Chosen to Be His

 

 

—Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.

—Ephesians 1:4-6 (NLT)

 

Before God made the world, we were chosen to know Him and to have fellowship with Him. But the powerful God who made us was pure and holy, and sin separated us from His presence. God loved us so much that He made a way for us to have an intimate and loving relationship with Him. He sent His dear Son to us—not to condemn us but to save us. (John 3:16-17). When we accept Christ into our hearts, God adopts us as His own. 

 

—And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

—Galatians 4:6-7 (NKJV)

 

The Holy Spirit within us cries out to God saying, “Abba.” “Abba” is a term of endearment that indicates a deeply loving and intimate relationship with God. The presence of the Holy Spirit within us proves that we are the children of God. God is our Abba Father—our loving “Daddy.” It is a spirit of sonship, and it brings a sense of worthiness that we are at peace with God. Knowing God loves and accepts us is the opposite of feeling we are slaves to God. The thought of being a slave to God creates a sense that we need to earn the privilege to be in His presence. And there is no way to be at peace in the presence of God if we believe we are not worthy in His eyes.

 

—For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”

—Romans 8:15 (NKJV)

 

The law made God our judge but the Grace of Jesus made God our Father. We are no longer under the law but under Grace (Romans 6:14). God desires for us to know Him not as the Father who judges but as the Father who loves us. As His adopted children, we don’t need to fear His judgment. He doesn’t want us to have a tense and uncomfortable relationship with Him. God longs for us to know that we have the freedom to boldly come to Him in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16).

 

God chose us to be His sons and daughters. We have a privileged status of “sonship” because of Christ. The sonship that Christ has given us is found in three ways, and we were created to need these three things—a secure identity, acceptance, and approval. Without these things, we cannot live peaceful lives. But no person can give us a sense of worth. Only in Christ do we find our true worth in God.

 

When you believe you are not worthy enough, you don’t walk in the redemption of Christ. You try to find your identity, acceptance, and approval in people and circumstances instead of the Beloved Son of God who has already made you worthy. The law makes us insecure, but the Grace of Jesus gives us unshakeable security. And Christ is within you crying out that you are no longer slaves to the law, but a child of His Grace. 

 

—To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

—Colossians 1:27 (NKJV)

 

The love of God has been made known to us in Christ. Christ lives within us, the hope of glory. We receive our identity, our acceptance, and approval from being His and being in Him. As Jesus is, so are we in this world (1 John 4:17). When God sees us, He sees the identity of His Son. Just as much as God loved and accepted and approved of His Son, so He loves, accepts, and approves of us.

 

Who we believe we are in Christ—our identity in Him—our sense of worthiness in Him—makes all the difference between living a defeated or victorious life.

 

© 2021 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlacher.com/2021/06/chosen-to-be-his.html

 

Who I Am in Christ

 

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ…

—Ephesians 1:1-2

 

In the first chapter of Ephesians, Paul addresses the Christians in Ephesus and reveals their real value in Jesus Christ. Read Ephesians 1:1-14. These verses reveal the heart of your identity in Christ. 

 

Do you believe what these verses declare about you? Or do you measure your sense of self-worth on what others think and how they treat you? Does your emotional stability depend on the circumstances around you? Do you allow your past to define who you are? 

 

There were times I based my identity on my circumstances or who others declared I was instead of who Jesus said I was. Those were not times of freedom and victory. They were times of bondage and defeat.

 

To know our identity in Christ is essential to walk in the freedom of complete trust in God. We must know who He is and what He has freely given us in Jesus. Only when we know our worth in Christ can we stand strong and walk in the victory He has already won for us. 

 

Knowing who we are in Christ and that we eternally belong to God are essential for His grace to be fully realized in our lives.

 

“In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:13-14, NKJV). 

 

As children of God, our inheritance in Christ is eternal, secure, and unshakeable. His work on our behalf was finished on the Cross, and it was perfect. The Holy Spirit seals us with His promise. He guarantees who we are to God—that we have been made righteous by the blood of Christ. What Christ has accomplished for you is complete. He has taken the sinful nature of who you were and given you His righteousness—His identity. 

