Grace is a key fundamental doctrine in the Christian Holy Bible. Grace is God�s unmerited favor to all mankind. He proved His grace by sending His only son, Jesus Christ, to die on a cross at Calvary outside Jerusalem 2000 years ago. Christ died as the perfect sinless blood sacrifice for man�s sin. We all know that without shedding of blood there is no remission or forgiveness of sin. Simply stated, Jesus� death, burial and resurrection is the Good News message God commands all Christian believers to share will family, friends and acquaintances.
By God�s grace we can be saved through faith in Christ alone, and receive eternal life with God when we die. Think of grace as the gasoline that fuels our powerful engine of faith in God. We do not need to do anything to earn eternal life. In truth, all of our righteousness is as a filthy rag to God. Just have true faith in Jesus Christ as your one God and His Holy Spirit will indwell you. Only then will you be found acceptable before a pure and holy God and allowed entrance into heaven.
Eternal life is a free gift from God. But to receive this gift you must make Jesus Christ your Lord and master. Simple belief is not enough. The devils believe Jesus Christ is God and tremble at His power and their eventual damnation into the eternal Lake of Fire. Think about this, no devil will ever be saved. Only humans, which are made in the image of God, can be saved from eternal destruction in burning flames.
Many people say they are Christians if you ask them, but their declaration is not evidenced by their life style deeds. They still lead sinful lives, sometimes in secret, even unseen by family and friends. But God sees all. And we all most give an account before God for the deeds done in our bodies. Dear reader, know you not, that every idle word you speak, you will need to confess before God. Do not speak the name of our Lord God in vain through blasphemy. All true Christians are bond servants, or slaves, to God�s will for their lives. Because they love God they try and keep all His commandments.
Titus 2:11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men
The heavens declare the glory of God. All we need to do is look at the canopy of stars on a clear night and we can behold just a small glimpse of the awesome power of our God creator, the Lord Jesus Christ. As you read this article God is shedding His grace on you with His simple gospel truth.
Titus 2:12 ..Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age
God gave the Ten Commandments to one of Abraham�s descendants, the meek man Moses. The Ten Commandments are rules by which we should govern our life. This is undeserved grace from our maker, on how we are to live before Him. He tells us to be sober, righteous and godly, to live a life that is a holy example in the present age of the 21st century. If we deny ourselves the devilish lusts of the flesh, the desires of our eyes and the pride of life before our fellow man, then we are doing God�s will for our own benefit.
Titus 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
2000 years ago the God man Jesus Christ gave His life on the cross as a sin sacrifice for the sins of all mankind. Three days later He rose from the dead, and proved He was God. He was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to His spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. 40 days later our God Jesus ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of His father. The entire world is awaiting His return. Nature groans, Christian men�s souls yearn, and angels await in anticipation. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Yes, Jesus is coming again!
Titus 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
All men are sinners, with evil depraved hearts, so we all deserve eternal punishment in hell and the Lake of Fire. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love for us, even when we are dead in our sins, will give us eternal life if we repent and truly forsake our sinful ways. Once you are saved, you will have a desire to share your love of Christ with other people. This zealousness onto good works is proof that you are saved by grace through faith.
Titus 2:15 Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you.
As you just read above, and since I am a true believer in God, I am commanded to speak these words to you for your benefit, to exhort and encourage you onto salvation, and to administer God�s Holy Word to rebuke and put down Satanic evil in this present day world. And I will not be ashamed of the Gospel of Christ because it is God�s power unto salvation to everyone that hears it; to the Jew, and also to the Muslim. I will not let the prince of the power of the air, the evil one, the devil, this fallen angel called Satan, who�s evil spirit now works in the children of disobedience, despise or scorn me into denying my faith in God almighty.
Will you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and make Him your King too? Right now as your read these words God�s grace is being shed on you. His unmerited and undeserved favor of blessing is upon you at this very moment. Ask God to become your Lord today. Do it now! Boast not yourself of tomorrow, for you know not what a day will bring forth. Look at the power of the tsunami and all the deaths on 3/11/11 in the country of Japan. None of those people who died, anticipated death was so near their door on 3/10/11. Think about what is your life and where your soul will go when you die. Life is nothing but a vapor, like breath that appears for a little while, maybe 70 years, and then vanishes away.
