Asking the best question…

Today’s devotional offers a statement that I’ve never thought about before. It says:

Nowhere in the Bible are we given the slightest intimation that God’s children were to be anything but perfectly sure of their relationship to Him as children and of His relationship to them as Father. The flood of doubt and questioning that so often overwhelms Christian hearts in these days was apparently never so much as conceived of in Bible times nor by Bible Christians, and consequently it was nowhere definitely provided against. The foundation on which all commands and exhortations were based was that those to whom the commands and exhortations were addressed knew without question that they were God’s children and that He was their Father.

This statement does not consider any of those “if you believe” suggestions because those who believe know that they believe. Consider this:

Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. (1 John 5:10–11)

Those who believe know it. Oh, there are times when we get our eyes off Jesus and look at our performance — seeing it as totally puny and wondering if we have any right or reason to call ourselves Christians, but that is contrary to what God keeps telling us. Our faith is not in ourselves. Only sometimes we just want it to be!

The passage above is followed by this statement:

Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. (1 John 5:12–13)

This is so simple. If Jesus is in my life, He makes Himself known. How can He not? He is so obvious, so different from all other, so incredible, that nothing can erase the sense of Him. Sin mars our vision, but does not remove Jesus. This is backed up in other places.

You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. (Romans 8:9–11)

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Do you know Jesus? should be the question, not “Are you a Christian?” For those who know Jesus are Christians. It is as simple as that.
It is also helpful to remember that those who respond with an answer that the Bible is not true, Jesus does not exist, and so on, are saying that God is a liar. This puts them in greater danger than merely not yet knowing or having a personal relationship with the Christ.

PRAY: Jesus, the next time I wonder about the salvation of a person and have opportunity to speak to that person about their spiritual state, remind me that this is the question to ask; Do you know Jesus? If they do, they will know it, just as if I asked them if they their spouse or if they know their children. If they do not, it will be as if I asked them if they know someone who lives on the other side of the world with a strange name and of a different nationality. The next question could easily be: May I introduce you?

Sealed and Guaranteed

 

(The Holy Spirit) is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of (God’s) glory. (Ephesians 1:14)

When my dad died, my brother and I were executors of his estate. However, we were also heirs to that estate and legal guardians of his health decisions and finances while he was alive. This complicated legal proceedings. My dad also had several bank accounts and several investments that had not matured. All this meant that it took a long time before we received our inheritance.

Not so with God. On the day I die, God will take full possession of all that is rightfully His. Already I have been sealed with the Holy Spirit as a pledge of my eternal inheritance. God did that as a guarantee of that day when He will fully own what is rightfully His, purchased by the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. I belong to Him . . .

And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation . . . .” (Revelation 5:9)

Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. (Acts 20:28)

Because this is true, I should reflect His ownership in all that I do. 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 is clear: “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

We are on holidays right now, but taking a holiday from loving, obeying and glorifying God is not granted to the Lord’s people. I am His treasured possession and must seek His will and leading in every way and on every day.

Jesus, time for Bible study and prayer will be limited in our stay with family, yet my heart sings to think of You and that I belong to You. May I hear Your voice all day as You guide and lead me, and may I gladly and joyfully share You with others and give you glory!

MORE: Read Ephesians 2:1–13, noting the spiritual privileges and responsibilities that are mine in Christ. I am so blessed, even before receiving that full inheritance.