You were eternally, securely PROTECTED
(regarding the perseverance of Christ)
-------------- 90. The Holy Spirit sealed you (Eph 1:13, 14).
-------------- 91. You became inseparable from the love of God (Ro 8:38, 39; Heb 13:5, 6).
-------------- 92. God became to you an ever available refuge in every trial and hardship (Ps 16; Hab 3:17–19; Heb 13:5, 6; Eph
3:16; Col 1:11).
-------------- 93. You were made capable of complete assurance of your salvation (1 Jn 5:13; Ro 8:29, 30, 38, 39).
-------------- 94. Jesus intercedes for you before the Father testifying of the fullness of your redemption in Christ (Ro 8:34; 1 Jn
2:1).
-------------- 95. You no longer have an effective accuser who can tear you from a position of spiritual righteousness before
God, since this position is secured by Christ himself (Ro 8:33, 34).
-------------- 96. You have been promised “all things”; literally nothing is denied you that can increase your eternal happiness;
you were given “everything you need for life and godliness through your knowledge of God” (Ro 8:32; 2 Pe
1:3).
-------------- 97. You were assured escape from every future judgment of God (Mt 25:31–46; 1 Co 3:10–15).
-------------- 98. You were given “the full armor of God,” which is Christ himself, in whom you are able to stand (Eph 6:10–
18).
-------------- 99. Your assurance of persevering and not falling away from the faith was made certain, because that
perseverance is dependent upon the perseverance of Christ as your high priest (Jude 24; 1 Pe 1:5; Php 2:12,
13; 2 Thess 3:3; Heb 6:16–19; 7:18, 22–10:14).
-------------- 100. You received Jesus’ promise that he prepares a glorious, peaceful place for you in heaven, in which God will
live among his people, and you, his servant, will serve and reign with God forever (Jn 14:2, 3; Rev 21:2–7;
22:3–5).
You were LOVED
(regarding intimacy with God)
-------------- 80. You have come to be known by God, which has to do with the fullness of salvation’s benefits (Gal 4:9).
-------------- 81. You became the object of God’s love; you are a “dearly loved” child (Eph 5:1).
-------------- 82. God lavished his love upon you (1 Jn 3:1).
-------------- 83. You became the recipient of God’s promises to those who believe (2 Pe 1:4).
-------------- 84. You have entered fellowship with the Son of God (1 Co 1:9).
-------------- 85. You have entered fellowship with the Father (1 Jn 1:3).
-------------- 86. God lavished on you “the riches of God’s grace” (Eph 1:7-8).
-------------- 87. Previously you were separated from God, but now in Christ you are able to “approach God with freedom and
confidence” (Eph 3:12).
-------------- 88. You became the recipient of every good thing according to God’s perfect will upon asking in prayer (Mt 7:7–
11; Ja 4:2, 3; Ja 1:5, 16; Jn 14:13, 14; 16:24).
-------------- 89. You became capable with the Holy Spirit of comprehending the incomprehensible “love of Christ” (Eph 3:18,
19).
You were INDWELLED (regarding your life-long ministry on earth) -------------- 72. The Holy Spirit began to indwell you; this is your spiritual baptism (Eph 1:13; 3:17). -------------- 73. Christ began to live in you; you were simultaneously joined with Christ and the church (Eph 5:31–32). -------------- 74. You were given the “mind of Christ” (1 Co 2:16). -------------- 75. You became a member of the body of Christ, the universal church, (Eph 2:19) “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God” (1 Pe 2:9, 10). -------------- 76. You have entered fellowship (koinonía: “communion”) with other believers (1 Jn 1:3). -------------- 77. You were given a distinct spiritual gift for the building up of the church (Eph 4:7, 11, 12, 15, 16; 1 Co 12:4– 31; Ro 12:4–8). -------------- 78. The Holy Spirit has given you spiritual understanding so that you can discern spiritual truth (1 Co 1:18; 2:14– 16; 1 Jn 2:26, 27). -------------- 79. Your “heart of stone” has been removed, and you were given a heart of flesh, that is, one that is responsive and obedient to the laws and commands of God (Ez 11:19, 20; Heb 8:10; 10:16).
You were FORGIVEN
(regarding your conscience and your relationship with God)
-------------- 68. Your sins were forgiven (Acts 2:38; 3:19; 10:43; 13:38f.; Ro 3:22–26; 2 Co 5:18–22; Gal 3:13f.; Eph 1:7;
etc.).
