THE

Miracle
OF
GOD’S GRACE

PAULA WHITE CAIN

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2
 THE
Miracle
OF
GOD’S GRACE
… handbook for new Christians

By

PAULA WHITE CAIN

© 2019 Paula White Enterprises

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 INTRODUCTION
For God so loved the world, that he gave his
only Son, that whoever believes in him should
not perish but have eternal life. ~ John 3:16
Welcome to the family of God and
congratulations on your new relationship with
His Son, Jesus Christ! He died on the cross — for
you — so you could be free from the shackles of
sin and experience life abundantly, overflowing
with peace that goes beyond all understanding,
unspeakable, unimaginable joy — and glorious
freedom from sin’s clutches. God gave us all the
freedom to choose and we are rejoicing with you
that you chose life in Jesus Christ rather than
eternity without God in a place called hell.
For by grace you have been saved through
faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of
God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ
Jesus for good works, which God prepared
beforehand that we should walk in them.
~ Ephesians 3:8
Through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross,
a divine exchange took place that unlocks all of
God’s provisions for us. God has given us all
the freedom to choose, including Jesus Himself.
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Jesus could have chosen to let mankind pay the
price for Adam’s choice in the garden of death,
suffering, and sin. Jesus chose to stand in our
place and take all the penalty of our sin upon
Himself. He was crucified so we could live free
from sin’s influence and sin’s penalty.
Surely He has borne our griefs and carried
our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was
wounded for our transgressions, He was
bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for
our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we
are healed. ~ Isaiah 53:4-5
Jesus was wounded that you might be
healed. He was punished that you might
be forgiven. Jesus was made sin with your
sinfulness so that you might be made righteous
with His righteousness. Jesus was made a curse
that you might receive His blessing. Jesus
endured your poverty that you might share
His abundance. Jesus bore your shame that
you might share His glory. Jesus endured your
rejection that you might enjoy His acceptance.
Today, if you are in Christ as a believer and have
a relationship with Him, your old man died in
Jesus. You’re a new creation, and now His life

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is in you! What an awesome God that would
release such an expression of measureless love
to us!
REDEMPTION
We toss the word “redemption” around in
everyday life. It usually comes up in the context
of receiving something back for which we have a
credit or gaining something back that we lost by
error or circumstance. We say the word without
really thinking through what it means. It’s a
word with a positive connotation and associated
with receiving something we otherwise would
lose. In today’s world we redeem coupons
and credits to our accounts. Redemption is
deliverance by payment of a price. To redeem
means “to ransom, to buy back or to be released
from prison”. A ransom is the payment of the
necessary price for the release of a captive. The
blood of Jesus was the price paid to release us
from sin and death. It gave to us the highest
degree of dignity to cover the depth of our sin.
To bestow this incredible gift of redemption for
us, first He had to become like us.
For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all
things and by whom are all things, in bringing
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many sons to glory, to make the captain of
their salvation perfect through sufferings.
For both He who sanctifies and those who
are being sanctified are all of one, for which
reason He is not ashamed to call them
brethren, saying: “I will declare Your name
to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly
I will sing praise to You.” And again: “I will
put My trust in Him.”And again: “Here am I
and the children whom God has given Me.”
Inasmuch then as the children have partaken
of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared
in the same, that through death He might
destroy him who had the power of death, that
is, the devil … ~ Hebrews 2:10-14
You’re part of God’s family now!
Salvation is an act and decision of God
whereby He interrupts the life of a person
separated from Him by sin. Psalm 65:4
proclaims, “Blessed is the man you choose,
and cause to approach you, that he may dwell
in your courts.” Being saved and having our
names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life is not
something we can boast about because salvation
is God’s gift to us. We could never earn it, the
only thing we can do is receive it.

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 Jesus said in John 10:10 . . . The thief
does not come except to steal, and to kill, and
to destroy. I have come that they [you] may
have life, and that they [you] may have it more
abundantly.
The priceless gift of eternity with our
heavenly Father comes with overflowing
benefits. The Giver of all good gifts receives
the glory for the story of our lives merging
with His. When we accepted Jesus, we stopped
resisting God’s love and surrendered our will
to the lordship of His Son, Jesus Christ. It was
a decision that could only be made possible by
the miracle of God’s grace, His relentless pursuit
of us with His love and tender kindness, and by
revealing Himself to us in unmistakable ways.
Who can resist the Father when He is pursuing
His lost sheep? Who would want to? God will
never stop pursuing you with His love because
He is a good, good Father.
REGENERATION
Not by works of righteousness which we have
done, but according to His mercy He saved
us, through the washing of regeneration and
renewing of the Holy Spirit. ~ Titus 3:5

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 The Apostle Paul is telling us in Titus 3:5
that it was the mercy, grace, and goodness of
God that made salvation possible. We can rejoice
today because of God’s miracle of grace toward
mankind.
As Christians, we are always being
regenerated and propelled to new levels of glory
in Him. There is always a new level of work
He is doing in us and through us. When we are
resurrected, we will be like Him (See 1 John 3:2-3).
Until that time, you will be regenerated and
renewed continually by the Word of God and by
the power of the Holy Spirit. As you faithfully
study His Word, His process will become more
clear to you. Just as the potter molds his clay for
his purpose, God uses events and circumstances
in our lives to mold us into His image. As we
read and meditate on the eternal truth of God’s
Word and are illuminated by His Spirit, God will
reveal how He is perfecting us, what our future
holds, and our part in the process.
The transformation is undeniable. The
change that takes place within us is evidenced
by the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) in our
lives. We have a burning desire to please God.
Without trying through our own efforts but by
simple obedience to the Holy Spirit, we live a
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life that glorifies Him. As Christians, we belong
to Christ; and as His sheep, we hear His voice
and we follow Him as He leads us through every
valley of trial and on every mountain of victory
(John 10:26-30). You’ve been adopted!
Adoption is membership into God’s family.
But when the fullness of the time had come,
God sent forth His Son, born of a woman,
born under the law, to redeem those who
were under the law, that we might receive the
adoption as sons. And because you are sons,
God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into
your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”
Therefore you are no longer a slave but a
son, and if a son, then an heir of God through
Christ. ~ Galatians 4:4-8
Adoption is not a haphazard decision.
No one wakes up thinking, “I think I’ll adopt
someone today”. Bringing a person into a family
by means of adoption is a choice that is rooted
in love. God’s unchanging plan has always been
to adopt us into His own family through Jesus
Christ. Once we give our hearts and lives to
Christ, believing and trusting in Him alone for
salvation, we become part of God’s family.

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But to all who did receive him, who believed
in his name, he gave the right to become
children of God, who were born, not of blood
nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of
man, but of God. ~John 1:12-13 ESV
Ephesians 1:5 tells us that this gave God
great pleasure. As God adopts those who receive
Christ as Savior into His spiritual family, He is
so pleased He wants to pour out all the blessings
of His Kingdom for you – healing, restoration,
joy, peace abundance and so much more. Jesus
said in Luke 12:32, “Do not be afraid, little
flock, for your Father has been pleased to give
you the kingdom.”
When a child is adopted, he doesn’t have
the option of choosing when by whom that will
happen. In the same way, God’s adoption of us
is totally dependent upon His loving grace to His
people. We are adopted into God’s family when
we place our trust in Christ.
The benefits and privileges that accompany
God’s grace are clearly seen in the way He
relates to us and in the way we relate to one
another as brothers and sisters. That is why Jesus
told us:
Pray then like this: Our Father in heaven,
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hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come,
your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive
us our debts, as we also have forgiven our
debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but
deliver us from evil. ~ Matthew 6:9-13 ESV
As Christians, we instinctively cry out to our
Father, as the Holy Spirit bears witness with our
spirit that we are His children (Romans 8:15- 16).
God as our heavenly Father is the foundation of
many other blessings of the Christian life, and
it becomes the primary way in which we relate
to God.
REPENTANCE AND FAITH
Repentance and faith are necessary for a
true conversion of the heart to take place. Some
people feel sorry for the sin in their lives, but
they’re not truly repentant (2 Corinthians 7:10).
They are not willing to turn from their sin and
towards the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Others
may have faith in “something”, even faith in
Jesus; but not be true saving faith. For example,
John 6:60 says that many of Jesus’ disciples
turned away from following Him after He taught
more spiritual doctrines.

