Happy New Year

Happy New Year

"This is a time for reflection as well as celebration.

As you look back on the past year and all that has taken place in your life,

Remember each experience for the good that has come of it and for the knowledge you have gained.

Remember the efforts you have made and the goals you have reached.

Remember the love you have shared and the happiness you have brought.

Remember the laughter, the joy, the hard work, and the tears.

And as you reflect on the past year, also be thinking of the new one to come.

Because most importantly, this is a time of new beginnings and the celebration of life, the new life that God has given."

Backdoor Revival

Do you sense a depression in the body of Christ in America, as if something is badly wrong? We’re losing influence within our culture as the anti-Christian sentiment grows, yet you’d never know it in most churches—the media, lights, music and preaching rolls on as if all is well.

The situation is exacerbated by this simple fact: We don’t have our act together in the body of Christ. Too often people come to the church, are deeply disappointed and as a result are turned off from the gospel. The church promises solutions but only offers lip service. We’ve become excellent at giving people a show on Sunday but lousy at showing them how to actually live. In fact, most church members are as bound up as those in the world—they’re in financial bondage, struggling with addictions and their families are in disarray.

This includes leaders in the church. I believe, as John Maxwell says, that everything rises and falls based on leadership. So allow me to address the leadership situation within the church community.

Churches and ministries typically grow when leaders are passionate and have a vision. It doesn’t matter if they have seminary degrees; if they can preach the gospel and if people gravitate to them, they suddenly have a growing church! Anointing is more important than academics. That’s partly why our churches are growing while other areas of the body aren’t.

But there’s a dark underbelly to church leadership too. Often the leaders are theologically untrained and veer from biblical doctrine. What else can explain the numerous—and usually public—theological gaffes such as Benny Hinn preaching that God is nine gods or Eddie Long being paraded around his church as a crowned king (amid a sex scandal)?

As troubling as sloppy theology is, I’m equally disturbed by leaders’ behind-the-scenes attitudes toward their flocks. The church community obviously isn’t the only one with “my way or the highway” leaders. But I’ve heard far too many pastors joke in private about having a “backdoor revival” before their church could move ahead. Translation: They had to make some people leave. They feel that God is telling them they are not their pastor anymore. Then these same leaders question why so many people have come through their doors and no one is staying. The Holy Spirit is hampered and these leaders have a form of godliness but denying its power.

I recently spoke with four friends about why it’s hard to find a good church. They are successful financially and are passionate believers. On the surface, they’re what every pastor needs. Yet after being active in a local church, they both became disillusioned with what they saw and how they were treated. As they recounted stories of how pastors felt threatened by their powerful personalities and positions, I felt sorry for my friends (for never experiencing the community they sought) and for the insecure leaders they served.

Countless other mature Christians have been so wounded by leadership that they stay home on Sunday and “go to church” by watching Charles Stanley or Jack Hayford. They get a good message, some good music and an opportunity to “tithe” to that ministry. Sometimes this is a transitional period. Too often it’s not.

But this isn’t Christian community. Aren’t we supposed to assemble with other believers? Aren’t we supposed to bring a hymn or a Scripture or a prophetic word when we meet? In larger churches this need is met in small groups or in various ministries of the church. There are many examples of healthy churches where this happens. But too often it isn’t.

So what’s the answer? I believe more church leaders need to be pastored, mentored and discipled themselves. Like the rest of us, they need accountability and true relationship, which produces a spirit of humility and servanthood rather than an “I’m the bishop, serve me” mentality or follow the leader and if you don’t then create ways of alienation for them to leave.

Leaders are held to a higher standard. Paul’s letters are full of specific directives for Christian leaders. Jesus said it’s better for someone to be cast into the sea with a millstone around their neck than to cause one person to stumble (Mark 9:42). It’s time for us to wake up and see what’s happening. There is a lost world to be won. There are “sheep” who need to be nurtured, fed and discipled in the things of God. It’s the only way a believer can survive in this increasingly difficult cultural environment!

Until this happens, people—like my friends—will feel as if they’re drifting. They’ll never really find their place in the body of Christ. And sooner or later, they will “vote with their feet” by going somewhere else—or worse still, nowhere.

Why I'm Ashamed of the American Church

12:00PM EST 1/18/2013 DANITA ESTRELLA

The gospel in my Bible is dramatically different from that preached in many churches.

I spend most of my time on the mission field in Haiti. Yet when I come to the U.S., I am reluctant to go to church. It's embarrassing to admit, but it's true. Often I hesitate to walk through the church doors.

I continually ask myself, Why? I love God with all my heart, I love His people and I love His Word.

So then, what is the problem?

My struggle stems from the fact that the gospel I read in my Bible is dramatically different from the gospel that is preached in many American churches today. Before I explain, let me give you some background.

First, I believe in prosperity. I am a mother to 72 children, and 504 children sit at my lunch table daily.

I moved to Haiti alone in 1999 with a promise from God: "Go, and I will be with you." Though the early years were marked with pain and hardship, in the last eight years, the Lord has blessed me beyond measure.

Second, I believe in healing. I have to! Good medical care is nonexistent where I live in Haiti.

In 2002, my 3-year-old boy, Guy, was dying of AIDS. His face looked skeletal, his eyes had sunken in, and he refused to eat or drink.

It was my faith and prayers of desperation that brought him back to life. Today, he is 8 years old, healthy and beautiful.

Third, I am a woman of faith. In 2001, the property that I had purchased was a cactus field. Today, we have a church, a school and two orphanages.

I do not consider myself to be a "poverty-mentality" missionary. I believe God's people should be blessed.

But when was the last time you heard a teaching on suffering? Why does the church love to teach on Hebrews 11, the chapter of faith, but conveniently stop at verse 34?

Verses 36-39 state of the heroic saints who went before us: "Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—the world was not worthy of them.

"They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised" (NIV).

Why do we not teach new converts Philippians 1:29? "For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him."

