All About Salvation

Except a man be Born Again, he Cannot see the Kingdom of God

2016-11-26T09:06:00.001-08:00

Which is Born of the Flesh is flesh – All men are spiritually dead in their natural state because of man’s rebellion and God’s curse upon the whole human race in the Garden of Eden. The Bible differentiates between the “spirit” and the “flesh”. To be “in the flesh” or being “carnal minded” or having a “stony heart” is not merely defining one’s physical existence, but is a statement of one’s spiritual condition – to be unsaved. In Rom 8:13 we find these words, “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die”. Mat 26:41 adds, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak”. This is the accurately painful description that Eph 2:3 paints: “Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others”. The word “conversation” means “lifestyle”. Gal 5:19–21 itemizes the works of the flesh. Even if a person were to refrain from committing these particular sins outwardly, they would still remain guilty for having committed these in their minds. All sin carries with it the punishment of eternal death, as we see from Jam 1:14–15: “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death”. Rom 8:7 explains the warfare that exists between the unsaved person and God, and it underscores man’s inherent inability to be under, or obedient to, God’s Word prior to salvation: “Because the carnal mind is enmity [or hatred] against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be”. A “stony heart” is also a vivid description of man’s spiritual deadness. The Bible also makes reference to a dead heart as a “hard (or unbelieving) heart”, or a “hardened heart”. And the thrust of these words has to do with rebellion or stubbornness against God and His Word, the Bible. Rom 2:5 teaches, “But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God”. Gal 6:7–8 enunciates an exceedingly vital principle: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting”.

Gal 5:19–21 “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Rom 8:5–8 “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.”

Which is Born of the Spirit is spirit – On the other hand, to be “in the spirit” or “spiritually minded” refers to someone who has become saved by the will and Word of God. This distinction is evident in the following examples: John 3:6 says, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit”. If one has not been born “of the Spirit”, they are, by biblical definition still “of the flesh”, and hence they are not saved. Rom 8:13 declares, “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live”. Thus, we are introduced to the principle of sowing and reaping. This principle is inherently active in the life of any person. They will either be sowing and reaping “to the flesh”, or they will be doing the same “to the spirit”. The outcome is also spelled out in Gal 6:8, “For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting”. Now, what did Jesus mean by this statement in John 11:25, “… he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live”? He is speaking about the fact that all men are spiritually dead in trespasses and sins before God “quickens” some of them (the elect) by giving them eternal life, as we read in Eph 2:56. We read this in Col 2:13: “And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses”. We see that these parallel verses are tied together with the Greek words for being spiritually quickened (that is, made alive) together with Christ and for being spiritually raised from the dead (or resurrected) together with Christ. These terms both refer to God’s work of resurrecting and energizing the souls of the elect with the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit. John 6:63 states, “It is the spirit that quickeneth [or makes alive]; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life”. He uses the power of His Word to “quicken” His people, which means to “make alive” or “give life”. Also, God must “raise up” His people together with Christ in order to restore them from spiritual deadness unto a right standing with Himself. If we have a dead, or “stony”, heart by nature, how can we obey? The only way is that God has to do it for us as Eze 36:26 affirms, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh”. One cannot help but notice the numerous references to God’s use of the personal pronoun “I” in the above verse in describing His initiative in one’s salvation. A “heart of flesh” means a living heart. This is also corroborated by the language found in Deu 30:6, “And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live”. Using the analogy of spiritual circumcision, “Spiritual Jews” are thusly defined by Rom 2:28–29: “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God”.

John 11:23–26 “Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. 24Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. 25Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 26And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?”

Eph 2:56 “Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened [make alive] us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved) 6And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:”

Rom 8:9–10 “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.”

Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye Must be Born Again – A term that is similar to “True Gospel” by its redundancy is “born–again Christian”. Actually, the only people who are true Christians are those who have become “born again”, or spiritually regenerated (Tit 3:5), by the power of God. In John 3:3–6 we are confronted with the late night conversation between Jesus and a Pharisee named Nicodemus on the subject of the New Birth: “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit”. John 3:7 says, “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again”. When Jesus referred to being “born again”, the Greek word translated as “again” is anothen (G509), which literally means “from above” – that is, “from heaven” or “from God”. For instance, we find it used in Jam 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above [anothen], and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning”. We need to keep in mind that the gift of salvation, which comes “down” from God Himself, is entirely undeserved and is only by God’s grace. It is no accident that Jesus pointed out in Mark 10:26–27: “And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible”. The reason it is impossible by human achievement is due to the fact that man is spiritually dead by nature, as Eph 2:1–3 maintains. Remember, the Scriptures state that man cannot save himself. God has to give him salvation (or faith) as a gift, as Eph 2:8–9 declares, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast”. Rom 6:23 further notes, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”. John 1:12–13 points out the fact that salvation is not dependent on anything that man does, and specifies Who the author of salvation is in verse 13: “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God”. When a person is “born of God” he becomes a “new creature” in Christ through the miraculous creative power of God, as 2 Cor 5:17 explains: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new”. Nothing short of birth “from above” will suffice for someone to “see” the Kingdom of God. As we have seen above, God uses the power of His Word to “quicken” His people as also seen in 1 Pet 1:23, “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever”. Jesus often called Himself the “Son of Man” because as the “Last Adam” (or the “Second Man”) He represented the human beings He came to save and endured the equivalent of eternal damnation for them in the Atonement at the Cross, as we read in 1 Cor 15:45–47: “And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam [Christ] was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man [Christ] is the Lord from heaven”.

Eze 36:26–28 “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.”

Heb 12:2 “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

1 Pet 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again [born again] unto a lively [living] hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”

Php 1:6 “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”

Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall Not fulfil the lust of the Flesh – 2 Cor 5:17 describes a born–again believers new nature: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new”. At this point in our discussion, I think it would be helpful to remind ourselves of each believer’s dual nature. Quite possibly the tendency to emphasize one aspect more than the other can shape how we look at ourselves in terms of possessing or lacking assurance of salvation. Let us consider each “side” of a Christian’s whole personality. Even after a person is redeemed he struggles with sin because his body still remains unsaved, even though in his soul he has received eternal life. This is clearly seen in a number of verses like Rom 7:20, “Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me”. The apostle Paul, under divine inspiration, reveals in Rom 7:25 the Scriptural assessment that a child of God must constantly keep in mind, “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin”. But Gal 5:16–18 and verses 24–25 further add: “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh [our bodies]… And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit”. This internal dualism is the true Christian’s greatest spiritual struggle, bar none, as Rom 7:24 pinpoints, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” The deliverance that Paul refers to is found in the words of 2 Cor 5:1–4, which expresses the believer’s yearning to be forever clothed with his glorified spiritual body. 1 John 3:1–3 highlights this as well, adding the dimension of hope with regard to glorification, which is the final stage of salvation.

Rom 7:21–25 “I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 22For I delight in the law of God after the inward man [or the soul]: 23But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members [or my body]. 24O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin… ”

Gal 5:16–18, 24–25 “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh [our bodies]. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law… And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit”

Rom 8:1–2 “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”

The Power of the Potter over the Clay

2014-09-21T16:41:00.000-07:00

Creation, Fall and Re-Creation - In our lesson today we want to discuss the power of the Potter over the clay as found in Jer 18:1-6: “... as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand ...”. The picture of God as the “Potter” is quite understandable because He is the Creator. The Hebrew word for “potter” (yaw-tsar' H:03335) is also rendered as “to form”, “to fashion”, or “to make”. Just as that potter formed a vessel on the wheel, so God created Man in His image as we discover in Gen 2:7, “And the LORD God formed [yaw-tsar' H:03335] man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul”. At the end of His six days of creation (Gen 1:31), God surveyed all that He had made, and proclaimed it “very good”. In this passage in the Jer 18:1-6, we see the extent of God’s sovereign power to do whatever brings glory and honor to Him. What is the spiritual meaning of the vessel’s becoming “marred”? we see in verse 4: “... the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it ...”. The same Hebrew word for “marred” (shaw-khath' H:07843) is found in Psa 14:1 and is translated as “corrupt”: “… The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt [shaw-khath' H:07843], they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good”. Where did this corruption first begin? The whole human race, represented by Adam and Eve, became “marred”, or “corrupted”, in the Garden of Eden. Rom 5:12 records the sad condition we brought upon ourselves: “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned …”. The Bible reiterates the same gruesome picture many times. Consider, for instance, what happened immediately after the exodus from Egypt that God orchestrated in Exo 32:7, “And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted [shaw-khath' H:07843] themselves”. They were worshipping the golden calves, which were Egyptian gods – they had left Egypt, but Egypt had not left them! Lest we be too critical of them, we need to heed the warning for us in Heb 3:12-13,19 and 4:1-2: “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin … ”. We must never forget the instruction of Psa 94:9, “He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed [yaw-tsar' H:03335] the eye, shall he not see?” and Job 10:9: “Remember, I beseech thee, that thou hast made me as the clay; and wilt thou bring me into dust again”. Let’s recapitulate: God created man from the ground; man sinned against his Maker; the creation became corrupted; and now God will create anew. Rom 9:11-22 depicts the miracle of salvation, by the sovereign grace and power of God, to redeem man from God’s wrath that he certainly deserves.

Gen 3:17-19 “... and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: ... In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”

Jer 18:1-6: “The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.”

Rom 9:19-21 “... For who hath resisted his will? Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest [disputes] against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?”

I will have Mercy on Whom I will have Mercy - Despite the fact that all men are sinners, God extends His “great mercy” to all mankind in many different ways as we live out our lives on earth, as we read in Psa 145:8-9, “The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works”. All life is in God’s hands, and we are dependent upon His general mercy for every breath and heartbeat. We read about this as God spoke by the Apostle Paul to the people of Athens (and us) in Acts 17:24-28: “... For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring”. We also read in Mat 5:45 that God in His great mercy “maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust”. Although God is merciful to all people in a general way by providing for their physical needs and restraining sin, many people confuse that kind of mercy with salvation itself. However, God only bestows His special gift of mercy – eternal life – specifically upon those whom He chose to save. God extends mercy specifically to the Elect by salvation. Mercy is God’s sovereign prerogative because nobody deserves It. Of course, God does not have to bestow His salvation mercy upon anyone because we all deserve eternal damnation for our sins. However, God has the sovereign right to save whomever He so desires without giving any reason to anyone for His actions, as He declares in Rom 9:15-16: “For he [God] saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy”. Indeed, the whole Bible declares God’s sovereign power in the affairs of mankind and His salvation mercy upon His people. For those who would object to God’s right to choose some people for salvation for His glory and honor, God dispels all of man’s arguments in Rom 9:20-21: “… O man, who art thou that repliest [disputes] against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?”. The good news of the Gospel is that the Lord Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners from eternal damnation in Hell and that God allows sinners to humbly petition Him for mercy through prayer like the publican of old in Luke 18:13, “And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner”.

Rom 9:18-24 “Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest [disputes] against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath [unbelievers] fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy [believers], which he had afore prepared unto glory, Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?”

The Purpose of God According to Election might stand - One of the most informative passages in the Bible concerning election is found in Rom 9. There we read in verses 10-23: “And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated ...”. Rom 9:24-27 further explains: “... I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God ...”. In Rom 9 God emphasizes the fact that absolutely no human effort is required or possible in His salvation program because man is spiritually dead and utterly incapable of any kind of performance, as Tit 3:3-7 boldly proclaims: “For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life”.

Rom 9:10-23: “And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared [before the world began] unto glory”

John 12:37-41 “But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him: That the saying of Esaias [Isaiah] the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again, He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them. These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.”

Rom 9:24-27 “As he saith also in Osee [Hosea], I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God. Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.”

2 Tim 1:9 “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.”

Chosen in Christ, according to the Good Pleasure of His Will - Rom 2:5 describes man’s awful spiritual condition: “But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;” Isa 64:6-8 further pinpoints unsaved man’s spiritual bankruptcy: “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities. But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand”. Considering that man is born spiritually dead as a result of sin and is under the just wrath of God, it is staggering to think that God would save anybody – but He does. He first included them in His will, which is also known as the Lamb’s Book of Life! As the testator of the Will, God sovereignly chose those who will be the heirs of salvation, and He wrote their names in the Lamb’s Book of Life before Creation. We read about this in Heb 9:15-17: “And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth”. 2 The 2:13 declares, “But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth”. When we think about God as the Creator and Sustainer of this marvelous universe, we struggle to imagine how many infinite possibilities, or options, that God has at His disposal. Let’s consider some examples of whom God has already chosen: 1) He chose Abram (and renamed him Abraham) (Neh 9:7). 2) He chose the nation of Israel (Deu 7:7). 3) He chose the tribe of Judah (Psa 78:67-68). 4) He chose David (1 Kin 8:16). 5) He chose the twelve Apostles (Luke 6:13). 6) He chose Judas as well (John 17:12). 7) He chose Paul (Acts 9:15). 8) He chose His people (the elect) for salvation (Eph 1:3-6).

Neh 9:7 “Thou art the LORD the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham.”

Deu 7:7 “The LORD did not set his love upon you [the nation of Israel], nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people:”

Psa 78:67-68 “Moreover he refused the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim: But chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved.”

1 Kin 8:16 “Since the day that I brought forth my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build an house, that my name might be therein; but I chose David to be over my people Israel.”

Luke 6:13 “And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles;”

John 17:12 “While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition [Judas]; that the scripture might be fulfilled.”

Acts 9:15 “But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he [Apostle Paul] is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel”

Eph 1:3-6 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us [the elect] with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us [the elect] in him before the foundation of the world, that we [the elect] should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us [the elect] unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us [the elect] accepted in the beloved.”

Chosen in Christ, to the Praise of the Glory of His Grace - Rom 9:18-28 unveils God’s blueprint to redeem His Bride – His Eternal Church. The Bible clearly teaches that salvation is totally by God’s sovereign grace, love and mercy; and those three elements – along with everything else associated with salvation – are unearned gifts from God to His people. Thus, we can say that the nature of God’s mercy is revealed to us through the salvation work of the Lord Jesus Christ, according to Psa 85:7, “Shew us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation”. Only God can give a person eternal life. God must draw the elect to Himself and grant them repentance, spiritual understanding, faith to trust Him, and a capacity to love and obey Him. Only God can create a new eternal soul, or “heart”, and make a “new creature” of a person, as we read in Eze 36:26-27: “A new heart also will I [God] give you, and a new spirit will I [God] put within you: and I [God] will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I [God] will give you an heart of flesh. And I [God] will put my [God’s] spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them”. We also read this in 2 Cor 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature [creation]: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new”. Man’s pride is the source of all sin, and his sinful arrogance would extend even into the arena of salvation unless God had prevented that from happening as seen in Gen 3:22-24: “... lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life... So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life”. Man’s innate self-confidence continues to the present day as he vainly relies attempts on his own capacity to participate in his own salvation thereby ignoring the Bible’s clear statement of his inability to do so in Gal 2:16: “... by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified”. In Acts 13:41 God refers this message from Hab 1:5 to those who refuse to acknowledge that He does ALL the work of salvation: “Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I [God] work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man [Jesus Christ] declare it unto you”. God also makes it clear in Isa 43:25 that salvation is primarily for His honor and glory – not man’s benefit: “I, even I [God], am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins”. We read in Rom 11:36, “For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen”. Isa 42:8 further proclaims: “I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another …”. The question that needs to be asked is: “What gives God glory?” We get a clue in John 11:4: “When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby”. What happened in John 11 to bring glory to God the Father and to glorify God the Son? This entire chapter deals with the raising of Lazarus from physical death – a dramatic portrait of the spiritual resurrection of the soul unto salvation. The first part of John 12 continues to drive home the point that only God has the power to raise the dead – both physically and spiritually. This is why the Lord Jesus declares in John 11:25, “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live”. In essence, we learn from this historical parable that mankind is a spiritual corpse that is “dead in trespasses and sins” and subject to Hell. Only the voice of God – the Bible – has the power to raise a person from spiritual death to spiritual life. Rom 1:16 agrees, by citing the role of the Gospel – which is the whole the Bible – in salvation: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek”. There are no conditions, or requirements, that an individual must meet to be chosen by God for salvation. The entire salvation process depends entirely on the sovereign grace of God completely separate from any human effort or collaboration as Rom 11:6 so clearly explains: “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work”. The words of 1 Cor 1:26-28 help us see how every aspect of salvation is a gift of God – including His “calling”. And Eph 2:9 realistically tells us why: “Not of works, lest any man should boast”. This same reason is also summed up in the eight words of 1 Cor 1:29, “That no flesh should glory in his presence”. Salvation of man is for God’s glory alone.

