No Condemnation

Albert Osabutey

NO CONDEMNATION © 2017 Albert Osabutey

King’s Chariots International MinistryP. O. Box 17073Accra-North, GhanaTel: +233 244 181 244Email: kcimtotheworld@gmail.com

All rights reserved. Except for brief excerpts for review purposes, no part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form without written permission from the publisher.

ISBN 978-1540005441

Design and Book Layout by Six degrees media.Tel: +233 24 994 5077

Published by LitemedyaTel: +233 543 989 662Email: litemedya@gmail.com

Introduction

Romans 8:1“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”

Many find it difficult to come to God, and the church seems to look too Holy and unwelcoming for them. Looking at the sins they have com-mitted, they believe God has no place for them in His Kingdom.

Some have also left the church of God because they were offended or rejected because of a sin they once committed.

Many have felt condemned by the church or society because they are sinners or they fall into sinful lives sometimes hence it becomes difficult for them to repent and follow Christ.

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Mark 2:17“When Jesus heard it, He said to them, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.’”

Once upon a time an adulterous woman was caught in the act and was brought to Jesus, so that Jesus would condemn her. In so doing, He would have given the crowd the go-ahead to stone her to death, but Jesus never condemned her. Rather, Jesus gave the woman another chance to live.

John 8:7-11“So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, ‘He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.’ And again He stooped down and wrote on the

However, there is good news for all. The Bible says God did not send His Son on earth to condemn you but rather to give you hope for eternal life.

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ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, ‘Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.’”

Brethren, Jesus did not come to condemn you; He came to give you life amidst your sins.

Romans 8:1 states, “There is therefore NOW no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the spirit.”

The adulterous woman had life (a second chance) when she was brought to Jesus, so will you also receive life (second chance) when you come to Jesus.

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Condemnation

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Condemnation is an expression of strong dis-approval; pronouncing as wrong or morally guilty of doing something wrong.• Is the act of judging (a person or a thing) to

be unfit for use.• Is an appeal to some supernatural power to

inflict evil on some individual or group.• Is the condition of being strongly disap-

proved of.• Is a final judgment of guilt in a criminal

case and the punishment that is imposed.

There are three ways that we come into condemnation; A. We came into condemnation through Adam.B. We come into condemnation through our

thoughts. C. We come into condemnation when others

judge us.

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Romans 5:16, 18“And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification.Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.”

This kind of condemnation comes to us because Adam sinned and because he sinned, all those who physically came from the genealogy of Adam are considered as sinners. This is because the sinful mindset that came (through disobedi-ence) to replace the godly mindset which used to be in Adam will naturally be transferred from one generation to the other. That is the reason why one of the major public declarations of Jesus

A. Condemnation through Adam

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after he was baptised was: “Repent! For the Kingdom of God is at hand;” meaning, “Have a change of mind for the Kingdom of God has come back to you.”

The Scripture above tells us that God sees the human race through two regiments; that is, the regiment of Adam and the regiment of Jesus. So all those who physically came from Adam were considered as sinners. Why? This is because Adam sinned. God sees all those who are in the regiment of Jesus as righteous because they have accepted Jesus, they have repented from their evil ways (Changed their minds) and have accepted Jesus and His righteousness.

That is the reason why one needs to move from the regiment of Adam which cannot please God and more so comes with condemnation to the regiment of Jesus Christ which pleases God and comes with eternal life; hence, one BEING BORN AGAIN.

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The Scripture tells us that if our conscience is clear, then we will be able to come to God without fear, and confident that our request will be heard.

The reason why we feel condemned is because we try to see ourselves through the lens of others. We look at others and think we are the worst of sinners.

1 John 3:21“Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. And this is His command-ment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment. Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.”

B. Condemnation Through Thoughts

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The way we see people pray or quote Scrip-tures or walk to church or act in Holy ways makes us think that we do not qualify. Hence, we condemn ourselves and think there is no hope for us. This is one of the instruments the devil uses to keep as many as possible from making it into the Kingdom of God.

The effect of self-condemnation is that it makes you stay away from other believers and that keeps us away from an opportunity to grow in God and have eternal life.

Another way we inflict condemnation on our-selves is when we feel and want to belong to a certain category of persons. We think when we step out of our past lives, friends will laugh at us, calling us names and saying we are weak; but that is untrue. A weak person is someone who cannot take bold decisions by himself/herself. He or she is unable to decide that today I want to turn on a new leaf. On the contrary, a strong person is the one who in the midst of all, steps out to take his/her own decision to follow Christ, not man.

