We who are in Christ should rejoice because we have been completely forgiven of our sins. We didn’t earn this forgiveness by following the law of the ten commandments, nor of the rest of the Mosaic law as well. But our forgiveness is through faith and faith alone in the finished work of Jesus Christ. But that being said, we are now to be led by the Holy Spirit. And by walking after the Spirit, we can but off ALL the sins of the flesh which held us in bondage. For Paul the apostle said: “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:1-4 ESV)

So, this “newness of life” means this current lifetime we’re living in. In other words, we are to STOP sinning. For Paul again says: “We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin.” (Romans 6:6-7 ESV) For even John the apostle said our goal should be to live a sin free life, for he first said: “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not.” (1 John 1:1) Yes, we are to no longer commit sin. However, he goes on to say: “And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:1-2) So, if we do make a mistake by committing sin, we are to confess it before God and ask for his forgiveness.

Below are some passages showing that we weren’t saved by following the law, but by faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ:

• Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. (Romans 3:27-28 ESV)
• What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. As it is written: "Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, and whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame." (Romans 9:30-33 NKJV)
• We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the lawbut through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. (Galatians 2:15-16 ESV)
• Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? ... Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith-- (Galatians 3:2, 5 ESV)
• For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. (Galatians 5:1-4 ESV)

But again, we Christians should make it our goal not to sin. For John again said: “And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.” (1 John 3:3 ESV) And that being said, let’s take heed to some warnings by John: “Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.” (1 John 3:4-10 ESV)

• But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ - the righteousness from God based on faith. My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead. Not that I have already reached the goal or am already perfect, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God's heavenly call in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:7-14 CSB)

Now, let’s also take some warning from the writer of Hebrews. For we first read: “For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.” (Hebrews 6:4-6 ESV) Next, we read: “For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, ‘Vengeance is mine; I will repay.’ And again, ‘The Lord will judge his people.’ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:26-31 ESV)

And let take not to what Peter said: “For if, having escaped the world's impurity through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in these things and defeated, the last state is worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy command delivered to them. It has happened to them according to the true proverb: A dog returns to its own vomit, and, ‘A washed sow returns to wallowing in the mud’.” (2 Peter 2:20-22 CSB)

And finally, let’s take heed to what Jesus himself said: “I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. He takes away every branch that does not bear fruit in me. He prunes every branch that bears fruit so that it will bear more fruit. ... If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown out like a branch, and dries up; and such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire, and are burned up.” (John 15:1-2, 6 NET) So, did you catch that? Those Christians that don’t produce good fruit are going to remove from Christ. And not only that, those who are removed from Christ are those who end up falling back into the sins of the world. Such ones could also end up in the fires of hell as well. So, let’s have the same attitude as Paul the apostle who said: “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NKJV) Amen.

• For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:20 ESV)
• Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (Matthew 7:21-23 ESV)
• Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12-13 ESV)

Let’s do our best to always walk after the Spirit. And by doing so, we can put off the works and sins. And if we do make a mistake, let’s immediately turn to God and repent. For God does promises us forgiveness if we do so. For: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9 CSB) God help us all to walk after the Spirit and live our lives in such a way as to be pleasing to God. Amen.

(Note: Bible text other than the King James Bible have been abbreviated according to the version that was used. This is for you the reader to be able to read these verses for yourselves. Below are those other versions used.

• ESV - Englich Standard Version
• NKJV - New King James Version
• CSB - Christian Standard Bible
• NET - New English Translation

Back to the Top

“Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.’ Jesus answered him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God’.” (John 3:1-3 ESV)

Nicodemus the Pharisee acknowledged the fact that Jesus was sent from God. So, what does Jesus do? Well, he gets right down to the heart of the matter by saying “unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Obviously, this statement was confusing to Nicodemus. So, Jesus then gets to the point by saying: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John 3:5-6 ESV) So, Jesus clearly showed Nicodemus that there needs to be first a natural birth and then a Spiritual birth in order to enter the kingdom of God. In other words, you must first come into existence before you can experience who God is and thus receive the Holy Spirit.

