John 5:24

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” (John 5:24 ESV). When a verse begins with “Truly, truly” or “Verily, verily” or something similar, it is like underlying or writing in bold to emphasize importance. Therefore, what Jesus is saying in this verse is important. Associated with this verse in context is the importance of showing honor to Jesus as well as hearing his words and believing the Father. This honor, hearing and belief results in eternal life and avoidance of eternal judgment.

Related verses on belief and judgment are “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” (John 3:16, 18 ESV). “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.” (John 6:47 ESV). “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.” (1 John 3:14 NASB). Out of love the Father sacrificed his Son that we might have eternal life and evidence that we do is found in our love for others.

Prayer

Father, thank you for the hope we have in Jesus Christ. Thank you for our inheritance that is secure in heaven, waiting for our arrival. Thank you for the kindness of your grace and love that we will enjoy forever. Thank you for the forgiveness of our sin and the peace we have with you. Thank you for allowing us to know and love you.

Romans 5:8

“but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8 ESV). The general context from which this verse comes is peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of our sin there was enmity with God, but while we were dead in our sin, he showed his love for us by sending Christ to the cross to purchase our salvation. Through the death of Jesus, the law has been satisfied, justice has been served, providing us with peace with God.

We were spiritually dead and without God’s help we had no way to stop going down the road leading to hell. In spite of our disobedience, God’s love which he had for us at the time of creation never wavered, causing him to send his only Son in the person of Jesus Christ to die for us. God reached out to us in love through Jesus Christ providing us with an option of accepting his gift of salvation.

Prayer

Father, it is hard to comprehend why Jesus Christ was willing to die for the ungodly, but for the joy set before him he was willing, out of obedience, to endure the shame and suffering of the cross. That joy was from knowing that he would love and have intimate fellowship with those who were to receive the gift of salvation. Father, have mercy on us and help us love as we should in return by our obedience to your will. Father, thank you that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 

Revelation 3:20

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.” (Revelation 3:20 NASB). In chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation we find seven letters specifically written to seven churches. Our verse of focus is found in the seventh letter, the one to the church at Laodicea. This is a lukewarm church, like many churches today, in which Jesus is very displeased. This is a church filled with wealthy members who feel they have need of nothing and thus do not realize that they have great needs. As we read through the letter we will stop at the verse before ours.

Jesus says to them: “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore, be zealous and repent.”  (Revelation 3:19 NASB). Who are those whom Jesus loves? Are they unsaved or believers? In Hebrews 12:6: “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” (ESV). This language would suggest these are believers, who like many in our churches today, are lukewarm in their relationship with the Lord. Before it is too late and they stand before the judgment seat of Christ, they are to repent of their sin and zealously live for the Lord.

If we look ahead to verse 21: “He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” (Revelation 3:21 NASB). What did Jesus overcome? He overcame the temptation to not continue down the road of suffering that would lead to his death on the cross. We are to overcome the temptation to not deny Jesus under persecution. Today, believers who are living under persecution are willing to suffer, go to prison and even die before they would deny Jesus. They demonstrate what it is to overcome.

Our verse seems to set in the context of belief and is thus referring to believers, not to those who are yet to be born again. Scripture supports the Father choosing those who will believe, who he gives to Jesus as a gift to receive eternal life. Jesus does not knock on the door of our heart to enter for salvation, but to encourage us to abide deeply in him in fellowship, thus removing the condition of lukewarmness. The condition of being lukewarm applies to believers not to unbelievers. Lukewarmness is seen in believers today who embrace comfort, safety and security over being obedient to Christ. Therefore, our verse is an example of one that is used out of context for the purpose of salvation when it should be used to challenge believers to suffer, if need be, to live godly lives.

Prayer

Father, as I prepare these lessons I have a growing concern over how pastors and teachers are improperly guiding those under their leadership. As they pick and choose verses and lift verses out of context to support their sermon topic or belief, they are developing a body of believers who don't know the Bible and are not willing to suffer for their faith. As a result, church growth in not taking place in America, but in countries where there is persecution. Here lukewarmness is settling in. Father, have mercy on us and if need be, bring persecution here to encourage us learn and obey the Scriptures. 

Titus 3:5

“he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,” (Titus 3:5 ESV). The context our verse is from is about godly living and being heirs of grace. We are reminded how to live and it was pointed out how we used to live. In order to make this transition from sin to godly living, God would have to be involved. It is out of kindness and the love of God our savior that our verse becomes reality.

When we are born physically we are spiritually dead in our sin and no matter how hard we try we can never become acceptable to God to where he would grant us eternal life. While we were dead in our trespasses he made us alive together with Christ as an act of grace through faith. Through the death of Jesus Christ, justice was served, freeing God to extend mercy to us.

Regeneration refers to the new birth or being born again. In a broad sense this idea of regeneration can be applied to all of creation to be set free from its bondage to corruption and we being part of creation we groan with it as with pains of childbirth (Romans 8:20-23). The washing refers to the cleansing process of removing our sin through regeneration.

