But After That

The Kindness of God Appeared

“For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived and serving diverse lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness of God our Savior appeared” (Titus 3:3,4).

Our introductory verse reminds us of our condition prior to coming to faith. We were lost in our fallen state and unable to be free of this condition in which all unsaved men find themselves in. It was the kindness of God that brought us to Him.

This “kindness of God” is speaking of the coming of our Lord and Savior into this world to save whosoever will come to Him in repentance and faith. He accomplished this at Calvary, and by it the kindness and love of God was manifest for all to see.

Looking again to our introductory verse, the Apostle Paul is pointing back to a time in our lives when we walked in disobedience, being deceived, foolish, and enslaved to our passions. This is quite a list the Apostle Paul presents as our condition prior to Salvation, but it accurately presents the true condition of an unsaved person. We were dead in our sins and unable to free ourselves from the prison of our fallen nature that was our home. But after that, in His mercy and love, God reached down to us. We will see, in the next verse in Titus, the result of God’s kindness to those who wish to escape the prison of their fallen nature.

“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His Mercy He has saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5).

“Not by works of righteousness” points to the very fact that we are unable in our lost state to do any works of righteousness. The Lord came and died on the Cross for us because it was the only way that we might walk in Righteousness – His Righteousness – and imputed Righteousness made possible through the Lord’s Mercy and Grace.

This “washing of regeneration” is the born again experience by which we are washed  and cleansed from our sins by the Lord’s great sacrifice at Calvary. His Blood shed at Calvary for us not only cleanses us of all sin, but defeated the power of sin in our lives.

The “renewing of the Holy Spirit” speaks of our daily walk with the Lord. We were raised in “Newness of Life” by faith in His finished work at Calvary and the Holy Spirit now lives in us and helps us live out a life of victory enabling us to become more Christlike.

So, we are saved by the Mercy and Love of God by His Grace that comes to us as we repent of our sins and the way we lived prior to coming to the Lord and place our faith in Christ and Him crucified. We are regenerated, washed and cleansed from all sin, and the renewing power of Holy Spirit comes to live within us to bring us victory in our Christian lives as we continually place our faith in Christ and His redeeming work at Calvary. The following verse speaks of this kindness and love that made all this possible.

“Which (kindness and love) He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior; that being justified by His Grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of Eternal Life(Titus 3:6,7 with commentary mine).

Always Remember,

God Loves You!

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Here I Am, Lord – Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com 2025

The Bottom Line

The Fork in the Road of Life

“He who has the Son has Life; and he who has not the Son has not Life” (1 John 5:12).

The Gospel of John tells us that “In Him was Life and that Life was the light of men. All “Life” comes through Christ and what He accomplished at the Cross. Without Him, we are dead in our sins and without hope in this world. We have a fallen nature and are unable to  save ourselves from ourselves. It took the Father’s love in sending His Son to point the way to the “Life” He graciously offers to us through Calvary.

We have a choice in this life. Do we continue in the way we have lived our lives, or do we admit that we have lived our lives without the God Who loves us and come to Him in repentance for our sins and faith in Christ and His sacrificial death at Calvary. Should we choose the former, we will die in our sins and  out of the presence of God for eternity. If we choose the later, we will be born spiritually and become children of God with an inheritance in the Kingdom of God.

The “Life” that the Father gives us through His Mercy and Grace is in His Son. Calvary stands as a beacon of light to all those who will harken to the clarion call. He calls out to whosoever will come through His death at Calvary. His “Life”, the Life of God, comes to us by the Person of the Holy Spirit the minute we come to Him in faith.

Eternal Life is defined as God’s Life in us by faith in His provision. The sin debt was paid at Calvary bring Life to all those who believe. The work God requires of us for our Salvation is that we believe in the One He sent. That’s it!

Jesus said, “I come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” Faith in the “Son” is the only path to Eternal Life and faith in the Son will result in life more abundant. In other words, we are saved by faith in the Son, and we are kept by our continued faith in Christ and His finished work at Calvary.

