Category Archives: d) Elements of the Faith

Jesus the Son

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He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Matthew 16:15-16

Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. He was God incarnate, the word of God living among us. Read John 1:14 He is our advocate in heaven, Read 1 John 2:1 and the light of the world. Read John 8:12 Jesus is our only hope in this life and for salvation in the life to come.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:3-5

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Jesus the Redeemer

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The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. John 1:29

To redeem is to buy back, to clear or to recover by payment or other satisfaction, to atone, to expiate (to make amends for, extinguish guilt).

Man is accountable for every sin committed; no man can successfully atone on his own and will face the judgment and wrath of God. Thankfully, Jesus, the son of God, the only perfect and righteous man, the spotless lamb, made the ultimate sacrifice and redeemed us from the penalty of our sin. He took the punishment for the ungodly by his brutal death on the cross. Jesus is the redeemer for all who call on his name.

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ

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And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 1 Corinthians 15:17-20

Three days after dying on the cross, Jesus was raised from the dead. His resurrection proved his deity and validated his substitutionary atonement for our sins. If there is no resurrection, then Jesus did not die for our sins, only for his own. The validity of Christianity rests on the truth of the resurrection.

The Holy Spirit

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And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever. John 14:16

The Holy Spirit God is a divine person with a will and emotions. The Holy Spirit lives within believers and through him we are led, comforted, informed, counseled, and disciplined.  Jesus referred to him as the “comforter” and he will be with you forever.

Every Person Needs Salvation

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 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23

There is none righteous, no, not one. Read Romans 3:10 Every man is guilty before God and under condemnation. All men need salvation, no one will make it to heaven without redemption by the precious blood of Jesus Christ.

The Resurrection of Mankind

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Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. John 5:28-29

Both the saved and the lost will be resurrected from the grave. We are all immortal and will live forever! Now here is the critical distinction that must be understood . . . the saved will be raised to eternal life and the lost to eternal damnation in the agony of Hell. Ample reason to understand the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Sin

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For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. I John 2:16

To sin is to transgress the divine law of God. Often repeated is that the penalty for unrepentant, unforgiven sin is death. Sin is manifested when we are enticed by our own lust and act on it, either in our minds or in the flesh. Lust is an immoral, illicit, unrighteous, or unholy desire or appetite. John tells us that sin resides in one of these three categories:

  • The lust of the flesh – this is the lust that is easiest to grasp, that is physical desire. It is adultery, fornication, pornography indulgence, gluttony, and pleasure.
  • The lust of the eyes – this is covetousness, the lust for things you want. This is often the root of many sins, like murder, adultery, theft, lying, hating your brother, etc.
  • The pride of life – this is the opposite of humility. Hubris, to put yourself ahead of others and even God. This is to violate the number one commandment – to worship only God.

 

Satan and Hell

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The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John 10:10

Satan is known by many names – the Devil, the Prince of the Power of the Air, Beelzebub, Lucifer, Son of Perdition, the Thief, and many others. Whatever you call him, know that he is desirable and beautiful, that he is alive and well and a very real adversary. His goal is simple. He wants you to suffer and then he wants to destroy you and all that you love.

Hell is a real place of eternal suffering where the souls of the lost will be in agony and tormented day and night forever. This is God’s punishment for sin but thankfully, through Jesus Christ that we can escape that fate and exchange hell for heaven. Jesus tells us clearly that after you finish your life on Earth you will spend the rest of eternity in one of two places – either with Satan in hell or with him in heaven.

Salvation by the Grace of God

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For by grace ye are saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works let any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

There is nothing that man can do to earn salvation, it is a gift from God. Good works during your life do not bring salvation, only faith in Jesus Christ does that. We are saved for good works, not by good works. Read Galatians 2:16

The only thing you can do to be saved is to believe there is nothing you can do to be saved other than cast yourself on the mercy of God.