Does John's Gospel Teach Salvation Without Repentance?

by Max Aplin

If there is one thing that especially marks out evangelicalism, it is surely the belief that Christians don’t earn their right to be saved from hell. Instead we evangelicals believe that salvation is an undeserved gift from God that we accept by faith in Christ.

The Reformers in the 16th century strongly opposed the Roman Catholic view that Christians partly earn their salvation. And ever since, evangelicals have stressed that Christians are saved by faith and not by doing good deeds. Good deeds will always accompany saving faith

Evangelicals, however, are crystal clear too that if someone has saving faith, that faith will always be expressed by doing good deeds. It is the faith that saves, but where there is genuine faith, good deeds will always, so to speak, tag along.

This means that when someone first receives salvation by faith, they will always repent of their sins. And as they continue through life in a state of salvation by faith, their life will be characterised by performing good deeds.

That is not to say that any Christian is able to live even close to a morally perfect life. But it does mean that if someone who claims to be a Christian is not even trying to live in a way that pleases God, that person does not have saving faith. Instead, their faith is a kind of fake, dead faith that doesn’t save.

James refers to this dead sort of faith several times in chapter 2 of his letter. He says:

‘So too, faith by itself, if it has no deeds, is dead.’ (James 2:17)

‘You believe that God is one. Very impressive! Even the demons believe that – and shudder!’ (James 2:19)

‘Do you want evidence, you foolish person, that faith without deeds is useless?’ (James 2:20)

‘For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is also dead.’ (James 2:26)

According to James, then, saving faith will always be accompanied by good deeds. And a multitude of other biblical passages say the same. This is what the Bible teaches, and it is what evangelicals believe.
Free Grace Theology

Around the beginning of the 20th century a heresy developed out of evangelicalism, which has come to be known as ‘Free Grace Theology’. Adherents of this movement rightly agree that people are saved by faith and not by doing good deeds. But they claim that as long as someone makes a decision to accept Christ as their personal Saviour, they will be saved regardless of whether they repent of their sins and make Jesus Lord of their life.

It is true that those in this movement don’t say that morality is unimportant. They say that people should make Jesus Lord of their lives. But they claim that this is not necessary for salvation. All that is necessary is to believe that Jesus is the Saviour and choose to accept Him as such.

Those who take this view are making a terrible mistake. They have failed to recognise that if someone never repents of their sins, it is always a sign that their faith is a kind of fake faith that doesn’t save.

If the 16th century Reformers were around today, there is no doubt that they would all be completely horrified by Free Grace Theology. Their writings make this abundantly clear. And evangelicals today should be equally horrified.

We need to very clear too that Free Grace Theology stands not just outside evangelicalism, but outside anything that could be called orthodox, i.e., non-heretical, Christianity. The idea that people can be saved without turning away from their sins is heresy, pure and simple.
The Free Grace argument that uses John’s Gospel

One of the arguments that is commonly used by those in the Free Grace movement concerns John’s Gospel. The argument goes in this way:

John’s Gospel teaches repeatedly about the need to believe in Jesus for salvation. However, it never uses words meaning ‘repent’ or ‘repentance’. This omission can hardly be accidental. Therefore we can infer that according to this Gospel, turning away from sin is not necessary for someone to receive salvation.

It is true that John’s Gospel never uses words meaning ‘repent’ or ‘repentance’. Nevertheless, this argument is naively simplistic and fundamentally flawed, as I will show in what follows. The word – concept fallacy


To begin with, those who argue in this way have fallen into what we could call ‘the word – concept fallacy’. The error here is to think that if a certain word which is commonly used to refer to a concept is not present, then that concept itself cannot be present.

However, this is a big mistake. For example, suppose I come into a house and say to someone there, ‘I’ve been outside for one minute and I’m soaked! If you go out, make sure you take an umbrella.’

Here I have not been explicit that it is raining, since I have not used the words ‘rain’ or ‘raining’. But I have clearly implied that it is raining nevertheless.

Similarly, there are times when a biblical author clearly implies a concept without using a word or phrase that refers to it explicitly.

For example, it is interesting to note that John’s Gospel itself never uses the Greek word pistis, the standard New Testament noun meaning ‘faith’. Nor does it use any other Greek noun with this sense.

