I FAILED!

Walking The Christian Life

I’ve been a believer in Jesus Christ since I was 16 years old, over 44 years ago. The Bible clearly teaches everyone to BELIEVE in Jesus and BE SAVED and HAVE Eternal Life. That is truly GOOD NEWS. Jesus saved me from my sin when I believed in Him, that is, when I put my trust in Him. He has taken care of the enmity, the problem between God and me. Praise the Lord!

BUT soon after I believed in Jesus and was saved I again found myself sinning! NOW What? Am I lost again? Am I now going to hell again? Is God totally put out with me and casting me out?

These are the questions that go through the heart and mind of so many people who have put their trust in Christ for salvation, but then fail and fall into the same old sins. The devil loves this! One of his favorite schemes is to tempt the new believer into falling back into his old life style and then condemning the new believer to the point of despair. He will do everything he can to make you think you are lost and that there is no hope in coming back and getting right with God. “If you have failed once, you’ll fail again, so just give up!”

OH he is a “tricksie” foe. (Lou Ann and I watched the “Lord of the Rings” the other night. Again.)

Good News! The Bible Truth, the “full gospel,” the truth that will set you free is that you can not “lose” eternal life in Jesus Christ. This is what God says in His Word and what we will look at in the following few words.

Have you blown it since you have been saved? Here is some truth to help you.

IF you have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, you have been saved. What does this mean? The Bible says, “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be (are) saved” Acts 16:31. John 1:12 says, “all those who “received” Him (the Word), He gave them the right to be children of God, to all those who believe in His Name.” Believe and Receive. That is the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Do you believe that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh who died for your sins appeasing God’s anger against you? My friend, you are saved and have received eternal life in Christ.

Eternal means never ending. It is life that can not stop. It can not be killed. It is not “Life until you blow it.” In is LIFE ETERNAL.

John 3:16, “For God so loved the “whole” world, that He gave (as a sacrifice for the whole world’s sin) His One and Only Son (Jesus), so that WHOEVER believes in Him (the Son Jesus)  will NOT perish (in eternal death), but HAVE (right now) eternal life.” Also see vs. 18.

Why is this Life in Jesus Eternal? It is eternal because Jesus is LIFE. He is God and in Him is LIFE (John 1:4). He is the Word who was in the beginning with God and is God (John 1:1). This is the Word that became flesh, Jesus Christ (John 1:14). God became one of us to give us HIS life.

Hebrews 7:24-25 tells us that Jesus is our eternal High Priest who lives forever, unlike the Levitical priest who died and had to be continually replaced. Jesus rose from the dead and is our High Priest forever because HE has an indestructible life and HE is able to save us who come to God through Him, because HE, Jesus, lives forever to intercede for us.” Jesus, who has been “perfected forever” makes us “perfect” forever (7:28/10:14).

If you believe in Jesus Christ you are not Lost because you are IN CHRIST.

In Christ you are chosen, adopted and accepted (Ephesians 1:3-6).
In Christ you can not be separated from the Love of God (Romans 8:38-39).
In Christ you have eternal life and you will never perish. NOTHING and NO ONE can snatch you from the hands of Jesus, who is God (John 10:28-29).
In Christ you have received the indwelling Holy Spirit who has been given to you as a down payment, a guarantee that Jesus will save you completely, spirit, soul and body (Ephesians 1:13, 14; 2 Corinthians 1:22).
In Christ you have been justified. You have been declared righteous by God because of the blood of Jesus shed for you! And you now have peace with God (Romans 3:22 – 26; 5:1).
In Christ there is no more curse (Galatians 3:13).

In Christ you are under a NEW Covenant (Hebrews 9). The Old Covenant has been done away with. Under the Old Covenant you were condemned to death because of your sin against God. Under the New Covenant by the blood of Jesus you are held accountable for the way you live but you are also guaranteed that you will always be a child of God. God will not reject you under the terms of the New Covenant because it has been made and sealed with a better priesthood (eternal), by better blood (Jesus’ blood vs. blood of animals), with better promises (God has sworn it with an Oath) and with a better ONE TIME Sacrifice (the body of the God-Man Jesus). see Hebrews 8, 9, 10

And it is because of this person, Jesus Christ that YOU Believer, child of God, can go on when you fail. Jesus was made like you, human, so that he could help you. He became your substitute and satisfied God’s righteous demand, death for sin.

Remember, you will sin because you are still in this old sinful body (that will be saved at the resurrection) and you are still in this world whose ruler is the devil. You are not suppose to sin, but if you do, remember that you have an ADVOCATE/Lawyer with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous One (1 John 2:1-2). Confess your sin to Him and know that HE is faithful and righteous to forgive you of your sin and to cleanse you from the defilement of it to help you not sin again (1 John 1:9).

The Holy Spirit inspired John to write his Gospel to record some of the key signs Jesus performed to prove that He was the Coming King, The Son of God and if anyone would  believe in Him they could have eternal life (John 20:31). John also wrote his first letter to assure all of us who have believed in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, that we HAVE eternal life right now and forever (1 John 5:12, 13).

AFTER WORD
Friends, I have written this short article because so many people who have trusted in Christ Jesus have given up living the life of a Christian because they have failed. We all fail and some of us pretty badly. BUT Believer in Jesus, HE does not fail. He can not fail. He will carry you through to eternal life. It is up to you whether you will experience His victory in this life’s journey or not. You have eternal life and you can have it more abundantly as  you continually yield to Him. You are more than a conqueror in Christ (Romans 8:37).

The need for this truth is why it is so important that each of us as believers in Jesus Christ, and those who desire to “follow” Him and be true disciples, true Christians, be careful to fellowship in a church that emphasizes the teaching and preaching of the Bible. Pastors must be men of the Word. Too often it becomes popular and easy to speak “the world” instead of the Word. Pastors, elders and teachers must be students of God’s Word. It takes hard work to feed and shepherd the flock of God that the Holy Spirit has made them overseers of. Encourage your pastor and teachers to preach and teach the Word. If you don’t ask God the Holy Spirit to help you find one that teaches you how to live according to the WORD in the power of the Holy Spirit and walk in newness of life, so that others may see Christ in you. You don’t need to hear how to be born again Sunday after Sunday. You need to learn how to walk now that you are born again.

Your fellow traveler,
Jeff Hawkins