Acts 13:39 "And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses." In this single verse, the Holy Spirit declares the heart of the Gospel of Jesus Christ . Here, the apostle Paul proclaims the utter sufficiency and exclusivity of Christ's redemptive work. This is not a conditional offer but a triumphant declaration of what Christ has accomplished for His elect. The law could never justify sinners—it could only condemn. But by the perfect obedience and blood of the LORD Jesus, all who are given faith to believe are freely and fully justified, eternally cleared of every charge. This verse sets forth the finished work of Christ as the sinner’s only Righteousness before God, magnifying grace and exalting the Redeemer. Some would interpret this verse to say that it is by our believing that we are justified from all things before God. Doing so however is to miss the very heart of what the verse declares and what the Gospel teaches. It says, “...BY HIM all that believe are justified...” The tense of the word ‘justified’ is the present passive and means that by the LORD Jesus Christ, all that believe by His grace are being shown, exhibited or made manifest as ones whom God has already declared righteous by the LORD Jesus Christ and His Righteousness imputed to them at Calvary, " For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him" (2 Corinthians 5:21). One commentator explains it, ‘Christ, as God, is not only the Justifier of His people, Who pronounces them righteous in the sight of God; but His righteousness imputed to them is the matter of their justification, or that by which they are justified and not the works of the law, or obedience to the Gospel, or internal holiness, either in whole or in part, or the Grace of Faith, but the Object of it, Christ, and His righteousness and justification by this is complete and perfect; it is from all sin, original and actual, secret and open, greater or lesser sins; sins of presumption and ignorance, of omission or commission; from all things the law can charge with, as breaches of it; from all things which the justice of God can demand satisfaction for.’ If we, by God’s Grace, are trusting Christ, our faith is not the cause of our justification before God but the evidence of God having justified us by Christ in His obedience unto death, having then and there forgiven us all our sin because He put them all away, " Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:" (Acts 13:38).

Revelation 1:4-6 "John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." This opening benediction grounds this prophetic book in the real-time suffering and spiritual encouragement of the first-century church. Written by the Apostle John to the seven churches of Asia during a time of intense persecution—likely under the reign of Nero—the Revelation is not merely a future forecasting but a divine unveiling of Christ's present reign and redemptive victory already at work in His church. Much of what is revealed in this book pertains to events then unfolding or soon to take place in the first-century world, especially the judgment upon apostate Israel and the vindication of Christ and His people. In these verses, John exalts the sovereign grace of God in Christ, who “loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood” (v.5). He identifies the LORD Jesus not as a distant king but as “the prince of the kings of the earth,”  already reigning, already victorious. This is no hidden grace but a triumphant gospel for a suffering church of Christ's redeemed ones. What follows is not a message of fear, but of hope anchored in Christ’s finished work, His present glory, and His eternal dominion. The opening of this revelation of Jesus Christ is not a message of dread for the believer, but of triumphant grace in Jesus Christ. Written to the seven churches in Asia, it speaks to a specific people in a specific time, at the end of the Old Covenant age, yet its Truth is eternally relevant. In these verses, we behold the glory of our Redeemer and the Surety of His finished work. " Revelation of Jesus Christ" (Revelation 1:1). Grace and peace flow not from men or institutions but from “him which is, and which was, and which is to come” —the eternal, unchanging I AM (Exodus 3:14). This is the God of sovereign grace, who rules all things by His immutable counsel. The troubled churches were not left to chance or chaos but were under the care of Him who reigns eternally. Verse 5 declares, “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth.” Christ is the faithful witness—He alone has perfectly declared the Father (John 1:18) . In His life, death, and resurrection, He bore witness of God’s righteousness and love in redeeming His elect. As “the first begotten of the dead,” He is the guarantee of the resurrection of His people, having conquered death by His blood shed unto death (1 Corinthians 15:20). And even then, He was already “prince of the kings of the earth,” not waiting for future enthronement, but reigning then and now (Psalm 2:6; Acts 2:36). As King and LORD He came in judgment upon apostate Jerusalem (AD 70) as a manifestation of that reigning power, (Matthew 24:30). But most gloriously, John breaks into praise: “Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood” (v. 5). Here is sovereign grace in its fullest glory! He loved us—freely, eternally, sovereignly. He washed us—not by law, nor by ritual, but by His own blood. This is by the substitutionary Lamb of God. Christ did not make redemption possible—He accomplished it for His people (Hebrews 9:12). And “hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father” (v. 6) . This is not future potential; it is present reality. All believers, united to Christ, reign with Him and have direct access to God. What the Levitical priesthood could never accomplish, Christ has fulfilled in us. “To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” (v. 6b) . All glory to Christ! The One who came in the fullness of time, who judged the harlot system of unbelief, now reigns in glory, having saved the church of His elect by grace. Let every heart given to Him echo this doxology—not in fear of wrath, but in thanksgiving for redemption already accomplished and grace eternally bestowed.