Gen 3:22-24 “And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life”

Eph 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Gal 2:16 “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.”

1 Cor 1:26-28 “For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 29That no flesh should glory in his presence.”

God Resisteth the Proud, but Giveth Grace unto the Humble

2014-08-31T20:47:00.002-07:00

Pride vs. Humility - One of the main themes in the Bible is the pride of Satan and man, which underlies all sin. Moreover, 1 John 3:4 maintains that sin is “… the transgression of the law …”, and the “Law” that is being disobeyed is God’s Word, the Bible. Pride is the root of all sin, and the one that God especially despises. Pro 8:13 teaches, “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate”. Pro 6:16-19 adds: “These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren”. 1 John 2:16 also asserts, “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world”. On the other hand, the trait of humility, which the Savior so perfectly demonstrated, is also found among His people as they reflect His character of being “… meek and lowly in heart …”. The contrast between pride and humility is found throughout the pages of Scripture; and one such example is the historical parable of the Pharisee and the publican, or tax-collector, found in Luke 18:9-16. Notice in verse 16 that the Lord pinpoints “little children”, who in their naiveté represent those who have become “children of God”. We see the same Greek word as “little children” in Mat 18:3: “And [Jesus] said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven”. We live in a universe of cause and effect that God has established by His Word. Not only is that true in a physical sense, its spiritual ramifications are devastating, as Mat 23:12 warns, “And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted”. Pro 3:34 adds, “Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly”.

Luke 18:9-16 “And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 14I tell you, this man went down to his house justified [or saved] rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. 15And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them. 16But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer [Allow] little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.”

God Resisteth the Proud - Pride and arrogance are dangerous. It highlights the essence of someone who is not a true child of God. Man foolishly thinks that God is somehow unconcerned about what mankind does, but nothing could be further from the truth. Jam 4:6 echoes: “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble”. Pride starts in the heart, and then travels to the mouth, and eventually, manifests itself in the life. Psa 44:21 reminds us, “Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart”. Furthermore, Pro 21:2 proclaims, “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts”. Pro 24:12 answers man’s puny alibis: “If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?”. Gal 6:7-8 enunciates an exceedingly vital principle: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting”. Jer 44:10 relates to the rebellion of Judah and Jerusalem in the historical setting, but figuratively it explains what is transpiring in our day in the institutional churches and denominations: “They are not humbled even unto this day, neither have they feared, nor walked in my law, nor in my statutes, that I set before you and before your fathers”. How does God resist the proud? By abasing them, which ultimately has to do with being cast into Hell , as Pro 29:23 intimates, “A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit”. Rev 20:12-13 depicts the divine appointment that all who do not have a Savior must keep: “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works”.

Psa 138:6 “Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off.”

Psa 50:16-22 “But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth? Seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee. When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him, and hast been partaker with adulterers. Thou givest thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frameth deceit. Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother; thou slanderest thine own mother’s son. These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes. Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.”

I [God] am Meek and Lowly in Heart - The gift of humility is what the Savior bestows upon His elect people. This gift is a wonderful reminder of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who said in Mat 11:29, where we find a two-fold description of the Savior, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls”. We must bear in mind that when the Lord speaks of Himself as “meek” and “lowly”, we are talking about eternal God the Creator, His Eternal Majesty, the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords! Psa 113:6 states, “Who [Jehovah God] humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!”. In Isa 57:15 we learn: “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones”. In Php 2:5-11 we see to what extent Christ had to empty Himself of His divine glory as He humbled Himself by taking on a human nature. In order to be the only Savior for sinners the Lord Jesus had to first take on a human nature. Secondly, he had to become sin, as 2 Cor 5:21 so emphatically announces, “For he [God the Father] hath made him [God the Son] to be sin for us [the elect], who [that is Christ] knew no sin; that we [the elect] might be made the righteousness of God in him [or in Christ]”. Thirdly, the Savior not only epitomizes the very essence of humility in His life but in His death as well as He suffered the equivalent of eternal damnation in the “lake of fire” for each of His elect people. In Acts 8:30-35 we are faced with the account of the Ethiopian eunuch who asks Phillip to explain a passage in Isa 53: “ ... He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: In his humiliation his judgment was taken away ...”. These passages substantiate the infinite degradation that the Lord Jesus subjected Himself to in experiencing the shame of sin and the “lowest Hell”. May God give us an even greater appreciation for the thrust of Php 2:8, “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross”. Also Mat 21:5 that declares, “Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.” The two donkeys pictured here represent the true believers who have been made “meek” or “saved” by their King. He sits upon them as He rides triumphantly into Jerusalem, typifying the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband (Rev 21:2-4). To “sit” is figuratively associated with “ruling”, or “reigning”, as Christ most certainly does over His eternal church.

Php 2:5-11 “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

God Giveth Grace unto the Humble - The Hebrew word for “meek” (‘anav:H6035) is generally translated as “meek”, “humble”, “poor”, and “lowly”. Num 12:3 affirms: “Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth”. We should remember that Moses is a great “type”, or representation, of the Lord Jesus. In Isa 57:15 we learned: “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones”. The Lord Jesus indeed manifested a “… contrite and humble spirit …”. In turn, those whom God has elected to salvation will be “humbled” and will be “made contrite” as God gives them a new resurrected soul and saves them by His grace and for His glory. The trait of humility, which the Savior so perfectly demonstrated, is also found among His people, as the indwelling Holy Spirit produces the fruit of meekness (Gal 5:22-23), and they reflect His character of being meek and lowly in heart. Thus, the “humble” are God’s elect. Before salvation God has to “break us down” spiritually, and humble us because by nature we are so proud and arrogant as we disdain God and His Word, the Bible. How does God “revives”, or “makes alive”, “… the spirit of the humble, and… the heart of the contrite ones”?: 1) God has to “incline” our ears, or give us spiritual understanding, in order for us to “hear” the Gospel. 2) He will give the true Christian the “sure” (or faithful) mercies of King David, who typifies the Lord Jesus. 3) Those whom God has elected to salvation will “come to Him”. Psa 34:18 teaches, “The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit”. In Psa 149:4 we read this beautiful declaration regarding true spiritual beauty: “For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation”. The meek are those who have been “made beautiful” (or clothed) with salvation. Psa 132:16 similarly states, “I will also clothe her priests with salvation: and her saints shall shout aloud for joy”. Additionally, 1 Pet 5:5-7 speaks of each Christian as being “clothed with humility”. For each child of God, humility is not an option but a way of life. Eph 4:2 and Col 3:12-23 admonishes believers, to pattern their life after their Master. Jam 4:6 affirms, “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble”. God associates “humility” with the “fear of the LORD” in Pro 15:33 and Pro 22:4 that details the wonderful blessings of the kingdom of God: “… riches, honour, and life …”: “The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility”, “By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life”. May God give us the grace to walk more humbly and more obediently before Him.

2 Chr 7:14, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

Psa 10:17 “LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:”

Eph 4:2 “With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;”

Col 3:12 “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye”

1 Pet 5:5-7 “Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

How Can I KNOW If God Has Saved Me? - Part 7

2013-10-19T06:56:00.001-07:00

Examine Yourselves, Prove Your Own Selves - This is a very important question that we should all seriously consider, “How Can I KNOW If God Has Saved Me?”. This question gets to the essence of what life is all about. God tells us everything we need to know with regard to His salvation plan for mankind in His Book, the Bible, and God explains that assurance of our salvation is indeed possible as 1 John 5:11-13 explains. We must realize that God does ALL the work of salvation. The Bible teaches that we cannot save ourselves. No church, no religious ritual, no person, and no human effort can save us. Only the work done by the Lord Jesus Christ at the cross and by the Holy Spirit in our hearts can save us. Believing, or having “faith”, in the Lord Jesus Christ is the result of salvation – not the cause of it. Rom 5:10 declares that if God has saved you, your spiritual war with God has ended: “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life”. In other words: If God has saved you from Hell, the Lord Jesus Christ paid for ALL of your sins with His life so that you now have eternal life, and you made no contribution to your salvation in any way, as Tit 3:4-7 declares. However, if God does not save you before you die or the Lord Jesus Christ returns in judgment, you will face eternal damnation in Hell under the wrath of God as a payment for your own sins. If God has already saved you from eternal damnation, He has put His Spirit within you and resurrected your soul (that is, you became a new creature in Christ); as God stated in the verses Eze 36:26-27 and 2 Cor 5:17. In 2 Cor 13:5 and 2 Pet 1:10, God commands us to evaluate our spiritual condition to determine if we truly have received the gift of eternal life based on what the Bible teaches about salvation. In this seventh part of the study we will ask ourselves several questions based on the biblical evidences of salvation to help us “examine” the state of our souls. May God cause each of us to seriously examine our self in the light of His Word to discover whether we are indeed a child of God or not. If we are not (or are not sure), wonderfully today is still the day of salvation; and we can cry out to God for mercy, read His Word, and wait (trusting altogether) on Him.

1 John 5:11-13 “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”

Tit 3:4-7 “But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

Eze 36:26-27 “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”

2 Cor 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

2 Cor 13:5 “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?”

2 Pet 1:10 “Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:”

Are you becoming more comfortable with the True Gospel of Salvation (based on the Sovereign Grace of God) so that it is neither foolish nor offensive to you? – Do you fully understand that God does ALL the work of salvation and are you willing to give Him ALL the praise and glory for His precious gift of eternal life? The common denominator of all the man-made religions and false gospels of the world is man’s “works”. It is the belief that man must do something, somehow participate in his salvation, to obtain a right standing with God. That idea is perfectly “logical” from a human perspective because we are self-centered beings. God, however, has stated very clearly that salvation is by His grace through the faith of Christ and not by man’s “works” (efforts) in any way, shape, or form (Eph 2:8-10). The Bible clearly teaches that salvation is totally by God’s sovereign grace, love and mercy; and those three elements – along with everything else associated with salvation – are unearned gifts from God to His people. Only God can give a person eternal life. God must draw the elect to Himself and grant them repentance, spiritual understanding, faith to trust Him, and a capacity to love and obey Him. Only God can create a new eternal soul, or “heart”, and make a “new creature” of a person, as we read in Eze 36:26-27. There are no conditions, or requirements, that an individual must meet to be chosen by God for salvation. The entire salvation process depends entirely on the sovereign grace of God completely separate from any human effort or collaboration as Rom 11:6 so clearly explains: “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work”. And Eph 2:9 realistically tells us why: “Not of works, lest any man should boast”. Unsaved man hates the doctrines of God’s Sovereign Grace. His natural, sinful pride causes him to reject the notion that God is totally in charge of His own salvation program. Salvation of man is for God’s glory alone. God also makes it clear in Isa 43:25 that salvation is primarily for His honor and glory – not man’s benefit: “I, even I [God], am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins”. Rom 9:11-12; 15-22 depicts the miracle of salvation, by the sovereign grace and power of God, to redeem man from God’s wrath that he certainly deserves.

1 Cor 2:14 “But the natural man [unsaved] receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

1 Cor 3:18-20 “Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise [in the Word of God rightly dividing Truth comparing Scripture with Scripture]. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.”

John 6:37, 44-45, 65 “37All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. 44No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. 45It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me 65And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.”

Rom 9:11-12, 15-22 “For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth… For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest [disputes] against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory …”

Eph 1:3-6 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.”

Eph 2:8-10 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

As you grow in grace, do you have a greater Desire to be a Witness for Jesus Christ? – If God has shown mercy on you through salvation, are you showing mercy to others by telling them about the miraculous work that Jesus Christ has done for you? God commands all of His saints to “go ye into all the world” and to “shew mercy” to the lost by being “ambassadors for Christ” and proclaiming the “Gospel of Christ”. We also read this in 2 Cor 5:20, “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God”. God’s “saints” (true believers) shall praise and bless the Lord for His grace, love, and mercy upon them and shall tell others about His glorious salvation, as Psa 145:10-12 declares: “All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee. They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power; To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom”. In Rom 10:13-17, God gives us some insight as to how He executes His salvation program. This passage describes a circular process with three key elements – “God’s Word”, “hearing” and “faith”. Then we (believers) are suppliers of the Gospel, as we declare the Gospel to others and God draws more of His elect to Himself. As believers bring the Gospel they are a “sweet savour of Christ” to the people of the world, as stated in 2 Cor 2:15-16: “For we [believers] are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, ...”. The Gospel is a two-edged sword that cuts one way to eternal life and the other way to eternal damnation, and God uses it to accomplish His purposes in the lives of those who come in contact with it. Why does God use imperfect men – clay pots – to evangelize the world? It is to show His power to save, so that He gets ALL the honor and glory, as 2 Cor 4:7 states: “But we have this treasure [Gospel] in earthen vessels [men], that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us”. Speaking truth is a necessity while proclaiming Gospel. Acts 4:20 is an excellent reminder for those of us who claim to be the Lord’s servants: “For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard”. Note carefully that the apostles (and all believers) also “declared” to others the true message of the Gospel. This is certainly applicable to all who have been born from above and is the chief task for those of us who are ambassadros of Christ. 2 Cor 11:2-4 reveals Paul’s concern for some in the Corinthian church who were being exposed to false doctrines. In our day when apostasy abounds and false gospels are legion, we would do well to keep in mind the admonition of Gal 1:6-9: “If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed”. Could it be that if God has redeemed us by His grace, we would be obedient to Eph 4:15, which states, “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ”. Without a doubt, one of the most difficult arenas in which to be a witness is among our own family members. It is indeed a proving ground without parallel, and we face all kinds of tests daily. How are we going to react? Are we going to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit or the works of the flesh? Thus, family life according to God’s Word becomes the forge, hammer, and anvil that shape our Christian living and growth.

Mark 16:15 “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”

Rom 10:13-17 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14How 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? 15And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! 16But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? 17So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

Gal 1:6-9 “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed (or damned) As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed (or damned).”