The renewal of the Holy Spirit is the process known as sanctification. It is the work of the Holy Spirit in us to help us become more like Jesus. It is the process of replacing our sinful nature with God's Holy nature.

Prayer

Father, thank you for choosing us, causing us to be born again, and transforming us into the image of Jesus. Thank you for the work of the Holy Spirit in the process of our sanctification. Thank you for the living hope you have given us of spending an eternity in a loving caring relationship with you and Jesus. 

1 Peter 3:18

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,” (I Peter 3:18 NKJV). This verse begins with the word “For” so we need to look back to establish the context this verse is related to. We find it is about suffering for righteousness’ sake and how we should respond. The theme of the book of 1 Peter is “Hope in the midst of suffering.” That hope is found in Christ suffering on the cross for our sin. With this context in mind we are ready to look at our verse.

Just as these believers were suffering for their righteous living, Jesus Christ also did by suffering on the cross for our sins. Jesus had done nothing wrong, but because of his love for us and the joy set before him, he was willing to accept our sin and thus the wrath of God because he knew that he could continue to love us for an eternity as the heavenly family of God. By dying in our place for our sin, justice was served and God was then able to show us mercy and through grace offer the gift of salvation thus bringing us to God. Jesus was put to death in the flesh, but in three days he was raised from the dead and ascended to the right hand of his Father in heaven.

Prayer

Father, thank you for giving your Son and for his willingness to die in our place for our sin, providing our salvation. I pray that we will express our love and gratitude through our obedience to do the work you prepared for us to do. I pray that we will love others with the same sacrificial love in which you loved us. 

Ephesians 2:8 - 9

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NASB). The context of this verse is about being made alive in Christ. We were dead in our sin and did what we wanted to do. God described us as children of wrath. “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ” (Ephesians 2:4-5 NASB). He did this to show the surpassing riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Jesus Christ. The section is then brought to a conclusion with the verses we are considering today.

If one wonders how we are saved, the answer is found here; it is by grace through faith. Grace is receiving a gift we don't deserve and we receive the gift simply by accepting it through faith. As the gift giver, God in his sovereignty decides who will receive gifts and then prepares the sinful heart to desire it. It is very clear that our salvation is not of our doing, it is a gift from God, it is not by any effort on our part. Romans 3:10-12 makes it very clear that unless God prepares the heart it will not want the gift of salvation. If you are a believer are you better than someone who isn't. That would be like a child in an orphanage choosing a family to live with and not the family making the choice. All we have to do is to accept salvation as a gift from God. Be assured that no one desiring to be a Christian will be denied.

It is most unfortunate that these two verses are usually separated from verse 10 when used in sermons or Bible studies. Verse 10: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10 NASB) gives a reason God saved us in the first place. He created us in Christ Jesus for the purpose of doing work for him. He didn't leave us here for our own entertainment, but to work at seeking for loss sheep (unbelievers chosen by God) to bring to Jesus and help grow in Christ-likeness. These three verses must stay together or you end up with believers that care more for themselves than they do the unsaved.

Prayer

Father, thank you for the gift of salvation; for the kindness of your grace. Thank you that justice was served through Jesus Christ, allowing you to show us mercy. Thank you for the Holy Spirit, who dwells in us as assurance of our salvation. 

John 1:12

“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,” (John 1:12 ESV). The context of our verse is about the Word, who was before all things and through him all things were made. In him was life and that life provides light by which we gain understanding of spiritual things. This Word became flesh whom we know as Jesus Christ and is the one our verse speaks of.

This verse is another if then statement in which two conditions need to be met in order to obtain the result. First, we must humbly come to Jesus and receive him into our lives. We are to embrace who he is and devote our lives to loving and serving him. Second, we are to believe in his name, which means we are to accept the truth that Jesus is the Son of God, the coming Messiah. The fact that Jesus is the Son of God living in the flesh of man is a great stumbling block for many, but it is the central tenant of the Christian faith. Meeting these two conditions gives us the right to become children of God, but what is the meaning of “right”?

What level of understanding of the two conditions is necessary? What about a child? I was a child when I was saved and at the time I didn't understand those conditions, so what does this verse mean? I believe the key lies in the word “right” or in some translations “authority.” In his sovereignty, God the Father chooses who will become children in his family. Like a fetus conceived in the womb, each loss sheep is to be searched for and spiritually nourished to the point of spiritual birth. It is these whom the Father has chosen, that have the right to become children of God. At the appropriate time the Father causes the spiritual birth. As a child, through faith I was saved and through faith I would grow in my understanding of the two conditions.

Prayer

Father, the reality that only the ones you grant the right to become children of God will be born again, is a very difficult concept for some to accept. However, the Scriptures are clear that no one desiring to be a Christian will be excluded and no one granted this right will be left behind. It is amazing how many are being led to salvation through dreams and visions in highly restricted areas of the world. Father, thank you for granting the right to become children of God and in preparing those hearts to be born again.