1 John 3:9 "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." How I long to be free from sin in my experience! There was a day when it was not so, being yet dead in sin, without the life of God in me, by His Spirit. However, since God graciously crossed my path with the Good News of Christ’s death and satisfaction for sin and the Spirit of God brought me from darkness to Light, I am more aware of sin in me now than ever before. On the one hand, I can understand, because now with the Spirit of God in me, as the Light, it exposes what I truly am by nature- a sinful, wicked, wretch. Like a cancer, I long to be rid of it and be free forever from its deadly effects. Therefore, when I read that “whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin,” I wonder how this can be? I hear different ones explaining their theories that if born again, there is a ‘sinless nature’ that we have that is created in us, that does not sin. However, as I have questioned these about this, I can never get a straight answer as to exactly how this keeps me from sinning. Some say that it is by this ‘imparted righteousness’ that we can actually love God as we ought, and pray, witness, believe, etc. And yet, when I ask those who claim to have such a nature to tell me one instance where they have prayed a sinless prayer, or done a perfect work, or believed as they ought, they “hem and haw.” For any who are honest and indeed troubled by their sin, I believe there is a clearer explanation that John is writing of, under the inspiration of the Spirit. He wrote earlier in 1 John 1:9 that if we say that we have not sinned [having sinned in Adam with continuing, ongoing effects], we make God a liar. Then again, in 1 John 2:1 , John affirms the necessity of Christ’s ongoing role as Advocate because of our bent to sin. If there were a sinless nature imparted to us at regeneration, what then would be the need for Christ’s ongoing advocacy? Why the call of Scripture to be transformed by the RENEWING OF OUR MIND, Romans 12:2 ? The only answer I can find is that it refers to our standing in Christ and His IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS through His obedience unto death. If I am born of God, it is because Christ has already put away ALL my sin in His death, His wrath is removed and I am thereby JUSTIFIED and acquitted of ALL charges against me, ( Acts 13:39) . Yes, I acknowledge that ongoing, unchangeable sin nature within me, which the Spirit of God causes me to confess continually before God. However, in so doing, I have the assurance that He is faithful and just to continue to forgive and cleanse me of all my unrighteousness because of the death of His Son on my behalf, ( 1 John 1:9) . The renewing of the mind then is by the Spirit of God causing me to look away from my sinful flesh to the ONLY righteousness of God, that was already imputed to me at the cross and by which God continually looks upon me as sinless, ( Hebrews 8:12; 10:17) . “...for where no law is, there is no transgression.” (Romans 4:15) Christ satisfied the law; therefore, there is no more sin to condemn those He redeemed by His shed blood ( Romans 10:4). When John writes of His Seed remaining in one who is born of God, that Seed is the very Word of Christ, revealed to the soul through the Gospel, ( 1 Peter 1:23). Also, in ( 1 John 1:10) , “If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and HIS WORD is not in us,” is not referring to some seed of righteousness implanted in us, but the revealed Word of God, which remains in one born of God and causes them to see themselves as JUSTIFIED before God by the imputed righteousness of God in Christ. What hope can I have that it is so for me? Having been born of God, I know that He gave me Life because He has already declared me perfect through the death of His Son, ( Hebrews 1:3) . In that I rejoice and look to the day when I shall indeed in my experience be completely rid of my sin, through the changing of this body and my final glorification in HIM! ( Philippians 3:21; 1 John 3:2; Romans 8:30).

