Thankfulness Series | Being Thankful for God and His Goodness
Today let's discuss how believers ought to be thankful for God and His goodness. Gods greatness and goodness resides in his character and in his actions.
For I know that the LORD is great, and that our Lord is above all gods. – Psalm 135:5
The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him. Nahum 1:7
The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works. - Psalm 145:17
God is so good that He loves even His own enemies and died for them: Romans 5: 6-8 KJB "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." We are grateful and thankful for God's goodness or else as believers we would not be saved! Before our salvation, in our flesh, we were ungodly!
Not only does God forgive those who simply believe the Gospel of their salvation (Christ's death, burial and resurrection as atonement for our sins) but in His goodness He also imputes His very own righteousness TO us as believers and gives us a new identity. Romans 4: 24-25 KJB "But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification."
So we are good now too, completely just in Gods sight, because of Christ Jesus! 😲 NOTHING can ever change our right standing with God! Not even future sin, although believers are to walk in the Spirit instead of after the flesh but that is regarding our Christian walk, not our salvation and standing with God. Upon salvation, believers are completely justified because of what Christ Jesus did for us.
Romans 3: 21-28 KJB "But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 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: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 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, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law."
This is really an incredible thing and we should be so thankful!
Now, a fair warning for everyone today in the dispensation of grace: Romans 11:22 KJV says, "Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity [talking about God putting the nation of Israel aside temporarily for the dispensation of grace]; but toward thee [Gentiles], goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off."
Today Jew and Gentile equally need salvation and are equal at the foot of the cross. There is no special nation today that God is blessing-- rather he is saving people individually who will believe the gospel of the grace of God. His prophetic program with Israel has been put on hold. But Paul gives us a fair warning to all people in the dispensation of grace, that at anytime this dispensation will be over and once the church is raptured out, God will resume his program with Israel and it will be a difficult time on the earth to believe in the Lord because of the deception of the anti-christ and other such things that will occur. Salvation will also require works of faith such as not taking the mark of the beast, etc during the tribulation period.
ALL people today should be so thankful for God's dispensing of grace! He also has been so gracious and longsuffering with mankind for so long! We are thankful for God and His goodness!
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