Now, this being “born again” doesn’t only apply to adults but to little children as well. For Jesus did say: “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” (Matthew 18:6 NKJV) So, Jesus said that there are children that believe in him as well. And he also warned anyone who would try to corrupt them with sin.

Now, this may raise some questions regarding aborted or stillborn babies. And one of those questions would be concerning whether or not they’re going to exist in the afterlife. Well, I do have to say that it must be heartbreaking for one to lose their baby during a pregnancy. Therefore, we should comfort them and remind them that they are not guilty nor responsible for its death. However, on the other hand, it’s a horrible thing for someone to willfully extinguish life in the womb. Therefore, we should remind them that they are guilty of murder and must repent of their sin. But again, Jesus did say that one must first be physically born, and then be Spiritually born in order to enter into the kingdom of God.

Now, I know that there may be those who may not see eye to eye on what’s being said here. However, I’m hoping that we can all agree that the mouths of those who preach that it’s better to abort a baby than to let them be raised by sinners must be stopped. For they claim that these babies will go directly to heaven. However, where does the scriptures declare this to be true? For this kind of talk only encouraging abortion advocates to continue in their campaign of murdering innocent babies. Therefore, we should do our best to warn those who are involved in abortion to stop this evil. This would be true not only for those who are performing it, but those who willingly receiving it as well. For this is MURDER and according to God’s word murderers will end up in the Lake of Fire. (Revelations 21:8)

So, to all those of you who had an abortion or even performed one, please repent of your sins. For: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9). Therefore: “Come now, and let us reason together, saith Jehovah: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” (Isaiah 1:18 ASV) Yes, God will forgive you if you truly repent and turn from these wicked acts. Amen.

Below are comments from others:

• Jesus said, “Unless a man is born of the water and of the Spirit.” Now, what does He mean water and Spirit? We know what it is to be born of the Spirit. What is He referring to being born of the water? There are those who declare that He is talking about water baptism. Unless you have been baptized in water, you’re not going to see the kingdom of heaven, and that born of the water refers to water baptism. I do not believe that Jesus is referring to water baptism here, because I believe that there are people who have gone through the ritual of water baptism who are not going to see the kingdom of heaven. It was only a ritual. But it would seem to me that being born of the water would be a reference to our natural birth, as the fetus is in that water sac being protected, and then there is the water bursting and the child is born. To be born of the water would refer to the natural birth, because in context then, Jesus said, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, but that which born of the Spirit is spirit.” And so, He's talking about the two births: born of the water, and born of the Spirit. And that the born of the Spirit is referring to the new birth, the spiritual birth that we have, where born of the water would refer to the fleshly birth. (By the late Pastor Chuck Smith of Calvary Chapel)
• When Nicodemus approached Jesus, Christ informed the Pharisee that he must be “born of water” AND a spiritual birth. There has been much question as to what “born of water” means. Many hold incorrectly that it is referring to water baptism. There are also other thoughts about what it means. The Bible makes it clear that “born of water” is referring to the natural birth. When a mother cries, “My water has broken,” shortly thereafter a child is delivered from the amniotic water where the baby safely resided inside his mother for many months. This is the “born of water” to which these verses refer. … This spiritual birth happens when one first realizes he is a sinner, and realizes he is bound for Hell because of his sins. To change destinations to be with God in His heaven, one must believe and trust that there is nothing one can do to get rid of the wages of their sin — an eternity in the Lake of Fire. There is, however, one that has already paid for our sins. That is Jesus. He died on the Cross, not for anything He had done, but He died as payment for our sins. When we believe His shed blood is payment for our sin debt and ask Him to be our Saviour, we can have God’s promise of eternity with Him. It is then one experiences the spiritual birth. One is then “born-again. Comment from Bill Brinkworth at: https://www.devotionsfromthebible.com/john/born-of-water/

What other passages have to say on the topic of unborn children. These are presented in order to help support what was mentioned above. Yes, I know that this may be uncomfortable and hard to read for those who lost a child during their pregnancy. However, we must stand upon God's word and believe that he is always in control:

