datethewordtest

Tag: Salvation

  • Verse to DATE the Word on November 30 (11/30) is Proverbs 11:30

    “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and 
    he who wins souls is wise.” – Proverbs 11:30
    Living a Life that brings and gives LIFE!

    Living right brings LIFE to one’s life!!!  If there is ever a question of whether there are any benefits to living right Proverbs 11:30a gives one of the greatest. Living life right brings life to life.  I say it that way because living wrong (sinfully) brings death to life. If you are wondering where that thought comes from notice James 1:14 -15 as it says, “but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”  When you yield to a temptation it gives birth (or life) to sin and then the sin gives birth to death.  When you do wrong (sinning) you bring death to life in your life.  But from Proverbs 11:30a when you do right you bring life to life in your life!  I have to believe you would rather bring life to life in your life than death to life in your life!

    The person who is living right and experiencing an abundant life will also want others to have life, here and hereafter.  Proverbs 11:30b tells us that a WISE person wins souls.  The wise have come to understand their need for Christ and have gotten saved and now they want OTHERS to know how they can be saved.  

    Are you witnessing for the Lord?  Are you sharing Christ with anyone presently?  Do you have a burden to see a friend, a relative, an associate, a neighbor, or even a stranger come to know Jesus?  One of the characteristics of a wise person is they want to see lost people saved and will look for opportunities to share Christ with the lost!

    The verse to DATE the Word on November 30 (11/30) is Proverbs 11:30. It says, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.”

    It has been said that soul-winning is one beggar telling another beggar where to find food!  Since you have found “food” tell someone else where to find it!

    Continue Strong living right and being the light!
    And remember to DATE THE WORD

  • Verse to DATE the Word on September 3 (9/3) is Romans 9:3

    “For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my
    brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh,” – Romans 9:3
    THE DEEPEST of  DESIRES for the Lost to be Saved

    Many years ago I was in my freshman year at The Criswell Bible College in Dallas Texas and one of the required classes for all new students was Evangelism with Dr. Paige Patterson, who was the President of the College.  Dr. Patterson was a huge believer in the memorization of Scripture and so we were to memorize 7 verses a week.  Yes, 7 verses a week or 1 verse a day!  The verses he assigned us to memorize were tied to evangelism and Romans 9:1-3 were one of the first of the assigned verses.   

    Romans 9:1-3 tells of the Apostle Paul’s heart for his fellow Israelites to be saved.  He writes, “I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, 2  that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. 3  For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh,”

    One needs to pause to ponder what one just read as it is very sobering to think the Apostle Paul wanted to see other Jews saved so badly that he himself wished he could go to hell rather than them.  

    Dr. Patterson did not just give us verses to memorize but he taught the meaning of the verses.  I can still hear him asking from Romans 9:1-3 how much did we really want to see family and friends, neighbors and even strangers, come to know the Lord. There was a silence in the room that day as we paused to consider how badly the Apostle Paul wanted to see fellow countrymen be saved as he said he wished he could be accursed so they could be saved.  

    Accursed means to go to hell.  It means to be cut off.   The ESV says, “For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.”
    The Message reads “If there were any way I could be cursed by the Messiah so they could be blessed by him, I’d do it in a minute. They’re my family.”

    Now we know that what Paul wished cannot happen but what a heart for the lost. 

    Are you brokenhearted over a lost family member, friend, neighbor, associate, and/or stranger that you would rather go to hell so they could go to heaven?  Is your heart filled with sorrow and grief that the lost are lost and headed to an eternity in hell?

    Two more questions.  Are you WEEPING for a lost person to be saved? Are you WITNESSING to a lost person to be saved? 

    Verse to DATE the Word on September 3 (9/3) is Romans 9:3. It says, “For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh,”

    May our hearts be as broken for the lost as the Apostle Paul’s heart was.  May our hearts be as broken as the Lord Jesus for the lost as He did come to seek and to save the lost.  

    Continue strong with a broken heart for the lost.   
    And remember to Date the Word.  

  • Verse to DATE the Word on August 31 (8/31) is Romans 8:31

    “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us,
    who can be against us?” – Romans 8:31
    What a Savior and what a salvation!

    The Book of Romans is primarily a doctrinal book that teaches the doctrine of salvation.  Salvation is needed because ALL HAVE SINNED and come short of the glory of God.  (Romans 3:23)  Being a sinner means one is facing the wrath of God and is under CONDEMNATION.  However, Romans 6:23 says that while the WAGES of sin is death there is the gift of God that comes from the Lord Jesus Christ.  Jesus Christ has paid the penalty for our sins by DYING for us and in our place.  When we trust Him for salvation, He gives us His righteousness (JUSTIFICATION) and that means we are no longer under CONDEMNATION.