-------------- 69. Your guilt has been wiped out; a guilty conscience need no longer stand between you and God (Heb 9:14;
10:2, 22).
-------------- 70. Your conscience is renewed so that you do feel conviction, shame and guilt, when you fail the Lord (Ps 51; Lk
22:61, 62).
-------------- 71. Restoration from sin became fully and continually available to you (Jn 18:16–18, 25–27; 21:15–19; Gal 2:11–
14).
You were PREDESTINED*
(regarding your destiny and the future presence of sin)
-------------- 61. Your future, which you have now gained, became one of certain hope (Ro 5:2; Heb 6:11, 18, 19; 7:19; 11:1).
-------------- 62. Your future, which you have now gained, is the sharing of the glory of Christ (1 Jn 3:2; Rev 21:2).
-------------- 63. Your future, which you have now gained, is that you will be transformed to be like Christ (1 Jn 3:2).
-------------- 64. Your future, which you have now gained, is the resurrection of your physical body (Ro 8:11, 32; 1 Co 15:47–
54; Php 3:21).
-------------- 65. Your future, which you have now gained, is the obtaining of God’s inheritance, which is the promised “rest”
from striving for God’s acceptance. This inheritance awaits all who persevere in faith, as all believers will,
rather than fall away in disobedience and rebellion as Israel did (Heb 4:1, 3, 6, 9, 11).
-------------- 66. You became “God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works prepared in advance” for you to
do (Eph 2:10).
-------------- 67. Your life is now full of purpose (Ro 8:28).
-------------- * This is an awkward phraseology to indicate something true from eternity past that is now realized and
effective for your reckoning of eternal hope in Christ at the point of your salvation.
You began to be SANCTIFIED progressively
(regarding your becoming like Christ)
-------------- 41. You began to be transformed by the Holy Spirit into the image of God (2 Co 3:18; cf. Heb 10:14).
-------------- 42. You became the object of God’s certain, loving discipline (Heb 12:5–11; Job 5:17, 18; Prov 3:11, 12).
-------------- 43. As a child, your new family likeness is consecration in love and holiness (Mt 5:43–48; Lev 11:44, 45; 19:2; 1
Co 1:2; 1 Thess 4:7; etc.).
-------------- 44. You became an ambassador of Christ (2 Co 5:20).
-------------- 45. You were made a “follower of Christ” (Jn 10:27).
-------------- 46. Your characteristic manner of life is now love for God and one another (1 Jn 2:4, 9, 11; 3:6, 11; 4:20).
-------------- 47. You now evidence your salvation by the keeping of Christ’s commandments (Jn 14:15, 21–24; 15:10–17).
-------------- 48. You became capable of being “ready” or “complete” for every good work through the written Word of God (2
Ti 3:16, 17).
-------------- 49. The Holy Spirit, who is now in you, became an indwelling instructor to you for discernment (1 Jn 2:20, 27).
-------------- 50. You became capable, by the Holy Spirit, of being led by God “in all wisdom and spiritual understanding” (Col
1:9).
-------------- 51. You became capable by the Holy Spirit of “standing perfect in all the will of God” (Col 4:12; Ro 12:2).
-------------- 52. You entered a life in which following God’s guidance brings trouble (Ps 34:19; Mt 10:24, 25 and context; 2 Ti
3:12).
-------------- 53. You entered a life in which for the first time there is unavoidable purpose in trial and hardship (Ro 8:28; Ja
1:2–8, 12; Mt 5:11, 12; Is 51:7; Jn 15:18–25).
-------------- 54. The Holy Spirit now testifies in your heart about Jesus Christ and his teaching (Jn 14:26; 15:26).
-------------- 55. You entered a war with the flesh (Ro 7:14–25).
-------------- 56. You were given the ability to always resist temptation (1 Co 10:13).
-------------- 57. You are now controlled by the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of Christ (Ro 8:9).
-------------- 58. Prior to salvation “you were...darkness,” but “now you are light in the Lord” (Eph 5:8).
-------------- 59. You became the light of the world along with Christ (Jn 1:4, 5, 7, 9; 8:12; Mt 5:14–16; cf. Acts 13:47; 1 Jn
1:5, 7; 2:9—note that “light shining” and “bearing fruit” includes, but is more than, witnessing).
-------------- 60. You became a good tree, a “bearer of good fruit,” by which you can be recognized as a citizen of heaven (Mt
7:17–20).
