Why do people say God helps them and frees them when I see them suffering all the time?

Posted on January 18, 2011 by Steve Husting

How can people say they are free when they are bound to a wheelchair, or need a seeing-eye dog to get around, or a ventilator to breathe? Perhaps we can understand by getting a glimpse into their own world. I am deaf. The Lord has helped me even though my problems continue. I gradually lost my hearing from an early age. I was wearing a hearing aid by the second grade. My Mom took me to the University of California, Long Beach, to be tutored for lip-reading. I did not attend schools for the deaf, but regular schools. As late as my twenties I could still enjoy classical music, listen to the radio, and use the telephone. Soon after, my hearing worsened until I no longer listened to music or the radio, and relied on others to make calls for me.

The Lord has helped me on various fronts, even though my hearing problem has not improved. I grew up quite shy and introverted. How many of us would love to be a little less shy or fearful? When I believed the Holy Spirit wanted to empower me to be like Jesus, I’ve stepped out in faith to witness to total strangers. I also have been able to get in front of a group and speak without fear.

How many of us have experienced the painful frustration of impatience? God has helped me endure the inconveniences of my hearing loss by the promise of a life to come. The trials of this life are easier to bear because I know Jesus has the power, as demonstrated by his resurrection, to raise me from the dead and give me new life. The Bible promises me a new life with a body free from the ravages of disease, disability, and death. Compared to eternity, this life is brief.

Many people question why they have been singled out to suffer. Instead of focusing on the suffering, though, I’ve learn to find God’s strength and comfort in it. Such comforting experiences have illuminated many Bible passages on God and his ways. I’ve been able to encourage others with the same insights.

Due to my disability, I’ve felt alienated at times and misunderstood by the hearing world. Jesus was someone else who was misunderstood and alienated because he was different than others. I have taken comfort in that thought, and it has drawn me closer to him.

God does not have to cure the afflicted in this life in order to help them.

What Do You Think?

a. If you were a desperately thirsty quadriplegic and someone saw your plight and helped you to some cold water, would you feel a measure of relief, even though your handicap would remain?

b. I am deaf. I look forward to the coming of Jesus Christ and his kingdom, for then he will restore my hearing. Have you been able to endure a trial because you knew that it would soon be over?

Posted in Demons, H e l l and Suffering | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Did God create the many parasites that kill children before they are even capable of sin?

Posted on January 18, 2011 by Steve Husting

God created every living thing. He also created a safe place for Adam and Eve to live – in the Garden of Eden. As long as man wanted to live by faith, trusting God for life, he was safe.

But when Adam ate of the forbidden fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, he rejected God’s safe place and was thrust outside. Now we must wrestle with the many problems caused not only by Adam’s sins, but our sins and the sins of people around us.

Fortunately, all these pests will be done away with or changed and a new Garden will be established on Earth – and sin will never again have a place in it. This is the expectation of the Christian. Those who believe on Jesus expect to inhabit a kingdom upon Christ’s return without any evil or suffering.

What Do You Think?

a. Don’t you endure some troubles a little longer when you know they are about to end and you’ll forget it after you’ve reached your destination? So it seems reasonable to endure the sufferings in this short life to live forever in paradise.

Posted in Demons, H e l l and Suffering | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

How could I identify the 666 mark of the Antichrist?

Posted on January 18, 2011 by Steve Husting

Of all the different prophecies about the end times, perhaps none other has received so much publicity than the Mark of the Beast. Some have refused to use credit cards, insisting that they are the scheme of the Devil. Others have refused Social Security numbers for fear that they are the Antichrist’s tools. Are these the “666” tools foretold to be stamped on the world’s population in the latter days? Three verses in the book of Revelation give us the essential details of the Mark of the Beast. By grasping a few simple traits of the mark, we’ll be able to identify it when it comes our way:

And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six (Revelation 13:16-18).

First, we should note the strictness of the mark. An individual in authority will order that all people receive the mark so that none can buy or sell except those who have the mark. None are left out, whether important or not, rich or poor, free or slave. This qualification has nothing to do with our credit cards, does it? We may still buy and sell without credit cards. None of us are forced to use them.

Second, we should note the location of the mark. The mark was placed in the right hand or the forehead. That rules out the Social Security number or other identification cards, doesn’t it?

