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* Please refer any comments reguarding this message to Pastor Claude. Pastor Claude T. Stauffer E-mail: pastorclaude@calvarychapelofhope.org Website: http://www.calvarychapelofhope.org
The Gospel for those Caught in Sexual Sin
In the opening lines of Paul's letter to the Romans, (the New Testament epistle with the fullest explanation of the gospel) he says, "I am a debtor" regarding the sharing of the gospel (1:14). Paul felt the good news of the gospel of God's grace and salvation was so incredibly awesome and great, that it would be criminal to hold it back from anyone. The powerful gracious love of Christ that he experienced compelled him to share the gospel (2 Corinthians 5:14-15; Romans 5:5). Why did he feel this way? Sin is mercilessly captivating and enslaving no matter the form it takes. It chokes the life out of the one it holds in its grips. Sin works a slow death in people; Sin can work a swift death in people too; but sin always kills, murders, and destroys. Sin wrecks lives and leaves spent bodies and broken promises in its wake. Deviating outside the parameters of God's truth and into sin always carries with it cancerous consequences. But there is a cure; a gracious cure from God that is good news for the person bending and near breaking under the weight of sin. The gospel sets sin-captives free and that liberation by God of the sinner is what Paul was indebted to pass on to all slaves of sin. What was it that so impressed and moved the apostle Paul and caused him to feel indebted to write this epistle and share the gospel? There are four reasons stated by Paul in Romans for his feeling this way and they are immensely pertinent to anyone caught in a lifestyle of sin. First Paul says, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ" (Romans 1:16a). Paul would not shrink back in shame because some did not receive the gospel or God's truth. He was not inhibited by peer pressure or public denunciations by his enemies. He cared more about serving God and Christ's opinions than the opinions and opposition of people. The philosophy of the world is often presented as one of "tolerance." But that tolerance is selective in that only those views that do not challenge the comfort of those living in sin are tolerated. You have to go with the flow of the status quo to be tolerated in the world today. Go against that flow and you will be labeled and libeled and discriminated against in the most intolerable ways; you will be persecuted. In some parts of the world to point out a lifestyle or act as sin leads to a fine or prison time. Just as Paul stood and courageously proclaimed in love the truth of God, no matter what, so should we (1 Corinthians 4; Ephesians 4:15) Second Paul says, "For it is the power of God to salvation for everyone" (Romans 1:16b). The good news is that the gospel of Christ is God's powerful tool to save people from their sins and empower them to live righteous lives. That is what makes the gospel worth sharing. We are saved from the death sentence of sin through the free gift of eternal life through faith in Christ (Romans 6:23). But not only that, God's gospel introduces us to a grace that helps us to overcome sinful lifestyles and habits that on our own we could not overcome (Romans 5:20; 6:4, 14,22; 7:24-25; 8:1-4, 37; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11). The grace of God is able to set the slave of sin free. That's one great reason to share the gospel. Third Paul says, "For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith" (Romans 1:17). The gospel of God is received by faith and lived by faith. "Righteousness" refers to, "the character or quality of being right or just"; it was formerly spelled "rightwiseness." Righteousness refers to the right way things are to be done. Righteousness is determined by God's word. When "righteousness" is used to refer to an attribute of God it is equated with God's faithfulness or truthfulness (Romans 3:25-26). God is "righteous" in that He is faithful, consistent with His word and to keep His promises. When we talk about the righteousness of God, we mean the highest, most holy, just and good standard of what is right. Since God is the highest and holiest of all, so is His righteous standard of governing the universe. Part of the good news of the gospel is the bad news of sin. Unless a person realizes the bad news of their sinful state, the good news of God's gospel will not be worth much to them. In the words of the ancient church father Jerome: "You cannot understand the antidote until you first understand the poison."
