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            A basic truth—no one is right with God until they make the decision to put a believing faith and continuing trust on the Atonement sacrifice of Christ to forgive their sins and convert their heart.  Romans 3:10-12 “Thus it stands written, ‘There is not one righteous man [no, not one]. 11 There is not one who is really wise, nor one who is a diligent seeker after God. 12 All have turned aside from the right path; they have every one of them become corrupt. There is no one who does what is right—no, not so much as one.’”

            Everyone is lost for eternity because of sin—until some power or Person would commute their death sentence.  Romans 3:21-22 “But now a righteousness coming from God has been brought to light [manifested] apart from any Law, both Law and Prophets bearing witness to it—a righteousness coming from God, which depends on faith in Jesus Christ and extends to all who believe.  No distinction is made.” 

            The Person is Christ, the power is God, and His plan is for us to be inspired by His Spirit to make a decision to place an obedient faith in His Atonement Blood for everything.  No one is excluded, so everyone could be saved—but they must choose to believe.

            Romans 3:23-25 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed.”

            We must understand what that Blood sacrifice for sins means.  Jesus said John 12:44-46 “He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. 45 And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. 46 I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.”

            Eternal life in Heaven is linked to a believing faith in Christ.  Our trust, however, must be kept on the Atonement of Christ.  God will always love us, and He sent His Son to die on the cross for us, but the decision to believe and trust in what that Atonement provides, is for us to make.

            Adam and Eve were the only two people on earth, but when they decided to rebel and disobey the Word of God, they plunged the world in a lost condition.  Since that time, everyone is born with a fallen sin nature that does not want to trust God for anything—that nature must be converted to a divine nature that will trust God for everything in this life.

            From the moment of birth, that seed of sin grows and begins revealing itself in pride, self-importance, anger, resentment, and rebellion against God.  No one is able to change this condition by their own ability or determination.  Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.”

            The prison guard asked Acts 16:30-31 “What must I do to be saved?”—and was told, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”  To believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, means to trust in faith on His sacrifice for us—as we are inspired by the Holy Spirit.  We are to trust on the Blood of Christ—not trust on some pill or prescription of the world. 

            Jesus is the only One who can forgive our sins and convert our heart—then we can trust Him in faith to heal our body.  1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.”

            The only way to be delivered from sin; and the only scriptural way to be healed of oppression, is to offer a perfect blood sacrifice to God.  Since only Jesus was perfect, then only He could make a perfect offering.  Someone had to die, because the penalty for sin is death Romans 6:23.  Only Jesus was qualified and only God could approve of the offering—which He did by raising Jesus to life.

            The apostle explained 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”  From birth, everyone is imperfect and guilty, but Jesus was perfect and not guilty, so He paid the price for sins.

            Now there is a choice on our part—to trust in His Blood sacrifice of Atonement for everything in this life.  Our making that choice, and our remaining in a position of trust on His Blood, is the only way He can save us from the penalty of our sin.

            Jesus said that we must be reborn for a righteous standing with His Father to be restored.  This new beginning gives us a new desire to trust God for everything.  A true rebirth takes place when a real repentance is made.  We then start to believe in faith on the Atonement of Jesus Christ—to heal our body, protect from harm, right all injustices, and provide what we need each day.

            This new creation [creature; person] 2 Corinthians 5:17 changes us from living to please self, to living to please God.  This new attitude of faith in Christ means we are grieved about the old ways of the sin nature, and are now joyful about the new ways of the divine nature.

            2 Corinthians 7:10 “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.”  If our repentance is real, we stop throwing stones and start saying prayers for those outside the will of God.

            When we choose to place our faith on God for health, healing, protection, provisions, justice, divine judgment, and all other faith issues, we will also be able to trust Him for eternal life.  The old way of not believing God has been crucified with Christ, so our new way of trusting God is now installed in our heart. 

            Hebrews 9:14 “How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!”

            Faith is required, but faith is more than saying we believe—believing faith is acting faith that truly trusts God—for health without prescriptions; for healing without drugs; for needs without stored cash; for justice without pressing charges; for protection without guns, clubs, or insurance policies; for divine guidance by the Spirit, and for every other life issue where dependence on something is involved.

            To go from a lost in sin condition, to a saved by grace position, we need to trust in faith on the Blood of Christ—and not trust on some substitute of Satan.  Romans 5:1-2 “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

            For Jesus to recognize us as one of His followers, we must be living a personal life of trust on the sacrifice for sin He made for us.  Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”  Those who were not doing God’s will, because they were not trusting on the Atonement for sin He made for them, were called “evildoers” 23; [“ye that work iniquity”].

            Everyone needs justification—which is God as Judge saying that we as sinners are acquitted from sin.  When we place a trusting faith on the Blood of Christ, we are vindicated and justified.  John 5:24 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”  God credits our account and writes paid in full! 

            We are Romans 3:24 “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”  Jesus paid the debt, so the gift of grace is free.  25 “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.”

            Being forgiven includes forgiving others—truly trusting God to help us forgive from the heart.  Anyone who believes God and understands what the Atonement Blood did for them, will trust Him in faith.  They will meet circumstances of life as His Word says—placing insults, injustices, and wrongs in the hands of the righteous Judge 1 Peter 2:23.

            God wants us to trust Him in faith, and to obey His Word by faith, so we should get started and ask God for spiritual light.  It could be a financial need, physical healing, forgiving someone, or any issue—but following the Word of God, enables us to really know the mercy of God.  Understanding how to trust God in faith is only by divine help of the Spirit.

            Noah was right with God because he believed and obeyed God.  Since God cannot change Malachi 3:6; James 1:17, He will consider anyone else righteous—if they will believe and obey His Word in faith.  Those who were lost in the flood were those who refused to believe in faith.  Those who will be lost the next time will be those who refuse to repent and trust God.

            The Blood sacrifice of Christ is sufficient to atone for the sins of the world—but the people in the world will have to believe God, and then trust Him in faith—for that sacrifice of Atonement to be any benefit to them.  Malachi 3:18 “Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.”

            Everyone is guilty, but if anyone will repent and put their trust on the shed Blood of Christ, they will be forgiven and given the gift of the Spirit who will inspire faith in God.  Our faith in God must increase and endure through every test or temptation to enter His kingdom.  Revelation 2:10 “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.”

            Jesus was specific about humility and trust on Him.  Mark 10:15 “Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.”  Our heart needs converting to one that will believe and trust God—like a child trusts a parent.

            Jesus answered the Pharisees, saying Luke 17:21 “Behold, the kingdom of God is within you.”  The Kingdom of God within us, is the Spirit of God in our heart—Who inspires us to put our trust on the Atonement Blood of Christ.  Galatians 5:6 “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”  That is a basic Christian belief!