Third, we should note the use of the mark. It will be used to buy and sell. Today we have soldiers and other people receiving a small pellet inserted under the skin for identification purposes. So that is not the Mark of the Beast either – those devices are not used for buying and selling.

Why would anyone want to put a plan like this into action, anyway? Well, financially, it’s ingenious. If we no longer used credit cards, paper, or coins, then there would be no muggers stealing our wallets, no counterfeit paper money circulating, and crime bosses would find the flow of their dishonest gain impeded. Many, many more criminal enterprises where money was involved would be dried up.

What’s the big danger about the mark, anyway? Well, those who accept the mark will be “marked” by God as well – for a hideous fate noted later in Revelation: “And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image” (Revelation 16:1-2).

Those who refuse the mark, who show their faith in God by denying themselves food, clothing, shelter, and other necessary worldly goods, will be rewarded: “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years” (Revelation 20:4).

I believe God will use this mark to identify true believers in that time. If people have been consistently choosing to indulge themselves for this life and were constantly shortchanging their faith, God will used this mark to wake up those who live in that time.

This prophecy, written about two thousand years ago, has the best chance of fulfillment in our generation or the next. Our money has free movement around the globe thanks to the interconnectedness of the world’s bank and the digital age. The European Union has been uniting their diverse monies into a common currency, the Euro, and other countries have signed on. The stage is being set for the launch of this mark during our age as in no other. Now is the time to be watchful against anything that could compromise your faith in God and his word.

What Do You Think?

a. What if a person rose to power in your lifetime and ordered you to receive the mark? Will you be able to resist the mark – to forgo buying groceries, paying the rent or mortgage, getting a paycheck – or will you love your comfort too much, and succumb to the mark?

b. If you knew the mark could come in your lifetime, what steps should you take to prepare yourself to refuse it?

Posted in End Times | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Why do people think we are living in the end times?

Posted on January 18, 2011 by Steve Husting

We do not know when the end (the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ) will occur, but the Bible has given us specific events we may look for that indicate that Jesus’ Second Coming is near. Let me give you some indications, as quoted from the booklet, 101 Last Days Prophecies:4

We’ll have weapons that are able to dissolve their victims. “Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, and their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths” (Zechariah 14:12b). This describes perfectly the results of the victims of the atomic bomb in WWII. When this prophecy was made, the greatest weapons were spears and swords!

Israel will make a peace treaty that the other party will confirm and eventually break (Daniel 9:27). Who besides God could have known Israel would today be threatened on all sides by enemies, and the U.S.A. would try to broker peace treaties with the nations?

Babylon would re-emerge in the land of Shinar (see Isaiah 13), known today as Iraq. Saddam Hussein spent over twenty years rebuilding the city of Babylon.

A global economic system would exist. “And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name” (Revelation 13:16-17). This economic system was unthinkable in the decades after Jesus’ death, but entirely plausible with the interconnectedness of the digital age.

The nation of Israel would be born in one day (Isaiah 66:8). On May 14, 1948 Israel became a nation when Britain agreed to return the land to the Jews.

The Jews would regather to Israel from many nations. “It shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people who are left, from Assyria and Egypt, from Pathros and Cush, from Elam and Shinar, from Hamath and the islands of the sea” (Isaiah 11:11. See also Ezekiel 37:21-22, 38:8). Over 5 million Jews have returned to Israel in our times! Never has a people group been dispersed for hundreds of years throughout the globe and then regathered back to their homeland.

Israel would prosper economically (Ezekiel 38:12-13). This recently regathered, tiny nation exported over 30 billion dollars worth of goods in 2004. In contrast, their neighbor Jordan exported less than 3 billion in 2004.

Surrounding nations would unite against Israel (Psalm 83:4-8, Zechariah 12:2). The news media report on this fact almost every day.

Jerusalem would be “a heavy stone for all peoples” (Zechariah 12:3). The media reports of conflicts over Jerusalem often.

Israel would be partitioned by all nations. “They have also divided up My land” (Joel 3:2a. See also Daniel 11:39). This is another amazing prophecy, for Israel has been divided up as the West Bank, Golan Heights, and the Gaza Strip in our time.

Israel, which had been divided into two kingdoms since the time of Solomon (950 B.C.) as Judah and Israel, would be one united nation in the last days (Ezekiel 37:15-22). And so it is now.

