by Jamie Pantastico | Jun 25, 2022 | Daily Encouragement |
‘For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?
I Thessalonians 2:19
Do you know what Paul is referring to in this verse?
The moment the Lord Jesus descends from heaven with a shout, and together we have that great meeting in the air. The apostle Paul knows that he will more than likely never see these believers again in the flesh. But the moment they come into the presence of the Lord either by death or being caught up Paul will know them. This is a scriptural truth. Amazing, we will see and know our loved ones when we get to glory. In fact, we will be united with them before we get back to glory itself. In that great meeting in the clouds.
Beloved this is our greatest hope. The promise from God that we will be with the Lord Jesus for eternity. There can be no greater hope for mankind than to be with the Lord Jesus forever.
This great hope and promise from God is far more sufficient to lift our spirits and fill us with joy even in the darkest and most painful times in our lives.
Rest and revel in God’s promises every minute of every day and He will comfort you.
by Jamie Pantastico | Jun 21, 2022 | Daily Encouragement |
In the first three chapters of the book of Romans, God, by the pen of the Apostle Paul, built His case against the whole human race. The first is the immoral person. There was no question that he or she needed salvation, but then God went from that obvious and grossly immoral person to a good moral person, and then to the religious person.
What does God conclude? Whether a person is immoral, moral or religious, all are lost and enemies of God.
‘for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ‘
Romans 3:23
But what does the very next verse in the same chapter say?
Romans 3:24-26
“Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time His righteousness: that He might be just, (God is fair) and the justifier of him which (Notice everything that people think they have to do in order to be justified are not in this verse or any verse for salvation today… like joining the church, baptism, do this and do that, but rather) believeth…”
I hope you’re seeing it? It’s so simple that I think people immediately defer to tradition rather than “what saith the scripture”. And those who follow tradition set aside the grace of God, but God is saying. “He is the justifier of them that believe.” That’s It. Nothing Else.
God’s Example “Abraham”
In the very next chapter of Romans, Chapter 4, God uses Abraham as the epitome of faith alone. The man Abraham when he was a hundred years old, God said, “You and your ninety-year-old wife Sara are going to have a son, and from that child, I’m going to build a nation of people.” And what does Paul write in Romans 4:20-22?
‘he (Abraham) staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, He was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.’
Romans 4:20-22
This tremendous example was written for us, today. The last three verses of Romans chapter 4 make it graphically clear.
‘Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.’
Romans 4:23-25
Praise God for the simplicity of the gospel of the grace of God. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4.
by Jamie Pantastico | Jun 20, 2022 | Daily Encouragement |
The culmination of the cross was salvation for the whole world apart from the Mosaic law and temple worship. By simply believing that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose from the dead three days later.
Salvation today is by grace through faith alone apart from works and the law.
Below are powerful passages that emphatically state that the righteousness of God is imparted to those who”believe’. And nothing else!
21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.
28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
If anyone teaches works, baptism or law keep for salvation they are cursed by God (Galatians 1:6-9), and those that believe that false gospel is not saved.
‘knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.’
Galatians 2:16
by Jamie Pantastico | Jun 13, 2022 | Daily Encouragement |
The headlines scream chaos with no end or solution in sight. No doubt the times in which we live are filled with troubled hearts and a world perplexed. There are food shortages, unprecedented cost of living, a record number of homeless in America, riots, war (Russia and Ukraine) and rumors of war, days of Noah-like violence all over the world, and a tidal wave of false teachers deceiving many.
Yet, in the middle of this very dark time, there is salvation.
In 2 Corinthians 6:2, the apostle Paul writes, ‘For He says: “In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.’
Amazing Grace
Today, God’s grace is being poured out on all mankind. So it is indeed now, during this dispensation of grace that anyone can be saved by believing the gospel alone (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) by faith alone. Apart from the law.
‘For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. ‘
Ephesians 2:8-9
‘that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. ‘
Romans 10:9
It is God’s desire that no man should perish and He is patient but one day soon His patience will run out. So take heed…
‘The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.’
II Peter 3:9
by Jamie Pantastico | Apr 27, 2022 | Daily Encouragement |
The legalist is in a constant state of uncertainty. Never knowing if they’re good enough or if they’ve done enough to make it into God’s heaven. But we should never worry if we’re good enough because Christ was good enough, on our behalf. Believe it.
You’ve been delivered from the Law
Don’t allow legalism to lead you to a devil’s hell and constant misery until you get there. If you believed the gospel alone by faith alone then you’ve been set free from the condemnation of the law. These next two bible verses make it emphatically clear that Christians have been set from the condemnation of the law.
Romans 7:5
‘For when we were in the flesh (before we were saved and in our lost estate)…, the motions (or acts) of sins, which were by the law…, (and what are the sins defined by the law or the ten commandments?; profanity, stealing, gossiping, adultery, coveting, lying, etc.),…did (past tense) work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death (all the sins that the lost person commits are building up against them for their day of judgment when the books are opened up…Revelation 20:12. And what does Romans 6:23 say “For the wages of sin is death)…
But for the believer…
Scripture is clear that all the sins committed by the lost person are building up. Bearing fruit unto death, a spiritual death. But for those that believed the gospel, next verse.
Romans 7:6
‘But now we (believers) have been delivered (DELIVERED, DELIVERED, from WHAT?) from the law (to repeat we were delivered NOT saved by the law), …having died to what we were held by (the law keeper is under the severe penalty of death because of the law. The law was the ministry of death),…(but because we believed the gospel we identified with Christ’s death on the cross and what was nailed to the cross? THE LAW! THE LAW! Colossians 2:14)…so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit (when we believe the gospel the Holy Spirit comes into our heart and the Holy Spirit takes the place of the law. So we do not need the ten commandments in front of us 24/7 to keep us on track. We can’t do it anyway. But now we have the Holy Spirit indwelling us and empowering us from within. The only power the Law had was to condemn.)…not in the oldness of the letter (or the law).’