    Romans 8 begins with “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1) Romans 8 (this great chapter) will begin to conclude with a question here in verse 31 and give an answer that confirms that there is NO condemnation to those IN Christ and nothing, absolutely nothing can separate us from God!! The Apostle Paul concludes Romans 8 with these reassuring words. Romans 8:37 “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”   PERIOD!

    The Book of Romans starts out with man being AGAINST GOD!  It continues by revealing how God’s wrath is being poured out on man.  As man is against God, God is against man!  BUT we also learn of God’s love and mercy and grace and then that one can be justified and redeemed and reconciled back to God.  Now instead of God being against man, God is for man and there is now nothing, absolutely nothing that can be against us!   

    How might we respond?  Maybe with WHAT A SAVIOR!! WHAT A SALVATION!!!

    Verse to DATE the Word on August 31 (8/31) is Romans 8:31. It says, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

    Continue strong knowing that God is for you,
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • Verse to DATE the Word on July 20 (7/20) is Ecclesiastes 7:20

    “For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin.” – Ecclesiastes 7:20
    STATUS: SINNER. A Sinner in NEED of a SAVIOR.

    As Christians, we believe that ALL HAVE SINNED and COME SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD.  Christianity believes every human being is a SINNER.  The significance of this belief leads us to state that every human being is in need of a SAVIOR.  NUMEROUS Scriptures back up our premise of this belief including our verse for July 20. 

    Along with Ecclesiastes 7:20, other verses convey this essential, non-negotiable Biblical truth:
    Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
    Romans 3:10  As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one;
    James 2:10  For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.
    Psalm 14:3  They have all turned aside, They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one.
    Isaiah 53:6  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way, and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
    Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags, and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

    Our status is without any doubt that of being a sinner.  And as a sinner, we are separated from God and face a PENALTY as Romans 6:23 states “For the wages of sin is death.”

    Yet our status of being a SINNER, thankfully, can be changed because there is a SAVIOR!!  After the bad news there comes some VERY GOOD NEWS.   Notice a few of those good news verses:
    Romans 5:8  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
    Romans 6:23  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
    Matthew 1:21  “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”
    John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
    1 Corinthians 15:3  For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4  and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, 
    2 Corinthians 5:21  For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

    To have your status changed you need to personally ask Jesus to be your Savior.  
    Romans 10:9 says, that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
    13  For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”

    Verse to DATE the Word on July 20 (7/20) is Ecclesiastes 7:20   It says, “For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin.” 

    What a reminder of what humanity’s status is but also to know that status can change because of Jesus Christ.  What a reminder that we need to share Jesus so a person’s status can change from sinner to saint!

    Continue strong grateful for the status change our Savior provides,
    And remember to DATE the Word
  • Verse to DATE the Word on April 4 (4/7) is 1 John 4:7

    Verse to DATE the Word on April 4 (4/7) is 1 John 4:7

    Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves
    is born of God and knows God. – I John 4:7
    A Mark of Salvation is our LOVE for OTHERS.

    The Apostle John is very concise and direct in his writings as he conveys what it means to be a believer.  His purpose for writing 1 John is stated in 1 John 5:13. It reads, “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.”  Thus, as one reads through the five chapters of 1 John one is going to read about the actions of a true believer.   

    Before we probe into our verse for the date let me point out that 1 John is the go-to letter for helping a person have the ASSURANCE of salvation.  Whenever I have dealt with a person doubting their salvation I have them read 1 John as it will either CONVINCE them that they are saved or it will CONVICT them that they are not saved.   

    1 John 4:7 is a verse that helps a person determine if they are really a believer and if they are really saved.  As John instructs believers (beloved) to love one another he also makes it clear that what he is instructing them is something that is already happening because if one is born of God and knows God they will be loving one another. As the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 4:9 loving others starts happening with a believer because God goes to teaching this the moment one is saved.  I Thess. 4:9 says, “But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another.”   

    If you are a believer your heart has changed toward God and toward others.  Now that Christ indwells you and you are a child of God (Galatians 4:6-7 “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father! 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”) your heart will be like the heart of God which LOVES, loving even to the point of sacrificing for sinners so they may be saved.  (Romans 5: 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.) 

    How do you know you are a believer?  You now love people that you may never ever thought you would love.  

