Eternity Grace

"Therefore there is now no condemnation 

for those who are in Christ Jesus."

Romans 8:1

What is there, now?

  

Freedom, and grace!  

We are free from the law of sin and death, 
we have freedom to set our minds on things above,
we have freedom to please God,
and we live now in the current condition 
and wonder and miracle of grace, 
the favor of God,

because of Jesus Christ!  

Now, and for all of eternity.

Are you familiar with Ephesians 2:7?  

The verse before that one says that we were raised up with Christ, and seated with Him in the heavenly places.  

Now here's verse 7...

"...so that in the ages to come 

He might show the surpassing riches of His grace 

in kindness towards us."

Heaven and the coming ages 

are going to be a showcase of the grace of God, 

of His favor towards us!  

What will that look like?

How will that be manifested?

  

We will continue in the ages to come to be witnesses

and beneficiaries of God's marvelous grace!  

Oh how we are loved!

May this freedom and grace in which we now stand
put a skip into your step, 

obedience in your heart and actions, 

and praise upon your lips today!

The Exclusive Claim of Jesus Christ

"Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life,

no one comes to the Father but through Me."

John 14:6

Jesus Himself makes Christianity exclusive.  Christians do not make Christianity exclusive.  We only have the life of God in us, we only have been born again, we only share in God's nature, we only are forgiven, our sins have only been paid for, we only escape the consequences of sin and the corruption of this world - through the truth and work and person of Jesus Christ, alone.  

We are mislead if we think we know God or are saved and have eternal life, without Jesus Christ, or with Jesus Christ and any other philosophy or religion or good works of our own...

Jesus words, are the truth, friend.

Exceptionally Extraordinary!

Partakers

Everyone who is born bears the image of God - we have wills, we desire, we are creative, we think, we work, we enjoy.  But because we are born separated from God by sin, we cannot share in His perfect and holy nature until we are born again.  Then, Jesus dwells in us...we become partakers of His nature at the moment we turn from our sin and turn to Christ and believe He paid the price for our sin on the cross, and that He rose again, conquering sin and death.  This is when life for us truly begins...

New Creation

One of the great delights of scripture study is seeing the same truth in different verses...

"For by these He has granted to us

His precious and magnificent promises,

so that by them you may become 

partakers of the divine nature,

having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust."

2 Peter 1:4

"I have been crucified with Christ;

and it is no longer I who live,

but Christ lives in me;

and the life which I now live in the flesh

I live by faith in the Son of God

who loved me and gave Himself for me."

Galatians 2:20

These two verses tell us just how much we are changed, at salvation.  It is so radical, we go from death, to life.  The precious promises of salvation result in us becoming God's children.  We escape from the power which the rottenness of the world had over us.  When we trust Christ for salvation, we spiritually participate with Jesus in His crucifixion and His victory over sin and death.  Our old self is killed.  It's now dead and we now share in God's nature...we have the very DNA of Jesus in us.  We are new creations and we have the privilege of the indwelling of Jesus Christ empowering us and living in us.  With the power of sin broken and His very life and nature in us, the call is to mirror Jesus in His thoughts, attitudes, and actions. May that be what we strive for, with all out effort, in this new year...to be just like Him, more and more, because He loved us so much in giving Himself for us and because He now lives in us.

One year closer to His return, and one year closer to our transformation being complete...