Christ saves from sins

Believers, put your trust in our Lord Jesus Christ to protect you and also rid your life of sins and addictions. He came to save us from these things. See Matt. 1:21- "She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

He loves you. He will never condemn you. He will never tell you "Go and stop sinning first before I heal you or open doors for you." He never told all those sinners that received from Him in the four gospels to first go and stop sinning, obey the law, fast, do restitution, settle their quarrel with their spouse or return the money they stole (remember Zacchaeus the tax collector!) before He healed, fellowshipped with or provided for them. His salvation was and is without terms and conditions. He is the same yesterday, today and forever, still saving sinners. See His way in the life of Zacchaeus.

Zacchaeus was a thief that stole from his own people, the worst of the worst and despised by religious Jews, but Jesus sought him out to dine with him in his thieving sinner state. In many places of worship today, Christians are being told to first go and do restitution and obey the Ten Commandments or else we cannot have fellowship with the same Jesus whose heart is to dine with the sinner and save him from his sins!

Believers, beware of those who tell you that you have to skip breakfast and lunch and spend days grovelling on some mountain to get Jesus to give you an audience. Consent to be carried by Him, like the lost sheep. Go to the Father empty like the prodigal son and He will never condemn you. He will save you from your sins. Things fall into their proper place when we are in union with Christ.

After his encounter with our Saviour Jesus, something changed in Zacchaeus. The Holy Spirit transformed him. Nobody had to tell him "the right thing to do." He DESIRED and announced his intention to immediately give half of his posessions to the poor and return what he cheated people of fourfold! He didn't have to TRY TO do the right thing. He WANTED TO. He worked out his salvation "For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." Philippians 2:13.

Believers, this is the logic of heaven. With Christ, we don't give to get, we get to give. We often think that people who are living in sin love it and don't want to stop but the truth is many are looking for the Way out. Such go to church in search of Salvation but are given more laws to obey, as if they had not been doing their best to obey! They are told again and again to do their best to stop sinning and obey the law, or else....but remember Romans 6:14-

"For sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under law but under grace."

The more sinners try to obey the law to be righteous, the more sin has dominion. Try to obey the law to get right with God and sin will strengthen its grip over you. This is where many pastors and leaders miss it, pointing believers to the law and not to Grace (personified by Jesus Christ) for righteousness and salvation. The letter kills but the Spirit gives life. As long as one is trying to obey the law in a bid to get right with God, he cannot be led by the Spirit.

God's grace is the key to a sin-free life! It is our Lord's gift of "Neither do I condemn you" that makes us "Go and sin no more." (works of faith!) Let's not put the cart before the horse!

If we could stop sinning and be righteous on our own (which the bible says no one can in Romans 3:20), we won't need Jesus to come and save us. Isaiah 64:6 says our own righteousnesses (things we do to get right with God or receive from Him) are like "a menstrual rag."

Why cover your body with a menstrual rag after Jesus' blood has washed you clean? You will get dirty all over again! This is why Paul said in Galatians 5:4 "For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace."

Because of our Saviour Jesus' finished work, we are forever righteous in our Heavenly Father’s eyes. Our righteousness has got nothing to do with what we do or don't do because we didn't earn it to begin with. It's God's gift of love to us! We are righteous "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." 2 Corinthians 5:21.

Let's not be found among those who profess Christ but are still trying to be righteous by human effort at obeying the law. Such reject the gift of righteousness that Christ died that we might have. They are saying "God, your making Jesus to be sin for me so that I can be righteous is not good enough. You didn't do a good enough job so I have to add my own righteousness from obeying the law in order to be really righteous."

This is to be neither hot nor cold. Not fully law, not fully Grace. This is to reject Christ and to deny the efficacy of His finished work of securing everlasting righteousness and eternal life for all who believe.

The spirit of the Antichrist is not Anti-God. It is a very religious spirit that denies the finished work of Christ in making the sinner righteous. As Satan did with Eve, it deceives people into thinking that they can be godly (be like God) by human effort at obeying the law which gives the knowledge of good and evil, just like the tree that Adam and Eve ate of. But like the tree, the result of feeding on the law is death. The letter kills.

Jesus isn't in the business of saving people that can become godly (be like God) by obeying the law and only need His help in some areas of their life. With Him, it's ALL or nothing.

Believers, stop trying (this is only possible by His grace so ask now!) Stop performing to be righteous. Start believing that He has made you righteous 100%. Confess your righteousness in Christ, even in the middle of your sins and addictions, and "all these things shall be added unto you" including the grace to overcome those sins and live right! You'll find yourself doing more in His name without knowing how. You'll find yourself unable to stop talking about our wonderful Lord Jesus when in the past, your pastor had to force you to go fishing for souls! You'll suddenly realise that you are no longer fearful. So much to say about our awesome Jesus! He is the Saviour. Let Him do the saving! He will never share His glory with anyone.

Believers, our Lord Jesus wants you to come as you are. With all your sins, addictions and burdens. He has made you righteous in Him. He wants to wash the dust off your feet. Our Lord God wants you to talk with Him as a child would talk to a loving father, about the little things and the big things. He wants you to ask Him things like what colour of dress to wear, what style of hair to make and even ask Him to make PHCN supply power so you can get a break from your neighbour's noisy generator:) If it matters to you, it matters to Him.

As the righteousness of God in Christ, the thoughts of His Spirit that dwells in us become our action. No longer us that live but Christ that lives in us. We do His will without even knowing it. We get to reign in life:) This is Grace- undeserved, unmerited favour!

Believe Right and you will Live Right!