The Temple will be rebuilt (Daniel 12:11; Mark 13:14, Revelation 11:1-2). Today, the Temple Institute has created the temple furniture, vessels, and priestly garments. Several hundred Jewish men are in training for the Levitical priesthood.

What Do You Think?

a. How many prophecies must be literally fulfilled before you start taking the end-time prophecies seriously?

b. Isn’t the fact of so many verifiable prophecies occurring during and just before your lifetime reason to take the end times seriously?

c. If you went to an opera, you may receive a bulletin outlining the three-act play, which would help you follow the story to its final act. Did you know that prophecy is like that bulletin, showing history leading us to the final act – the Second Coming of Jesus Christ?

d. Why would God tell us about these events in advance?

4. Tetlow, Jim, 101 Last Days Prophecies. (Eternal Productions, 2003). Tract booklet from http://www.eternal-productions.org

Posted in End Times | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Why do some people want the world to end soon?

Posted on January 18, 2011 by Steve Husting

A woman dying of cancer struggles for relief. A paraplegic child longs for a cure. Parents worry about their son’s safety on the battleground. A long waiting list for a new heart or liver. Traffic accidents, burning buildings, overloaded prisons, a choking environment. All these factors cause us to long for a new world where sin, suffering, and sickness will be gone. We want this world to end because life is not the way it should be, and we have promises from God that he will fix everything in his time (Revelation 21:1-7).

When a Christian wishes for the end of the world, he wants Christ to return and end all corrupt earthly authority so that he will reign righteously. Eventually, the earth and creation will melt away in fire (2 Peter 3:19-13), then God will create a new heaven and new earth, and all evil and sin and sickness will be gone forever.

In the case of the world, its end will give way to a new beginning.

What Do You Think?

a. Some terminally ill people want to end their lives early because they have no reason to go on living. What would you say to them to encourage them to hang on to life to the end?

b. Is an assisted death the same as murder?

c. On one side of the world people live in luxury. On the other side are people suffering from malnutrition and war. Which group would have a greater reason to look forward for a new world? What would distract you from eagerly anticipating a better life in the next world?

Posted in End Times | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Why are more people believing in a partial rapture?

Posted on January 18, 2011 by Steve Husting

Several passages teach us that the Lord makes a difference among his people. He does not treat them all the same way. Not all of us will be rewarded the same, even though we are all of the church. Not all of us will bear the same amount of fruit, even though we are all saved. More differences can be cited. Even so, in the case of the rapture, in which God’s people are removed from the earth at a time in the future, is not necessarily for all in the church at the same time.

Let’s summarize the teachings of a few scriptures that show that the Lord makes a difference among his people in the case of the rapture.

Revelation 3
In Revelation chapters two and three, we find Jesus making a difference among those in seven churches. He tells us about the wrong things they are doing, then he makes a promise to those who overcome the issue in their lives. Only to those who overcome the issue will the promise be applied – the promise made to each church is conditional.

(Some have argued that these churches are composed of believers and unbelievers, and all the overcomers are believers, so all believers will obtain the promises. Not so – that is taking the modern meaning of church, which is a building where people gather for worship. The Scriptures use the word church for the saved people alone.)

Now let us take a specific promise that many accept as referring to the rapture: “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” (Revelation 3:10).

Notice how the people are addressed. Not as, “Because you are saved..,” or “Because you are born again…” or “Because you are the church….” Rather, Jesus singles out specific qualities about these individuals and to them he grants the promise of rapture.

They have kept the word of his patience. The book of Hebrews talks about those who were not keeping patience (Hebrews 10:36). They had failed to progress into maturity (5:12-13). They were discouraged by their trials (12:4-5). They were turning away from faith (10:38-39).

When we lose patience, we turn back to the world and whatever it was that sustained us then. This church did not do that. They patiently believed God for his promise and stayed on the straight and narrow in the midst of tribulation. They were patient because they knew that their spiritual race was a lifetime marathon, not a 100-yard sprint. To those who endure, Jesus promises rapture.