 

God chose you. You were God’s will. He made you His choice before He created the world. He chose you because He loved you—not because of any personal attribute or thing you do. Because of Jesus, you are holy (set apart) and blameless (with nothing held against you). You are accepted by God and have received His grace. You are the handiwork of His grace and love. You have full rights as a member of God’s family. (Ephesians 1:4-6).

 

You have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ. God has blessed you with everything for your spirit, soul, and body. His overflowing blessings are yours (Ephesians 1:3). 

 

You are redeemed in Jesus. You are forgiven and healed by His blood (1 Peter 2:24) His righteousness is yours (2 Corinthians 5:21). He counts no sin against you. Your sins are all forgiven by His grace. They are paid in full (Ephesians 1:7).

 

God’s grace abounds toward you. He lavishes you with love (Ephesians 1:7b-8a).

 

You have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16) You have received God’s wisdom and understanding. He speaks to you, and you are able to hear Him (Ephesians 1:8b-10).

 

You have a wonderful inheritance in Christ. Since you know God chose you, you are confident that your life will work out according to His will (Ephesians 1:11).

 

You are sealed with the Holy Spirit. He guarantees who you are in Christ and that you belong to God (Galatians 3:1-5, Ephesians 1:13-14).

 

My friend, these are truths about who you are in Christ. They call out for you to believe and respond to what they say about you. Know who you are in Christ, and choose to live in that freedom. The circumstances of your life may not be perfect. Your relationships may not be perfect. But you will be at peace when you believe in your heart who Christ says you are.

 

 

© 2021 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlacher.com/2021/06/who-i-am-in-christ.html

All Things New

 

Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.  

—John 12:24 (NKJV)

 

Jesus knew that His life—freely given as an offering for the sins of the world—would produce the fruit of new life in those who believed. But that one grain must die for there to be new life. Jesus had to die for this miracle of new life to happen in us. When you accept Him into your heart, that miracle of a completely new life takes place in your spirit—but not in your mind and body. (John 3:6). In your spirit, the old life is gone, but you do not immediately change the way you think when this miracle happens. Your mind must be renewed by the Truth of the new life that you received when you were born again in your spirit (Romans 12:2). 

 

Who you use to be is a lie. The new you in Christ is what is true. If the lies of who you were still define who you are in Christ, they are a roadblock to you understanding the new life God has given you. Those lies must die. The enemy will use any lie of your old life—of your sins and failures. He will use any lie to condemn you and convince you of something false that God does not say about you. And that false belief can hold you in bondage. That false belief has to die for the Truth of your identity in Christ to renew your mind. Who you are in Christ is not about how you see yourself. It is about how God sees you. If you give power to the false accusations of the enemy, you will not understand how God sees you. Believing those lies holds you back from the fulness of your new life. 

 

Sometimes our circumstances define us. Sometimes we allow the opinions of others to define us. And the enemy uses those circumstances and opinions to berate us with innuendoes and lies. We can end up trusting a lie of the enemy instead of trusting God. And without realizing it, that lie can become our stronghold. That lie can define who we are instead of God defining who we are. The lies we believe—just like a grain of wheat—must die for us to live in the fullness Jesus has given us. 

 

When you believe the enemy’s lies, a mind changed by the Truth of who you are in Christ is desperately needed. The enemy says you will never amount to anything. God says through Him you can do all things (Philippians 4:13). The enemy declares that you have failed too many times and can never be worthy enough for God to accept you. God says that He chose you and that you are accepted by Him (Ephesians 1:4). The enemy tells you that God will never bless you. God says you have already been blessed with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3). 

 

The Resurrection power of the Cross lives within you, and it has the ability to change what you believe and how you see yourself in Christ. You don’t have to prove yourself to God. God declared you worthy with the gift of His Son’s life. Instead of trying to prove you are good, accept the righteousness Christ died to give you. You can live in the freedom of His Grace. Instead of striving to be perfect, experience the joy of your new life in Christ. Instead of seeing yourself as poor and orphaned, accept you are rich in Christ. Instead of seeing yourself as rejected, see yourself chosen and loved by God (Ephesians 1:4).  

