Savior

our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, Philippians 3:20

I know someone who has accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior but have not seen a change in the choices they make or way they live. What I am saying is they lack the fruit of the Christian who has taken God as their Lord. That person has acknowledged Jesus as their Savior and believes he has saved them from the coming wrath of God. However words express specific thoughts and ideas. With this in mind there is a difference between a Savior and being Lord. Have you have given him authority over the choices you make affecting the way you live because Jesus is your Savior or he is your Lord?

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. John 1:12-13

God gave mankind the right to become children of God when they choose to trust in the name of Jesus. God is saying you cannot boast of your own righteousness because you have been saved by faith through a gift of God’s grace. In other words salvation is derived through a decision only God could make. Jesus explained the birth of the child of God in another way.

I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. John 3:5-6

Jesus spoke of man being of flesh and spirit which takes us back to creation. The bible tells us that God first formed man in his image and likeness from the dust of the earth. This image was a lifeless form until God breathed the breath of life into the body he formed. It was after the breath of life was given that man became a living being. Flesh was designed to propagate so that flesh gives birth to flesh. Mating is a decision man makes and it produces a child in their likeness; on the other hand God gives birth to the spirit through a decision he made. In other words the method of spiritual birth comes through faith in God’s promise.

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession — to the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:13-14

Faith is initiated by hearing the gospel message and the choice to believe in the name of Jesus. At the same time it is the fulfillment of a promise to mark or seal you in Christ Jesus and guarantees your acceptance as God’s children in the heavenly realms. According to Romans 10:17 faith is derived from hearing the gospel message given through the word of Christ. This message gives you the information you need to take part in accepting the coming age. The bible says how to take part in being accepted into the kingdom of God.

That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Romans 10:9-10

Consider this, an oath of allegiance is normally a sworn statement made by the inductee into a group or society. Jesus is Lord is an oath and a commitment that gives Jesus authority over the decisions you make to govern your life in his kingdom. That oath makes you acceptable to God the father and his son Jesus Christ and makes you eligible for all the benefits of his kingdom. At the same time this sworn statement is a covenant with God that guarantees you will abide with his laws and decrees.

Being born of God is way to become a member of God’s family as Psalms 82:6 states ‘you are all sons of the Most High. Families have a rank and file system of authority where the parent produces the final decision based on their experiences. At the same time they have the right to discipline you in the way you conduct your actions in the larger part of society or in other words get along with other people in a manner that gives them respect and dignity.

The written form of God’s discipline seem to be a bunch of do not’s. The rebellious ignore them but the righteous see them as restraints protecting the dignity and honor of others. These restraints also dictate the way to love and respect other people and represent the way you want to be respected in return.

Making Jesus Lord of your life changes the manner of decisions made to project the love of God. At the same time making Jesus Lord of your life is a commitment to obey his authority where there is no need to declare any form of allegiance or give the right to govern your life to a person who is saves you from impending danger. In this situation a simple thank you is in order.

Again is a savior who saves your life worthy of reverence? Jesus Christ is the savior of those who accept him but woe to those who reject him.

But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them — bring them here and kill them in front of me.'" Luke 19:27

Can a person be saved when they do not seek God or desire to learn from him? God is going to judge mankind according to the conduct he or she produces. How a person conducts himself tells God where he stands on the true issues of life. It also tells God what he can expect from that person in the ages to come.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. Proverbs 1:7

The person I spoke of in the first paragraph has a bible but doesn’t know where it is. That person is more interested in what goes on in the world; has negative opinions about decent people openly distrusting them, says prayer is speaking to the air, shows signs of hating certain people, believes the majority of churches are organizations not the body of Christ and calls Jesus their savior. God specializes in changing his children into people of noble character. This person’s character has not changed and it is tough to reason with this person because that person already believes they are saved. That is what they were taught when they were children. 11292016

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