Thoughts from the Week: 7/21/23

Each Friday, I like to share some thoughts, learnings, and reflections from my quiet times during the week. I hope they’re encouraging and helpful!

Be blessed this week,

Pastor Hugh

1 John 3:10 – “By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother and sister.”

Many people are sadly confused about their eternity.  We have been taught and believe that baptism and church membership get a person into heaven.  That because we belong to a church, we are okay with God.  But this is not true nor scriptural.  This false belief totally nullifies the precious sacrificial death of Jesus, the Son of God, on the cross on behalf of the world.  It would degrade the just, holy, righteous character of God.  It is a person’s faith in Jesus and repentance toward God which assures a person of an eternity with Jesus in heaven.  John in his first epistle addresses the heresy that we can be saved and live like we want.  If we can live as we want, then why did Jesus have to die?  It was to provide freedom from God’s holy wrath which is against all who live in unbelief as to what He says and therefore in disobedience to what He asks.  Salvation is not a membership, it is an intimate, life changing relationship with the God who created us.

1 John 2:3-6 – “By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, ‘I have come to know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever follows His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says that he remains in Him ought, himself also, walk just as He walked.”

*All Scripture from the New American Standard Version Bible.