Tag: Salvation

Devotionals

Reformation Day: the righteous shall live by faith

Loring Schultz

“For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’” Romans 1:17 ESV

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October 31st is recognized around the world as Halloween or ‘All Hallows’ Eve.’ The meaning of ‘hallows’ is ‘saints’ in the Christian tradition, All Saints Day is November 1st. However, Halloween today is nothing about Christian saints and I will leave it there. Today is Reformation Day, the day celebrated by Christians in recognizing Martin Luther’s ‘95 Theses’ nailed to the University of Wittenberg’s chapel door in 1517.

Martin Luther was a German monk and a professor of biblical studies at the University of Wittenberg who became disillusioned with the error he saw in the Catholic church, particularly the selling of indulgences. He posted his ‘95 Theses’ to spark conversation and debate among his colleagues calling for reform in the Catholic church. This, however, led to the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century.    

Luther was convinced through the reading of Scripture that salvation was by the grace of God alone and faith alone in Jesus Christ. It was not by any merit or works on our part that contributes to salvation and entrance into heaven. This was in contradiction to what he had observed within the church. Luther was also a staunch believer that every person should have access to the Bible and be able to read it for themselves. He had translated the entire Bible into German.  

Stephen Nichols of Ligonier Ministries writes, “The real main character in Reformation Day is not Luther. It’s the Word of God. What Luther discovered as a monk is that for centuries, the true teachings of the Word of God had been hidden by century upon century of tradition. That’s what Reformation Day is about: it’s about pulling back the covers and releasing the power of the Word of God and the beauty and the truth of the gospel. That’s why we celebrate Reformation Day.” (1)

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV

(1) What Is Reformation Day? | Ligonier Ministries

Devotionals

Whose Approval Are You Trying to Win?

Loring Schultz

“Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.” Galatians 1:10 NLT

Photo by Anastasiya Badun on Unsplash

There is an old saying, ‘never discuss religion or politics.’ And never, never, never, discuss them in context with each other. The Presidential election of 2024 in the United States have tested the restrain of most Christians to remain silent when the urge is to speak in such turbulent times. That is not to say that some Christians do speak their minds. We should be ready to speak the truth when the occasion arises and not be silent. However, this is much more than speaking religion and politics but serving as an example of what Paul told the churches of Galatia. Paul told them not to be seeking the approval of people, but of God. They were not to be deceived from what they know to be true into believing a false narrative. Lives are at stake.

The apostle Paul was being accused of preaching what the Jews called ‘a cheap form of the gospel.’ They obviously were against Paul’s preaching, disagreeing on every front. These Jews tried to persuade the Gentiles to whom Paul was preaching that his message was incomplete. The gospel Paul preached required no circumcision, no dietary restrictions, and no obligation to Sabbath Laws. It was just faith in Christ alone that was needed for salvation and entrance into the kingdom of heaven. If Paul wanted to not stir up waves by remaining silent many lost souls would not have been saved and those who accepted Christ would be forever confused and unable to reach their full potential to serve Christ. Paul did not want to please and impress his fellow Jews but wanted to please his Lord and savior and lead people into the kingdom.

We have that same dilemma today. Do we risk alienation from our friends and loved ones when we speak the truth of God’s Word? The truth is, sometimes speaking the truth will result in just that. Are we willing to take the risk? Do we refrain from speaking to keep the peace? The peace will be kept, but so will their souls be kept right where they are. Christians are not to be confrontational in presenting the gospel, but to speak the truth in love. There will be natural resistance from most, and yes, there may be alienation, but whose approval are we trying to win? Remember Paul’s words, “I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God.” (Gal.1:10a nlt)

Read: Galatians 1:1-10 NLT – Greetings from Paul – This letter is – Bible Gateway

Devotionals

Nothing Prevents the Fruition of God’s Plans

Loring Schultz

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 NLT

“So they sealed the tomb and posted guards to protect it.” Matthew 27:66 NLT

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Have you ever felt you messed up God’s plans for your life? You say to yourself, ‘Obviously, God’s plans didn’t work out or I wouldn’t be in the situation I am in. I messed up along the way throwing the plans off course.’ It may be true that you messed up, I’ve done it myself but rest assured God’s plans for you are still in tack. There is nothing you can do to alter the plans the creator of the universe has for you since before you were born. It’s hard to understand, I know. Take heart, you may have messed up, but it didn’t mess up God’s plans.