If you look up pistis in a Greek concordance of the NT, you will find that this word is used over 240 times in the NT as a whole but never in John’s Gospel. And if you look up ‘faith’ in an English concordance, you will find hundreds of NT entries but none in John’s Gospel. Instead, when John wants to express the concept of having faith, he always makes use of the verb pisteuo, which can be translated into English as ‘believe’. The concept of having faith is very much present in John’s Gospel, even though the word ‘faith’ is never used.

As another example, take the Greek word charis, which is the standard NT word for ‘grace’. It is interesting that in the Gospels we never find Jesus using this word with the meaning ‘grace’. Nor do we find Him using any other Greek word with this meaning.

If you look up ‘grace’ in an English concordance of the NT, you will not find Jesus using this term. But that, of course, in no way means that Jesus’ message was not a message of grace. Rather, in the Gospels the grace in Jesus’ message is strongly implied rather than made explicit.

The first grave error, then, of those who say that John’s Gospel doesn’t teach the necessity of repentance, is that they have been caught out by the word – concept fallacy. Just because words meaning ‘repent’ and ‘repentance’ are not found in this Gospel in no way has to mean that these concepts are not present.
Taking 1 John into account

Free Grace teachers who use the argument based on John’s Gospel have also failed to take the letter of 1 John into account.

No one disputes that the theology and thought-world of John’s Gospel and 1 John are very similar. Yet, crucially, 1 John is a part of Scripture that is especially strong in its teaching that those who unrepentantly practise sin will not finally be saved.

1 John 3:8 states:

‘The person who practises sin is of the devil.’

1 John 3:14-15 says:

‘14 Anyone who does not love remains in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer. And you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.’

In 1 John 3:9 we are even told:

‘No one who has been born of God practises sin, . . . and he cannot sin . . .’

And 1 John 5:18 says:

‘No one who has been born of God sins . . .’

In saying that those born of God cannot sin, and that no one born of God sins, 3:9 and 5:18 are surely using hyperbole, i.e., deliberately exaggerated language. In light of the rest of Scripture, we cannot say that born-again Christians are actually unable to sin or that they do not sin. Nevertheless, these verses, along with others in 1 John, teach us plainly that those who live unrepentantly sinful lives are not God’s children. And only God’s children will avoid hell in the end.
Passages in John’s Gospel itself

Most importantly, we find that on a number of occasions John’s Gospel itself strongly implies that those who come in faith to Jesus for salvation will only be saved if they repent of their sins.

We should carefully note the following texts:
John 3:19-21

In this passage Jesus says:

‘19 This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who performs bad deeds hates the light and does not come to the light, so that his deeds will not be exposed. 21 But the person who practises the truth comes to the light, so that his deeds might be shown as having been done in God.’

The first point to note here is that in v. 20 the Greek word phaula, which I have translated as ‘bad deeds’, is a plural. The reference therefore cannot be to the single bad deed of failing to believe in Jesus. If that had been intended, a singular word would have been needed. Rather, phaula refers generally to the bad deeds that a person performs.

So Jesus is teaching that everyone who performs bad deeds in general hates the light and does not come to the light. But if someone hates the light and does not come to the light, it is surely not possible that such a person could have saving faith. How could they have faith in Jesus, when they refuse to come to the light? Therefore, according to this passage, everyone who performs bad deeds in general does not receive salvation.

It is true that this passage, in line with much else in John’s Gospel and 1 John, uses a simplifying dualism when it contrasts those who perform bad deeds with those who practise the truth. It would be a serious misinterpretation to understand Jesus to be saying that those who practise the truth live perfect lives and do not perform any bad deeds.

Nevertheless, it is not possible to reconcile this passage with the idea that those who don’t repent of their sins can receive salvation. Jesus clearly implies that those who unrepentantly perform bad deeds hate the light and do not come to the light in saving faith.

John 5:28-29

In these verses Jesus states:

‘28 . . . an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice 29 and will come out, those who did good deeds to a resurrection of life, and those who committed bad deeds to a resurrection of judgment.’

Again, the first point to make here is that in v. 29 the Greek words agatha and phaula, which I have translated as ‘good deeds’ and ‘bad deeds’ respectively, are both plurals. So it is not possible to understand the doing good to be simply about having faith in Jesus and the doing bad to be simply about failing to have faith in Him. If that meaning had been intended, singular words would have been used. Therefore agatha must refer generally to the good deeds people do. And phaula must refer generally to the bad deeds they do.

