WEBVTT

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I want to say Merry Christmas to you today, but

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I also want to get right to a Bible verse, Galatians

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5 .2. In Galatians 5 .2, Paul writes, Behold,

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I, Paul, say unto you, that if you receive circumcision,

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Christ will profit you nothing. Will these be

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people who are already professing Christians,

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and then they're going out of their way to be

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circumcised, which is kind of a painful process,

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by the way. to be circumcised in order to prove

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that they are saved or even prove to themselves

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they are saved. That's what was going on in Galatia

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in Paul's day. And Paul says if you will do that,

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if you will engage in certain activities to prove

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to yourself that you are saved or to be safe

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and be sure that you are saved or to prove to

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others that you are saved, then no, no. Then

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your salvation is of no value. Your salvation

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has not actually happened in Jesus Christ. The

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only way to be saved is through Jesus, not through

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certain activities. You can't prove it to yourself

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by certain activities or prove it to anyone else

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by certain activities. On the other hand, there

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are marks of what it means to be God's people

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and being involved in a Bible preaching, Bible

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teaching, Christian church, however you can,

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locally to you. That is a mark of being a Christian.

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You can't do it to be a Christian. You can't

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gain your salvation that way. Prove to yourself

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that you're saved that way, and no one can tell

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you that you have to do that in order to be saved.

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But if you are saved, then you are God's people,

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and you must be the body of Christ, and you must

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be in a local church that is preaching and teaching

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and saving the best they can the lost and dying

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world. You will give, you will love, you will

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be kind, you will exhibit the fruits of the Spirit,

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and you will grow, not be perfect, but grow daily

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into the image of Jesus Christ, our Lord and

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Savior. You can't take on certain activities

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to prove that you're saved, or even to make you

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saved. but you can live for Jesus.