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The Corner
Dear Friends, The Gospel message is very simple and yet man has been able to muddle it up so that many people wonder if it is even possible to know the truth. The Bible says Adam was created perfect and sinless but he and Eve broke the rule not to touch and eat of the tree of knowledge; as a result, they came to know good and evil. God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit knew before they started the creation what would happen with Lucifer, and eventually with Adam, and provided atonement for mankind in the form of Himself. The Creator came as a man and sacrificed Himself on a cross to pay mankind’s sin. In doing so, Jesus reconciled us to the Father again. That is what it means to be born again. Adam didn’t physically die when he took and ate of the forbidden fruit but died spiritually and lost the wonderful communion he had with Jesus in the garden. Jesus appeared sporadically over the years until He was born into this world some 4,000 years later. Something unique and wonderful happened as the Creator walked on the earth for the next 33 years full of grace and truth until He willingly gave up His life. Man does nothing but receive the free gift of salvation, after all, Jesus did all the work! (John 3:16-17) The Bible spells out the salvation plan and how it is attained. However, man through the influence of the Devil, has added many different requirements to the Gospel. Contrary to what some believe, there is no monetary cost, no need to travel to a special location, no secrets to be revealed, no physical work to be completed, no test of worthiness, and no spiritual preparedness to receive it. Sadly, the Devil has been able to confuse the Gospel message so that even Christians are unclear on the matter, falsely believing that salvation can be lost and regained, kind of like getting on and off a bus. Satan is very clever and has deceived many even though this doctrine isn’t found anywhere in the Bible. On the contrary, the Scriptures speak of our eternal security in Jesus Christ. Our security in Jesus: John 6:44; 10:27-30; 1 Corinthians 12:3; Galatians 6:7-8; Matthew 5:20; 12:30-32; 2 Timothy 1:7-12 The foundation is Jesus: 1 Corinthians 3:11; Romans 3:10-31; Galatians 3:6-29 We need to build on Jesus: Hebrews 6:1-3; 2 Corinthians 5:17-19; 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 A person can only get saved once: Hebrews 6:4-20 We are saved by grace, not by works: Ephesians 2:8-10; Romans 9:14-23 Nothing can separate us from Jesus: Romans 8:28-39; John 6:39-40 God is holding onto man, not the other way around: Jude 24; 1 Peter 1:3-5 It is my hope that these Scriptures will comfort and provide you with a solid foundation of faith in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Study them so that you will be a complete soldier in Christ, for the day will come when you will have to take a stand or be swept away by the tide of false doctrine. (1 Timothy 3:16-17; 4:1-5) May God richly bless you today,
Charles Thorell |
