However, before getting into the many benefits found in Christ, we would be remiss if we did not state up front exactly what one must do to get there. Only two verses directly indicate how we can enter Christ, while one verse depicts the same thing from a different perspective. Paul informed his Roman contemporaries, “Do you realize that those of us who were baptized into Jesus Christ were also baptized into his death?” (Romans 6:3) He wrote to the Galatians, “For everyone who has been baptized in Christ has put on Christ” (Gal. 3:27). I Corinthians 12:13, which indicates that we are baptized into His body, is the third passage mentioned. Being baptized into Christ is the only way to enter the kingdom of God. To misunderstand that, you'll need assistance.
Before You Continue...
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When it comes to knowing where one has to go in order to be saved, one must first know what he needs to be saved from. The ark that Noah built was the best location to be if you wanted to be saved from the flood of Noah's day. By being in that area, eight souls were saved (I Pet. 3:20). If one wishes to be redeemed from the wages of sin (Rom. 6:23), or from eternal destruction, one must be in Christ Jesus, who is the source of all spiritual blessings. Timothy was instructed by Paul that he “…suffered everything for the elect's sakes, so that they, too, might inherit eternal life through Christ Jesus” (II Tim. 2:10). According to the apostle John, “And this is the record: God has given us eternal life, which we have in his Son” (I John 5:11). The text we mentioned from the book of Romans also reveals that our salvation is in Christ, but the words are not spoken. They were baptized into Christ and into His death, Paul said, and then he added, “As a result, we are baptized into death with him, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we may also walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:3-4). Take note of when the newness of life began, at the time of baptism into Christ. The Corinthians were told by Paul, “As a result, if anybody is in Christ, he is a new creation: old things have passed away, and all things have become new” (II Cor. 5:17). It is self-evident that one must be baptized into Christ in order to be saved, for salvation is found there. And, once again, one would need assistance to misunderstand that. However, we must recognize that there is a lot of assistance accessible in the area of misunderstanding.
Now let us look at some of the other blessings that can be found “in” Jesus Christ We might easily fill the rest of our space with specific blessings that the exact words used to describe them are employed to describe. In the book of Ephesians, for example, after the declaration that “Paul wrote that “all spiritual blessings in heavenly places” are in Christ (Eph. 1:3), that we are chosen in Him (Eph. 1:4), that we have redemption by His blood (Eph. 1:7), and that sins are forgiven in Him (Eph. 1:8). (Eph. 1:7). He also remarked that we have received an inheritance via Christ (Eph. 1:11). Going through the New Testament and making a list of all the blessings we have “In Christ” would take up all of our available space and then some.
With the remaining space, let us focus on one particular blessing that is frequently missed by the world at large. People who profess to be Christians but have never been baptized into Christ can be found all around our country. Many people have been baptized, but not in the way that the baptism that brings us into Christ requires. To be baptized into Christ for the remission of sins, one must believe the gospel, repent of their sins, confess Christ as the Son of God, and confess Christ as the Son of God. The Lord then accepts that person into His body, the church (Acts 2:41, 47). Many people who haven't done so still pray to God with their heads bowed. Prayer is a blessing that is conferred upon people who are in Christ Jesus, dear friends and brethren. Those who accept Christ have the ability to become God's sons (John 1:12). This demonstrates that mankind as a whole is not God's child. Paul declared to the Philippians that they were God's sons (Phil. 2:15). We are unable to pray “When God isn't our Father, we say “our Father.” According to the previously blind guy, “He was not an inspired speaker when he said, “God heareth not sinners” (John 9:31). He was Peter, and he wrote, “For the Lord's eyes are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their petitions; but the Lord's face is set against those who do evil” (I Pet. 3:12). The blessing of prayer is one of the many magnificent blessings that God has bestowed upon us via His precious Son. Thank God for that, since it is your birthright.
Where are all spiritual blessings?
Every human who lives on this planet, according to the Bible, is a receiver of God's bodily blessings. “For He raises His sun on the evil and on the good, and showers rain on the just and on the unjust,” Jesus stated (Matthew 5:45b). We should be grateful that God has provided us with everything we require for physical survival through His material creation and natural law. God's blessings, however, are not restricted to the physical realm. God want to shower immense spiritual blessings on those who are willing to accept them.
The food that maintains our physical bodies is one of God's tangible favors. Consider the case of someone who has an abundance of food but refuses to consume it. Refusing to accept God's blessing of food for an extended period of time will result in famine and death. To get the physical gift of eating, one must first choose to eat and then act on that decision.
In the same way, receiving God's spiritual rewards is conditional. God makes His spiritual blessings available to everyone (Titus 2:11), yet just as someone who refuses to consume food will refuse to receive God's spiritual blessings, so too can someone refuse to receive God's spiritual blessings. All spiritual blessings are only available “in Christ,” according to the Bible (Ephesians 1:3). Consider “in Christ” to be a spiritual location. To receive God's spiritual blessings, one must be spiritually located in Christ. “In Christ Jesus” is where salvation is found (2 Timothy 2:10). Before receiving all spiritual rewards, one must first choose to follow Christ and then act on that decision. How does one become a Christian? A penitent believer who declares faith in Jesus as the Son of God can alter their spiritual location by being baptized, according to the Bible. “For everyone who was baptized into Christ has put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27). Because one is baptized into Christ, one is outside of Christ and hence outside of the spiritual place where all spiritual rewards, including salvation, are obtained prior to baptism.