You were SANCTIFIED positionally
(“called out,” placed “in Christ”—regarding the power of sin) -------------- 23. You were placed “in Christ Jesus”; you are now “in Christ Jesus” (1 Co 1:30; Eph 1:3, 7, 11, 13, and many
others in this chapter; 1 Jn 5:20; etc.).
-------------- 24. Jesus became for you “wisdom from God” (1 Co 1:30).
-------------- 25. You were sanctified (“set apart,” “made holy,” “made a ‘saint,’”) (Acts 26:18; 1 Co 1:2; 1 Co 6:11).
-------------- 26. You were made holy in God’s sight (Eph 1:4; Heb 2:11).
-------------- 27. Jesus became your holiness (1 Co 1:30).
-------------- 28. Christ’s righteousness was imputed to you; you became the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Co 5:21).
-------------- 29. Jesus became your righteousness (1 Co 1:30).
-------------- 30. Your sin was imputed to Christ; God made Christ to be sin for you (2 Co 5:21).
-------------- 31. You “have been crucified” with Christ (Gal 2:20).
-------------- 32. You were made alive in Christ (Gal 2:20; Eph 2:4, 5).
-------------- 33. You now live through Christ (1 Jn 4:9).
-------------- 34. You were seated with Christ and in Christ in the heavenly realms at the right hand of the Father (Eph 2:6;
1:20).
-------------- 35. You were blessed in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Eph 1:3).
-------------- 36. Although “you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners,” you are now no
longer; you have been made a “fellow citizen” with God’s people (Eph 2:12, 19; Php 3:20).
-------------- 37. You died to sin (Ro 6:1).
-------------- 38. You were “born again” (Jn 3:3–8; 1 Pe 1:23; 1 Jn 5:1).
-------------- 39. You were raised from death to life (Eph 2:1–6).
-------------- 40. You are now “more than conquerors” over sin and death through Christ (Ro 8:31–37).
You were ADOPTED (regarding the appropriateness of sin) -------------- 14. You were adopted as God’s son (even females, since “sonship” has to do specifically with being an heir with all attendant rights and privileges—Gal 4:4–7; 3:26; Jn 1:12; Eph 1:5; 1 Jn 3:1; Heb 1:2, 5). -------------- 15. You became an heir of God through Christ (Gal 4:7). -------------- 16. You were “called” by God to the assured hope of “the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,” which “can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you” (Eph 1:18; Mt 25:34; 1 Pe 1:4). -------------- 17. You became Christ’s brother/sister (Heb 2:11). -------------- 18. You became a member of God’s household; together with other believers, you became “God’s house” (Eph 2:19; Heb 3:6). -------------- 19. You ceased to be a child of the devil, which you were without Christ (Jn 8:44; 1 Jn 3:10). -------------- 20. You ceased to be an enemy of the cross of Christ, which you were without Christ, destined for destruction (Ro 5:10; Php 3:18, 19). -------------- 21. God became your Father (1 Jn 3:1, 2). -------------- 22. You became a bearer of the name of the Lord (Jer 15:16); you were “baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 19:5).
You were JUSTIFIED (regarding the penalty of sin) -------------- 7. You were justified by faith (God’s sovereign verdict toward us is forever “not guilty”—Ro 8:1). -------------- 8. Having been a slave to fear and death, you have now been set free (Heb 2:15). -------------- 9. Having been God’s enemy, you now have peace with God through Christ (Ro 5:1, 8). -------------- 10. Although you were God’s enemy, you have now been permanently reconciled to God (Ro 5:8, 10). -------------- 11. You have gained access into his grace by faith (Ro 5:2). -------------- 12. You have become a “friend” of Christ (Jn 15:15). -------------- 13. No basis of any eternal effect exists for you to be condemned since your righteousness is now in Christ alone (Ro 8:1; Col 2:13-15; Jn 3:18).
You were SAVED (regarding deliverance from God’s wrath) -------------- 1. Jesus’ death on the cross effectively propitiated God’s righteous wrath toward you, which you rightly deserved for your sin (Ro 3:21–25). -------------- 2. You were rescued from the sure condemnation of hell, the condemnation of “dying in your sins” (Mt 25:31–46; Jn 5:29; Jn 8:24; Ro 2:7, 8; Gal 6:8; cf. Acts 24:15). -------------- 3. You were redeemed through the blood of Christ, that is, his death on the cross, and Jesus became your redemption (Eph 1:7; Ro 3:24, 25; 1 Co 1:30; Gal 4:4, 5; etc.). -------------- 4. You have entered the offered “rest” of the Lord (Mt 11:28–30; Heb 4:10); and note there is a future “rest” into which we will enter (see “You were Predestined”). -------------- 5. You now “have” the Son of God, and you have eternal life (1 Jn 5:11, 12; Jn 3: 36; Jn 5:24; Jn 3:16; 10:27). -------------- 6. You have been shown to be an “object of mercy” (Ro 9:23; 1 Pe 2:10).