Matthew 25
In Matthew 25 Jesus recounts the parable of the wise and foolish virgins. The wise went into the wedding while the foolish, who came later, were refused admittance. They are not called wise because they are Christians; they are wise because they prepared. The others are not called foolish because they are unbelievers; this is not in the text. They are called foolish because of lack of preparation. All ten waited for the Bridegroom, showing that they are all Christians – unbelievers are not waiting for the coming of Christ!

Scriptures tell us who is wise and who is foolish, and these terms do not necessarily correspond with who is saved and who isn’t. For instance, in Galatians 3:1, Paul calls the members of the church “foolish ones.” Were they therefore unsaved? No, they were foolish because they were following the law rather than walking in faith. Those who are wise are living by faith. If we trust in our works to save us after we have confessed faith in Christ, we may be left behind. We will not have the oil of readiness, a prepared life and heart, to meet Christ.

Luke 21
Toward the end of his ministry, the Lord talked about the end times and how believers will fare. He directly addresses his disciples, saying, for example, “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares” (Luke 21:34). This passage warns of the possibility that even disciples of Jesus may become distracted from the Lord and turn to the world – and be unprepared for his coming.

Jesus told them what to do: “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man” (Luke 21:36). Knowing that we may be distracted by the affairs of this life, we are told to pray that we may escape all the things he mentioned earlier in the chapter. Here, the rapture is called an escape. The rapture is promised not to all, but to those who “watch,” who are careful not to love the world more than they love God. Jesus said this to his disciples.

Philippians 3
Paul revealed his personal motivation for holiness – that he may be raptured! He intensely desired to rid himself of anything that might substitute for faith in Christ “…that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead” (Philippians 3:8b-11).

The language is clear: Paul wanted to remain in faith to maintain the righteousness of Christ (which is by faith), so that he might attain the resurrection of the just. (Recall the order in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17: that the dead “in Christ” rise first, then we who remain will be caught up.) Paul fought to have his faith fully set on Christ that he may “be found in him” and make the resurrection. He wasn’t resting on the faith that brought him to Christ years ago.

How different is today’s casual religion! Paul’s Christianity was a living, vital thing, full of purpose and passion, full of hatred for sin and love of God. One driving force was his desire: to make sure he was, as the song goes, “in that number, when the saints go marching in.”

God will make a difference among his people – those who are living by faith day by day will be chosen. Those who are distracted by the world will be left. The wise patiently watch and wait for the Bridegroom, proving their faith and love, and will enter the wedding feast with him.

What Do You Think?

a. Can you provide alternate explanations for the above verses?

b. Does it make sense to you that God would first choose those who are serious about their faith over those who are not serious? After all, he will still take up the casual believers at a later time.

Posted in End Times | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

If God had already chosen me, why should I worry about the judgment?

Posted on January 18, 2011 by Steve Husting

God chose us for a purpose. At the judgment, he will evaluate whether we have made good use of our time on earth to fulfill that purpose. In this life we prepare for the kingdom to come. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). The kingdom involves a king (a ruler) and subjects (people who willingly obey the ruler). Jesus is the king, and we are to learn to follow his will in every area of life. In training us to follow him in this present kingdom, the Holy Spirit is preparing us to rule in Jesus’ coming kingdom. We, among the saved, are chosen to participate in this program. Will we endure the rigors of the training and stand before God victorious over sin, self, and the Devil? The present and coming judgment will determine this.

Jesus gave us several examples of servants who gave an account to their master (who had returned to them after a long absence). To those who had remained faithful, the master gave them greater responsibilities, and to those who had neglected their responsibilities while the master was gone, he removed all privileges (Matthew 24:45-51, 25:14-30, Luke 19:11-27). While our Master, Jesus, is gone, we will be growing in our faithfulness in our responsibilities, or be irresponsible. Which route do you think will result in a favorable judgment?

Yet in Romans 8:29-30, Paul writes about those who were called and glorified, as though it were a foregone conclusion. Also, in Ephesians 1:4-5 we are told that we were chosen from before earth’s beginning to appear before God in love.

Do these passages of judgment and being chosen contradict each other? No, for Romans chapter eight is describing the Christian who is led by the Spirit, not by the flesh. Those who live for the kingdom are doing so while living by faith in God’s word. Otherwise we are living for ourselves and this world. Walking in the flesh results in wretchedness (Romans 7:24), death (Romans 8:6, 13), destruction (1 Corinthians 3:16-17), and disqualification from the kingdom (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). God makes a difference between those who walk in the flesh and those who walk in faith. Both groups have been called to a life of privilege, but only one group has decided to take hold of it.

