Savior, and we accept Him into our hearts right now. In Jesus' name. Amen.
God bless you,
J.H. A Fresh StartPosted Apr-03-07 08:02:53 PDT No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.
1 John 3:9
"No one who is born of God will continue to sin" means that true believers do not make a practice of sinning, nor do they become indifferent to God's moral law. All believers still sin, but they are working to gain victory over sin. "God's seed remains in him" means true believers do not make a practice of sinning because God's new life has been born into them. We are "born of God" when the Holy Spirit lives in us and gives us Jesus' new life. Being born again is more than a fresh start; it is a spiritual rebirth, receiving a new family name based on Christ's death for us. When this happens, God forgives us and totally accepts us; the Holy Spirit gives us new minds and hearts, lives in us, and begins helping us to become like Christ. Our perspective changes too because we have a mind that is renewed, day by day by the Holy Spirit. So we must begin to think and act differently, as we are "new creatures" in Christ.
God Bless you,
J.H. We are OvercomersPosted Apr-02-07 07:44:09 PDT Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves His child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out His commands. This is love for God: to obey His commands. And His commands are not the burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the son of God.
1 John 1-5
Yesterday was a glorious day. My seven year-old son began asking me about eternal life. He wanted to know how he could receive eternal life. I began to tell him what the Bible says and one thing led to another, and I soon led him in the Believer's Prayer and he gave his life to the Lord on April 1st, 2007. Thank you, God! When we become Christians, we become part of God's family, with fellow believers as our brothers and sisters, as well as our sons and daughters. It is God who determines who the other family members are, not us. We are simply called to accept and love them. Jesus never promised that obeying Him would be easy. But the hard work and self-discipline in serving Christ is no burden to those who love Him. And if our load starts to feel heavy, we can always trust Christ to help us bear it. Most of us surrender in one way or the other to the call of the world, when all the while, as Christians, we are called to be overcomers. "They overcame by the blood of Lamb, and the Word of their testimony." My son's testimony has just begun, and his testimony has just become part of mine as well.
God Bless you,
J.H. |
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