In conclusion, there is a fork in the road for all those who walk out this life. Do we go the way the Lord has provided for us and find Eternal Life in the presence of the God that loves us, or do we go our own way which will result in eternal puishment away from the presence of God for all eternity. God’s Word tells us that we can know that we have Eternal Life today. Our closing verse clearly states that those that believe in the Son have Eternal Life.

These things have I written you who believe on the Name of the Son of God; that you may know that you have Eternal Life, and that you may believe (continue daily believing) on the Name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:13 w/ commentary mine).

Always Remember,

God Loves You!

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Here I Am, Lord

So Unworthy of the Blood

Here I am, so unworthy of the Blood. Unworthy of the Blood that set me free. Here I am, so unworthy of the Blood, yet it flowed for me.

(Unworthy of the Blood lyrics)

We come to the Lord empty handed with nothing to offer but our repentance and faith in the precious Blood of Jesus. He saved such unworthy ones, as we all are, by His sacrificial death on the Cross. That Blood flowed for you and me, our sins nailed Him to the Cross. We all stand guilty before Him in need of His Mercy and Grace.

“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” (Romans 3:23).

This tells us succinctly that all have sinned and stand guilty before a Righteous God. We, of ourselves, cannot live a life of Righteousness. What we need is the Lord’s Mercy which is given to us freely as we come to Him admitting our condition. His Grace is needed on a continuing basis as we walk out our Christian lives. We all fall short of the Glory of God not matter where we are on our walk with the Lord. 

“In Whom (Christ) we have Redemption through His Blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His Grace” (Ephesians 1:7).

Our sins were forgiven by the Lord through the shedding of His Precious Blood at the Cross. The riches of His Grace cannot be used up. It is there for us on a daily basis and comes to us through the work of the Holy Spirit as we continue to place our faith in Christ and Him crucified.

“For you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation (lifestyle) received from traditional from your fathers; but with the Precious Blood of Christ, as of Lamb without spot” (1 Peter 1:18,19).

It took the Lord of Glory coming and dying on the Cross to save us from our fallen state. We could not save ourselves, and we cannot walk out this life of faith by our own strength, or some combination of faith and works. The Christian disciplines (prayers fasting, church attendance, etc.) are all things we should do, and they will bless us, but they will not give us victory as we walk out our lives. It took Christ going to the Cross to save us and it will take our faith in His sacrificial death there to bring us victory over the clinging vines of the Fall.

“And from Jesus Christ, Who is the faithful Witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the Prince of the kings of the Earth. Unto Him Who loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own Blood” (Revelation 1:5).

The Book of Revelation, which is the Revelation of Jesus Christ regarding the things that are to come, begins with a Revelation of the Lord’s earthly Life and what He accomplished here. It is a testimony to His great love for us and it is a witness to our total need for all He offers us through His abundant Mercy and Grace. He lived a Life here of perfect obedience as the “Faithful Witness.” He showed forth His love for us by washing us from our sins in His Own Blood. By this, His love for us shines forth as beacon drawing all men to Him. And finally, He is the Prince of this Earth and will come in the Second Coming to rule this world. He loved us with and Everlasting love and we stand in awe of that love and are so thankful for the Blood – the Blood of the Lamb shed for us.

Here I am, so unworthy of the Blood, but yet it flowed for you and me.

(Unworthy of the Blood lyrics)

Always Remember,

God Loves You!

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The Yoke of Bondage

Fallen From Grace

The Answer For Those Living Defeated Christian Lives

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1).

The Galatians were contemplating going back into Law after coming to Salvation by faith. Paul is warning strongly against this as it would shipwreck their faith. False brethren had come from Jerusalem teaching that the Galatians must be circumcised to be saved. They were strongly encouraging these new converts to obey the Law of Moses. The Apostle Paul said the following regarding this:

“I testify again to every man who is circumcised, that He is a debtor to do the whole Law” Galatians 5:3).

