Sealed by the Holy Spirit...
"The first attack of the enemy will always begin with an attack on your identity"
"He will never let you go..."
Pressing towards the Mark...
“...but one thing I do, forgetting those things that are behind me i’m reaching towards those things which are ahead of me, I press towards the mark of the prize of the high calling which is in Christ Jesus”
- I have to realise that the old self led life that I used to live is now dead. I should not look back but be intent on moving forward and discovering my new life in Christ…
Once we are truly saved... (Trusting in our Identity)
Q. Can you lose your righteousness (Salvation)?
- It is a common practice for people addicted to drugs, alcohol etc. to first admit their problem then make themselves accountable to some group or someone who they ask to hold them to account and not allow them to ‘re-offend’
- This is closely reflected in the process of salvation. We first admit our sin and wrongdoing, then we repent (decide to make a change for the better) and then submit to God, asking Him to hold us to account and to keep us from turning back
“Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling..."
“Now to Him who is able to keep you without stumbling or slipping or falling, and to present [you] unblemished (blameless and faultless) before the presence of His glory in triumphant joy and exultation [with unspeakable, ecstatic delight]...”
- Once we submit ourselves to God, place ourself in His care and ask Him to help us to live right, He has promised to never ever let us go and therefore we can trust Him to be that faithful Father and friend that will do whatever it takes to hold us to account and keep us from turning back.
And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you.
...for He [God]Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not,[I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax my hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]
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.
The sheep that are My own hear and are listening to My voice; and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never lose it or perish throughout the ages. [To all eternity they shall never by any means be destroyed.] And no one is able to snatch them out of My hand. My Father, Who has given them to Me, is greater and mightier than all [else]; and no one is able to snatch [them] out of the Father’s hand.
"Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption."
- God’s Grace (the good we don't deserve) is an incredibly amazing and infinitely loving gift, so much so it really can be difficult to believe or receive. It demonstrates just how much God truly loves us and how much he really wants to save us.
- To the degree that you can receive (believe) this amazing gift of Grace will determine the level of security, peace, deliverance, love relationship, power and authority we walk in
- God not only promised to save us from sin, He has also promised to save us from and totally separate us from our old self!
- This is why even though Saul (who later became the apostle Paul) who had previously terrorised the early christian church and was responsible for the murder of many believers was later, after being born again able to say “I have wronged no man...” The old guilty man (Saul) was dead, and the new righteous Paul was now fully alive in Christ.
- As born again, new creations in Christ, we no longer have to concern ourselves with the frustration of trying to muster the power to live right. We accept that we cannot ever in our own strength make ourself do right, neither can we keep ourselves from sin… but by surrendering to God, it is now God Himself working within us by His Spirit that makes us both want to do right and actually do those things that are right and pleasing to Him.
“...[Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.”
Q. Can you lose your salvation? Can you lose your righteousness and your new identity in Christ?
A. Not because of sin. Your behaviour does not determine your identity… its your identity that determines your behaviour
- Sin cannot and will not ever stop you from reaching your high calling and walking in the power and authority of God, but trusting in your own self effort and self righteousness will
- If we are truly born again, we cannot lose our salvation because we have been sealed by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14 NKJV) (Ephesians 4:30 AMP). If we continue in sin, the apostle Paul said we should examine ourselves to see if we have truly believed and whether we are truly of the faith or if we are counterfeits! (2 Corinthians 13:5)
Click the links below for additional media and materials relating to this topic