Sin is the poison we need to identify before the antidote of the gospel can be administered. It is the law of God that is meant to expose the poison of sin in life (Romans 7:7). Paul wrote that God's law is meant to identify and expose sin in people (1 Timothy 1:8-11). Two sins that the law exposes are "fornicators" and "sodomites" which are sexual sins. The law of God states that sex outside of marriage is sinful; that is fornication. Jesus elevated sexual sin beyond the act to the thought or "lust" of the mind (Matthew 5:27-28). Homosexuality is included under the under the umbrella of sexual sin as the Bible states, "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination." (Leviticus 18:22; see also Romans 1:18-32). God cannot simply overlook or dismiss sin; to do so would tarnish and contradict His righteousness and justice. God's righteousness, His faithfulness to His word, holds the universe in order. Pagan gods are capricious; they are not faithful to their word. But the God of the Bible is righteous and true; you can depend on Him and His word. That is a source of great security and comfort. And the order of the universe is based on God's standard of justice. Murderers will not go unpunished, nor will the greedy, the covetous or the sexually immoral. All sin will be recompensed justly. It would be criminal to allow a murderer to go free unpunished. God's oversight of the universe does not allow for unpunished criminals so that there is order and deterrence. There is a penalty, a "wage" for sin that God's righteousness has set forth, and that is "death" (Romans 3:23; 6:23; Jeremiah 2:19). All those who sin are deserving of death according to God's standard. The dilemma then becomes, how can, how does, a righteous God reconcile sinful humanity to Himself and still maintain His righteousness, His justice? The answer to that question is found in Christ. By God's grace through faith in Jesus, we can be made righteous before Holy God (2 Corinthians 5:21). . Fourth Paul says, "For the
wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness
unrighteousness" (Romans 1:18). For those who have not
received the gospel of Christ by faith, the wrath of God is
revealed and coming against them. God has appointed a day in
which He will judge the world in righteousness (Acts 17:31).
There will be no plea bargaining on that day. Saying you are
sorry will not be enough to gain a dismissal of the charges
against you; you should feel sorry for your sin. No, God is
holy and just and His judgment will be fair, just and proper
in accordance with His nature. For those who rebel and
persist in denying God's word and law and live on in sin,
should they come before God on judgment day standing alone
in their own strength without Jesus as their Advocate, it
will be a time of great fear and doom (Hebrews 10:26-31).
This is reason for urgency so that these people can be given
every opportunity to be saved.
Called to Sexual Purity Sexual purity is God's will for all people as Paul was inspired to write:
" 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8 - 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. 7 For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. 8 Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit. Notice some things here. The bottom line is that everyone, especially the Christian should "walk to please God." (1 Thessalonians 4:1) The Christian is held to a higher standard. A Christian cannot simply follow the secular standard or conventional sinful worldly way. A Christian is called to "the will of God, your sanctification." (1 Thessalonians 4:3). "Sanctification" (Strong's # 40), refers to, "holiness, i.e., dedication to the Lord, and/or dedication to moral purity (Romans 6:19, 22; 1Corinthians 1:30; 1Thessalonians 4:3, 4, 7; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Timothy 2:15; Hebrews 12:14; 1 Peter 1:2f.). It is interesting that Paul points to a particular area where the Christian is to be sanctified, and that area is sexual purity. Looking at this passage we can define such dedication to God and moral purity in the following ways. Sanctified and acceptable behavior to God consists of: 1. Each person should know how to control their body in a way that dedicates it to the Lord and is honorable and honoring to the Lord - 4:4 2. Passionate lust is unacceptable because it is the way of those who do not know God - 4:5 3. We should not allow ourselves to be manipulated into sexually compromising situations and we should not manipulate others into compromising sexual situations - 4:6 4. Remember, God called us to be pure and separate, not unclean and polluted by the world. We should guard against adopting worldly standards and compromising by way of rationalizing so that we are unnecessarily in tempting sexual situations - 4:7. 5. Those who reject God's call to sanctification and sexual purity are rejecting God's best for them; they are rejecting God and the Holy Spirit who guides and convicts us in such matters - 4:8.
In light of these words what should we do? We should guard against putting ourselves in compromising situations and take every precaution to fulfill God's call to walk a holy and pure life, especially in the area of sexuality.