We are saved by faith in Christ and Him crucified and we are sanctified in the same manner. Jesus fulfilled the Law in totality and we fulfill the Law through our faith in Christ. We are not to attempt to live this life in our own strength to become more Christlike. These Galatians were saved but were considering adding the Law to their faith to please God and walk out their Christian life. Again, Paul warns strongly against any attempt to sanctity ourselves by what we do.

“Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now made perfect by the flesh? (Galatians 3:3)

We are saved by faith and we are kept, and sanctified, in the same manner. We are not to attempt to bring about our spiritual growth by self-effort. It will lead to defeat, as Paul warns the Galatians in the following verse.

“Christ is become of no effect unto you, whoever of you are justified by Law; you have fallen from Grace” (Galatians 5:4).

Wow! Strong words from Paul regarding the Galatians starting to look to the Law. If we move our faith from Christ and the Cross to anything else we have fallen from Grace. Grace comes to us by our faith in Christ and Him crucified by the power of the Holy Spirit. All blessings come by way of the Cross. The Holy Spirit works within the parameters of the finished work of Christ. He will not work outside of the finished work of Christ. This is the Law of God.

“For the Law (Law of God) of the Spirit (Holy Spirit) of life (Newness of Life) in Christ Jesus (by His finished work at the Cross) has made me free (victory in our Christian walk) from the Law of Sin and Death” (Romans 8:2 w/commentary mine).

This verse shows us the way to walk in the victory that we have in Christ. This is the most powerful Law, the Law of the Spirit in Christ Jesus, and it is stronger then the Law of Sin and Death. In it, we see our way forward to victory in the power of the Holy Spirit. This is our road map, so to speak. When we make Christ crucified the object of our faith, the the Holy Spirit will work mightily in our life. There is no other way  – it’s the Law of God.

We fall from Grace not due to our sin, but by moving the object of our faith to something other than the Lord and His sacrificial death at Calvary. That’s what Paul is saying when he warns about being entangled again in the yoke of bondage. Leaving the Cross for Law, or works, would result in the Galatians living a defeated life with no victory over the sin nature. Sin is the result of falling from Grace, but not the cause, of our losing our way. Paul continually points us to the way, that way is faith. We are to walk in the Spirit and not try to obey any law, or do any work, to gain the victory in our lives.

“But if you are led of the Spirit, you are not under Law” (Galatians 5:18).

[ We are to do good works as God’s Word tells us, but we are not to look to works to gain God’s approval, or to have victory in our lives over the sin nature. As Christians, we are to encourage each other in love and in good works as a result of having received such a great salvation.

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24)]

Always Remember,

God Loves You!

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Here I Am, Lord – Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com 2025

A Most Incredible Sight

A Witness to the Israelites Crossing the Jordan

A Fictional Narrative

(Joshua 3:9-17)

I was sitting on the bank overlooking the Jordan River when I saw it. It was the most incredible sight. It concerned the people who were delivered out of Egypt by their God – that is, that is what they claimed. We have been anticipating their arrival for some 40 years.

Again, I was sitting on the banks of the Jordan. I live in the area of Gilgal and visit the Jordan often. This day would be different than any other – an experience I still stand in awe of. It started with a group of men stepping into the water caring something with staves. As their feet entered the water, the water of the Jordan receded on both sides of them standing in a wide swatch. I looked on in total amazement.

The next thing I saw was a man, on the far side of the Jordan, standing up before these people who had come out of Egypt. It looked to me like he was giving them some instruction prior to their crossing.

It is said that when they came out of Egypt they came out with the riches of Egypt that the people of Egypt gave them upon their departure. It is also rumored that they came out healthy and remained that way throughout their wandering in the wilderness. The most amazing thing that has been said of them is that their God supplied all their needs while wandering there. It is said He even provided sustenance for them that they gathered each morning. I didn’t know how much of this was true, but after witnessing what I saw today; I do believe all that is said about these people. I believe that just as the Jordan parted, the Red Sea parted for them and they walked through on dry ground.