In Ephesians, we learn that we have been chosen that we may appear before God in love, but other chapters in the Bible teach us that this position before God is conditional. For instance, if we deny God before men, then King Jesus will deny us – before God and all the holy angels (Matthew 10:32-33)!

We have been chosen for a great privilege, but God will not force us to reign with Christ. He will not force us to suffer self-denial and self-discipline. Instead, he offers warnings and promises to encourage us to look beyond the pleasures of the flesh and this world to shoulder burdens for rewards in the life to come. Those who want the Lord to lead them will undergo these trials and will be trained up for the kingdom.

What Do You Think?

a. When a person is chosen to play for a professional baseball team, does that mean he’ll automatically become an MVP? When you were saved, does that mean you’ll automatically become all God wants you to be?

b. Do you think the idea of being chosen, and the reality that Christians will be judged, are contradictions? Why or why not? How do you put them together in harmony?

Posted in Sin and Salvation | Leave a comment

What is sin?

Posted on January 18, 2011 by Steve Husting

Someone once asked Jesus what was the greatest commandment among all the laws. Jesus replied, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). The moral Old Testament laws tell us how to observe this commandment with God and our fellow neighbor. Sin always breaks this commandment. If we love something else with all our heart, we sin. If our thoughts are obsessed with something other than loving God, we sin.

Sin is at the root of all broken relationships. Where there is rancor between God and man, you will find a man’s sin at its root. Where discord exists among people, you’ll find sin up close. When you find inner personal tensions, you’ll find sin at its core.

As the germs of a contagious child can turn a glass of water into poison, so sin ruins anything good. Join sin with riches and you get a miser. Marry sin to intellect and you get inventions of evil. Link sin to sexual desire and STDs explode. Shackle sin to authority, and you get abuse of power. Add a couple helpings of sin to high achievement, and you’ll get a prideful snob.

To help us detect sin in ourselves, God gave the Ten Commandments (Romans 3:20). You’ll find the full listing in Exodus chapter twenty, but I’ll touch on a few here. The first is, “You shall have no other Gods before Me.” If we consider someone of greater worth than the God who brought the Israelites out of Egypt and out of bondage, then we have sinned. Sin never gives God his rightful place; in sin, we or someone we admire usurps God’s throne.

Another commandment deals with idolizing the things we make. If we make something to honor it above God, then we sin. Another commandment warns us against taking the name of God in vain. God is not a swear word or exclamation point.

Commandment seven tells us, “You shall not commit adultery.” Jesus reveals what it is to break the spirit of this law: if we just think adulterous thoughts, then we have broken this commandment. Sex is so powerful, it’s one of the hooks advertisers use to draw our attention. The last commandment tells us not to covet anything of our neighbors’. Is this covetousness also not the basis for our entire advertising industry – that we never have enough?

With most of these commandments we must frankly admit, “I can’t help it if I’m like that!” That’s the problem of sin – we can’t help it. Sin drives us to do what we do; it is lord and master. Self-help books can sometimes do wonders in helping us with bad habits and thought control, but none of their techniques can make us right with God. Sin breaks God’s laws, so we must go to him for forgiveness.

Sin is so corrupting and deadly that God’s only remedy was to send his Son to die in our place. Anything else would be like applying a bandage to a shark bite, or taking a sugar pill for the advanced stages of emphysema.

To deny sin is to deny Jesus’ mission. Jesus came to save us from sin. When we as Christians do not deal with sin, we are rejecting the very reason we accepted Christ in the first place. We are saying that God became flesh and suffered a gruesome death for nothing. Jesus’ death on the cross shows us how horrible sin is.

That’s why God’s solution is so radical. When we believed on Jesus, our sin’s master went into the grave with Jesus; when Jesus rose again, he became our new master. We came out of the grave with Jesus, leaving the old master behind. Now every time sin beckons, we may say, “I have a new master now. Lord Jesus, what do you want me to do?” (Romans 6:1-14).