Loophole Christians
God has promised to not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able and that He will make a way of escape so that we can refrain from sin (1 Corinthians 10:13). That path to purity is not to presume on the grace of God (Romans 6:1ff). We are not free to sin, but free not to sin. We should not be looking for loopholes to justify our indulgence in sin going as far as we can while still rationalizing our "holiness" before the Lord. Such an attitude is evidence that one has already begun the descent down the slippery slope of sin. No, we need to take every precaution, make every effort, and refrain from every questionable action that threatens our fulfilling God's call to holiness (Ephesians 5:1-3). Practically, this means we need to put aside the attitude that says, "Others are doing it, why can't I? God will understand." This is the sin of presumption. Presumption is assuming immunity or God's approval when it is not there. We need to put the sin of presumption far from us. The only place sexual contact of any kind is holy and permissible is in the marriage relationship (between a man and a woman), nowhere else (Hebrews 13:4). Dating, engagement nor any other state outside of marriage is acceptable for sexual contact. It is a gigantic mistake to disregard the cautions of God and His word.
Protect Your Honor
Each person must "know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor." The word "know" (Strong's #3609) here comes from another Greek word meaning "a dwelling." It is a word translated "edification" (Strong's # 3624) The point made here is that each person is responsible for their own body and how it is to be handled and protected so that it remains sanctified (set apart for God) and honorable. The word "honor" (Strong's #5092) means, "a value, valuables, of the highest degree, or the dignity itself . . . honour, precious, price, some." Your body and its purity are precious and you should take every precaution to protect yourself from doing anything that would lessen its value and preciousness. If you are a Christian, your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, therefore, live in a way that would not embarrass the Holy Spirit who resides in you (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
What is Sexual Immorality?
What is "sexual immorality"? "Sexual immorality" is translated from the Greek term PORNEIA (Strong's #4202) and refers to, "harlotry (including adultery and incest) idolatry . . . fornication." During the years of President Clinton's time in office and the Monica Lewinsky scandal he justified his interaction with Ms. Lewinsky by interpreting "sex" as only intercourse and therefore he reasoned the sexual interaction he indulged in with this young woman was allowable. Many youth today justify their sexual activities similarly. The Bible makes no such distinctions. Sexual immorality/fornication is any sexually related contact or interaction between unmarried people or between married people with those they are not married to. Sexual immorality/fornication is any activity that arouses passions and lusts in those outside the holy marriage relationship. Sexual immorality is closely connected to idolatry because a person who is willing to disregard God's commands concerning sexual interaction has made an idol, a god, of sex. The Bible says, "Can a man take fire to his bosom, And his clothes not be burned? Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?" (Proverbs 6:27-28). The context for this verse is a proverbial warning against the deception and danger of being drawn into sexual sin by a temptress, a harlot. But there is a broader application here. A modern day translation would be "If you play with fire, you'll get burned." The natural sexual desires that God has built into the human being to be used in marriage, can be inflamed into an inappropriate burning lust that burns up our purity. And it doesn't take much. A seductive look, a seemingly innocent touch, a caress, a song, a picture, an image on the screen, words, all of these can provoke passions that are sinfully lustful and need to be avoided. This is true for both males and females. God loves us and He has given us sex as a wonderful gift. But He has also prescribed certain boundaries for sexual activity, marriage (between one man and one woman - Genesis 2:23-25). A car can be a very helpful means of transportation when operated legally. But once a driver breaks the speed limit or drives under the influence of drugs or alcohol that means of transportation can become a lethal weapon. Don't have the attitude of, "I can handle it." You can't! You can't because God never intended you to handle inflamed sexual passions and lusts outside of marriage. That is not God's will for you! Your sexual desires were meant by God to be fulfilled with one person (of the opposite sex) to whom you have entered into a holy life relationship of love and commitment before God and His plan for marriage. Your sexual purity is a precious gift to give to the one with whom God has ordained you spend the rest of your life. Unfortunately, many have cast that precious gift aside prematurely with those they thought they would spend their lives with, but ended up not being that right God ordained person. There is no room for slipups with your sexual purity. If you relinquish it, it cannot be regained. You can be forgiven by God, but that precious gift God gave you to share with the one human you love supremely will have been lost forever. Don't take the chance. Submit to God and the words of the Holy Spirit; you won't regret it.