Not many churches today are raising up a generation of men and women who are prepared to risk it all for the sake of the gospel. Why? Because we have omitted the teaching about suffering saints.

Could this be the reason that the American missionary is becoming a dying breed and most of them who do go, do not return for a second term?

Do I think the church should stop preaching about the blessings of God? No. I believe the church should teach that God is an intimate God. He deals with us as individuals.

He may require something from you that He does not require from others. We are not all chosen to walk the same road.

The apostle Paul was beheaded in prison, but prior to his death he told Timothy to endure hardship as a good soldier (see 2 Tim. 2:3). Peter's final words to the church were "Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps" (1 Pet. 2:21).

You may never have to give your life for the gospel, but would you be willing? When God hears the cries of His people, He looks for a deliverer. And the deliverer He calls may be you.

The message of the cross can be summed up in two words: "Follow Me." Today, the eyes of the Lord are going to and fro throughout the earth and He is asking: "Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?"

Can you honestly say, "Here I am, Lord, send me"?

Danita Estrella is the founder of Hope for Haiti Children's center, a ministry that provides food, clothing, education, medical care and the teaching of the gospel to impoverished children in Ouanaminthe, Haiti. She has lived in Haiti since 1999. For more information, go to danitaschildren.org.

New, new, new!

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. – Romans 15:5-6 (NIV)

A new idea, a new project, a new goal, or new adventure seems to come pre-packaged with a dose of adrenaline, anticipation, and excitement.  The residue of simply thinking about the possibilities can power an electric plant!

For some of us, it takes time to warm up to… or buy into taking on something new.  The fear of change, the thought of pouring energy into change, and the resistance that change brings – keeps many on the bench and far from those tingling nerve endings that emerge when embarking on a new path.

We can spend all of our resources inviting people to change.  We get caught up in their emotional highs and soak up the outflow of the energy they produce – and we push forward together.  Getting started… making change… easy.  Staying the course, pressing on, breaking through, and pushing beyond the re-boot… takes fierce persistence.

We consume our fuel and pour it all into new beginnings… hoping someone will refill the tank to help us continue.  In any new plan… we need gas!

As Christians, we can soak up the excitement of new beginnings with our buddies – that’s easy work.  But we should be prepared to encourage one another as our resolutions lose their resolve – and we hit the wall.  Reach out today – find someone who’s sluggish – give them fuel.  They are hungry for the boost.


by Jeremiah
Argument plus depiction still offer a potent combination. Argument without depiction risks being dull to all but highly motivated specialists, while depiction without argument risks confusion and even appropriation by contrary convictions. But argument and depiction that is worked out in life produces the abundant fruit for all to eat.

Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf

Proverbs 11:28- "Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf." A truly righteous man not only trusts in the Lord in all situations, but is patient in doing so.
God calms the storm in His time; knowing the exact duration of fire needed to perfect His work, for His glory; which in turn produces fruit in our lives richly. Praise to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for always being right on time!

Is it Politics or Is it the Church

John Adams, the second president of the United States, wrote, "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.... Free government rests upon public and private morality." It is not our government that has failed; it's the church that has failed to be the salt of the earth (Matt. 5:13).

Read what Dr. Jedediah Morse said in 1799: "In proportion as the genuine effects of Christianity are diminished in any nation, either through unbelief, or the corruption of its doctrines, or the neglect of its institutions; in the same proportion will the people of that nation recede from the blessings of genuine freedom...Whenever the pillars of Christianity shall be overthrown, our present republican forms of government, and all the blessings which flow from them, must fall with them." He was saying that Christianity, not government, is the driving force behind true freedom.

When World War II brought America back to her knees, a revival broke out that is still referred to as the era of the highest church attendance in recent history. A time of repentance and seeking God brought peace and a period of great prosperity. But sadly, the result was a church that was lulled to sleep. While it was sleeping, a generation of "baby boomers" became obsessed with materialism and freedom from moral constraint.

How did the church react? In a variety of ways, some of which were very good. People began seeking the Lord, and the Lord answered through what is often called "The Jesus People Movement," "The Charismatic Movement," "The Word of Faith Movement," "The Lay Witness Renewal," and others. These revivals were not spearheaded by any individual, yet they had worldwide impact. Truly these were mighty moves of God's Spirit.

Yet, as a whole, the church responded by promoting political involvement as the answer to society's woes. Make no mistake--Christians who live in a country that provides them the freedom to govern through voting or holding political office have a responsibility to participate. However, for many, politics has not been a weapon against the moral decline; it has been the only weapon.

The `70s and `80s saw the largest influx of Christians into the political process in recent history, and it did produce some good results. It influenced who was elected president and helped change the balance of power in Congress and the Supreme Court. Although some good came of it and the potential destruction of our nation was stayed off a little longer, it hasn't turned the tide. There are still millions of innocent children killed every year. Immorality continues to advance nearly unchecked. And some of our so-called "conservative" Supreme Court appointees defied logic by turning the government loose in ways that would have caused our Founding Fathers to mount a revolution.

Calvin Coolidge, the thirtieth president of the United States (1923-1929), declared, "The foundations of our society and our government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be difficult to support them [the foundations of society] if faith in these teachings would cease to be practically universal in our country" (brackets mine).

Our society isn't sick because of the government; it's sick because the church has not made faith in the teaching of the Bible "practically universal in our country." Once we cease to win the hearts of man, it is inevitable that ungodly people will make their way into leadership and take the country with them.

If we change people's hearts with the Gospel, the people will change the government with their votes. Government merely reflects what people believe in their hearts; it does nothing to form those beliefs. William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania, wrote in the late 1600s, "Government seems to me to be a part of religion itself.... Let men be good, and the government cannot be bad."

It's good to pursue legal action and political means to right wrongs. But the power of the Gospel has more power to change the hearts of man than all the military might and legislative bodies of any government. Billy Graham understood that when he was asked to run for president in the 1950s. He responded by saying he would not lower himself to that position. He was not attempting to diminish the office of the president; he was elevating the office of a minister of the Gospel.