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Why is Jesus the only way to God?
Jesus is the only One who could pay the
penalty of our sin (Romans 6:23). No other
religion teaches the depth or seriousness of sin
and its consequences — only lists of rules. No
other religion offers the infinite payment of
sin by a sinless being, a payment paid by God
Himself which only Jesus Christ could provide.
No other religion’s “God-man” came for the
express purpose of setting people free from sin
and the power of death — only Jesus. There is
only Him.
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is
no other name under heaven given to men by
which we must be saved. ~ Acts 4:12 NIV
You have faith in Christ to save you from
your sins and redeem you from sin’s penalty.
Therefore you are repentant of your sins. Sin is
transgression against God and His law. If you
don’t see the need to repent, you won’t see your
need to trust Christ as your Savior.
Jesus said, “Unless you are converted and
become like children, you will not enter the
kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). Jesus
is clear that if a person of this world is to be

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accepted into the kingdom of heaven — he must
be converted. True repentance is the turning
away from sin. The Greek word for repentance
means to “feel remorse” and to “change one’s
mind.” When we repent of our sin, we feel
remorse because we realize that we have violated
God’s holy nature. We change our mind and
therefore our ways to agree with His ways. We
can be thankful because we know that we are
guilty and rightly deserve God’s judgment, but
instead, we have received His grace and mercy.
Mercy triumphs over judgment! (James 2:13).
What do we need to know in order to repent?
God is holy. I often explain “holy” as
meaning pure and full of power. It is a purity that
commands respect; not by demanding it, but by
simply being who He is. God is holy. Because
we are being conformed into the image of His
Son every day by the Holy Spirit (Romans
8:29), He is making us holy, too. Without the
knowledge and understanding that God is holy,
we would not know sin.
Yet if it had not been for the law, I would
not have known sin...So the law is holy, and
the commandment is holy and righteous and
good… For we know that the law is spiritual,
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but I am of the flesh, sold under sin.
~ Romans 7:7, 12, 14
God commands us in 1 Peter 1:16, “You
must be holy, because I am holy.” As imperfect
humans we could never attain God’s standard
of holiness, but we can be considered “holy and
acceptable to God” through our obedience to
God’s laws (Romans 12:1) To be holy in God’s
eyes means to reflect His commands and the
Bible’s warning to “become holy yourselves in
all your conduct.”(1 Thessalonians 4:3; 1 Peter
1:15).
ONE GOD; THREE PERSONS
The doctrine of the Trinity is foundational
to our Christian faith. It means there is one God
who eternally exists as three distinct persons: the
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The trinity is one
God in three distinct offices.
The Father sent the Son into the world
(John 3:16), so He cannot be the same person as
the Son. In the same way, after the Son returned
to the Father (John 16:10), the Father and the
Son sent the Holy Spirit into the world (John
14:26; Acts 2:33). Therefore, the Holy Spirit
must be distinct from the Father and the Son.
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 While the word “trinity” is not mentioned
in the Bible, there are many Scriptures where all
three are mentioned in their distinct office. Here
are just two of them:
Go therefore and make disciples of all the
nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
~ Matthew 28:19
And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form
like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from
heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son;
in You I am well pleased.” ~ Luke 3:22
GOD IS THE LAWGIVER
You shall walk after the Lord your God and
fear him and keep his commandments and
obey his voice, you shall serve him and hold
fast to him. ~ Deuteronomy 13:4
The law is a reflection of God’s own nature.
God gives us commandments. He makes the
principles that we should follow. When we break
these principles, we transgress His law. Our
disobedience positions us in diametric opposition
to His holy nature. When we break God’s
principles, we become His enemy. The penalty
for breaking His commandments and living in

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sin is to be separated from Him and to spend
eternity in hell, where the worm does not die and
the fire is not quenched (Mark 9:48).
Repentance is not saying, “I’m sorry I got
caught.” Repentance is a true heartbroken state
of being, where your heart is pricked for how
you’ve rejected God, cast away His advances,
gone your own way, and been a fool.
Whether it is repentance from a willful
rejection of God and His ways or repentance
from ignorance or disinterest, it is changing your
mind from rejection of Christ to faith in Christ.
You can’t get saved any time you want!
It is important to understand that repentance
is not a work we do to earn salvation. No one
can repent and come to God unless God draws
that person to Himself (John 6:44). In fact, it
is not even a passing thought, unless the Holy
Spirit pricks your heart.
Acts 5:31 and 11:18 reveal that repentance
is only possible because of God’s grace. All
of salvation, including repentance and faith, is
a result of His drawing us, opening our eyes,
and changing our hearts. God’s longsuffering
leads us to repentance (2 Peter 3:9), as does His
kindness (Romans 2:4).
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 It is impossible to truly and fully change
your mind without a resulting change in your
actions. In the Bible, repentance that comes
from deep within causes a change in behavior
on the outside. That is why John the Baptist
called people to “produce fruit in keeping with
repentance” (Matthew. 3:8). A person who has
truly repented from the rejection of Christ to
faith in Christ gives evidence of a changed life
(2 Cor. 5:17; Galatians 5:19-23; James 2:14-26).
Biblical repentance is changing your mind
about Jesus Christ and turning to God in faith
for salvation (Acts 3:19). It is a miraculous work
of the Holy Spirit in a cherished person that He
has been pursuing for a long time! We are so
valuable to Him, people of God!
John the Baptist came declaring a message
of repentance for the remission of sins in order to
prepare the way of the Lord:
As it is written in the book of the words of
Isaiah the prophet, saying, The voice of one
crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way
of the Lord, make His paths straight. Every
valley shall be filled, and every mountain and
hill shall be brought low, and the crooked
shall be made straight, and the rough ways

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shall be made smooth; and all flesh shall see
the salvation of God. ~ Luke 3:4
God has a plan and a purpose for your life.
The Lord’s plan for your life is for you
to be filled and lifted up before His return for
His church. However, before we will ever be
prepared for the Lord Jesus, the “mountains” of
our pride and self-will must come down. Only
to the degree that we become “valleys” can we
expect to be filled up.
In preparation for the coming of Jesus
Christ, God placed John the Baptist in the Jordan
Valley which is the lowest place on earth. it is
significant that the Lord began His greatest work
in the lowest place. True repentance requires
us to lower our soul (our mind, our will and
our emotions) before God. We must humble
ourselves under the mighty hand of God.
Thus says the Lord, ‘Cursed is the man who trusts
in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart
departs from the Lord. ~ Jeremiah 17:5
To the humble, God gives His grace. It is
only through God’s grace that we can experience
real change. God asks for a wholehearted
commitment to Christ. While faith and
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repentance are two aspects of conversion at the
beginning of the Christian life, they are attitudes
of the heart that continue throughout our lives.
Have you come to trust in Christ personally,
or are you still at the point of intellectual
knowledge and emotional approval of the eternal
truth of salvation?
It is not enough simply to know that God
and His law are holy. You must come to an
understanding of how those truths relate to
yourself and your standing with God. You need
to know that you are guilty of breaking His
law in order to truly understand your great and
desperate need for God and the glory He has
already prepared for you.
Secondly, you must know that you must
confess your sins and turn away from them.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned,
we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
~1 John 1:9-10
FAITH THAT SAVES
What is faith and what role does faith play
in the Christian life? The Bible has much to say