Self Worship and Homosexuality
Romans 1:25 - "who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen." This verse comes from the beginning of Paul's greatest treatise on the doctrine of salvation and sanctification. The first three chapters are meant to show the sinfulness of all humanity and how all humanity falls short of God's glorious righteous standard. In Romans 1 verses 18-32 Paul speaks about the downward spiritual of sin. In Romans 1:25 Paul speaks of those who refuse to accept God's revelation and the consequences of such sin. The word "exchanged" is found in 1:23, 25, and 26 (also translated "change"). This word is translated from the Greek term METALASSO (Strong's 3337) and means, "to exchange, change, alter, and substitute; to exchange by leaving." Therefore, those who are being considered here do not merely turn away from God's truth; they replace it with a "truth" of their own making, which is no more than a "lie." The idea here is that they leave God's truth and replace it with a "truth" that they feel comfortable with, that will not convict them or show them to be sinful, a "truth" that they can live with, a "truth" that is nonetheless a "lie." Any alternative to God's truth is a lie! But Paul is speaking of a specific lie as indicated by the article "the." What is "the lie"? The truth of God is that man needs God. What is "the lie"? Notice that the definite article "the" precedes the word "lie," and therefore I believe Paul is referring to a particular "lie." What might that particular "lie" be? The lie is the belief that man does not need God; because man is God, in control of his or her own life and destiny. This was the foundation of Satan's initial temptation in heaven and in the Garden of Eden (Isaiah 14:12-15; Genesis 3:5). This lie is at the root of all sin. The lie is rooted in sinful pride and a lust for self-sovereignty, a lust to sin and serve self regardless how it affects others. "The lie" says, "I don't need God; God does not exist; God is not a factor; what matters most is ME." The lie says, "I don't need God," and will try to kill God or remove God from consideration in order to accomplish the goal of self-rule. The wrath of God is on these sinners for misrepresenting God's truth by attributing their own "truth" ("i.e. "the lie") to God. Some people say, "God accepts me for who I am. He created me as a homosexual. Therefore to be a homosexual is okay." This is a perfect example of not only misrepresenting God, but also trying to insert a falsehood in place of His truth. In order to attain the goal of self-rule, the sinner will try to explain away God and His word. This is attempted in a number of ways. Here Paul points to the elevation of the creature to godhood, idols made in the image of the creature. Idolatry is foolish (Psalm 115; Isaiah 44:9-20). God is justified in giving such idolatrous self-worshipers up to their own rebellious preferences.
Vile Passions
Romans 1:26-27 - "For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due." "For this reason," what reason? Because they refused to receive God's revelation truth of Himself (Romans 1:19-24). They rejected God and not only rejected Him but twisted His truth with their own warped view of reality. And because of this, "God gave them up to vile passions." God allows people to not choose to worship and thank Him. Here we see the downward spiral of sin. "Vile passions," are the natural consequence of rejecting God. Look around you, what do you see in our post-Christian world? A host of vile passions; when you reject God, you enter into a warped view of existence that leads you into all sorts of contorted, mangled, mixed up, hell bent ways of seeing the world around you. Remove God and expect an anything goes world. Paul speaks of "For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, . . . " When a person rejects God, their sin leads them to abuse nature and do things that are actually opposed to nature. One function of sex is procreation. Homosexual and lesbian sexual activity is unnatural; it contradicts and goes against nature disregarding the procreative purpose of sex. Homosexuality and lesbianism are a perversion of natural human desires. Turning from God and His revelation leads to idolatry and the height of idolatry is worship of self. Homosexuality and lesbianism are self-worship as people worship their own gender image in other people, women with women and men with men. Then Paul says of these people that they, "burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due." This is the only occurrence of this particular word for "burned" here in the NT. The word "burned" is translated from the Greek term EKKAIO (Strong's #1572) and means, "burned out; consumed; inflame deeply; set ablaze." The idea here is that so deep is their lustful burning for one another that they actually burn out and are consumed by their lustful pursuits. This may allude to physical consequences (e.g. disease), emotional consequences, and certainly spiritual consequences. Sexually transmitted diseases are a big problem and a source of much pain and suffering for those indulging in immoral sexual behavior.