Elias Boudinot, president of the Continental Congress in 1783 and later congressman from New Jersey who served as president of the American Bible Society, said "the moral character of a people once degenerate, their political character must soon follow."

There is a civil war going on in America today, but it is not political. Sure, the courtrooms and congressional halls are the battlegrounds, but the war itself is between light and dark--the truth of the Gospel and the lies of the devil. It's between the people of God and the children of the devil.

In this war, the Enemy tries to hide his true objectives behind the mask of individual rights and personal liberties. But make no mistake: The real goal is the elimination of God and His influence from society so people can indulge in their carnal lifestyles without conviction or guilt.

The way to win this war and save the political character of this nation is to change the moral character of its people with the Gospel. Our Founding Fathers understood that. Dr. Benjamin Rush said in 1786, "Nothing can be politically right that is morally wrong."

The church needs to refocus its energies back to the Great Commission that our Lord Jesus Christ gave us: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen" (Matt. 28:19-20).

God Is For Us! by Jack Hayford

God Is For Us! by Jack Hayford



God is for us, loved one!

Those words are His—found in abundance in His Holy Word. They are found in verses so clear, so Self-expressive of our Father's love, so totally supportive and so fully committed to us that there is no mistaking His intent that we firmly grasp the idea. The reason? Because doubts and fears too easily and constantly beset us.

We are all tempted at times to wonder: Is God's mind tuned to my heart-cry...my need? Is His eye focused on me now...on my present situation? Will God's hand reach my way...to cover me—in time? But His Word answers these questions for us. When we cry out, "What shall we say to these things?" His Word thunders in response: "If God be for us, who can be against us!" (Romans 8:31).

What kinds of "things" does this cover? What are the situations where we can expect we will find, "God is for us"? Here's just the beginning of a list:

He is for us when we are going through hard times.

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God...Since you were precious in My sight, you have been honored, and I have loved you..." (Isaiah 43:2-4)

He is for us when we feel others have forgotten or forsaken us.

"Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands..." (Isaiah 49:15-16)

I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread... (Psalm 37:25)

For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." So we may boldly say: "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?" (Hebrews 13:5-6)

He is for us when physical or material needs press around us.

"I am the Lord who heals you..." (Exodus 15:26)

"For I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds..." (Jeremiah 30:17)
"I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, for My anger has turned away..." (Hosea 14:4)

...[Since He] did not spare His own Son...shall He not with Him freely give us all things? (Romans 8:32)

Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know [and]... whoever calls upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved. (Jeremiah 33:3; Joel 2:32)

There is not a moment when we are out of God's mind, His gaze, or His touch. And there is not a moment when He is ever, ever anything less than completely for us!

Hear it once for all: He has made an eternal vow to His own, saying, "The mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but My kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace be removed," says the Lord, who has mercy on you (Isaiah 54:10).

Let each of us settle it in our souls. What we read is what He wants us to declare: God is for us! So say it—then say it again.

Then let us move into our days, serving Him because He loves us—not working for Him in hope we might earn His love. Shout it with all your heart! Everybody deserves to know...God is for us!

Church and State, the Compromise of Christianity

The coziness between church and state may be good for the state; it is bad for the church. Herein lies the chief danger to grace: the state, which runs by the rules of ungrace, gradually drowns out the church’s sublime message of grace. Insatiable for power, the state may well decide that the church could prove even more useful if the state controlled it. The church works best as a force of resistance, a counterbalance to the consuming power of the state. The cozier it gets with government, the more watered down the message and absolute quality of Jesus’ commands becomes. Then the state will turn them into a form of external morality and they will precisely become the opposite of the gospel of grace.

A state government can shut down stores and theaters on Sunday, but it cannot compel worship. It can arrest and punish KKK murderers but cannot cure their hatred, much less teach them love. It can pass laws making divorce more difficult but cannot force husbands to love their wives and wives their husbands. It can give subsidies to the poor but cannot force the rich to show them compassion and justice. It can ban adultery but not lust, theft but not covetousness, cheating but not pride. It can encourage virtue but not holiness.

All too often the church holds up a mirror reflecting back the society around it, rather than a window revealing a different way.

The world's great economic crisis is not the result of the rich oppressing the poor. A much better case can be made that it's the result of the world turning its back on God. The cure for the world's woes is not government handouts, bailouts and entitlements. It should be obvious the world's governments are too bankrupt to expand or even continue this destructive behavior. You cannot collect enough wealth from the rich to provide middle-class luxuries to everyone on earth – especially when the media is encouraging greater and greater immorality.

The path to sanity and prosperity is paved with righteousness. It's paved with workers and employers who put God first and have a servant's heart. It's paved by giving up the "modern family" and reestablishing the family as God intended it to be. It's paved with real compassion and generosity – not forced redistribution of wealth. It's paved with redemption of the media.

The subtlety of projecting Christianity in being incorporated into state functions and laws and thinking that is the true function of the church and the gospel is not the true gospel of grace. No matter what our influence is to the state we cannot legislate morality or have state run Christianity. Why? The state cannot change the heart, that is God’s job. You cannot change your own heart nor the heart of someone else. Yes, you and the state have influence, but not the power over the will. The church has been using external means to change an internal problem. We do not need a change of our country. We do not need a change of politicians. We do not need change of laws. What we need is a change of hearts, for when the heart changes the politicians change, the laws change, and the country changes. The changes do not occur from the outside in, but from the insides out.

As a church we should be focusing on the internal and not the external that is why the church has become impotent. The church has taken God out of the equation and makes emphasis on external political means. Jesus Christ did not use political means to accomplish His goals, nor did He teach His disciples to use them. Jesus used grassroots, the basis of a country is underlayed by the people. If the people are no longer following Jesus Christ, then the country will be proceded by whatever belief system that is in place. If we as a church would spend our time on dealing with the internal issues and grassroots that Jesus advocated, we would not as a country be in the moral decay that we find ourselves in. To quote Dr. Martin Luther King: "The ends don't justify the means, for the means represent the seed and ends represent the tree."

