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Showing posts from October, 2018
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Assurance I don't ever want to move from the cross, to lose sight of it. At the cross is where we trade sin's blackest stains for the pure white robe of His righteousness. Our assurance comes from what was accomplished at the cross. Thieves and murderers die on Roman crosses, but when the righteous One hangs there, when the innocent One dies on a cross, when the Son of God is nailed to the tree as thief and murderer, all of heaven and earth shake.  John Wesley, an influential 18th century English preacher, had a deep realization that he lacked assurance of salvation. In spite of all of his methods and disciplines, he saw that empty nagging void inside of himself. He knew much, was trained by his parents, had a heritage of preaching and evangelism, but still he lacked that surety, that comfort that comes with salvation. What if I was to not do another thing with this life of mine? Would God withdraw His promise of salvation from me? Would His love towards me cool? These
The Sin Sandwich God has forgiven us of all of our sins. Paul writes to the church at Colossae, He forgave all our sins. All. The word in Greek is panta ( πάντα ). It is a word of completeness and means all, any, every, the whole, forever, complete, whatever. I think that covers it. No stone unturned, no exceptions. But admittedly, there are times when our heart is burdened by guilt, by doubt, by voices that whisper "not enough". God understands our doubts, and He has compassion on us. John the Baptist, Peter, Elijah, were all men who doubted, yet God met them all there in their doubts. The Lord knows there are times when we need extra assurance, so He sends us writers, apostles of the faith like John who wrote, " I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. " John wrote to bring the "sinner" comfort. He who leaned on the heart of Jesus writes these words from the