God created sex
Sex is not sinful. God created sex (i.e. "one flesh" - Genesis 2:23-25). Sex only becomes sinful when it is misused outside of God's ordained parameters. When sex is misused in ways God never intended, it has the opposite effect of God's intended purpose for it. God intended sex to bring two people together as one in a very wonderful way. When two people enter into sexual activity outside of marriage, a uniting takes place out of sync with the process God laid out as right and proper.
Sex Connects
Paul warned against adultery and sex outside of marriage because there is a uniting, a connection that occurs between the two parties involved n(1 Corinthians 6:15-20). Sex is a beautiful part of God's creation and intended purpose. Sexuality outside of the marriage covenant makes unholy connections. It is Satan's strategy to take what God meant for beauty and loving expression between two people and turn it into something dirty and shameful. That is what the downward spiral of sin does. When I was a boy I enjoyed building models. But as a young boy I was impatient and didn't always read the instructions or follow directions. Nowadays you can buy models that are already painted. But in my day you had to paint the models and then assemble them. As I would put the models together I'd sometimes get impatient. The instructions called for me to paint certain parts in certain areas, let them dry, and then glue them together. Inevitably my impatience would get the better of me and I'd paint over areas I was supposed to leave paint-less and try to glue parts together before the paint was dry. What I found is that the glue never held pieces together that I impatiently tried to glue when the paint was still wet. Then I'd try to take the pieces apart to wipe them clean and I'd have an even bigger mess. When I didn't follow instructions and acted impatiently, the model always got sticky and weakly assembled and never lasted very long, (at least as long as it might have if I had patiently and diligently followed instructions). The same is true with sex and marriage. If you try to glue two people together with sex before the Lord prepares the parts properly, your relationship will wind up weak and likely won't last. It's always best to wait on God and follow the instructions of His word (the Bible) when it comes to marriage and sex, and everything else in life for that matter.
Hope of Deliverance from Sexual Sin
Sexual sin can be addictive whether it manifests itself in the actual physical adulterous act or the lustful fantasy of the mind. Trying to overcome such sin in one's own strength is futile and frustrating. But there is hope. As we mentioned earlier, the gospel is powerful and God is able to deliver the person caught up in sexual sin from that sin. The Bible states: " 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 - 9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. Notice what Paul says, "But such WERE some of you." He is inspired to speak of the sin of the Corinthians in the past tense because it was not a thing of the past; it had been put behind them. How were they able to put their sins behind them? Later in the same epistle Paul writes: " 1 Corinthians 10:13 - No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. God's promise is to not allow you to be tempted beyond what you can bear but will make a way of escape so you can stand and get through it. That's His promise and the person caught in sexual sin needs to pray long and hard over that verse. God is faithful, He will show you the way out of your sinful lifestyle or addictive habit. That way out starts with turning from your sin to God and putting your faith in Jesus. You put your faith in Jesus by asking God to forgive you base don His sacrifice for you on the cross. Receive God's forgiveness through faith in Jesus. The Holy Spirit will then give you spiritual life; eternal life; abundant life. It's time to put your sin behind you and press on with Jesus to His higher calling for you (see Jeremiah 31:34; Micah 7:18-19; Philippians 3:13-14; Romans 6:14). That may mean leaving your homosexuality behind or some other sexual sin, but now is the time to put your faith in Jesus, seek forgiveness of your sin based on His cross work, and receive the eternal life in indwelling of the Holy Spirit God promises in His gospel (Titus 3:4-7). A story is told of a man who purchased a white mouse to use as food for his pet snake. He dropped the unsuspecting mouse into the snake's glass cage, where the snake was sleeping in a bed of sawdust. The tiny mouse had a serious problem on his hands. At any moment he could be swallowed alive. Obviously, the mouse needed to come up with a brilliant plan. What did the terrified creature do? He quickly set up work covering the snake with sawdust chips until it was completely buried. With that, the mouse apparently thought he had solved his problem. But the truth of the situation was that sawdust chips wouldn't hold back the snake. The solution to the mouse's problem came from outside of the cage. The man looked down at the plight of the mouse and took pity on him lifting him out. In the same way, no matter how we try to deny our sinful plight by covering up the truth of our need, in the end the snake of sin will fatally bite us.