ONE HUNDRED THINGS THAT HAPPENED TO YOU
AT THE MOMENT OF YOUR CONVERSION
I'll respond tomorrow if I can
Also, if you're able to make me admin, I can put the picture of him that's in the article, in case you're interested 😉
Epilogue (written by my dad): On August 16, 2020, Denis Lacroix went home to be with the Lord at age 50. He had served the Lord faithfully in many different ways: as an usher in his church, as a worker in the church food pantry, as a Bookkeeper and Office Coordinator for our ministry Doulos Missions International, as a counselor to others, as an intercessor, as a caring friend doing favors for people, and in many other ways. He is dearly missed by all who knew him. He was my best friend and right hand man in our ministry. It is by the grace of God that he came back to Christ nine years before he died, because he would have perished eternally if he had not done so, since he had been away from the Lord for two decades. I had the privilege of sharing a few words at his Memorial Service. If you would like to watch that service and hear what I shared, you can see the video here. He fought the good fight. He kept the faith. Now he has gone to his eternal reward in heaven.
[END OF DENIS'S TESTIMONY]
The Lord has allowed other changes to occur in my life that I may not have listed here. And I also realize that these changes are not because of who I am or what I have done, but because of who Jesus is, and what He has done for me. I truly believe in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, and if it were not for His birth, life, ministry, death, resurrection, and intercession on my behalf before God, I would be damned to Hell for my sins. I repent daily for any darkness that I have allowed into my heart through my eyes or ears. I ask God that He would allow the Holy Spirit to purge me from the things that He detests and hates, so that I too would detest and hate them as well. I know that I am nothing but dust that the Lord has chosen to breath life into, and all I have comes from Him. I pray this testimony will be a blessing to you, and those who may be facing the same deceptions and evil traps from the enemy.
He has also healed me of the anger and bitterness inside my heart, as a result of all the evil in my past. The change in my behavior has been like night and day. Though I still fall sometimes, He has really been faithful in this area of my life. He has helped me to put Him first in my finances. He has given me spiritual boldness to share the Gospel of Christ with my immediate family, and given me a burden to pray for my unsaved extended family and friends. And He has put within me a desire to do more, in terms of sharing Jesus with those I don’t know.
Just to show you how He has healed my backsliding, here are some of the areas that God has delivered me from, and continues to work in my life through the Holy Spirit. I have joined a home group through the church. He’s also been using the weekly Bible studies and Sunday morning services to restore all that the worms have eaten in my life. He has restored my communion with Him, and I once again enjoy an active, daily prayer life, as well as daily time spent in His living Word. He has set me free from alcohol and illegal drugs completely! He has broken my addiction to video games, which once consumed over fifteen hours of my time each week. He also set me free from my addiction to Facebook games, although I continue to pray for complete deliverance from this as well. He has delivered me from two of the prescription meds I have taken for over 10 yrs.
Since then I have continued to serve in a local church, and watched the Lord heal my backslidings. As the prophet Hosea says, "I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely, For My anger has turned away from him." (Hos 14:4). He has loved me freely and turned away His anger from me. I am so grateful for His love and mercy toward me.
Len recommended a couple churches for me, and I said I would check them out. But for years I kept putting that off for another day, until recently. Finally in 2011, on Easter Sunday, I finally decided to attend a church, where Len was preaching. I asked the Lord to cleanse me by the blood of Jesus Christ, and forgive me from the darkness and sin that I allowed to bind me in chains.
There were a couple times over the years, when I did attempt to return to the Lord. Aside from that time I attended church one Sunday, I also repented and prayed to give my life back to the Lord. I was finally crying out, “Indeed we do come to You, For You are the Lord our God." (Jer 3:22b). But the strongholds were so entrenched in my life that I was never able to follow through on my commitment.
I guess I just felt like I had fallen so far away that even if God was willing to forgive me, I couldn’t forgive myself. I knew I deserved hell for my rebellion against the Lord. I was just waiting to die and face my certain judgment. I came to understand first-hand what the verse to the Hebrews means that says, “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries.” (Heb 10:26-27). Let me assure you that you don’t ever want to experience that like I did.