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about faith and how important it is. In fact, faith
is so important that without it, we have no place
with God; and it is impossible to please Him
(Hebrews 11:6). Faith is belief in Jesus Christ,
the only begotten Son of the one true God even
though we cannot see Him.
Saving faith is personal trust in Jesus Christ
as a real, historical person who died on the
cross for the forgiveness of our sins. The word
faith comes from the Greek word meaning “to
commit and to trust”. Hebrews 11:1 tells us that
faith is “being sure of what hope for and certain
of what we do not see.” No other component of
the Christian life is more important than faith.
We cannot purchase it, sell it or give it to our
friends.
Where does faith come from? Ephesians
2:8-9 makes it clear that faith is a gift from God,
not because we deserve it, have earned it, or are
worthy to have it. Faith is not from us; it is from
God. It is not obtained by our power or our free
will. It is simply given to us by God, along with
His grace and mercy, according to His holy plan
and purpose (Romans 12:3).
Why is faith important?
God designed a way to distinguish between
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those who belong to Him and those who don’t,
and it is called faith. God tells us that it pleases
Him that we believe in Him even though we
cannot see Him, and Hebrews 11:6 tells us that
“He rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
God delights in blessing those who are
obedient and faithful. In Luke 7:50, Jesus is
engaged in a conversation with a sinful woman
when He gives us a glimpse of why faith is so
rewarding. He tells the woman, “Your faith has
saved you; go in peace.” The woman believed in
Jesus Christ by faith and He rewarded her for it.
Faith is what sustains us to the end, knowing by
faith that we will be in heaven with God for all
eternity.
Faith is illuminated by the Holy Spirit so
we can understand who Jesus Christ is and the
hope to which we have been called. Hebrews
chapter 11 is known as the faith chapter because
the author writes about great deeds of faith down
through the eons of time.
• By faith, Abel offered a pleasing sacrifice to
the Lord (v. 4).
• By faith, Noah prepared the ark in a time
when rain was unknown (v. 7).
• By faith, Abraham left his home and
obeyed God’s command to go he knew not
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 where, then willingly offered up his only
son (vv. 8-10, 17).
• By faith, Moses led the children of Israel
out of Egypt (vv. 23-29).
• By faith, Rahab received the spies of Israel
and saved her life (v. 31).
Faith is the cornerstone of Christianity.
Without demonstrating faith and trust in God
we have no place with Him. Most people have a
vague, disjointed notion of who God is, but lack
the reverence necessary for His exalted position
in their lives. These people lack the saving faith
needed to have an eternal relationship with the
God who loves them.
Faith can fail us at times, but because it
is the gift of God, given to His children, He
provides times of trial and testing in order to
prove that our faith is real and to sharpen and
strengthen it.
This is why James tells us to consider
it “pure joy” because the testing of our faith
produces perseverance and matures us, providing
the evidence of our faith (James 1:2-4).
Why is faith without works dead?
What does it profit, my brethren, if someone
says he has faith but does not have works?
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Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is
naked and destitute of daily food, and one of
you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed
and filled,” but you do not give them the things
which are needed for the body, what does it
profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not
have works, is dead. ~ James 2:14-26
Simply saying we believe in Christ does not
save us, nor does praying a prayer of salvation
or making a “decision” for Christ. Salvation is
a sovereign act of God whereby sinners, like
you and me once were, receive the “washing of
regeneration” — the rebirth in Jesus Christ —
and the “renewing of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5)
poured out on them, thereby causing them to be
truly born again (John 3:16).
When we are saved, God gives us new
hearts and puts a new spirit within us (Ezekiel
36:26). Think of it! God performs Holy Ghost
heart surgery on us! He removes our sin-hardened
hearts of stone, replaces them with tender hearts
of flesh, then fills them with new life through the
indwelling presence of His Spirit. The result is
that we no longer want to rebel against Him. It
becomes our heart’s’ desire to walk in obedience
to His Word.
Faith without works is dead because it
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reveals a heart that has not been transformed by
God. When we have experienced the washing
and regeneration of the Holy Spirit our faith will
be evident by the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians
5:22) in our lives and a desire to obey God and
live a life that glorifies Him. Christians belong to
Christ and as His sheep they hear His voice and
follow Him (John 10:26-30).
True saving faith is always manifested by
good works and a life that desires to live in a
way that pleases Him. Ephesians 2:8-10 makes it
very clear that works do not save us but that we
are saved “for good works which God prepared
beforehand that we would walk in them. When
we are truly born again as Paul wrote in 2
Corinthians 5:17, “. . . he is a new creation; old
things have passed away; behold, all things have
become new.”
Faith without works is an empty profession
of faith from someone to whom Christ will say,
“And then will I profess unto them, I never knew
you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
(Matthew 7:23).
Read Hebrews chapter 11 — the faith “Hall
of Fame.” We are given these examples because
ultimately, we will have some things in common
with these older brothers and sisters in the faith.
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 THE BELIEVERS’ BAPTISM
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching
them to observe all that I have commanded
you. And behold, I am with you always, to the
end of the age. ~Matthew 28:19-20 ESV
As with other aspects of Christianity, the
origin of water baptism is found in the ritual
purification ceremony of Judaism called Tvilah,
The participant would be fully immersed in
water; when they emerged they were considered
clean. Tvilah was required for three things:
1. Conversion to Judaism. When one
converted to Judaism, they immersed
themselves fully in “living water”. When
emerged, they were cleansed from previous
sins as non-Jews and would begin their
new lives as Jews, following God’s law as
given in the Torah. Christ is our living
water now!
2. Ritual purification for skins conditions,
bodily discharge, touching carcasses, and
menstrual cycles.
3. Priestly preparation on Yom Kippur, the
Day of Atonement.

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 All three requirements dealt with
purification before God. They were a shadow of
what was to come — Jesus Christ.
THE BAPTISM OF CHRIST
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth
of Galilee and was baptized by John in the
Jordan. And when he came up out of the water,
immediately he saw the heavens being torn
open and the Spirit descending on him like a
dove. ~ Mark 1:9-10

If water baptism was meant for those who

were unclean, then an obvious question arises.
Why was Christ, who knew no sin (impurity)
according to 2 Corinthians 5:21, baptized?
Clearly, that wasn’t the reason for the baptism
here. Even John the Baptist claimed that Christ
should be baptizing him! (Matthew 3:14).
The reason is that Jesus — who was the
sinless Son of God — took upon Himself your
sins and my sins, and the sins of the whole
human race. Just as He didn’t have to die,
so He didn’t have to be baptized — until He
became the bearer of all our sins. From the very
beginning of His ministry, Jesus demonstrated
that He was, in the words of John the Baptist,