Jesus is therefore saying that those who do good deeds generally will experience a ‘resurrection of life’. And He is saying that those who do bad deeds generally will experience a ‘resurrection of judgment’.

Importantly, ‘resurrection of life’ can only be referring to the eternal life that those who reach heaven will experience. Similarly, ‘resurrection of judgment’ can only be referring to the punishment that those who end up in hell will experience.

This passage therefore describes people who get to heaven as those who have done good deeds. And it describes people who arrive in hell as those who have done bad deeds.

The passage, then, clearly teaches that those who live unrepentantly sinful lives are on track for hell. And this must mean that anyone who has not repented of their sins does not have saving faith.
John 8:42

In this verse Jesus says to His Jewish audience:

‘If God were your Father, you would love Me.’

The first point to note here is that to be saved, people surely need to have God as their Father. There is no warrant at all for thinking that there are two kinds of Christian, one of which involves having God as Father, and one of which doesn’t.

Second, although Jesus is speaking only to Jews in this verse, He implies that if anyone is to have God as their Father, that person will love Jesus.

Third, loving Jesus surely involves more than just believing in Him. This is confirmed by what Jesus tells us in John 14:15:

‘If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.’

According to John’s Gospel, then, those who love Jesus also obey Him.

So the argument here can be summed up in this way:

Every Christian, i.e., every person on track for heaven, has God as their Father. Everyone who has God as their Father loves Jesus. And everyone who loves Jesus keeps His commandments. John 8:42 teaches, then, that those who live unrepentantly sinful lives are on the road to hell.

John 10:27-28

In this passage Jesus states:

‘27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. And no one will snatch them out of My hand.’

First, we must note that the text is explicit that Jesus’ sheep represent those to whom He gives eternal life. These people are on the road to heaven.

Second, to suppose that there is another group of Christians on the road to heaven who believe in Jesus without becoming His sheep is completely implausible. Nothing in John’s Gospel leads us to believe in the existence of such a group.

Third, Jesus’ sheep are said to follow Him. This must mean following Jesus in obedience.

This passage strongly implies, then, that those who live unrepentantly sinful lives are not on track for heaven. John 12:25

Here Jesus says:

‘Anyone who loves his life loses it, but anyone who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.’

In this verse, keeping one’s life for eternal life must involve either reaching heaven or being on track for heaven. Therefore, since losing one’s life is set in contrast to this, those who lose their lives in this text must be those who arrive in hell or are on track for hell.

Jesus is teaching, then, that those who love their lives will end up in hell, but those who hate their lives will end up in heaven.

Importantly, hating one’s life cannot possibly just mean believing in Jesus. The words must imply the hardship that is involved in Christian discipleship with its renouncing oneself, resisting temptation, etc.

This text is therefore another which plainly implies that only those who repent of their sins receive salvation.

Summing up

The above five passages show clearly that John’s Gospel teaches that those who do not repent of their sins will not be saved from hell. There are other passages which also point in the same direction. But I have listed the ones where this is taught most obviously.

The idea that people can have saving faith in Jesus without repenting of their sins therefore sharply contradicts John’s Gospel.

It is true that this Gospel stresses the theme of repentance less than other parts of the NT do. But we often find that portions of Scripture emphasise some things while teaching more lightly on other things. The various books of the Bible are in no way uniform, although they complement each other beautifully. John’s relative lack of stress on repentance is made up for in other books. And, in any case, as we have seen, there are several passages in John where it is made clear that those who are saved will always turn away from their sins.

Motivation for Free Grace teaching

I think one reason why some of the Free Grace teachers say that people can be saved without repenting of their sins is because they can’t understand how two biblical truths fit together. The Bible teaches that people are saved by faith and not by doing good deeds. And it also teaches that those who are saved repent of their sins and do good deeds. Some Free Grace teachers apparently find these truths contradictory, so they deny the latter.

What they do is similar to what others have done when they have been unable to understand how two biblical truths fit together. For example, the Bible teaches that Jesus is fully God and fully human, yet one person. However, throughout the last 2000 years, many, not understanding how this can be so, have denied either His deity or humanity. They have exalted their own ability to understand above biblical revelation.

If the Bible teaches two themes, however, we should always accept both of them. And we should do so regardless of whether we can figure out how they fit together.