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The above Scripture has to do with man’s inability to obey God’s law which He gave through Moses to humanity; so our inability to obey the law condemns us or brings us under judgment.

People’s statements can also condemn us. Just as we have read, Paul was saying he wasn’t condemning them by his utterance.

2 Corinthians 3:9“For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory.”

2 Corinthians 7:3“I do not say this to condemn; for I have said before that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together.”

C. Condemnation When Judged

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There are so many ways the devil will like us to see ourselves as condemned so that it becomes impossible for us to come to Christ. But thanks to Jesus who has assured us in the book of Romans 8:1 that there is now no more condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the spirit.

The book of Romans gives some conditions that qualify one to come under no condemnation.

The conditions are:1. Those who are in Christ Jesus.2. Those who do not walk according to the

flesh but according to the spirit.

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Being In Christ

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To be in Christ means: being rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith as Colos-sians 2:7 puts it; “Rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.”

To be in Christ means:1. To have a new identity. This means that

you are seen through who Christ is.2. We have intimacy with Christ. This

means being deeply united with Christ.3. We have inheritance in Christ. It means

whatever He has, we share in it.4. We have impartation in Christ. It means He

imparts (transmit) whatever he has to us.

A. What does it mean to be in Christ?

2 Corinthians 5:17“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

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B. What is the basis for our union in Christ?

John 14:19-20“A little while longer and the world will see me no more, but you will see me, because I live, you will live also. At that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in Me and I in you.”

This Scripture tells us that we have become one with Jesus in thoughts, words and deeds, so that just as the Father is, so must we be.

Being in Christ is not like a baby being in the womb of her mother but being same in thought, words and deeds so that just as Christ is, so we must also be.

1 John 4:17“Love has been perfected among us in this; that we may have boldness in the Day of Judgment; because AS HE IS, SO ARE WE IN THIS WORLD.”

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What this Scripture wants to put across is that, the Day of Judgment is that time when all will appear before Christ and be held accountable for their actions but with those who allowed God to live in them through Christ, they have no reason to fear judgment because they have been saved from punishment. (1 Corinthians 3:15: “If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”)

It also means, one has lived in Christ so much so that his actions, thoughts and deeds are similar to those of Christ.

Your living is seen as a reflection of Christ. Thus, you do the things that Christ would have done if he were in your shoes.

Your thinking is always on things above; you seek only to please the Father in heaven and not man.

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This tells our union in Christ where Christ is the tree and we are the branches. So being in Christ requires that we stick to God as our only source of life just as a branch is stacked to a tree.

C. The second basis of our union (in Christ) is

John 15:1-2“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser, every branch in me that does not bear fruit He takes away: and every branch that bears fruit He prunes that it may bear more fruit.”

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From the Scripture above, it is clear that anybody who is not in Christ Jesus will face judg-ment, but all those who are in Jesus have passed from death (eternal death) to life (eternal life).

One of the major things that helps one to flee judgment or that enables one to be in Christ is hearing.

There are two things that the Scripture (John 5:24) has said is needed to enable one to be in Christ:1. Hearing the Word of God.2. Believing in Him (and His Word).

D. How can one be in Christ?

John 5:24“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My Word and believes in Him who sent me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment but has passed from death into life.”

Hearing theWord of God

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This is paramount to the process of receiving Jesus. Repentance or change comes mostly because a word has been heard.

Hearing has to do with the means by which information is received.

Hearing could mean:

A. To perceive with the ears: this is when an information is given and received through the means of speaking /sign language.

Through the above means one is able to hear the Word of God. Pastors, friends, and even strangers are most times sent to us to speak the Word of God to us so that we could hear and then repent but most times, we take it for granted.

Romans 10:14“How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?”

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There are times a pastor would speak the Word and you would hear, there are also times where in a conversation with friends, one of them may speak the Word of God that you may hear. Though that person may not look like a pastor or preacher, the hidden truth is that God used him or her to speak the Word of God so that you can hear the Word and repent.

Most often, we see preachers preaching the Word of God by the side of the road, in buses, schools and even through various forms of social media. The very fact that you heard the Word (calling on you to repent) means it is God who has sent the Word to you and you have a choice to come to Jesus or reject Him, but the best choice is to accept Him.

B. To have an information through reading journals, books and other forms of Christian literatures.

Just like you are reading this tract, it is one of the ways God uses preachers to speak the Word of God into our lives. Many take for granted such materials that come their way and not knowing or forgetting that they are also means through which the Word of God is

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brought to us (and even in the case where one is not able to read, God will always send someone to speak to our understanding).