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“the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the
world!” (John 1:29).
And when Jesus was baptized, immediately
he went up from the water, and behold, the
heavens were opened to him, and he saw
the Spirit of God descending like a dove and
coming to rest on him; and behold a voice from
heaven said, “this is my beloved Son, with
whom I am well pleased. ~ Matthew 3:13-17
Again, we see Christ, the Holy Spirit and
the Father operating simultaneously, yet as one.
This is why Christ would instruct us later to
baptize in the name of the Father, Son and Holy
Spirit (Matthew 28:19).
Jesus was baptized to show us the God- given
protocol for ordination in ministry, even though
He was the highest of all. Christ allowed John to
baptize Him because the Father had commanded
it to be so, in His divine order and establishing a
pattern for mankind.
Once Jesus delivered this charge to His
followers, baptism was no longer optional.
Scripture contains several examples of new
Christians who submitted in obedience
immediately after salvation. Paul and Silas
instructed their jailer to receive Christ and be
baptized (Acts 16:27-33); likewise, Phillip took
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the Ethiopian eunuch right into the water after
hearing his confession of faith (Acts 8:36-38).
Is there anyone who should not be baptized?
It may seem obvious, but for clarity, I want
to include the reasons here, lest Satan attempts
to convince you that you even remotely fall into
any of these categories. A person should not be
baptized:
1) if they do not profess Christ
2) if they do not submit to the local church
3) if they believe in false doctrines
If you have recently come to Christ and
have not been baptized, be sure to follow the
pattern Jesus set before you and do what God is
calling you to do! Be baptized in the name of the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All those who have the revelation of Christ
as Lord and Savior through the compelling of
the Holy Spirit and is truly saved should be
baptized! It is a beautiful part of our walk with
Christ.
THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift
my Father promised, which you have heard
me speak about. For John baptized with water,
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but in a few days you will be baptized with the
Holy Spirit. ~ Acts 1:4-5
Is the baptism of the Holy Spirit for today?
Absolutely!
On the day of Pentecost Peter announced:
Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in
the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of
your sins. And you will receive the gift of the
Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your
children and for all who are far off- for all
whom the Lord our God will call.
~ Acts 2:38-39
So how do we receive the baptism of the
Holy Spirit? We follow the blueprint laid out by
Christ and the disciples:
1. We recognize Christ as Savior and repent
(Acts 2:38)
2. We ask the Father in Jesus name for it
(Luke 11:9)
3. We receive the ordinance of water baptism
(Acts 2:38)
4. We believe we receive when we ask
(Matthew 18:19)
5. We persist in prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

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 In Luke 11:5-13, Jesus tells a parable
in which the neighbor persistently asked for
bread and is initially not answered, but when
his persistence prevails; Jesus compares that to
asking God in prayer for gifts. How much more
will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to
those who ask Him!”
PUSH - Pray Until Something Happens!
All these with one accord were devoting
themselves to prayer… ~ Acts 1:14
Jesus instructed the disciples before His
ascension to stay in Jerusalem and wait until the
Father had given them the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Christ could have given it then and there. What
did they do to receive the Holy Spirit? They
prayed together until they were immersed in the
Spirit of God.
Salvation is not a destination. It’s a journey
that begins with justification.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his
only Son, that whoever believes in him should
not perish but have eternal life. ~ John 3:16
Reading and studying the book of Romans
is a great starting point in your walk of faith, and
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 I want to encourage you to do so! It is
dedicated to, among other things, explaining the
pillars of our faith and the power in the cross —
including what justification is and what it is not.
If you want to grow strong in your faith, spend
time studying the book of Romans. Ever since
the Church was set into motion, justification by
faith alone has been one of the doctrines most
battled over and fought against. The spiritual
concept of faith in Christ and the resulting
justification is a mystery revealed by Christ
Himself to His people.
It is vital for every Christian to have a clear
biblical perspective of this cornerstone of our
faith — and even more so as a new Christian! If
we misunderstand what it means to be justified,
then we have misunderstood how we are
saved. A right understanding of justification is
necessary to grasp a firm understanding of the
foundation of your Christian faith.
A true view of justification is the dividing
line between the biblical gospel of salvation by
faith alone and false gospels of salvation based
on good works. Mine the depths of the book
of Romans and take hold of your new life in
Christ with all your heart. You will build a strong
foundation in your spirit so when the winds and
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storms of life come — and they will come —
you will not waver, but stand strong through
every trial and receive every blessing God has
for already prepared for you.
You are justified by faith alone in Christ
alone. To be justified, we must first be drawn by
the Holy Spirit to the proclamation of the Gospel
of the saving grace of Jesus Christ. We respond
to our Savior and come to trust in Him, knowing
that He rose from the dead, and confessing
aloud that Jesus is Lord of our lives. We are then
regenerated by the Holy Spirit day by day so that
we are able to have faith and repentance, and
every gift and fruit of the Spirit. Justification
follows faith (Romans 3:26, 28; 5:1; Galatians
2:16) because it is our faith in Christ that
justifies us.
Justification is what those who have not
received Christ are seeking when they rationalize
and explain away their wrongdoings. Playing the
blame game and rationalizing our actions can’t
change the fact that we are sinful. That wasn’t
how God created us in the Garden of Eden
before Adam and Eve rebelled against God.
Without God at the center of our lives, we
are always craving to be told that we are okay,

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that we’re not flawed, that we’re valid, that
we’re … justified. We seek justification with
everything in us. Since justification is something
that God has designed us to seek after, it’s
important to understand what justification is so
that we can understand its incredible place in
our lives — or rather, our incredible place within
justification.
Can you think of a time when you tried
to justify your actions? If you’re 98 degrees
and breathing, it was probably today. Here
is the point: You don’t have to try to justify
your every thought and action anymore when
you are “in Christ”. You are free to be honest
about your failings and have confidence in His
unconditional love, forgiveness, and ability to
make you better by His grace. So stop trying to
justify yourself! For whom the Son sets free is
free indeed (John 8:36).
Justification is God declaring those who
receive Christ to be righteous, based on Christ’s
righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21).
While principles of justification can be
found throughout Scripture, the key passage
describing this foundational pillar of our faith in
relation to believers is Romans 3:21-26:

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But now the righteousness of God apart from
the law is revealed, being witnessed by the
Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness
of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all
[a]and on all who believe. For there is no
difference; for all have sinned and fall short of
the glory of God, being justified freely by His
grace through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation
by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate
His righteousness, because in His forbearance
God had passed over the sins that were
previously committed, to demonstrate at the
present time His righteousness, that He might
be just and the justifier of the one who has
faith in Jesus.
You are justified, declared righteous, at the
moment of your salvation. You are okay, you are
valid, you are not flawed, you are justified!
The world’s pronouncement of validation
over you without the blood of Jesus is a lie.
Without the blood of Jesus, you are like the
Emperor in his new clothes for all to see what
really needs to be covered. When you receive
Christ as your Savior, His blood removes your
sins as far from you as the east is from the west.
Regeneration is an act of God in us. Justification
is a judgment of God with respect to us.
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For as high as the heavens are above the
earth, so great is his steadfast love toward
those who fear him; as far as the east is
from the west, so far does he remove our
transgressions from us. ~ Psalm 103:11-12
One of the most compelling assurances in
the Bible that all our sins are forgiven is found in
Romans 8:1-2:
There is therefore now no condemnation for
those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law
of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ
Jesus from the law of sin and death.
If there is absolutely no condemnation
for those in Christ Jesus, then all our sins are
forgiven — past, present, and future. God knows
what you will do in the future. If you are in
Christ, and Christ is in you — you’re going to
confess and repent when you fall down and sin.
Christians can still sin because we have free will.
Christians no longer enjoy sin because the sweet
Holy Spirit pricks our heart with a godly sorrow
which leads to repentance and we ask Him to
forgive us and cleanse us.
Through God’s foreknowledge of us and the
power of the blood of Jesus, our future sins are

