Salvation Assured PEACE BRINGS RELEASE
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27.
Here's a significant statement from the book Steps to Christ, page 49: "As your conscience has been quickened by the Holy Spirit, you have seen something of the evil of sin, of its power, its guilt, its woe; and you look upon it with abhorrence. You feel that sin has separated you from God, that you are in bondage to the power of evil." (Notice this is talking about a person who is in bondage to evil and recognizes it.) "The more you struggle to escape, the more you realize your helplessness." (Is this talking about a heathen, a rebel, or someone who is trying to live a right life?) "Your motives are impure; your heart is unclean. You see that your life has been filled with selfishness and sin. You long to be forgiven, to be cleansed, to be set free. Harmony with God, likeness to Him--what can you do to obtain it?" If I understand this correctly, this paragraph is describing a messed-up life, someone who is defeated, failing, discouraged. What can you do? The next paragraph gives the answer.
But do you know what I expected it to say? What you need is to try a little harder. What you need is to make more resolutions. What you need is to be more sincere, more dedicated, more consecrated. What you need, maybe, is more Bible study and prayer, or to get out and work for others. But instead, it says that what you need is peace! Sounds like a mistake! I thought that anyone knows that you can't have peace when you have a life that's mixed up like that. You have to get your life in order before you can have peace. But that's not what it says. It doesn't say that peace comes from victory, but that victory comes from peace. Can you fathom that? That is one of the greatest breakthroughs in the theme of salvation by faith.
It is known by the experts that the only way a child can outgrow his mistakes and failures is to know he's loved and accepted while he's making them. It is rejection that keeps a person in his sins and failures. It's knowing that you are accepted and loved that brings growth, that transforms your life. It is peace that brings release.
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27.
Here's a significant statement from the book Steps to Christ, page 49: "As your conscience has been quickened by the Holy Spirit, you have seen something of the evil of sin, of its power, its guilt, its woe; and you look upon it with abhorrence. You feel that sin has separated you from God, that you are in bondage to the power of evil." (Notice this is talking about a person who is in bondage to evil and recognizes it.) "The more you struggle to escape, the more you realize your helplessness." (Is this talking about a heathen, a rebel, or someone who is trying to live a right life?) "Your motives are impure; your heart is unclean. You see that your life has been filled with selfishness and sin. You long to be forgiven, to be cleansed, to be set free. Harmony with God, likeness to Him--what can you do to obtain it?" If I understand this correctly, this paragraph is describing a messed-up life, someone who is defeated, failing, discouraged. What can you do? The next paragraph gives the answer.
But do you know what I expected it to say? What you need is to try a little harder. What you need is to make more resolutions. What you need is to be more sincere, more dedicated, more consecrated. What you need, maybe, is more Bible study and prayer, or to get out and work for others. But instead, it says that what you need is peace! Sounds like a mistake! I thought that anyone knows that you can't have peace when you have a life that's mixed up like that. You have to get your life in order before you can have peace. But that's not what it says. It doesn't say that peace comes from victory, but that victory comes from peace. Can you fathom that? That is one of the greatest breakthroughs in the theme of salvation by faith.
It is known by the experts that the only way a child can outgrow his mistakes and failures is to know he's loved and accepted while he's making them. It is rejection that keeps a person in his sins and failures. It's knowing that you are accepted and loved that brings growth, that transforms your life. It is peace that brings release.
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