One will ask: Why does God send preachers to us and why now?

2 Peter 3:9“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise; as some count slackness, but is long suffering towards us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

You may argue that since you were born, it has been said over and over again that Christ is coming but till now He hasn’t come. You may also be asking yourself why of all the tracts you may have received in the past, why are you now reading this? Or maybe, why hasn’t God dealt with you yet in your sins if He exists?

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From the Scripture we just read (2 Peter 3:9), you will realise that it is not the Will of God that anyone He has created in His image and likeness should perish. Rather, it is His desire that they may all be saved. This is the more reason why you are alive to read this; because no one controls his/ her breath, no one knows when he or she will die, but all we know is that God has given us another day and another chance to repent.

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This Scripture tells us that we were regarded as sinners though we weren’t physically present when Adam and Eve sinned. Though we were not there and did not physically partake in the act of sin, we became sinners because we come physically from the blood line of Adam and Eve who happen to be our first physical human parents; so because they sinned, we also sinned. That is how the human race after Adam and Eve became sinners. ?

Romans 5:12-14“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned— (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.”

Who said I am a sinner

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Again we see in the Scripture above that God requires us to believe in Jesus Christ and He who sent Him and we will have everlasting life.

John 5:24“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”

Just as we read in Romans 5:12-14, God sees the human race through two regiments; the regiment of Adam and the regiment of Jesus.• From the regiment of Adam, God judges the

human race by the laws or the Ten Com-mandments that He gave through Moses. He judges according to one’s works and obedience.

• From the regiment of Jesus, God judges us because we have accepted and believe in the complete work of Jesus on the cross

? How do I get out of sin?

Believing in Him(and His Word)

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Believing in Jesus as the Son of God and that He is the way, the truth, and the light is needed for one’s salvation. Without our belief, we cannot receive from God neither can we have eternal life.

Believe means:A. Accepting as true.B. Being confident about something.C. Following a system of principles.D. Acknowledging with the quality of being

truthful.

Romans 10:10“For with the heart one believes unto righteous-ness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

John 10:38“But if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.”

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To believe is more than a one-time event; it is a continuous process and it must be unwavering.

He who believes must believe to the end and must not give up in his faith or belief. When that is achieved, salvation is inevitable.

The only way the devil gets man to fall is when he is able to make him doubt the promises of God; the Word of God and the existence of God.

Doubts lead to unbelief and thereafter, sin. One of the old tricks the devil uses on humanity to cause man to lose his place in God is doubt.

Matthew 24:13“But He who endures to the end shall be saved.”

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Unbelief is sin and it denies us of our salva-tion but that is what the devil always causes us to do.

When the devil, through the serpent, came to Eve in the Garden of Eden, he asked the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the Garden?’”

All that the devil sought to do was to cast doubt in the mind of the woman and after he succeeded in doing that, he led her astray to do contrary to the Will of God.

Even after you have accepted and believed in Jesus and His Words, the devil will keep coming to you with questions that will throw you in a state of doubt.

James 1:7-8“For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

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1. Know the Word

2. Avoid bad company (friends and environment)

Psalm 119:11“Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.”

Psalm 1:1“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful.”

? How can I overcome unbelief?

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All who receive Jesus into their lives are reborn spiritually. Receiving Jesus means;i. Being willing to change your mind and

heart from sin. ii. Admitting Jesus into your life.

3. Do not forsake the gathering of the saints

Hebrews 10:25“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhort-ing one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”

John 1:12“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.”

? What does it mean to receive Him (Jesus)?

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iii. Having complete trust in Jesus Christ.iv. Having no doubts that Jesus died for you.

The meaning of the word, receive, according to the Greek translation means: to associate with oneself, to assume an office and to take unto oneself.• From what has been stated above, you

will realise that it is impossible to believe in Jesus when you have not received Him. When you receive Jesus, you have associ-ated yourself with Him, you have received His Words and teachings, and you have associated with His way of life; so you want people to identify you with Him.

• Receiving Jesus means you have taken for yourself the office of a follower of Jesus. Hence, His lifestyle becomes your lifestyle. It is then that people can call you a Chris-tian just as they called the disciples of old.

• Receiving Jesus means taking His righteous-ness upon yourself.

The second condition one needs in order to come under no condemnation is: “Not walk according to the flesh but according to the spirit.”

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Walking According to the Spirit and Not the Flesh

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Walking according to the flesh means doing the desires that will make the flesh happy but which is distractive to the soul and the spirit.

There are three means by which we walk in the flesh:

Romans 8:5“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.”