35
forgiven; however, we still have a part to play in
the process.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just
and will forgive us our sins and purify us from
all unrighteousness. ~1 John 1:9
The second aspect of God’s declaration in
justification is that we have the merits of perfect
righteousness before Him. When we say that
God imputes Christ’s righteousness as belonging
to us, it means that God thinks of Christ’s
righteousness as belonging to us. He “reckons”
it to our account (Romans 4:3, 6). In this way,
Christ’s righteousness becomes ours. Paul says
that we are those who received “the free gift of
righteousness” (Romans 5:17).
GOD CALLS US TO HIM AND
FOR HIM
For those whom he foreknew, he also
predestined to be conformed to the image of
his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn
among many brothers. And those whom he
predestined he also called, and those whom
he called he also justified, and those whom he
justified he also glorified. ~ Romans 8:29-30
As you can see, one first must be called
before they can be justified. That does not mean
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that God picks and chooses who He wants to be
saved — no! God desires that all should come to
repentance. Just look at 1 Timothy 2:1-4:
Therefore I exhort first of all that
supplications, prayers, intercessions, and
giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings
and all who are in authority, that we may lead
a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and
reverence. For this is good and acceptable in
the sight of God our Savior, who desires all
men to be saved and to come to the knowledge
of the truth.
Does this sound like a God who picks and
chooses who He will save and who He won’t?
No! The Word says to make “…supplications,
prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be
made for all men…” -- ALL people! We are
called to pray for the salvation of all people, and
He left specific instructions to pray for certain
types of people in order to benefit and prosper
the church — kings and those in authority. The
last sentence of 1 Timothy 2:4 couldn’t put it
more clearly: “For this is good and acceptable in
the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men
to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the
truth.”
God knows beforehand what people are
37
going to choose, and He knows those who
are truly His. Being “called” means that the
Gospel needs to be presented to us before we
can respond by the power of the Holy Spirit in
faith and repentance. After God justifies us, we
are then preserved by His grace all the way to
glorification.
God desires His children to grow into
the full stature of Christ (Ephesians 4:13) and
to know that it takes hard work to search His
powerful Word by the guidance of the Holy
Spirit. Book by book, chapter by chapter, prayer
by prayer…we grow and advance in Him.
There are two types of calling in regard to
the Gospel being proclaimed: general call and
effective call.
What is the general call?
The general call is also referred as the
gospel call because of its general invitation to
all people to believe in the Lord Jesus for the
forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:37-38; 3:19; 5:31;
17:30; Rom. 2:4).
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy
laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke
upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle
and lowly in heart, and you will find rest
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for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my
burden is light. ~ Matthew 11:28-30
All men — whether they be Jew or gentile,
rich or poor, educated or non-educated, are
sinners with the universal problem of falling
short of His glory who need the miracle of
God’s saving grace. Paul showed both Jews and
gentiles sins were the same. Gentiles were guilty
before God because they refused to retain God
in their knowledge. Jews were guilty before God
because they assumed that God would excuse
their sin because they had the law, because of
circumcision, and because they were descendants
of Abraham. But Paul lets them know God’s
judgment is according to truth and God is no
respecter of persons. All who sin apart from the
law will also perish apart from the law, and all
who sin under the law will be judged by the law.
The conclusion of the matter is both Jews
and gentiles were all under sin. God levels the
playing field by showing humanity that whether
it’s by “this” or by “that”, we are all sick with
one sickness: the problem of sin.
For what can be known about God is plain to
them because God has shown it to them. For
his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal
39
power and divine nature, have been clearly
perceived, ever since the creation of the world,
in the things that have been made. So they are
without excuse. ~ Romans 1:19-20
Paul is saying ALL men everywhere have
a general knowledge of God which is revealed
unto them in nature. In Psalm 19:1-4, the
physical world speaks of the glory of God and
His creative power therefore; this knowledge
renders every human under the sun without
excuse before the judgment seat of God.
The heavens declare the glory of God; And
the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto
day utters speech,
And night unto night reveals knowledge. There
is no speech nor language
Where their voice is not heard.
Their line has gone out through all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world.
~ Psalm 19:1-4
The gentile’s sin was that they distorted
and corrupted this revelation of God and started
to serve and worship the creation rather than
the Creator. The gentiles worshiped and made
gods of the sun, moon, trees, animals, and more.
According to Romans 1:25, the gentiles’ sin was
that they rejected the truth of God and made it
40
into a lie, which is idolatry. They claimed to be
wise, but actually, they proved themselves fools.
The Jews who, despite memorizing entire
books of Old Testament scriptures from the
tender age of 6, did not recognize or believe
Jesus was Messiah and rejected Him, claiming
to keep the law. The truth is that human flesh
could not keep the more than 600 laws in the
Old Testament — and many more created by
Pharisees in those times just to be even more
“holy”. Despite having the law, they too sinned.
The unbelieving Pharisees reaped death and
judgment by clinging to law they could not keep
rather than have relationship with the One who
embodies the law in His very flesh. It seems
incomprehensible since they even saw Jesus
work miracles! Their own pride and desire to be
self-righteous was used by Satan to blind them.
For as many as have sinned without law will
also perish without law, and as many as have
sinned in the law will be judged by the law
(for not the hearers of the law are just in the
sight of God, but the doers of the law will be
justified; for when Gentiles, who do not have
the law, by nature do the things in the law,
these, although not having the law, are a law
to themselves, who show the work of the law

41
written in their hearts, their conscience also
bearing witness, and between themselves their
thoughts accusing or else excusing them)…
~ Romans 2:12-15
True born again followers of Christ
study the Bible, and spend time in prayer and
fellowship with the Holy Spirit, fulfill the
requirements of the law, because God through
the Holy Spirit will direct them to follow Jesus’
nature. Jesus is the Word made flesh. If you are
following Jesus, doing what He would have you
do, carrying your cross and listening for His
Holy Spirit to guide you, you’ll by nature do the
things in the law without the burden of following
endless lists.
Being a Christian is a journey and a
fellowship with a personal Savior who writes
His Word on your heart day by day through
Bible study, prayer, acting on your beliefs and
seeing the victories that can only come through
following Him.
What is the desired result in the general call
of the gospel?
It is that those who hear and respond to the
invitation will repent of their sins and have faith

42
in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord (Mt. 3:2;
Acts 8:22; Luke 13:3; Romans 10:9).
The proper response to sin is a deep; full,
true, broken, earnest, devoted, and continual
repentant heart. Repentance is a glorious gift
given to the children of God because of the
sacrifice of Jesus. Use it often, share it liberally
and rejoice in it continually.
God could have created us to be obedient
robots, but that is not unconditional love. God
gave us our own will to choose Him or not,
follow Him or not, obey or rebel, live or die.
There is an old saying — it’s not biblical but it
illustrates the principle: If you love something,
set it free. If it comes back, it’s yours. God
doesn’t force Himself on you or on anyone. He
will softly call you throughout your entire life,
but it is up to you to choose to respond to His
invitation. The general call to humanity from
God can be rejected because of hardness of heart
through sin and being blinded by the power of
Satan and demonic influences at work in the
hearts of men (Ephesians 2:1,4:18; Romans 7:5,
10, 14, 18; Philippians 3:18-19).
An effective calling is the act of God
speaking through the Gospel by which He

43
summons people to Himself in such a way as to
allow them to respond in saving faith. It cannot
be rejected because God’s Spirit is actively
working in His people to produce a response
of true saving faith. That is not to say that
the gospel cannot be rejected, because it can.
Scripture clearly indicates that there is such a
call that guarantees a response of true saving
faith (1 Pet. 2:9; 1 Cor. 1:9; 1 Thess. 2:12; see
also 1 Peter 5:10; 2 Peter 1:3).
And those whom he predestined he also called,
and those whom he called he also justified,
and those whom he justified he also glorified.
~ Romans 8:30
If God calls us to Himself effectively, He
will justify us. And if He justifies us, He will
glorify us. When God calls effectively it won’t
be rejected because He says that He will justify
us and bring us into glory. Christ says the same
thing.
No one can come to me unless the Father who
sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on
the last day. ~ John 6:44
Jesus says we cannot come to the Father
unless He draws us. We know His drawing is

