Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God

Daily Encouragement for the Family of God by Kenton Cheek

23 November 2024

Reading From Galatians 1-3

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!

Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

–Galatians 1:6-10, 3:24-29

     Gospel means Good News and the Good News Paul is referring to is that salvation from sin, right standing before God and our place in the celestial Kingdom in the Presence of God the Father forever is not earned by good works or rituals, but by grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross and the empty tomb.  He is the perfect Lamb of God and no amount of effort on our part can add to what He did for us or pay for any part of our redemption.

     As we learned from our study of James, good works are the product of genuine faith.  Grace is the undeserved favor of God and the ultimate gift of grace is the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross.  He took all of our sins and failures upon Himself and died in our place.  He paid the penalty that we rightly deserve.  But He didn’t stop there.  He also conquered death by rising again from the garden tomb and living to intercede on our behalf with God the Father.  Any attempt to add laws or rules or rituals or requirements of any kind is a different Gospel than the one Jesus died to give us. 

     The Bible says that if we confess with our mouths and believe in our hearts that Jesus is Lord then we are saved.  Implicit in turning to God in faith is that we are turning away from our sin.  Repentance is defined as changing your mind about sin and turning away from it and going a new direction.  Repentance does not mean perfection, it means that you have come to a point in your life where you realize that sin is no longer what you want.  You begin to want what God has for your life.  When we decide to place our faith in trust in Jesus, we have right standing with Heavenly Father and our forever home is in the celestial Kingdom with Him and His eternal family.  Any other gospel than this is not good news.  Jesus paid it all and we obey His Word not out of compulsion or any attempt to earn anything, we do what He says because we love Him.

“Wonderful Jesus, thank You for the simplicity of the Good News.  Even children can understand it and receive the wonderful peace that comes with faith and trust in You and Your finished work on the cross.  Thank You for washing us clean in Your blood, clothing us in robes of righteousness and writing our names in the Lamb’s Book of Life.  In You we live and move and have our being.  Inspire us with Your overwhelming love and fill us to overflowing with Your Spirit that we might honor and glorify with our lives.  Thank You that our destiny is as sure as the promises You have given.  We know that because we are Your sons and daughters we will enjoy paradise in perfect unity and harmony with You in Your celestial Kingdom.  We praise and glorify Your holy Name.  In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray these things, Amen.”

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  –Romans 3:23

For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. –Romans 6:23

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. –II Corinthians 7:10

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. –Romans 10:9

For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” –Romans 10:13

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sonsof God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. –Romans 8:14-17