2 Cor 11:2-4 “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.”

2 Cor 2:15-17 “For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things? For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.”

Are you ready to Suffer for Jesus sake and Gospel sake? – It seems that in our day one hears little about the trials and persecutions that believers have historically faced (Mat 5:11-12). Rather many are touting the harmful idea that the Bible promises physical well-being, financial prosperity, and political freedom as the unquestioned rights of each Christian. Nothing could be further from the truth! Indeed, Christians are called upon to suffer for righteousness’ sake, and never for evil-doing, as we read in 1 Pet 4:12-16: “... let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf”. 2 Tim 3:12 adds, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” and Php 1:29 “For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake”. After all, we are to pattern our lives after the Master whom we follow. Jesus said in John 15:20, “Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you …”. The believer’s task to live for Christ and for the proclamation of the Gospel will not be without problems, challenges, and trials. During those times we do well to remember the words of comfort He also proclaimed in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world”. Furthermore, Rom 8:17b reminds us: “… if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together”. This is a divine pattern established by the Lord Jesus that the Apostle Paul wanted to emulate, as we read in Php 3:10: “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death”. God used Paul as an outstanding example of “suffering” as he typifies His Master in this respect. God lays out to Ananias what Paul could expect throughout his future ministry: “For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake” (Acts 9:16). Paul, as a picture of Christ Himself, suffered greatly throughout his lifetime, and yet it was through these very sufferings that he came to understand more fully that his strength came – when he was weakest – from his faithful God as 2 Cor 12:9-10 affirms. 1 The 3:3-4 further teaches: “That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto. For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know”. These exhortations give evidence of the serious commitment to the task of sending forth the True Gospel that all Christians are to reflect. In 2 Tim 2:9-12, Paul is making the point that in spite of the troubles that he had experienced as a “messenger” of the True Gospel, the “message” of the Gospel can never be thwarted or hindered in any way at all. A Christian must demonstrate the love of God by patiently bearing, or enduring, adversity for the cause of the Gospel of Christ as seen in 1 Cor 9:11-12.

Mat 5:11-12 “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad : for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”

1 Pet 4:12-16 “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.”

Rom 8:16-17 “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”

1 Cor 9:11-12 “If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things? If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer [to endure patiently] all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ.”

2 Tim 2:9-12 “Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound. Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:”

Rom 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”

2 Cor 12:9-10 “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”

Do you Yearn for the day when you will Meet your Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, face to face? – 1 Pet 1:3-9 outlines the glorious future that awaits every believer: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God ...”. The resurrection of the dead will occur on the Last Day, or Judgment Day, which coincides with the end of this world, the end of time, and the ushering in of eternity for both the saved and the unsaved. When a true believer dies before Lord returns, his physical body is buried, but his soul, or spirit essence, goes immediately to be with the Lord in Heaven as 2 Cor 5:8 says, “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord”. Nearing the end of his life, Paul, under divine inspiration, utters these words in 2 Tim 4:6-8: “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing”. It should be noted that a “crown of righteousness” is not an additional reward of some sort; but it is a reference to the precious gift of eternal life. It is God Himself, Who is both a believer’s hope and reward. In Tit 2:13 we read: “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ”. Php 1:6 explains that the believer’s confidence is rooted in the fact that the work of saving grace which the Lord Jesus has initiated in his life will be brought to completion one day : “Being confident of this very thing, that he [God] which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ”. Think of it: The Almighty Triune God, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, His Eternal Majesty is at work to finish what He has started in the infinitesimal lives of His people! Could it be that God might so work in each of us that we might affirm along with the Apostle Paul the words of 2 Tim 4:7, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:”

1 Pet 1:3-9 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls”

1 John 3:2 “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”

2 Cor 5:1-2, 6-9 “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven … Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.”

Rom 14:8 “For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.”

How Can I KNOW If God Has Saved Me? - Part 6

2013-10-03T20:16:00.002-07:00

Examine Yourselves, Prove Your Own Selves – This is a very important question that we should all seriously consider, “How Can I KNOW If God Has Saved Me?”. This question gets to the essence of what life is all about. God tells us everything we need to know with regard to His salvation plan for mankind in His Book, the Bible, and God explains that assurance of our salvation is indeed possible as 1 John 5:11-13 explains. We must realize that God does ALL the work of salvation. The Bible teaches that we cannot save ourselves. No church, no religious ritual, no person, and no human effort can save us. Only the work done by the Lord Jesus Christ at the cross and by the Holy Spirit in our hearts can save us. Believing, or having “faith”, in the Lord Jesus Christ is the result of salvation – not the cause of it. Rom 5:10 declares that if God has saved you, your spiritual war with God has ended: “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life”. In other words: If God has saved you from Hell, the Lord Jesus Christ paid for ALL of your sins with His life so that you now have eternal life, and you made no contribution to your salvation in any way, as Tit 3:4-7 declares. However, if God does not save you before you die or the Lord Jesus Christ returns in judgment, you will face eternal damnation in Hell under the wrath of God as a payment for your own sins. If God has already saved you from eternal damnation, He has put His Spirit within you and resurrected your soul (that is, you became a new creature in Christ); as God stated in the verses Eze 36:26-27 and 2 Cor 5:17. In 2 Cor 13:5 and 2 Pet 1:10, God commands us to evaluate our spiritual condition to determine if we truly have received the gift of eternal life based on what the Bible teaches about salvation. In this sixth part of the study we will ask ourselves several questions based on the biblical evidences of salvation to help us “examine” the state of our souls. May God cause each of us to seriously examine our self in the light of His Word to discover whether we are indeed a child of God or not. If we are not (or are not sure), wonderfully today is still the day of salvation; and we can cry out to God for mercy, read His Word, and wait (trusting altogether) on Him.

1 John 5:11-13 “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”

Tit 3:4-7 “But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

Eze 36:26-27 “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”

2 Cor 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

2 Cor 13:5 “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?”

2 Pet 1:10 “Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:”

Is the “Fruit of the Spirit” becoming more Evident in your Life? – We see in Eph 2:10 that true believers are God’s “workmanship”, which means “the fruit (or product) of a workman’s labor”. We also see in Gal 5:22-26 that true believers are governed by the “fruit” (or product) of the Holy Spirit’s work in their lives: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance ...”. There is “no law” against these nine fruit of the Spirit because they reflect the righteous nature of God Himself. True believers can sincerely exclaim the words of Eph 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ!”

Eph 2:8-10 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

Gal 5:22-26 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.”

The Fruit of the Spirit is “Faith” – Do you trust and hope for unseen life after death? Are you able to set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth? “Faith” is synonymous with the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is called “Faithful” in Rev 19:11. What was the “work of faith” in 2 The 1:11, or rather, “the work of Christ” or “the Saving Faith” or “the faith of Christ” that He so faithfully performed? Isa 53:11 reveals: “He [referring to the Father] shall see of the travail [or work] of his [Christ’s] soul, and shall be satisfied: by his [Christ’s] knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he [Christ] shall bear their iniquities”. Every believer who is saved by the “faith of Christ” receives “faith” as a result of salvation and are commanded to “walk by faith, not by sight” in 2 Cor 5:7. This verse has been all but abandoned in our modern, “Christian culture”, which sadly highlights a plethora of sight-based “gospels” that feature healings, visions, miracles, and financial prosperity. In other words, everyone who has experienced the new birth will understand the meaning of Heb 11:6 that says, “without faith it is impossible to please him [God]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him”. Faith is defined in Heb 11:1 as, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”. What one sees physically does not produce faith. From Rom 8:24, We learn that one is “saved by hope”, but it is not something we can see physically and if we see something physically, there is really no need for hope. 1 Pet 1:3 speaks about being “begotten again” (or “born again”) to such a glorious hope. 1 Cor 15:19 stresses the importance of a “living hope” for each believer who anticipates spending eternity – not just a few years on this earth – with the object, or substance, of his hope, the Lord Jesus Christ: “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable”. 2 Cor 4:18 also mentions the difference between “things not seen” and the “things which are seen”. The “things on the earth” are the things which can be seen – or temporal things. This verse, like Heb 11:1, indicates that “the things which are not seen are eternal”. If we are a true Christian, things that are eternal in character should grip our minds and hearts and motivate us to greater obedience, as Col 3:1-2 asserts.

Rev 19:11 “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he [Lord Jesus] that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.”

2 The 1:11 “Wherefore also we pray always for you [believers], that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power…”

Heb 12:2 “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our - The word “our” in this verse was added by the translators] faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Rom 8:24-25 “For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.”

1 Pet 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively [or living] hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”.

Tit 2:13 “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ”

2 Cor 4:18 “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

Col 3:1-2 “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”

The Fruit of the Spirit is “Meekness” – Are you meek enough to humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God and His Word? Are you humble enough to forbear one another in love? God reveals a very important biblical principle in Mat 23:12, “And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted”. Repeatedly in the Bible, God echoes His sentiment toward the humble. Mic 6:8 further adds, “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”. The Bible gives us some wonderful pictures of the “meek”, or those who have inherited the quality of “meekness”. As we ponder this word “meekness”, we are reminded of the Lord Jesus, the ultimate servant, who uttered these words in Mat 11:29: “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls”. We must bear in mind that when the Lord speaks of Himself as “meek” and “lowly”, we are talking about eternal God the Creator, His Eternal Majesty, the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords! Mat 21:5 portrays the Lord Jesus in such a fashion: “Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass”. Here we see to what extent Christ had to empty Himself of His divine glory as He humbled Himself by taking on a human nature. With these verses in mind, may God give us an even greater appreciation for the thrust of Php 2:8, “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross”. So, we can safely conclude that the Lord Jesus indeed manifested a “… contrite and humble spirit …” In turn, those whom God has elected to salvation will be “humbled” and will be “made contrite” as God gives them a new resurrected soul and saves them by His grace and for His glory. Moses, as a great type of Christ, is described in Num 12:3 in these words, “Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth”. “Meekness” is associated with only those who are true believers - those who have received with meekness “the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls …”. The child of God is to exhibit the attitude described in Eph 4:2, “With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love”. Col 3:12 further maintains: “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering”. 1 Pet 5:5 also addresses this subject: “Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble”. In 1 Pet 3:3-4, God is contrasting that which is “outward” as opposed to the “inward”, or the “hidden man of the heart”, which has to do with salvation and is also known as “a meek and quiet spirit”. Meekness is also one of the “the qualities of a servant” as set forth in 2 Tim 2:24-25. We would do well to recollect the words of Isa 61:1, which outline the Savior’s mission: “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound”. In turn those who fear the Lord will also speak of His salvation as 1 Pet 3:15 points out: “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:”

Isa 57:15 “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.”

James 1:21 “Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.”

1 Pet 3:3-4 “Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.”

2 Tim 2:24-25 “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;”

The Fruit of the Spirit is “Temperance” – Are you able to rule over your body and combat besetting sins? One of the characteristics of those who have received salvation will be a willingness to be faithful in declaring and as well as in obeying God’s Word, as confirmed in Jude 3: “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints”. The word for “earnestly contend” is actually a compound Greek word that is only used in this verse, but the word for “contend” is translated as “striving” in Col 1:29: “Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily”. In 1 Cor 9:24-27 the same word is translated as “mastery”: “And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things”. “Temperance”, or “self-control”, is a remarkable fruit of the Spirit that motivates the true follower of Jesus Christ to forsake sin and follow the commands of Scripture. Paul likens the Christian life to a race for which an athlete trains. Following the rules and employing self-control and discipline are key factors in athletic competition as well as in the “Christian race,” as Paul states, “… I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection”. There exists an internal struggle between the believer’s new, resurrected soul (in which he never sins) and his body (that still lusts after sin because it has not yet become saved), as Paul explains in Rom 7:18-19. Thus, the true Christian’s biggest obstacle is himself! The solution lies in the fact that God is at work in the believer’s life to “… will and to do of His good pleasure”, so that obedience reigns, and the lusts of our bodies are dominated by the Word of God, as is seen in the phrase, “… and bring it into subjection”. The idea expressed here is to make the body a “servant” (or a slave). Those who have been redeemed are the servants of God, and they live to do His divine bidding, as Rom 6:12 affirms, “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof”. The root word for “contend” is rendered as “fight” in 2 Tim 4:7 and “race” in Heb 12:1. Heb 12:1 proclaims: “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us”. Could it be that God might so work in each of us that we might affirm along with the Apostle Paul the words of 2 Tim 4:7, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith”

1 Cor 9:24-27 “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 25And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 26I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: 27But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”

Rom 7:18-19 “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me [in soul]; but how to perform that which is good I find not [in my body]. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.”

1 Pet 2:11 “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;”

Eph 6:10 “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.”

How Can I KNOW If God Has Saved Me? - Part 5

2013-09-26T18:05:00.000-07:00

Examine Yourselves, Prove Your Own Selves - This is a very important question that we should all seriously consider, “How Can I KNOW If God Has Saved Me?”. This question gets to the essence of what life is all about. God tells us everything we need to know with regard to His salvation plan for mankind in His Book, the Bible, and God explains that assurance of our salvation is indeed possible as 1 John 5:11-13 explains. We must realize that God does ALL the work of salvation. The Bible teaches that we cannot save ourselves. No church, no religious ritual, no person, and no human effort can save us. Only the work done by the Lord Jesus Christ at the cross and by the Holy Spirit in our hearts can save us. Believing, or having “faith”, in the Lord Jesus Christ is the result of salvation – not the cause of it. Rom 5:10 declares that if God has saved you, your spiritual war with God has ended: “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life”. In other words: If God has saved you from Hell, the Lord Jesus Christ paid for ALL of your sins with His life so that you now have eternal life, and you made no contribution to your salvation in any way, as Tit 3:4-7 declares. However, if God does not save you before you die or the Lord Jesus Christ returns in judgment, you will face eternal damnation in Hell under the wrath of God as a payment for your own sins. If God has already saved you from eternal damnation, He has put His Spirit within you and resurrected your soul (that is, you became a new creature in Christ); as God stated in the verses Eze 36:26-27 and 2 Cor 5:17. In 2 Cor 13:5 and 2 Pet 1:10, God commands us to evaluate our spiritual condition to determine if we truly have received the gift of eternal life based on what the Bible teaches about salvation. In this fifth part of the study we will ask ourselves several questions based on the biblical evidences of salvation to help us “examine” the state of our souls. May God cause each of us to seriously examine our self in the light of His Word to discover whether we are indeed a child of God or not. If we are not (or are not sure), wonderfully today is still the day of salvation; and we can cry out to God for mercy, read His Word, and wait (trusting altogether) on Him.

1 John 5:11-13 “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”

Tit 3:4-7 “But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

Eze 36:26-27 “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”

2 Cor 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

2 Cor 13:5 “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?”

2 Pet 1:10 “Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:”

Is the “Fruit of the Spirit” becoming more Evident in your Life? - We see in Eph 2:10 that true believers are God’s “workmanship”, which means “the fruit (or product) of a workman’s labor”. We also see in Gal 5:22-26 that true believers are governed by the “fruit” (or product) of the Holy Spirit’s work in their lives: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance ...”. There is “no law” against these nine fruit of the Spirit because they reflect the righteous nature of God Himself. True believers can sincerely exclaim the words of Eph 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ!”

