September 1st 2019
A Work-In-Progress, Becoming More Christ-Like Every Day?
1 John 1:6-7 (NIV)
If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
Is it possible to become so Christ-like that you will become eligible to go to heaven? Some people seem to believe that they are good enough to deserve to go to heaven when they die! It is very important for all of us to know that God will not accept anyone into heaven who has not claimed their salvation by being humble enough to accept their salvation through the grace earned by Jesus Christ. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. (1 John 1:10). We make God out to be a liar, if we claim to be without sin, thus prepared to die and go to heaven on our good merits alone! If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. (1 John 1:8). You must be perfect and sinless in order to deserve to go to heaven on our own merits! If we believe we are good enough then “we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” Here is the great hope for us all, as written by John for us, “if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” John does give us this assurance that even when we sin, and it is likely we will, Jesus gives us more grace through confession of our sins. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9).
If you are like me, you may find it very difficult, to believe you are (always) walking in the light “if we walk in the light, as he is in the light”, as John wrote! John also wrote about this problem we may experience of still sinning although we are trying to avoid the pull of our sinful nature causing us to view sinful opportunities as something we deserve not as being sinful. But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. (1 John 3:5). As John has written, Jesus came into this world to take away the sins of all those who would recognize His appearance here was planned for our salvation, “you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins.” Jesus could be the required perfect sacrifice as “in him is no sin.” God believe that Jesus was qualified as the needed unblemished perfect sacrifice needed to allow forgiveness of the sins of all of mankind, if they acknowledged this as the truth, and as a fact!
Paul wrote about this wonderful reality of salvation of sinful members of mankind. This then becomes the great hope of all mankind. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13). The following accounts offer some evidence of Jesus being that sinless, perfect sacrifice. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." (1 Peter 2:21-22). John writes for us about what Pilate said about Jesus when he interviewed Jesus, as the Jews requested. "You are a king, then!" said Pilate. Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." "What is truth?" Pilate asked. With this he went out again to the Jews and said, "I find no basis for a charge against him.” (John 18:37-38). As Pilate said, "I find no basis for a charge against him.”
As Jesus said to Pilate "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." Another time Jesus said He represented the truth, and likely the most well-known, and most offered testament by Jesus that He represents the truth and the hope of eternal life! "In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. "And where I go you know, and the way you know." Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (John 14: 2-6, NKJV). If you have accepted Jesus’ offer of eternal life, are you ready to move into your heavenly mansion? It sounds like the best offer I’ve ever received! What about you are you ready for the freedom of knowing that in your future is a heavenly mansion?
Paul wrote about this truth that God has offered to all of mankind, but you MUST believe the claim that the only Way to heaven is through Jesus Christ. And we may wonder, is it fair for God to not honor other worldly religions, as another way to go to heaven? Can God be accused of being unjust? What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. (Romans 9:14-16). There is no other Way by which any member of mankind can end up in heaven, as God has stated, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.
God created everything seen and unseen, and God has declared that Jesus Christ is God’s representative on earth, God honors no one else as the Savior of the world! Hopefully/prayerfully you believe this to be the only absolute truth in the cursed world! Do you? Eternal life with Jesus in heaven awaits all those who have taken Jesus as their personal Savior, and it is an immediate change producing you as a new creation, ready for Jesus return, or for Him to come to direct to where He is. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18).
God may bless you with temporary things in this life, but nothing seen can be taken with you when Jesus calls you Home, only those good deeds you have done will be mentioned to God by Jesus, when He escorts you into your heavenly Home! Amen!
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
1 John 1:6-7 (NIV)
If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
Is it possible to become so Christ-like that you will become eligible to go to heaven? Some people seem to believe that they are good enough to deserve to go to heaven when they die! It is very important for all of us to know that God will not accept anyone into heaven who has not claimed their salvation by being humble enough to accept their salvation through the grace earned by Jesus Christ. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. (1 John 1:10). We make God out to be a liar, if we claim to be without sin, thus prepared to die and go to heaven on our good merits alone! If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. (1 John 1:8). You must be perfect and sinless in order to deserve to go to heaven on our own merits! If we believe we are good enough then “we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” Here is the great hope for us all, as written by John for us, “if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” John does give us this assurance that even when we sin, and it is likely we will, Jesus gives us more grace through confession of our sins. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9).
If you are like me, you may find it very difficult, to believe you are (always) walking in the light “if we walk in the light, as he is in the light”, as John wrote! John also wrote about this problem we may experience of still sinning although we are trying to avoid the pull of our sinful nature causing us to view sinful opportunities as something we deserve not as being sinful. But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. (1 John 3:5). As John has written, Jesus came into this world to take away the sins of all those who would recognize His appearance here was planned for our salvation, “you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins.” Jesus could be the required perfect sacrifice as “in him is no sin.” God believe that Jesus was qualified as the needed unblemished perfect sacrifice needed to allow forgiveness of the sins of all of mankind, if they acknowledged this as the truth, and as a fact!
Paul wrote about this wonderful reality of salvation of sinful members of mankind. This then becomes the great hope of all mankind. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13). The following accounts offer some evidence of Jesus being that sinless, perfect sacrifice. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." (1 Peter 2:21-22). John writes for us about what Pilate said about Jesus when he interviewed Jesus, as the Jews requested. "You are a king, then!" said Pilate. Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." "What is truth?" Pilate asked. With this he went out again to the Jews and said, "I find no basis for a charge against him.” (John 18:37-38). As Pilate said, "I find no basis for a charge against him.”
As Jesus said to Pilate "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." Another time Jesus said He represented the truth, and likely the most well-known, and most offered testament by Jesus that He represents the truth and the hope of eternal life! "In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. "And where I go you know, and the way you know." Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (John 14: 2-6, NKJV). If you have accepted Jesus’ offer of eternal life, are you ready to move into your heavenly mansion? It sounds like the best offer I’ve ever received! What about you are you ready for the freedom of knowing that in your future is a heavenly mansion?
Paul wrote about this truth that God has offered to all of mankind, but you MUST believe the claim that the only Way to heaven is through Jesus Christ. And we may wonder, is it fair for God to not honor other worldly religions, as another way to go to heaven? Can God be accused of being unjust? What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. (Romans 9:14-16). There is no other Way by which any member of mankind can end up in heaven, as God has stated, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.
God created everything seen and unseen, and God has declared that Jesus Christ is God’s representative on earth, God honors no one else as the Savior of the world! Hopefully/prayerfully you believe this to be the only absolute truth in the cursed world! Do you? Eternal life with Jesus in heaven awaits all those who have taken Jesus as their personal Savior, and it is an immediate change producing you as a new creation, ready for Jesus return, or for Him to come to direct to where He is. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18).
God may bless you with temporary things in this life, but nothing seen can be taken with you when Jesus calls you Home, only those good deeds you have done will be mentioned to God by Jesus, when He escorts you into your heavenly Home! Amen!
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
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