Come To Faith In Jesus Christ

The Character of God

The Holiness of God: You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, And cannot look on wickedness. Why do You look on those who deal treacherously, And hold Your tongue when the wicked devours A person more righteous than he? Habakkuk 1:13

But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear. Isaiah 59:2

The Justice of God: For the LORD is righteous, He loves righteousness; His countenance beholds the upright. Psalm 11:7

But the LORD of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, And God who is holy shall be hallowed in righteousness. Isaiah 5:16

God is a just judge, And God is angry with the wicked every day. If he does not turn back, He will sharpen His sword; He bends His bow and makes it ready. Psalm 7:11-12

The Depravity and Condemnation of Man

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23

But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away. Isaiah 64:6

For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is  everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.” Galatians 3:10

What is sin? Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. 1 John 3:4

Examine yourself to know if you’ve broken Gods law and sinned against Him:
The Ten Commandments – “You shall have no other gods before Me. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you. “You shall not murder. “You shall not commit adultery. “You shall not steal. “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.” Exodus 20:3-17

The Great Dilemma

For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, Nor shall evil dwell with You. Psalm 5:4

As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. Romans 3:10-11

God’s Action

While maintaining His holiness and justice, the Bible also affirms that God is love, and that in love He has responded to the plight of man.

Motivated By Love: He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4:8-10

The Cross of Christ: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Romans 3:23-26

The Resurrection: who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification. Romans 4:25

Man’s Response

Repentance begins with a recognition and confession that what God says about us is true-we have sinned.

For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight—That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge. Psalm 51:3-4

A genuine recognition of our sinfulness and guilt will also lead to genuine sorrow, shame and even hatred for what we have done.

For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. Romans 7:15

O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Romans 7:24

Apparent sincerity of confession alone is never definite evidence of genuine repentance. It must be accompanied by turning away from sin.

“Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, Isaiah 1:16

And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Matthew 3:10

Faith Defined

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. Romans 4:21

Faith Based on the Promises of God

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16

So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Acts 16:31

Example of a believer

For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, Philippians 3:3

The Basis of Genuine Assurance

True Conversion: A true Christian is a new creation and will live a life that reflects God’s radical work of re-creation in his/her life.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17

You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Matthew 7:16

Assurance is based upon self-examination in the light of Scripture.
Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified. 2 Corinthians 13:5

These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. 1 John 5:13

Test of Biblical Assurance

1 John 1:5-7 (Walking in the Light)
1 John 1:8-10 (Confession of Sin)
1 John 2:3-4 (Obedience)
1 John 2:9-11 (Love for the Brethren)
1 John 2:15-17 (Hatred for the World)
1 John 2:24-25 (Perseverance in Doctrine)
1 John 3:10 (The Practice of Righteousness)
1 John 4:13 (The Holy Spirit’s Testimony to Our Spirit)
Hebrews 12:5-8 (God’s Discipline for Our Continual Sin)

If you have any questions, please contact us by:

email: Pastor Jason Anderson

Phone: (301) 845-8600