“Stand Fast”

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
2Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.
3For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.
4Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

“Stand fast” is an expression of the Greek word “STEKO.” STEKO means “to stand firm...persevere...to hold one’s ground” (Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon). Just as countries must persevere to maintain freedom and protection of their rights, so also must we stand fast in protecting our spiritual freedom.

Paul’s admonition to “stand fast” also reveals that our freedom in Christ doesn’t function automatically. We have a part to play. Our adversary, the devil, is always seeking whom he may devour (1Pe 5:8). Legalism is one of his greatest weapons, and we must resist every attempt he makes to draw us back into self-effort (1Pe 5:9).

When you see the word “therefore,” you need to stop and think what that word is there for. The word links what Paul was saying here with what he said in the previous verses.

Paul had just compared being under the Law to being a descendant of the slave woman, Hagar, and therefore not an heir of the promises of God (Ga 4:22). Therefore, since none of us want to be cast out from the inheritance of God, we need to steadfastly defend our liberty that we have received through faith in Christ.

The word “liberty” means “1.a. The condition of being free from restriction or control. b. The right and power to act, believe, or express oneself in a manner of one’s own choosing. c. The condition of being physically and legally free from confinement, servitude, or forced labor” (American Heritage Dictionary). The liberty that Paul was speaking of is specifically the freedom from the oppression of the Old Testament Law (Ro 3:19).

Of course, Paul was not out of control. He was controlled by his love for the Lord instead of his fear of punishment for breaking the O.T. Law. Paul made it clear in Ga 5:13-15 that this liberty is not freedom to sin but freedom from sin. If we use our freedom in Christ to indulge our sinful passions, we will pay a price (Ga 5:15).

The word “entangled” in Greek carries the idea of being “ensnared or held in a net” (Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament). The bondage that had ensnared the Galatians was the Law’s demands in which they were trying to find God’s favor or acceptance through performance.

God paid the ultimate price for our liberty. Freedom from self-justification through the Law was purchased by Christ upon the cross. We must never let anything or anyone bring us back into bondage again.

The context makes it very clear that this “yoke of bondage” that Paul was speaking of is the Old Testament Law. This is a strong statement and leaves no doubt that the Law was not for the purpose of liberty but bondage (Ro 3:19; Ro 7:11).

Contrast the Law’s “yoke of bondage” with what Christ said in Mt 11:29-30: “Take my yoke upon you...For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Mt 11:29).

Paul was circumcised himself (Php 3:5), so what was he saying? Paul was referring to trusting in some external action to produce justification with God instead of just faith in Christ. The false teachers in Galatia had taught that circumcision (Ac 15:1) and the keeping of the Old Testament Law were necessary for salvation.

It doesn’t matter if it is circumcision, water baptism, holiness, or any other religious act; trust in anything except Christ voids the saving effects of Christ in our lives (Ga 2:21).

A simple way to detect what our faith is in is to imagine ourselves standing before God, giving a reason that we should be allowed into heaven. If we pointed out our church attendance, giving receipts, acts of holiness, or anything else, then that is what our faith is in. Those of us who would do that are no different than Muslims or Buddhists. We would be trusting in our own efforts to produce salvation.

The proper response would be to say, “The only thing that makes me worthy to enter heaven is what Jesus did for me. My total faith and trust is in Jesus.” It’s not Jesus plus anything (Ro 11:6). Faith alone saves (Joh 3:3).

The phrase “Christ shall profit you nothing” is another way of saying that if people turn to self-effort for salvation, then they cannot benefit in any way from what Christ has done for them. The only way to appropriate what Jesus did for man is by faith.

It is possible to put total faith in Jesus concerning our eternal salvation and yet turn back to the deception that God will only bless us in this life proportionally to our performance. That is not true and will keep us from experiencing the abundant life Jesus purchased for us (Joh 10:10).

Paul was circumcised (Php 3:5), so he was not saying that circumcision prevents people from being saved. He was saying that people can’t trust in any outward acts of holiness on their part to save them. Their faith has to be in Christ alone.

Ga 5:3 is saying the same thing as Jas 2:10. Those who commit to obeying any part of the Law for justification obligate themselves to keeping all of the Law (Ga 3:10).

The phrase in Ga 5:4 says “is become of no effect unto you” was rendered from the Greek words “APO” and “KATARGEO.” KATARGEO means “to be (render) entirely idle (useless), literally or figuratively” (Strong’s Concordance). Regarding the Greek word APO, Strong’s Concordance says, “In composition (as a prefix) it usually denotes separation, departure, cessation, completion, reversal, etc.”

What effect is Christ having in your life? If you feel separated from what Christ has done for you, then the cause is probably what Paul was speaking about here. You have turned from grace and are trying to earn God’s favor. That stops God’s power and makes all that Jesus provided of no effect in your life. The antidote is to get back into the grace of God by putting faith in what Jesus did for you and not in what you are doing for Him (Ro 5:1-2).

Here are some scriptures that speak of voiding what Christ did, and they are all centered around legalism: Mr 7:13; 1Co 15:14-17; Ro 9:31-32; Ga 2:21, 5:2, and 4.

The New American Standard Version states, “You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace”. We all know how serious it is to have a body part severed, such as an arm or a foot. How much more dangerous it is to be “severed from Christ.” This takes place when anyone turns from grace to the Law for salvation.

The expression “you are fallen from grace” “should be understood not in the sense that grace has been taken away from them, but in the sense that they have turned their backs on it. One may also say ‘you have put yourself in a place where God cannot be good to you, or show you His goodness’” (UBS Handbook, p. 122). “Fallen from grace” is not speaking about the Armenian doctrine of losing salvation by one’s sins; rather, it is speaking of turning from the method of salvation (grace) to seeking salvation by another way.

Romans 11:6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.

