GospelNotes.life

Author: Adam

  • God’s Love for Us

    What’s the point of life? Aren’t our greatest times on this earth in getting together with friends and family and having a good time with each other? Enjoying our love for each other? That’s the point of life – to have a fun and loving relationship with our Father God, our Brother Jesus, and our brothers and sisters in Christ. To simply have the never-ending, constant peace that “surpasses all understanding” and the constant, never-ending fullness of joy that gets better and better from one moment to the next, into eternity. Resting, not having to work, but having our parents in heaven – our Heavenly Father – provide for all our needs. And we are His children, resting and relaxing without a care in the world. And when we’re not resting, playing and having a good time with our friends and family. It’s that simple.

    If you don’t understand who Christ is and His intense love for us, you probably think of God as either a supreme being who created us and kind of just left us alone and to our own devices, and will begrudgingly allow us into heaven if we’re a “decent person” that hasn’t murdered anyone and has done a few kind things for others. Or maybe thinking of God as, “You leave me alone and I’ll leave you alone” kind of scenario. Or…that God is a mean God who created us and is waiting to punish us every second we “mess up”.

    The truth is that God is our Father, and He created us to have a deep, daily, personal and loving relationship with us as His children – just as any good, earthly father would with his own children. To dwell among us and with us. To talk with us and do things with us. To be with us. To love on us. He built His creation with Him literally being in everything, and us in Him. That’s how close of a relationship He wants to have with His creation.

    The Bible confirms these truths:

    God’s Character and Qualities
    The Fruit of the Spirit — Galatians 5:22-23 — But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

    The Definition of Love — 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 — Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

    God IS Love — 1 John 4:7-8 — Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

    1 John 4:18 — There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

    Hebrews 13:5 — God will never leave you nor forsake you. No matter how many times you turn your back on Him.

    What God Isn’t
    The Evil Acts of the Flesh (and the devil) — Galatians 5:19-21 — The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. [Obviously anyone who does any of these things will not go to Heaven UNLESS they have accepted Christ as their Savior and have been forgiven all their sins – past, present and future]

    The Parables
    The Prodigal Son — A father’s son left him to live a life of sin. The father did not disown his child. Instead, he patiently hoped and waited for his son to come to his senses and return to his father. Finally the son realized he should be with his father, but felt ashamed and not worthy to be called a son anymore, so he figured he would come back to his father to be a servant instead of a son. When his father saw him far off in the distance, he ran out to meet him, threw his arms around him, put a ring on his finger and clothed him, called him his son and threw a huge banquet for him.

    The Lost Sheep — When a child wanders off, God leaves everyone else behind to go find him, and when He does, He throws a celebration! Explained through losing a sheep, leaving the 99 others behind to search for the one lost sheep, and upon finding it, celebrates.

    The Lost Coin — When a child wanders off, God leaves everyone else behind to go find him, and when He does, He throws a celebration! Explained through losing a precious coin and upon finding it, throws a celebration with friends.

    Spiritual Truths
    Hebrews 13:5 — God will NEVER leave you nor forsake you.

    Grace and mercy — when we mess up, we “fall into grace” and we’re already forgiven that sin the moment we believed in Christ and are not condemned – as we are no longer under the law, but under grace. Romans 5:20. Romans 6:14.

    Romans 5:8 — But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us [to save us so we could be with Him for eternity].

    Our Heavenly Father will always take care of us and our needs, and always provide for us. 1 Peter 5:7. Matthew 6:25-34.

    John 8:35 — When we accept Christ we become a child of God, forever — Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever.

    God wants to dwell among us and have a loving, personal relationship:

    • God dwelled among Adam and Eve before they sinned.
    • Adam sinned and man became separated from God, because God, as perfect and holy as He is, cannot be associated with sin.
    • God loves us so much and so badly wants to have a loving and personal relationship with us, that He decided to correct the problem (something us humans couldn’t do) by sending His Son Jesus into the world as a human, to live a perfect, sinless life and fulfill the righteous requirement of the law on our behalf (something no human can ever do), to die for us to pay for our sins, was buried and rose again on the third day, defeating sin and death and for our justification. And He made it so easy that all you have to do is believe in Him and what He did.
    • Have a 2,000 year period/church age to build for Himself a family of humans who love Him and simply believe in Him.
    • Will come again in the second coming after the 7 year Tribulation to set up His earthly kingdom and to rule and to dwell among and to take care of and be with those who love Him and have accepted Him, forever and ever. Amen!