A warning to Free Grace teachers

Let me finish with a warning to teachers of the Free Grace movement. In Luke 17:1-2, the Lord Jesus warns:

‘1 . . . It is inevitable that causes of stumbling will come, but woe to the one through whom they come. 2 It would be better for that person if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he would cause one of these little ones to stumble.’

I would suggest that the Free Grace teachers are doing something very similar to what Jesus condemns in this passage. They are telling people who don’t know much about the Christian faith that they will arrive in heaven as long as they make a decision to accept Jesus as their Saviour, regardless of whether they turn away from their sins.

This is false teaching that has always been condemned by the church down through the centuries. Anyone who does not repent of their sins does not have saving faith, as the NT makes abundantly clear in a multitude of places. James 2:19, which I quoted above, even implies that faith divorced from good deeds will benefit a person no more than it will benefit demons on the Day of Judgment. Those who teach the terrible doctrine of Free Grace Theology are therefore helping to send people down the road to hell.

These teachers urgently need to repent of what they are doing. If they don’t, I expect that many of them will pay the ultimate price when they meet almighty God on that Day.

I have been a Christian for over 30 years. I have a Ph.D. in New Testament from the University of Edinburgh. I am a UK national and I currently live in the south of Scotland. Check out my blog, The Orthotometist, at maxaplin.blogspot.com

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS

The Seal Of Love

Ephesians Ch 1 13-14

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

I remember when my former pastor preached about the seal of salvation. He said you are sealed with the holy spirit, which is the guarantee of your salvation and your inheritance. The Holy Spirit only comes into those who truly believe with all their heart, and He lives inside those whose faith is sincere. So, then, the evidence of the Holy Spirit in a person's heart should be enough for everyone to believe they are saved. Is this evidence to prove that you or that I am a true believer?

First of all, if you are reading this, I am going to assume that you are a believer, and you have heard sermons or read commentaries about what it means to be saved. Everyone has their own opinion on how to tell the believers from the fakers; if you confess with your mouth that you believe in Jesus Christ, does that automatically make you a christian?

The Word says:

Romans ch 10:9

that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Your confession is important, but you must also believe the words that you are speaking from your mouth; belief is essential. There are many people who make confessions of believing in Jesus Christ, but these confessions never come from their heart; they believe with their mind, but not with their heart. That is why they seem to have a form of godliness, but with no manisfestation of the power of God in their lives. They seem to talk the talk and walk the walk when it is necessary to appear to be godly, but when you find them in situations where the power of God is needed to bring a resolution that could only come from the Lord, you will find that they are not equipped for the battle; it is very likely they will be defeated.

The Lord is about to bring about the last great revival, and it is almost harvest time; in fact some people declare that the harvest has begun. This is important, because now we will be able to see who are the true believers and who are the fakers. The true believers will follow His Word, will be able to hear His voice in their hearts, who will follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit, and they will not give up their faith, no matter how tough the issues and the promblems of life become. This is never easy, but with the power of His Word in our hearts, and the power of the Holy Spirit to guide and protect us, we will persevere.

The Seal of Love is the Holy Spirit, the comforter, the teacher, the Father manifested in our hearts. He will never leave you or forsake you. The only time that you see the Holy Spirit move out of a person's heart, is when that person serves Him an eviction notice! Yes, a believer can grieve the Holy Spirit to the point when in sorrow and grief, He decides to leave, because His son or daughter no longer wants Him around. They decide that they want to do things their own way, live by their own standards and not God's standards. They selfishly declare that they don't need God in their lives anymore, or they will pretend that God doesn't exist at all; this is not backsliding this is total denial of the truth and brings about the persecution of our Lord Jesus Christ; it makes His sacrifice on the cross seem to be of no value.

So, what if you have believed in Jesus Christ and confessed Him as your Lord and Savior, yet you haven't been living a godly life, one that lived for His will and for His glory? Well, that depends. Do you feel convicted in your heart? Are you concerned that you may be one of the fakers because you never felt the power of Holy Spirit in your life, and never heard Him speaking to you in your heart? You might be a faker, I can't really say. No one can, only the Lord knows for certain who His children are, and some some of His children have been living 'good' lives, going to church, doing all the right rituals so that everyone else believes that they are righteous, yet if we could see what they were thinking while the pastor was preaching, or if we could see into their hearts, we would find some dark and shocking things, the most shocking being unbelief. But this isnt the end of the story.