 

When your start to understand God’s Truth, the lies that you have believed are exposed. Once you recognize that you are trusting a lie, surrender it to God. Then replace that lie with Truth in the Word. Invite the Holy Spirit into your brokenness. After surrendering the lies you have believed to God, ask Him to help you believe His Truth about who He says you are. 

 

Until you believe what Jesus says about you, you will continually struggle to know who you are and what you have as a new person in Jesus. When you allow the Word to transform your mind and defeat the lies that have stolen your freedom, you will know who you are in Jesus. 

 

The lies that hold you in bondage die with the knowledge of His Truth that sets you free (John 8:32). Knowing who you are in Christ gives you the confidence to live without the world or circumstances or anyone else defining who you are. Your identity in Christ gives new and fresh opportunities to experience God’s unconditional love for you. And it gives you the freedom to confidently share what He has given you. 

 

When the lies die, the Holy Spirit is free to move powerfully in your life. Old things have passed away! Behold, all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17).

 

© 2021 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlacher.com/2021/06/all-things-new.html

The Purchase of His Love

 

 

Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

—Romans 8:33-34 (NKJV).

 

 

Even before you knew Him, God chose to love you (1 John 4:19). You responded to His gift of love on Calvary, and He delivered you from the power of darkness and moved you into the Kingdom of His beloved Son (Colossians 1:13-14). God is your Father. You are no orphan. You belong to Him (Romans 8:15). 

 

Christ has destroyed the works of the enemy (Hebrews 2:14). The enemy has no power over you (Luke 10:19). No one has any authority to condemn you—not satan or the opinions of men. God is the one who validates and justifies you (Romans 8:33).

 

Not only is your sin crucified and buried with Christ, everything about you is delivered from the power of darkness. You are reborn and raised with Him in new life (Romans 6:1-4). You are whole and new in His Grace. Your spirit has been reborn with the Spirit of the living God (John 3:6). You are a new person with a new lineage (2 Corinthians 5:17). 

 

The enemy will try to tell you that you are the same—that you will never receive the promises of God, but the love of God says differently. God is the author of life (John 14:6), and the enemy is the author of death (John 10:10). You are delivered from the enemy’s clutches. You are saved, forgiven, healed, delivered, and complete in God.

 

Jesus Christ, who was dead and then raised to life, now sits at the right hand of God interceding for you (John 17:20). Jesus doesn’t beg for His blood to be enough for you. Jesus knows what the gift of His life accomplished—that it was enough. He pleads His own blood for you. He presents you clean to the Father and reminds Him that the work of the Cross is finished—that His blood was enough.

 

Jesus doesn’t intercede for you out of weakness. He intercedes with God with the power of Resurrection Life. Neither do you need to beg God out of your weakness, because in your weakness, Jesus is strong (2 Corinthians 12:9). Jesus has given you authority over anything or any lie that comes against the redemption He gave His life for you to have (Luke 9:1, 10:19). 

 

Your prayers remind God that Jesus has made you clean and whole with the gift of His blood for you. When you believe God's love for you, you praise Him for the forgiveness of sins, healing, and the abundant life His Son bought. You don’t need to beg God for His love and provision when He has already given His life for you to be made new and complete in Him. Praise God for all He has done (Hebrews 13:15). You have victory because Jesus was victorious. 

 

“Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else” (Romans 8:32, NKJV)?

 

It is so important to understand that God’s true nature is love (1 John 4:8). You are loved. God loves you so much that He did not even spare the life of His Son. And if He let His Son die for you, what else would He possibly hold from you? He already gave you the most exorbitant gift. Nothing else can surpass it. God would never give you the life of His Son, and then hold back the gifts of redemption that Jesus died for you to have.  Why would He hold back what you need to live? He feeds and takes care of the birds of the air (Matthew 6:26), and He clothes the lilies of the field (Matthew 6:28-29). Are not you more important than these? Why would God hold back your forgiveness, your deliverance, your provision, or healing?