Every Christian should be thankful nothing prevents the fruition of God’s plans especially His plan of salvation for all who believe in Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. God’s plan of salvation was for His only Son to come to earth, live a perfect life, die as a sacrifice for sins, be buried, and rise again on the third day. Nothing was going to mess that up. The leading priests and the Pharisees also had a plan that worked, but it didn’t turn out the way they thought it would. They asked to Pilate to have the tomb in which Jesus was buried be guarded and sealed. The religious rulers were afraid the disciples would steal Jesus’ body and claim He had risen from the dead as Jesus said He would after three days. The seal remained in place for no one tried to steal Jesus’ body, but Jesus did rise on the third day.

Many of those who followed Jesus didn’t understand all they witnessed during His arrest, trials, and crucifixion. It seemed a master plan had gone terribly wrong. Yes, it was a master plan, but everything about it was right. You can trust God for the plans he has for you. He sent His Son to die as a sacrifice for your sin. It was His plan for you and me. “Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?” (Ro.8:32 nlt) Rejoice that God has a plan for you. You may not understand it, but He does. Trust Him that nothing will prevent all His plans from coming to fruition.

Read: Matthew 27:62-66 NLT – The Guard at the Tomb – The next day, – Bible Gateway

Devotionals

Humble Yourself Before God

Loring Schultz

“Show me what sins hide thee from me and eclipse thy love;                             Help me to humble myself for past evils, to be resolved to walk with more care, For if I do not walk holily before thee, how can I be assured of my salvation?” (1)

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“But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’” James 4:6 ESV

Are you one who finds it hard to admit you’re wrong? You just cannot find it in yourself the possibility you didn’t have it right. This demeanor will eventually cause distance between you and others over time. Having this attitude, ‘I am always right’ will lead you into a false perception of right and wrong. It’s a sad way to live in this world, but more tragic when it comes to the things of God and eternal life after this life is over. A person will lose friends in this life by on-going pride but will forfeit eternal life with Christ in heaven by not humbling themselves before Him and acknowledging Jesus is the only way to heaven.

Human pride gets in the way of a lot of things in this life. There are times when we think we can do better with what is presented to us adding our own recipe. The good news about salvation is that there is nothing you can add to the presentation of the gospel. In fact, what is required is to take away your pride, recognizing and admitting that you are a sinner in need of a savior. The Bible says we have all sinned and fallen short on God’s scale. (Ro.3:23) It takes rejecting our pride in an admission and confession of our sins by accepting Christ as savior to be assure of heaven. God does indeed oppose the proud but gives grace to those who humble before Him.

“It is the meek and humble who are shown thy covenant, know thy will, are pardoned and healed, who by faith depend and rest upon grace, who are sanctified and quickened, who evidence thy love.” (1)

(1) Bennett, Arthur. The Valley of Vision. East Peoria: Baer of Truth Trust, 2023. Pg 9, The Divine Will.

Devotionals

Believers are Secure in Christ

Loring Schultz

2 Timothy 2:11-13 ESV

 11. The saying is trustworthy, for:

 If we have died with him, we will also live with him;

12. if we endure, we will also reign with him;

if we deny him, he also will deny us;

13. if we are faithless, he remains faithful—

 for he cannot deny himself.

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Many of our Christian hymns from yesteryear provide deep doctrinal truth in their lyrics. You may think of hymns such as ‘The Old Rugged Cross,’ ‘Calvary Covers It All,’ ‘Blessed Assurance,’ and ‘Amazing Grace’ as ones possessing such truths. Most of these old favorite hymns were taken directly from Scripture which indeed explains the powerful doctrinal truths found in them. A very old Christian hymn in the first century was derived from Paul’s second letter to Timothy found in 2 Timothy chapter 2. Although we don’t know the name of the hymn, we do have the lyrics, and they speak of the doctrinal truth that all true believers are secure in Christ.

Paul’s words of encouragement to Timothy in this section of his letter is to note that Timothy as a soldier for Christ and all believers are secure. Their salvation is secure in Christ Jesus. ‘If we have died with him’ signifies our union with Christ in His death. “We will also live with him’ assures us will be raised up from the dead with Him. ‘If we endure, we will also reign with him’ speaks of our current life and our future life in eternity. In this life Christians will suffer for their faith, but when we endure and persevere here, we will reign with Christ in our glorified bodies in eternity. Sadly, this phrase, ‘if we deny him, he will also deny us,’ is the reality of all those who profess to know Jesus but have never accepted Him as Lord and savior. They have denied Him in their lives. The Lord will say on that day, “but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” (Mt.10:33 esv)

The last line of this ancient hymn, or perhaps this was the first chorus in Christian music, is our assurance of salvation. ‘If we are faithless, he remains faithful-for he cannot deny himself.’ God’s character is what we rest on. He remains faithful to us even through the countless times we are unfaithful to Him. God cannot be anything but Himself, faithful. Our salvation does not rest on us being faithful, but on what Christ has done for us. We are to be faithful in our Christian Walk, but our assurance of eternal life depends only on God for He remains faithful, and may we all praise God for that, either in a chorus or an old familiar hymn.