    And last but not least
    Imagine you were God and you created humans that you want to have a loving relationship with for eternity. First of all, you can’t have humans that love you if you don’t give them free will to love and accept you. Otherwise they would be robot drones. Now, do you want to spend eternity with a group of people that willfully love and accept you and believe in you? Or do you want to spend eternity with a group of prideful, self-righteous people who really don’t recognize you or love you and think that they should be in heaven with you because they think that “they’re a good person”? Even though the Bible makes clear that all are sinners and all of our “good works” are tainted and but “filthy menstrual rags” in the eyes of a perfect and holy God — Isaiah 64:6, Romans 3:23

    Believe. Faith, not works.

  • How We Know the Bible is True

    Easy. Because of the books of the prophets in the Old Testament. All the past prophecies have come to pass. Prophecies about nations, wars, captivity, kings, the coming messiah, the messiah’s life, the messiah’s sacrifice, etc.

    There are indeed future prophecies that will come to pass soon. Prophecies like the rapture, the Tribulation, the second coming, the millennial kingdom, the great white throne judgement and the new heaven and new earth.

    No other religion has prophets. Not Islam. Not Buddhism. Not Hinduism. Not nothin.

    John 14:29 — The Lord says, “And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe.

    Also, the Bible was written by 40 different authors over 1,400 years – and it all lines up. Can you imagine trying to orchestrate a story like that with 40 different people over 1,400 years – especially with the lack of technology they had over 3,500 years ago?

    Starting in the very first book of the Old Testament Bible:

    Genesis 1:1-2 — In the beginning God [The Lord] created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God [The Holy Spirit] was hovering over the face of the waters.

    Genesis 3:14 (the salvation event to come) — So the Lord God said to the serpent [Satan]:
    “Because you have done this [got Adam to sin],
You are cursed more than all cattle,
And more than every beast of the field;
On your belly you shall go,
And you shall eat dust
All the days of your life.
And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed [Christ];
He [Jesus] shall bruise your head [defeat you at the cross],
And you shall bruise His heel [at the cross].”

    Genesis 22:18 — In your [Abraham] seed [Christ] all the nations of the earth [Jews and gentiles] shall be blessed [with the hope of salvation through faith in Christ alone], because you have obeyed My voice [believed in Christ].”

    Genesis 4:1-5 — Now Adam knew [slept with] Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the Lord.” Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep [think…the lamb of God – Christ], but Cain was a tiller of the ground [fruit]. And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground [the fruit of his own “works”] to the Lord [as an offering]. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat [he brought a sacrifice of a lamb. Think – the lamb of God – Christ – sacrificed on the cross for the sins of the whole world…a foreshadow of what was to come]. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.

  • Eternal Security

    Once you’ve believed the gospel found in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, you are saved, given eternal life and sealed with The Holy Spirit (which is the guarantee of your eternal life). You cannot lose your salvation. You have “eternal security”, also known as OSAS (Once Saved Always Saved):

    John 5:24 – Upon believing the gospel, we have already passed from death to eternal life – not temporary life until we sin again:
    “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into [everlasting] life.”

    Romans 8:1 – There’s no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus:
    “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit [all born again believers walk in the Spirit].”

    Romans 8:38-39 – Nothing can separate us from the love of God – not even ourselves.
    “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

    Hebrews 13:5 – God will never leave us nor forsake us – no matter how much we sin.
    “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

    John 10:28-29 – No one is able to snatch a believer out of Christ’s and the Father’s hand – not even ourselves.
    “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.”

    John 3:16 – When we believe the gospel, God gives us eternal life – not probationary life until we sin again.
    “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.”

    Ephesians 1:13-14 – The instant we believe the gospel, we’re sealed with the Holy Spirit, which is the guarantee of our salvation.
    “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”

    Ephesians 4:30 – We’re sealed by the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption – not until we sin again.
    “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

    2 Corinthians 1:22 – Again, sealed with the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of salvation.
    “who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”

    John 6:39 — Jesus will not lose any who come to Him.
    “This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.”

    2 Timothy 2:13 — Even if we have a crisis of faith, God remains faithful to us.
    “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.”

    2 John 1:2 — Christ will be with us forever.
    “because of the truth [Christ] which abides in us and will be with us forever”

    John 8:35 — When we believe the gospel, we become a child of God, and a child of God remains a child forever.
    “And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.”