Step by step on my journey to Easter:
Clearing the path where
the Holy Spirit's meaning seemed hidden
A voice is crying in a wilderness: "Prepare ye the way of Jehovah. Make straight, in a desert, a highway for our God."
Every valley is raised up, and every mountain and hill become low, and the crooked place hath become a plain,
and the entangled places a valley.
And revealed hath been the honor of Jehovah; and seen [it] have all flesh together, for the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken.
Isaiah 40:3-5, Young's Literal Translation, edited
During the past few weeks, as I've been able, I've shared a few of the scriptures that seemed, to me, like rough places in the New Testament: rough places that God intended us to make plain, to smooth out so that we can take a next step and a next.
The smoothing out, or the breaking down of each scripture or group of scriptures, reveals a spiritual promise for us as Christians.
The smoothing out, or the breaking down of each scripture or group of scriptures, reveals a spiritual promise for us as Christians.
For example, in Romans 3:21-26:
The language or translation of some of the Apostle Paul's preaching isn't always clear. But helping make the rough places plain, it's good to seek clarity in several passages that came through Paul.
In Romans 3:21-26, Heaven blesses Paul to say that, because we have seen Jesus live the law perfectly through love, we (who all have sinned) are able to be so uplifted in the Spirit that we become justified — or made right — not wanting any past sin. Having freely received release from or remission of sins through believing Jesus sacrificed Himself for those sins, we haven't needed an intervention under the law in order to be delivered from hell, but are blessed to have His grace.
So, the Holy Spirit promises we have have "remission of sins that are past" (Holman Christian Standard Bible) just through believing on Jesus.
Amen.
I'll post more scriptural "steps" I've found, in the comment fields below.
These are more of the promises, the step stones, I've found this Easter:
ReplyDeleteMatthew 23:39, 21:10-11, King James Version
Jesus has promised that (from the time the temple at Jerusalem was laid bare) faithful Hebrew masses will not recognize Him again until a great many people realize it's a blessing to receive the church that comes to people in Jesus's name.
Psalm 130, Matthew 1:21, Isaiah 48:17-20, Psalm 125:3-5, Isaiah 57:20-21, 59:7-8, Psalm 126:4-6, Isaiah 58:9-12, Psalm 128:5-6, 125:3, Revelation 3:20, Isaiah 58:12, King James Version
ReplyDeleteWhen Jesus abided and ate with people who had sinned, He knew they would repent. He didn't hang around if He knew they wouldn't repent.
His ministry, in walking in earth, was to those who were simply lost (Matthew 10:6) -- not to those continually determined to do evil (Psalm 125:5); to backslide (Psalm 129:3-4, Matthew 11:20-24); to steal, waste, and destroy even profitable ground (Isaiah 57:20, 59:7, 48:17).
His ministry, today, remains a promise to those whose offspring choose to live in His righteousness, to repent and become "repairers of the breach," to repair/sustain the bridge/the cross of Christ that carries our faith out of the force and iniquity of Old Testament times and into the light of Heaven in Earth -- a bridge of faith that carries even the lost who was a prostitute into life that bears eternal faith; a bridge that brings the wayward believer back to faith in Christ, back to true life, and back to the promise of Heaven.
Life in Jesus promises life eternal to the repentant.
1 Thessalonians 5:9, King James Version
ReplyDeleteThe Bible promises that, when we believe on Jesus, GOD has not appointed us to suffer wrath, although Satan often tries to contradict that. The day of Heaven's wrath hasn't happened in full yet; so the wrath that we suffer now is satanic: suffering that God has not CAUSED (Psalm 103:10, John 15:20).
Colossians 2:13-14
ReplyDeleteHeaven promises that mankind's sinful demands are voided (that sin debts are cancelled or covered) because of the life and eternity we have in Jesus.
2 Corinthians 5:20-21
ReplyDeleteJesus promises believers are made righteous through HIS sacrifice.
1 John 4:10
ReplyDeleteHeaven promises that lost souls don't have to love Jesus right away for Heaven to send the love of Jesus into their lives to remedy sin.
Titus 3:5-6, King James Version
ReplyDeleteHeaven promises souls are NOT saved from damnation through the good we want to do but through believing on Heaven for forgiveness/salvation/redemption, and through receiving renewal and guidance "in the Spirit": renewal and guidance that strengthens our faith or belief.
