Kidnapped

   Satan kidnapped the human race in the Garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God the warning they received haunted their souls. God said, “You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.” What kind of fruit it was, we don’t know. Some suggest it wasn’t a fruit at all, that they had sex, or sinned in some other way. We do know they disobeyed God. Through Adam’s sin mankind was held by Satan against our will until Jesus Christ paid the ransom for our freedom through His precious blood.  You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:6-8 NIV

God is love, and through His love for us He created a path to follow in which we can reconcile with Him, and defeat the control that Satan has over us through sin. That path is provided for us through the fruits of justification. Justification means, “Just as if we have never sinned.” We are justified through faith. Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Romans 5:1-2 NIV  We can only name a few things that cannot be taken from us. Most things we accumulate while here on earth we lose when we die. Faith is ours. They can beat us, they can put us in jail, they can kill us, but they cannot take our faith from us. It is ours not only in this life, but in the next.

This gives us a great reason to celebrate, “because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” Romans 5:3-4 NIV  Through faith we receive the Holy Spirit. He is our possession for all eternity. We can lean on Him for understanding, and He will guide us through life with all the love and fostering we will ever need. We are never alone, He is always with us, comforting and guiding us.  Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through Him!  For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!  Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Romans 5:9-11 NIV  (The restoration of friendly relations.)

Through DBS&P daily Bible study and prayer we become sanctified through Jesus Christ. We are set apart from others by God. The Holy Spirit places a seal on our forehead and affords us protection from evil. We are cleansed through the Word of God.  God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV  There is nothing to be added, because we are complete in Christ, because in Him dwells all the fullness of God. For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,  while we wait for the blessed hope – the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,  who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good. Titus 2:11-14 NIV

Before we are saved we live in a lawless state. Our self-will is contrary to the will of God. In this state we are slaves to sin, and the sin of disbelief damns our soul. We refuse to conform to God’s will and this leads us into a degenerative life style that eventually condemns us to hell. It is God’s desire to eradicate the evil of sin. To replace hatred, malice, and lawlessness with peace, love, and joy. To do this we have to surrender our will to be set free. We have to give ourselves away to gain control through Jesus Christ. If all we say and do in our relationships is done in the name of Jesus Christ we act like He acts, and we demonstrate our love for others. We concentrate our concerns on helping others so God can help us. We put our will to death, and we are resurrected in life to the will of God.    Regardless  of who you are, you belong to God. He made us, and He will do with us as He sees fit. We are His purchased property. We are His church, the building in which He resides. We have no right to our own selfish desires. Our entire existence is because of Him, and we should place Him above everything else. We should glorify Him in every aspect of our lives. Salvation is a gift, and our Heavenly Father has given us free will to decide for ourselves which path we might travel. Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 NIV

Have you accepted Christ as your Savior? If not, would you pray with me? Dear heavenly Father, I admit I need a Savior. I am a sinner and I realize the consequence of my sins is death. Please forgive me of my sins, and cover them with the precious blood of Jesus. I accept Jesus Christ as my Savior and ask Him to come into my heart.  Thank you, Lord Jesus, for saving my soul. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray. Amen.