Love and Acceptance in Christ
Many of our clients consistently struggle to understand and receive the reality of being in Christ. Unfortunately, they feel hopelessly stuck finding their value and acceptance from God and others through their performance. They never feel good enough. Here are ten critical Biblical truths that we help our clients embrace.
• My holiness is not dependent on my efforts; it is dependent on the finished work of Christ and the Holy Spirit in me.
Ephesians 4:24 "put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness."
• I can stop trying to get holiness and accept that I am already holy.
1 Peter 1:16 "since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy."
• My achievements do not make me more holy, nor do my failures make me less holy.
Philippians 3:8, 9 "I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake, I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish so that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith."
• The Holy Spirit is working in me to putting to death sin in my life.
Romans 8:13 "For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live."
• I can receive God's forgiveness and thus forgive myself for my past failures.
Colossians 2:13-14 "And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross."
• God loves me unconditionally. My performance does not determine his love and forgiveness.
1 John 4:10" In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."
• I am acceptable to God and others. My worth and value are in the finished work of Jesus Christ- NOT MY EFFORTS. His love and acceptance are gifts through faith, and He has saved me by grace.
Ephesians 2:8-10 "For by grace, you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
• I can accept myself based on how Christ sees me. He created me and loved me unconditionally. His acceptance does not change because of my weaknesses.
2 Corinthians 12:9 "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
• I am no longer condemned for my mistakes and failures because God knows about them and has forgiven ALL of my sins.
Romans 8:1 "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."
• My identity is not determined by my education, vocation, wealth, power, or position. My identity is a beloved child of God.
1 Peter 2:9,10 "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."
Thank you for your prayers and continued support in helping hurting people. I pray that the Lord will use these emails to encourage and help you in your walk with Jesus!