1 Peter 1:13-19
ReplyDeleteThrough the Bible, the Holy Spirit promises that Heaven knows whether our doings are innocent or evil, regardless of who we are; and that, when we live with a healthy, spiritual "fear" or awe or reverence for Christian life, and when we rely on faith in Jesus' own sacrifice instead of on the appearance of riches, we begin to feel more like Jesus. ... Trusting in a faultless Savior, we are able to live holy or right.
Romans 8:10-11
ReplyDeleteGod promises that, even though we all eventually die because of sin in this world (Romans 6:23), the church -- the body of Christ -- will always have fullness of life in Christ in our day to day, and we will always be able to look forward to spiritual resurrection through the promise of eternal life in Christ (2 Corinthians 4:11-14).
Romans 6:3-14
ReplyDeleteHeaven promises that, when we consider ourselves dead to lawless sinning, we're able to live in earth as it is in Heaven: no longer under law, but by grace -- able to live lawfully or Christlike without continually having to fight sin.
Isaiah 52:15, Matthew 28:18-19
ReplyDeleteJesus promises that souls from every nation will be baptized, cleansed of sins, spiritually redeemed.
Romans 8:35-39
ReplyDeleteNo matter what has happened in life, the Bible promises nothing can separate us from the love of Jesus.
Hebrews 10:26-29, King James Version
ReplyDeleteHeaven promises eternal life -- not damnation -- when we love the truth that Jesus (God with us) gave Himself for our sins so we would not want to sin against Him again, but would want to repent and have His grace.
Romans 5:12-21
ReplyDeleteHeaven promises that the gift of grace has not been given as if by a man who sinned.
That can be confusing if we're seeking Jesus in passages like Romans 5:16 of the King James translation, where someone inserted the word "so" into a scripture that really is saying, "Not as if by one who sinned is the gift of grace; for the judgment that condemns mankind was brought into being through the sin of one man who was not forgiven, but the free gift of grace to our many offences was brought unto us to make us right or repentant and forgiven."
It also can be a challenge to find Jesus is verses like Romans 5:20 of the King James and some other versions of the Bible. But with the Holy Spirit in heart, we grow to understand that 5:20 is saying, "The law has entered in wherever offences have abounded. But where sin has abounded, grace has abounded much more," like when wheat outgrows the tares that Jesus speaks of in a parable.
Then, we better understand Romans 5:13-14 to really mean, "For until the law came into being, sin was throughout the world, because sin is not held to an account where there is no law. So death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned like Adam ... ."
But thank Heaven there's both law and grace today: the law where there's lawlessness, and the grace that has comes to us through Jesus, who blesses us to want to live repentant, forgiven, justified or made right with Heaven, and who grants us eternal life.
John 3:16
ReplyDeleteThe Bible promises no damnation to whoever believes on the Son of God who was appointed to save us from our sins.
John 15:20, Romans 5:1-10, 2 Corinthians 5:4, 4:8-10, Romans 8:30-34, 1 Timothy 1:16, Romans 8:22, Romans 8:1-4, 5:10
ReplyDeleteHeaven promises that, although, together, Christians have suffered long, and though there is a time of suffering in the life of every Christian, we cannot be damned or condemned. No matter the circumstances of any Christian's life or death, Jesus is our intercessor, the only one who can rescue us, the only one who can reconcile us to Heaven, where persecution cannot reach, where we realize the victory that we've believed in is complete -- because we've walked after Jesus.
Romans 4:8, 4:13, 5:1-2, 5:5-11, 8:1, Galatians 2:16-21, 3:13-14
ReplyDeleteScriptures promise we don't become part of Heaven's family through a bloodline or through law or through trying to be made right with Heaven through works of the law; but we are justified (or reconciled or made right with Heaven) through having faith -- through believing Jesus has set us free of sins in our heart or understanding.
Luke 24:44
ReplyDeleteJesus promises that its things of HIM (not things of arranged "marriage" or other demands of man) that must and will be fulfilled from the time of Moses and the prophets.
Psalm 103:8-9, Romans 10:11, 1 Peter 4:15-17, 5:8, Ephesians 6:14-16, Romans 8:35-39
ReplyDeleteThe Bible promises that, when we believe on Jesus, even though we at some point suffer, we're forgiven of the past and shouldn't allow ourselves to be made to feel ashamed.
