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Robert Houk Hitchcock |
Romans 10:9-12
That if thou shalt confess with
thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath
raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
For with the heart man believeth
unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
For the scripture saith, Whosoever
believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
For there is no difference between
the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that
call upon him.
These verses are the starting point for every person who belongs to the family of God. We are to confess with our mouths the Lord Jesus, and believe in our hearts that God has raised him from the dead. At that point, and through out all eternity we are the sons of God.
Verse 11 says that no one who ever believes on the Lord, Jesus Christ, will ever be ashamed, or "disappointed in their expectations." He is rich unto all that call upon him. All who call upon him now belong to God. They are His family!
It's not a maybe.
It's not a someday.
It's not a "I wish I were" or "I feel like it."
It's an absolute reality in the spiritual realm.
It is undeniable and unchangeable.
It is permanent and it is seed nature.
It's your permanent residency as a son or daughter of God.
I John 3:1-2
Behold, what manner of love the
Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God:
therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
Beloved, now are we the sons
of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that,
when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he
is.
We are called the sons of God when? Now. Not just a vague someday, but NOW. Today. This day. Some people say that you will never know until your life is over, and then hopefully you made it into the family of God. That's not what God's Word says: it says Beloved, NOW are we the sons of God.
The world is not going to recognize you as a son of God. You're probably not going to walk into your office tomorrow or your classroom and everybody is going to say "Wow, isn't that a son of God walking in here?" The world didn't recognize the Lord Jesus Christ, God's only begotten son, did they?
It doesn't yet appear what we shall be in the future (like the resurrected body of Jesus Christ) but it does appear NOW what you ARE, and you are son of God, you belong to God.
Romans 3:20-24
Therefore by the deeds of the
law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is
the knowledge of sin.
But now the righteousness of
God without the law is manifested, being
witnessed by the law and the prophets;
Even the righteousness of God
which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that
believe: for there is no difference:
For all have sinned, and come
short of the glory of God;
Being justified freely by his
grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
No one could ever be justified by their own works, good deeds, etc., but now the righteousness of God is imparted to all that believe. We already saw what it is that we are supposed to believe- Rom. 10:9,10. At that point we receive the gift of holy spirit which is the righteousness of God . We are justified freely by the REDEMPTION that is in Christ Jesus.
A good definition for REDEMPTION= a releasing, effected by payment of a ransom in full. We were being held hostage by the god of this world, Satan. We are not longer hostage...we have been redeemed, we have been paid for. The price of payment of the ransom was the life of God's Son, Jesus Christ! That's the highest paid ransom of all time. And what the payment effected was our release from the bondage of sin and our placement in the family of God.
Ephesians 1:7
In whom we have redemption through
his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
It was the blood of Jesus Christ, the giving of his life, that paid for our ransom. We received the forgiveness of sins at that time according to the riches of God's grace.
Colossians 1:13-14
Who hath delivered us from the
power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his
dear Son:
In whom we have redemption through
his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
God delivered us! The word "delivered" means "to rescue." He sure did rescue us! We were in the kingdom of the adversary, Satan. Our ransom has been paid. We have been released. We have redemption. We are bought back. We belong to God!
Ephesians 2:1-3
And you hath he quickened,
who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Wherein in time past ye walked
according to the course of this world,
according to the prince of the power of the
air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Among whom also we all had our
conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires
of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath,
even as others.
Ephesians says we were quickened, or "made alive." We formerly were dead in trespasses and sins, and now God has made us alive.
We formerly were by nature the children of wrath. Just by reason of being born as a descendent of Adam, we belonged to this world. We were born under the dominion of this world. But all of that has changed now.
All men came into the same condemnation as Adam. Good and bad people alike all need the redemption of God. It's not something man can do for himself. The ransom is too high for anyone to pay. Only God can pay it through the life of Jesus Christ.
I Corinthians 7:23
Ye are bought with a price; be
not ye the servants of men.
What was the price that was paid for you? John 3:16- God so loved...that He gave His only begotten Son...
What is the worth of something? The value that was paid for it. Our value must be pretty high then because the price that was paid was the life of Jesus Christ.
We are no longer subjects OF the adversary's Kingdom.
We are in the world, not OF the world.
We belong to God!
I Corinthians 3:21-23
Therefore let no man glory in
men. For all things are yours;
Whether Paul, or Apollos, or
Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to
come; all are yours;
And ye are Christ's; and Christ
is God's.
All things are yours! There has been nothing left undone in your redemption. You are fully and completely a member of the family of God.
You belong to Christ. He is your Lord. And He belongs to God. Our lives are bought and paid for. We belong to God.
Tell the old bird to get off your back..that you are no longer his property...you belong to God and if he has a problem, he'd better start talking with God and the Lord Jesus Christ!
Romans 8:31-39
What shall we then say to these
things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
He that spared not his own Son,
but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely
give us all things?
Who shall lay any thing to the
charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.
Who is he that condemneth?
It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is
even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
Who shall separate us from the
love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution,
or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
As it is written, For thy sake
we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Nay, in all these things we are
more than conquerors through him that loved us.
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.
God is always FOR US. If that is true, and it is, then who can possibly be against us? Christ is always FOR US. He makes intercession for us at God's right hand.
There are plenty of things in this world that may attempt to separate us from God, but nothing can be successful. Plenty of things try to get in the way of our relationship with God, but nothing can break the relationship of being born into the family of God. We belong to God!
Nothing in this world, and nothing in the world to come can separate you from God. You are His child. It is eternal life.
You belong to God.
Cortright
Fellowship