Paul stated the doctrine of justification by grace through faith so clearly in his writings that any person who claims to believe the Bible has to acknowledge this truth. However, one of Satan’s cleverest deceptions is to take a truth and add to it until it is no longer the truth. Lest that happen with this doctrine of grace, Paul stated emphatically that we cannot combine anything with God’s grace as a requirement for salvation.

In the same way that gasoline and water don’t mix, so grace and works will not mix. Justification has to be all works or all grace, but not a combination of the two.

In this epistle, Paul repeatedly made his point of justification by grace through faith. He repeatedly stressed that faith is the only requirement on our part. Here he was repeating that point once again in perhaps his clearest words yet. Still, an abundance of religious people today cannot accept the fact that all we have to do is to believe to receive God’s grace (Ro 5:2). This verse leaves no alternatives.

If you believe that you earn, deserve, receive by works (performance) or sacrifice, or keeping rules, regulations, or laws then you have fallen from grace. Stand fast therefore in the grace that Jesus Christ has provided for you.

Are You Fully Alive and Fully Human, the Way God Intends for You to Live

Are you living with a sense that something's missing in your life? If you so, you may be settling for less than the best God wants for you. The only way you can truly find fulfillment is by living up to your fullest potential - to be fully alive, and fully human - the way God intends for you to live.

Jesus, who was both fully God and fully human, lived that kind of life. He stands ready to help you become the best version of yourself. Here's how you can join Him on that journey:

Recognize how God has made you in His image. You're creative because God is creative; you communicate because God communicates; you're intelligent because God is intelligent; you're relational because God is relational; and you're morally responsible because God is a moral being. Decide to do all you can to develop and express those qualities in distinctive ways, according to how God has uniquely designed you.

Appreciate how other people reflect God's image. Ask God to help you see other people as He sees them so you can recognize their value and appreciate the unique contributions that they make to the world - whether or not society values them. Notice how even people who are forgotten or mistreated in society, such as disabled people or addicts, have the same great value in God's eyes as everyone else does. Reach out to others with encouragement and support to help them reach their fullest potential while you're working to reach your own full potential, since together you all can improve the world in bigger ways than you could just by yourself.

Realize that a connection to God through Jesus is what humanizes you. If the intimacy that you were created to enjoy with God is broken through sin, you can drift away from Him. The farther you drift away from God, the more prone you become to behaviors that dehumanize you by violating the essence of who you are. But Jesus came to give you a complete and fulfilling life by restoring your intimacy with God.

Seek God and nurture your soul in a materialistic age. Many people in our society are preoccupied with earning and spending money. But God calls you to seek Him first and trust Him to meet all of your material needs. So make it your first priority to pursue God than you do to pursuing money.

Nurture your mind in a mindless age. Even though some people are content to be entertained in life without seeking to keep learning, God wants you to cultivate the mind He gave you by continuing to learn something new every day.

Pursue creativity and excellence in a superficial, expendable age. Our society doesn't demand or even expect that people use their creativity to produce excellent work, but God wants you to blaze new trails to help make the world a better place.

Go relationally deep in an age of shallow relationships. Many people substitute shallow relationships they have with people they connect with in the virtual, digital world of technology for real, in-person relationships. But God calls you to spend time with people in person to build relationships that can truly go deep, helping you and them grow closer to God together.

Love, forgive, and accept others in an age of anger, rejection, and revenge. Society celebrates selfish interests that lead to a destructive cycle of wounds and bitterness, that then cause anger, rejection, and revenge. But God wants to pour out His healing love through your life, so answer His call to love, forgive, and accept other people.

Embrace certainty in a relativistic age. Attitudes of moral and intellectual relativism are commonplace throughout our society today, but God has revealed absolute truth through the Bible, and He wants you to choose to embrace that truth, even when others around you are falling victim to misguided, relativistic philosophies.

Slow down in a frantic age. Life often moves at too fast a pace in our society to be healthy. God wants you to rediscover the proper rhythm of life, living free of the burden of hurry.

Value everyone in a segmented age. Our society segments people in many ways, such as by gender, race, age, nationality, education, and income. But God calls you to look for His image in the face of everyone you meet.

Come to your senses. Acknowledge the reality of sin in your life that is limiting you and and afflicting you with the brokenness that's causing you to feel incomplete. Then let that awakening motivate you to turn to Jesus, who can restore you to a healthy condition and empower you to live a fulfilling life. Keep pursuing Jesus persistently, learning more and growing closer to Him every day. Communicate with Him often through prayer and open your heart to follow where He leads you as He restores your soul.

Ask Jesus to give you a pure heart. Pray for the ability to devote yourself to God and invite His love to flow through you to other people.

Ask Jesus to renew your mind. Pray for the ability to develop your mental capacity to its fullest and keep learning every new day that you're alive.

Ask Jesus to give you a new spirit. Pray for the ability to develop your spiritual capacity to its fullest. Cultivate it through such spiritual disciplines as worship, prayer, Bible reading, meditation, solitude, silence, and fasting.

Ask Jesus to rebuild your relationships. Pray for the ability to heal the broken relationships in your life by loving, forgiving, and accepting other people.

Ask Jesus to rekindle your creativity. Pray for the ability to identify, develop, and express the talents that God has given you to help make the world a better place.

Ask Jesus to help you live harmoniously. Pray for the ability to become the complete, whole person God created you to be, pulling together the different aspects of your life into a harmonious lifestyle that is faithful to Him throughout your daily life.

Ask Jesus to keep you focused on God's purposes for your life. Pray for the ability to keep working toward fulfilling God's purposes for you. Respond to His calls to serve others, and expect that, as you do, God will keep increasing your capacity to love.

Resting in What God has Already Provided by Grace

Hebrews 4:10-11
10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

Rest is what the writer had been speaking of. It is ceasing from our works the way God did from His after Creation.