Romans 4:5, 5:6-8, 5:1-2, 10:8-11
ReplyDeleteThe Bible promises that the ungodly can be justified (or saved and made right with Heaven) through faith alone.
Matthew 5:17-18, Luke 1:68-73, Ephesians 2:13-16, John 15:10, Hebrews 8:10, Matthew 3:9, 2 Corinthians 3:3, Acts 5:29
ReplyDeleteThe Holy Spirit promises that, because Jesus died and went to Heaven for our sins, Heaven's law (God's 10 commands) are NO LONGER AN ENEMY to anyone who will repent and draw close to Jesus's church, as Jesus has taken away the yoke that attached Heaven's commands to men's Old Testament demands or ordinances, and has made the commands into a new covenant, written (through Christian love) on our hearts, instead of written in stone like for the old Hebrew man. Jesus promises He has made the way for us to enter into Heaven's plan for everlasting life, having lived the commands (imperfectly, by grace -- even if only for a few hours, like the former thief on the cross) in our hearts.
John 14:15-19, Matthew 28:18-20
ReplyDeleteJesus promises that He will never leave us comfortless as Christians.
Psalm 127:2, Philippians 4:6-7, Matthew 11:28-30
ReplyDeleteHeaven promises that Jesus's yoke (His word) is easy to follow, and that there's always rest in Him.
"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thessalonians 5:23
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite Bible verses is a promise that assures me life in Christ makes us more pure in the way we think, feel, believe, and live.
Heaven promises the church (the body of Christ) is able to live, to persevere, to be preserved "blameless" among the generation born after Christ, the generation Christ began speaking to during the end times that began with His birth. (This promise rests on too many scriptures to list!)
Matthew 15:8-9, 2 Timothy 4:3, Mark 8:36-38, 2 Timothy 2:12-13, John 10:7-10, Matthew 7:24-27, Matthew 13:52, 13:24-25, Proverbs 22:6, Matthew 13:57-58, 18:19-20, 23:37, 24:10-12, 24:24, 24:43-44, 25:13, 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13, 4:12, John 9:4-5, Revelation 3:20, King James Version: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+15%3A8-9%2C+2+Timothy+4%3A3%2C+Mark+8%3A36-38%2C+2+Timothy+2%3A12-13%2C+John+10%3A7-10%2C+Matthew+7%3A24-27%2C+Matthew+13%3A52%2C+13%3A24-25%2C+Proverbs+22%3A6%2C+Matthew+13%3A57-58%2C+18%3A19-20%2C+23%3A37%2C+24%3A10-12%2C+24%3A24%2C+24%3A43-44%2C+25%3A13%2C+1+Thessalonians+3%3A11-13%2C+4%3A12%2C+John+9%3A4-5%2C+Revelation+3%3A20&version=KJV
ReplyDeleteThe Bible promises that, in these end times, people will deny Jesus through not accepting sound doctrine but believing their own way, heaping up teachers who misuse scriptures: creating lying wonders; causing even children to walk astray; and, unlike our heavenly Savior, forcing us to give instead of allowing us time and space to grow in faith while quietly following Jesus in our hearts.
The Bible promises that Jesus -- who, in human form, worked quietly as a carpenter's son -- does not break and enter, does not force nor teach falsely; but He always defends faithfulness.
As Christians, we rest assured in the promise that the true love of Jesus is our rock and shield.
The Bible promises our spiritual fortification isn't simple as brick versus wood! http://www.ksla.com/resizer/roDGt3naLbF6HJcM1K87GlIs8kM=/1400x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-raycom.s3.amazonaws.com/public/AOBYHXH6OFAM7H5HXLLBEGDNXA.jpg
ReplyDeleteRomans 4:23-25
ReplyDeleteThe Bible says we are justified (made right) in believing Heaven's promise that we, in the Spirit, have eternal life -- just through believing we've received salvation through Jesus (as God promised Abraham).
Romans 3:21-4:16
ReplyDeleteHeaven promises that our unbelieving children and descendants have the same inheritance from Heaven as we have had, when they believe on Jesus.