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What does it mean to walk according to the flesh?

Thought

The Scripture is emphatic that we walk according to the flesh in our thoughts; according to what we think.

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Matthew 5:28“But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

1 Peter 3:10“For he who would love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit.

2 Words

The Scripture suggests how and where sin is first committed, and that is the mind, through our thoughts.

The second means by which we walk in the flesh is by the words that we speak.

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Now, caution is being sounded here so that believers will refrain from using their lips to speak evil things which will make them even-tually walk in the flesh.

Galatians 5:19-21

“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are:

The body becomes the instrument used to accomplish both good and bad things that run through our minds or thoughts.

3 Deeds

Romans 7:5“For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death.”

? What are some of the sins of the flesh?

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• Adultery (Extramarital sex that willfully and maliciously interferes with marriage relations).

• Fornication (Voluntary sexual intercourse between persons not married to each other).

• Uncleanness (The state of being unsani-tary in thought, words and deeds).

• Lewdness (The trait of behaving in an obscene manner).

• Idolatry (Worshipping images or making things become first in our lives, thus making them gods in our lives).

• Sorcery (The belief in magical spells that harness evil spirits to produce unnatural effects in the world).

• Hatred (The emotion of intense dislike; a feeling of dislike so strong that it demands action).

• Contentions (A speech or act; a dispute where there is strong disagreement).

• Jealousies (A feeling of jealous envy (espe-cially of a rival)).

• Outbursts of wrath (Outburst of intense anger).

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• Selfish ambitions (It is the drive to put oneself ahead of others, and to deceive by “spinning” the truth in order to look good and hide the inner selfish purposes as one pursues getting his own way).

• Dissensions (Disagreement among those expected to cooperate).

• Heresies (Any opinions or doctrines at vari-ance with the official or orthodox position).

• Envy (A feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else’s possessions, qualities, or luck).

• Murders (The unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by another).

• Drunkenness (The state of being drunk; intoxication).

• Revelries (Unrestrained merrymaking).• And the like (anything that comes

close in meaning to the things listed above) of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practise such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God.”

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The Scripture suggests to us that walking according to the spirit means having your mind on the things of the spirit. In having your mind on the things of the spirit, Philippians 2:5 says; “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,” in other words our thinking must be in likeness to that of Christ.

Whatever that comes to your mind, you need to ask yourself: “Will Jesus entertain such thoughts if He was in my shoes?” If no, then you have to do away with that thought.

Just like walking in the flesh, walking in the spirit also demands;

? What does it mean to walk according to the spirit?

Romans 8:5“For those who live according to the flesh set their mindson the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.”

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1

2

3

Thought

Words

Deeds

Philippians 2:5“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.”

Proverbs 18:21“Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled to the full with their own fancies.”

Matthew 7:16“You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles?”

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Galatians 5:22

“But the fruit of the Spirit is• Love (Have a great affection or liking for).• Joy (The emotion of great happiness).• Peace (The state prevailing during

freedom from disputes).• Longsuffering (Patiently bearing continual

wrongs or trouble).• Kindness (The quality of being warm-

hearted and considerate and humane and sympathetic).

• Goodness (That which is pleasing, valuable or useful).

• Faithfulness (Steadfast in affection or allegiance).

? What are some of the Fruits of the spirit?

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Confession

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Confession is making public with our mouth what we believe in. Belief without confession is like hearing the Word without accepting it as the truth. Believing and confessing work hand in hand; what you believe must always come in the form of confession.

From the above Scripture, it is clear that con-fessing with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believing that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Our confession tells the world about our full conviction in the complete work Jesus came to do and it also suggests to the world that we are not shy of the Gospel.

Romans 10:9-10“That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteous-ness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

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Our confession also tells the world that God abides in us.

The Bible says that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh (Luke 6:45). So one’s confession tells that one is filled with the Holy Spirit who is from the Father.

Having read the Word, I want you to confess Jesus and to believe in your heart that God raised Him and that because Jesus died on the cross, your sins have been forgiven and you are the righteousness of Jesus Christ, and today, your name is written in the book of life and you are counted among the saints for the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 John 4:15“Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.”

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Please Confess With Faith

Lord God, I thank you for your Son, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross and rose again for my sake. I repent of all my sins.

Today I confess with my mouth and believe in my heart that Jesus is Lord.

I, from this day forth, accept you Jesus as my Lord and Saviour.

I surrender my all to you, Take me and use me,

I am all yours Lord, yes all yours. In Jesus name I have confessed. Amen!!!