Jesus was able to live a sinless life because, although human through His mother Mary, He also was Divine because of His miraculous conception with God as His father. Therefore Jesus was the only One Who was qualified to be the perfect sacrifice for man's sin. All prior animal blood sacrifices for sin had looked forward in faith toward the perfect sin sacrifice, Jesus Christ, just as we today look back in faith toward the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ as atonement for our sins.
This sin atonement is possible only because of God's great love, mercy and compassion for humans, in which He provides a means of redemption, to be bought back from a life of sin into a life of fellowship with God the Father. Jesus bought us back to the Father's house with His sacrificial blood atonement through His act of supreme love in giving His life to save us.
Faith in Jesus removes from us the responsibility for the sins that we had committed in the past and keeps us from having to pay for our sins through eternal separation from God's love, which is known as hell.. When God views a forgiven Christian, God sees that person through the blood of Jesus Christ and He therefore sees that individual as perfect and free from sin because of the blood covering over that person's soul. Jesus said in John 14:6 that no one could come to the Father, God, except through Jesus. 1 Peter 3:18 states, " For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit."
New Birth
There is nothing that we can do to by ourselves to merit God's forgiveness except to believe that Jesus' onetime sacrificial death covers any and all sins of those who accept by faith this substitutional, sacrificial death. In John 3:3-21 Jesus said that those who accept by faith His substitutional, sacrificial death for their sins would experience a New Birth, which also was referred to by Jesus as being "Born Again" resulting in a "New Life" for the forgiven believer. This new birth, resulting in new life, does not CAUSE the forgiveness of sins. It is the result of the forgiveness of sins through faith in Jesus Christ's sacrificial death. Salvation is not achieved by some act that we perform. Salvation is achieved by something that Jesusdid and our confidence in that act of sacrifice that He performed.
Romans 10:9,10 ""For if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."
While faith in Jesus Christ's blood sacrifice alone is necessary to receive forgiveness and salvation, the Holy Scriptures nevertheless are full of directions for the further, useful life of the born-again, or forgiven believer. We are commanded in I Peter 2:1,2 "Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby...."
Growing in the grace and faith of Jesus Christ results in rewards in Heaven for faithful service, I Corinthians 3:11-17, "For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are."
Any medical doctor can attest to the truthfulness of those last two sentences since he or she has spent years trying to correct the damage and to preserve the lives of many patients who have defiled their bodies through the use of dangerous, destructive substances as alcohol, drugs and tobacco. Despite all medical efforts those bodies do not survive as long as they would have otherwise, and the patient succumbs in premature death. If they have accepted Jesus' blood sacrifice their souls will be saved, but the body, or the temple of the Holy Spirit, is destroyed prematurely. Once our bodies are destroyed our ability to do further productive work for God's kingdom (resulting in rewards) has ended.
Growth
After experiencing the new birth our spiritual abilities are enhanced and we are enabled to grow in the knowledge of God's kingdom. 1 Corinthians 2:12-16, "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit Who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ."
According to this last scripture we have changed in our attitudes and desires. We no longer act as we used to act. We no longer enjoy the same activities as before. We now desire to learn more about God, His Holy Spirit endwells us, and we develop an innate desire to become more like our adopted father, The Lord God Almighty. The process of being born again to new life in Jesus Christ has effected dramatic changes in our lives.
I Corinthians 2:9-11 states, "...Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God."
Jesus emphasized the importance of the Holy Spirit's influence in the life of the believer. On the night before His crucifixion He stated, "Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
"I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you."
From this we learn that because the Spirit of God dwells in the spirit of the newborn believer He teaches us, through our spirits, concepts that God would have us to know. For example, Christians long have believed and taught that cigarette smoke is harmful to the body, although there was no large body of scientific research to back up this belief. In past decades many Christians were ridiculed as "strange", "judgmental" or "old-fashioned" because of their deeply held beliefs that cigarette smoking was "wrong". This was given to them through their spirits by the Holy Spirit of God residing within through their "New Birth" in Christ Jesus. Today, scientific research has verified that in the United States alone around 400,000 smokers each year die of diseases complicated by tobacco utilization. No educated individual will deny tobacco's harmful effects on the body, which is supposed to be the temple of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit's leading in this, as well as in other cases, has been proven correct.
