I Stand Corrected

While going through the new members class at our church and reading over some material that was given to us, I have been given a revelation of how sometimes when I say things in these tid-bits, it could be confusing to those who might not be in the same place as I am. In other words, I say things that I understand what I am saying but there may be some new Christians out there or people who are not yet Christians that could read these things wrong. Remember the name God's tid-bits to me, the things I say is what I feel God is saying to me in particular. So today I am going to start fresh with a new message that will hopefully clear some of these things up.

Salvation. What is salvation? Can you earn salvation? What do you have to do to receive salvation? Who gives us salvation?

1. What is salvation? Webster's dictionary:
a. to save, deliverance from the power and effects of sin, preservation from destruction or failure
b. deliverance meaning to be delivered from something, or someone, rescued

These are all words that the bible uses when talking about your salvation, when you accept Jesus as your Lord, He delivers us from sin, He rescues us from hell, He has freed us from the law.

2. Did you earn that salvation?
a. No, you can not earn your salvation. Salvation is given to you freely from Jesus. Salvation was taken care of on the cross before you or I were ever even born

Romans 5 v 8-9....But, God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.....

Romans 10 v 13....But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach); that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." For the scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved......

Read that scripture carefully, does it say you must confess your sins? No! You see by saying that you must confess your sins to be saved is saying that Jesus must get back on that cross and die for you or anyone else everytime they confess their sins. No! He has already died for your sins before you were ever born. He died for everyone. Not just you or me, not just the Jew or Greek, but everyone. We already know that we are sinners and so does He. Salvation has already been given to us freely. All we have to do is confess that He is Lord and believe in our hearts that He has already died for our sins and freed us from hell. Then we have to accept this free gift of salvation.

3. What do you have to do to receive salvation?
a. we answered that one above as well. we confess that Jesus is Lord

4. Who gives us salvation?
a. Jesus paid for our salvation on the cross with His blood, it was nothing any of us did. It was
His blood that paid the price for all.

So here is the deal. If at any time I have ever made you feel like you had to work or that it is by some works of yours that gets you to heaven, or gets you healed, or brings you blessings then you have misunderstood me. You can not earn salvation, you can not earn healing, you can not earn prosperity. You can not earn any of the blessings of the Lord. They are given freely to all. They were all paid for on the cross before you or I were ever born. They were paid for in full for everyone.

You do not have to have this giant faith to get you healed. You only need to have faith of a mustard seed in you. You only have to believe in your heart that Jesus has already paid the price for your wholeness on the cross. Wholeness meaning, well, healthy, prosperous, blessed, redeemed. AMEN! You only have to see your wholeness up there on the cross paid for, instead of trying to get Him to do something for you now that He has already taken care of. Start praising Him and thanking Him for these things, instead of asking Him to do them over again.

2 Corinthians 5 v 21...For He made Him who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him...

Our sin is remembered no more when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

Romans 6 v 14...for sin shall have no dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace...

God knew that we could not uphold the law. He knew that we would always fall short, so He provided a way for us to be free from the curses of not upholding the law. He gave His only Son on the cross for us.

Does this give us freedom to sin? People will ask this question. The answer is, we will no longer want to sin willfully when we know Jesus as our Lord. We will want to walk as He did. We will want to know Him more, and we will want to be more like Him. Our old man has gone and we will renew our minds with the mind of Christ who lives in us now. AMEN!

Romans 12 v 2....and do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.....

So bottom line, when I use phrases like when you do not take the word of God for truth you are calling Him a liar, I am not trying to condemn you, I am just trying to stir you up to read the word for yourselves. I am not your judge. Thank goodness, we are not here to judge each other unjustly but to exhort each other with the good news, the gospel of the Lord.

Jesus told us to go out into all the world and take His gospel. Gospel meaning good news, not condemnation. He never told us to go out and preach hell fire and condemnation on any one. He told us to preach the good news. The news of what He did on the cross for all, and what we now have because of that.

So remember, when I am speaking on subjects that you may feel condemnation over, know that I am speaking what the Lord has given to me that day. I am only sharing with you what He is saying to me through His word. If there is any condemnation it is not from me, or from the Lord. The Lord does not condemn the devil does. The Lord says once become a child of Christ, and you are walking with Him in the Spirit and not in the flesh, you are free from condemnation. So if you are feeling condemnation, check to see if you are trying to walk in the flesh. When you walk in the flesh you give the devil (not Jesus) room to come in and bring you under condemnation.

Romans 8 v 1....There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit....

My final suggestion to all today is to read the entire book of Romans. Don't ever think that I know it all, because I am still myself learning everyday from His word. What I get from His word may not be what you get that day. Don't take my word to be final. Take His word. AMEN!

STAY IN THE WORD!