After the man finished speaking to them they started across the Jordan. The men caring something with staves remained in the middle of the Jordan while the people crossed. There were many, many, of them and I watched this incredible sight which went on for a very long time. Once all the people had crossed, the men standing in the middle of the Jordan came out behind them and the Jordan returned to its normal flow. What an incredible happening!

Seeing this incredible sight, I now believe all that has been said about these people and I believe that their God does truly watch over them. I believe He delivered them from Egypt and parted the Red Sea and I personally witnessed the parting of the Jordan. It has been said that those men standing in the middle of the Jordan were priests and that they carried the Ark of the Covenant in which the very Presence of their God went before the people and protected them. Their God parted the waters and brought them into what they referred to as the Promised Land. I have come away from this incredible experience wanting to know this God Who watches over and protects His people. 

And Joshua said unto the Children of Israel, Come hither and hear the Words of the LORD your God. And Joshua said, Hereby you shall know that the Living God is among you…The Ark of the Covenant of the LORD of all the Earth passes over before you into Jordan” (Joshua 3:9,10).

“And the Priests who bore the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.” (Joshua 3:17)

[The Priests were types of Christ Who brings us safely and securely through this life as we place our faith in His sacrificial death at Calvary. We walk out this life by faith just as the Israelites crossed the Jordan by faith in the God Who called them out of Egypt. The Lord has called us out of this world to a Salvation that cost Him greatly. We can depend on His constant care and know that He will bring us into the Heavenly Promised Land to be with Him for eternity. If our witness in our story called on the God who delivered the Isralites into the Promised Land, he would have been saved. For ALL who call on the Name of the Lord will be saved.]

Always Remember,

God Loves You!

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Joey’s Story Continues

A Life Long Journey of Faith

A Fictional Narrative

“The Lord your God is in your midst, a Mighty One Who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you by His Love; He will exalt over you with loud singing” (Zephaniah 3:17).

We continue with the story of Joey having begun our journey through the life of Joey with his Salvation and continuing with Joey’s receiving of the Baptism with the Holy Spirit. Our story continued with Joey coming to faith in the rest that is found in Christ through the Word of His Grace.

Joey, now in his later years, has walked with the Lord for many years. He has seen many changes in the church as a whole, many of which were not for the good. The church as a whole had lost its way. Of course, Joey knew that there were many good churches left, but the remnant was smaller than it was when he first came to the Lord. Joey had seen the Lord’s great Mercy in his life and had dedicated his life to the Lord wanting all the Lord was offering those who come as seekers and lovers of God. It was his constant prayer that many, in this troubled world, would see their need and come to the Lord in repentance and faith in His sacrificial death at Calvary. He tells all that he comes across that if they call upon the Lord they will be saved.

The result of his pilgrimage was a life of “joy unspeakable and full of glory.” The Lord had lead him by the hand through all that life brought him – the good, and the not so good. He came to trust the Lord completely and knew that whatever situation he faced in life, the Lord was there for him and would see him through. He knew the importance of bringing all his concerns to the Lord. He found many years ago that when he did that, like David of old, the Lord would bring him through whatever the situation might be. He would look back on these time and see that the Lord had brought him through even the most difficult situation, and could see the Lord’s care in the outcome every time. He didn’t understand all ways of the Lord, but through trials and tribulation he learned to trust the Lord.

He had made up his mind that he wanted all the Lord offered in this “Newness of Life” that the Lord has given us through faith in the sacrificial death of our Savior at Calvary. The Baptism with the Holy Spirit was part of that which the Lord wanted us to have. Joey sought the Lord for this and the Lord answered Joey by giving him the Baptism with the Holy Spirit with the initial evidence of speaking in tongues. Joey knew everything we receive from the Lord is by faith.

