Appendix 4
Eight incomparable benefits
of trusting Christ
From history's beginning, through prophets and events, the Creator revealed His loving plan to rescue the human race from its self-imposed curse of sin and death. He would do this by sending His Son, who would become a sacrificial Lamb, taking the judgment upon Himself for all who would put their trust in Him. This profound event happened almost 2,000 years ago when Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, came, was crucified, rose from the grave, seen by more than 500 people, and 40 days later visibly ascended into heaven. When you put your trust in Christ, you become a recipient of the greatest gifts in the universe, fully paid for by the blood of God's own Son.
1. You have total forgiveness. All your sins -- past, present, and future -- were forgiven because Jesus bore them for you on the cross. You are accepted by God, not at all because of what you have done, but because of what He did! “ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast " (Ephesians 2:8-9 ).
2. You have peace with God. “ Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ…. God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us…. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!” (Romans 5:1,5,9). For Jewish readers, this first appearance of Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ in English), as a sacrifice, was predicted throughout Jewish Scriptures. For example, see Isaiah, chapter 53.
3. You have been “born again” into God's own family. You are a new creature! “I f anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). “ You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26).
4. You have eternal life. You will live with God in His paradise kingdom forever! “ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). “ God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son” (1 John 5:11).
5. God lives in you. You have become a temple, or dwelling place, of God's Spirit. He lives inside of you! “ Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16). “ I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20).
6. Nothing can separate you from the love of Christ! “ I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).
7. God has chosen to share His kingdom with you! “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32 ). “ Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory ” (Romans 8:17).
8. All of God's promises are for you! You have access to all of God's many promises as contained in His Word. They are all for you, free and paid for by the blood of Jesus. “ For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes' in Christ. And so through him the ‘Amen' is spoken by us to the glory of God” (2 Corinthians 1:20). They are “yes” in Christ and are all available to you, but you must say the “amen,” that is, believe them, confess them, and claim them as your own.
Have you prayed yet and expressed your faith and trust in Jesus Christ? If not, see Appendix 3.
If you have prayed that prayer, that is probably your question, and a natural one. But remember, God is all-powerful and owns the universe. He really does not need anything we have. But He does want something. He desires our love and fellowship. He created us for fellowship with Himself and to enjoy Him forever. Christianity is really not a “religion” as many people think, but a “relationship.”
Of course, God also wants our obedience and submission to His superior wisdom, but mainly for our own good and so that He can use us to be a blessing to others. His ways are never arbitrary and are always for a loving purpose. Below are some principles from God's Word that will strengthen your relationship with Him, help you to be a more effective servant, and help you to receive all the blessings that our loving God has for you.
• Talk with God continually. That is what prayer is -- talking with God. It also means listening, always in tune to His Spirit, at home, at work, at school, or wherever. In Jesus' name, we have the incredible privilege of communicating directly with the Creator of the universe anytime, day or night! No appointment necessary. “Pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
• Read His Word, the Bible. God will speak to you through His Word. You will learn more about His nature, His ways, and His will, purposes and promises for your life. It will help understand His book if you better know the Author. The Gospel of John is a good place to start. A modern translation and a good commentary will help understanding. “ Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105). “ The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life” (John 6:63).
• Obey Him. Our obedience demonstrates our love for God and recognition of who He is. “ Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him” (John 14:21).
God's Word tells us not to sin, which grieves God, hinders our fellowship with Him, and harms ourselves and others. God wants us to live holy lives, becoming more like Jesus (Romans 8:29). If you do sin, confess it immediately, then (by faith) receive God's forgiveness and cleansing according to 1 John 1:9. One of your first acts of obedience should be to be baptized in water, a demonstration that your old nature has been buried with Christ and that, coming out of the water, you have risen with Him in His resurrection. Baptism is usually done in the local church.
• Find fellowship with other believers. Our relationship and fellowship with other believers (the Body of Christ) are important to God. That is why He established the church, where we can not only worship together but find fellowship, teaching, counseling, ministry to our special needs, and where God can use each of us to impart these same blessings to others. “ Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25). Find a Christ-centered, Bible-believing church where the power of the Holy Spirit is recognized. But beware of cults, which typically deny the deity of Christ; insist that works, not just grace, are required for salvation; are often centered around one founder whose writings take precedence over the Bible; and sometimes will have their own book, claimed to be sacred, in addition to the Bible. Remember, God says in Revelation 22:18-19: “ I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.”
• “Be filled with the Spirit,” God exhorts us in Ephesians 5:18. This means to be continually empowered for God's use and a victorious life by His Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). We receive this empowering by faith . See Chapter 4 of this book.
You have now entered the most exciting and fulfilling life imaginable! Learn to trust God with every detail of your life (1 Peter 5:7); tell others about God's great love and “good news” (John 15:8); walk in the Spirit and do not give in to your old carnal desires (Galatians 5:16,17); and be aware of spiritual warfare and God's prescription for continuous victory over Satan (Ephesians 6:10-18).