Quote from Forum Archives on October 29, 2005, 10:55 am

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Word for Today, Sat, 20 Oct 2005: Justification by Faith
Dear friends,

I believe that the salvation of God is a gift to us because of the
work of Jesus Christ, who gave His life for us. I also believe,
because it is a gift, that there is nothing I can do to earn it, but
there IS one thing I can do, and have done, and that's believe it and
accept it.

Oswald Chambers says, "I am not saved by believing; I realize I am
saved by believing." That is absolutely right. There is nothing we
can do to save ourselves, but when we are dangling off the edge of a
cliff and someone offers us a rope or a hand, we can (and should) take
it. That is a little bit like salvation. God offers to redeem us,
and Jesus Christ has already done the work to accomplish it, But we
have to cling to the vine that is Christ, for we are merely His
branches. Apart from the vine of Christ, the tree of life, we can do
nothing at all and will amount to nothing of lasting worth.
Nevertheless, in His eyes, we are not deemed worthless. To Him, and
in Him, we have great value, enough value that He was willing to die
and be raised again on our behalf.

Do you believe this, and do you realize that you cannot bridge the
gulf that is between us and God? Only God can do that, and He Has
done that through Jesus Christ. If you trust in Jesus Christ as your
only hope, then you are already saved from the penalty of sin -
eternal separation from God in the everlasting lake of fire. If you
have not taken that step and you are still alive, there is hope, but
not in yourself. Grab that vine, hang on to the hand, embrace the
hope, which cannot be found in anything of this world, but it can be
found in Jesus Christ, and in Him alone.

Yours in Christ,
Brian

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/ MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST -- www.heartlight.org/
--/------------------------------------------------------------------

October 28, 2005

JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH

For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God
by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we
shall be saved by His life.

Romans 5:10
www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=ro+5:10&sr=1

I am not saved by believing; I realize I am saved by believing. It is
not repentance that saves me, repentance is the sign that I realize
what God has done in Christ Jesus. The danger is to put the emphasis
on the effect instead of on the cause. It is my obedience that puts
me right with God, my consecration. Never! I am put right with God
because prior to all, Christ died. When I turn to God and by belief
accept what God reveals I can accept, instantly the stupendous
Atonement of Jesus Christ rushes me into a right relationship with
God; and by the supernatural miracle of God's grace I stand
justified, not because I am sorry for my sin, not because I have
repented, but because of what Jesus has done. The Spirit of God
brings it with a breaking, all-over light, and I know, though I do
not know how, that I am saved.

The salvation of God does not stand on human logic, it stands on the
sacrificial Death of Jesus. We can be born again because of the
Atonement of Our Lord. Sinful men and women can be changed into new
creatures, not by their repentance or their belief, but by the
marvelous work of God in Christ Jesus which is prior to all
experience. The impregnable safety of justification and
sanctification is God Himself. We have not to work out these things
ourselves; they have been worked out by the Atonement. The
supernatural becomes natural by the miracle of God; there is the
realization of what Jesus Christ has already done - "It is finished."

MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST - by Oswald Chambers //
=============================================================== /===
www.heartlight.org/devotionals/my_utmost /

This devotional is copyright Oswald Chambers Publications,
< www.oswaldchambers.co.uk >.

======================================================================

--
Brian Masinick, mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/

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