Daily life with Jesus by Grahame Howard: Recognise sin for what it is

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

Martin Luther had many quotes and one of the famous one's was: 'The recognition of sin is the beginning of salvation.' Think about that statement for a moment. It is having the awareness that something you may be doing, have done or where you are going may not the right thing for you - it is sin. If you walk in the Spirit, He will always alert you to this fact, 'When He comes, He will convict the world about sin - ' John 16:8-11. Now this means for people who don't know Jesus or, those who have known Him for sometime. He convicts and produces within us Godly sorrow, which leads to repentance 2 Cor 7:10 and this in turn leads to salvation.

When we can recognise sin for what it is, it rubber-stamps our salvation. Our salvation is not only about being saved, it is much more. To understand this, we must look at the Greek word Soteria. This covers a wide range of things such as: deliverance, preservation, soundness, prosperity, happiness, rescue and general well-being. The word Soteria covers both a material, temporary sense and a spiritual eternal sense, and the New Testament especially, uses the word for spiritual well-being. Therefore, salvation is a present possession with a fuller realisation in the future. In other words, we know that we receive salvation when we accept Jesus as Lord. We have this to look forward to. However, there are these added routes that underpin this, leading to rewards on earth and when we stand before Jesus. (2 Cor 1:6, 7:10, Rom13:11, 1 Thess 5:8-9)

It is God's intention to bless us and, this means daily. As we walk with Him the Holy Spirit produces love and peace within us and people can feel this. It is a great way of witnessing to them. Let's face it, the world around us can produce sorrow and worry and even though problem after problem is attacking you, you can still make a stand for Jesus. This is not pie in the sky, not at all. When we begin to recognise sin for what it us and determine in our hearts not to become involved with it, then all the other components of our salvation (Soteria) kick in and this can change your world around you. Salvation is yours from the moment Jesus enters your heart. The other components help each of us to go forward to achieve what is ahead.

So recognise, that we have all sinned and fallen short of God's glory. But, we have in Jesus, a wealth of help to live each and every day in victory until that wonderful day we stand before Him. Remember, for the Christian, we are not judged; Jesus took that away. However, we are assessed for what we have done for Jesus and not done. We will enjoy eternal life but, depending on what we have done, rewards will be handed to some and others will not receive much. So ensure that you go flat out to receive the good rewards by living totally for Him.

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

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