1 Peter 1:18-25, Colossians 1:6-8, 1:25-27
ReplyDeleteThe New Testament promises we're redeemed in Christ, not through physical riches and changes in flesh, but through knowing the love of Jesus and being born again in Spirit.
Matthew 12:47-49, 2 Corinthians 5:16-17, Romans 12:1-2, Ephesians 2:8-9, 2:10, Galatians 3:27
ReplyDeleteGod promises our new life in Him -- our rescue from being lost in sin, our reconciliation to faith in Him, our growth in faith, and our transition to Heaven are all the result of a spiritual change in our understanding, not the result of knowing one another according to the flesh.
Knowing one another according to the flesh doesn't have to be a bad thing; but knowing one another as brothers and sisters in the spiritual sense is more important.
God promises us SPIRITUAL change in understanding or heart when we accept the Savior we have in Jesus.
In fact, one really amazing fact of the matter is that Mary, the mother of Jesus, probably didn't get saved -- didn't begin believing on Him as Savior -- until the time of His crucifixion, when Jesus changed from saying the disciples were his "mother" and "brothers" to say, to the disciples, "Here is your mother."
It's a strong possibility that Mary had a spiritual change in understanding at the time of Jesus' death, at the time of His suffering and re-birth into Heaven (1 Timothy 2:15).
Romans 3:23-26, 4:6-8
ReplyDeleteThe Bible promises that everyone who has sinned and fallen short of Jesus's glory but who believes on Him in Heaven (instead of trying to be made right with Jesus through works of law) will have the joy of salvation at some point, knowing that iniquities (old sins) are forgiven and that healed or repented-of sins are covered by Jesus's own sacrifice, so that believers are never condemned to hell -- although we do sometimes suffer.
Jude 1:6-7, 2 Timothy 3:10-12, Romans 6:23
ReplyDeleteThe Bible promises there is a difference between condemnation to hell and being persecuted as a Christian.
Matthew 15:9, Luke 24:44
ReplyDeleteJesus promises that it's things of HIM (not things of arranged "marriage" or other demands of man) that must and will be fulfilled from the time of Moses and the prophets!
Ephesians 2:1-10
ReplyDeleteThe Bible promises we can't earn our way into Heaven's grace, even though we have good to do. And Heaven promises we can't prepare our own way to salvation, because Heaven already has! We just have to have faith.
Romans 3:27-28 through Romans 4:5
ReplyDeleteHeaven promises that faith alone -- not works -- justifies or makes right every believer who has been ungodly in the past.
What Bible promises has the Holy Spirit helped you to understand? These are 35 promises I'm thankful to have found and to have stood on. ... Another five promises can lead right into Easter morning!
ReplyDeleteThese are five conditional promises I've found:
ReplyDeleteRomans 10:9: "If you confess Jesus with your mouth, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."
1 John 1:9: If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
John 15:7: If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you will ask what you will, and it will be done for you.
1 John 3:9, quoting a commentary from the blog Souljournaler: "If ... we have been born" in Christ, we "cannot habitually sin without feeling horrible" and repenting. So, scripture promises that we, as Christians, ultimately do not want to sin.
Philippians 4:13; 1 Peter 4:12-13; James 5:15-16; Romans 12:9-14; John 21:17-19; 2 Corinthians 11:3-15; Matthew 7:20, 7:23; Philippians 4:4-7, 3:20; Romans 14:3, 12:17; 2 Timothy 4:2; Romans 12:19-21, 14:23: Jesus promises that, no matter how things my seem, He gives all victory to faith in Him, and gives the ability to do all things within His will, IF we trust in Heaven steadfastly.
Some Bible promises are difficult for some to believe. But I'm God's witness that His promises are true. One of the first of His promises that came true for me was that, when we get free of sins, in Jesus, we're free in indeed. Although I live each day as if in a kind of bondage, I know that Jesus has set me free of sins, including those from seasons when I was young and lost. When a Christian gets saved, it's joy unspeakable, knowing the lost or sinful past is gone. Hell will try to insist otherwise, and will even persecute us as Christians. But we are free indeed from this world's sinful ways of living. When you know you're spiritually free of the hell that attacks you, you're already free indeed. So, when any of our young people has a day when they suddenly know sin is overwith in their hearts, that's the day that young person has received his or her salvation in Christ.
ReplyDelete