J. D. Gallé | Sunday, 2 August 2020
Repent; turn from your sins to God. Live no longer for yourself but for Christ, the one having died and been raised for your sake (2 Cor. 5.14–15). Believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead. Be immersed (i.e. baptised) in Jesus Christ and confess your allegiance to him as Lord, calling upon him for salvation (Acts 2.38; 22.16; Rom. 6.3–4; 10.9–13). You will be forgiven of all your lawless works (Rom. 4.7–8), declared righteous (Rom. 5.1), reconciled to God through the death of his Son (Rom. 5.10–11), and granted a new heart (Ezek. 36.26). You will be regenerated by the Father through the power of the Holy Spirit, adopted as a son or daughter into the family of the living God (Jn 1.12–13; 3.3, 5; 1 Cor. 12.13; 1 Pet. 1.3). You will be transferred from the dominion of Satan and darkness into the marvellous light of God and the kingdom of his Son (Acts 26.18; Col. 1.13; 1 Pet. 2.9). Wrath and destruction in the age to come will not be your lot, but incorruptible life in the new heavens and new earth in unhindered fellowship with God, the Lamb, and his holy ones when Christ returns to judge the living and the dead (Rev. 20–22).
Never be ashamed of the Lord Jesus Christ or his gospel. Confess him before people. Be seeking the kingdom of God and his righteousness principally (Matt. 6.33). Deny not the Lord Jesus. Rather, disown yourself, take up your cross, and follow him for the rest of your days (Matt. 16.24), bearing his reproach (Heb. 13.13). As the world loves the darkness and hates the Light, Jesus Christ (Jn 3.19–20; 7.7), so the world, including false religious professors, will hate you if you are one of his (Jn 15.18–19; 1 Jn 3.13).
Keep seeking the Lord Jesus Christ with all diligence until you find him.
Copyright © J. D. Gallé, 2020. All rights reserved.
Latest revision(s): modified scriptural abbreviations (2 Nov. 2021).