What are the promises in Ephesians 1?
This verse contains three amazing promises made by God to all believers: His hope, His wealth, and His might. Through His Son Jesus Christ, He has selected us to be His offspring, pure and righteous in His eyes. We have been entrusted with the responsibility of being His holy people. What a wonderful opportunity!
God has called us to have faith in Him, in His salvation, and in the reward of eternal life with Him. His hope differs from that of the rest of the world. It isn't a wishful thinking. Hope in God is a secure anticipation that He will fulfill all that He has promised… a hope founded on God's unchanging and trustworthy character.
God assures us of His wealth… His inheritance. We are God's heirs and Christ's co-heirs. We have all Christ earned for us on the cross: triumph over death, forgiveness of sins, and holiness in the eyes of God. We are heirs to all of God's blessings, both now and in the future. What an incredible honor!
God's enormous power is given to us through the Holy Spirit. In the Lord, we are strong. We have His amazing power, the same power that raised Jesus from the grave! God assures us that through Christ's power, we can do the seemingly impossible. In Him, we have the victory.
Allow God's promises to fill your heart with the assurance of His unconditional love for you.
What are the blessings of the Holy Spirit?
Four of these gifts (wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and counsel), according to Saint Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologiae I.II, q. 68, a1, lead the intellect, while the other three gifts (fortitude, piety, and fear of the Lord) direct the will toward God.
The virtues function under the impetus of human reason (prompted by grace), whereas the gifts operate under the impetus of the Holy Spirit; the former can be employed whenever one desires, while the latter, according to Aquinas, can only be used when the Holy Spirit wishes. In the case of Fortitude, the gift shares the same Latin and English name as the virtue with which it is associated, but must be identified.
Thomas Aquinas argues the following correspondences between the seven Heavenly Virtues and the seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit in his Summa Theologiae II.II:
No Gift is specifically attributed to the virtue of temperance; nevertheless, the gift of fear can be considered as such, because fear motivates people to abstain from forbidden pleasures.
“What the gifts do over and above the theological virtues (which they presuppose) is dispose the agent to special promptings of the Holy Spirit in actively exercising the life of the virtues; the gifts are necessary for the perfect operations of the virtues, especially in the face of our human weakness and in difficult situations,” says the Rev. Brian Shanley.
What does it mean to be chosen by God?
Being selected means not only being favored, but also taking responsible behaviors. This blessing came with a catch, as described in Exodus 19:5, “Now if you obey me fully and maintain my covenant, then you will be my valued possession out of all nations,” despite the fact that the entire planet was mine.
What do you mean by spirituality?
Spirituality is defined as the awareness of a feeling, sense, or belief that there is something more to being human than sensory experience, and that the greater total of which we are a part is cosmic or divine in nature.
Do your best to present yourself to God as one is approved?
Greetings, Parents! “Study to shew yourself acceptable unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, correctly dividing the word of truth,” 2 Timothy 2:15 says of a Tyndale Park Christian School student. I've begun deconstructing the first part of the verse with the students, namely, “Study to shew thyself acceptable unto God,” and I'd like to share my thoughts with you so that we may work together to assist the next generation become what God has planned for them.
The term “study” comes from the Greek word “spoudaz,” which meaning “to hurry” or “to be diligent.” We want our kids to work hard and joyfully to live in a way that honors God. This “method” is clearly outlined in the Bible, which is why we begin each school day with 35 minutes of Bible instruction.
What is the best way to “show thyself approved unto God”? It all begins with accepting God's free gift of salvation via Jesus Christ, as stated in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only born Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world may be saved through him” (John 3:16-17).
Timothy receives explicit instruction from the apostle Paul, who penned the letters to him, on how to live a life that will bring glory to God. In italics, I'll give brief explanations. “Let no one despise thy youth (I can never say I'm too young to believe in or live for God); but be thou an example of the believers, in word (what you say), in conversation (how you say it), in charity (choosing to love others because they are made in God's image), in spirit (submitting myself to God's will), in faith (not a blind faith, but a faith based on evidence that clearly shows that there is a – 1 Timothy 4:12; 1 Timothy 4:13; 1 Timothy 4:14; 1 Timothy
“Study and do your best to present yourself to God approved, a worker who has no reason to be ashamed, precisely managing, consciously living out, and skilfully teaching the Word of truth,” we rewrote 2 Timothy 2:15 for our pupils. It is our desire and prayer that every student at Tyndale Park Christian School will one day live out our vision for them and make a lasting difference in God's Kingdom, their families, neighborhoods, cities, New Zealand, and anywhere else God may use them around the world.