HAVE YOU HEARD OF THE FOUR SPIRITUAL LAWS?
Just as there are physical laws that govern the physical universe, so
are there spiritual laws which govern your relationship with God.
LAW ONE
GOD LOVES YOU, AND HAS A WON-
DERFUL PLAN FOR YOU LIFE.
GOD’S LOVE
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John
3:16).
GOD’S PLAN
(Christ speaking) “I came that they might have life, and might have it
abundantly” (that it might be full and meaningful) (John 10:10).
Why is it that most people are not experiencing the abundant life?
LAW TWO
MAN IS SINFUL AND SEPARATED
FROM GOD, THUS HE CANNOT KNOW
AND EXPERIENCE GOD’S LOVE AND
PLAN FOR HIS LIFE.
MAN IS SINFUL
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
Man was created to have fellowship with God; but, because of his own
stubborn self-will, he chose to go his own independant way and fellowship
with God was broken. This self-will, characterized by an attitude of active
rebellion or passive indifference, is an evidence of what the Bible calls
sin.
MAN IS SEPARATED
“For the wages of sin is death” (spiritual separation from God) (Romans
6:23).
God is holy and man is sinful. A great chasm separates the two. Men
are continually trying to reach God and the abundant life through their own
efforts: good life, ethics, philosophy, etc.
The Third Law gives us the only answer to this dilemma…
LAW THREE
JESUS CHRIST IS GOD’S ONLY PRO-
VISION FOR MAN’S SIN. THROUGH
HIM YOU CAN KNOW AND EXPERI-
ENCE GOD’S LOVE AND PLAN FOR
YOUR LIFE.
HE DIED IN OUR PLACE
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8)
HE ROSE FROM THE DEAD
“Christ died for our sins…He was buried…He was raised on the third
day according to the Scriptures…He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
After that He appeared to more than five hundred…” (1 Corinthians 15:3-6).
HE IS THE ONLY WAY
“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one
comes to the Father, but through Me'” (John 14:6)
God has bridged the chasm which separates us from Him by sending His
Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in our place.
It is not enough to know these three laws, nor even to give
intellectual assent to them…
LAW FOUR
WE MUST INDIVIDUALLY RECEIVE
JESUS CHRIST AS SAVIOR AND LORD;
THEN WE CAN KNOW AND EXPERI-
ENCE GOD’S LOVE AND PLAN, FOR
OUR LIVES.
WE MUST RECEIVE CHRIST
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become
children of God, even to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12)
WE RECEIVE CHRIST THROUGH FAITH
“For by grace you have been saved throught faith; and that not of
yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one
should boast” (Ephesians 2:8,9).
WE RECEIVE CHRIST BY PERSONAL INVITATION
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears My voice and
opens the door, I will come in to him” (Revelation 3:20).
Receiving Christ involves turning to God from self, trusting Christ to
come into our lives to forgive our sins and make us what He wants us to be.
It is not enough to give intellectual assent to His claims or to have an
emotional experience.
The following explains how you can receive Christ:
YOU CAN RECEIVE CHRIST RIGHT NOW THROUGH PRAYER
(Prayer is talking with God)
God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is
with the attitude of your heart. The following is a suggested prayer:
“Lord Jesus, I need You. I open the door of my life and receive You as
my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins. Take control of the
throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be.”
Does this prayer express the desire of your heart?
If it does, pray this prayer right now, and Christ will come into your
life, as He promised.
HOW TO KNOW THAT CHRIST IS IN YOUR LIFE
Did you receive Christ into your life? According to His promise in
Revelation 3:20, where is Christ right now in relation to you? Christ said
that He would come into you life. Would He mislead you? On what authority
do you know that God has answered your prayer? (The trustworthiness of God
Himself and His Word.)
THE BIBLE PROMISES ETERNAL LIFE TO ALL WHO RECEIVE CHRIST
“And the witness is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this
life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have
the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you
who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that
you have eternal life” (1 John 5:11-13).
Thank God often that Christ is in you life and that He will never leave
you (Hebrews 13:5). You can know that the living Christ indwells you, and
that you have eternal life, from the very moment you invite Him in on the
basis of His promise. He will not deceive you.
What about feelings?
DO NOT DEPEND UPON FEELINGS
The promise of God’s Word, not our feelings, is our authority. The
Christian lives by faith (trust) in the trustworthiness of God Himself and
His Word. A train illustrates the relationship between fact (God and His
Word), faith (our trust in God and His Word), and feeling (the result of our
faith and obedience) (John 14:21).
This train is made up of an engine (Fact), a passenger car (Faith) and
lastly a caboose (Feeling).
The train will run with or without the caboose. However, it would be
futile to attempt to pull the train by the caboose. In the same way, we, as
Christians, do not depend on feelings or emotions, but place our faith
(trust) in the trustworthiness of God and the promise of His Word.
NOW THAT YOU HAVE RECEIVED CHRIST
The moment that you, as an act of faith, received Christ, many things
happened, including the following:
1. Christ came into your life (Revelation 3:20 and Colossians 1:27).
2. Your sins were forgiven (Colossians 1:14).
3. You became a child of God (John 1:12).
4. You began the great adventure for which God created you (John 10:10,
2 Corinthians 5:17 and 1 Thessalonians 5:18).
Can you think of anything more wonderful that could happen to you than
receiving Christ? Would you like to thank God in prayer right now for what
He has done for you? The very act of thanking God demonstrates faith.
Now what?
SUGGESTIONS FOR CHRISTIAN GROWTH
Spiritual growth results from trusting Jesus Christ. “The righteous
man shall live by faith” (Galatians 3:11). A life of faith will enable you
to trust God increasingly with every detail of you life, and to practice the
following:
G – Go to God in prayer daily (John 15:7).
R – Read God’s Word daily (Acts 17:11) — begin with the Gospel of
John.
O – Obey God, moment by moment (John 14:21).
W – Witness for Christ by your life and words (Matthew 4:19; John
15:8).
T – Trust God for every detail of you life (1 Peter 5:7).
H – Holy Spirit — allow Him to control and empower your daily life and
witness (Galatians 5:16,17; Acts 1:8).
THE IMPORTANCE OF A GOOD CHURCH
In Hebrews 10:25, we are admonished to forsake not “the assembling of
ourselves together…” Several logs burn brightly together; but put one
aside on the cold hearth and the fire goes out. So it is with your
relationship to other Christians. If you don not belong to a church, do not
wait to be invited. Take the initiative; call the pastor of a nearby church
where Christ is honored and His Word is preached. Start this week, and make
plans to attend regularly.