You would never apply peanut butter to bread before taking it out of the wrapper.
What!?! That doesn’t make any sense. No one would even try that.
A 1st grade teacher laid out the supplies for making peanut butter sandwiches and asked his students to write out directions. Then the teacher followed the students’ instructions exactly.
One set of directions had him applying the peanut butter directly to his hand. Another had him eating the bread before opening the peanut butter jar. Still another saw him spreading the peanut butter with his fingers.
Doing things in the proper order makes a difference. We must open the peanut butter jar before we can spread it. We must remove the bread from the wrapper. We must pick up our knife as well as separate the two slices of bread.
What’s the order of salvation? Of belief in Jesus? Of placing our faith in him?
John 3:36 says we must believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”
1 Peter 2:6 says we must accept the Christ as the cornerstone of our faith.
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
Acts 16:31 says we cannot waver from our belief in our Lord.
“And they said, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.’ ”
John 12:46 says we must cast off anything that occludes the light of Jesus in our lives.
“I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.”
John 6:35 says our source of spiritual sustenance must flow from Jesus and Jesus alone.
“Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.’ ”
Without these five things, we will falter in our Christian walk. Let’s summarize them, write them down, and carry them with us.
Jesus is …
… the Son of God.
… the cornerstone of our faith.
… the source of our salvation.
… the light of our existence.
… the bread of life.
There is no other through whom we can be saved. Our redemption flows from Jesus alone.
When we get our life in order, we’ll find Jesus at the top of our list.
Copyright © 2020 MyChurchNotes.net
Code: FGO.H.18.19b.vp.esv