When the Lord created the heavens and the earth, He did it in a unique way that many people have not understood. He didn't just create trees, plants, and animals. But He created them in a way that they could procreate. That means He doesn't make new trees, plants, and animals today. But His original act of creation was done in a way that He has been resting ever since. He did it perfectly and so completely that He hasn't had to create since.

This is what the Old Testament Sabbath was painting a picture of. It was only a type and shadow of this New Testament rest (Col 2:17). It was not the reality itself. The Jews were commanded to take one day out of seven off and devote it to worshiping the Lord as an act of faith that God was their source. In the natural, this didn't make sense. If they didn't work every day, they wouldn't prosper as much as those who did. But that's not the way it worked. Because of their faith in the Lord, which was expressed through their obedience to take the Sabbath off, they prospered more than those who worked seven days a week. God was teaching them to rest in the Lord as their source and not their own works.

Just in case anybody missed the obvious lesson of the weekly Sabbath, the Lord told the Israelites to take one year out of seven off (Le 25). During the seventh year the Israelites couldn't sow or reap any crops. That which came up naturally they had to leave in the fields for the poor and the wild beasts.

Some would say, "What shall we eat the seventh year?" (Le 25:20) The Lord blessed their crops supernaturally on the sixth year so that their fields brought forth three times a normal harvest. They would eat the harvest of the sixth year during the sixth, seventh, and the eighth year while their crops were growing.
All of this pictured that God is our source. We may work and sow our crops, but it is God that gives the increase. Likewise, in the New Testament, Jesus has done everything for us. He isn't still saving people and healing them. That has already been done. All we are doing is entering into what has already been provided.

Those who think they have to act a certain way to gain God's acceptance and approval are not resting in the finished work of Christ. Sure, we need to live holy, but it should be a fruit and not a root of our relationship with the Lord. This is what the Old Testament Sabbath was a picture of.

Those who legalistically observe the Sabbath today with the belief that the Lord is angry with those who don't, are missing the true meaning of the Sabbath. They are really Sabbath breakers. True Sabbath keepers in the New Testament are those who don't try and relate to the Lord by their holiness but totally rely on what Jesus did for them to make them acceptable to the Lord. That is a relationship to be enjoyed every day of our lives and not a single day per week.

This was understood by the early New Testament church and is one of the specific reasons they chose to meet on the first day of the week (Sunday) instead of the seventh day (Saturday), which was the Jewish Sabbath. They knew they were free from the observance of a day and were now living in the true Sabbath that the seventh-day observance pictured.

Hebrews 4:11 sounds like an oxymoron. Why labor to rest? If you understand clearly what the rest of the Lord is (Heb 4:10), then it takes effort to rest in the finished work of the Lord. Our human natures want to do something to be worthy of the Lord's blessings. But the truth is that we can never deserve the goodness of the Lord. We have to cease from trusting in our own works and rest in what Jesus has freely provided by grace. It will be the hardest thing you will ever do. You need to get where you trust that God has done everything instead of thinking that something still needs to be done. It's challenging to control your tongue, anxieties, and actions. It takes effort, you have to labor to rest.

Amazed at the Judgments and Attacks by Christians

J Lee Grady (Charisma Magazine) wrote in a recent article “The Ominous Handwriting on America’s Wall” and quote: “An earthquake rattles Washington, D.C., and a fierce storm ravages the East Coast. Is God speaking to us? I’m not a doomsday prophet, and I don’t believe every hurricane, earthquake or drought is God’s judgment. But I did pause to ponder the significance of the freakish 5.8-magnitude quake that jolted the East Coast last week. The White House was evacuated, the Washington Monument was closed indefinitely because of cracks, and the National Cathedral’s central tower was seriously damaged. Does anybody else find that slightly spooky?” Also, “Judgment from God? That’s not how I view disasters. But I do think last week’s double whammy was about as obvious a sign from heaven as when God scribbled a warning on the wall while King Belshazzar was partying in his palace. Hello? Is anybody reading the handwriting on America’s wall?”

What was disturbing was not so much what J Lee Grady wrote but what fellow Christians wrote in the afterthoughts following the article. They all seemed to be happy about judgment, and happy that they thought they were better than the ones they thought were being judged. It bewilders me that Christians think that they have deserved a place with God. That they have earned a spot in God’s army as if they have done something so wonderful that God loved what they were doing with their life that God could not help it but to bring them along and sit them along side of His judgment seat. What is more insidious than that is that the cross has been negated. All sin has already been judged at the cross. When you look up all in the Greek it is very profound, it means all. It does not mean some or the one’s you get to pick and chose, it means all.

2 Corinthians 5:19 (KJV)
19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

1 John 2:2 (KJV)
2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Titus 3:5 (KJV)
5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

Mercy is not receiving what we justly deserve; grace is receiving what we don’t justly deserve. If this is true how can we stand in judgment of anything? If all judgment for sins came upon Jesus, than what judgment can become on us. We keep on pointing to sins that Jesus has already died for, and that puts us into what Paul says in Galatians:

Galatians 5:4 (KJV)
4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

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

God has designed salvation in such a way as to eliminate any boasting from man. If salvation was by works, either partially or wholly, then man could boast, but grace and faith eliminate man's boasting altogether (Ro 3:27). Salvation by grace brings praise and glory to God. If we could save ourselves, either partially or wholly, we would take the credit for it. That is not the case. All the glory goes to God.

Finally Paul says in Galatians 6:14 (KJV) But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

Christians have been so busy pointing out sins and having a sin conscientiousness which means the world has not been crucified and they do not believe in the cross of Jesus Christ and what was accomplished there.

I have been humbled by the Lord Jesus Christ, knowing that He loves me and gave Himself for me even though I do not deserve it at all. His love for me is because of His love. "God loves you and me unconditionally, as you are and not as you should be, because nobody is as they should be." In the light of that, how can we stand in judgment of anything or point to any sin in anyone else?

Love & Friendship

A story is told about a soldier who was finally coming home after having fought in two tours of duty.