Luke 23:43 "And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise." When many talk of Heaven, they speak of family, friends and former acquaintances with whom they hope to spend eternity. While it is true that there will be recognition of one another in glory, yet if any are there, it won’t be because of our relationship to each other. Rather, it will be uniquely because of the LORD Jesus and His shed blood and God’s imputed righteousness for those whom God the Father decreed should be His children and whose adoption and justification the LORD Jesus purchased by His death on the cross. This is why our LORD was able to say to the thief on the cross, “To day shalt thou be with Me in Paradise.” When Christ died, the thief on the cross accompanied him to Sheol, the place of the dead. After three days and three nights in Sheol, He arose from the grave and took with Him the souls of all of the elect who had awaited His coming, including the thief. He took captivity captive, leading them into glory (Ephesians 4:8) where heaven’s Glory is Christ, the Lamb slain ( Revelation 5:12). A second reality in Heaven will be that our sins, troubles, and tribulations will be remembered no more. Isaiah 65:16 states, “...because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes.” This prophetic Word foresaw the putting away of the sins and troubles of the LORD’S people that would be completely and legally erased when Christ laid down His life at the cross. So complete was His work in paying the entire sin debt that the Holy God declares, “...their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.” (Hebrews 10:17) The difficulty for us is that in our flesh, our sins and the memory of them stick to us here and now in our hearts and minds, like flies on fly paper, " For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me" (Psalm 51:3). While they are no more in God’s view because of Christ’s finished work at the cross, yet, while in this flesh we are constantly reminded of them. Yet, God in mercy causes us to cry unto our Advocate and Intercessor, by His Spirit, the LORD Jesus Himself, with Whom forgiveness of sins is already and plenteous (infinite and unconditional) redemption, (Psalm 130:4-7). Yet, what a glorious hope to know that in glory, our memories will be cleansed, redeemed, healed and restored to perfection. Revelation 21:4 declares, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” This is Heaven’s Glory to which all of the LORD’S redeemed and called ones aspire in hope, ( Romans 8:18-26) .

1 Corinthians 3:12,13 "Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is." At first glance, many attribute these verses to some future trial of believers in glory, that will somehow determine who will receive some rewards and how many. However, the context shows that it is not about believers receiving or losing rewards in glory but rather the LORD testing the work of His servants, Gospel preachers, at various times in their ministries.      1.   “Now if any man builds”:    In verses 4-9 , the apostle Paul speaks of those whom the LORD appoints to declare the glorious message of Christ. One plants, another waters, but each one preaching and teaching according to the labor that the LORD has given them.      2. “This foundation”:     It is preachers of the Gospel of whom Paul speaks here because the Foundation on which they build is Jesus Christ, v. 11 . False preachers are not building on the Foundation that is Christ but rather, man and works. The Foundation that God laid in Christ is that of salvation through His blood shed unto death and righteousness imputed alone. God the Father purposed salvation and sent His Son to accomplish it completely on behalf of those He determined to save from eternity. That Foundation was only laid once in the death of the LORD Jesus, Hebrews 10:10-14 . God calls out Faithful Gospel preachers to build on that Foundation  (v. 10)  , but let every man (Gospel preacher) “...take heed how he buildeth thereupon.” (v. 10)   3. “Gold, silver, precious stones”:  This typifies the clear message of Christ and Him crucified preached in all His glory as the Effectual Substitute, Redeemer, and Satisfaction for the sins of God’s elect.  4.   “Wood, hay, stubble”:   Preaching Christ and yet intermingling the message with empty and useless commentary, intellectualism, form, ceremony, or tradition. It is not referring here to any who preach another Gospel but preaching the Gospel of Christ with fleshly motive, envy, and strife, Philippians 1:15-18 . Such were the philosophy and vain deceit, the weak and beggarly elements, and the rudiments of the world of which he speaks in Galatians 4:9 and  Colossians 2:8.     5. “The fire shall try every man’s work...” (v. 13):   It will be manifest by the fruit of that ministry, whether it was built on Christ and His grace, or mere intellectualism and ceremony.  “If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he shall be saved…” (v. 15)  . The loss will be the minister’s labor in this life and work crumbling. God removing the ‘dross’. The winnowing work was done, but his soul preserved being one for whom the LORD paid the debt.         May the LORD Jesus Christ ALWAYS be exalted clearly and simply in the preaching of His Gospel.