Eph 2:8-10 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

Gal 5:22-26 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.”

The Fruit of the Spirit is “Longsuffering” – Are you able to be patient and forgive others as God has forgiven your multitude of sins? The “longsuffering”, or patience, of God can be readily seen throughout the Bible. Actually, it is astounding that God is so patient with rebellious man. Unbelievable as it sounds, forgiveness first originated with God Himself although we have rebelled against him. The Greek word for “suffereth long” is also translated as “patience” and is closely related to God’s forgiveness. We learn in Rom 2:4 that God’s “goodness” and “longsuffering” leads His elect to repentance: “Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?”. Indeed, with the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives Col 1:11 admonishes us to be, “Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness”. As we look to the Bible to learn about this wonderful forgiveness that God has provided, may we be compelled to examine our own hearts to see how we stand before God. Have we received His incomprehensible forgiveness? If we have, are we sharing the Gospel of Christ with others so they, too, may also come to know His marvelous forgiveness? God’s love and forgiveness covers multitude of sins, as 1 Pet 4:8 states: “And above all things have fervent charity [love] among yourselves: for charity [love] shall cover the multitude of sins”. And Col 3:13 admonishes the believers who received the eternal forgiveness from God, to pattern their life after their Master, “Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye” and in Eph 4:2 “With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love”. God explains this in the parable of the wicked servant in Mat 18. With the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, God admonishes us to be patient, likewise, towards one another by reproving, rebuking, exhorting with all longsuffering and doctrine (2 Tim 4:2).

Num 14:18 “The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.”

Matt 18:21-35 “Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 22Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. 23Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. 24And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. 25But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 27Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. 28But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. 29And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 30And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. 31So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. 32Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: 33Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? 34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. 35So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.”

Col 3:12-15 “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye”

Eph 4:30-32 “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

The Fruit of the Spirit is “Gentleness” – Are you able to love your enemies and be kind to them? hoping for nothing again? Following the pattern of their Master, those who are part of the eternal church are equipped with the fruit of “gentleness”, or kindness, as Eph 2:7 describes, “That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus”. Those to whom God has graciously given the gift of salvation do not, in any way, merit such eternal kindness and blessing nor can they claim any credit for it. We see that God is “kind” even to unthankful and evil people in Luke 6:35: “But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil”. In Eph 4:32 and Col 3:12, true believers are instructed to mirror the kindness that God has shown to them by being kind to one another. We will look at one of Jonathan’s sons, Mephibosheth, to whom King David showed much kindness in 2 Sam 9:3-8 and 13. David loved Jonathan dearly, and in the historical context he desired to express that in a tangible way to Saul’s relatives. He wanted to “shew the kindness of God” to “any of the house of Saul”. King Saul was Jonathan’s father and David’s former enemy. This is a beautiful representation of the biblical injunction to “love your enemies”. May the Holy Spirit empower us to exhibit patience, kindness, and the good kind of zeal in our lives for God’s honor and glory.

Eph 2:7 “That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.”

Eph 4:32 “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

Col 3:12-13 “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.”

2 Sam 9:3-8, 13 “And the king [David] said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may shew the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet. And the king said unto him, Where is he? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he is in the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, in Lodebar. Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lodebar. Now when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David, he fell on his face, and did reverence. And David said, Mephibosheth. And he answered, Behold thy servant! And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father’s sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually. And he bowed himself, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?. …So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem: for he did eat continually at the king’s table; and was lame on both his feet.”

Psa 40:11 “Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.”

The Fruit of the Spirit is “Goodness” – Are you able to do good works by the empowering of Holy Spirit and share the good news of the Gospel? God’s goodness is uniquely associated with His mercy in a number of passages: “For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee” (Psa 86:5). Not only is God inherently good, but He bestows His goodness upon His creatures, and salvation is the highest expression of His infinite goodness. Isa 52:7 announces the greatest demonstration of God’s goodness as found in the Gospel – “good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation”. Rom 2:4 immediately helps us to see the reason for this – God’s “goodness” leads His elect to repentance. Psa 65:4 pinpoints how God “draws” a person to salvation and is another beautiful illustration of God’s mercy in making His people as holy as Himself. Eph 5:9 gives us an excellent description of “goodness” as one of three main categories of the fruit of the Spirit: “For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth”. We also read in 2 Chr 6:41, “Now therefore arise, O LORD God, into thy resting place, thou, and the ark of thy strength: let thy priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation, and let thy saints rejoice in goodness”. Remember that “priests” and “saints” are both synonyms for the children of God. We need to understand that God must first raise us from spiritual death before we can be “good” and “upright” in God’s eyes. Only those whom God has saved can “be good” and “do good” in His eyes because their “good works” are no longer tainted with sin, since their sins have been paid for by the Lord Jesus Christ at the cross; and whatever “good works” they do is only because God is working in them to accomplish “His good pleasure”, according to Php 2:13: “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure”. Eph 5:9 and Gal 5:22-23 gives us an excellent description of “goodness” as one of the fruit of the Spirit. With the continual work of grace – the operation of God – in the Christian’s life, God gives to those who are “new creatures in Christ” – this command in Jam 1:22, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves”. If God has saved you, He will give you an earnest and ongoing desire to do His will, as set forth in His Word, the Bible. God’s people will receive His “goodness and mercy” all the days of their lives – which is forevermore. Salvation is life eternal and, once received, can never be lost or taken away. Eph 2:7 gives us a glimpse of what God has planned for believers in eternity future: “That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus”.

Psa 65:4 “Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.”

Isa 52:7 “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!”

Luke 11:9-13 “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 10For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 11If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? 12Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?”

Jam 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

Eph 5:8-11 “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.”

2 The 1:11 “Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power…”

Php 1:6 “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”

Psa 23:6 “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.”

Heb 13:20-21 “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

How Can I KNOW If God Has Saved Me? - Part 4

2013-09-17T00:24:00.004-07:00

Examine Yourselves, Prove Your Own Selves - This is a very important question that we should all seriously consider, “How Can I KNOW If God Has Saved Me?”. This question gets to the essence of what life is all about. God tells us everything we need to know with regard to His salvation plan for mankind in His Book, the Bible, and God explains that assurance of our salvation is indeed possible as 1 John 5:11-13 explains. We must realize that God does ALL the work of salvation. The Bible teaches that we cannot save ourselves. No church, no religious ritual, no person, and no human effort can save us. Only the work done by the Lord Jesus Christ at the cross and by the Holy Spirit in our hearts can save us. Believing, or having “faith”, in the Lord Jesus Christ is the result of salvation – not the cause of it. Rom 5:10 declares that if God has saved you, your spiritual war with God has ended: “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life”. In other words: If God has saved you from Hell, the Lord Jesus Christ paid for ALL of your sins with His life so that you now have eternal life, and you made no contribution to your salvation in any way, as Tit 3:4-7 declares. However, if God does not save you before you die or the Lord Jesus Christ returns in judgment, you will face eternal damnation in Hell under the wrath of God as a payment for your own sins. If God has already saved you from eternal damnation, He has put His Spirit within you and resurrected your soul (that is, you became a new creature in Christ); as God stated in the verses Eze 36:26-27 and 2 Cor 5:17. In 2 Cor 13:5 and 2 Pet 1:10, God commands us to evaluate our spiritual condition to determine if we truly have received the gift of eternal life based on what the Bible teaches about salvation. In this fourth part of the study we will ask ourselves several questions based on the biblical evidences of salvation to help us “examine” the state of our souls. May God cause each of us to seriously examine our self in the light of His Word to discover whether we are indeed a child of God or not. If we are not (or are not sure), wonderfully today is still the day of salvation; and we can cry out to God for mercy, read His Word, and wait (trusting altogether) on Him.

1 John 5:11-13 “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”

Tit 3:4-7 “But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

Eze 36:26-27 “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”

2 Cor 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

2 Cor 13:5 “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?”

2 Pet 1:10 “Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:”

Is the “Fruit of the Spirit” becoming more Evident in your Life? - We see in Eph 2:10 that true believers are God’s “workmanship”, which means “the fruit (or product) of a workman’s labor”. We also see in Gal 5:22-26 that true believers are governed by the “fruit” (or product) of the Holy Spirit’s work in their lives: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance ...”. There is “no law” against these nine fruit of the Spirit because they reflect the righteous nature of God Himself. True believers can sincerely exclaim the words of Eph 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ!”

The Fruit of the Spirit is “Love” – Are you able to Love God and your Neighbour also? – Let’s begin by looking at a believer’s love for God. We read of Jesus’ response to a question posed to him by a scribe in Mark 12:28 “Which is the first commandment of all?” “...thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength”. It’s a matter of heart. After all, God describes the condition of an unsaved person’s heart very early in the Bible in Gen 6:5: “... every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually”. And throughout the Bible God closely associates love with obeying the commandments, as we can see from John 14:15, “If ye love me, keep my commandments”. So one can only love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, when they have received eternal life, or salvation, in their souls (Deu 30:6). Lord Jesus explains a believer’s love for others in context with`the second commandment in Mark 12:31-33: “... Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself”. 1 John 4:21 proclaims: “And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also”. Loving our neighbor as our self implies being our brother’s keeper, which Cain refused to do. After God saves a believer, Love begins to manifest itself as “fruit of the Spirit” in the life of this individual who truly has become a “new creature” (or creation) in Christ, in whom the Holy Spirit indwells. True believers are instructed to mirror the kindness that God has shown to them by being kind to one another. It is the mission of every true child of God as 2 Cor 5:18 affirms: “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation”. We surely should look after the physical needs of our neighbour and especially unto them who are of the household of faith, but we see a need that is greater than the physical need, which is the spiritual need. If we had even a tiny portion of true love for our fellowman, we would never want to see them judged in Hell eternally. Jesus gives us the answer in response to the lawyer’s question in Luke 10:29 “… and who is my neighbour?” by detailing the account of a man who was rescued after he had been robbed, beaten, and left “stripped” and “half dead”. This is a marvelous picture of unsaved man as we find in Eph 2:1, “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins”. Luke 10:33-34 demonstrates what it means to love our neighbor – it is to share the Gospel of Grace - that has power to resurrect the dead soul to eternal life, with them. The oil in this verse, typifies the Holy Spirit and the wine points to the Gospel, which God can use to heal our sin-sick souls.

Deu 30:6 “And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.”

Luke 6:35 “But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.”

Gal 6:9-10 “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.”

1 John 3:16-18 “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? 18My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.”

John 21:15-17 “So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. 16He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. 17He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.”

The Fruit of the Spirit is “Joy” – Do you have Joy of Salvation and Rejoice in Suffering also? – In Hab 3:18 we discover this beautiful statement, “Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation”. Each believer has been given “joy” as “fruit of the Spirit”, which is a direct result of the incomprehensible salvation that God has granted. For those who have become saved through the power of the True Gospel, there is much joy in their lives as they serve their Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Also, it seems that in our day one hears little about the trials and persecutions that believers have historically faced. Rather many are touting the harmful idea that the Bible promises physical well-being, financial prosperity, and political freedom as the unquestioned rights of each Christian. Nothing could be further from the truth! Indeed, Christians are called upon to suffer for righteousness’ sake, and never for evil-doing in 1 Pet 4:12-16: “But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye ...”. After all, we are to pattern our lives after the Master whom we follow: “... In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). God uses trials and temptations in the lives of His children to test and strengthen their Faith. Jam 1:2-3 affirms that Christians can indeed rejoice in the midst of suffering too: “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience”. The true child of God can look forward with joy to spending eternity with His Lord and Master in the highest possible bliss. Neh 8:10 is a very comforting verse which declares, “... for the joy of the LORD is your strength”

1 Pet 4:12-16 “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.”

1 Pet 1:6-8 “Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory”

Psa 100:1-5 "Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. 2Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. 3Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. 5For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”

The Fruit of the Spirit is “Peace” – Do you have Peace with God and Peace of God? Are you able to live Peaceably with All men? – Eph 2:14-15 describes the spiritual “Peace with God” – eternal peace between God and man that Christ secured for many. Those who have been reconciled to God are also given “Peace of God” – resulting from faith to trust God and to rest in Him. Isa 26:3 speaks of the wonderful peace that God has gifted to each of His children: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee”. The war between God and man started in the Garden of Eden as a result of Adam’s sin; and because man is at war with His Maker, he is also at war with other men. Our sinful Adamic nature, with which every human being is born, is described in Jam 4:2: “[in Adamic nature] Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not”. After God saves a believer, Peace begins to manifest itself in the life of this individual who truly has become a “new creature” (or creation) in Christ. If, Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace has reconciled us to God and set us apart to be His ambassadors, we are to proclaim this Gospel of Peace so that our neighbor might be reconciled to God too. This is how we love our neighbor as ourselves. May God give us renewed zeal to be about His business. Blessed are the peacemakers and beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things.

2 Cor 5:18-20 “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 20Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.”

Rom 12:17-21 “Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. 18If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. 19Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. 20Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. 21Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Rom 10:15 “And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!”

Matt 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”

How Can I KNOW If God Has Saved Me? - Part 3

2013-09-07T11:28:00.001-07:00

Examine Yourselves, Prove Your Own Selves - This is a very important question that we should all seriously consider, “How Can I KNOW If God Has Saved Me?”. This question gets to the essence of what life is all about. God tells us everything we need to know with regard to His salvation plan for mankind in His Book, the Bible, and God explains that assurance of our salvation is indeed possible as 1 John 5:11-13 explains. We must realize that God does ALL the work of salvation. The Bible teaches that we cannot save ourselves. No church, no religious ritual, no person, and no human effort can save us. Only the work done by the Lord Jesus Christ at the cross and by the Holy Spirit in our hearts can save us. Believing, or having “faith”, in the Lord Jesus Christ is the result of salvation – not the cause of it. Rom 5:10 declares that if God has saved you, your spiritual war with God has ended: “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life”. In other words: If God has saved you from Hell, the Lord Jesus Christ paid for ALL of your sins with His life so that you now have eternal life, and you made no contribution to your salvation in any way, as Tit 3:4-7 declares. However, if God does not save you before you die or the Lord Jesus Christ returns in judgment, you will face eternal damnation in Hell under the wrath of God as a payment for your own sins. If God has already saved you from eternal damnation, He has put His Spirit within you and resurrected your soul (that is, you became a new creature in Christ); as God stated in the verses Eze 36:26-27 and 2 Cor 5:17. In 2 Cor 13:5 and 2 Pet 1:10, God commands us to evaluate our spiritual condition to determine if we truly have received the gift of eternal life based on what the Bible teaches about salvation. In this third part of the study we will ask ourselves several questions based on the biblical evidences of salvation to help us “examine” the state of our souls. May God cause each of us to seriously examine our self in the light of His Word to discover whether we are indeed a child of God or not. If we are not (or are not sure), wonderfully today is still the day of salvation; and we can cry out to God for mercy, read His Word, and wait (trusting altogether) on Him.