When Joey first come to the Lord, he struggled with sin in his life. He wanted to serve the Lord with all his heart but sin brought defeat and shame. How could he sin against the Lord when the Lord had done so much for him. He brought this to the Lord and the Lord showed him that he could not live this Christian life by his own will power. It always leads to defeat. Also, the few victories that may be attained this way can only lead to self-righteousness.

The Lord showed him that this “life” that He offers can only be walked out by faith. Joey realized that the Lord was offering a complete Salvation through faith in Christ and His sacrificial death at Calvary. He came to understand that this was the way the Holy Spirit worked. So Joey placed his faith totally in Christ and the Cross and the Holy Spirit worked grandly in this life. Joey did not believe in sinless perfection, but a daily walk of faith where the Holy Spirit brings both victory and all the benefits of this “more abundant life” the Lord has provided for us.

As Joey’s long journey approaches its final chapter, his advise to those that come the way of faith is this: Know the Word of God and pray. By knowing God’s Word we avoid wrong paths and false doctrine and we honor God. By praying we have fellowship with the Lord and He leads us. The Word brings “light to our path” and prayer builds fellowship with the Lord, “one with another” as 1 John tells us. Also, Joey prays that all those that are seekers of the Lord will seek God for all He has for them in this life. Joey has sought to do just that and he has found that the Lord will meet us where we are and draw us to Himself. Joey has found that this life of faith is a wonderful life, one he is so glad he found and one where the journey gets sweeter every day.

You (the Lord) have said, “Seek My Face.” My heart says to You, “Your Face, Lord, do I seek.” (Psalm 27:8)

Always Remember,

God Loves You!

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Here I Am, Lord – Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com 2025

God’s User Manual

Required Reading For “Life and Godliness”

Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in His ways. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way” (Psalm 25:8,9).

When we buy a product that comes with a user manual we have a decision to make. Do we wing it, or do we read the manual. We may get by with winging it but we get our best use out of what we have purchased by following the manufacturer’s instructions on its use.

The Lord has given us a manual for the life He has given us. Unlike the product we might buy, whereas we might get by winging it, this life the Lord has given us requires that we read the manual. That manual is the Bible.

It has been said that the Bible has been the best-selling book down through the years. Most people have a Bible in their home. In many of these homes it is gathering dust on a shelf, but it is there and available to be read. Why is this manual on the life God has given us not read. Most do not understand the importance of reading the Bible. I suppose there are many reasons for this, but nothing can take the place of our reading the Bible ourselves. To ignore God’s perfect plan for us will bring us eternal loss. The Lord has said the following regarding His Word:

“According to His Divine Power has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and Godliness through the knowledge of Him Who has called us to Glory and Virtue” (2 Peter 1:3).

The Lord has given us a manual that we might know Him and live a life of “Glory and Virtue.” His Word instructs us “through the knowledge of Him” on the way He would have us walk in this journey we are on – this journey of life. To navigate it properly we must be shown the way. The path we travel will determine where our life will bring us in the end. The Lord has promised us the following if we choose to go His way.

“Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that you might be partakers of the Divine Nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:4).

When we venture into the dark we must take a light of some sort with us to see our way. The same is true in our walk through this life. We cannot see our way clearly without being shown the way. Left on our own, we will wander through life a prisoner of our own ungodly desires and a subject of the god of this world – Satan. Our enemies are the world, the flesh and the Devil and there is only one path to walk that will bring us to the place where we are “partakers of the Divine Nature.” The Lord has shown us that way through His Word.

“Your Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105).

The Lord’s “manual” points to the only way to walk a walk pleasing to the Lord and one that will give us blessings and victory. Just as the product we purchased has its best use in following the manufacturer’s instructions; we must follow our Creator’s instructions to have “Life more abundantly.” Whereas we could possibly get by winging it with a product we purchased, this is impossible with the life we have been given by the Lord. This is especially true today with all the false doctrine that we find in the church. The way we recognize false doctrine when it is presented is by knowing God’s Word.