    How do others know you are a believer?  The answer to this question reveals one of the reasons John is so resonant about believers loving one another.   In his gospel, he tells what Jesus conveyed to them shortly before heading out to go to the cross.   You may recall that Jesus gave a new commandment.  He said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”  (John 13:34-35) 

    Loving others can be (is) at times very challenging and difficult.  One of my guiding principles is “the time a person needs love the most is the time they deserve it the least.”  I wrote this principle based on when God loved me the most, He loved me when I deserved it the least.  Again, we look at Romans 5:8 as “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

    If we are truly loving others with the actions that describe love from 1 Corinthians 13 (the love chapter) and loving others like Christ loved us then we will be demonstrating love to fellow believers who don’t deserve it but need it!  When this is happening we can know that we are believers.

    Verse to DATE the Word on April 7 (4/7) is 1 John 4:7. It says, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.”

    Power quote: The time a person needs love the most is when they deserve it the least.

    Continue Strong LOVING ONE ANOTHER
    And remember to DATE the WORD

    PS  Here are a few other verses for April 7 (4/7) you might want to consider:
    Proverbs 4:7 Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. 

    2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

    Philippians 4:7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

    James 4:7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

    1 Peter 4:7 But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.

    2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

    Galatians 4:7 Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
  • Verse to DATE the Word on March 24 (3/24) is Galatian 3:24

    Verse to DATE the Word on March 24 (3/24) is Galatian 3:24

     Our verse to DATE the Word on March 24 (3/24) is Galatians 3:24
    Galatians 3:24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
     JUSTIFIED BY FAITH

    How is a person saved?  This is one question we absolutely do not want to get wrong.  When the Roman jailor in Acts 16:30 asked the Apostle Paul what he must do to be saved Paul answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.”  

    As one looks at the answer one should also “see” what is not in the answer.  He did not say believe and be baptized, though shortly afterward the soldier along with members of his household were baptized.  He did not say to start doing good works and when your good works outweigh your bad works you will be saved.  He did not say to pay a certain amount of money.  He did not say pray a certain number of prayers.  He did not say to start keeping the Old Testament law.  What he did say was BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST and you will be saved.

    My spiritual upbringing did not answer the question of what must I do to be saved the way the Apostle Paul and Barnabas answered the Roman soldier.  I heard mixed messages about doing good works and keeping the LAW.  It really was not until I was in Bible College that I began to understand WHAT COMES FIRST.  One of the verses that helped me CLEAR up the answer of what must I do to be saved is our verse to date, Galatians 3:24.

    As one looks to study the book of Galatians one needs to know the theme is law versus grace.  Our verse to date tells the role of the LAW and how it is used so that we might be saved. Paul does not dismiss the law but rather shows how the law was a tutor to BRING US TO CHRIST.  

    The law is our TUTOR.  If you are like me, you are probably asking what is a TUTOR.  A tutor is like a guardian or a like trainer. They watch over and prepare the child for the one that will be the teacher or the coach.  The law, as a tutor, shows us our need of a SAVIOR.  It points us to the SAVIOR.  The law does not save.  

    As Paul explains the role of the law, he once again gives the true answer to how a person is saved and that is by faith.  He states as he did in Romans and as he did earlier in Galatians that a person is JUSTIFIED by FAITH.  

    You may ask what makes justification by faith so important?  I wish I could have one of my professors, Dr. Paul Fink, give the answer.  He explained it so very well.  He explained to us that in order to go to heaven we had to be as righteous as God and since none of us are righteous as God we all will die and go to hell.  However, Jesus Christ came and lived and was righteous. Justification then comes into play when a person believes by FATIH in Christ alone for salvation. Being justified we are DECLARED righteous by God as there is an exchange.  Christ takes our sins and gives us His righteousness. (2 Cor. 5:21) God now sees us “clothed in CHRIST’S RIGHTEOUSNESS.”  We are now as righteous as God because we have CHRIST’S RIGHTEOUSNESS.”   Having Christ’s righteous means above all that we have PEACE WITH GOD!  (Romans 5:1).  We can now spend all eternity in heaven!

    As you ponder on Galatians 3:24 know that you are looking at one of the most important verses for how a person is saved.  Believing or calling on the Lord by faith is first.  After being saved comes keeping His commandments and doing good works.  We don’t do those things to be saved but we do them because we are saved!

    Verse to DATE the Word on March 24 (3/24) is Galatians 3:24.  It says, “Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”

    May I ask, have you believed, called on, or trusted Jesus Christ by faith and faith alone for salvation?   Works don’t work. Keeping the law does not work. Only by believing in Jesus works! 

    Continue Strong knowing how a person is saved,
    And remember to DATE THE WORD