Hebrews 4:15 "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." This glorious verse stands as a comfort to weary sinners and a testimony to the finished work of our great High Priest, the LORD Jesus Christ. It declares the perfection and sufficiency of Christ in His once-for-all priestly work. The Scriptures affirm that this High Priest has already fulfilled all that was required to reconcile His elect to God. The shadows are past. The reality is Christ (Colossians 2:17). The context of the epistle to the Hebrews is rich with contrast between the fading Mosaic Old Testament Covenant and the accomplished and consummated New Covenant in Christ. The old priesthood, with its continual sacrifices and human mediators, was weak through the flesh (Hebrews 7:23-8:7). The Levitical priests could not fully sympathize with the people because they, too, were sinners, needing sacrifices for themselves (Hebrews 7:27) . But now, we are told “ we have” —present tense, continuing reality—a High Priest unlike any other. Christ, our High Priest, is “ touched with the feeling of our infirmities.”   He did not remain aloof from our frailty but took on flesh and walked among us (John 1:14). He did not pretend to suffer—He truly did. He experienced hunger, thirst, sorrow, rejection, pain, and even the weight of divine wrath, though without sin. This means He knows. He understands. He is not merely aware of our infirmities intellectually—He feels  them. Yet, unlike us, He remained perfectly holy in all. His temptations were real. In the wilderness (Matthew 4:1–11) , He faced the cunning of the devil who sought to offer shortcuts to glory apart from the cross. In Gethsemane, His soul was “exceeding sorrowful, even unto death”   (Matthew 26:38). On the cross, He bore abandonment and wrath in our stead, crying, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”  (Matthew 27:46). Yet in all this, He did not sin. He obeyed perfectly where Adam failed, where Israel fell, where we daily falter. He fulfilled all righteousness as the spotless Lamb of God. This means our salvation is not contingent on our efforts, feelings, or responses—it is founded in the finished obedience of Christ, Who was “made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law”  (Galatians 4:4–5). The High Priest did not merely sympathize; He satisfied divine justice on behalf of His elect people. He is both merciful and faithful—merciful in that He knows our frailty, and faithful in that He did not fail in His mission. The old system—temple, priests, sacrifices—was already fading and would shortly vanish (Hebrews 8:13). When Hebrews was written, the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 loomed near, bringing a visible end to the old covenant. But Christ had already entered not into the earthly tabernacle, but “into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us”   (Hebrews 9:24). His priesthood is eternal, and His once-offered Sacrifice has forever perfected them that are sanctified (Hebrews 10:14). Therefore, we do not look for another mediator, nor do we wait for another redemptive event. Christ has already come, already conquered sin, already entered the heavenly holy place, and already sat down in triumph. The veil is torn. The law is fulfilled. The shadows have fled before the rising Sun of righteousness (Malachi 4:2). What comfort this gives to the believer in Christ! In all our weakness, sin, and struggle, we are not left to ourselves. We have a sympathetic High Priest Who has stood in our place, and ever lives to intercede on our behalf (Hebrews 7:25). He is not remote but present. Not awaiting future fulfillment, but reigning now in glory, interceding for us according to the will of God (Romans 8:34). Let us, then, hold fast our profession, not in our strength, but in His (Hebrews 10:23) . Let us come boldly to the throne of grace, not because of our worthiness, but because of His sufficiency. For this High Priest has passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, and He has obtained for us eternal redemption. “He hath done all things well.”  — Mark 7:37 “Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.”  — Romans 8:33

Galatians 2:16 "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law- None are absolved from the guilt of sin or declared righteous in the sight of God by any kind of works done by the sinner.    By the law is the knowledge of sin ,  Romans 3:20 .  God never purposed the law as a means of salvation for any sinner, but only to further show the sinfulness of sin through the revelation of the law.     But by the faith of Jesus Christ .  It is NOT that any are justified by believing in Christ. It is rather that by THE FAITH OF JESUS CHRIST that is His obedience of faith to the Father, or His faithfulness accomplished in His life and death for those sinners that the Father gave Him.     Even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law;   Faith in Jesus Christ is NOT the cause of justification, but the fruit that the LORD Jesus has fulfilled the law by His perfect life and death in accord with the law.     For by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.   No one can ever be declared righteous before God by their obedience to God’s law because all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23 . The best righteousness of the sinner is nothing but filthy rags before a Holy God, Isaiah 64:6.   People will readily give up many things to attempt to earn their salvation.  The question is, ‘What does God Himself require?’  The Scriptures conclude:  Ephesians 2:8,9- God’s salvation is a gift  and cannot be earned.  It is not our merits, but God’s mercies in Christ that are our only hope.     2 Corinthians 5:21- Our best obedience can never satisfy a holy God.   Only the righteousness and death of Christ put to our account can give us that perfect standing and forgiveness needed to be accepted before God.      1 Peter 1:21- It is not our faith that saves, but the faith (faithfulness) of Christ.   True faith is God-given and embraces Him as the only Hope of salvation.  It is because He is the faithful Substitute, Redeemer, and High Priest that God shows mercy to sinners, who then by His grace trust in Him alone.