The greatest commandment is to love God above all. Sin, therefore, is against God personally. Sin is not a “mistake” or a “weakness.” Sin is an attack on God himself. If you’ve hurt your brother, you don’t ask your mom to forgive you; you go to your brother. To deal with sin, we go to the one we’ve insulted: God himself. We confess it, naming it by name. We see the horror that is Christ on the cross – that our sins put him there – and ask God for strength to watch against and withstand the sin.

What Do You Think?

a. The military lets us know that it wants only fit people for the work. If you are physically or mentally disabled, you know you won’t qualify, even if you’ve made other outstanding achievements. Do the Ten Commandments help you see that unrepentant sinners don’t qualify to be righteous in God’s sight in spite of all their good works?

b. If sin is what keeps us from getting right with God, does it make sense to ignore the issue of sin and rely on your good works?

c. If God had to send his Son to die for our sins, then how seriously does God take sin? How seriously should you?

Posted in Sin and Salvation | Leave a comment

What does it mean to be saved?

Posted on January 18, 2011 by Steve Husting

Jesus died that we may be saved. That salvation has several aspects that you might not be aware of.

Saved from the penalty of sin
We have broken God’s laws, so we should receive the death penalty. But when Jesus died on the cross, God placed on him the blame for all the sins of the world. Jesus bore the penalty for our sins so that we would not have to. Once removed, God cannot put the penalty for those particular sins back onto us.

Saved from the power of sin
In the past, I sinned because it was my nature to do so. It was normal to have nothing to do with God all day long. My mind was set upon what I could see, feel, taste, touch, and hear in the world around me. I was moved by those things. Saved from the power of sin, I can now be moved by spiritual things, such as the love of God.

Saved from the corruption of sin
We were made in the image of God. But sin had corrupted that image. When I believed in Jesus Christ, God put the Spirit of Christ in me. Spiritually, my sinful nature went into the tomb with Jesus, and my new nature rose from the dead with Jesus. Now day by day I can become more and more like Jesus as he lives his life through me. This is the process of sanctification, where we are being saved – salvation is an ongoing process. You can reverse this process by various grievous choices.

Saved from the presence of sin
When we die and are resurrected, we will be saved from the presence of sin. Sin will not inhabit our resurrected bodies. Sin will have no place in the kingdom of God to come.
In this life, if we sin, we will bear some judgment or consequence for it. Jesus often disciplines his people in this life to deal with sin so that we will not have to face judgment for it in the life to come.

What Do You Think?

a. If you claim to be saved, have you found deliverance in more than one area noted above?

b. Are there any other religions that claim to save us in the same way Christ does?

c. If you are saved, but still want to toy with sin, then what exactly are you saved from?

Posted in Sin and Salvation | Leave a comment

What is deliverance from sin?

Posted on January 18, 2011 by Steve Husting

Jesus died to save us from our sins. Here are various ways sin has hurt us and how Jesus has saved us.

 

Sin corrupts the image of God in us
Jesus saved us so that we may be more like Christ. Christ loved and obeyed God all his life. He set us free from the rebellion of sin so that we may do the same. Instead of fear, guilt, distrust, and anxiety – the fruit of disobeying God – you may experience love, confidence, humility, and peace – the fruit of the Spirit.

 

Sin enslaves us
While we were slaves of sin, we could not obey God. We struggled with trying to please God while also trying to please ourselves. If you continue in sin, you will make it harder to break free; you will be addicted and deceived. You will find it impossible to yield to God’s better way when you need it most. When we are saved, we reject sin’s master for a new Master – we become slaves of Jesus, slaves of righteousness.

 

Sin breaks communion with God
If we choose sin, we are choosing to disobey God and be friends with darkness. We create walls between us and God. Jesus saved us to bring us back to God and to enjoy a relationship with him.

 

Sin brings punishment
When we accepted Jesus as our Saviour, the punishment for our sins was borne by Jesus and he set us free from that punishment. You will sin in your life after believing on Jesus, so you’ll need to confess and repent of sin to keep the account clear. If we choose to ignore known sin, then we will have to deal with it before the judgment seat of Christ. The blood of Jesus will cleanse us of all sin, but if we do not avail ourselves of it through faith and repentance, then Christ will judge us in the end.

What Do You Think?

a. Is sin just “doing bad things”? Why or why not?

b. Could any of the corruptions above be fixed by just doing good deeds and being a nice person? Why or why not?

Posted in Sin and Salvation | Leave a comment