Christmas in July

Greetings again. This particular testimony is from my beloved mother, who is a devout, fundamental believer in Jesus Christ, and a wonderful woman. She wrote this to her family last Christmas, to make clear her beliefs on Jesus Christ and God's plan of salvation, and to edify her family. I am pleased now to share her words with anyone who has ears to hear.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son-" to save us from what we were. On this, and on every day, we, the redeemed, need to realize the depths He saved us out of, and the heights He lifted us to---- without a drop of merit on our part involved. Realize the degrees of your salvation!

When God paints a picture of what we were it's not a very complimentary one. He gives us a picture of the human heart so dark and so black, that men reel and stagger from the impact. We were dead. Moving physically, but dead spiritually. The Spirit of God tells us that the one who lives in sin is dead, while living.

The reason that His coming to redeem us is a marvelous thing is to be found in the description of what we were. We read that God commendeth His love toward us while we were yet sinners, He (Christ) died for us, the ungodly. To describe mans sinful position, consider: "darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is within them, because of the hardening of their hearts all are under sin; all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no not one. Every mouth stopped, all the world guilty before God. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it? Every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. We ourselves were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. Ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. The carnal mind is enmity against God, because it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can it be; so that they that are in the flesh cannot please God."

Wonder of wonders it is this very thing that moved Christ to come to die for us! Our unloveliness from the Fall, He stooped to us, to save us all! This is the unregenerate heart of man. Nothing there to recommend us to God--yours and mine.

This is now what we are! Here is our celebration of His birth, and now our new birth also--of our new hearts--yours and mine. Here are your gifts this day! Christian--praise your God! For He has passed us from death into life. There is now no condemnation for you. You are a child of the Most High God, joint heir of God and joint heir with Christ. You have been born from above, born again, born of the Spirit of God into the family of God. You are adopted and placed as a son, or daughter. You have been baptized by the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ and are a member of the invisible Body which is the true Church. You are sealed with the Holy Spirit unto the day of redemption. You now possess eternal life. Your body is now the temple of the Holy Spirit. You are indwelt by God; the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You are a believer, saint, justified, redeemed. Though you were afar off, you have been brought near to God by the blood of Jesus Christ. You have access into the very presence of God without needing any other mediator, but Jesus Christ. You have peace with God, being reconciled through the death of His Son.

Being justified--you are freed forever of every indictment. Not even Satan himself, could lay anything to your charge. No one can condemn you--Christ has taken your sin and given you righteousness!

All Christ's wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption are credited to your account. You are forever saved from wrath. The [condemnation] because of sin has been removed from you. You are sealed by the Holy Spirit as a guarantee that not even physical death will be able to keep dominion over you. It is certain you will rise from the dead in a body like the glorified body of the Lord Jesus Christ. You have the positive certainty of seeing Jesus when He comes again, and being like him at that moment. Your name is graven on the very foundation of God, you can never perish, nothing can pluck you out of the hand of the Father. Nothing has the power to separate you from the glorious position that's yours through the love of God that is in Christ.

Not one item in this list of gifts is gained by merit. This is all because of Jesus being born this day (Christmas Day) to die on Calvary to accomplish it all for you--and me. Merry Christmas, in the name of Jesus.