“...it is a mistake to reduce every decision about Christian living to a "Heaven-or-Hell issue."For example, some ask if the Bible specifically says a certain action is a "sin" or will send them to "Hell." If not, they feel free to indulge in that action unreservedly and ignore any scriptural principles involved. But this approach is legalistic, which means living by rules or basing salvation on works. It treats the Bible as a law book, focusing on the letter and looking for loopholes.By contrast, the Bible tells us that we are saved by grace through faith, not by our works (Ephesians 2:8-9). Grace teaches us how to live righteously, and faith leads us into obedience. (See Titus 2:11-12; Romans1:5; Hebrews 11:7-8.)”
“I will be merciful, and I will believe in people. If I am to err, I will err on the side of mercy. I will give people the benefit of the doubt. I will bend, but not break, in order to give people the opportunity to grow and develop.”
“The death of the innocent, sinless Christ and the imputation of Christ’s righteousness to us satisfy God’s justice and holiness. If, however, we reject Christ’s atonement, then we are left to face God’s judgment alone. In this case His holiness demands separation from sinful humans and His justice demands death for sinful humans. So justice and mercy are complementary, not contradictory, aspects of God’s nature, as are holiness and love. If we accept God’s love and mercy, He will help us satisfy His justice and holiness. If we reject God’s love and mercy, we must face His justice and holiness alone (Romans 11:22).”
“If they reject that truth, however, they cannot expect to understand more, and in fact, they will lose the truth that they have. (See Romans 1:21-28.) If they do not actively believe and love truth, they are subject to deception. (See II Thessalonians 2:10-12.)”
“In a spiritual sense, carnal people cannot grasp the significance of God’s Word unless they turn to God, accept His Word by faith, and seek spiritual understanding. “The carnal mind is enmity against God” (Romans 8:7). “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” (I Corinthians 2:14).”
“Through His humanity, Jesus Christ is able to mediate, that is, to go between humanity and God and represent humanity to God. As a mediator, Jesus reconciles us to God; He brings us back into fellowship with God (II Corinthians 5:18-19). The gap between a holy God and sinful humans was bridged by the sinless man Jesus Christ: “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (I Timothy 2:5). We should notice how carefully Paul maintained the oneness of God in this verse. There is no distinction in God, but a distinction between God and the man Christ Jesus. There are not two personalities in God; the duality is in Jesus as God and Jesus as man. It is not God who mediates between God and humans, nor is it “God the Son” who does so. Rather it is the man Jesus who mediates; only a sinless man could approach a holy God on behalf of humanity.”
“Instead of appealing to human authorities, institutions, and traditions, an apostolic church challenges people to encounter God for themselves, to search the Scriptures to find truth, and to follow God’s ways instead of social expectations.”
“It is important, however, for spiritual leaders not to emulate worldly models of leadership but to provide a model of servant leadership as Jesus taught (Matthew 20:25–28).”
“An essential part of being truly apostolic is to seek revival, by which we mean a continual atmosphere of restoration and renewal that results in spiritual life, health, strength, and vigor.”
“In a society where all beliefs are tolerated, our message stands out as unique. Other groups can appeal to tradition and philosophy, but we can establish our message from Scripture, and it is confirmed by miracles, signs, and wonders. When people listen to other philosophical and religious discourses they may be entertained, affirmed, or intellectually stimulated, but when they hear the gospel they experience conviction, anointing, and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.”
“Whatever He commands, He enables; and His grace always gives before it requires.”
“What about holiness people today? Will we follow the drift of other churches and of society until we are indistinguishable from the world? To most people today holiness is an archaic, quaint word. However, if we ever abandon the concept of holiness, referring to it as old fashioned, legalistic, and unnecessarily restrictive, there will be no logical stopping place. Without biblical holiness as a foundation, we will absorb the evils of a worldly, ungodly society as it becomes progressively worse.”
“Those who reject moral law and practical holiness fail to understand that holiness is the fundamental characteristic of God upon which all His other moral attributes depend. In particular, God’s holiness is the foundation of His love and gives direction to His love. His holiness determines His love, not vice versa. Because He is holy, He does not love sin or evil. Because He is holy, His love is impartial and eternal rather than arbitrary, capricious, and fickle. God’s love can never contradict or override His holiness.”
“Inward holiness will produce outward holiness, but the outward appearance of holiness is worthless without inward holiness. For example, a modest spirit will produce modest dress, but modest dress is of little value if it conceals a lustful heart.”
“The essence of true holiness is to be Christlike, to live as He lived and, in any given situation, to act as He would act. In fact, holiness means allowing the Holy Spirit of Christ to live in us and rule our lives”
“God is holy; holiness is an essential attribute of His nature. With respect to Him, it means absolute purity and moral perfection. With respect to man, holiness means conformity to the character of God. We must be holy because God is holy (I Peter 1:15-16). It means thinking as God thinks, loving what He loves, hating what He hates, and acting as Christ would act.”
“The Bible nowhere states that people before the law observed the Sabbath as a day of rest or worship.”
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