We all have issues that only the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word can cleanse. The real issue is whether a believer is willing to confess that they have issues and allow The Holy Spirit to deal with them. If you know for a fact that you believe in Jesus Christ and that you confessed Him from your heart, yet you still don't have a real relationship with Him, consider the cost of not pursuing Him right now. There will be countless people on judgement day that will come before Jesus and sware up and down that they knew Him. They will state their own case: "I went to church every sunday, gave you my tithes, feed the poor, prayed for the sick and they got well, I was an upstanding citizen in my community; of course I knew about you Jesus, I did everything the pastor said I should do, I helped a lot of people, those people probably would not be standing over there with you if it wasn't for me...ask them, they are my witnesses......where is my advocate who will speak for me?.........."

You see, His own words will convict him, he KNEW ABOUT Jesus, but He did not KNOW Jesus, and He never surrendered his life to God. The pretenders think they know who Jesus is and what he wants, they make a case for themselves everyday when they pretend to believe in Him when in fact they believe that their good works and good intentions will get them to heaven; this is the oldest deception straight from satan's heart. You cannot do anything 'good' for the Lord unless you know Him and believe in His Word, and you cannnot be saved from your sins if you do not repent, confess Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and decide to live for Him instead of living for yourself.

The seal is the key; you may not be listening to the Holy Spirit when He tries to guide you, you may think that the small still voice you hear sometimes when He is trying to help you is just your imagination. You must open your heart to His presence in your life, and seek His guidance and understanding, The Holy Spirit is a gentlman, He will not force you to obey Him, but you will be very happy if you do. Please dont shut Him out, as long as you are willing to let Him live in your heart, you are sealed with God's approval, declared righteous in His eyes, and you will forever be His child.

If you have never confessed Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I urge you to say a prayer for repentance and confess Him now as your Lord and Savior. If you have confessed Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior but you know that you don't have a real relationship with Him and you have been pretending to believe in Him, repent now, and confess Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior right now, and this time you must truly believe with all your heart and soul, and then welcome the Holy Spirit into your heart and wait for His warm answer of love and appreciation - you will never be the same again!

Prayer of Salvation

Lord,

I repent for trying to be master of my own life. I change my mind about who I want to be in charge of my life. I turn from my useless and unproductive thoughts that I am the center of my universe and choose to believe in the living God who created everything, including me (Acts 14:15). I have lived without a purpose but now I will live to hear and obey You, God (Jn. 5:19, 20,30).

I confess with my lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead. I believe that God so loved the world He sent His only Son Jesus to shed His blood to wash away the barrier of sin (Jn. 3:16)

I receive You, Jesus as MY Lord and Savior (Jn. 1:11,12).

I welcome You, Holy Spirit, into my life to rescue and empower me and to restore me to intimacy with my heavenly Father (Acts 2:38).

If you just confessed this prayer, you are saved! I welcome you into the family my (brother/sister) I pray for peace, joy, and happiness in your life as you allow the Lord to love you and bless you and give you assurance of everlasting life with Him forever and ever......PRAISE GOD!

May the Lord keep you and Bless you this day....AMEN

Unshakeable Faith

By Charles Stanley
Intouch Ministries

Daniel 1:1-20

Daniel had unshakeable faith. His trust in the Lord sustained him when he was uprooted from his home, taken into captivity, and sent to a foreign country. It strengthened him as he served under several kings and faced many challenges.

Knowing God and trusting Him are the two key elements of deep faith. Daniel, who was part of the Israelite nobility, apparently learned about the Lord from a young age. While he was in captivity, his words and actions demonstrated that he knew the Scriptures and wanted to obey God. When offered a meal that was incompatible with the dietary laws, he took a great risk by requesting other food. In verse 9 of today’s passage, we see that God caused the official to show favor to him. Like Daniel, we are to spend our lives learning and carrying out what pleases our heavenly Father (Col. 1:10).

Not only did this young man know what the Scriptures said, but he also trusted the Lord to do as He had promised. Every time Daniel took a stand for godliness, he was demonstrating his confidence in the heavenly Father. And his friends—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—had unwavering faith as well. They did not know for sure that the Lord would rescue them from the fiery furnace, but they believed He could and trusted that He’d do what was right (Dan. 3:16-18).

Barriers to unshakeable faith include pride (I won’t admit I need God’s help), arrogance (I know a better way—I don’t have to ask God), and self-sufficiency (I can do it myself without His help). Which of these is keeping you from becoming a person of strong faith? Confess it and turn toward the Lord.