1 John 5:11-13 “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”

Tit 3:4-7 “But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

Eze 36:26-27 “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”

2 Cor 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

2 Cor 13:5 “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?”

2 Pet 1:10 “Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:”

Does the Holy Spirit give you Assurance that you are Born of God? - One day we might “feel” saved; the next day, as a result of some sin, we don’t. We have to put our feelings aside, and only trust in what the Bible proclaims. An authentic Christian’s trust, hope, confidence, and faith needs to be firmly established in what God has written in His Word. Is it possible to know that one is a child of God from the Bible? By God’s mercy, the answer is yes, as 1 John 5:12-13 affirms that believers can “know” they have eternal life: “These things have I written [in God’s Word] unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life ...”. What is really in view in these Scriptures is the fact that believers receive assurance of their salvation from the Bible – the written Word of God – and the work of the indwelling Holy Spirit. The Gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit is yet another evidence of salvation. 1 John 4:13 reveals, “Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit”. And Rom 8:9 affirms that one is NOT a child of God without the indwelling Spirit of God: “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his”. Now, to summarize what we have learned today: First, the Holy Spirit is given to the believer as the “earnest” (or down payment) of his salvation. Secondly, we are not to trust our feelings at all; we must lean altogether on what the Bible sets forth. At times, however, our hearts can work against us, as 1 John 3:18-22 indicates: “For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God”; but even when that happens, we must rest altogether in the work and faith of the Lord Jesus. Eph 3:12 testifies that a believer have boldness or confidence in the day of judgement, not because of his doings but because of what Lord has done for him on the cross: “In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him”. The fact that our own hearts “condemn”, or blame, us does not necessarily signify that we are unsaved. On the contrary, it appears that as a Christian matures in grace, he is increasingly mindful of his own unworthiness and sinfulness: “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief” (1 Tim 1:15) . At the same time, he is increasingly aware of God’s unfathomable grace, as Rom 5:20b so powerfully insists, “… But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound”. A true Christian’s heart can either serve to condemn or absolve him, as he obeys God’s Word or fails the various “tests” that God employs to determine his spiritual condition. The Scripture testifies that God is indeed “greater than our heart, and knoweth all things”. Ultimately, a believer desires to be obedient to his Master above all else, as God works in him “to will and to do of His good pleasure”.

Rom 8:16 “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:”

John 1:12-13 “But as many as received him [as in recipients], to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

1 John 3:18-22 “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. 19And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. 20For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. 21Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. 22And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.”

Are the “Works of the Flesh” Diminishing in your life? - Are you continuing to turn from your sins? and leading a Godly Life? Are you finding that the pleasures of this world do not interest you as much as they did in the past? In Rom 8:13 we find these words, “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die”. Mat 26:41 adds, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak”. From even a casual reading of the Bible, we are brought face to face with not only our innate weaknesses and inadequacies but, more importantly, with our sins that are sending us pell-mell to eternal damnation. This is the accurately painful description that Eph 2:3 paints: “Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others”. The word “conversation” means “lifestyle”. What is the lifestyle of someone who is NOT saved? Gal 5:19-21 itemizes the works of the flesh and warns: “... of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God”. On the other hand, 2 Cor 5:17 describes a born-again believers new nature: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new”. At this point in our discussion, I think it would be helpful to remind ourselves of each believer’s dual nature. Quite possibly the tendency to emphasize one aspect more than the other can shape how we look at ourselves in terms of possessing or lacking assurance of salvation. Let us consider each “side” of a Christian’s whole personality. Even after a person is redeemed he struggles with sin because his body still remains unsaved, even though in his soul he has received eternal life. This is clearly seen in a number of verses like Rom 7:20, “Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me”. The apostle Paul, under divine inspiration, reveals in Rom 7:25 the Scriptural assessment that a child of God must constantly keep in mind, “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin”. But Gal 5:16-18 and verses 24-25 further add: “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh [our bodies]… And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit”. This internal dualism is the true Christian’s greatest spiritual struggle, bar none, as Rom 7:24 pinpoints, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” The deliverance that Paul refers to is found in the words of 2 Cor 5:1-4, which expresses the believer’s yearning to be forever clothed with his glorified spiritual body. 1 John 3:1-3 highlights this as well, adding the dimension of hope with regard to glorification, which is the final stage of salvation.

1 John 2:15-17 “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”

Rom 12:2 “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

Gal 5:19-21 “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Rom 7:21-25 “I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 22For I delight in the law of God after the inward man [or the soul]: 23But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members [or my body]. 24O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin… ”

Gal 5:16-18, 24-25 “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh [our bodies]. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law… And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit”

Rom 6:11-20 “For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. 11Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. 12Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 13Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. 14For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. 15What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.”

1 Cor 9:27 “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”

Rom 8:1-2 “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”

2 Cor 5:1-4 “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle [our physical body] were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon [with glorified spiritual body] with our house which is from heaven: 3If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked [that is, sinful]. 4For we that are in this tabernacle [our physical body] do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.”

1 John 3:1-3 “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he [Christ] shall appear, we shall be like him [Christ]; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him [Christ] purifieth himself, even as he [Christ] is pure.”

How Can I KNOW If God Has Saved Me? - Part 2

2013-09-06T07:32:00.000-07:00

Examine Yourselves, Prove Your Own Selves - This is a very important question that we should all seriously consider, “How Can I KNOW If God Has Saved Me?”. This question gets to the essence of what life is all about. God tells us everything we need to know with regard to His salvation plan for mankind in His Book, the Bible, and God explains that assurance of our salvation is indeed possible as 1 John 5:11-13 explains. We must realize that God does ALL the work of salvation. The Bible teaches that we cannot save ourselves. No church, no religious ritual, no person, and no human effort can save us. Only the work done by the Lord Jesus Christ at the cross and by the Holy Spirit in our hearts can save us. Believing, or having “faith”, in the Lord Jesus Christ is the result of salvation – not the cause of it. Rom 5:10 declares that if God has saved you, your spiritual war with God has ended: “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life”. In other words: If God has saved you from Hell, the Lord Jesus Christ paid for ALL of your sins with His life so that you now have eternal life, and you made no contribution to your salvation in any way, as Tit 3:4-7 declares. However, if God does not save you before you die or the Lord Jesus Christ returns in judgment, you will face eternal damnation in Hell under the wrath of God as a payment for your own sins. If God has already saved you from eternal damnation, He has put His Spirit within you and resurrected your soul (that is, you became a new creature in Christ); as God stated in the verses Eze 36:26-27 and 2 Cor 5:17. In 2 Cor 13:5 and 2 Pet 1:10, God commands us to evaluate our spiritual condition to determine if we truly have received the gift of eternal life based on what the Bible teaches about salvation. In this second part of the study we will ask ourselves several questions based on the biblical evidences of salvation to help us “examine” the state of our souls. May God cause each of us to seriously examine our self in the light of His Word to discover whether we are indeed a child of God or not. If we are not (or are not sure), wonderfully today is still the day of salvation; and we can cry out to God for mercy, read His Word, and wait (trusting altogether) on Him.

1 John 5:11-13 “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”

Tit 3:4-7 “But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

Eze 36:26-27 “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”

2 Cor 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

2 Cor 13:5 “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?”

2 Pet 1:10 “Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:”

Do you have an earnest and a continual Desire to Obey the Will of God as set forth in the Bible? - It is amazing that God would reveal Truth from His Word to those who have become His children by means of the new birth. Luke 10:21 states: “In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight”. However, God also indicates that the truth which He alone reveals is meant to be obeyed. This is the thrust of the statement we find in Luke 6:46, “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” and should be the result of all Bible study. What we learn in the pages of the Bible is not to be used to show how much we know, or how much we can assimilate, or how much we can explain; rather, it is to be humbly obeyed. Rom 7:5 portrays man’s inherent inability to be under, or obedient to, God’s Word prior to salvation: “Because the carnal [unsaved] mind is enmity [or hatred] against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be”. It is important to recognize that the phrases “in the flesh” and “carnal mind” refer to one who is unsaved. On the other hand, the phrases “in the spirit” and “under grace” are speaking about one who is saved. Eze 36:26-27 so beautifully illustrates the reality of the new birth and the characteristic of one who have been raised from spiritual death to life and become a “new creature” – an insatiable desire to be obedient to the Word of God: “... I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them”. Obedience is the evidence of Salvation. John 8:31 continues : “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;” and 1 John 2:6 insists as well, “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he [that is Christ] walked”.

Eze 36:26-27 “A new heart also will I [God] give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”

John 14:15 “If ye love me [Jesus Christ], keep my commandments.”

Rom 2:13 “For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.”

Jam 1:22 “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”

1 John 2:3-5 “And hereby we do know that we know him [Jesus Christ], if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.”

Do you have “Spiritual peace with God” and “Spiritual peace of God”? - One of man’s greatest desires is to live in peace, or the absence of war and strife. However, wars are the result of man’s sinful nature and will never be abolished on this sin-cursed earth. As “the Prince of Peace” many people think that Jesus came to bring some kind of political or secular peace among nations or groups of people. Jesus dispelled all doubts about His purpose for coming to this earth in Matt 10:34 “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword”. Why then is the Lord Jesus called “the Prince of Peace” in the Bible? A spiritual war between God and rebellious mankind exists, as we read in Rom 8:7 “Because the carnal [unsaved] mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be”. Jesus came to bring peace between God and His people. The peace that results from salvation is called “peace with God” in Rom 5:1, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”. True believers have peace with God because of the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ at the cross that has “reconciled” them to God, as explained in 2 Cor 5:19: “To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation ...”. Do you have an ongoing desire to thank and praise God through prayer as you learn to trust Him more and more in every aspect of your life? In other words, Do you have “peace of God”? When we have become reconciled to God by salvation, God also gives us the “peace of God”, according to Php 4:6-7. In John 14:27 Jesus said: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid”. Faith to trust Him results from the “peace of God”.

2 Cor 5:18-20 “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 20Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.”

Php 4:6-7 “Be careful [anxious] for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus”.

Eph 6:17-18 “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”

1 Thess 5:16-18 “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

Pro 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

How Can I KNOW If God Has Saved Me? - Part 1

2013-09-02T06:16:00.005-07:00

Examine Yourselves, Prove Your Own Selves - This is a very important question that we should all seriously consider, “How Can I KNOW If God Has Saved Me?”. This question gets to the essence of what life is all about. God tells us everything we need to know with regard to His salvation plan for mankind in His Book, the Bible, and God explains that assurance of our salvation is indeed possible as 1 John 5:11-13 explains. We must realize that God does ALL the work of salvation. The Bible teaches that we cannot save ourselves. No church, no religious ritual, no person, and no human effort can save us. Only the work done by the Lord Jesus Christ at the cross and by the Holy Spirit in our hearts can save us. Believing, or having “faith”, in the Lord Jesus Christ is the result of salvation – not the cause of it. Rom 5:10 declares that if God has saved you, your spiritual war with God has ended: “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life”. In other words: If God has saved you from Hell, the Lord Jesus Christ paid for ALL of your sins with His life so that you now have eternal life, and you made no contribution to your salvation in any way, as Tit 3:4-7 declares. However, if God does not save you before you die or the Lord Jesus Christ returns in judgment, you will face eternal damnation in Hell under the wrath of God as a payment for your own sins. If God has already saved you from eternal damnation, He has put His Spirit within you and resurrected your soul (that is, you became a new creature in Christ); as God stated in the verses Eze 36:26-27 and 2 Cor 5:17. In 2 Cor 13:5 and 2 Pet 1:10, God commands us to evaluate our spiritual condition to determine if we truly have received the gift of eternal life based on what the Bible teaches about salvation. In the next few parts of the study we will ask ourselves several questions based on the biblical evidences of salvation to help us “examine” the state of our souls. Starting with this part one, may God cause each of us to seriously examine our self in the light of His Word to discover whether we are indeed a child of God or not. If we are not (or are not sure), wonderfully today is still the day of salvation; and we can cry out to God for mercy, read His Word, and wait (trusting altogether) on Him.

1 John 5:11-13 “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”

Tit 3:4-7 “But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

Eze 36:26-27 “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”

2 Cor 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

2 Cor 13:5 “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?”

2 Pet 1:10 “Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:”

Do you recognize Jesus Christ as Lord, God and your Savior? as one Triune God? - In Rom 10:10 we find this statement: “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation”. God has much to say about a person who merely pays “lip service” to God and does not seek Him with all his “heart, soul, mind, and strength”. The word “Lord” here, actually conveys the idea that Christ “has lordship over” or “exercises dominion over”. We must never forget that one can only do this when one has become saved – or born from above since by birth and nature we have a sinful and wicked heart, as Jer 17:9-10 describes: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked...”. Salvation is a matter of the heart as Rom 2:29 teaches: “But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, ...”. This is very apparent in Luke 6:45 “... of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh”. Salvation takes place spiritually in man’s heart, or soul, by the Word of God as well as by the will of God, which is what Jam 1:18 states, “Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth...”. Both man’s belief, or faith, and confession are the results of salvation and are never the means of salvation.

1 Cor 12:3 “Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.”

Col 1:14-16 “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: 15Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:”

Isa 9:6 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor [Holy Spirit is the Counsellor], The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

Tit 2:13 “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;”

Php 2:10-11 “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Rev 19:16 “And he hath on his [Lord Jesus Christ] vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

Do you have the Authority of the Bible? - Do you believe that “All Scripture” is from the mouth of God? and are you humble enough to be corrected with the evidence of Scriptures, if you were under wrong understanding? Do you find that you have a strong desire to grow spiritually by reading and studying the Word of God, the Bible? The most important fact we need to come to grips with when studying or reading the Bible is that it is God’s holy, inspired, and infallible Word. It is the supreme authority for every believer, as we learn from 2 Pet 1:21, “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost”. 1 Cor 2:12-13 provides the most significant principle for studying the Bible, which is "comparing spiritual things with spiritual” – comparing Scripture with Scripture, namely that we are to use all of the Bible and only the Bible as the indwelling Holy Spirit guides, to find truth. As we do this we must keep in mind that all of the Bible is written from three distinct vantage points: 1. Historical accuracy – recording actual people, places, events, and conversations, 2. Moral teaching – highlighting a moral command to be followed, 3. Spiritual meaning – the mysteries of the kingdom of God – pointing to some facet of the Gospel (incidentally, this is the most difficult level to ascertain, due to the intense amount of study and prayer that is required). The Bible is thus to be trusted implicitly given its divine authorship, as the sole authority in the life of the child of God. Rom 10:17 explains, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

2 Tim 3:16-17 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

2 Tim 2:15 “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

1 Cor 2:12-13 “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14But the natural man [unsaved] receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

Psa 119:97 “O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.”

Do you Fear and tremble before God and His Word? - By nature none of us have this fear of God as we learn from verses, such as Isa 29:13, “Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men…”. This is a similar statement to what we find in Mat 15:9 where the Lord Jesus declares, “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men”. Genuine fear of God – like genuine worship of God – must be done according to God’s Word “in spirit and in truth”. Those whom God has saved, or reconciled, have a deep fear and sensitivity to God’s Holy Word, the Bible, because they are fully aware that His Word is an extension of God Himself. Everything in the Scriptures shows us that God is not to be trifled with or lightly esteemed, as we understand from a passage like Mat 10:28, “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him [God] which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell”. The child of God fully comprehends the ominous warning of Gal 6:7, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” and trembles as he recognizes that God works in him “to will and to do of his good pleasure”, as Php 2:13 teaches.

Isa 66:2 “For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.”

Heb 11:7 “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.”

Php 2:12-13 “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”

Psalm 111:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.”

What does it mean to Worship God in “Spirit” and in "Truth"? Read more...

