First Peter 4:8 says, “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” Proverbs 10:12 says, “Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs.” In what way does love cover sin? To “cover” sin is to forgive it, and forgiveness is associated with love. The best example of a love that covers sin is Jesus’ sacrificial death on our behalf. Jesus’ prayer from the cross, “Father, forgive them,” says it all (Luke 23:34). Jesus’ bearing of our iniquities was an undeniable act of love (Romans 5:8; 1 John 4:10). In fact, Jesus did more than just cover our sin; He did away with it completely (Hebrews 10:12–14). In 1 Peter 4:8 the apostle is talking about interpersonal relationships. As believers we reflect the love of God by forgiving others. Jesus told His disciples, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13...
4 Ways the Holy Spirit Guides Us By Andrea Rogers Before he ascended to heaven, Jesus promised to send us an Advocate, a Helper who would always be with us. “But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.” John 16:7 Gods Spirit is with you each and every second of every day. He is only a prayer away. 1. He guides us to the truth : The bible teaches that Jesus is Truth, and the Truth can set us free; free from sin, death, loneliness. Free from anything that is contrary to His word. We find the truth by allowing the Holy Sprit to guide us to the truth about Jesus; that is, He came to be our Saviour. The Spirit will also guide us in our lives as we seek Him through prayer. Read – John 16:13 “However, when He, the Spirit of truth has come, He will guide you into all truth…” 2. He guides us away from sin : Through prayer, our powerful commu...
People everywhere search for peace. They sing songs about it and travel on pilgrimages to find it. They even wage war to protect it. Many wealthy, famous, and powerful people would trade everything for just one moment of peace. What they often find, however, is the world’s false peace which is different from the peace offered by Jesus: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. (John 14:27) The peace offered by the world is an empty promise and can only bring temporary comfort. God’s peace is a permanent peace offered by the only One who can be trusted to keep his Word and heal our sin. The world’s peace is fleeting and changes with circumstances. During times of prosperity, nations experience temporary peace. But when economies struggle, countries find themselves on the brink of civil war as well as war with their neighbors. The peace of the world is a precarious thin...
By Kara Sensenig on August 11, 2020 A Most Essential Gift: Discerning of Spirits The Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons. (1 Timothy 4:1, NASB) Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. (1 John 4:1, NASB) The gift of discerning of spirits is one of the most needed gifts in the Body of Christ today. Jesus's mandate that we become "wise as serpents and harmless as doves" ( Matthew 10:16 ) implies that we must develop supernatural discernment, the ability to detect motivation and the spirits that motivate. The gift of discerning of spirits will become increasingly important as we approach the end of this age because deception will be the hallmark of these perilous times. How It Operates The Apostle Paul wrote, “the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to ...
Being a Born-Again Christian makes you Righteous and Victorious over Sin. A Victorious life is never a Sinless life! Leading a Victorious life does not mean you will never sin. It also does not mean you should desire and delight in sinning with no regret. It does mean when you sin, feel sorry for it and seek Christ's forgiveness...believing you have been forgiven without being oppressed or subdued by it. Above all, forgive others just as the Lord forgives you and be WISE...!
The book of Proverbs says that “wine is a mocker” and that “beer is a brawler” and that “whoever is led astray by them is not wise” (Proverbs 20:1). The Bible frequently refers to wine, sometimes in positive ways when describing something satisfying (Song of Songs 7:9) or celebratory (Ecclesiastes 9:7), and sometimes metaphorically in negative ways when describing God’s judgment (Psalm 75:8) and wrath (Revelation 14:10). A mocker is somebody who is hostile to a life of righteousness and ridicules all who would oppose him. Saying that “wine is a mocker” is a way of describing someone who succumbs to its influence: a drunk person tends to mock virtue and scoff at the things of God. As a whole, the book of Proverbs provides instructions for living a wise and virtuous life—by avoiding actions that end up harming oneself and others. In Proverbs 20:1 specifically, wine and beer are personified in their victims—they are enemies of wisdom who lead others astray. It can be said, then, that...
Three Classes of Men from He That Is Spiritual by Lewis S. Chafer There is an obvious difference in the character and quality of the daily life of Christians. This difference is acknowledged and defined in the New Testament. There is also a possible improvement in the character and quality of the daily life of many Christians. This improvement is experienced by all such Christians who fulfill certain conditions. These conditions, too, form an important theme in the Word of God. The Apostle Paul, by the Spirit, has divided the whole human family into three groups: (1) The "natural man," who is unregenerate, or unchanged spiritually; (2) the "carnal man," who is a "babe in Christ," and walks "as a man"; and (3) the "spiritual" man. These groups are classified by the Apostle according to their ability to understand and receive a certain body of Truth, which is of things " revealed " unto us by the Spirit. Men are vi...
Salvation is deliverance from danger or suffering. To save is to deliver or protect. The word carries the idea of victory, health, or preservation. Sometimes, the Bible uses the words saved or salvation to refer to temporal, physical deliverance, such as Paul’s deliverance from prison (Philippians 1:19). More often, the word salvation concerns an eternal, spiritual deliverance. When Paul told the Philippian jailer what he must do to be saved, he was referring to the jailer’s eternal destiny (Acts 16:30-31). Jesus equated being saved with entering the kingdom of God (Matthew 19:24-25). What are we saved from? In the Christian doctrine of salvation, we are saved from “wrath,” that is, from God’s judgment of sin (Romans 5:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:9). Our sin has separated us from God, and the consequence of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Biblical salvation refers to our deliverance from the consequence of sin and therefore involves the removal of sin. We are saved from both the power and penalty...
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