Whom Do You Trust?

Those who are trusting in themselves to keep themselves saved have not trusted Christ.

If Christ did not have the power to keep His children sealed in the Holy Spirit then His death on the cross was foolishness and He lied to us when He said;

Ephesians 1:12-14 "12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, would be for the praise of His glory. 13 And in Him, having heard and believed the word of truth— the gospel of your salvation— you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the pledge of our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession, to the praise of His glory.…"

God never breaks a promise to those who belong to Him.

Since mankind is desperately wicked as God said we were, then we have no power to keep ourselves in the will of God. He must keep us after we are born again.

If we didn't have the power to die for our own sins, then we don't have the power to be good either. Only Christ had the power to die for the sins of others. Only God has the power to keep His children in His care.

There is no phrase in the Bible that says; "we must do our part too." Nor is there a phrase "He doesn't leave us but we can walk away from Him." This is heretical thinking and comes from scripture taken out of context. All false religions place the onus of salvation on the desperately wicked human being.

When we become born again Christ gives us what we asked for, that is to be cleansed by Him. We did not ask for the power to be able to save ourselves. We asked for Him to save us. When we ask for God to work His will in us, we are not asking Him to give us the power to have our own will.

Romans 12:2
"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

According to God's Word, we are to ask to be confirmed. We dare not ask for the power to transform ourselves but we ask Him to transform us. How can a desperately wicked human transform himself into anything good, we cannot!

If we cannot transform ourselves, make ourselves into a completely different spirit, from a spirit of wickedness to a spirit of holiness, then we know we cannot be good enough to save ourselves or to keep ourselves, it is not possible.

God wants all the glory all the time. He does not want us to take credit for our own transformation nor does He want us to boast of anything within ourselves.

John 7:17
"If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority."

Philippians 4:13
'I can do all things through HIM who strengthens me."

Him Who strengthens me, Him Who changes and transforms me.

The transforming is from God, the teaching is from God, the actions and everything else that is good is from God, nothing from us.

Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."

God's plans, His will!!!! Nothing in the Bible speaks about man's will and plans except in terms of foolishness.

Here is the condition of a man who depends on his own righteousness:

Ecclesiastes 10:13
"The beginning of the words of his mouth [is] foolishness: and the end of his talk [is] mischievous madness."

Can a man who is a fool full of madness do anything good to save himself? NO, and this is the condition of every man or woman who has not trusted Christ.

There are many "nice" unsaved people in the world but who walk in much foolishness because they cannot think any other way than with their fallen minds. They determine things to be good that are bad and things that are bad to be good.

After we are born again we cannot think any other way than with the mind of Christ. Our mind has been changed, there will be temptations from the devil because we are in this body of flesh still. However, we have the power of Christ in us to resist the temptations. If we ignore the Holy Spirit and fall then we have the power to confess and be cleansed to start again in obedience.

1 John 2:1-2 "1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate before the Father— Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He Himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.…"

It is only Christ Who can change the heart of a man who has trusted in Him. Even after someone becomes born again, their only righteous thoughts are those imparted to them by Christ.

When Christ transforms us it is He Who does that transforming. We cannot transform ourselves.

This is why anyone who remains sinful and willful without a changed heart but claims to be a Christian is lying, God never changed them because they never trusted Christ. They remain dedicated to making themselves into "self-righteousness" completely dependent on their own fallen flesh and awful proud of it.

Luke 18:9-14
The Pharisee and the Publican
9 And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt:
10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
11 The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.
12 I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’
13 But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’
14 I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

No man can trust in himself and Christ at the same time. In order to trust in Christ, we must stop trusting in ourselves.

Notice in the account of the Pharisee and the Publican, the Pharisee was not praying to God, He was praying to himself. After all, he was the god in his own life.

WE see this all the time in politics now, when unbelievers say; "our prayers are with you", they are speaking of their own words having power, they are praying to themselves. Do not be fooled by this. Just because someone says they pray does not make them born again.

The Pharisee would learn nothing and be nothing good because he was his own god. The only thing the Pharisee accomplished was to continually solidify in His own mind that he didn't need God because he was a god unto himself. These Pharisees were often harsh and mean to those they thought didn't measure up with their human laws added to God's word.

The publican, however, sought God for his righteousness. He knew nothing of himself would do. Only that which Christ did in him would matter.

Hebrews 13:20-21
"20 Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep,
21 equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen."

Notice these words, they are important!!!!:

"Lord Jesus the Great Shepherd of the sheep equip you with every good for doing His will." There it is "for doing His will. "

Also;

"and may he work in us what is pleasing to Him.

We are not doing these things in and of ourselves, He is doing them in us. AND, He gets all the glory.

Prosperity preachers are teaching the opposite of what God teaches. They are telling people to demand their own will from God. This teaching is devilish full of pride and self-worship.

Romans 11:36
"For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen."

Those who are self-righteous having trusted in themselves will be rejected by God at the judgment. Here is what God says to them:

Matthew 7:21-23 "
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many [a]miracles?’
23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’

What is the will of the Father? To trust in Christ, allowing Him to sanctify us for the entire rest of our lives on earth. Then He will take us home to Him when He wills in His time.

So many are working so hard to produce nothing! While the born again believer is trusting Christ for each day.