We love Him because He first loved us….” (1 John 4:9).
If we do not understand what Christ accomplished on the cross and the fact that we are forgiven for our sins, then we will live life without the forgiveness He provides and not understand just how much He loves us.
Many today believe that if their good deeds outway the bad in their life then they will be accepted by God. It is a works mentality that is directly opposed to what the Bible says regarding our acceptance by the Lord. Relative righteousness is also a hope of many. They compare their life with others (usually those of lesser character) and believe they will be accepted by the Lord because, in their opinion, their “good life” will guarantee it.
Many believe that if they follow church teachings, attend church regularly and receive the sacraments established by the church, then they will be accepted by the Lord. A couple of things should be noted here. We should follow church teachings as long as they line up with the Bible, but following church teachings will not gain us the acceptance of the Lord. Secondly, there are no sacraments in Christianity! The very meaning of the word sacrament is a ceremony or ritual that “imparts divine grace.” This is a gross error. Only God can impart grace, and He does so by faith in Christ and His finished work at the cross. If we are believing that following church rules and receiving sacraments will make us acceptable to God, then we are believing in a false hope.
The Christian disciplines are important. We should attend church, read the Bible, pray, fast as the Lord directs, receive communion (which is an ordinance of the church). All the Christian disciplines and good works are important to our faith, but they do not gain us acceptance with the Lord.
The Bible tells us that salvation and acceptance by God are dependent on our repenting of our sins and placing our faith totally in Christ and Him crucified. He paid the price for our sins and by accepting His great work at the cross; we are forgiven and accepted by the Lord. Jesus said ” I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by Me.” We are saved by grace. It is a gift that cost the Lord an incredible price to provide. The Christian life is by faith from first to last. We come to the Lord by faith and we walk out each day by faith in what Jesus accomplished at the cross. This allows the Holy Spirit to work in our lives. We cannot save ourselves and we cannot sanctify ourselves. Our faith must be totally in the Lord.
“The work of God (what He requires of us) is to believe in the One He has sent” (John 6:29).
If we are depending on anything outside of the cross to be acceptable to the Lord then, we will love little. We will not see the great love the Lord has for us and just how saved we are. Once we accept the Lord’s way, the way of the cross, then our hearts will overflow with a love for the One whose love for us caused Him to leave his home in glory, walk this earth for three years as a peasant, and die on a cruel cross, so that we might be forgiven and be with Him in eternity. His last words on the cross were “It is Finished.” He loved much. Seeing this we also will love Him much and live a life of praise and thanksgiving to our great God.
In conclusion, when we see what the Lord has provided for us and come to realize that we have been forgiven, not by what we do, but by His mercy and grace; we will love Him much for all He has done. He has provided a complete salvation so we can say much has been forgiven and we love the One that first loved us. Call on the Lord today. He stands at the door of our heart to come in and forgive us and bless us with a love that took Him to the cross.
“I, even I, am He Who blots out your transgressions for My own sake, and will not remember your sins” (Isaiah 43:25).
See The A,B,C’s of Salvation Page on this websitehttps://wordpress.com/page/tqministries.com/5448
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Here I Am, Lord – Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com 2021
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