The Lord, in His Word, points us to a Savior Who paid the price for our sin. We are all born with a defect that we must be redeemed from. That defect is called sin. The Fall in the Garden by our first parents resulted in a fallen nature which was passed down to us. Our “Manufacturer” has a recall notice, so to speak, out on us due to this. He is calling us to Him through our Savior by His sacrificial death at Calvary. Our “defect” can only be fixed by the Precious Blood of Jesus. Those who harken to His call are given “Newness of Life.” All instructions for the life He has given us are in His manual to us that shows us the way. It’s  all there in the Bible.

The Lord loved us and proved that love by sending His Son to die on a cruel Cross that He might redeem us from our sin and that we might escape the corruption of this world. It’s all in the Book. Read it today and live. We ignore the Creator’s user manual at our own risk. Eternity is at stake and the Lord has given us “all things for life and Godliness.” You might say the Bible is the Lord’s love letter to us. He promises those of us who go His way, the way of His Word, that He will teach and guide us each day along this path of life. What could be better than that! Read it today!

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with my eye” (Psalm 32:8).

Always Remember,

God Loves You!

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What Does God Require of Us?

What Should We Do?

“Then said they unto Him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?” (John 6:28)

These who came to Jesus with this question where approaching Salvation and relationship with God by what they did. They were trying to come up with the works God would accept that they might be right with the Lord. Approaching the Lord by works is, of course, not what the Lord wants, and will only lead to self-righteousness.

“Jesus answered and said  unto them, This is the Work of God, that you believe on Him Whom He has sent” (John 6:29).

The Lord was showing them the way, the only way, to approach the Lord. We are to come by faith in the One Whom He has sent- the One Who died on a cruel Cross to save us. We are to come in repentance and faith in His sacrificial death at Calvary. This is the work of God. We cannot in ourselves live a life pleasing to the Lord no matter what works we may offer up.

The work of God is the same for us once we come in repentance and faith and receive the “gift” of Salvation. We are to daily place our faith in Christ and Him crucified. The Holy Spirit will work mightily in our lives when we do this. Faith plus works has no place in the Christians life when it comes to living a victorious Christian life. We will, and should, do works as a Christian, but they must be the result of having our faith placed properly. We are to stand fast in faith in the One that loved us and died on the Cross that we might have “Newness of Life.” The Apostle Paul sums this up in the following verse:

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again in the yolk of bondage. Christ has become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by Law; you have fallen from Grace” (Galatians 5:1,4).

The Galatians were gloriously saved through the Apostle Paul’s ministry and were now tempted to go back under the Law. Judaizers, from Jerusalem, had come and told them that they must obey the Law in addition to faith in Christ. Paul is telling them here that this was a prescription for failure and would only lead to bondage. It is faith in Christ, plus nothing, that is the Lord’s prescribed order of victory.

The Lord has provided a complete Salvation for us. Our part is to believe. He died on the Cross for our Salvation and sent the Holy Spirit to live in us and teach us all things. The work of God is to believe in the Savior He sent. The Life of faith is not complicated. A child can understand it. Believe and rest in the finished work of Christ. That’s it. Victory is ours – the Holy Spirit will see to it. The Righteousness of the Law will be fulfilled in us as we walk out this life by faith in the One who paid the price in full for our Salvation.

“That the Righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us (only by our continued faith in Christ crucified), who walk not after the flesh (try to have victory in our own ability), but after the Spirit (the Spirit will bring victory as our faith is continually placed in Christ and His finished work at Calvary) (Romans 8:4).

————————-

The ABC’s of Salvation

A) We are to admit we are sinners unable to save ourselves: “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23), and “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10).

B) We are to acknowledge that Jesus paid the price for our sins on the cross: ” He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes, we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).

C) We are to place our faith in Him (Jesus) and His great sacrificial work on the cross: “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him From the dead, you shall be saved”(Romans 10:9).