2 Corinthians 7:10 "For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death." This verse has been greatly misunderstood by many because of the apostle’s use of the term ‘Godly sorrow’ in connection with repentance unto salvation. Many wrongly assume that sorrow over sin is repentance. However, the word means a change of mind. The apostle defined it as a change of mind toward God, even FAITH toward the LORD Jesus Christ,  " Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 20:21). Yes, those who repent have sorrow over their sinfulness but it is ‘UNTO salvation’ or Godward or Christward and not just remorse. Many presume that by preaching the law with its curses and terrors and making people sorry for their sins they can affect change in their hearers and produce repentance. The Scriptures tell us that “Judas thus repented himself, and said, I have sinned...”(Matthew 27:3-5). He may have been sorry but it wasn’t Godly sorrow. He was sorrowful for his actions and yet it wasn’t a God-produced change of heart and therefore it was not unto salvation, which God alone can grant, " In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;" (2 Timothy 2:25). His repentance was actually unto damnation. “He went out and hanged himself” (Matthew 27:5). What then is Godly sorrow? It springs from God, it is affected by God, it is directed to Him in preparation for turning the heart to Christ as the Redeemer and Savior. When God pierces the heart by His Spirit the sinner will cry out like David: “Against thee only have I sinned” (Psalm 51:4). The heart is pierced to the very quick with anguish for having sinned against God and His Christ, " Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do" (Acts 2:37)? Notice it is a sorrow over sinning against a gracious pardoning God in Christ. This is the sorrow of Faith. It is grateful to God for His pardoning justifying Grace through the work of the LORD Jesus. Faith and repentance are synonymous. The Spirit causes the soul to change its mind from the deception of sin and to see Christ as the only Hope. The soul sees the sinfulness of its sin, looks to the Savior and cries as Thomas: “My LORD, and my God...”(John 20:28), at the sight of the nail prints of the Savior. It is “...not to be repented of.” How could the soul have been so foolish to think that the sin was of greater value than the Savior Who came to put it away? This repentance is unto salvation. It brings the soul to Christ the Crucified One and to never turn away. “There is salvation in him and no other” (Acts 4:12). How could any that God Himself has chosen and for whom Christ came and paid their sin debt, ever turn away from that work that God has done for them? “LORD, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).

John 17:19 "And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth." This statement of our LORD Jesus Christ sanctifying Himself is drawn from the Old Testament imagery of priests being sanctified (set apart) unto God for the work of the ministry on behalf of the people. Priests were to be hallowed (sanctified) by God for the work of representing the people, Leviticus 11.  Sacrifices were consecrated (sanctified) according to the requirements of the law for God to be forbearing with their sin, Leviticus 4.        In the work of sanctification of the LORD Jesus we find two key elements. How He sanctified Himself and those for whom He sanctified Himself.      1.) How the LORD Jesus sanctified Himself. As God’s appointed High Priest, He was eternally sanctified (set apart to this work) by God the Father, Isaiah 42:1;   " Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles."   (Matthew 12:18),  Therefore, the LORD Jesus as God in the flesh sanctified Himself in willing submission to His Father. He set Himself apart to fully satisfy God the Father’s law and justice that by His sanctification, His people would also be sanctified in Him, John 17:17, " Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth ."  The high priests of the Old Testament went into the sanctuary bearing the names of their people on their breastplates,  Exodus 28:12, 29. Even so the LORD Jesus Christ came to earn and establish God the Father’s righteousness in His life and then to lay down His life so that the whole of His life and death, as God’s High Priest, was the complete satisfaction of the Father for His elect. 2.)  Those for whom He sanctified Himself. ‘For their sakes,’ was not for everybody in the world as John 17:2  declares, "As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him." Christ did NOT pray for the world but for those that the Father gave Him from out of the world. He died for a world of sinners that the Father purposed should be sanctified (set apart) in His work as their Substitute. When Christ prayed ‘for their sakes, ’ the word ‘for’  means, ‘on behalf of’  or ‘in the place of’  another. Many falsely presume that sanctification is their work but clearly, from Christ’s intercessory prayer here, it was His work to do on behalf of those that the Father gave Him.    What about the Scripture that says, “Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God.”(Leviticus 20:7)? In the Old Testament this was a commandment for the people to set themselves apart to submit to the high priests and the sacrifices being offered on their behalf. However, in the New Testament, we are not instructed to sanctify ourselves as if we have anything to offer.  