 

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:35,37, NKJV).

 

Nothing separates you from the love of God. You fight the power of darkness with the power of God's Resurrection love. You fight sin. You fight sickness. You fight fear. You fight hardship and persecution. When you know how much God loves you, you fight every lie that comes against you with the Truth of Calvary. In all these lies, you are more than a conqueror. Every sin, symptom, sickness, emotion, feeling, and attack of the enemy is defeated. You more than conquer the enemy with a revelation of God’s love. Your salvation is thorough, and it is enough. You are forgiven of sin and healed through and through with His miraculous grace.

 

“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39, NKJV).

 

Are you persuaded—are you convinced—that nothing that comes against you—no circumstance—no power of darkness—no lie—nothing in all creation can separate you from the love of God you have received in Jesus Christ? Nothing can separate you from the power of God's love. When you believe this Truth—that you are secure in Christ’s finished work of grace—you are convinced of God's love. You live the confidence that His love gives you. You persevere and believe in what you are promised.

 

Hold on to God’s Truth, and claim the promises of your new life in Christ. He is the Lord who completely restores—your healer of sin and sickness and fear and grief and the pains of life. God’s will for you is living life in the fullness of His love and grace. Persevere and believe by faith. God supplies all that you need according to His riches in glory (Philippians 4:19). God lacks nothing. You receive from the bounty of His overwhelming love for you.

 

“For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us” (2 Corinthians 1:20, (NKJV).

 

©2021 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlacher.com/2021/06/the-purchase-of-his-love.html

 

 

Life and Peace

 

And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

—1 John 5:4 (NKJV)

 

Whatever is born of God overcomes the world. Your measure of faith is from God, and it has the power to overcome anything that tries to come against it. Exercising the measure of faith that you have received from God is a deliberate choice you make. You appropriate the Truth of the Word by faith. When you continually do this, God’s Truth renews your mind. When your mind is renewed, your heart is able to believe God’s Word. Believing in the Truth of God’s Word makes the difference in whether you live a defeated or victorious life. 

 

When what you are taught becomes established in your heart, you believe it. If it is the Truth of God's Word, it speaks of life and peace. If it is wrong teaching, it speaks death and curse. Wrong teaching is a roadblock to believing the Word of God. To believe, you must know God's Truth. 

 

“For to be carnally minded is death,” (Romans 8:6a, NKJV).

 

Belief based on what you feel comes from your natural senses—what you sense and your emotions. Living by your feelings is detrimental to believing the Word of God. If you experience something that is a disappointment or a disillusionment, emotions try to overcome your heart. When you struggle to believe God’s Word and your emotions and senses tell you that what you believe isn’t working, you doubt. When you give in to what you feel, you give in to defeat. You judge God’s Truth with your feelings. If you don’t feel it or sense what the Word says, you doubt and have trouble believing it. Your feelings dominate your thoughts instead of faith in God’s Word. You are carnal—worldly—naturally minded. 

 

“But to be spiritually-minded is life and peace” (Romans 8:6b, NKJV)

 

Don’t allow your emotions to mold your mind and what you believe. Renewing your mind with the Word is essential to overcome your feelings and believe that the Word of God is true (Romans 12:2). When you allow the Holy Spirit to guide you into God’s truth, you renew your mind to believe and prepare your heart to receive. Being spiritually minded means you act and react out of the truth of God’s Word no matter how you feel. Thinking on things that God says are true and just and pure and lovely and are of a good report brings peace. (Philippians 4:8-9). When your mind is focused on God, you experience life and peace (Isaiah 26:3).

 

“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:13-14).

 

God’s Truth is spiritually discerned. The natural man lives by what he senses and cannot understand the things of God. A man who is ruled by his senses believes one way one day and another way the next. A double-minded man is unstable in all His ways (James 1:8). His opinion changes based on how he feels. When you are double-minded, you have not decided in your heart what you really believe. But when you allow the Word of God to take root and grow in your heart, you experience transformation. A heart change from unbelieving to believing is hard when you doubt the Truth of God’s Word. 

