1 John 4:15-16 tells us, “15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 We have come to know and have believed the love which God has [d]for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”
How do we abide in God? By believing, this Scripture tells us that “whoever confesses that Jesus is Lord, God abides in him.” Some tend to think that it is our obedience that keeps us in Christ. Yet this clearly tells us that it is about our faith. God is love. What an amazing truth and a wonderful summary of God. Of all of the descriptions to attach to God, He is described as love.
Throughout the Old Testament, God is seen as having wrath and punishing sin. Yet the Bible never says, “God is wrath.” He is always portrayed as a God with a heart of love. Micah 6:8 tells us, “…To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (NIV). This verse speaks to us because it tells us God’s true motives.
Imagine the scene of a court room, God is the judge, and as a judge he has to execute justice all of our sin. We are the guilty ones. We are the defendants. Yet although God must do justice, He loves mercy. Sin has a very heavy payment, so He cannot simply brush it under the rug. What is He to do? He has a heart of mercy and love. He steps in to pay fully all of the debt we owed. Through the Cross, He has fully paid for our sins and the sins of the world! All we must do is believe and receive it. He stood in our place and took the wrath we deserved.
Act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly. To understand these three things is to understand the heart of God. The Lord’s wrath was poured out on the Cross. All of our punishment and wrath that we deserved has been fully paid. Now we can abide in God and God can live in us. When we stand now, we can stand humbly because of the finished work of Christ. Now we can see God’s heart. His true nature is now revealed. God is love.
Hey Caleb, you’re missing a key piece to truly belonging to Jesus and becoming a part of His kingdom. It’s more than just believe and recieve. Luke 13:13 says “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish”. 1 John 1:6 says “If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth”. We must repent of our sins and put our trust in Jesus Christ to save us. In James 2:26 it says that
“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also”. We cannot just believe and be saved. We must repent too! Jesus blood will cover all our sin but we must turn away and stop living in sin. That is why when we’re reaching the lost it is so important to use God’s law(ten commandments) to show the lost they’re sinners and at the edge of the pits of Hell. Just like Jesus did to the rich young ruler. He took him through several of the commandments to show him he was a sinner and needed to repent(confess and forsake his sins) and put his trust in the savior. This will show sinners that they need a Savior. Otherwise, sinners won’t know they’re in sin. And won’t think they need saving. Paul says he would not have known he was a sinner without the law. Preaching the gospel without the law produces false converts. It’s the same as someone who has cancer but doesn’t know they do and thinks they’re healthy. If you go to them and tell them you have a cure for their sickness they won’t want ot because they belive they’re healthy and don’t need it. But if you show them that they have cancer they will say “give me that cure I need it”.
Absolutely we must repent. Salvation is from Faith in God. I agree the lost need to know their need for Jesus through the law. I’m not sure how what I said contradicts what you are saying.
It’s not about the contradiction, but the absence of the full view. It all must be presented together.
Could you explain your comment a different way. I’m not understanding what you’re talking about.
AMEN, AMEN..
Thanks soo much!!