God’s Love For Us

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have Everlasting Life(John 3:16).

————————————-

Victorious Christian Living

We were saved by placing our faith in Christ and Him crucified, and we are sanctified (our daily walk) in the same way.

FocusJesus Christ

Object of Faith The Cross of Christ

Power Source – The Holy Spirit

Result- Victory.

With the Lord as the source and the Cross as the means, and that being the object of our faith, then the Holy Spirit who works exclusively within the parameters of the finished work of Christ, will greatly help us. “For the law (law of God) of the Spirit (the way the Holy Spirit works) of life (life comes from Christ) in Christ Jesus (by what He accomplished on the Cross) has made me free (given me victory) from the law of sin and death (the law of the Spirit of life is the only way to have victory over the law of sin and death)” (Romans 8:2).

Defeated Christian Living

In our daily walk with the Lord we are either attempting to live by grace or by law (works). If we add anything to our faith in Christ and Him crucified, then we have left Grace and are operating in law (works). The result will be the following:

FOCUS: WORKS

OBJECT OF FAITH: PERFORMANCE

POWER SOURCE: SELF

RESULT: FAILURE

(Portions of the above are from page 81 of “The Sin Nature” authored by Jimmy Swaggart)

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Always Remember,

God Loves You!

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Here I Am, Lord – Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com 2025

Delivered and Translated

The Lord’s Doings – Marvelous in Our Eyes

“Who has delivered us from the power of darkness, and translated us into the Kingdom of His Dear Son” (Colossians 1:13).

Man cannot deliver himself. In fact, man is dead in his sins and does not, and will not, seek God on his own. These are strong words but they are true. Man will not seek God without the Holy Spirit convicting him of his sin, and lost state, and drawing him to the Lord. This is what our introductory verse is talking about.

We are delivered from our lost state and the powers of darkness that control this world and are translated us into the Kingdom of God. This is done through the hearing of the Gospel and with us agreeing with what God says about us. God’s Word tells us that we are sinners and lost prior to coming to the Lord. Our Salvation is the result of Christ’s sacrificial death at Calvary. Christ is source and the Cross is the means.

Well, what does it mean that Christ is the source and the Cross is the means. The Father sent His Son to die on the Cross to pay the sin debt for man and open the way to a relationship with Him through the born again experience. When Christ suffered death on the Cross and rose from the dead, this allowed the Holy Spirit to come and reside in all born again believers.

The Holy Spirit baptizes us into Christ as Romans chapter 6 tells us. This is a spiritual baptism into Christ.  We are then recipients of “Newness of Life” and the Holy Spirit guides us and teaches us. Upon coming to the Lord, the following takes place:

“…But you are washed, but you are sanctified, but you are justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11).

We were washed meaning we were cleansed from our sin by the Blood of Jesus, we were sanctified which means we are set apart and reflects our position in Christ, and we are justified which means we are declared not guilty and walk in the imputed Righteousness of God. All made possible by what Christ accomplished at Calvary. This is superintendent by the Holy Spirit Who, as has been said, baptizes us into Christ at conversion and indwells all believers.

We are so blessed to know our great God. He did not leave us in our fallen state. He reached down in His great love for us and made a way for “whosoever will” to come to Him. He delivered us from evil, the power of darkness, and translated us into the “Kingdom of His Dear Son.” We have much to be grateful for. We entered a new day on the first Pentecost when the church was born – the Holy Spirit coming in power. He now points all those who will harken to the clarion call to the Gospel of God’s Grace. All the blessings from the Lord come to us at great cost to the Lord. We stand in awe of the love for us that was displayed at Calvary.

This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes” (Psalm 118:23).

Always Remember,

God Loves You!

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Here I Am, Lord – Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com 2025

Are We Hoping or Knowing?

Religion Versus Christianity

There is a way that seems right unto a man, but the ends thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12).