Devotionals

Are you following the Voice of Strangers?

Loring Schultz

“A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.” John 10:5 NASB

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All of us are comfortable with familiar surroundings. The voices of those we hang around with are welcomed at any time. When having a bad day hearing a familiar voice quiets your spirit. We may be quick to follow them to an event to help shed some of those anxious feelings. There is a trust factor with one we have cultivated a relationship with. You would not hang around with a stranger, in fact you wouldn’t recognize their voice. You would not follow the voice of a stranger.

One of Jesus’ seven ‘I am’ statements found in the gospel of John is ‘I am the door.’ Jesus is saying He is the door unto salvation. In Jesus’ illustration of Him being the door, He references the doorkeeper who is an under shepherd who guards the door at night and assists the shepherd in caring for His flock. The doorkeeper recognizes the shepherd’s voice and opens the door to the sheep pen. The shepherd’s sheep have already started to gather around the door for they responded to the shepherd’s unique call from outside the door. He calls them by name, and they follow Him because they know His voice. They will not follow the voice of a stranger.

Not all the sheep in the sheep pen followed Jesus’ in this illustration. They did not recognize His voice. It was the voice of a stranger. To many people today, Jesus is a stranger. They followed the voices of those they are familiar with, the voices of the world and the world’s system. The voices that say all religions lead to God, or just do the best you on your own, or living a life a love and peace will get you a blissful afterlife.

Don’t be fooled by the voices of false teachers or the secular views of the world. These are the voices of strangers to those who truly know Christ as savior. Jesus says, “A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.” (Jn.10:5 nasb) If these voices are familiar to you, then you are following the voices of those outside the saving knowledge of Christ. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” (Jn.14: nasb) Accept Jesus’ call to salvation and become a sheep of His pasture recognizing His voice and never again follow the voice of strangers.

Read: John 10:1-10 NASB – Parable of the Good Shepherd – Bible Gateway

Devotionals

Discovering Great Value

Loring Schultz

“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!” Matthew 13:45-46 NLT

“for God bought you with a high price……” 1 Corinthians 6:20a NLT

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What is of great value to you that you would pay an exorbitant price for it? Is there anything that you would give up all that you own to possess it? It has been said that a fair market price for something is what a person is willing to pay for it. What one considers to be of great value may not be of any interests to others. Life itself is of interest for all people. Yet the view of life differs dramatically between individuals. Most all of us guard our lives very closely, perhaps too close that we become self-absorbed and selfish. Many are concerned with this life only, the here and now, but there is a now and then to consider which is of greater value. What you discover in the ‘now’ will be of great value in the ‘then.’

Jesus, the teacher and the Son of God, describing the kingdom of Heaven says it, “is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!” (Mt.13:45-46 nlt) The Kingdom of Heaven is made up of those who have let go of everything important to them in this life and accepted the gospel message of Jesus Christ. The choice pearl of great value which is accepted now in this life results in eternal life when our earthly life is over.

Those of us who have found that choice pearl should take notice of Christ’s love for us as His choice pearl. Our Lord Jesus left the glories of heaven to come down to earth and sacrifice His life in order that we may have eternal life with Him. Jesus paid the ultimate ‘high price’ by His shed blood on the cross of Calvary. He considered us as of great value to die and rise again to redeem us. Have you discovered that choice pearl, that great value of Salvation, by accepting Jesus Christ as your Savoir? Don’t miss the opportunity to discover that Great Value ‘now’ for it will be too late ‘then.’ Make sure you are part of the Kingdom of Heaven by discovering great value.

Devotionals

Have You Thanked the Lord for Your Salvation Today?

Loring Schultz

“I will lift up the cup of salvation and praise the LORD’s name for saving me.” Psalm 116:13 NLT

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Hurricane Helene recently brought death and destruction to most of the southeastern sections of the United States. From the western shores of Florida through Georgia, North and South Carolina, and Tennessee, Hurricane Helene has caused 175 deaths as of this writing. “According to CBS, almost half of the deaths caused by Helene have been in North Carolina alone, where six months’ worth of rain fell. After Helene hit late on Thursday, record flood crests were measured in at least seven locations in North Carolina and Tennessee. More than a million people in some of the affected states also remained without power on Wednesday morning (10/2/24), according to monitoring site Poweroutage.us.” (1)

Millions of people are thanking the Lord today for saving their lives during this deadly storm. Many have lost their homes and all their belongings, but they are praising God they were spared from death. Christians understand this as God’s Providence. Perhaps there is still work for them to do in the name of the Lord, or maybe God is trying to tell them something, or it’s simply God’s grace upon them. Whatever the case, He spared their life, and they are thankful.

