What does it mean to be a Christian?
You have received God's mercy. The wrath and judgment that you deserve will be eternally withheld from you.
You have received God's grace. All the goodness that He can possibly bestow on you will be bestowed on you for eternity. You have to do absolutely nothing to earn it.
You have been justified. Your sin has been taken from you and replaced with the righteousness of Christ. Your life is hid in Christ.
You have been redeemed. Jesus has paid the price--the whole price--necessary to buy you back from slavery to sin and Satan. The debt is entirely paid. God the Father is completely and eternally satisfied with the price paid by His Son.
You have been reconciled. God has removed you from His list of enemies and put you permanently on His list of friends. He has picked you to be on His side.
You have been adopted. God chose you to be one of His kids. You are His child. He is your Abba--Daddy. He has taken responsibility for your needs. Willingly.
You are in the grasp of inescapable love. God has wrapped you in His arms and will never let you go--not even for a second of eternity.
You have escaped condemnation. God will not listen to any accusation against you.
You have the life of God living and working in you. His Spirit seals you--and who can break God's seal; empowers you--and who can resist God's power; prays for you--and who knows more about praying in the will of God than the Spirit? You may grieve Him, quench His fire, and resist His leading, but He will never leave you on your own.
You have a righteous Advocate to defend you before the Father every time you sin. And His righteousness is your defense--not your own.
You have been freed from the fear of death. Death is not defeat but victory. Not loss but gain. Not the end of life but the fulfillment of life.
What does it mean to be a Christian?
"With eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers, as an act of intelligent worship, to give Him your bodies as a living sacrifice, consecrated to Him and acceptable by Him. Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold, but let God remold your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you meets all His demands and moves toward the goal of true maturity." (Phillips)
You have received God's mercy. The wrath and judgment that you deserve will be eternally withheld from you.
You have received God's grace. All the goodness that He can possibly bestow on you will be bestowed on you for eternity. You have to do absolutely nothing to earn it.
You have been justified. Your sin has been taken from you and replaced with the righteousness of Christ. Your life is hid in Christ.
You have been redeemed. Jesus has paid the price--the whole price--necessary to buy you back from slavery to sin and Satan. The debt is entirely paid. God the Father is completely and eternally satisfied with the price paid by His Son.
You have been reconciled. God has removed you from His list of enemies and put you permanently on His list of friends. He has picked you to be on His side.
You have been adopted. God chose you to be one of His kids. You are His child. He is your Abba--Daddy. He has taken responsibility for your needs. Willingly.
You are in the grasp of inescapable love. God has wrapped you in His arms and will never let you go--not even for a second of eternity.
You have escaped condemnation. God will not listen to any accusation against you.
You have the life of God living and working in you. His Spirit seals you--and who can break God's seal; empowers you--and who can resist God's power; prays for you--and who knows more about praying in the will of God than the Spirit? You may grieve Him, quench His fire, and resist His leading, but He will never leave you on your own.
You have a righteous Advocate to defend you before the Father every time you sin. And His righteousness is your defense--not your own.
You have been freed from the fear of death. Death is not defeat but victory. Not loss but gain. Not the end of life but the fulfillment of life.
What does it mean to be a Christian?
"With eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers, as an act of intelligent worship, to give Him your bodies as a living sacrifice, consecrated to Him and acceptable by Him. Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold, but let God remold your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you meets all His demands and moves toward the goal of true maturity." (Phillips)
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