He called his parents from San Francisco. “Mom and Dad, I’m coming home, but I’ve got a favor to ask. I have a friend I’d like to bring with me.” “Sure,” they replied, “we’d love to meet him.” “There’s something you should know the son continued, “he was hurt pretty badly in the fighting. He stepped on a land mined and lost an arm and a leg. He has nowhere else to go, and I want him to come live with us.” “I’m sorry to hear that, son. Maybe we can help him find somewhere to live.”

“No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us.” “Son,” said the father, “you don’t know what you’re asking. Someone with such a handicap would be a terrible burden on us. We have our own lives to live, and we can’t let something like this interfere with our lives. I think you should just come home and forget about this guy. He’ll find a way to live on his own.” At that point, the son hung up the phone. The parents heard nothing more from him.

A few days later, however, they received a call from the San Francisco police. Their son had died after falling from a building, they were told. The police believed it was suicide. The grief-stricken parents flew to San Francisco and were taken to the city morgue to identify the body of their son. They recognized him, but to their horror they also discovered something they didn’t know, their son had only one arm and one leg.

The parents in this story are like many of us. We find it easy to love those who are good-looking or fun to have around, but we don’t like people who inconvenience us or make us feel uncomfortable. We would rather stay away from people who aren’t as healthy, beautiful, or smart as we are.

Thankfully, there’s someone who won’t treat us that way. Someone who loves us with an unconditional love that welcomes us into the forever family, regardless of how messed up we are.

Tonight, before you go to sleep for the night, say a prayer that God will give you the strength you need to accept people as they are, and to help us all be more understanding of those who are different from us!!!

There’s a miracle called -Friendship- that dwells in the heart. You don’t know how it happens or when it gets started. But you know the special lift It always brings and you realize that Friendship Is God’s most precious gift!

Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us.

The Gospel of Jesus is not enough! Or is It?

There are thousands of people who just won’t let the Bible get in the way of their theology. Religious traditions and widely-accepted teaching have become the basis of their beliefs, rather than the Bible. The results are obvious: Their relationship with Christ is profiting them little or at the very least less than God intended.

Would God send His only Son to bear our sin, becoming sin itself, and then judge Him without mercy for that sin if His sacrifice wasn’t enough? No! Yet, many Christians act as though it wasn’t enough and continue to believe God is withholding His blessing because of their sin. It’s time to learn the truth.

There are people who have accepted Jesus as their Savior. Yet, they can’t get healed, they’re unhappy, depressed, fearful, and full of unbelief. I encourage you to allow the Bible, God’s Word, to get right in the middle of your theology.

If you’re conscious of sin, then you truly don’t understand the grace of your salvation through Jesus. It sounds radical, but it’s true. That is totally different than the way most people think. It’s different than what most of us have been told. But this is what God’s Word declares. God is not imputing, or laying to our account, our sin.

2 Cor 5:19 "that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation."

Sin consciousness has been ground into us. Grace is not the way of the world. Your employer doesn’t hire you by grace and promise to pay no matter what you do; they have expectations of performance. In marriage, spouses don’t always love each other unconditionally. Even in most Christian families, children are either rewarded or punished based on their performance.

In this earth almost everything is based on performance, and because it is, it always forces us to focus on our weaknesses. That performance mentality then transfers into religion where we’re taught to focus on our sin. However, where God is concerned, it’s just the opposite. In fact, sin isn’t even an issue with God. Why? Because our sin is not being imputed, or charged, to our account. It’s being charged to Jesus’ account, and He already paid the bill.

Heb. 9:11-12 "When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption."

If words mean anything, think about these words: Jesus entered in once! Do you know what once means in the Greek? It means once. It means He doesn’t do it over and over again. Every time you sin, the Lord doesn’t have to wait until you repent and then get that sin under the blood.

Most Christians believe that when you’re born again, you get your sins forgiven up to that point. Then, every time you sin after becoming a Christian, you’ve got to run to the Lord with that sin and confess and repent, or you could be lost. If not lost and on your way to hell, then at the very least, God would not fellowship with you, and He certainly wouldn’t answer your prayers.

If that were true, then everybody would be on their way to hell. There isn’t a person on this earth who doesn’t have either a known or an unknown unconfessed sin. Or, if sin just means the loss of relationship with God and unanswered prayers, then God wouldn’t have a single person qualified to receive an answer to prayer or fellowship with Him. Was Jesus enough or not?

This is a huge issue. It’s the reason many believe God isn’t healing them or prospering them. They say out of one side of their mouths that He loves them and sacrificed His Son, Jesus, for their salvation, and then out of the other side, they say that He is still judging them for sin. Those are incompatible!

Heb. 9:13-15 "The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance — now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant."

It isn’t God who is condemning us when we sin; it’s our own consciences. We haven’t purged our consciences with the truth of what Jesus has done with sin. Satan knows that and is using it to condemn us and destroy our faith and confidence in God by reminding us we don’t deserve God’s blessing.

Praise God, He isn’t giving you what you deserve; He is giving you what Jesus deserves. Jesus paid for sin one time, past, present, and even the sins you will commit in the future. How can that be, you ask? I don’t know exactly, but let me tell you this, Jesus only died one time for our sins two thousand years ago, so you better hope He can forgive your sins before you commit them.

Heb. 9:25-28 "Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him." (emphasis mine)

God knows the end from the beginning and He knew all the sins of the whole world. Jesus paid for all those committed before His sacrifice and for all that had not yet been committed. He made the payment once and it will never be made again. The price for sin, all sin, has been paid!

We have received an eternal inheritance (Heb. 9:15) that cannot be taken away. Your inheritance is not temporary; it’s eternal. You aren’t disinherited and you don’t lose the benefits of being part of the family because of sin.

To understand this, you have to see yourself as God sees you. In your born-again spirit, you are as clean and holy and pure as Jesus is. Religion has you looking at your flesh. It has you searching the soulish realm of thoughts, attitudes, and feelings. But that is not what God is looking at. He is looking at your spirit, the part of you that’s become a new creation.

