Congratulations, you have made the most important decision of your life. At a moment in time you believed in Jesus Christ as your Savior, the perfect Person was judged as a substitute for your sins. From that instant of faith alone in Christ alone, you have eternal life and will share all that Jesus Christ has been given by the Father.
For God so loved the world, that He gave His uniquely born Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16)Heaven is guaranteed to every believer (1 Peter 1:4-5, see also the Doctrine of Eternal Security). But the quality and impact of the believer’s life on earth depends on his execution of God’s plan after salvation.
What is God’s plan for you following your personal faith in Christ? The apostle Peter said it best.
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 3:18)When you learn who and what Christ is you can begin to share His thinking. God commands you to think divine viewpoint so His gracious purpose can be fulfilled in your life (Romans 12:2, John 15:10, 14).
God’s purpose for you after salvation calls for spiritual growth.
You are kept alive on earth to fulfill your personal destiny by becoming a mature believer as an expression of God’s glory in both time and eternity. Only as a mature believer can you consistently glorify God by receiving the highest and best that He has prepared for you (Ephesians 1:3–6).
You advance spiritually by consistently learning, thinking, and applying Bible doctrine. Persistent intake and application of doctrine enlarge your capacity for life, for love, for Christian service, for blessings and for happiness.
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. (Jude 24–25)Before you begin your Bible study, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ be sure you have named your sins privately to God the Father.
If we confess our [known] sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our [known] sins and to cleanse us from all [unknown, or forgotten sins] unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)You will then be in fellowship with God, filled with the Holy Spirit, and ready to learn Bible doctrine from the Word of God.
God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in [the filling of the] spirit and [biblical] truth. (John 4:24)If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, the issue is not naming your sins. The issue is faith alone in Christ alone.
He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey [the command to believe in] the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." (John 3:36).
Maranatha Church is committed to honestly studying the Bible verse-by-verse from the original languages of scripture in light of the historical setting and in harmony with the rest of scripture. If you are interested in knowing what the Bible says without regard to someone's opinion, then Maranatha Church and the information in this site was provided for you. We look forward to hearing from you or better yet, come join us.
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