Intouch Ministries Devotions

How To Avoid An Empty Life

By Charles Stanley
Intouch Ministries

Psalm 16:11

In public, most people appear happy and confident. But beneath the surface, many feel empty. In fact, it is possible to be in a large crowd and yet still feel alone.

A lot of men and women see no meaning or purpose in life. Attempting to overcome the emptiness, some become busy, others turn to drugs or alcohol, and still others strive for more money, power, or love. Though pleasure exists for them, it is usually short-lived.

There’s a reason why life can feel empty: Man was created with a yearning that God alone is able to satisfy. Individuals cannot be fulfilled until they experience His transforming and unconditional love. Jesus said, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). In other words, the Lord wants us to feel complete, which can happen only through a relationship with Him.

However, even a person who is saved can feel empty. This could result from disobedience: A slight detour in one’s walk with the Lord can become a way of life, depriving a believer of deep satisfaction. It’s also possible for Christians to live according to God’s Word without fully surrendering their desires to Him. For example, many believers still try to fill up their own void with achievements, wealth, or relationships. When aspirations like these are given higher priority than the Lord, they are a form of idolatry.

We can live a full life only when we seek God above all else. Pray for His guidance as you search your heart. Confess any sin, and ask God to fill your life as only He can do.

Intouch Ministries Devotions

Barriers To True Freedom

I Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me Philippians 4:13

When you live for God, you find that the mundane tasks of life are easier to bear. It gives you a better perspective, and His love reaches down deep into your soul, where you find rest in Him. You feel happy, maybe for the first time in your life. That is the power of God's love, transforming His little ones with peace and joy. You will never find anything or anyone in this world that will compare to this gift of love and grace. But, in order to enter into this peace and happiness, you must first overcome the barriers in your heart that will oppose it.

You may find that you have obstacles in your mind and heart that are preventing you from feeling God's love for you. After all, everyday, we all try to navigate this messy existence called life; we get up everday, we go to do our daily tasks, we work, raise our children, cook dinner for our family, try to get home at a decent time, get stuck in traffic, or try to find a seat in a crowded bus or train, and everyone else is doing the same thing. We find that life is very busy, we start to get into a routine, a rut, and we forget why any of this stuff was important in the first place.

That is when you need to change your perspective, and do something different. You need to spend time with the Lord and bask in His love. He has been waiting for you all day, to seek His face and His loving kindness. Your boss might have embarrassed you in front of your coworkers, or your spouse may have forgotten to call you to tell you he wasnt coming home for dinner after you made him his favorite meal, or your children just got on your last nerve, and you've got so many bills that you are afraid to go and get the mail...life can be very messy. But take heart, brothers and sisters in Christ, there is a solution to all of your troubles, Jesus Christ.

You need to come to Him, when live becomes a burden, and you don't know why you get up in the morning and get up out of your bed. You may be so focused on doing everything for yourself and your family, that you forget who gave you life, who gave you that family, who has been giving you the strength to endure another day of work at the office. You see, when you take time to pray and worship in His presence everyday, a miracle happens; things don't seem as bad as they look. You feel His presence in your heart, and the fears and the pains go away. Suddenly, the solution for that project you've been working for at your job manifests itself in your mind. Your heart begins to settle, and now you can go back into your life, and deal with your family with patience and kindness, because now, you can love them with the power of God's love in your heart.

We don't always know that we are the obstacles to true freedom, that is the freedom and the power expressed in the heart and mind of Jesus Christ. We are so busy trying to live up to impossible standards, and we learn from a early age to 'fake it until you make it'. The Lord doesn't require us to be perfect; He requires that we be willing to surrender our hearts and minds to Him, so that He can heal our hearts and bodies, and change our worldliness and pride to love and humility. We cannot do it ourselves, no matter how much we desire to change; we need to take our burdens to the Lord and leave them there.

If you would like to live in the freedom of Jesus Christ, repeat this prayer:

Prayer of Salvation

Lord,

I repent for trying to be master of my own life. I change my mind about who I want to be in charge of my life. I turn from my useless and unproductive thoughts that I am the center of my universe and choose to believe in the living God who created everything, including me (Acts 14:15). I have lived without a purpose but now I will live to hear and obey You, God (Jn. 5:19, 20,30).