 

Unbelief holds us back from receiving from God. To help us grow spiritually, the Holy Spirit meets us where we are in our measure of faith and encourages us to believe in God’s promises. And as we are transformed by the revealed Truth of God’s Word, feelings are easier to control. We can walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7) We can believe because we know Jesus has given us victory. His peace has overcome our world (John 16:33).

 

The Holy Spirit wants you to experience victory in every area of your life. When you know God’s Truth, it sets you free (John 8:32), and when you exercise faith by choosing to believe God’s Truth over what your emotions tell you is true, you overcome doubt. 

 

We are flawed in our flesh, but through the Holy Spirit, we receive understanding. When we surrender our feelings and seek God, the Holy Spirit guides us into His Truth. Choose to set your mind on the things of the Spirit. Believe in God’s Word over how you feel. Be spiritually minded, and choose life and peace. You have the mind of Christ and the Holy Spirit within you so you can know God’s truth. (1 Corinthians 2:11-12,16).

 

© 2021 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlacher.com/2021/06/life-and-peace.html

 

 

Reflection on Rejected

 

In his hometown of Nazareth, Jesus stood in the temple and read from Isaiah’s prophecy in Isaiah 61. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor” (Luke 4:18-19).

 

When Jesus was finished, he sat down and said, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21).  

 

I like the way Dallas Jenkins challenges us in his video series, The Chosen. I also like the way he and his wife challenge us in their devotionals.

 

“Jesus was being gracious enough—odd but gracious, so ‘they spoke well of him (v.22),’” the Jenkinses write in their devotion, “Rejected”, from the first devotional book of The Chosen. “But then Jesus didn’t return the favor. Knowing their hearts, he responded with ‘No prophet is accepted in his hometown (v.23NIV).’ It was a dig. He followed up with a reminder that Elisha and Elijah weren’t sent to heal their own people, because it would’ve been a waste of time…”

 

“Jesus effectively told His hometown crowd they had the same issue as their Old Testament relatives,” the Jenkinses continue, “and they came unglued. So much so, they wanted Him dead. With scant provocation from the guy they’d known for thirty years, the Nazarenes became so insanely offended and incensed that they drove Jesus out of town and up a hill so they could throw Him off a cliff…

 

“These people knew Jesus,” the Jenkinses emphasize. “They should’ve been all the more in awe of God’s power and authority clearly on display in Him. What the heck could it be? He was the carpenter who grew up with them, and now He was preaching and healing all over the place.”

 

How did the citizens of Nazareth handle the change in Jesus? They wanted to push Him off a cliff. How do we handle a change in those we know who stretch us with a different perspective on the Word? 

 

“We tend to reject anything or anyone that represents a big change in understanding or perspective,” the Jenkinses write, “even if it comes from someone familiar—especially from someone familiar. The notion that what they thought they knew could be wrong was as incomprehensible as the notion of changing your mind in a Facebook argument. So they hardened their hearts, hated Him, and tried to push Him off a cliff.”

 

Of course, no person is Jesus! But how does God speak to us? Through the revelation of His Word by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit reveals His Word to us and also through others. What? Through others? That often means being stretched uncomfortably. The Holy Spirit works through believers with shortcomings because all of us are imperfect. 

 

Don’t judge someone by their past or what others say about them or the mistakes they have made or even still make. We are all flawed. The Holy Spirits uses flawed humans to stretch us through the revelation knowledge of His Word. If someone shares something from their understanding of the Word that doesn’t conform to what you’ve been taught or believed, don’t rush to throw what challenges you off a cliff.

 

Pray and ask openly for the Spirit to reveal His truth to you. Don’t test what challenges you against man’s theological arguments. Don’t test it against what someone in ministry declares or even what a friend you trust thinks. Test what challenges you in Scripture alone. Seek earnestly to be open to the Holy Spirit. Don’t decide based on what tradition or religious opinion determines but only on what the Holy Spirit reveals. And sometimes realizing a different perspective takes a very long time. 

 

Dallas and Amanda Jenkins write, “When was the last time you changed your perspective or realized you were wrong about something significant? (Note: if it’s hard to remember, that might be something to work on.)”