Through our new birth in Jesus Christ we find that the veil that had filtered out the knowledge of God has been removed, and we are able to ascertain more clearly God's true nature. The more clearly we see God the more like Him we can become. 2 Corinthians 3:13-18, "unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord."
Self-discipline
Through paying attention to the urgings of the Spirit of the Lord we grow in discipline and grace. Hebrews 12:4-11 states, "You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives. If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."
Through the chastening of the Holy Spirit within we learn to be disciplined. Without being self-disciplined we cannot exhibit the love of Jesus Christ to others. We exhibit love when we overlook our own selfish desires and extend compassion to the emotionally, physically and spiritually disadvantaged. Through self-discipline we exhibit a spirit of love by overlooking our needs and by giving praise and thanksgiving to the Lord God despite the circumstances, thus lifting up the spirits of those around us as well as our own.
Philippians 4:4-7 encourages, "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
Jesus promised believers, Acts 1:8, "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
Earlier, John 14:15-17, Jesus had promised the Holy Spirit as the "Helper", "If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever - the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you."
As Christians who have experienced the new birth our actions should exhibit the change that is effected in our hearts. Jesus discussed this expectation in Matthew 7:15-20, "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them."
Jesus urged, Luke 6:31, "And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise."
If we do things that cause discomfort or harm to others we rationalize that we intended no harm, therefore others should understand and overlook our actions since harm was inadvertent. By the same token when others inadvertently cause us harm Jesus urges us to react as we should like to be treated should we have caused the damage. The ability to forgive is a reflection of the monumental forgiveness we have experienced freely through the extreme sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christians should be known by the love they show to one another and by the compassion they exhibit for the lost.
Fruit of the Spirit
The internal spiritual change as reflected in self-disciplined, Christian behavior is described as exhibiting the fruit of the Holy Spirit: Galatians 5:22-25, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."
The Christian walk is explained further by the New Testament writers. James 1:2-10, "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away."
Paul exhorts us to have the attitudes that Christ Jesus exhibited because He is our example. Philippians 2:1-11, "Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Reward
Just as Jesus lived His earthly life as our example, meeting the needs of others, bringing healing, love and compassion to those about Him, so should we emulate His lifestyle. After Jesus arose from the dead at His resurrection three days following His crucifixion He assumed His rightful, exalted position as master and Lord. Soon He shall return as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. At that time we shall receive our glorified bodies, never again to die, to assume our positions in Jesus' eternal kingdom of joy and peace. Sacrifices made here on earth in this current existence will be as nothing when we step into our new roles as joint-heirs with Jesus Christ in God's eternal kingdom.
Romans 8:16, 17 states, "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs-heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him , that we may also be glorified together."
Our goal is to become more like Jesus in all that we do and say and not for rewards alone. Nevertheless, the reward will more than compensate for any sacrifices in our Christian lifestyle.
Jesus calls us to live righteous and holy lives, even as He as our Example. Concerning our bodies as the temple of the Holy Spirit, 2 Corinthians 6:16-18 and & 7:1 urge, "And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: 'I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.' Therefore, 'come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord, Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.' 'I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.'
"Therefore having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."
Paul continues in Colossians 3:1-8, "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth; fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie one to another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him..."
Perfection
Here Paul declares that , our old ways die with Christ on the cross as our sins were nailed to the cross with Jesus. The "old man", or selfish and Godless behavior has been put to death and we have experienced the "New Birth" in Christ Jesus. We are born-again, or new creatures in Christ Jesus. The Holy Spirit of God now dwells within our beings and our lives are guided through obedience to the Holy Spirit's urging within and in following the ways described in the Bible, God's Holy Word.
Jesus commanded us in Matthew 5:48, "therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect"
Paul indicated that God had placed workers in the church to assist us in achieving the lifestyle of the Christian who is to imitate the life that Christ lived, Ephesians 4:11-16, speaking of Jesus Christ, "And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ-from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love."