People have close calls with death every day across the globe. They are thankful in being saved from death. Non-Christians may not thank God, but they are thankful. Christians thank the Lord knowing it was by His hand of protection they were saved. Perhaps you have had a brush with death in your life, a near death experience as we say. Do you remember how you felt and what was your reaction towards God at that moment? Has that feeling faded with time? How about the day of your salvation when you put your faith in Christ? How well do you remember that day? Has that feeling faded with time? When we think what we have been saved from, should we not be thanking the Lord every day for our salvation? Today would be a good day to start.

Read: Psalm 116:12-19 NLT – What can I offer the LORD for all he – Bible Gateway

(1) https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgmgz3elmjxo

Samaritan’s Purse Is Responding to Hurricane Helene (samaritanspurse.org)

Devotionals

Overthrow the Lofty Opinions Against God and His Word

Loring Schultz

“We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,” 2 Corinthians 10:5 ESV

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Some people barricade themselves in ideological forts of their choosing to justify their resentment to God and His Word. Their ideology makes perfect sense to them, and they stick to it. Dr. John MacArthur unveils these forts as thoughts, ideas, speculations, reasonings, philosophies, and false religions that keep them at bay with the God of the Bible. The forts are used to codify what they perceive to be right, regardless of what the Bible says. Christians who live by a Biblical worldview also have their own ideology that makes perfect sense. God, the creator of the world and human life, sent His Son Jesus Christ to save those who trust in Him, and He has given us His Word on the proper way to live. It’s simple and that’s all there is to it.

You may feel torn in the spiritual battle you are in if you are a believer. You hesitate to speak the truth to not lose friends, but you are disturbed by all you see and hear from the ideologies of the world, even from your friends. You may be intimidated by the philosophies of the world system. They sound reasonable and hard to argue against. But you will never win an argument or lead someone to Christ by engaging in the ideologies of the world. And you certainly won’t do so by remaining silent. God does not want us to be silent, but to overthrow those lofty opinions and to do so by His Word and in love.

Paul said to the believers in Corinth, “We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.” (2Cor.10:3-4 nlt) What Paul is saying is that we do not use the world’s wisdom or its ideologies to reveal truth and lead souls to Christ, but we use ‘God’s mighty weapons’ the sword of the Spirit, the Bible. Paul goes on to say in this way we overthrow every lofty opinion or ideology against God. Be bold for God, lost souls depend on it.

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12 ESV

Devotionals

Faithfully Preach the Truth                

Loring Schultz

“We faithfully preach the truth. God’s power is working in us.” 2 Corinthians 6:7a NLT

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Have you ever traveled outside your own country either on business or a vacation? When your guide left you for a little free time on your own, how comfortable did you feel? Did you fit in as if you were one of the locals? Probably not. If we as Christians can not say that about living in this world, then something is drastically wrong. Peter addressed the Christians of his day in writing to them as ‘foreigners and exiles.’ (1Pt.2:11) They were living in a foreign land where they did not fit in. Christians today are still living in a foreign land. We may feel at home, but again that is a problem. The Lord has placed us in the country of our origin in this life, but this is not our home, heaven is. And when he has placed us here, He has given us a job to do, ‘faithfully preach the truth.’ So, it is time to get uncomfortable.

Paul, the apostle and a contemporary of Peter, is the greatest example of living as an exile outside of Jesus Himself. Paul found himself exiled from his own people after his conversion to Christ. He was a Jewish scholar studying under Gamaliel and became the strictest of Pharisees. His mission in life was to persecute the Christians, including death. When Paul started preaching Christ as Lord, he became an enemy of the Jewish leaders who were his peers. Paul’s life changed dramatically from being one the Jewish elites to going hungry, imprisoned, and being beaten. Paul had become uncomfortable in more ways than one with the world. Physically, but also with the pleasures of the world. Paul’s mission now was to ‘faithfully preach the truth.’

Paul encourages us as he encouraged the church in Corinth to live as examples of Christ in a fallen world as he was doing. To live in purity, being patience and kind, and show sincere love. (2Cor.6:6) Paul knew Christians in Corinth would begin to feel as exiles in their own hometown when they started to feel uncomfortable with the world. He knew that would be hard for them, but also knew there is joy in serving the Lord. (2Cor.6:10) The same holds true for us. Yes, we want people to like us, but this is not our home. We should live as exiles preaching the truth of salvation, bringing as many people as we can to our home country, the heavenly kingdom.

Read: 2 Corinthians 6:3-10 NLT – Paul’s Hardships – We live in such a – Bible Gateway