All the sanctification (being set apart by God in Christ) was accomplished by Christ by Him sanctifying Himself on our behalf. And it is God, by His Spirit that continues to keep His elect, redeemed and justified children in that state of sanctification unto Him, by the righteousness imputed of the LORD Jesus at the cross, "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied" 1 Peter 1:2.     1 Thessalonians 5:23  states,  “And the very God of peace sanctify  [literally, continue to sanctify]  you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved  [kept]  blameless  [in Christ’s cross work]  unto the coming of our LORD Jesus Christ.”   Sanctification is the work of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.    -God the Father sanctified sinners in His election of them (setting them apart in Christ), John 17:17.    -God the Son sanctified them in His death on the cross, Ephesians 5:26.    -God the Spirit sanctifies them in calling them to Christ (separating them out in regeneration from Spiritual death and darkness), 2 Corinthians 3:18.        This is God’s work “for their sakes ,” each one that HE has purposed to save and has saved and justified in the death of His Son, 1 Corinthians 1:30; “ Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)

Romans 8:33 " Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth." This scripture stands as a towering declaration of the believer's unshakable salvation in the LORD Jesus Christ: "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth."   Amid life’s accusations—whether from Satan, the world, others, or our conscience—this verse brings the soul to rest in the sovereign grace and will of God in how He justifies chosen sinners by His grace alone in Christ. It speaks not of a hope founded in self, but in the unchangeable verdict of the Almighty Judge, who has already justified His elect by the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ. Here we are reminded that no charge can stand against those whom God has chosen, redeemed, and declared righteous by His Son's death on the cross. May we consider the glory of God's complete justification of the elect and the triumph of Christ's finished work! God's chosen, redeemed, and regenerated sinners know and understand that by Christ they are justified from ALL things, from which they could not be justified by the law: "And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses"  (Acts 13:39).  Justification is the sovereign act of God whereby He has declared His elect to be righteous by the perfect obedience of the LORD Jesus Christ as their Representative: “For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous”  (Romans 5:19). The LORD Jesus Christ came in the flesh as God and earned and established perfect righteousness by His obedient life, to the satisfaction of God the Father's law and justice, by His perfect obedience unto death: "And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross"  (Philippians 2:8).  Thereby, by the LORD Jesus' perfect obedience unto death, the Father has once, for all and forever, justified (declared righteous) every child of God that the Father gave Him from before the foundation of the world. Their sins are not only put away, but the very righteousness of God was imputed to their spiritual account when Christ had shed His blood unto death. Stop and consider further how, in ALL things , the child of God in Christ is justified before God. No one can even bring an accusation against any of His redeemed and justified children. The answer to any charges of conscience, Satan, or the world is: " Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect?"   To "lay a charge against"   literally means: ‘to call in or summon into judgment.’ None can call the believer before God with any charge against him without the LORD Jesus Christ taking his defense. Believers are ‘blameless’   before Him: "Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ"  (1 Corinthians 1:8), or ‘above reproach’ : "In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:"  (Colossians 1:22).  They are declared righteous, not because of any inherent righteousness in them, but in their Representative Head, Who is their righteousness before the Father. The child of God's hope and assurance is that this standing is not affected by what he or she does or doesn't do. God's attitude toward them is not based upon any goodness or weakness in them. Because of the LORD Jesus Christ, the Mediator and High Priest, the believer has a permanent standing in the love, grace, and mercy of the Father. At no time will any believer ever be called into God's court of justice to defend his position, because that position is always one of blamelessness because of the LORD Jesus. It is because of this that all who are in Christ will be found blameless before Him at His coming (1 Corinthians 1:8). Therefore, the believer in Christ, according to God's Word, enjoys this 3-fold blessing: NO CONDEMNATION : " There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit"  (Romans 8:1); NO SEPARATION : "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord"  (Romans 8:38–39); NO ACCUSATION : "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth" (Romans 8:33). In light of this scripture, we rest in the unshakable assurance that no charge can ever be laid against God’s elect. It is God that justifieth —His verdict is final, His righteousness is perfect, and His purpose is eternal. Let every accusation fall silent before the cross of the LORD Jesus, where the Justifier of the ungodly obtained our eternal standing. Herein is our peace: we are accepted in the Beloved, clothed in His righteousness, and forever beyond condemnation.