As Paul prayed, 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new."
Paul stated, Ephesians 3:16, "That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height- to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever."
Through the presence of Christ's Spirit within us we have the power and the ability to resist the temptation to sin and to live a Christlike life. Through the presence of Jesus Christ we are enabled to walk the supernatural life that Jesus exhibited while He was here on Earth. We are to walk in truth, faithfulness, righteousness and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Through the Spirit of Jesus Christ we are to experience the abundant life.
Blessings
Through our faith in Christ Jesus we expect to see the full extent of the blessings found in the faith-filled New Life as exemplified in 3 John 2-4: "Beloved I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health just as your soul prospers. For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth."
Developing as Christians, we grow in grace. We experience the prosperity that is available to the children of God, prospering in body, soul, spirit and in our material status through the abundance found in God. Jesus brought healing to the sick. He fed the hungry and brought the living water of salvation to the lost as described in the Gospels. His taxes were paid with the miraculous finding of gold in the mouth of the fish caught by Peter as recorded in Matthew 17:27.
God knows that we have needs, and it is His will that all of our needs be met as He promised in His Word and as recorded in many instances throughout the Old and the New Testament.
Jesus addressed these concepts in His teaching of His followers in Matthew 6:25-34,
"Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
"Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
"Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
"Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
"Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'
"For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."
From this passage it is evident that the New Life in Jesus Christ encompasses all aspects of our existence. God wills that our needs, our attitudes and our treatment of others be guided by His example. Jesus made it clear that through our faith and trust in Jesus' sacrifice God becomes our Father. As our Father it is His will that we receive all of the help we need to achieve our perfect walk with Him. As we ask in faith for His help He will supply the need according to His promises. As children of God we are not to worry, for worry is fear, not faith.
It is God's will that we exhibit confidence in His promises, just as Jesus did while here on earth. All needs will be met as we ask in faith and believe His promises, whether in the areas of faith, deliverance from evil habits, financial assistance, and material assistance, healing for our bodies, sanctification for the righteous, Christ-like life, and the ability to bring help to others.
God as our Father stands ready to help us, just as earthly fathers are supposed to provide for the needs of their little children. Jesus promised, Matthew 7:7-11, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
"Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?
"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."
Promise
The evening before Jesus was crucified He gave final instructions for His disciples as they continue the work which He had started. St. John 14:10-14, "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.
"Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. Most assuredly, I say to you , he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also, and grater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father, and whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it."
These are amazing promises, but evidently we are expected to make frequent request in prayer to our Father God. James 4:2 expands the concept, "You have not because you ask not...."
Many Christians embrace the life of poverty with physical and material need as manifestations of humility. Jesus did not promote poverty as the Christian lifestyle although He cautioned us not to allow prosperity to become the FOCUS of our existence. Money itself is not evil, it is the lust for money that is evil. I Timothy 6:10 states, "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."
Even as our bodies will age and die should Jesus delay His second coming, the governments of this world shall pass away. Jesus repeatedly cautioned that our attitudes should be appropriately directed by an understanding of the world's temporary nature while believing God for the abundant life in Earth's milieu. Our minds concurrently should be focused on eternal, Godly values.
If you never have experienced the forgiveness of all of your sins through the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ on Calvary's cross and would like to know that your eternal soul is secure in Christ's love for all time, now is a good time to make your eternal security sure.
If you'd like to take advantage of Christ's salvation, please repeat these words:
"Oh, God, I confess I have failed to obey all of your commandments. I have sinned. I believe that Jesus Christ is your Son and that He was crucified on the cross for my sins. I believe that my sins were nailed to the cross with Him. I believe that He was resurrected from the dead, that my sins are now forgiven and that Jesus will return to Earth to establish His kingdom. This makes me Your child, forgiven of all of my sins because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. My eternal soul is safe in Your care. Fill me now with Your Holy Spirit that I may be empowered to live the Christ-like life. Thank you for Your forgiveness and promises, in Jesus' Name."