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Justification
Justification is the declaring of a person to be
righteous.
As the word is applied to believers, it does not mean made
righteous, it signifies declared righteous...shown to be in the
right.
The saved are saved, not because of their own
righteousness, but because they are accepted by God as
righteous...through faith in the saving blood of Jesus. (Philippians
3:9; II Corinthians 5:21)
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Sanctification
The
generic meaning is The state of proper functioning. To sanctify
someone or something is to set that person or thing apart for the use
intended by its designer. A pen is sanctified when used to write.
Eyeglasses are sanctified when used to improve sight.
In the Biblical sense, things are sanctified when they
are used for the purpose God intends. A person is sanctified when
he/she lives according to God's design and purpose.
The Greek word translated sanctification means holiness,
to make holy. God calls us to be holy...to set ourselves apart
for a specific purpose. Sanctify, therefore, becomes a synonym for trust
and obey. (Isaiah 29:23)
We are made holy through Christ's work, our faithfulness.
The law of Christ (Galatians 6:2) is synonymous with the moral
demands God places on all humanity. We sanctify God's law by obeying
it.
A person is sanctified the moment he/she is in Christ.
(Ephesians 1:3) Although it is lived in the context of temptation and
suffering, the sanctified life is victorious. (Romans 8:37)
Biblical self-denial is not withholding pleasure or
causing pain as an inherent means of spiritual growth. It is placing
the interests of God before the interests of self. Believers do not
deny or ridicule legitimate human desires. But, these desires need to
be continually prioritized. (Matthew 6:33)
Sanctification is growth in righteousness, attitudes, and
behavior. The believer presses on to take hold by faith on the
promises of God. (Philippians 3:12)
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Grace
A common definition describes grace as the unmerited
favor of God.
Old Testament
The word is used most often in the phrase favor
in your (God's) sight or in
the eyes of the Lord.
New Testament
Jesus is never quoted as using the word grace, but
his teaching is full of the unmerited favor of God.
"But because of his great love
for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ, even
when we were dead in transgressions- it is by grace you have
been saved." (Ephesians 2:4,5)
Example
In the parable of the prodigal son, favor is
extended to one who did not deserve favor...other than the fact
that he asked in humility and repentance to be shown favor.
(Luke 15:11-24)
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Mercy
The ability to have
compassion for the trouble of others...and the ability to do
something about it!
"But because of His great love for us, God,
who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead
in transgression- it is by grace you have been saved."
(Ephesians 2:4)
God's mercy cannot be exhausted. It
is part of His nature. This mercy is demonstrated in His desire to
have a relationship with people who do not have any great desire to be
involved with him. It is shown in his desire to set all of us free
from slavery to sin. We cannot make ourselves free.
Jesus is God's greatest expression of love, mercy and
grace.
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Redeem,
Redemption
In the context of the social, legal and religious customs of the
ancient world, redemption included the ideas of being loosed
from a bond, setting free from captivity or slavery, buying
back something lost or sold, exchanging something and ransoming.
Old Testament
Redemption involved deliverance from bondage based on the payment of a
price by a redeemer.
New Testament
It is announced that Jesus is the fulfillment of Israel's messianic
hope. In him is the long-awaited moral, not material, redemption...paid
for by a required payment.
The captivity is sin. Christ's death is shown as the payment for
deliverance of those held captive by Satan. The death of Jesus
provides forgiveness of sins (Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14)
and a new life. (Romans 6:4)
The central theme of redemption is that God has taken the initiative
to act compassionately on behalf of those who are powerless to
help themselves. God identifies with humanity and liberates human kind
through the obedient, suffering death and resurrection of Jesus.
The debt against us is not simply cancelled...it is paid in full.
Christ's blood (life), which he surrendered for us, is the ransom by
which we are delivered from the slavery and penalty of
sin.
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Testament
(covenant)
The Greek word diatheke.
In some translations it is translated as covenant.
It is described as a will.
(Hebrews 9:16-18)
It is called the New Covenant
in I Corinthians 11:25)
The description New
Covenant of grace is used to show the difference between
the Old Covenant of law
keeping.
Both testaments (covenants) are sacred and binding...as
long as they are in force. (Joshua 9:18-21 and Galatians 3:15)
Both testaments are confirmed with blood. The Old with Animal
blood, the New with the blood of Jesus.