Looking back, I can see God’s grace in my life. Even while I was away from Him, in my state of rebellion, He delivered me from an unplanned suicide attempt I made while under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Had I succeeded in killing myself, I would have perished eternally. And then after He rescued me from death, He healed me from my injuries. What a loving Savior! He was calling out to me, as the Scripture says, “Return, you backsliding children, And I will heal your backslidings.” (Jer 3:22a)
There were a few times when the Lord allowed me to “coincidentally” run into Len at Walmart, and we would stop to chat briefly together. On another occasion, when I decided to go to church one Sunday, Len just happened to be led to visit that same church that morning with his family, rather than attending his home church as usual. I recall how he and his family sat right behind us in church that day. He would also phone me from time to time, and remind me that the Lord still loved me, and that He was waiting for me to return to Him.
I thank the Lord that He didn’t give up on me. Like the good shepherd who left the ninety-nine sheep to seek after the one lost sheep, I can see clearly now how He was seeking me out in so many ways that simply cannot be dismissed as mere coincidences. For example, He provided me with a job as a dispatcher at a small trucking company, which was owned and operated by an older, married couple. They were very precious, born again believers, who cared for me and prayed for me. And so did Len, who always treated me with love, even when I was away from the Lord. I may not have liked it when he tried to tell me that I needed to return to the Lord, but I knew it was true.
I began living together with another non-believer, whom I later married, and she is still my wife today. Needless to say, all of this sowing of bad seed in my life began to bring in quite a harvest. I really began to reap what I’d sown all those years. As the Scripture says, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” (Gal 6:7-8)
I then attempted marriage again, this time to a non-believer, and that didn’t work out. It only caused more hurt and bitterness inside of me. I didn’t realize that the problem I was running from was inside of me, not primarily with someone else.
I won’t go into the ugly details of all that I did during that time. But I stopped praying and reading my Bible. I caved in to all media temptations excessively (secular music, television, and Internet), and had absolutely no regard for financial spending. I stopped attending church and tithing. With no more joy or peace in my life, I turned to heavy drinking and drug use (prescription and illegal). I became more of a sinner than I had been before I ever knew the Lord!
That’s when I began on a long journey that would take me away from the Lord for over two decades. In fact, for me it was a period of significant rebellion against the Lord and backsliding. After a while, I didn’t want to hear anything about the Lord. I lived for myself and did whatever I wanted.
Jesus described the seeds of the gospel being cast upon four different kinds of soil. And you could say I was like the seed planted on rocky soil. Jesus said, "Others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. "But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.” (Mat 13:5-6). That may be the best way to describe me. I was full of joy and quickly sprang right up, running ahead with my plans to serve God. But I had no roots, and the trials I encountered in life were more than I could handle.
But things fell apart there in Bible school. My wife had different goals and the marriage didn’t work out. I was crushed when she left me. The hurt from that experience was overwhelming to me.
The Lord convicted me of my sin, and my need for Jesus, so I repented and gave my life to Him. During Len’s 30-day leave period, I spent a lot of time in the Word with him, learning about the Lord and what He expects of us. I joined a local church, where I attended regularly for worship. I was baptized in water, baptized with the Holy Spirit, and I began to attend the youth group, where I eventually became a leader. At first, I was full of joy and willing to lay it all down for the Lord. After graduating from high school, I even got married to a young lady from the church, and we went to Bible school, where I began preparing myself for full time ministry as a youth pastor.
Then in May of 1986, my uncle Len, who was serving in the military, returned home to NH on leave for 30 days before being deployed overseas. He had recently given his life to Jesus, and as he began to share his newfound faith with me, I could easily see he was a changed person.
I was raised a Catholic, so I knew some information about the Lord Jesus, but I didn’t know Him personally. I had never heard the gospel message of salvation or how to be saved. I was a typical youth in high school, into the party scene and living for myself. I was not seeking the Lord at all.
I’d like to share with you about the unlimited grace and mercy of Jesus Christ in the life of my nephew, Denis. I had the privilege of leading him to the Lord twenty-six years ago, and was so blessed to see him recommit his life to Christ not too long ago. He states in his testimony below: (above in this case 😂)
Thank you!
I made you admin so you can put the diagram as the group pic
So, all that's from the article, and that basically sums up what I believe pretty well.
Those who fall away will be cut off. That’s why we must keep the faith to the very end, living obediently, lest we receive this grace of God in vain. We must never use these promises as an excuse to live disorderly and disobedient lives, for without holiness no one will see the Lord. Rather abide in him, praying that He will keep you from falling, and trusting Him to do so. And He will be faithful to do it!
“Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God's kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off.” (Rom 11:22). We've got to avoid rebellion and idolatry.
Conclusion: God is able to save us forever, complete the work He began in us, and keep us by His mighty power. We should consider the kindness of God for us in these promises. But we must always consider the severity of God as well. He will show kindness if we continue in His kindness, and severity if we fall away.
The grace of God is a beautiful covering, but it is not a license to sin. God's grace is a gift and should not be received in vain. God loves us so much he has posted warning signs all along the lake of joy, just for our protection!
The message of rebellion and idolatry are divine warning signals for us to heed so that we may be protected from slipping away from God. Gabriel referred me to 1 Corinthians 10, and let me look at Moses and the children of Israel, who were God's chosen people, to see what took them out from under the cloud covering which is a illustration of the blood covering God places over us today. Verse 1 says, "Moreover, brothers, I would not that you should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea."
Idolatry is excessive attachment or veneration (reverence) for some person or thing; admiration which borders on adoration. Idolatry is not just worshiping a god or image other than God, it is lusting after our own desires and pleasures, instead of doing what he wants us to do for him.
To rebel is to refuse allegiance to or resist the authority of someone or some authority over you. God is our authority. To rebel against him is to turn our backs on that which he offers: the protection, the blessings, the love and the promises. Throughout the Bible, God plainly spells out the overwhelming blessings which come when we submit to his absolute control, and the curses which come when we resist or rebel against him.
So the two things that will take you out from under the atonement arch are rebellion and idolatry. So be very careful not to let that happen in your life. Beware of the warning signals the Lord gives you if those begin to creep into your life. Brother Buck says in chapter 9 what the warning signals are. Here are some excerpts: God loves us so much that he offers us everything in heaven and earth, even making us joint-heirs with Jesus. However, some individuals still choose to voluntarily walk out from under the atonement (the covering, or the blood of Jesus) through REBELLION and IDOLATRY.
We GET UNDER the covering by repenting of our sins. We STAY UNDER the covering by wanting to please God, and by obeying him even to the thoughts and intents of our heart. We GET OUT FROM UNDER the covering by rebellion or idolatry. 'AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD!' (Joshua 24:19)."
Our sins were all washed away by the blood of the lamb, and the only way God looks at us is through the cleansing blood of Jesus. Then he sees: Holiness instead of sin. Blamelessness instead of fault. Unreproveable (perfection) instead of failure.
When people put their faith in anything other than what Jesus has done, they voluntarily choose to be out from under his protective covering. When this is their decision, they are exposed to God's eyes, and he sees their sins, faults, and failures.
"God explained to me that rebellion and idolatry are the two things which will take man out from under the covering. It is not that God removes the covering, it is not that God goes down and looks under it, but man removes himself. Look at the life of Israel and you will find that whenever God smote them and punished them, it was because of rebellion and idolatry.
"We also need to remember that God is not only a God of love, but he is also a God of wrath. Sometimes people are looking for a license or excuse to sin because they have no real desire to turn from evil. However, they still want to have the safety of the covering and are trying to pull it over themselves. God wants people to know that while he has provided a place of safety, there is also an edge beyond which the covering does not reach...
He gave me a reference in Colossians 1:21-22 where he said God has wrapped up this message in a brief verse just as he showed me on the atonement diagram. "And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now has he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable IN HIS SIGHT:" Look back at the atonement diagram - from God's viewpoint. Then God lists the conditions for this to be so IN HIS SIGHT. Colossians 1:23: "IF you continue in the FAITH (in his covering) grounded and settled (confident), and be not moved away from the HOPE OF THE GOSPEL (this Good News) ..."
Buck explained it like this: "Because of the sacrifice of Jesus, which was the atonement for our sins, God can look down at us and upon all that happens in the normal course of this life, and our sins are hidden from him...."
I really like what the Lord showed brother Roland Buck about the atonement covering of Christ, which he wrote about in chapter 8 of his book, Angels on Assignment. He says that it's like this photo. (I can put the illustration as the group pic, if you want, so you can see it.)
Alright, I'm just going to put the parts of the article in here that are applicable to the discussion
Lol, that's what I thought 😅
yes, it’s the disciples in the boat
I'll do all the copying over if it's still not possible for you to access the link after trying the other methods (in the other group) 😉
Lol, what's the group picture? 😂 The disciples in the boat on the Sea of Galilee during the storm or something? 😅😆