JOYFUL CHANGE - ALBERT ELISHA OBERDORFER - SAMPLE
God’s goodness leads to true repentance. In scripture, we always see the same picture. People follow Jesus gladly because they have experienced His goodness. Zacchaeus is a prime example. So are many more. The blind man who received a miraculous healing of his eyes, in Luke 18, for example. How did he react once he had received his sight? He followed Jesus. (Luke 18:43) We see the same picture on the day of Pentecost. Peter preached the good news of Jesus Christ. Then the people were touched in their hearts and asked, “What shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38). And how did the people respond? “Then those who gladly received his word got baptized ...” (Acts 2:41) The point is: they got baptized because they received Peter’s word “gladly.’ This is the biblical way of repentance. It’s a joyful change.
God’s goodness leads to true repentance.
In scripture, we always see the same picture.
People follow Jesus gladly because they have experienced His goodness.
Zacchaeus is a prime example.
So are many more.
The blind man who received a miraculous healing of his eyes, in Luke 18, for example.
How did he react once he had received his sight?
He followed Jesus. (Luke 18:43)
We see the same picture on the day of Pentecost.
Peter preached the good news of Jesus Christ.
Then the people were touched in their hearts and asked, “What shall we do?”
Peter replied, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38).
And how did the people respond?
“Then those who gladly received his word got baptized ...” (Acts 2:41)
The point is: they got baptized because they received Peter’s word “gladly.’
This is the biblical way of repentance.
It’s a joyful change.
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8 FAITH.<br />
IN HIS AMAZING grace, God has sent<br />
Jesus to remove our sin and shame on the<br />
cross.<br />
To believe this requires faith.<br />
Everyone understands the law of ‘tit for<br />
tat.’<br />
If you hit me, I will hit you.<br />
If you are nice to me, I will be nice to<br />
you.<br />
“If you do good, and you will get good; if<br />
you do bad, and you will get bad.”<br />
This is not hard to understand.<br />
This is what everyone understands easily.<br />
You do not need faith to believe that.<br />
But you need faith to believe that God<br />
would “justify the guilty.”<br />
That he would acquit them.<br />
To believe this, you need to have faith.<br />
And this is precisely the problem with the<br />
law.<br />
41
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