44
effective because Christ says that He will raise
us up on the last day. The Greek word here for
raise up means “to cause to raise up.” God will
follow through with His work. That is why He
says, “I give them eternal life, and they will
never perish, and no one will snatch them out of
my hand” (John 10:28 CSB).
Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the
eternal life to which you were called and
about which you made the good confession in
the presence of many witnesses.
~ 1 Tim. 6:12
God is saying that Timothy should take hold
of the eternal life to which he was called. He
wasn’t called to fail his calling, and he can’t! We
have God’s Word on it: “He who began a good
work in you will bring it to completion at the day
of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). Of course this
doesn’t come without fighting the good fight of
faith, and we are not alone: “for it is God who
works in you, both to will and to work for his
good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).
Consider Paul’s discussion in Romans 10
of how “calling” relates to salvation.
How then shall they call on Him in whom they
have not believed? And how shall they believe
45
in Him of whom they have not heard? And
how shall they hear without a preacher? And
how shall they preach unless they are sent?
As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet
of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who
bring glad tidings of good things!”But they
have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah
says, “LORD, who has believed our report?”
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing
by the word of God (vv. 13-17).
The gospel call is made effective and sure
in us because of the power of the Holy Spirit:
In him you also, when you heard the word
of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and
believed in him, were sealed with the promised
Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our
inheritance until we acquire possession of it,
to the praise of his glory.
~ Ephesians1:13-14 ESV
When we heard the Word of truth — the
calling of the gospel — we were sealed with the
promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of
our inheritance. There is a seal and a guarantee
when someone responds to the effective
calling of the gospel, and we will receive our
inheritance.

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And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God,
by whom you were sealed for the day of
redemption. ~ Ephesians 4:30
In this verse, God is talking to Christians.
He is telling us not to grieve the Holy Spirit
with our sin. If He is talking to Christians, they
have been effectually called by the gospel unto
eternity because He goes on to say that they were
“sealed for the day of redemption.”

The Call of God to Salvation [Matthew

11:28-30]
As evidenced in 1 John 3:23, it is by the
grace of God and through the preaching of the
gospel that the call comes to men.
Although the gospel call is a summons; it is
also an invitation and can be rejected or resisted.
Man can resist the grace of God! Therefore, the
Church must continue to put the good news out
through the preaching of the gospel in the power
of the Holy Spirit unto all nations.
The Call to Service [Matthew 22:14]
The gospel call goes out to many. However,
those who are chosen to inherit the kingdom of
heaven and to serve the Lord in a special way are
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only those who say “yes” to the call of salvation,
repent of their sins, and believe in Jesus Christ.
Responding of your own free will to God’s
grace places you in the category of God’s chosen
people. Read John 15:16 & Acts 9:15-16.
God calls men in a variety of ways and from
all walks of life. It is a definite and profoundly
personal call to serve the Lord according to your
ability. To refuse it is to go against the will of
God.
A Call to His Purpose [2 Timothy 1:9]
We are not here for our own purposes or
agendas, but for God’s purpose. Whatever your
service to the Lord may be, it is a holy calling.
Three ways to know your calling is from
God: (1) You will possess a strong desire to serve
or labor in certain ministries, (2) you will have
the ability to serve in that particular ministry, and
(3) your efforts will be blessed by God.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution,
or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
As it is written: ‘For Your sake, we are killed
all day long; We are accounted as sheep for
the slaughter.’ Yet in all these things we are
more than conquerors through Him who loved
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us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor
life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers,
nor things present nor things to come, nor
height nor depth, nor any other created thing,
shall be able to separate us from the love of
God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
~ Romans 8:35-39
Paul did not give us a list of imaginary
things, but things that are very real. He said,
“We are more than conquerors” in the midst of
every setback, every obstacle not because of our
own ingenuity or courage, but because none of
these things can affect our relationship with God
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. No believer
should think it strange if they experience
adversity, trial, or tribulation. Trouble in your life
doesn’t mean God has left you or that He doesn’t
love or care about you. The believer’s sufferings
open up the means by which we can experience
more of God’s love, comfort, grace, and victory.
Notice the only thing missing from the list given
in vv. 38-39, is “US.” Only as we abide in Christ
Jesus as “our Lord” can we have certainty that
we will never be separated from God’s love.
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch
cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in
the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in
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Me.‘I am the vine, you are the branches. He
who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much
fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If
anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out
as a branch and is withered; and they gather
them and throw them into the fire, and they
are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words
abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and
it shall be done for you. ~ John 15:4-7
Christ did not preach “once saved —
always saved.” He warned His disciples of
failing to abide in Him. You are the only one
that can separate yourself from the love of God
which is in Jesus Christ our Lord. Don’t ever
separate yourself from Jesus!
What does it mean to fall away from God?
For it is impossible for those who were once
enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly
gift, and were made partakers of the Holy
Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God,
and the powers of the world to come, If they
shall fall away, to renew them again unto
repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves
the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open
shame. ~ Hebrews 6:4-6
“Impossible” is a very strong word. The
author of Hebrews is describing a very elect
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group of believers — Christians who are fully
developed and fully mature in the things of God.
“Enlightened” means they were not in darkness.
Their understanding was open to the power of
the Holy Spirit. They had a good understanding
of right from wrong. “Tasted of the heavenly
gift” means they were conscious of who Jesus
was and had received Him as their Savior. They
had received the Holy Spirit, and they were
being led by the Holy Spirit. “Tasted the good
Word of God” means they understood truth in
the Word. “Tasted of the “powers” of the world
to come” means they were given a foretaste of
eternity. They were flowing in spiritual gifts of
the Spirit.
If this type of believer falls away from the
faith, meaning they decide to reject or abandon
their faith in God, it is not because they were
deceived or tempted. Rather it is because they
love their own lives more than they love Christ.
Remember this letter was written during
an age of persecution. However, in any age of
persecution, people can seek to save their lives
by denying Christ, but every person who does
crucifies Christ again and makes a mockery of
Christ, which brings shame on Christ as well as
the whole Church.
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 The author of Hebrews says it is
“impossible” to bring this type of individual
back to repentance because what could you
say to them about God or His Word they don’t
already know?
This is called “falling away” from the faith
or “apostasy”. Apostasy is a theological term that
comes from the Greek word meaning defection,
departure, revolt or rebellion.
Apostasy is not accidental. It is deliberate.
It is the willful rejection of Christianity by
someone who formerly was a Christian.
This is what some were thinking about
doing when the Book of Hebrews was written.
They were going to give up Christianity and go
back to Judaism.
SANCTIFICATION
The Christian journey begins with
sanctification . . . the progressive work of
salvation. Salvation isn’t just a one and done
proposition. Sanctification is a progressive work
of God and man that makes us more and more
like Christ and free from our carnal nature and
sin in our everyday lives! It is also separation
unto God; all believers are set apart when they
are born of God: “But of Him you are in Christ
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Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God
— and righteousness and sanctification and
redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30). This is a once-
for-ever separation, eternally unto God. It is an
intricate part of our salvation and our connection
with Christ (Hebrews 10:10).
Sanctification also refers to the practical
experience of our separation unto God through
obedience to the Word of God in one’s life
(1 Peter 1:15; Hebrews 12:14). Just as the Lord
prayed in John 17, it has in view the setting apart
of believers for the purpose for which they are
sent into the world: “As You sent Me into the
world, I also have sent them into the world.19
And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they
also may be sanctified by the truth (vv. 18, 19).
His sanctification is the pattern and the power
for ours. The sending and the sanctifying are
inseparable. On this account they are called
saints, or “sanctified ones.”
Whereas previously their behavior bore
witness to their standing in the world in separation
from God, now their behavior should bear witness
to their standing before God in separation from
the world, meaning the “systems” or “ways” of
this present time. As Christians we may be IN this
world, but we are not OF it!
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 There is one more sense that the word
sanctification is referred to in Scripture. Paul
prayed in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, “The God of
peace Himself sanctify you wholly; and may
your spirit and soul and body be preserved
entire, without blame at the coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ.”
Paul also wrote in Colossians , “because
of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven,
of which you heard before in the word of the
truth of the gospel,” (Colossians 1:5). He later
speaks of Christ Himself as “the hope of glory”
(Colossians 1:27), and then mentions the fact of
that hope when he says, “When Christ who is
our life appears, then you also will appear with
Him in glory” (Colossians 3:4).
This glorified state will be our ultimate
separation from sin and total sanctification in
every aspect. “Beloved, now we are children of
God; and it has not yet been revealed what we
shall be, but we know that when He is revealed,
we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He
is” (1 John 3:2).
Sanctification is first, a once-for-all
positional separation unto Christ at our salvation.
Second, it is a practical, progressive holiness
in a believer’s life while awaiting the return
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of Christ. Third, we will be changed into
His perfect likeness — holy, sanctified, and
completely separated from the presence of evil.
Sanctification is a process that each
Christian must walk out with the help of the
Holy Spirit. We won’t be fully sanctified until
we go home to be with the Lord. When we go
home to be with our Savior we are thus glorified,
which is what scripture calls the doctrine of
glorification.
Glorification is important because salvation
doesn’t end until we are glorified. Salvation is
the whole process that takes place from the time
you confess Christ to the time you die to be
with Christ. That means, when you are saved,
you must be saved until the end; it is a continual
work and process in the life of the believer.
Sanctification is a progressive work
because it has a definite beginning at the point
of regeneration, or the day we become “born
again.” Once we have been born again, there is a
change that begins to occur in us by the working
of the Holy Spirit. We have a different “appetite”
than when we were a natural man.
No one who is born of God will continue to
sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he