 

I pray to always be open to what the Holy Spirit wishes to reveal to me and through others. We are flawed in our flesh but, in Jesus, we have understanding. When we surrender and seek Him, the Holy Spirit guides us into God’s truth. “Who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16, NKJV).

~~~~~~~

But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual…

—1 Corinthians 2:10-13, NKJV)

 

www.lynnlacher.com/2021/05/reflection-on-rejected.html

 

 

 

Live by Faith

O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?

—Galatians 3:1-5, (ESV)

 

 

In these verses, Paul addresses problems caused by Judaizers (those who follow Jewish religious practices and live by the Jewish law). The Judaizers came into the picture after the Galatians had accepted the Gospel of Christ that Paul preached. They claimed that Paul’s Gospel message was not enough for the Galatians to receive salvation. Before someone could become a true follower of Christ, the Judaizers claimed that a person had to first become a Jew and then submit to the Old Testament law the same way as any devout Jew. 

 

The Judaizers were redefining salvation. How does Paul respond to reemphasize his message of salvation by faith? Paul reminds the Galatians that he preached Christ crucified to them and that those advocating that the Galatians must follow Jewish law before being saved were actually misinterpreting the Old Testament law. Pushing the requirement of Jewish law and tradition revealed that the Judaizers believed someone received salvation by being obedient to the law rather than being obedient to God who gave the law. Instead of being obedient because of a heart change, they tried to be obedient by their works and their deeds. 

 

What about us? Are we like the Galatians that Paul addresses? Do we try to receive salvation through works or by faith in the finished work of Jesus?  Christ being crucified was His achievement—not our earned reward. Our heart change comes through belief in Christ—not from what we try to do.

 

God’s covenant with Abraham had circumcision as a sign. Four hundred years later circumcision became a personal sign that someone participated in the covenant of law given to Moses, and observing the Sabbath became a public sign. What sign accompanied the New Covenant Grace of Jesus that Paul preached? What sign did the Galatians receive that proved they had received salvation? Their proof was that they had received the Holy Spirit.

 

Because of the false teaching of the Judaizers, the Galatians questioned their salvation. Paul wants them to be sure they know that proof of their salvation was not in what they do in obedience to Jewish law. They received the Holy Spirit as evidence of their salvation. After having received Christ, do you believe that proof of your salvation is in what you do? Do you believe that if you don’t work hard enough you will lose what you have received by faith?

 

— In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

— Ephesians 1:13-14 (ESV)

 

Proof of your salvation is not in anything you do. Your proof comes from what you have believed and received by faith. When you heard the Words of truth and believed them, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit. And not only that, He guarantees what you have received. After receiving Christ “by hearing with faith,” it doesn’t make any sense that you would need to do anything to be saved. It makes no sense that you would need additional work like the Judaizers were telling the Galatians. 

 

“Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?” Paul asks (Galatians 1:5, ESV). Not only was the Holy Spirit evidence of their salvation, but miracles happened among them. Where the Word is preached is, there will be miracles (Mark 16:15-18). Miracles are never by works of the flesh or the additional requirements of men—They come with hearing the Word and the Holy Spirit.

                                   

There are Christians who know intellectually that salvation is a gift of Grace, but

they struggle daily in their own strength to prove right standing with God. They do not understand that God’s truth they have heard and received has already proved their salvation. 

 

Paul personally argues that salvation is by Grace through faith and separate from the works of the law. How does this argument play out in your own life?  When you were saved, did you believe you had to do something to earn it? And do you realize that the salvation you received by faith needs to daily continue in faith?

 

Believe in the miracle of Grace that is yours. Don’t allow anyone to add requirements as proof of your salvation. Just as Abraham believed and it was credited to him as righteousness, you believe in Christ and His righteousness is credited to you (Ephesians 3:8). Nothing you did gave you Christ’s righteousness, and you cannot rely on what you do to prove to yourself and to God that you belong to Him (Galatians 3:10). You belong to Him just because you have believed. Those who have the righteousness of Christ have been made right with God by faith in Christ. 

 

