The BIG Picture (Q&A)

Asking for forgiveness... There is nothing wrong in asking for forgiveness if you know you have fallen into sin or had a moment of weakness. It is completely natural to want to apologize for your wrongdoings, but, realize that this does NOT ever affect your positional stance with God. Through a faith response to the grace gospel of Jesus Christ, and His cross work, you are once and forever cleansed from sin. As grace believers, our sins have been nailed to the cross of Christ, and we have, by the grace of God, received in its place, the imputed righteousness of Christ. Nothing can change our position in Christ and before the Father, so asking forgiveness, or not asking forgiveness, does not change or affect our standing before God. The grace believer's salvation is forever secure and they are "sealed with the Spirit." (Rom. 5:1-2, 8:29-39, 6-8; Eph. 1:13-14, 4:30; Phili. 1:6; 2Tim. 1:12). "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of ...

There are two things to understand concerning this question, ~1~ A man can NEVER be free from guile, falsehood, and wickedness, since the state of man in the flesh is unsalvageable! "The flesh", even as it  remains in the believer after salvation , is that which is "begotten [ birthed ] of the flesh" (John 3:6)  from parent to child tracing all the way back to Adam by whom  "Sin entered the world" (Romans 5:12). It is called ,  "the flesh," "the old man," "the natural man," "the carnal mind" and "the old Adamic nature". With respect to "the flesh" in the believer, the Apostle Paul declares that in it "dwells no good thing" (Romans 7:18), that it is "carnal, sold under sin" (Romans 7:14), that it is "corrupt according to the deceitful lusts" (Ephesians 4:22), that it is at "enmity against God," and it is "not subject to the law of God, neither inde...

Answer Request: How would it be possible to understand the Bible if a person hasn't been born again of the spirit? You are correct. A person who is not regenerated (made alive) in the spirit, who does not have the Spirit of Life within them, received when they respond in faith the tot Gospel of Grace, can never understand the true meaning and intention of the scriptures. The following scripture confirms this, 1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. Here is a simple analogy to try to put it into human terms, You can watch a person on the television drinking a cappuccino. You can see the beverage, you can describe the cup and the foam, you can see them enjoying each sip. You can take in ALL the details and visual pleasures of this cappuccino, but you will never be able to smell it or taste it or experience the fullness of that e...

Answer Request: If I am born of water and the Spirit, do I remain a sinner continuing to sin? According to the Bible, only Jews are born of water and the spirit. The Jews were born of water (passing through the Red Sea and born of Spirit when they receive the Holy Spirit at the second coming of Christ). We today, who are saved by the grace gospel, are not [strictly speaking] , born AGAIN, or born twice. We are regenerated in spirit. Once we are regenerated in spirit (or saved), we remain living in our sin-corrupt flesh bodies and we remain bound to this corrupt and sinful world. Though we are still prone to sin, weak in temptation and able to fall in deceit, and even though we still fall into sin, it is important to know that at salvation, we are instantaneously made pure and clean in a positional standing with God. In God’s eyes, we are holy and pure, because He sees us as washed and sanctified in the blood of Christ, and clothed with His righteousness, imputed to us at...

1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten [born, birthed] us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Peter mentions the fact that 'us' , in reference to the Jews (Israel), have been begotten (or birthed) AGAIN! Born again? Firstly, what exactly does Peter mean by this, and second, does it line up with what the modern church and many Christians say today? So, in other words, what does 'born again' REALLY mean in the true biblical context, and does it REALLY have any significance in this grace dispensation? You might be very surprised at the findings. In the scripture passage below, Jesus is speaking to Nicodemus. We are all familiar with this well-known piece of dialogue as Jesus mentions to Nicodemus that to enter the Kingdom, one must be born again . As always, it is crucial to read and understand any scripture in a rightly ...