2013-08-19T17:37:00.003-07:00

Thou Shalt Worship NO Other God - Man was originally created in the image of God and privileged to enjoy the highest blessing imaginable – that of knowing God intimately, fellowshipping with Him, and serving Him perfectly. The image of God was completely shattered, and Adam and Eve were spiritually separated from God, when man sinned and died spiritually. Even though he lost the fellowship with God after the fall of Adam, the need for worship is indelibly stamped upon his nature; thus we find people regardless of their race, culture, or social status who are deeply religious, even if this means embracing atheism or agnosticism. God illustrates this reality in Acts 17:23: “TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship ...”. Hence man’s need for worship also became perverted as Rom 1:25 underscores: “worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator”. Exo 34:14 declares “For thou shalt worship no other god”. This is a fundamental truth of Scripture; and yet, as we realize who this God is, and how glorious His characteristics are, and we stop to contemplate His indescribable majesty, we are awestruck over and over again. Is it any wonder the Bible poses the rhetorical question in Exo 15:11, “Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?”. By nature none of us have this fear of God as we have previously learned from other verses, such as Isa 29:13. This is a similar statement to what we find in Mat 15:9 where the Lord Jesus declares, “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men”. The doctrines of men, the love for the material things of this world have become man’s idols. Eze 33:31 sadly emphasizes the same truth.

Acts 17:23 “For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.”

Rom 1:25 “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.”

Exo 34:14 “For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:”

Lev 26:1 “Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God.”

Matt 15:7-9 [quoting Isa 29:13] “Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, 8This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”

Eze 33:31 “And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.”

Worship God in the Spirit - When we see the extent to which God is worshiped in Heaven, how careful we must be to worship Him on earth as He demands. So, how do we do that? In John 4:23-24 the Lord Jesus defines what true, or biblical, worship entails and those who practice it: “the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth”. But what does it mean to worship the Father in spirit? The Bible differentiates between the “spirit” and the “flesh”. To be “in the flesh” is not merely defining one’s physical existence, but is a statement of one’s spiritual condition – to be unsaved. On the other hand, to be “in the spirit” refers to someone who has become saved by the will and Word of God. If one has not been born “of the Spirit”, they are, by biblical definition still “of the flesh”, and hence they cannot worship God in spirit nor in truth. The fellowship with God’s Spirit have to be restored, by rebirth. That is the only type God can accept from a human being, and only those who have been born “from above” have been qualified to worship God in the manner He prescribes as Php 3:3 affirms: “For we [born-again believers] are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit ...”. We know that the “circumcision” in this verse is spiritual in nature because it is associated with true worship in which only “Spiritual Jews” or in other words, genuine Christians can engage, as Rom 2:28-29 indicates. Moreover, we are instructed in Deu 30:6, “And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart”.

John 4:23-24 “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

John 3:6 “That which is born [natural birth] of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born [born-again] of the Spirit is spirit.”

John 6:63 “It is the spirit that quickeneth [or makes alive]; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”

Rom 8:5-6 “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”

Rom 2:28-29 “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.”

Deu 30:6 “And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.”

Php 3:3 “For we [born-again believers] are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.”

Worship God in the Truth - Rom 1:25 states the nature of the fallen man, “Who changed the truth of God into a lie [or “the” lie], and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator ...”. Notice the emphasis that God is placing on “lies” and “changing the truth” in both these verses as man attempts to promote his own ideas and lusts. This passage is really an indictment against all who would attempt to “work” their way into Heaven. But notice that they do so while using a “form” of godliness – not genuine godliness, which is salvation – but merely a “form” of knowledge or a “form” of the truth of the law. In other words, what is missing is the spiritual reality, or substance. This is why 2 Tim 3:5 tells us that those who have “a form of godliness” are “denying the power thereof”. The “power” in view is the Greek word dunamis from which we derive our English word “dynamite”. It is God’s creative power of salvation by His Word, as we read in Rom 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth...”. We also just looked at John 4:23-24 that says: “true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth”. The phrase “spirit and truth” is referring to the Bible itself, as we can see from a passage like John 6:63: “the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life”. The Bible teaches that God is Truth (as we see in John 14:6a, “I am the way, the truth, and the life…”); and the Bible underscores that it alone is the Truth, according to John 17:17b, “… thy word is truth”. God the Holy Spirit is also called the “Spirit of Truth” in John 16:13-15. Worship implies Obedience and doing His Will. We could ask, “What is the will of God? And how does one “do it”? The fact is that the whole Bible declares the will of God. Moreover, a true Christian will want to obey what he learns from the Bible, as John 14:15 asserts, “If ye love me, keep my commandments”. Could it be that you and I might indeed be among that great throng in Heaven who will worship the Triune God throughout eternity, as Rev 4:13-14 so majestically asserts.

John 4:23-24 “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

John 16:13-15 “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me [Christ]: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine [Christ’s]: therefore said I, that he [the Spirit of Truth] shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.”

2 The 2:13 “But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification [to be set apart by God] of the Spirit and belief of the truth [the Bible]:”

John 9:31 “Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.”

Rev 4:13-14 “And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.”

What is “Freedom in Christ” ? What am I free from?

2012-08-14T22:28:00.001-07:00

Freedom from Sin and Satan - The world is characterized by slavery to sin and to Satan, the spiritual father of all who are unsaved. Every human being is born spiritually dead in “bondage” and begins his life as a servant of sin in Satan’s kingdom. Those who remain in Satan’s dominion are likened to prisoners, according to 2 Tim 2:26b, “… who are taken captive by him at his will”. Jesus tells us in John 8:32, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”. God saves and sets His people free through the truth of His Word, as we read in Jam 1:18. The word “begat” means to be “brought forth”, or to be spiritually “born from above”. When that happens, the new believer goes from being a slave of sin to being a slave of righteousness, or a slave (servant) of Jesus Christ. Rom 6:18 declares, “Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness”.

John 8:32-36 “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”

Eph 2:1-5 “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 4But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)”

Acts 26:18 “[God has appointed Paul and hence all who are saved to proclaim Gospel] To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.”

Freedom from Second Death in Hell - Bible highlights man’s enslavement to sin and to Satan and, unless saved, his final destiny – eternal damnation in Hell. In Mat 1:21, we learn, “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins”. The only way that He could save His people from their sins, was to become sin on their behalf and He forfeited His own life in order to ransom His people from slavery to Satan and bondage to sin. God the Son, Who is perfectly holy, harmless [innocent], and undefiled became unholy, guilty, and defiled in paying for the sins of each Christian. In John 3:7 the Bible declares, “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again”. This “new birth” is referred to as “first resurrection” in Rev 20:6, “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection [born again]: on such the second death hath no power”. It is God’s grace that provides salvation for every child of God through the work and the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Rom 7:5 “For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.”

1 Cor 15:54-57 “... Death is swallowed up in victory. 55O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Rev 20:6 “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection [born again]: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years [eternity].”

1 Pet 1:3-4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again [born again] unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

John 11:25-26 “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead [spiritually dead because of Adam's sin], yet shall he live [have eternal life]: 26And whosoever liveth [born again] and believeth in me shall never die [shall not taste second death in hell]...”

Freedom from Law of God - Rom 4:15a informs us that “… the law worketh wrath”. In other words, the wrath of God abiding on a person can also be described as being eternally “under the curse”. This means that because we cannot obey every commandment in the Bible perfectly – only Christ did that – we are subject to the greatest curse imaginable unless God, in His great mercy, grants us everlasting forgiveness. The reason the Law (which is the whole Bible) is called “the strength [power] of sin” is because it exposes our sin and guilt before God. Moreover, it drives God’s elect to see their overwhelming need for a Savior, as Gal 3:24 explains. In essence the “Law”, or the “book of the Law”, refers to the whole Bible – the “sword of the Spirit”. The two edges of that “sword” signify its roles of either inflicting eternal damnation by the law of sin and death, or providing eternal life by the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, as seen in Rom 8:2. These are the two main messages of the Gospel of Christ. Rom 8:2 declares, “... the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death”.

Jam 2:10 “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”

Rom 3:20 “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”

Gal 3:11,13 “But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. 13Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:”

2 Cor 5:21 “For he [God the Father] hath made him [God the Son] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

Phil 3:9 “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:”

Rom 7:2-4 “For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. 3So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man. 4Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.”

Saved to Serve Christ - The Christian, by God’s grace, has been set free from spiritual bondage to sin. Acts 26:18 pictures the transfer of power and spiritual metamorphosis that occurs when one experiences birth from above to become a servant of Christ. In the incisive passage, Rom 8:5-8, God is making the distinction between the saved and the unsaved. The phrases “after the flesh” and “carnally minded” describe the nature of one who is unsaved and in the kingdom of Satan. On the other hand, the language “after the Spirit” and “spiritually minded” illustrate the nature of a “born-again” Christian – one who has become a citizen of God’s kingdom. The words of 2 Cor 5:17-21 depict the wonderful salvation that God has provided by His infinite mercy and grace. Those who have been redeemed are the servants of God, and they live to do His divine bidding, to be “ambassadors for Christ”. True believers have been raised from spiritual death to life and have an insatiable desire to be obedient to the Word of God. Rom 6:12-13 becomes part of the new “marching orders”(the whole Bible) the believer now follows.

Col 1:13 “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:”

Rom 8:5-8 “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.”

2 Cor 5:17-21 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

Rom 6:12-13 “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.”

1 John 5:3-4 “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. 4For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”

Are Old Testament Believers Under Law And New Testament Believers Under Grace? Read more...

2012-07-12T20:44:00.000-07:00

By the Deeds of the Law there shall NO Flesh be Justified in His Sight - 1 John 3:4 declares that sin is “…the transgression of the law…”, and the “Law” that is being disobeyed is God’s Word, the Bible. God’s Word says that our breaking of just one of God’s commandments means that we’ve broken the whole Law. In the eyes of God, one’s thoughts are identical to one’s actions, and are thus sufficient to incur His eternal wrath. Even our “good works” are considered wicked by God because they are tainted with our sin (Isa 64:6). The fact remains that man cannot be righteous by anything he does on his own. The purpose of the Law of God is, “by the law is the knowledge of sin” - to expose our sin, so that we might be driven to God’s Mercy and God’s Grace and see the need for the Savior, Lord Jesus Christ.

Rom 3:19-20 “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”

Jam 2:10 “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”

Matt 5:27-28 “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 28But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.”

1 John 3:15 “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.”

Isa 64:6 “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”

Gal 3:24 “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”

John 1:17 “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”

It is NOT possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins - Whether Old Testament believer or New Testament believer, one is always saved by the blood atonement of Christ. The Bible teaches much about forgiveness and how it is intimately associated with blood atonement. But why blood atonement? In Lev 17:11 we find this principle, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood”. In order for there to be spiritual life, a blood “atonement” for sin is mandatory. This explains why the Old Testament is replete with accounts of lambs, oxen, and turtledoves which were sacrificed on the altar in the temple – like in an animal “slaughter house” – on a daily basis. Heb 9:22 also declares, “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission [of sin]”. However, those sacrifices – which were only a “shadow”, or representation of Christ’s atonement – could never atone for sin in reality, as Heb 9:1-4 teaches. God used earthly visible things to teach heavenly, invisible spiritual truths. Sacrifices offered by the law are only a pattern of heavenly things and pointed to the perfect sacrifice “with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world”. Old Testament believers looked forward to the blood of Christ, and the New Testament believers look back to the cross.

Lev 17:11 “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul”

Heb 9:1-4 “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.”

Rev 13:8 “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”

1 Pet 1:18-20 “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,”

He is NOT a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh - Whether Old Testament believer or New Testament believer, one is always saved by “circumcision of the heart” made possible by “the circumcision of Christ”. The Physical Circumcision, God established with Abraham, could accomplish nothing in and of itself but was symbolically pointing to the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ was “cut off”, or separated from God, when He suffered the equivalent of an eternity in Hell for the sins of His people. Physical Circumcision was merely a symbol pointing to spiritual reality of salvation by the cutting away of sin and the shedding of Christ’s blood in the Atonement.

Rom 2:29 “But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.”

Deu 30:6 “And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.”

Col 2:11 "In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: 12Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead."

Gal 6:15-16 “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. 16And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God [new creation in Christ].”

Rom 9:6-8 “Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel [Nation of Israel]: 7Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac [figure of Christ Gal 3:16] shall thy seed be called. 8That is, They which are the children of the flesh [born of flesh or natural], these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise [born of the Spirit or born-again] are counted for the seed.”

Gal 3:26-29 “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 27For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. 29And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

EXCEPT a man be born again, he CANNOT see the kingdom of God - Whether Old Testament believer or New Testament believer, one is always saved by “New-Birth” and always has the Holy Spirit been he who regenerates believers, convicting them of sin, working faith in their hearts. Salvation is the Work of Holy Spirit who blesses the Word of God to the believers hearts to make them born again. From the point of this New Birth, God’s Spirit in dwells those individuals. Jesus explains this New Birth to Nicodemus. Later on in His dialogue with Nicodemus, Jesus has this to say to him: “Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?” (John 3:10). The point Jesus was making is that Nicodemus should have known the truth that the Holy Spirit is the source of new life because it is revealed in the Old Testament (Eze 36:25-27).

Eze 36:25-27 “Then will I sprinkle clean water [Word of God typified by water] upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”

John 3:3-6 “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? 5Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water [Word of God typified by water] and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6That which is born of the flesh is flesh [natural or unsaved state] ; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

Eph 5:26 “That he [Lord Jesus Christ] might sanctify and cleanse it [his bride, the Church] with the washing of water by the word ...”

NOT according to our works, but according to HIS own purpose and GRACE - Whether Old Testament believer or New Testament believer, one is always saved by God’s Grace and God’s Mercy. A true believer, understands that he is indeed “estranged” from the kingdom of God and an unworthy recipient of God’s undeserved grace, or favor. Noah was “perfect” and “walked” with God because he was saved by grace. God looks upon a person whom He has saved as “walking uprightly” because his sins have been paid for by the Lord Jesus Christ at the cross; and God’s Spirit works in the person and causes the person to walk uprightly as a result of his salvation.

2 Tim 1:9 “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,”

Gen 6:8-9 “But Noah found grace [undeserved favor] in the eyes of the LORD. 9These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God [as a result of his salvation]”

Exo 33:12 “And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight.”

Eph 2:8 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Rom 9:15-16 “For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 16So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.”

Tit 3:5-6 “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;”

NOT justified by the works of the law, but by the FAITH OF JESUS CHRIST - Whether Old Testament believer or New Testament believer, one is always saved by the “Faith of Christ” and are given “faith”, as a fruit of the Spirit. They trusted in the faithfulness of God in providing his Son as Messiah. The only faith that can save one from sin and Hell is Christ’s own faith, which is His own personal faith and trust in God the Father. “Faith of Christ” [refer to original KJV] points solely to the work and faith of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who came to fulfill the righteousness of the Law of God and the punishment of the Law of God, for all of the elect.

Gal 2:16 [refer to original KJV] “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.”

Heb 11:4 “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice [trusting in sacrifice of Christ] than Cain [who trusted in his own sacrifice being self-righteous], by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh”

Heb 11:5 “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God [only those that are in Spirit, in other words, saved, can please God, Rom 8:1-9].”