• Let them be like a snail which melts away as it goes, Like a stillborn child of a woman, that they may not see the sun. (Psalm 58:8 NKJV)
• Or like a miscarriage which is hidden, I would not exist, As infants that never saw light. (Job 3:16 NASB20)
• A man may have a hundred children and live many years; yet no matter how long he lives, if he cannot enjoy his prosperity and does not receive proper burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he. It comes without meaning, it departs in darkness, and in darkness its name is shrouded. (Ecclesiastes 6:3-4 NIV)

(Scriptures used in this article are taken from the KJV bible unless noted otherwise. All other versions used are detailed below in order for you to check them out yourself. This way you can read for yourself that there was no scripture twisting in any of the bible quotes above. Also, some of the bible versions used in this article may have archaic spelling or different punctuations in their text which were purposely left untouched. This would include the word Saviour which today is spell Savior.)

• ESV = English Standard Version
• NKJV = New King James Version
• ASV = American Standard Versio
• NASB20 version = New American Standard Bible, 2020 revision
• NIV = New International Version

Back to the Top

“Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? there is more hope of a fool than of him.” (Proverbs 29:20)

Do you ever say something off the top of our head? Well, if you’re one that does, you should be thinking twice before you opening your mouth next time. I say this because you may be eating your own words. For not only do we have that passage quoted above, but in Proverbs we also read: “The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.” (Proverbs 18:21 NLT) And yes, I’ve seen the consequences not only from my careless speaking, but from others who have spoken in haste as well.

Now, one such person that comes to mind was a famous pastor. So, while preaching a sermon he made light comment about coming down with cancer. For he said that you shouldn’t panic when the doctor tells you that you have cancer. Then he went on to claim that he would say that cancer is an interesting way to go. This he said to a church that holds a large amount of people per service and was aired over the radio as well. And sure enough, this pastor did come down with cancer and ended up dying from it. I’m not saying this mockingly, but with sorrow because I knew this man and loved him as a dear brother in Christ. For I attended the church that he preached at.

Next, there was this well know Christian radio talk host that spoke lightly about his own life. For during one of his shows, he was talking about the immortality of our souls. Then he went on to share how he rides his motorcycle in the carpool lane and how people pull in front of him. And to make his point clear, he said that at any time someone could knock him off his motorcycle and spread his body parts all over the road. This he said to point out that even though he would be physically dead, his soul would still be alive. And sure enough, on his way home that day he got knocked off his motorcycle and died around a month later. Now, some claimed that he prophesied of his death. However, that’s not true because his body parts were not scattered all over the road.

So, this all being said, let’s be careful how we speak concerning our own life and that of others my brothers and sisters in Christ. Therefore, if anyone speaks a word of harm directed to you, rebuke it in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Now please, I'm not trying to be all judgmental. For even I myself am guilty of speaking in haste as well. For during a time when I was obsessed with the worldly sport of Racquetball, I told my opponents that they’re going to regret playing against my partner and I. And sure enough, my partner accidentally hit one of our opponents in the eye with the ball and caused damage to it. And after taking him to the emergency room, I never saw that person again on the courts. How irresponsible that was of me. For I regret ever saying such a careless thing against someone else.

Therefore: “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.” (James 1:19-20) Yes, let us think twice before we open our mouth and say something we are going to regret. And by the help of the Holy Spirit, we can use our tongues wisely as we should. Amen.

• No weapon that is formed against you shall be blessed; and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment, you shall condemn. This is the inheritance of the servants of Jehovah, and their righteousness is from Me, says Jehovah. (Isaiah 54:17)
• So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. (James 3:5-10 ESV)
• For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” (1 Peter 3:10-12 ESV)

God bless you as you seek to do his will. Amen.

(Scriptures used in this article are taken from the KJV bible unless noted otherwise. All other versions used are detailed below in order for you to check them out yourself. This way you can read for yourself that there was no scripture twisting in any of the bible quotes above. Also, some older bible versions used in this article may have archaic spelling or punctuations in their text which were purposely left untouched.)

• NLT = New Living Translation
• ESV = English Standard Version

Back to the Top