Do we live by faith in the Grace we have received? Believe in what is yours. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide and teach you. Live in His promise by faith.

 

© 2021 Lynn Lacher

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He is Here

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.

—Titus 2:11 (NKJV)

 

         The ultimate promise of salvation is knowing that when we die we will be in heaven with our Savior. But salvation means more than we are going to heaven one day. Salvation affects us here on earth. Not only does Christ’s atonement make us right with God but also gives us the power to resist temptation and pursue a life that pleases God. Salvation gives you the power to resist the attacks of the enemy and to receive the promises of God’s Word.

         

         “Sozo” is the Greek word used for salvation in Titus 2:11 and throughout the Word. According to Strong's Concordance, “sozo” means “to save, i.e., deliver or protect (literally or figuratively); heal, preserve, save (self), do well, be (make) whole.” This definition reveals that there is more to salvation than just the forgiveness of sins. There is healing and wholeness. There is provision, protection, and deliverance. Jesus Christ heals and makes us whole in every way. (Isaiah 53:5, 1 Peter 2:24, Matthew 8:16-17, Hebrews 2:14, Philippians 4:19, Colossians 1:12-14).

 

         When we read Titus 2:11 in view of Strong’s Concordance, we see that salvation is more than just the means to get to heaven. The grace of God that brings forgiveness, healing, provision, protection, and deliverance has appeared to all men. His grace is the wholeness of life given for all humankind, and it becomes real for us when we accept Christ as our Savior. Salvation in all its depth is ours.

 

         “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17, NKJV). 

 

         The law, given through Moses, included curses when the law was broken—such as sicknesses and lack of protection as punishment (Deuteronomy 28:15-68). Jesus became the curse for us when He carried our sins to the Cross, and He annulled those curses with His grace (Galatians 3:13).  Grace and truth came to us through the love of Jesus. His grace forgives our sins, heals our diseases, provides for us, and delivers us from the attacks of the enemy. The truth came through Jesus Christ. "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32, NKJV). When you receive His grace and know His truth, you are set free from sin, sickness, and every lie of the enemy. You are new and whole in Christ—in every way.

 

         If this is true, why do we live beneath what Jesus purchased for us with His life? Why don't we believe that the Cross provides wholeness of life here on earth just as we believe in the forgiveness of sins? The Word says that "by His stripes, we were healed (1 Peter 2:24)." And why are we intimidated by an enemy that Jesus defeated on Calvary? When we don’t understand the power of grace and truth in our lives, we don’t believe what Jesus gave His very life to be ours.

 

        The Word is the incorruptible seed of God's truth and grace. And faith comes by spiritually hearing His truth in our hearts and receiving what the Holy Spirit reveals it to be (Romans 10:17). What you hear with your heart releases faith in God’s grace. And His grace, which brings forgiveness, healing, provision, and deliverance, has appeared to you. Grace has come to you through Jesus Christ. Forgiveness—healing—provision, and the power to stand against a defeated enemy are all real. Titus 2:11 says they have come to all men. Anyone can receive when they believe in Christ.

 

         The Word of God is the seed that carries His grace to you.  And knowledge of the Word will set you free to receive the promises of Calvary. Faith will grow by hearing the Word in your heart. The moment your faith starts to grow, you step into the power of His grace and truth.

 

         There was grace for the woman with the issue of blood. There was grace for the ruler in the synagogue whose daughter died and then lived. There was grace for everyone Jesus healed, and He healed all who came to Him. And there is grace for you to experience the healing of sin and sickness—to conquer the works of the enemy. There is grace to be made whole. Whom the Son sets free, is indeed free. 

 

         He is here for you now. Jesus is your forgiveness—your healer—your provider—your deliverer. You enter into the provision of His precious grace when you believe in God’s goodness and the depth of His love for you. And how profound is His love? His love gave everything so you can be free to know His wholeness and fullness of life. 

Healing in You

         If you believe that God wants to prosper you with health just as your soul prospers (3 John 1:2), then you believe in healing in your life and others for whom you pray. But in this imperfect world, not everyone receives healing. Many wait years before receiving it. Others pass before they receive healing on earth.

 