I am a true professing Christian. Dear reader, will you become one too? Pray to God right now to save your soul when you die from eternal separation from His goodness and love. May God richly bless you today with His love and mercy.
In the love of Christ, your friend, Abdul Noor
Titus 2 (New King James Version)
Titus 2
Qualities of a Sound Church
1 But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine: 2 that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience; 3 the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things� 4 that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.
6 Likewise, exhort the young men to be sober-minded, 7 in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility,8 sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.
9 Exhort bondservants to be obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not answering back, 10 not pilfering, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.
Trained by Saving Grace
11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.
15 Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you.
Hebrews 1:8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
Jesus Christ is God & Lord of All
As a true Christian believer through faith in Christ, I am very blessed to call Jesus my personal savior. Only by His grace He saved me from an eternal suffering in hell and the Lake of Fire. As a Christian I often have the opportunity to share the Holy Bible�s gospel message; Christ�s death, burial and resurrection from the dead. Any discussion about this Good News always includes the reason why Christ died such a cruel death on a cross so long ago. And this of course brings into our conversation the fact that Christ is God, and that He proved His deity by overcoming death and rising again to life through the power of His holiness. No other man in all of history foretold his death and stated exactly when he would come back to life. This fact in itself proves Christ is God.
As the Bible verse found in Hebrews 1:8 makes very clear, God the Father addresses Jesus Christ the Son of God as being the very God Himself: Hebrews 1:8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
If you do not believe Jesus is God, do you see the importance of this one single verse? Jesus is God Almighty � hallelujah � praise His name forever!
Often people will express wonderment at how Christ can be both God and the Son of God. When we think about this relationship in human terms, we ask ourselves, how can a father also be his son? After all, two people are separate and unique beings. However, God is not a human being, He is not created. God is infinite, all powerful, all knowing, and His presence is everywhere. God allows us to know about Himself only through what the scriptures reveal to us. 2 Peter 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
To help clarify our understanding of God, here is a simple illustration that was told to me a long time ago. It has helped to answer some basic questions about the deity of Christ, and I have continued to share it with people who are interested. I trust this illustration will make sense to you too.
Ice is frozen water (H2O). When ice melts it becomes liquid water (H2O). If this melted water is in a warm dry environment, it will quickly evaporate into steam water (H2O). So we can see then that water can be in three distinct states; ice, liquid or steam. Yet it is all the same chemical component H2O.
Think of God in a similar way. Our Christian God is known by the doctrine of the trinity; God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. All three are separate persons, but all exist equally as the One True God. Think of it this way. God is everywhere; in heaven, on earth and even in hell.
Psalms 139:8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
So God is everywhere we are now or ever will be, whether we go to heaven or hell. To bring into place His plan of salvation for all mankind, God made Himself into the form of man, and was born of a virgin in Bethlehem 2000 years ago. God the Father still exists everywhere and He is still one God. But now He also took the form of man.
John 1:1-2 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
This perfect man Jesus could not sin, because He was still God, born into the world in the form of a little baby. This God man Jesus grew up and at the age of 30, which in the Jewish custom is considered full adulthood, began His public ministry. He performed countless miracles, taught in the synagogues, and quickly had many disciples through faith in His deity as the true Messiah. After a 3-year public ministry God allowed Himself to be arrested, falsely tried and cruelly crucified on a cross at Calvary. Because Jesus led a perfect sinless life, He was the only acceptable sacrifice before a perfect and holy God for all of man�s sins. Jesus Christ died on the cross at Calvary to save you dear reader from an eternity of suffering in torments and pain, with separation forever from God�s goodness and grace.
Acts 2:23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
Jesus Christ gave Himself as the perfect Lamb of God, slain for all man kind�s sins.
John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
He has so many blessings He wants to share with you and your dear family. You know you are a sinner and there is no works of righteousness you can do that will ever be acceptable to a perfect and holy God. Here is what the Holy Scriptures say about our lost and wicked condition apart from a personal salvation through Christ:
Ezekiel 18:4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
James 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
Dear reader, let me ask you a question. Today will you repent of your sins and please pray to Jesus and ask Him to be your Savior? Let him become the Lord of your life. You will never regret this most important of all life�s decisions.