I confess with my lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead. I believe that God so loved the world He sent His only Son Jesus to shed His blood to wash away the barrier of sin (Jn. 3:16)

I receive You, Jesus as MY Lord and Savior (Jn. 1:11,12).

I welcome You, Holy Spirit, into my life to rescue and empower me and to restore me to intimacy with my heavenly Father (Acts 2:38).

If you just confessed this prayer, you are saved! I welcome you into the family my (brother/sister) I pray for peace, joy, and happiness in your life as you allow the Lord to love you and bless you and give you assurance of everlasting life with Him forever and ever......PRAISE GOD!

May the Lord keep you and Bless you this day....AMEN

Showing Agape Love

by Charles Stanley
Intouch Ministries

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Divine love empowers us to respond calmly to difficulties, demonstrate patience in seasons of waiting, and sacrifice without complaint. We offer God’s love when we can:

Forgive others. The son wasted his money in riotous living and discovered both the empty promises and destructive quality of sin. Upon the boy’s return, his father forgave him completely. Love made it possible to wipe away the past (Ps. 103:12).

Act generously. The son, having just fed pigs, arrived at his father’s estate with few expectations. The forgiving dad greeted him most warmly and dressed him in the finest garments. Godly love, which keeps no record of wrongs, enabled the father to show generosity.

Serve joyfully. What a celebration the father had upon the prodigal’s return! His joy in his lost son’s homecoming overflowed to others. Love expresses itself in willing service.

Restore those who fall. The one who both abandoned his father and squandered his inheritance was again given full rights as a son.

When we mess up, our heavenly Father patiently waits for us to turn back to Him. He accepts our repentance, rejoices in our return, and restores intimacy with Him. The elder brother in this parable missed the point because of his self-righteous attitude (1 John 1:8). He didn’t recognize his mistakes or the many times his father had shown him love and forgiveness.

God calls us to a lifestyle of agape love. To whom could you extend the divine love that forgives, restores, and serves with generosity and joy?

Intouch Ministries Devotions

The Power Of Love

by Charles Stanley
Intouch Ministries

Luke 15:11-32

In Jesus’ day, three Greek words were used to express “love”—eros (physical intimacy), philia (friendship), and agape (fruit produced by the Holy Spirit, as listed in Galatians 5:22-23). Our heavenly Father cares for us with agape love, and to bring us into a right relationship with Him, He sacrificed His Son (1 John 4:10).

The parable of the prodigal son gives us a good example of this type of love. Agape is evident in our life when we:

Respond calmly to difficulties. To the son’s untimely demand for his share of the inheritance, the father didn’t reply with angry words about ungrateful children. Though the prodigal’s attitude must have caused pain, the man held his tongue and did not retaliate. In calmness, he could think more clearly and chose to love (1 Corinthians 13:4-5).

Sacrifice without complaint. Though he knew his son was committed to a ruinous course, the father quietly fulfilled the request. In doing so, he chose the way of love, directing his efforts towards preserving their relationship.

Wait patiently. Out of deep affection, the father let his son leave and stay away. What heartache the man must have felt! Yet he remained hopeful and waited for the young man to recognize that sin cannot deliver what it has promised. This patient response is possible only through the power of agape love (1 Corinthians 13:4).

The Holy Spirit’s work in our life empowers us to show selfless and sacrificial devotion to the development of another person. In that way, we become people who respond calmly, patiently, and without complaint. Which kind of emotion do you offer to others—human or divine?

Intouch Ministries Devotions

Down But Not Out

There are times when believing in God and living for God is hazardous to your health. There is the real threat of rejection, and the possibility of being mistreated. In some areas of the world, it can be a death sentence. If you are truly living for the Lord, you may find obstacles that appear suddenly in your life as the enemy, the devil, tries to destroy you and your testimony; if he can destroy your testimony, then he can do serious damage to God's plans for your life and your ability to usher people out of the darkness and into the light. That is why we must stay close to God, to receive His loving care and protection; His love and power are the only answers to your problems when living this life gets you down. You may be down right now, but you are definitely not out!

There is a famous song, sung by Donnie Mcclurkin, called We Fall Down....."we fall down but we get up, we fall down but we get up, for a saint is just a sinner who fell down and got up".........



