I John 1:7
There is much in this scripture. “But if we walk in the light.” Walking in the light is walking in the truth. V.6 of I John 1:6, states if we say we walk in light but walk in darkness, we lie. Light is for truth, darkness is for error and sin. We cannot have fellowship with the faithful unless we walk in truth. Then, The verse states if we do walk in the light, we have fellowship one with another.” Those in truth are walking with others in truth for they are in the right way. Then, those in truth and also in the light, and also have the blood of Christ to cleanse them from all sin. Jesus died on a cruel cross. He shed His blood for the remission of our sins – Matthew 26:28. When a sinner is baptized into Christ for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38) he is also baptized into the death of Christ (Rom. 6:3) Jesus shed His blood in His death. The blood of Christ washes away our sins. (Romans 6:3). Then the Lord adds us to His church – Acts 2:47. In the Lords’s church we must be faithful to the truth in all ways. When the church assembles, we need to be there -Hebrewes 10:25. If we wilfully do not attend, we are not putting the kingdom first (Matthew 6:33). When Jesus died on the cruel cross at Calvary, did He put us first? Think about those nails in His hands and feet and decide how much Jesus sacrificed for us. If we don’t show appreciation for what Chist has done, will He admit us into the pearly gates in heaven some day? THINK! Truth In Love, Vol 6, No. 7, July 2013 Most things have value, but the value is based on different criteria – sentimental, age, materials, etc. The value placed on an object to be sold is usually different based on the perspective of the seller or buyer. The seller generally places a higher value on an object than does the buyer.
But what about our soul? Many devalue their soul by giving little or no thought to the eternal nature or destiny of the soul (Romans 1:20-32). A majority of people discount the existence of a fiery hell either due to indifference or they rationalize that a loving God would not condemn anyone to hell. The world is focused on building self-esteem – we want to feel good about ourselves. But when it comes to our soul, we lower our self-esteem by devaluing the worth of our soul. Consider the value that God the Father has placed on your soul. In Genesis 1 and 2 we are told that we were created in the image of God. Paul says “God has demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8 NKJV). In addition to the provisions He has made for the salvation of our souls, He has made provision for the eternal residence of the soul when this world ceases to be (I Peter 1:3-4; Romans 2:6-7). Also consider the value Christ places on your soul. He willingly gave himself for us that we might be redeemed from the bondage of sin (Philippians 2:5-8; John 10:17-18). The price paid must be equal to the value of that which is being redeemed (I Peter 1:18-19). In addition to His sacrifice on the cross, He established His Kingdom (His church) as the residing place of the saved here on earth (Mark 9:1; Luke 24:49; Acts 2). His willingness to come to this earth, take on the form of man, and suffer the death on the cross has qualified him to be our Savior and intercede on our behalf before the Father (Hebrews 2:17; 4:14-16; I John 2:1-2) In addition to the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit also places a high value on your soul. Jesus promised His apostles that it was necessary that He go away in order that He might send another helper, the Holy Spirit (John 14:16; 16:13). It was necessary for the Holy Spirit to come in order to reveal to us the mind of God and His commands and conditions of salvation by which we may appropriate the blessings of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross to our own salvation (Romans 1:20; I Corinthians 2:7-13; Jude 3). When the Holy Spirit came on Pentecost following the resurrection of Christ, He gave power to the apostles to reveal the word of God and confirm that which was being delivered by miracles, signs and wonders (Mark 16:20). So the question is, what value do you place on your soul? We may focus our energies on earthly treasure, but we must realize that these are corruptible things that will cease to exist when Christ comes again (Matthew 6:19-20; II Peter 3:10). We must raise our valuation of the soul by becoming a child of God (Acts 2:38; Rom 6:1-4,17), growing in our knowledge of His Word (Colossians 1:9; I Timothy 4:13; II Peter 3:18; John 12:48), and teaching others (II Timothy 2:2). God is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (II Peter 3:9 NKJV). Failure to obey will only bring condemnation (Matthew 7:21-23; Romans 3:23). Our response to God’s Word indicates the value we place on our soul. Kerry Arnold |
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