Religion is practiced by many today even within churches that profess to be Christian. It is man trying to gain favor with God and acquire Salvation by what he does. Some approach God by sacraments, laws they obey, or rituals that they believe will give them favor with God and will result in a future in Heaven. Our introductory verse tells us that these ways, though they seem right, will only lead to death.

Eternal separation from the Lord will be the result for those who do not go God’s way. Some approach the Lord with their good works, their “good” lives, and a belief in a relative righteousness that  compares themselves in a favorable way with others. These are all false ways, and a false hope. We cannot approach a Holy God offering up anything we might do. This is not the way to the Salvation that will afford us Eternal Life in the Lord’s presence. The result of religion is death.

We can “know” that we are saved and are on the right path to Heaven. The Lord has made a  way and that way is by faith. The Lord wants us to know that we are saved. He sent His Son as a Savior for us paying the sin debt and opening the way to a relationship with Him. We were dead in our sins unable to save ourselves or do anything that would please the Lord in our lost state. Yes, we can know that we have Eternal Life. It is by faith from first to last.

The story of Cain and Abel stand out as a dichotomy between that which is religion and that which is the only thing the Lord will accept. Cain offered up “the fruit of the ground,” which was his labor, to the Lord. This is religion, man believing that he must seek favor with the Lord, but going about in the wrong way. Abel on the other hand, offered up “the firstlings of his flock” which is what the Lord required. Abel was showing by this that he realized the need for a Savior which, of course, was a type of Christ, the “Lamb of God” who would come and shed His Blood at Calvary for the sin of all mankind. These two men represents all those who come after them. In that, the Lord makes clear the way by which we are saved. We either approach the Lord by what we do, or by faith in His provision.

Many live in a “hope” of Salvation when they can come Gid’s way and  know that they are saved. The Lord has provided this Salvation and gives it freely to all those who beleve in His provision. We can live in that knowledge that we have Salvation today. Religion, on the other hand, is a sad state of affairs because it does not lead to a relationship with the Lord and there is no peace with God. With religion, it is constant, never ending, regiment of work seeking to gain favor with the Lord. And there is no assurance that our sins have been forgiven.

We escape the trap of religion when we come in repentance and faith in Christ and His sacrificial death at Calvary. We then have the assurance that our sins have been forgiven and that we are the children of God with a wonderful future to look forward to. Our “knowing” results in “joy unspeakable” and we have no fear of physical death because we know in Whom we have believed.

If we realize that we have been living a life of trying to please the Lord by being religious; we can be encouraged by looking to the Cross as the answer for the cure for this false way of religion. Jesus came to save us from ourselves. He paid the price we could not pay. We owe all to Him! We can know that we are saved and on our way to Heaven. We can have peace with God having the question of where we will spend eternity settled, and we can have the peace of God in our lives today. It’s called Blessed Assurance and it’s available to whosoever will come. Religion cannot afford us peace or assurance in any way. We can make things right today with the Lord today. For today is the day of Salvation! We need only believe!

“That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes unto Righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto Salvation.” (Romans 10:9,10)

The Sinner’s Prayer

Dear God in Heaven,

I come to you in the Name of Jesus. I’m sorry for my sins. The way I’ve lived, the things I’ve done. Please forgive me. Cleanse me with your Precious Blood from all unrighteousness. With my mouth, I confess Jesus Christ. In my heart, I believe God raised Jesus from the dead, and He is alive. This very moment I accept Jesus Christ as the savior of my soul. And I make Him the Lord of my life. According to your Word which cannot lie: I am washed, I am forgiven. I am saved. Amen.

This prayer has been prayed by millions down through the years.

If you prayed this prayer and believed, according to God’s Word, you have passed from death to life. You have been born again (born from above)! Praise the Lord.

Always Remember,

God Loves You!

Find podcasts of this article, and all the articles on this website on the “Here I Am Lord” podcast on Spotify for Creators, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Pocket Casts, and RadioPublic.

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Here I Am, Lord – Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com 2025