         All those who acknowledge Jesus Christ as their Savior will receive a healed body in heaven. And when we include heaven, everyone is healed. But if God provides healing as part of the atonement (1 Peter 2:24), why doesn’t everyone receive it here on earth?

 

         Some people answer by saying God doesn’t want them to be healed and that sometimes He even wants them to be ill. If this was the case, why would you even pray for healing? If God wants you sick, then why would you go against God by praying to be healed? 

 

         Our Abba Father is love. He is light, and there is no darkness in him at all (1 John 1:5). He doesn’t play games. His motives are pure. What He says in His Word is true. But some blame God when they aren’t healed. 

 

         There is not a definite reason to explain why one person receives healing and another doesn’t. Each person is different. You just can’t stereotype everyone and put them into one mold. However, looking at some things might keep us from attributing sickness to the God who loves us.

 

         It is wonderful to know our God is love. Yes, He forgives us when we repent. And He doesn’t punish us with illness. When we abuse ourselves, we receive the result of how we have lived. The natural law of cause and effect is in operation. For example, someone who drowns himself in alcohol and drinks uncontrollably can have liver damage. Someone who is addicted to drugs can damage his body. Someone who is sexually promiscuous can get sexually transmitted diseases. Things like bitterness, rebellion, unforgiveness, and pride are things that can harm us and have consequences in our minds and bodies. Does God want us to overcome the results of what sin has caused? Of course, He does. And the Holy Spirit can address the deep wounds sin has left behind that hinder us. But each person is different. There is no cookie-cutter answer. The good news is that God cares and loves us. He will never forsake us or leave us. 

 

         The natural world we live in is fallen. Not only do our bodies decay as we get older, but every living thing in this world experiences decay. Things happen in life. Accidents occur. Diseases are inherited. These happen not because of any personal sin, but because of the evil that came into the world when Adam and Eve sinned. That original sin gave the enemy license to come against us. He lies in our minds and accuses us. He makes us feel that we are not worthy of God’s forgiveness and love. He wants us to believe that God could never love and forgive us. He certainly wants us to believe that God wants us sick and that He makes us sick. Sickness and death are from the enemy (Hebrews 2:14). But when we don’t know the Word, the enemy takes advantage of our lack of knowledge and plants wrong thinking in our minds. He wars against the truth of God’s Word trying to take root in your heart. The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy all that God loves (John 10:10). 

 

         The Good News is that Jesus, who came to destroy the works of the enemy (1 John 3:8), suffered death and was resurrected from the grave so we might be raised with Him in newness of life (Romans 6:1-4). Sin and sickness are the works of the enemy. You can be sure that if the enemy wants you to be sick and die, God wants you to be well and live. While we don’t understand the reasons some don’t receive healing, we know and believe that healing comes through faith in the gift of Jesus’ life for us. “By His stripes, you were healed,” tells us that healing was given at the greatest cost. We have to trust what God says in His Word and hold on to it. 

 

         Just because everyone isn’t healed doesn’t mean that healing isn’t God’s will. Jesus wants us to have a relationship with Him—one where the Holy Spirit speaks to us through His Word and where we hear His Truth. Not everyone gets to the place where they personally hear God speaking to them, but He desires for His children to have the revelation from His Word of who He is and what Jesus gave His life for them to have. 

 

         Your relationship with Jesus opens the door for you to hear from God. Your answer from God is the one for you. It is one of a kind—not someone else’s answer. No one has your answer but God. And your answer is revealed through the Truth of the Word. When you desire above everything to believe the Word, the Holy Spirit will teach you (John 16:13).

 

         Are you ready to explore His Word for answers to whatever healing you need—whether spiritual, emotional, or physical?  God desires for you to allow His Truth to penetrate your heart for it brings life and healing to everyone who finds it (Proverbs 4:20-22.)

 

         “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23, NKJV).

 

         You are three parts—spirit, soul, and body. And every part of you was redeemed by the precious blood of your Savior.

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