A testament is a contract made between two parties and
ratified with certain actions. The Bible talks about contracts between
men such as: Giving the hand (Ezra 10:19); loosing the shoe (Ruth
4:7-11); giving presents (Genesis 21:27-30); making a feast (Genesis
26:30); and offering of sacrifices. (Genesis 15:9-17)
The Old Testament (covenant) made between God
and men was:
1. Confirmed with an oath. (Hebrews 6:13,17,18)
2. Binding. (Galatians 3:15)
3. Everlasting. (Genesis 8:20-22 and Isaiah 54:10)
4. Something God could not break. (Leviticus 26:44,45)
5. Broken. The Israelites broke the Old Testament
(covenant). (Jeremiah 22:9 and Hebrews 8:9)
6. Punishable. (Leviticus 26:25-46; John 3:16)
The New Testament (covenant) fulfilled and
made the Old Covenant obsolete...setting it aside. (Hebrews 8:13 and
10:9)
The New Testament, with all its blessings, is available
for all men. God has done his part.
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Jesus
Wants to be Your Forever-Friend
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PARENTS
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your child reads through the salvation material, you can help
him understand what he is reading. We have included the following
references in the Bible to help you explain the need for a Savior,
the meaning of sin, what it means to repent, and how to begin
a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Verses
that you may want to have marked as your child reads the material
include:
•
John
14:6
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Hebrews
11:6
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John
3:16
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Romans
3:23
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Luke
13:3
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Romans
6:23
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2
Corinthians 5:17-18
As
your child begins reading this material, connect him with its
relation to Paul’s conversion by reading the following:
Faith
means believing in something or someone you cannot see. The Bible
tells us that the only way we can know God is through faith in
His Son Jesus Christ. In John
14:6 Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the
life; no one comes to the Father but through Me."
Just
like Paul was made blind, all people are born blind to knowing
God. This type of blindness is not the kind where you can’t
see; it’s the kind of blindness where you don’t understand.
We
also understand that you may have questions and comments. Write
to us at Ask Liberty.
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Jesus
Wants to be Your Forever-Friend
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KIDS
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| Everyone
does things that God tells us are wrong. This is known as sin. God
doesn't expect you to be perfect. He just wants you to accept His
forgiveness, so He can be your friend. This is called salvation.
The
way God forgives us is through Jesus. John
3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave
His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not
perish but have eternal life." Jesus died on a cross and
was buried for three days.
But
then something awesome happened. He rose from the grave and
came back to life! He is now in heaven and wants you to accept
Him.
Telling
Jesus You Need Him
You
can accept Jesus by telling Him you need salvation. Have you
ever done or said or even thought something that you knew was
wrong? Maybe you lied to your parents, said something mean to
your brother or sister, or thought something that wasn’t
very nice about someone. This is all sin, and every person in
the world has sinned. Romans
3:23 says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God."
What
It Means To Repent
Jesus
not only wants us to accept Him, but He also wants us to be
sorry for our sins. He wants us to repent. To repent
means to change or to turn from our old ways. Jesus wants you
to act in new ways that are good and pleasing to God. (Luke
13:3)
Unless
we repent, we will always live away from God–not allowed
to go to heaven and not able to live life to its fullest here
on earth. (Romans
6:23)
In
order to turn from our ways, we must believe that Jesus is the
Son of God and that He is the only way we can truly change.
He wants us to ask Him into our lives. Just like you might ask a classmate if he or she will be your friend, Jesus wants us to ask Him to be our friend too.
Inviting
Jesus into Your Life
If
you would like to invite Jesus Christ into your life, all you
have to do is ask Him through prayer. He wants to be your best
friend. Here’s a good way to ask Him:
Dear
Jesus,
I
know that I have sinned, because I have done and said wrong things. I do not want to be apart from God
because of my sin. I need You to take away my sin and forgive me. I
believe that You died and rose from the grave for me because
You love me so much. Thank You, Jesus, for forgiving my sin
and coming into my life. Please help
me to know You more every day. Help me live like You want me
to live.
Amen.
Congratulations!
You
are now a child of God!
(2
Corinthians 5:17-18) God has made you brand new, and He
has great things planned for you.
Great
News
We
have more great news for you! God’s Holy Spirit now lives
inside you and will be with you wherever you go, no matter
what you do, for the rest of your life.
If
you accepted Jesus into your life, you have great news for us.
Tell us about it. Please write to us at Tell Liberty.
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