A New Heart with New Desires
In the Old Testament God promises to provide an opportunity for people to receive a "new heart" (Ezekiel 18:30-32; 36:25-27). God takes no pleasure in the ruin that sin works in the sinner. In fact He by His grace has made a way out from under the burden of sin. He provides us with the opportunity to receive a new heart. This promise is fulfilled in the gospel through faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 15:8-9; Romans 10:8-10; 2 Corinthians 4:6; 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13; 1 Peter 3:15; Hebrews 10:12-22). In Paul's second letter to the Corinthians he was inspired to speak of how in a relationship with Jesus we become a "new Creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17). That's what we need to overcome sexual sin, a new heart with new holy desires. When a person turns from their sinful life to God through faith in Jesus, God promises to give them a new heart that will be receptive to His law and word. For those who have received a new heart but allowed it to be dirtied and tarnished once again with sin, there is continuous ongoing cleansing available from God as we confess our sins to Him honestly and walk on in the light of His word (1 John 1:7,9). We should always ask God to search our hearts to expose sin so we can confess it to Him and He can keep us clean (Psalm 139:23-24). God has revealed His righteous plan of redemption from sin through faith in Christ and no matter how we try to suppress or hold down the truth that we are sinners and need a Savior, this truth cannot be denied. The only way to be saved from sin is to turn to the One outside the cage of this fallen world, God in Christ by the Spirit. If we continue to reject and hold down God's truth, sin will fatally bite us, (Satan the snake is waiting - Genesis 3; Revelation 12:9; 20:2). If by reading this you are convicted of your sinful state and know you would be found guilty on God's righteous judgment day, you need to turn from your sin to God (repent) and place your faith in Jesus Christ to save you. You can know you are forgiven and going to heaven. Below is a simple gospel summary for you to follow. God didn't make hell for people, only those who persist in their rebellion will go there. God is reaching out to you through His only Son Jesus. He wants to forgive your sin and save you from it. Don't let this gracious opportunity of God pass you by.
The Bible states you can know for sure whether or not you are going to heaven?
" 1 John 5:13 - 13 These
things I have written to you who believe in the name of the
Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life,
and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son
of God.
How can you know for sure? 1. Realize you are a sinner - " Romans 3:23 - 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, " Galatians 3:10 - 10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them." " James 2:10 - 10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.
2. Realize there is a price for sin - " Romans 6:23a - 23 For the wages of sin is death,
3. Realize Jesus paid the price for you - " Romans 5:8 - 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Galatians 3:10-13). " 2 Corinthians 5:21 - 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
4. Realize your salvation is a free gift that requires only a heart decision from you to receive it - " Romans 6:23 - 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5) " Romans 10:10 - 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
5. Realize you must now call upon Jesus to save you -
" Romans 10:13 - 13 For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved." A SALVATION PRAYER: "Dear God, I know I am a sinner. I turn now from my sin to You. Please forgive me for my sins. Come into my heart and save me. Send Your Holy Spirit to me and help me to live the life that you have for me. In Jesus' name, Amen."
Sincerely your servant in Christ,, Pastor Claude
* Please refer any comments reguarding this message to Pastor Claude. Pastor Claude T. Stauffer E-mail: pastorclaude@calvarychapelofhope.org Website: http://www.calvarychapelofhope.org
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