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cannot go on sinning, because he has been
born of God. ~ 1 John 3:9 NIV
Because of the power of being born again, a
new spiritual life and change begins to take place
in our lives. You will never completely overcome
while here on earth, but there should be a change
from “glory to glory” as time passes and as you
grow closer to Christ. You’ll see progressive,
mature growth as a believer and experience
victories in Him!
Once we are born again, we have a new
spirit and therefore new desires. This enables us
to resist temptations, overcome sin and live to
God!
But you were washed, you were sanctified, you
were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
~1 Corinthians 6:11
We are not made perfect in this life.
Sanctification is progressive because it continues
throughout this life and is never completed until
we are at home with the Lord.
If we say we have no sin, we deceive
ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
~ 1 John 1:8

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 SERVANTHOOD
But it shall not be so among you. But whoever
would be great among you must be your
servant, and whoever would be first among
you must be slave of all. For even the Son of
Man came not to be served but to serve, and to
give his life as a ransom for many.
~ Mark 10:43-45
Christ is the ultimate servant and our
example. Faith in Christ enables true Christian
servanthood. Through service to others, you
have the power to work the purposes of God in
their lives. God does this through the unique set
of gifts and talents He has given you!
Having gifts that differ according to the grace
given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in
proportion to our faith; if service, in our
serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching;
the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the
one who contributes, in generosity; the one
who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of
mercy, with cheerfulness.
~ Romans 12:6-8
The purpose of gifts and their diversity is
the service and up-building of the body. Love is
an essential component in Christian servanthood.

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Different avenues of servanthood are prayer,
giving, leadership, teaching, and preaching.
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the
evangelists, the pastors, and teachers, to equip
the saints for the work of ministry, for building
up the body of Christ. ~ Ephesians 4:11-12
HOLY COMMUNION
Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread,
and after blessing it broke it and gave it to
the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my
body.” And he took a cup, and when he had
given thanks he gave it to them, saying,“Drink
of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the
covenant, which is poured out for many for the
forgiveness of sins. ~ Matthew 26:26-28 ESV
Only believers are to partake in communion.
When you take communion, you are eating bread,
which is Christ’s body, and drinking wine (usually
grape juice) which is the Holy Spirit. This is an
affirmation of His Body and His Spirit being
within you as a believer and in relationship with
him. Communion is an ordinance instituted by
Jesus Christ that we observe throughout our
lives as a proclamation of Christ’s death and
continuing fellowship with Him (Ex. 12; Lev.
23:4-8; Num. 9:2-5; Deut. 16:1-8; Matt. 26:26-28;
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Mark 14:12-25; Luke 22:7-20; 1 Cor. 5:7; 11:23-34).
Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat
of the bread and drink of the cup.
~1Corinthians 11:28 ESV
After addressing everything that needs to
be addressed between you and God through
reflection, repentance, and prayer, you eat His
Body (the bread) and you drink His Blood (the
wine/grape juice). This holy act keeps you close
with Christ and in communion with Him. Of
course, though it appears as if the believer is
simply eating bread and drinking wine (or grape
juice), the act itself supersedes rationalism, much
like many of the things we do as believers. Our
faith works in conjunction with the Holy Spirit
to use a physical act to produce a simultaneous
supernatural one.
The physical nature of communion is
evidenced by Paul’s pleading with the church
of Corinth in 1 Corinthians 11:27-34 to take
communion properly.
Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks
the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner
will be guilty concerning the body and blood
of the Lord. Let a person examine himself,
then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the
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cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without
discerning the body eats and drinks judgment
on himself. That is why many of you are weak
and ill, and some have died. Communion is a
beautiful expression of Jesus Christ, who came
in the flesh.
Christ is both fully God and fully man.
The physical nature of Christ is not denied
but rather affirmed by the physical nature and act
of communion. The divine nature of Christ is not
denied but rather affirmed by the mystical nature
of communion. By participating in communion,
we are re-affirming this union of the physical
and the divine, while celebrating Christ.
Our healing is found in the broken body of
Christ. That healing is both spiritual and natural.
Participating in the body through communion
is a powerful reminder of this healing that was
provided for us.
More so, the body in communion reminds
us that this created matter will be redeemed. Just
as simple, physical bread is redeemed to be holy
before God by the power of the Holy Spirit; so
we are redeemed to be holy before God by that
same power, which resurrected Christ from the
dead. Therefore, when we take communion, we

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are reminded of the redemptive power of Christ’s
death and resurrection.
THE POWER OF FASTING
In the Bible, fasting is often associated with
prayer (Neh. 1:4, Dan 9:3, Psalm 35:13, Mark
9:29, Matt 17:21, Luke 2:36-37, Acts 13:3, Acts
14:23), intercession, seeking guidance from God
and repentance.
Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to
me with all your heart, with fasting, with
weeping, and with mourning. ~ Joel 2:12 ESV
Fasting is also often associated with
worship.
And there was a prophetess, Anna, the
daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.
She was advanced in years, having lived
with her husband seven years from when she
was a virgin, and then as a widow until she
was eighty-four. She did not depart from the
temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer
night and day. ~ Luke 2:36-37 ESV
First, you must know that fasting teaches
your spirit (controlled by the Holy Spirit) to
have authority over your soul (mind, will, and