If you are feeling low right now, it's okay. Everybody has those days, and it doesn't mean that you are a failure or that God has forsaken you. You are His child that He has redeemed from before the foundation of the earth, and He knows how you feel, and how much you can take before you give up. If you feel like giving up right now. know that Jesus Christ is there, right now, in the room with you, and He is waiting for you to come to Him, so that He can strengthen you and give you the courage to get through this situation you find yourself in right now. Don't be afraid to come to Him, He will not condemn you, but He cannot help you if you are unwilling to come to Him.

"No weapon formed against us shall prosper", Isaiah 54:17, if you are a child of God, then you have already won the battle. Give the problem over to Him, and He will fight the battle for you. Lean back and rest in His arms, and then watch and see what the Lord will do for you. He will give you peace and joy while He walks you through to the end, and at the 'end of the tunnel' when everything has beenresolved, don't forget to praise His name and shout for joy!

Thank you Lord, for your grace and mercy, for you will never allow your little ones to fall down and out, but you will pick them up, and brush off their clothes, and give them the power to endure and wait for the victory - hallelujah!

The Miracles Of Love

I heard about a miracle, a man who passed out late last year. He was having a heart attack, and he was rushed to the hospital. The doctors were not able to help him, but he had the prayers and the love of his family and friends, and he survived. The doctors called it a miracle, because they did not know what to do for him, and they know he could have died, but the Lord had a better plan. Isn't it wonderful to know that when no one else can help, the Lord can make a way out of no way? He is always there for you.

Now this person didn't remember what had happened to him. He woke up in the hospital and had to be told what happened to him, so he was not aware to pray for himself. It was the prayers of the people around him that made the difference. No one knows what will happen to them from one moment to the next, and it is sobering to know that we are here, alive and well by the grace of God.

Do you know that the only reason we exist at all is because of God's Love? He wanted to expand His family, and He created us so that He could fellowship with us, and be loved by us; Love always seeks out Love. It hurts Him everytime when the little ones that He loves won't receive His love and they choose to go their own way, but even then He still loves them. He gives them a choice to follow Him and live forever in peace and joy, or to choose the other path, which leads to death and destruction. The choice is a gift from God, and it is not to be dismissed as some type of fairytale.

He would love to save everyone, but He will not compromise His integrity, or revoke His eternal gift of free will; He always keeps His promises. When living in the presence of a Holy God, He expects His people to be Holy and to desire the same things that He desires in His heart, to live for peace, joy, harmony, and selfless love. So, the choice is either, love or hate, peace or chaos, humility or pride, life or death; there is no middle ground. This world may seem to be a middle ground, but that will soon be resolved, as the Lord calls for His people from every corner of the earth, and satan and his devils are defeated, and a new age of peace and prosperity will begin with the coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

My life, your life, is a miracle of love, for we would not exist without Him. He wanted us, He chose to create this world, He breathed the Spirit of Life into adam, He decided that He would come and be born a humble human being, Our Lord Jesus, and die for us on a cross to atone for our sins, and He is still giving generously to His children everyday, for that is what a loving Father does for His children.

Give thanks to God for your life, for your life is a miracle wrought by Love. If you are a disciple of Jesus Christ, then you are never far from His love, grace, and mercy, Live for Him, as He chose to die for you. If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I urge you to seek Him out with all of your heart, and chose to love Him as He Loves you!

Our Treasure

by Charles Stanley
Intouch Ministries

Matthew 6:19-21

The way we regard our treasure is a personal disclosure of who we are. The issue is: Where is our heart?

No matter how we acquire our belongings—by working, investing, saving, or receiving gifts—the correct perspective about money and property is that the Lord owns it all. We are simply the managers. If we harbor wrong attitudes like insisting, “My treasure is mine,” we may actually find that what we own is much less satisfying than we expected it would be.

Here’s a better perspective on possessions and financial increase: See these things as a means of meeting the needs of others and a way to serve God and further His kingdom (Eph. 4:28; Mal. 3:10). When we give to the needy or to kingdom work, we are immediately transferring our treasure from earth to heaven.

The Lord’s tangible blessings can also be properly used to help us reach God-given goals that are set through prayer. For example, if the Lord has blessed you financially and has made it clear that He wants you to use your musical talent to serve Him, then it could be suitable to purchase a helpful instrument or accessory. When we are walking in God’s will and bringing our requests to Him, even the longings of our heart become good ways to spend our treasure, because our preferences are aligned with God’s desires for us.

Always consider the eternal value of your pursuits. The bottom line is that you should trust God with every ounce of your time, talent, and treasure.

Intouch Ministries Devotions