Heb 11:7 “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith [faith of Christ]”

Heb 11:9 “Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him [God] faithful who had promised.”

Heb 11:17-19 “By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18Of whom it was said, That in Isaac [figure of Christ] shall thy seed be called: 19Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.[Isaac figure of Christ, Gal 3:16]”

Heb 11:20 “By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things [promise of eternal life in Christ] to come.”

Heb 11:21 “By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.”

Heb 11:22 “By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.”

Heb 11:24-26 “By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; 25Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; 26Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.”

Heb 11:31 “By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.”

Rom 4:1-5 “What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? 2For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. 3For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. 4Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. 5But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him [God] that justifieth the ungodly, his faith [faith of Christ] is counted for righteousness.”

Gal 2:20 “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

God imputeth righteousness WITHOUT works - Whether Old Testament believer or New Testament believer, one is always saved by the imputed Righteousness of Christ without works. Before salvation, there is none righteous, no not one. Neither Noah, nor Job, nor David, nor Moses, nor Zechariah the father of John the Baptist, nor anyone else in himself was righteous. We are all sinners. When we become saved, regardless of when we live, the guilt of our sins has been taken by the Lord Jesus Christ and are covered with Christ’s robe of Righteousness, so that in God’s view, we stand absolutely blameless, absolutely righteous. That is why we read that Job was blameless and why Noah was righteous, it indicates that they were “born-again” believers. Here we see righteous God, Who is holy, pure, and sinless become unholy, impure, and sinful. Simultaneously, we see unrighteous unsaved man, who by nature is unholy, impure, and sinful become holy, pure, and sinless by the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ that is given, or imputed, to him.

Heb 11:7 “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.”

Rom 4:6-8 “Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, 7Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered [by the robe of righteousness of Christ]. 8Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.”

Isa 61:10 “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the [Christ’s] robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.”

Php 3:9 “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: ”

Rom 3:21-22 “But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:”

Difference between Religion & Salvation

2012-03-18T17:30:00.002-07:00

Religion and Salvation - Most people are “religious” – including many who say they are “Christians” – and are very sincere and devoted to the ways of their religions; but they have never become saved. There is, however, a big difference between religion and salvation. Only a true believer – that is, one in whom the Holy Spirit “dwells” – has been adopted into God’s eternal family as one of His children and has become a “joint heir” of heavenly glory with Christ. A true believer is one who has entered into a personal, intimate and eternal relationship with God through salvation. Jesus Christ is the only way to escape the “second death” of God’s eternal wrath because He is God’s way: “I [Jesus Christ] am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John 14:6). Therefore, a true believer is no longer under God’s condemnation and wrath because the penalty for all of his or her sins – past, present and future – have been fully paid by Jesus Christ. John 3:16 declares “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”. Only a true believer has eternal life and his religion is “pure”. How can a religion be “pure and undefiled”? The word “undefiled” in Jam 1:27 means to be unsullied or unstained by sin: “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this ... to keep himself unspotted from the world”. How can one be sinless and “unspotted from the world” in the eyes of God? This word “undefiled”, for example, describes both the Author of salvation (Jesus Christ) – “For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens … (Heb 7:26)”, as well as salvation itself – “To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you (1 Pet 1:4)”, which God has so lovingly given to His people. God the Son, Who is perfectly holy, harmless [innocent], and undefiled, became unholy, guilty, and defiled in paying for the sins of each born-again Christian: “For he [God the Father] hath made him [God the Son] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (2 Cor 5:21)”. Only a true believer has a “pure” religion – that is, the only religion that has eternal spiritual value because it is “clean”, or “undefiled”. “Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD” (Psa 119:1).

Acts 4:12 “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name [Jesus Christ] under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

1 John 5:11-13 “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 13These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”

Jam 1:26-27 “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain. 27Pure religion and undefiled [uncontaminated] before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.”

Tit 1:15-16 “Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled [contaminated] and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. 16They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.”

Unsaved Man’s Religious Ideas are Based on Superstition - God allows those who are perishing to obtain some measure of psychological satisfaction from their vain (empty) and defiled (unclean) religious practices in a manner typified by the physical satisfaction derived from drinking physical wine and strong drink (Isa 28:7). Pagan religions and false gospels are based on “superstitious” doctrines that involve a fear of the supernatural but not a reverential “fear” of the True and “Living God” based on the sound doctrines of the Bible (Acts 17:22-31). Unsaved (natural) man has no spiritual understanding of truth. His superstitious religious beliefs are based on man’s “wisdom” – not God’s as set forth in His Word, the Bible. One more common aspect of all the pagan religions and false gospels of the world is the notion that man must do something to gain favor with whomever or whatever they worship. That idea is perfectly “logical” from a human perspective because we are self-centered beings. God describes the spiritual covering of unbelievers by the word “rags” and says that all of “unclean” man’s attempts at being “righteous” are like “filthy rags” in His sight (Isa 64:6). Sadly, their religious efforts are totally useless for obtaining a right standing with God. Therefore, they will remain spiritually impoverished without repentance unto salvation because the unsaved are “spiritually” dead (Eph 2:1-5). God, however, has stated very clearly that salvation is by His grace alone, through the faith of Christ and not by man’s “works” (efforts) in any way, shape, or form (Eph 2:8-10, Tit 3:5-7). God must cover us with the spotless robe of Christ’s righteousness to be acceptable to God (Isa 61:10). There is nothing a man can do to make himself right with God before salvation takes place. Eph 2:8-10 declares, “We [believers] are His workmanship” – that is, salvation is “the gift of God” and result of God’s work in the hearts of His children. Once God saves someone, He puts a sincere desire in that person’s heart to obey His commandments and to serve Him by performing “good works” under the guidance of the Holy Spirit (Eze 36:27). In other words, the only works of man that have any spiritual value are those performed after he becomes saved. Throughout the history of the world mankind has invented many kinds of religions and “do-it-yourself” salvation plans in order to get right with God, but only God’s actions that produce salvation from eternal damnation. The doctrines of God’s sovereign grace are repugnant to man. His natural, sinful pride causes him to reject the notion that God is totally in charge of His own salvation program. An unsaved person cannot bring himself to admit that salvation is totally God’s work for His glory. The complex aspects of the True Gospel are incomprehensible and illogical to the natural (or unsaved) man – in fact, they are “foolishness” to those who “perish” (1 Cor 2:12-16). 1 Cor 2:13 declares God’s wisdom is revealed by Holy Spirit: “not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual [comparing scripture with scripture]”.

Acts 17:22-31 “Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. 23For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. 24God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; 25Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; 26And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; 27That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: 28For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. 29Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. 30And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: 31Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man [Jesus Christ] whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.”

1 Cor 2:12-15 “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual [comparing Scripture with Scripture]. 14But the natural man [unsaved man] receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

Eph 2:8-10 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that [faith] not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them”

Mans’ Works – Physical Circumcision, God’s Work – Spiritual Circumcision - Physical circumcision is an example of a perfectly “logical” works-type salvation doctrine that was being taught by some in the early NT church who tried to hold to the OT ceremonial laws (Acts 15:1-2, Acts 15:24), which were fulfilled and rescinded by Christ at the cross. Actually, God’s Law regarding physical circumcision was never a requirement for salvation. It was to be obeyed merely as a “token”, or a physical sign representing the spiritual reality of salvation (Gen 17:11). Ancient Israel “stumbled” over God’s salvation plan because they thought that religiously keeping the Law would make them “righteous” instead of trusting in God’s Mercy for salvation. When God said, “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart” in Deu 10:16 and “Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart” in Jer 4:4, He obviously had spiritual circumcision in view. By these statements God emphasized the fact that man cannot save himself by his own efforts (i.e., cut off his own sins) any more than he can circumcise the “foreskin” of his heart (i.e., his spirit essence). However, because mankind in general cannot possibly carry out those commands, neither can man keep God’s Law, so, the next logical question is, “Why then the Law?” God answers that question for us in these verses leading up to Gal 3:29. We see that God’s Law is intended to be a “schoolmaster” to teach us about our sin and our desperate need for a Savior – the Lord Jesus Christ. The Law is a representation of God’s righteousness and an indication of His very nature. “Circumcision” of the heart means spiritual circumcision – that is, the spiritual reality of salvation by the cutting away of sin and the shedding of Christ’s blood in the Atonement. Of course, no one can perform that operation on his own heart – only God can do it: “And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live” (Deu 30:6). That is the meaning of the “circumcision made without hands” in Col 2:10-11: “And ye are complete in him [Christ], which is the head of all principality and power: In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ”. God replaced the Old Testament sign of “physical circumcision” with the New Testament sign of “water baptism”, and many today stumble on the spiritual significance of baptism in the same way the Israelites stumbled on the spiritual significance of circumcision. They do not understand that God referred to spiritual baptism, and they erroneously believe that water baptism is necessary for salvation: “... Except a man be born of water [typifying the Word of God] and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God”. Man must be “baptized” (i.e., have his sins washed away) by the Holy Spirit in order to receive God’s gift of eternal life: “I [John the Baptist] indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me [Jesus Christ] is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire” (Matt 3:11). Many pervasive and spiritually dangerous doctrines of man’s “works” being taught all over the world today insist that man must somehow participate in his salvation. These perfectly “logical” – but erroneous – doctrines have been taught and disputed throughout the NT period, but only the doctrines of God’s Sovereign Grace are true.

Rom 9:31-33 “But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. 32Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone; 33As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.”

Rom 2:28-29 “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 29But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.”

Gal 3:19-29 “Wherefore [Why] then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. 20Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one. 21Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. 22But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. 23But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 24Wherefore [Therefore] the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. 26For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 27For as many of you as have been baptized [baptized with the Holy Ghost] into Christ have put on Christ. 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. 29And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

What If I Examined Myself in the Light of the Bible and do NOT See Evidence of Salvation?

2012-03-16T11:24:00.001-07:00

But I have believed with my heart and confessed with my mouth. Can't I say that I am saved based on this? - our hearts are wicked before Salvation and out of the abundance of heart the mouth speaks. We must realize that God does ALL the work of salvation. The Bible teaches that we cannot save ourselves. No church, no religious ritual, no person, and no human effort can save us. Only the work done by the Lord Jesus Christ at the cross and by the Holy Spirit in our hearts can save us.

Rom 10:9-10 "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

Jer 17:9 "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"

Matt 12:34 "O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh."

Jam 2:19-20 "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 20But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works [Works is only the evidence of Salvation and not the cause of the Salvation] is dead?"

Acts 8:13, 21-23 "13Then Simon [the Sorcerer] himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done. 21Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. 22Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. 23For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.[this is the condition of all of us before Saved]"

Only when we are given New Heart are we able to 'believe unto righteousness' and 'confess unto salvation'.

Luke 6:45-46 "45A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. 46And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? [following God's commandments is only the evidence of Salvation and not the cause of the Salvation]"

Eze 36:26-27 "A new heart also will I [God] give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them."

Rom 10:9-10 "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

But I have "received" Christ as my Savior. Can't I say that I am saved based on this? - We are only looking at John 1, verse 12 and missing out on verse 13. The people that are receiving him are already "born of God". verse 12 is the effect and verse 13 is the cause , not the other way around.

John 1:12-13 "But as many [those who are already 'born of God'] as received [as in recipients] him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."

Now I realize that we cannot save ourselves. No church, no religious ritual, no person, and no human effort can save us. what now? - God commands us to cleanup our sinful acts and turn from our sins and come to God with broken heart. God is a Merciful God and delights in Mercy. Remember that Obedience is NOT the cause of Salvation but God's Mercy and God's Grace.

John 5:24 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life."

Rom 10:17 "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

Luke 13:24 "Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able."

Jer 29:11-13 "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart."

Isa 55:6-7 "Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his [our] way, and the unrighteous man his [our] thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon."

God gives Grace [Salvation] to the Humble. Who are the humble? These are the people that Hope and Wait on God for Salvation who realize that they do not deserve Salvation and nothing they can bring or do can get them right with God, including their humbleness. It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.

Luke 18:10-14 "Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified [saved] rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."

Luke 15:18-24 "I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, 19And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. 20And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. 21And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. 22But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe [the robe of righteousness of Christ], and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: 23And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: 24For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry."

Psa 34:18 "The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit."

Psa 62:7-8 "In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah."

Rom 9:15-16 "For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 16So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy."

Today is the day of Salvation, don't put it off to seek him. Turn away from your sins today. This doesn't mean that you have Salvation in the instant you started seeking him and turning away from your outward sin. Repentance is turning away from the inward Sin, which only God can turn us away from. Salvation or New Birth is instant but not in your hands and not in your time but in God's hand and God's time. Hope and Wait on Him for your Salvation.

Heb 2:3 "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;"

2 Cor 6:2 "For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured [helped] thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation."

Lam 3:26 "It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD."

How Can I KNOW If God Has Saved Me?

2012-03-16T11:23:00.001-07:00

Examine Yourselves, Prove Your Own Selves - This is a very important question that we should all seriously consider, “How Can I KNOW If God Has Saved Me?”. This question gets to the essence of what life is all about. God tells us everything we need to know with regard to His salvation plan for mankind in His Book, the Bible, and God explains that assurance of our salvation is indeed possible as 1 John 5:11-13 explains. We must realize that God does ALL the work of salvation. The Bible teaches that we cannot save ourselves. No church, no religious ritual, no person, and no human effort can save us. Only the work done by the Lord Jesus Christ at the cross and by the Holy Spirit in our hearts can save us. Believing, or having “faith”, in the Lord Jesus Christ is the result of salvation – not the cause of it. Rom 5:10 declares that if God has saved you, your spiritual war with God has ended: “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life”. In other words: If God has saved you from Hell, the Lord Jesus Christ paid for ALL of your sins with His life so that you now have eternal life, and you made no contribution to your salvation in any way, as Tit 3:4-7 declares. However, if God does not save you before you die or the Lord Jesus Christ returns in judgment, you will face eternal damnation in Hell under the wrath of God as a payment for your own sins. If God has already saved you from eternal damnation, He has put His Spirit within you and resurrected your soul (that is, you became a new creature in Christ); as God stated in the verses Eze 36:26-27 and 2 Cor 5:17. In 2 Cor 13:5 and 2 Pet 1:10, God commands us to evaluate our spiritual condition to determine if we truly have received the gift of eternal life based on what the Bible teaches about salvation. In the next part of this study we will ask ourselves several questions based on the biblical evidences of salvation to help us “examine” the state of our souls.

1 John 5:11-13 “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”

Tit 3:4-7 “But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

Eze 36:26-27 “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”

2 Cor 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

2 Cor 13:5 “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?”

2 Pet 1:10 “Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:”

Do you recognize Jesus Christ as Lord, God and your Savior? as one Triune God? - In Rom 10:10 we find this statement: “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation”. God has much to say about a person who merely pays “lip service” to God and does not seek Him with all his “heart, soul, mind, and strength”. The word “Lord” here is actually conveys the idea that Christ “has lordship over” or “exercises dominion over”. We must never forget that one can only do this when one has become saved – or born from above since by birth and nature we have a sinful and wicked heart, as Jer 17:9-10 describes: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked...”. Salvation is a matter of the heart as Rom 2:29 teaches: “But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, ...”. This is very apparent in Luke 6:45 “... of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh”. Salvation takes place spiritually in man’s heart, or soul, by the Word of God as well as by the will of God, which is what Jam 1:18 states, “Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth...”. Both man’s belief, or faith, and confession are the results of salvation and are never the means of salvation.