1 John 5:1 "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him." This verse stands as a clear testimony to the sovereign work of God in salvation. Believing that Jesus is the Christ is not the cause of the new birth but the evidence of it. The apostle John speaks not of a potential or cooperative birth, but of a decisive, divine act: “is born of God.” This birth is not of the will of man, nor the flesh, but of God alone. It is God's sovereign grace that grants the sinner life in Christ and causes him to believe. Faith is the fruit, not the root, of regeneration. In this scripture, we are brought to rejoice in the glorious truth that all who truly believe in Christ do so because they have already been made alive by the Spirit of God, made partakers of the divine nature by God's sovereign mercy and grace. Adam was the first man made in the image and likeness of God-  " This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;" ( Genesis 5:1). Man is not his maker, and therefore is not his own master. We live and move and have our being in HIM as Creator and Sustainer. God made Adam in His likeness, upright, albeit finite and fallible! Yet sons of Adam are not born now in the likeness of God’s image. Because of Adam’s fall, they are born in the likeness of Adam, " And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters:" (Genesis 5:4) - rebels, fallen creatures, spiritually dead in their sin, " Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:" ( Romans 5:12). Such is the state of every creature born into this world. Although some are begotten sons of God by the electing grace of God, there is only one true Begotten Son of God. Christ is so described in Scripture, not that He is a created being, for He is eternal. Rather, this is to describe His place of glory as God’s Only Son by nature, and because of the work that He came to accomplish.  As the Only Begotten Son of God, He is also called the Last Adam , “ And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit,” ( 1 Corinthians 15:45). Even as the first Adam had an earthly race, so the last Adam has a spiritual race. Scripture declares that Christ’s spiritual race was begotten of Him when He died and rose again, 1 Peter 1:3- “Blessed be the God and Father of our LORD Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” When He died and rose again, their adoption as sons was complete. All legal obligations of redeeming and justifying them are complete, and now released from the curse of the first Adam and attributed a Righteousness greater than that of the first Adam, His chosen race has an everlasting Righteousness (Daniel 9:24). The phrase “born again” is rich with grace and filled with glory. Yes, it speaks of the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit in regenerating the sinner. Every soul dead in trespasses and sins must be made alive by divine power. This is not a work of man’s will, effort, or religion, but of God’s Spirit giving life where there was none. Begotten of God by the Spirit-   " Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God"  (John 3:3) . A sinner must be born again to see/perceive the kingdom of God in Christ and their salvation in Him. Those in whom the Spirit so works are born  “not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God,” (John 1:13).   But the phrase also finds its highest and fullest expression in the resurrection of the LORD Jesus Christ. He is “the first begotten of the dead” (Revelation 1:5) , raised by the glory of the Father. His resurrection was, in a real sense, His own “new birth” from death to life, not as a sinner but as the Surety Who bore our sin and satisfied divine justice. In rising, He emerged as the Head of a new creation (His Church), the Firstborn among many brethren (Romans 9:29). Thus, believers are said to be “begotten again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3). Being born again points both to regeneration by the Spirit but also to the elect sinner's union with Christ in His resurrection. As He was raised, we are raised in Him—justified, sanctified, and destined for glory. Blessed be God for the miracle of the new birth, both in the tomb and in the heart.

Jude 1:3 "Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." Here we have a solemn and urgent call to all who believe the Gospel of God's sovereign grace in Christ. In a time when truth was being compromised and false teachers were creeping in, Jude exhorted the saints to “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” This faith is not of human origin, nor is it open to revision—it is the Everlasting Truth of salvation accomplished by the LORD Jesus Christ alone, given to His people by grace alone. Here we are reminded of the preciousness of this Gospel and the need to stand firmly and faithfully upon it in the face of all opposition. With tenderness, the apostle Jude writes to those who are beloved in the LORD. "Beloved" means to have the special favor of God, or loved above measure. Any that are believers are not so because of anything in them, but solely because God has purposed to save them and has set His love and affection upon them. In Romans 9:11-13 , it says, "For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth. It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid." This is just the opposite of what we would normally think. Typically, it is the younger that would serve the elder. So why the difference here? Verse thirteen answers, "as it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated." Some people have a problem with this doctrine, but it's the doctrine of Scripture. It's the doctrine that gives God all the glory in salvation. The "beloved" of God were chosen by Him, even before the foundation of the world, redeemed by Christ in the fullness of the time, and regenerated by the Spirit of God. They are beloved only in, through, and by the LORD Jesus Christ. All that Christ has redeemed as the Lamb slain are called the beloved. " Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved" (Ephesians 1:5,6). When Jude writes of the common salvation of those who are elected by God in Christ and called by the Sovereign Holy Spirit, we are not to think of it in terms of just being everywhere believed by everyone. No, there's nothing common in that sense about the salvation that is of the LORD. It's a glorious truth, and it's a glorious reality for those that God is pleased to save and not everyone. It's anything but common. It's a special grace of God. This is said to be "common" because it is the one salvation that all believers share. There's no difference. Jesus Christ is the common Savior. No matter where you go