Saved and Certain

The Fact, the Faith and the Feeling

The Fact

The fact is that in order to be saved, one must realize and acknowledge the fact that he is lost. Man is separated from God because of sin and without hope outside the mercy of God. Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”

Romans 3:19 “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.” Isaiah 53:6 “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

By nature, our inherent sinful life is passed on to the human family by our forefather Adam. His sin separates man from God. We don’t have to do anything to become sinners. We are sinful by birth and by nature. The Psalmist David said of himself, “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Psalms 51:5). He further states the condition of the human heart; “The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies” (Psalms 58:3). A tiny baby, before it learns to walk or talk, learns to lie. The baby can be in bed and begin to cry as if it were dying, and at the moment someone picks it up, it becomes very calm. In a sense, the baby is lying. It wasn’t sick or hurting but wants someone to take it up. Notice the awful state man is in before God;

How a Person Can Be Content

But godliness with contentment is great gain. – I Timothy 6:6

In general, we are living in discontented times. There are wars, crime, strange and disturbing weather patterns. In Matthew, chapter 24, the disciples ask Jesus, “What shall be the sign of thy coming and of the end of the world.” Christ gives a long list of things that will be taking place in the last days. Throughout the Bible God has made His care and presence known to His people. “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee or forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” Hebrews 13:5-6

The psalmist David said, “the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. I have been young, and now I’m old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken or his seed begging bread.” Psalm 37: 23-25

The apostle Paul endured many things, but he made this statement, “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” Phillipians 4:11.

“We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.”

I Timothy 6:7

How God Gives Peace To The Just

But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more

unto the perfect day. – Proverbs 4:18

Notice the “Path of the just” – On our part we must search our hearts and make sure that our heart is “pure in the sight of God.” If we begin to search our own heart, and ask God to turn His searchlight upon us as David did, then we are volunteering to let God examine our thoughts and actions, to be for His glory and our edification. “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139: 23-24. In Christ’s message known as the “Sermon on the Mount,” He mentions “things” that the gentiles seek after, but from the heart we are to seek after God. “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Matthew 6:21

In Proverbs, the writer gives the right attitude of heart for our lives: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

God will not withhold any good thing from them that walk uprightly. Psalm 84: 11

The Sparrow

John 10:9

I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

Sometime back I walked out on the back porch. It is screened in and has two doors, one going into the house and the other out to the yard. Immediately there was a great commotion as I walked through the door. It was a sparrow franticly trying to escape from this back porch prison it had became trapped in. There is no way of knowing how this fowl of the skies came to this awful predicament and entrapment but I felt I needed to help it escape before the little thing died of a heart attack. It was anxiously flying from one side of the porch to the other, slamming into the screens and making all sorts of noise. So I opened the outside door thinking it would see the door and fly to freedom, but to my surprise it continued flying from screen to screen flying past the open door over and over again still making noises that I have never heard coming out of something so small. It would fly with in inches of the open door and never see the seventy-eight by thirty-one and a half inch crevice that would free it from its eventual demise.

The Legitimacy of New Bible Translations

The Holy Bible is the recorded word of God and a gracious gift that communicates His love, judgments, and teachings. We read in the beginning how clearly His words were understood by the first man and his wife. When confronted by the serpent in the garden, the woman had no trouble recalling the exact instructions the Heavenly Father had given her. Unfortunately, the serpent’s wiles quickly began trying to twist, distort and corrupt the pure, holy words of God.

Jesus Is Both Lord And Savior

Ephesians 1:17-AV That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:

Ephesians 1:18-AV The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints

Genesis 1:1-AV In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Genesis 1:2-AV And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness [was] upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

COMMUNICATION

This era has been hailed, “The Communication Age.” Every way we turn today, people are obsessed with communicating. The confining traits of the past methods of communication have been overcome and we are now able to inexpensively communicate instantly via the internet or cell phone with anyone in the world from our home, our car, our workplace or even from the park or golf course. The industry is working overtime to be the “Firstest with the Mostest and Fastest.” Billions of dollars are being spent by individuals and corporations trying to keep up with developments.

Faith and Practice of True Baptist

The world is very different than it was in the time of Christ. There are many different so-called churches that proclaim to believe and practice the way that Jesus taught in His personal ministry. With so many varieties, it leaves you wondering just who is really correct. The individual must search the scriptures with humility of heart and seek the things that the Holy Spirit of God will reveal.

The ATONEMENT

What does it mean? The word “atone” is to make amends for wrong doing. It is found once in the NT, rendering katallageu (which is better translated “reconciliation”). Its the work of Christ in dealing with the problem posed by the sin of man, and in bringing sinners into right relation with God.

Why the need for atonement? Atonement is brought about by three things, the universality of sin, the seriousness of sin and man’s inability to deal with sin. The first point is found in many places in the Bible: “for there is no man that sinneth not” (I Ki. 8:46); and then Paul writes, “for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). Much more could be cited.

Cohabitation of Unmarried People

We find in Hebrews 13:4 that “Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.” The word “marriage” in the Greek is gamos {gam’-os} Its meaning is 1) a wedding or marriage festival, a wedding banquet, a wedding feast. 2) marriage, matrimony.

The word “honourable” in the Greek is timios {tim’-ce-oa} Its meaning is 1) as of great price, precious 2) held in honour, esteemed, especially dear. From the beginning of creation God has ordained the marriage union as the basis for the family structure. (Genesis 2:24) We see from observing the scriptures that marriage has been a public ceremony and celebration down through the ages.