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emotions), which rules your body. Too often we
get out of balance in life and begin living on
autopilot. Remember, as a new Christian, you’re
a new creation. The old things have passed away
and all things have become new. This is the new
order God has ordained you to live in for victory
He died for you to have!
Sometimes our soul — our mind, will, and
emotions — take the driver’s seat instead of our
spirit, controlled by the Holy Spirit. Fasting helps
you get into God’s divine order. When you get
back into divine order, you can hear God more
clearly. The clutter and static of your soulish desire
for things, cares of the world, negative thinking
patterns and your body’s focus on pleasure and
food is interrupted and silenced. These things are
put into proper subjection as your spirit, controlled
by the Holy Spirit, takes its proper place so you can
hear clearly from the Lord.
So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one
beating the air. But I discipline my body and
keep it under control, lest after preaching to
others I myself should be disqualified.
~ 1 Corinthians 9:26-27 ESV
Take care not to adopt spiritual pride in
your fasting like the Pharisees. They felt that
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since they could “do” so much, they were better
than others. Such a deplorable heart attitude is
easy to begin to slip into. Beloved, avoid pride
and arrogance in fasting. Look at what God’s
Word has to say about this:
Why have we fasted, and you see it not?
Why have we humbled ourselves, and you
take no knowledge of it?’ [God answers:]
Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your
own pleasure, and oppress all your workers.
Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight
and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like
yours this day will not make your voice to be
heard on high. Is such the fast that I choose,
a day for a person to humble himself? Is it to
bow down his head like a reed, and to spread
sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call
this a fast, and a day acceptable to the LORD?
‘Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the
bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the
yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break
every yoke?
~ Isaiah 58:3-6 ESV [emphasis mine]
Don’t tell anyone you’re fasting if you can
at all help it.
And when you fast, do not look gloomy like
the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces
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that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly,
I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast, anoint your head and
wash your face, that your fasting may not be
seen by others but by your Father who is in
secret. And your Father who sees in secret will
reward you. ~ Matthew 6:16-18 ESV
Finally, I wanted to caution you against
one extreme that remarkably does happen in
people who place overmuch importance on
fasting: avoid considering eating and drinking as
unspiritual.
Pastor and noted theologian, John Piper,
perhaps said it best in his book, “Hunger for
God”: “The Bible is very careful to warn us
about people who “require abstinence from
foods that God created to be received with
thanksgiving by those who believe and know
the truth” (1 Timothy 4:1–3). The apostle Paul
asks with dismay, “Why . . . do you submit to
regulations —‘Do not handle, Do not taste, Do
not touch’?” (Colossians 2:20–21). He is jealous
for the full enjoyment of Christian liberty. Like a
great declaration of freedom over every book on
fasting flies the banner, “Food will not commend
us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat,
and no better off if we do” (1 Corinthians 8:8).
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There once were two men. One said, “I fast
twice a week”; the other said, “God, be merciful
to me, a sinner!” Only one went down to his
house justified (Luke 18:12–14). The discipline
of self-denial is fraught with dangers — perhaps
only surpassed by the dangers of indulgence.
These also we are warned about: “‘All things are
lawful for me,’ but I will not be dominated by
anything” (1 Corinthians 6:12).
Fasting has its place, but it’s just that
— a key to victory in the Christian walk that
is not to be overdone, nor to be left undone.
Approach all decisions to fast with prayer and
consultation with your physician. Remember,
God is not asking you to hurt yourself! He
loves you and cares for you. He is calling you
to victory and walking in His order. As you
prayerfully consider and learn about this key
to victory, remember that God always has your
best interests at heart. Fasting is not a tool for
salvation — it is a tool for deeper growth in
Christ and victory in our walk with Him.
THE POWER OF PRAYER
Free access to God gives us joy in coming
to Him in prayer. We are able to enter into the
throne of grace freely in order to find mercy in
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the time of need. Only His children have that
privilege.
Let us then with confidence draw near to the
throne of grace, that we may receive mercy
and find grace to help in time of need…
~ Hebrews 4:16
Sometimes even though you are one of
God’s children, it may seem as though He
doesn’t hear or grant you access into His
presence. When that happens, we have to choose
to believe what we know about God’s Word:
“…if we ask anything according to His will He
hears us.” Our feelings and emotions are based
in the soul, while our faith is of the spirit. When
we depend too heavily on how we feel, we can
get it wrong. Sure, we need to be in touch with
how we’re feeling — feelings are important. But
our guide to which way is “up” and which way
is “down” is ultimately the Word of God — not
our feelings. Just as scuba divers can become
disoriented and confused about which direction
is the surface of the water, sometimes they have
to look at a guide on their wetsuit, or look at
which way the bubbles in the water are heading.
The Word of God is our guide when our feelings
fail us.
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And this is the confidence that we have toward
him, that if we ask anything according to his
will he hears us. And if we know that he hears
us—whatever we ask—we know that we have
what we asked of him. ~ 1 John 5:14-15
THE HOLY SPIRIT IS OUR GUIDE
IN PRAYER
On our own, we struggle even to cry out
to God for help. So, like the disciples of Jesus,
we have to ask, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke
11:1). Thankfully, God has given us His Holy
Spirit as a Helper who “will teach you all things”
(John 14:26). And when we don’t know how
we should pray, “the Spirit Himself makes
intercession for us with groanings which cannot
be uttered.”
Likewise, the Spirit also helps in our
weaknesses. For we do not know what we
should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit
Himself makes intercession for us with
groanings which cannot be uttered.
~ Romans 8:26
When we are adopted into God’s family,
we have His Holy Spirit to lead and guide us
throughout this life. We receive the benefits of
relating to Him and freely speaking to Him just
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like a child does to their parents. The Holy Spirit
is given to us so that we may be led into all truth
throughout this life as we continue in the Word
and fellowship with Christ. The access granted to
us is a special privilege — to enter the throne of
grace in prayer to find mercy in our time of need.
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide
you into all the truth, for he will not speak
on his own authority, but whatever he hears
he will speak, and he will declare to you the
things that are to come. ~ John 16:13
IN CONCLUSION
If you trust in the work of Jesus Christ on
the cross, you will always be a part of the family
of God. If you have a son or daughter, they will
always be your son or daughter and have a place
in your family. God is the same with you. “The
slave does not remain in the house forever; the
son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free,
you will be free indeed” (John 8:35-36).
The concept of the church as God’s family
can give us a new perspective when we think
about the work to which the church is called. It
is “family work” and the various members of
the family would never want to compete with
or hinder each other in their efforts because
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that would damage the vision. The members of
the family would endeavor to encourage one
another and be thankful for every good and
every progress that comes to every member of
the family. When we see it like this, we realize
that we are all contributors to the good of God’s
family and the glory of Jesus Christ on earth!
And this is the testimony that God gave us
eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever
has the Son has life; whoever does not have
the Son of God does not have life. I write these
things to you who believe in the name of the
Son of God that you may know that you have
eternal life. ~ 1 John 5:11-13
To my new friend and fellow believer…
Precious child of God, I pray through
the ministry poured forth in this book and
illuminated by the Holy Spirit that now you are
regenerated, justified before God, in the process
of sanctification, baptized, participating in
communion, a balanced person who fasts when
called of God, a person who is fulfilling your
amazing purpose in Christ by serving and using
your spiritual gifts, and who will one day be
glorified with Christ when He calls you home!

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 We are all in the process of sanctification
and as brothers and sisters in Christ, we are in
this together. No one can walk the Christian walk
alone. Pray for Christian friends, for God to open
doors for you, and for Him to bring you into the
destiny He has for you!
We pray and encourage you to stay
connected with us, your local Bible-believing
ministries, and most of all, that you will set aside
time with the Lord in study of His Word and in
prayer.
Nothing will make you stronger than a
personal relationship to Jesus Christ, knowledge
of scripture, and fellowship in a Bible-believing
church. Also, get connected with Paula White
Ministries and other God-ordained ministries
who are here to serve you, stir up your gifts
and be a blessing to you in your walk. We are
praying for you! Congratulations on your new
life in Christ Jesus!

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 THE
Miracle
OF
GOD’S GRACE

PAULA WHITE CAIN

Paula White Cain is President of Paula
White Ministries headquartered in Apopka,
FL. She is a celebrated author and teacher,
beloved grandmother, mother and mentor,
popular TV personality, entrepreneur and
spirit-led preacher of God’s Word. By
sharing her story of overcoming tragedy
and finding restoration through the
power of Christ, she has impacted people
from every walk of life in more than 120
countries. She is an in-demand speaker
and the recipient of numerous awards. Her
mission is to transform lives, heal hearts
and win souls for God’s Kingdom.
$9.00
ISBN 978-1-7327230-2-3
50900>

WWW.PAULAWHITE.ORG 9 781732 723023

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