in the world, where God has been pleased to do a work of grace in the heart of a sinner, red or white, yellow or black, Jesus Christ is the Savior, and they all share Him and His finished work at the cross in common. They all have Him as their Righteousness. They all have Him as their Redemption. They all have Him as their Wisdom and their Sanctification. They've all been bought with the same blood, justified by the same righteousness, and called by the same Spirit. By God's grace, they'll enjoy and possess the same glory (1 Corinthians 1:30,31) So many today have this general perverted view of faith, that somehow it's something that everybody has, and that just by a determination of their will they can appropriate it to themselves. There's a difference between what man calls 'faith' and what the scriptures call "the Faith". The very first fundamental point is that God is absolutely sovereign in all things. " And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?" (Daniel 4:35). This verse gives a clear description of the one true God. Faith is Godward. " For in him we live, and move, and have our being..." (Acts 17:28). Without the will and authority of God, no human being or spiritual power may do anything. It's God Who upholds all things by His will and His Almighty Word. All men are sinners by nature and utterly depraved. Many think that men have "free will" and that they may, depending on what they choose, either come to Christ or reject Him. That's a very popular message today. Men indeed have a will, but the problem is with that word "free". Man is always going to choose according to his fallen nature. Being corrupt and dead in sin, he can only choose what is contrary to God. He cannot choose between good and evil. Left to himself, he will only choose that which is evil (Romans 3:10-18) . " No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day (John 6:44). Therefore we see the necessity of God doing the saving. That is why He has chosen a people unto salvation. The LORD Jesus Christ prayed in the garden before He went to the cross, " As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him" (John 17:2) . Many today are ignorant of the truth of God's electing grace. Neverthess, this is the Faith for which every faithful preacher must contend. This doctrine of God's electing grace in Christ is fundamental to what the Bible teaches. The Bible teaches that from all eternity, God the Father entered into a covenant of grace with God the Son, to save every sinner that He had chosen and given to His Son. In Scripture, such sinners are called the elect of God. It's referring to those that the Father has chosen and given to his Son before the foundation of the world, Ephesians 1:4. This is no small number. God has chosen sinners to salvation out of every tribe, nation, and tongue throughout the world, and His choice was based on the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of His glory (Revelation 7:9). Therefore, "the Faith once delivered unto the saints" is that faith that sets the LORD Jesus Christ forth as the Savior of each chosen sinner for whom He died. This truth is also greatly misunderstood today, especially since the popular message is that Christ died to save everyone in the world without exception. The Word does not say that.  " And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus : for he shall save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). In speaking with the Pharisees, the LORD affirmed that He came to "lay down His life for the sheep" , and at the same time He told them, "ye believe not, because you are not of my sheep," (John 10:11,26). In His high priestly prayer, Christ said, " I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine" (John 17:9). The LORD Jesus Christ, according to the scriptures, did not die for everyone without exception. However, the Bible does teach that Christ died for all without distinction. That is, He died for all kinds of sinners, men and women, rich and poor, black and white, jew and gentile. This is the meaning of Christ giving His life as a ransom for all (1 Timothy 2:6). He did not come to try to save as many sinners as possible, but to accomplish the salvation of His elect as their Representative and Substitute. " And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day" (John 6:39). The Faith for which every God-sent preacher must contend and all saints (redeemed and justified sinners) believe is this Faith that teaches that God effectively calls all whom He has chosen. The Scriptures present two kinds of divine calling: First, there's a general call that addresses primarily all mankind everywhere . The Apostle Paul spoke of this in his message to the Athenians on Mars Hill, saying, " And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:" Notice the word commands. He's not inviting, He commands. Every faithful preacher of the Gospel makes this call every time they preach. Sinners everywhere are commanded to repent and believe on the LORDJesus Christ. To repent and believe are synonymous and simultaneous (Acts 20:21). Repentance is a change of heart toward God, and belief is toward the LORD Jesus Christ as the one Object of repentance and faith. Whether a sinner is elected of God or not, God commands everyone to repent, and not to repent means the wrath of God abides on that sinner (John 3:36). Second, there is that special, internal call of the Spirit of God Who makes the preaching of the gospel effectual to draw the elected sinners to Christ in faith, and this calling is completely of God. It is God Who works in the heart of His elect when He pleases. We know that a sinner was elected by God by the fact that he comes to Christ and continues in the faith until death. The special call of God is effectual, in that when God is pleased to draw anyone to Christ, they cannot continue in darkness and rebellion. Such sinners will renounce themselves as being worthy of condemnation, and will come to Christ by the Father's command (John 6:44). We who are the LORD's by His electing, redeeming grace are to “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” This Faith is not a system of works or religious striving, but the Gospel of God's free and sovereign grace in Christ Jesus—the finished work of our Redeemer Who fulfilled all righteousness and obtained eternal salvation of His elect (Hebrews 9:12). Our contending is not with carnal weapons, but with the truth of Christ crucified and risen, holding fast to Him Who is the Author and Finisher of our faith. Let us, by grace, stand firm in this Gospel, boldly declaring the unchanging message of God's mercy, justice, and love in Christ alone.