2 Corinthians 5:17
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

John 4:24
“God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

What part of you is new? It’s not the flesh and it’s not the soul; it’s your born-again spirit. When you go to God in prayer and say “O God, I’m so ungodly and so unworthy, please forgive me, please answer my prayer,” you are not in the spirit; you are in the flesh. Your spirit is righteous, holy, and pure. Sin does not affect your spirit.

Am I saying sin is okay? Absolutely not! When you sin, you give Satan an open door to the soul, your mind and emotions, as well as opportunity to destroy your physical body. It’s just stupid to open yourself up to the devil. Rom 6:15-18

Some of you may still be thinking, Well, I know God died once for all men, but His sacrifice still must be applied whenever we sin. Let’s allow God’s Word to get in the way of this wrong theology again.

Heb 10:10-12
“By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified,” (emphasis mine).

This is not talking about your physical body or your soul; it’s talking about your born-again spirit. Your spirit is identical to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is sinless! Your soul and your body can be defiled by sin, but your spirit never can; it’s sealed forever.

Maturity in the Christian life isn’t about trying to grow your spirit up; it’s trying to educate, or renew, your mind to what you already have in your spirit. Your spirit is already perfect! You already have the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Your spirit is always happy, always rejoicing, and always healthy.

God loves you even though you’ve messed up, even though you aren’t perfect. He loves you not because of your performance but because of Jesus’ sacrifice. If you can ever get a revelation of this, it will change the way you see God forever.

Are you just visiting faith?

Romans 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

The expression “from faith to faith” describes the means whereby righteousness is given and retained. God’s righteousness cannot be earned; it can only be acquired through faith. As proof that righteousness received by faith is not a new idea or concept, Paul quoted Hab 2:4, “The just shall live by his faith” (Ga 3:11 and Heb 10:38).

The just shall live by faith. They don’t just visit faith every once in a while or vacation there once a year; they live in and by faith.

Usefulness of my life is Jesus' concern, not mine

"All that is not the love of God has no meaning for me. I can truthfully say that I have no interest in anything but the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. If God wants it to, my life will be useful through my word and witness. If He wants it to, my life will bear fruit through my prayers and sacrifices. But the usefulness of my life is His concern, not mine. It would be indecent of me to worry about that."

- Brennan Manning

"God loves you unconditionally, as you are and not as you should be, because nobody is as they should be."

Some Think the Only Difference Between the Old and New Covenant is a Blank Page

Matthew 26:26-30
26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body."
27 Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you.
28 This is my blood of the new testament, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
29 I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom."
30 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

The Greek word for "testament" used here is "DIATHEKE," and it primarily denotes a contract, covenant, agreement, or promise (Ga 3:17). Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words states that this Greek word "does not in itself contain the idea of joint obligation, it mostly signifies an obligation undertaken by a single person." In other words, in the New Covenant, it is not what we can do for God but what God has done for us.

The principle of the Old Covenant was "do" and we shall live (Ro 10:5). The principle of the New Covenant is "it is done" (Ro 10:6-9), and that includes redemption, reconciliation, righteousness, and sanctification. The work is finished! We are complete in Him (Col 2:10)!

If the Old Covenant had been without defect, there would have been no attempt to institute another (Heb 8:7). In the Old Covenant, people found themselves unable to abide in its agreement, for it was based upon people's performance (Ex 19:5-8). The new agreement, however, was based totally upon God's grace (Ro 4:4-5). Under the Old Covenant, people approached God through a priest (Heb 5:1), while under the New Covenant, people have direct access to the Father through Jesus Christ (Heb 4:16).

Under the Old Covenant, people's sins led to their deaths (Heb 10:28), while under the New Covenant, God is merciful to people's unrighteousness (Heb 8:12; 1Jo 1:8-9, and 2:1). Under the Old Covenant, people could not be cleansed of sin-consciousness (Heb 10:1-4); while under the New Covenant, people's sins and iniquities are remembered no more (Heb 8:12 and 10:17), and their guilty consciences are cleansed (Heb 10:22).

What does correlate between the Old and New Testament is that in Exodus chapter twelve where God sent the Angel to kill the first born of every household. The Israelites were told to put blood on the door posts so the Angel would pass over that home. In each of those homes who had sprinkled the blood of a lamb on the door posts were varying degrees of holiness, growth, and sinfulness in following God. The Angel did not look at the people inside the home, the Angel only saw the blood and passed over that home. It was not about inspecting the people, it was only seeing the blood. The same is true in the Old Testament when a person brought their sin sacrifice to the Preist, the Preist did not inspect the people for their blemishes but inspected the lamb that they brought if it was perfect and without blemish. It is the same today, God looks at the blood of Jesus that covers us and see's us righteous. Which means that if your trying to be justified by anything other than faith in Jesus Christ then you are not believing the true Gospel. His blood and only His blood covers our sin, it is not any works that you do at all.

Receiving by law and receiving by promise are opposites. Law involves effort (works). Promise provides as a gift (grace). We are either saved by works or by grace, but not a combination of the two (Ro 11:6). Paul stated the doctrine of justification by grace through faith so clearly in his writings that any person who claims to believe the Bible has to acknowledge this truth. However, one of Satan's cleverest deceptions is to take a truth and add to it until it is no longer the truth. Lest that happen with this doctrine of grace, Paul stated emphatically that we cannot combine anything with God's grace as a requirement for salvation.

In the same way that gasoline and water don't mix, so grace and works will not mix. Justification has to be all works or all grace, but not a combination of the two. All religion is based on what you do or sacrifice. The new covenant with Jesus Christ is based on what Jesus Christ has done and sacrificed. Still, an abundance of religious people today cannot accept the fact that all we have to do is to believe to receive God's grace (Ro 5:2). Faith is our admission, or ticket, into the grace of God. No one is allowed in without a ticket. Our own good works won't grant us admission. God's grace can only be accessed by faith.

Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--
9 not by works, so that no one can boast.