In the Book of Hebrews chapter 5:12 to 6:6 we find the Apostle Paul chastising the Israelite Christians because they refused to grow up in the Lord and were therefore dying spiritually. He told them that they should by that time have been teachers of God’s Way. Instead they were in need of someone to teach them the […]

In the previous posting we studied 2 Corinthians 7:10,11 where Paul, speaking under the power of the Holy Spirit, characterized true repentance using such descriptive terms as clearing, fear, zeal, desire, vindication, revenge. Any repentance short of this level of self-directed consternation is sure to produce future repentances in that it is nothing more than false, serial […]

In 2 Corinthians 7:1-11 we find the Apostle Paul congratulating some in the Corinth church for the soul-saving spiritual turn-around he had seen in them in the past. He began his letter to them (and us) by reminding them (and us) of God’s requirements for eternal life, saying, “Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of […]

Different people react to their sins in different ways. Some feel no need to repent though they know what God says about their actions, thoughts and words. Adam, Eve and Cain are prime examples of “non-reaction.” This type of sinner does not believe that he/she is actually sinning though they can quote God’s words to the […]

Conviction, realization of the reality of grace and repentance are not enough to affect salvation, as Jesus tells us in Mark 1:14,15: “Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee preaching THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD, saying, ‘The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is at hand; REPENT AND BELIEVE […]

In Romans 3:25 we are told that true repentance results in justification (forgiveness) of PAST sins. Which begs the question: “Now what?” We are told that, from the moment one completes the prescribed ritual (gets “saved” and “born again”) sin, though ever present, is no longer an issue, that Jesus’ death automatically nullifies sin that is repented […]

Conviction of sin, realization of the need for a sin Forgiver along with acceptance of the Forgiver’s grace to do exactly that are essential beginning steps on the path that will lead to eternal life for those who remain on that narrow path until death or His return (Mat. 7:13,14). How important repentance is to the process of salvation is revealed in Matthew 3:2 […]

Once the guilty party comes to realize his/her sin–the breaking of God’s Law (1 Jn. 3:4)–the next step is to determine Scripturally how to go about receiving forgiveness of his/her sins. This part of the process begins with the understanding of and belief in God’s grace. Grace can be defined as an undeserved blessing. We are all […]

In the last posting we looked to the Scriptures to find the correct way to respond to the Lord’s voice of conviction. However, the same Book also shows us how not to respond to the realization that we are wrong. In Acts 6,7 we find the story of Stephen the table waiter who had been assigned one of the most unglamorous jobs […]

Conviction–the realization of guilt–has become a reality in the life of the one who realizes that God is speaking to him/her about his/her death-producing spiritual condition. The convicted person’s response is the deciding factor in determining whether he/she will be a sheep or a goat upon meeting the Lord on the Day of Judgment. Two diametrically opposed reactions are depicted in the […]