1 Cor 12:3 “Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.”

Col 1:14-16 “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: 15Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:”

Isa 9:6 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor [Holy Spirit is the Counsellor], The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

Tit 2: “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;”

Phil 2:10-11 “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Rev 19:16 “And he hath on his [Lord Jesus Christ] vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

Do you have the Authority of the Bible? - Do you believe that “All Scripture” is from the mouth of God? and are you humble enough to be corrected with the evidence of Scriptures, if you were under wrong understanding. Do you find that you have a strong desire to grow spiritually by reading and studying the Word of God, the Bible? The most important fact we need to come to grips with when studying or reading the Bible is that it is God’s holy, inspired, and infallible Word. It is the supreme authority for every believer, as we learn from 2 Pet 1:21, “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost”. 1 Cor 2:12-13 provides the most significant principle for studying the Bible, which is "comparing spiritual things with spiritual” – comparing Scripture with Scripture, namely that we are to use all of the Bible and only the Bible to find truth. As we do this we must keep in mind that all of the Bible is written from three distinct vantage points: 1. Historical accuracy – recording actual people, places, events, and conversations, 2. Moral teaching – highlighting a moral command to be followed, 3. Spiritual meaning – pointing to some facet of the Gospel (incidentally, this is the most difficult level to ascertain, due to the intense amount of study and prayer that is required). The Bible is thus to be trusted implicitly given its divine authorship, as the sole authority in the life of the child of God. Rom 10:17 explains, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

2 Tim 3:16-17 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

2 Tim 2:15 “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

1 Cor 2:12-13 “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”

Psa 119:97 “O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.”

Do you Fear and tremble before God and His Word? - By nature none of us have this fear of God as we learn from verses, such as Isa 29:13, “Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men…”. This is a similar statement to what we find in Mat 15:9 where the Lord Jesus declares, “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men”. Genuine fear of God – like genuine worship of God – must be done according to God’s Word “in spirit and in truth”. Those whom God has saved, or reconciled, have a deep fear and sensitivity to God’s Holy Word, the Bible, because they are fully aware that His Word is an extension of God Himself. Everything in the Scriptures shows us that God is not to be trifled with or lightly esteemed, as we understand from a passage like Mat 10:28, “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell”. The child of God fully comprehends the ominous warning of Gal 6:7, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” and trembles as he recognizes that God works in him “to will and to do of his good pleasure”, as Php 2:13 teaches.

Isa 66:2 “For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.”

Heb 11:7 “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.”

Php 2:12-13 “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”

Psalm 111:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.”

Do you have an earnest and a continual Desire to Obey the Will of God as set forth in the Bible? - It is amazing that God would reveal Truth from His Word to those who have become His children by means of the new birth. Luke 10:21 states: “In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight”. However, God also indicates that the truth which He alone reveals is meant to be obeyed. This is the thrust of the statement we find in Luke 6:46, “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” and should be the result of all Bible study. What we learn in the pages of the Bible is not to be used to show how much we know, or how much we can assimilate, or how much we can explain; rather, it is to be humbly obeyed. Rom 7:5 portrays man’s inherent inability to be under, or obedient to, God’s Word prior to salvation: “Because the carnal mind is enmity [or hatred] against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be”. It is important to recognize that the phrases “in the flesh” and “carnal mind” refer to one who is unsaved. On the other hand, the phrases “in the spirit” and “under grace” are speaking about one who is saved. Eze 36:26-27 so beautifully illustrates the reality of the new birth and the characteristic of one who have been raised from spiritual death to life and become a “new creature” – an insatiable desire to be obedient to the Word of God: “... I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them”. Obedience is the evidence of Salvation. John 8:31 continues : “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;” and 1 John 2:6 insists as well, “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he [that is Christ] walked”.

Eze 36:26-27 “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”

John 14:15 “If ye love me [Jesus Christ], keep my commandments.”

Rom 2:13 “For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.”

Jam 1:22 “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”

1 John 2:3-5 “And hereby we do know that we know him [Jesus Christ], if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.”

Do you have “Spiritual peace with God” and “Spiritual peace of God”? - One of man’s greatest desires is to live in peace, or the absence of war and strife. However, wars are the result of man’s sinful nature and will never be abolished on this sin-cursed earth. As “the Prince of Peace” many people think that Jesus came to bring some kind of political or secular peace among nations or groups of people. Why then is the Lord Jesus called “the Prince of Peace” in the Bible? A spiritual war between God and rebellious mankind exists, as we read in Rom 8:7 “Because the carnal [unsaved] mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be”. Jesus said He came to bring peace between God and His people in John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid”. The peace that results from salvation is called “peace with God” in Rom 5:1, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”. True believers have peace with God because of the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ at the cross that has “reconciled” them to God, as explained in 2 Cor 5:19: “To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation...”. Do you have an ongoing desire to thank and praise God through prayer as you learn to trust Him more and more in every aspect of your life? In other words, Do you have “peace of God”? When we have become reconciled to God by salvation, God also gives us the “peace of God”, according to Php 4:6-7. Faith to trust Him results from the “peace of God”.

Php 4:6-7 “Be careful [anxious] for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus”.

Eph 6:17-18 “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”

1 Thess 5:16-18 “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

Pro 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

Does the Holy Spirit give you Assurance that you are Born of God? - One day we might “feel” saved; the next day, as a result of some sin, we don’t. We have to put our feelings aside, and only trust in what the Bible proclaims. An authentic Christian’s trust, hope, confidence, and faith needs to be firmly established in what God has written in His Word. Is it possible to know that one is a child of God from the Bible? By God’s mercy, the answer is yes, as 1 John 5:12-13 affirms that believers can “know” they have eternal life: “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written [God’s Word] unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God”. What is really in view in these Scriptures is the fact that believers receive assurance of their salvation from the Bible – the written Word of God – and the work of the indwelling Holy Spirit. The Gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit is yet another evidence of salvation. 1 John 4:13 reveals, “Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit”. And Rom 8:9 affirms that one is NOT a child of God without the indwelling Spirit of God: “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his”. Now, to summarize what we have learned today: First, the Holy Spirit is given to the believer as the “earnest” (or down payment) of his salvation. Secondly, we are not to trust our feelings at all; we must lean altogether on what the Bible sets forth. At times, however, our hearts can work against us, as 1 John 3:18-22 indicates; but even when that happens, we must rest altogether in the work and faith of the Lord Jesus. Eph 3:12 testifies that a believer have boldness in the day of judgement, not because of his doings but because of what Lord has done for him at the cross: “In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him”. The fact that our own hearts “condemn”, or blame, us does not necessarily signify that we are unsaved. On the contrary, it appears that as a Christian matures in grace, he is increasingly mindful of his own unworthiness and sinfulness. At the same time, he is increasingly aware of God’s unfathomable grace, as Rom 5:20b so powerfully insists, “… But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:” The Scripture testifies that God is indeed “greater than our heart, and knoweth all things”. A true Christian’s heart can either serve to condemn or absolve him, as he obeys God’s Word or fails the various “tests” that God employs to determine his spiritual condition. Ultimately, a believer desires to be obedient to his Master above all else, as God works in him “to will and to do of His good pleasure”.

Rom 8:16 “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:”

John 1:12-13 “But as many as received him [as in recipients], to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

1 John 3:18-22 “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. 19And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. 20For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. 21Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. 22And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.”

Are the “Works of the Flesh” Diminishing in your life - Are you continuing to turn from your sins? and leading a Godly Life? In Rom 8:13 we find these words, “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die”. Mat 26:41 adds, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak”. From even a casual reading of the Bible, we are brought face to face with not only our innate weaknesses and inadequacies but, more importantly, with our sins that are sending us pell-mell to eternal damnation. This is the accurately painful description that Eph 2:3 paints: “Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others”. The word “conversation” means “lifestyle”. What is the lifestyle of someone who is NOT saved? Gal 5:19-21 itemizes the works of the flesh and warns: "... of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God”. On the other hand, 2 Cor 5:17 describes a born-again believers new nature: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new”. At this point in our discussion, I think it would be helpful to remind ourselves of each believer’s dual nature. Quite possibly the tendency to emphasize one aspect more than the other can shape how we look at ourselves in terms of possessing or lacking assurance of salvation. Let us consider each “side” of a Christian’s whole personality. Even after a person is redeemed he struggles with sin because his body still remains unsaved, even though in his soul he has received eternal life. This is clearly seen in a number of verses like Rom 7:20, “Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me”. The apostle Paul, under divine inspiration, reveals in Rom 7:25 the Scriptural assessment that a child of God must constantly keep in mind, “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin”. Gal 5:16-18 and verses 24-25 further add: “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh [our bodies]… And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit”. This internal dualism is the true Christian’s greatest spiritual struggle, bar none, as Rom 7:24 pinpoints, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” The deliverance that Paul refers to is found in the words of 2 Cor 5:1-4, which expresses the believer’s yearning to be forever clothed with his glorified spiritual body. 1 John 3:1-3 highlights this as well, adding the dimension of hope with regard to glorification, which is the final stage of salvation.

Gal 5:19-21 “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Rom 7:21-25 “I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 22For I delight in the law of God after the inward man [or the soul]: 23But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members [or my body]. 24O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin… ”

Gal 5:16-18, 24-25 “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh [our bodies]. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law… And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit”

Rom 6:11-20 “For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. 11Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. 12Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 13Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. 14For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. 15What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.”

1 Cor 9:27 “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”

Rom 8:1-2 “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”

2 Cor 5:1-4 “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle [our physical body] were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: 3If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. 4For we that are in this tabernacle [our physical body] do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.”

1 John 3:1-3 “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he [Christ] shall appear, we shall be like him [Christ]; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him [Christ] purifieth himself, even as he [Christ] is pure.”

Is the “Fruit of the Spirit” becoming more Evident in your Life? - We see in Eph 2:10 that true believers are God’s “workmanship”, which means “the fruit (or product) of a workman’s labor”. We also see in Gal 5:22-26 that true believers are governed by the “fruit” (or product) of the Holy Spirit’s work in their lives: “...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: ...”
- Love – It is interesting how God starts off this list of “fruit” with “love”. Of course, the greatest demonstration of love is found in the Lord Jesus Christ, as Rom 5:8 declares: “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”. There is no greater love than for God to become sin on behalf of His people, the elect, and to suffer the equivalent of eternity in Hell for them. As a result, God reveals that love is the chief hallmark of the Christian in John 13:35, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another”. God also goes to great lengths to define love in many verses, such as 1 John 5:3, “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous”.
- Joy – In Hab 3:18 we discover this beautiful statement, “Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation”. Each believer has been given “joy” as a fruit of the Spirit, which is a direct result of the incomprehensible salvation that God has granted. Neh 8:10 is a very comforting verse which declares, “... for the joy of the LORD is your strength”
- Peace – The Lord Jesus came to this earth on a mission of “peace” – but not in the physical sense that most people imagine. Because mankind by nature abhors God and holds Him in the highest contempt, Eph 2:14-15 describes the spiritual, eternal peace between God and man that Christ secured for many: “For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace”. Isa 26:3 speaks of the wonderful peace that God has gifted to each of His children: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee”.
- Longsuffering – The “longsuffering”, or patience, of God can be readily seen throughout the Bible. Actually, it is astounding that God is so patient with rebellious man. Indeed, with the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives Col 1:11 admonishes us to be, “Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness.”
- Gentleness – Following the pattern of their Master, those who are part of the eternal church are equipped with the fruit of “gentleness”, or kindness, as Eph 2:7 describes, “That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.”
- Goodness – Eph 5:9 gives us an excellent description of “goodness” as one of three main categories of the fruit of the Spirit: “For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth.” We also read in 2 Chr. 6:41, “Now therefore arise, O LORD God, into thy resting place, thou, and the ark of thy strength: let thy priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation, and let thy saints rejoice in goodness.” Remember that “priests” and “saints” are both synonyms for the children of God.
- Faith – Every believer receives “faith” as a result of salvation and are commanded to “walk by faith, not by sight” in 2 Cor 5:7. In other words, everyone who has experienced the new birth will understand the meaning of Heb 11:6 that says, “without faith it is impossible to please him [God]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
- Meekness – The Bible gives us some wonderful pictures of the “meek”, or those who have inherited the quality of “meekness”. Mat 21:5 portrays the Lord Jesus in such a fashion: “Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.” Moses, as a great type of Christ, is described in Num 12:3 in these words, “Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.”
- Temperance – “Temperance”, or “self-control”, is a remarkable fruit of the Spirit that motivates the true follower of Jesus Christ to forsake sin and follow the commands of Scripture. The Greek root word is translated as “power” in Eph 6:10, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.”
There is “no law” against these nine fruit of the Spirit because they reflect the righteous nature of God Himself. True believers can sincerely exclaim the words of Eph 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ!”

Gal 5:22-26 that true believers are governed by the “fruit” (or product) of the Holy Spirit’s work in their lives: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.”

Are you able to love God and your fellow man also?

Matt 22:37-39 “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”

Matt 5:43-45 “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”

1 John 4:19 “We love him, because he first loved us.”

1 John 4:21 “And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.”

Gal 6:10 “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.”

Gal 6:2,5 “2Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. 5For every man shall bear his own burden”

Eph 4:32 “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.”

Are you finding that the pleasures of this world do not interest you as much as they did in the past?

1 John 2:15-17 “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”

Rom 12:2 “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

Do you grieve more and more in your spirit because of your sins, as you see yourselves in the light of the Bible and are you striving to eliminate those sins from your life for the glory of God?

Rom 7:22-23 “For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.”

1 John 1:10 “If we say that we have not sinned, we make him [Jesus Christ] a liar, and his word is not in us.”

1 Tim 1:15 “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”

Eph 4:30-32 “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.”

Col 3:17 “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”

Col 3:23-24 “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.”

Are you becoming more comfortable with the True Gospel of salvation (based on the sovereign grace of God) so that it is neither foolish nor offensive to you? Do you fully understand that God does ALL the work of salvation and are you willing to give Him ALL the praise and glory for His precious gift of eternal life?

1 Cor 2:14 “But the natural man [unsaved] receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

1 Cor 3:18-20 “Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise [in the Word of God rightly dividing Truth comparing Scripture with Scripture]. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.”

Eph 1:3-6 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.”

Eph 2:8-10 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

As you grow in grace, do you have a greater desire to be a witness for Jesus Christ? - Without a doubt, one of the most difficult arenas in which to be a witness is among our own family members. It is indeed a proving
ground without parallel, and we face all kinds of tests daily. How are we going to react? Are we going to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit
or the works of the flesh? Thus, family life according to God’s Word becomes the forge, hammer, and anvil that shape our Christian
living and growth.

Mark 16:15 “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”

2 Cor 2:15-17 “For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things? For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.”

1 Pet 3:15 “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:”

2 Cor 5:20 “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.”

Are you ready to suffer for Jesus sake and Gospel sake?

Acts 5:41 “And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.”

Rom 8:14-17 “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 16The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”

1 Thess 3:3-4 “That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto. 4For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know.”

Phil 1:29 “For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake”

Rom 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”

Do you yearn for the day when you will meet your Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, face to face?

1 John 3:2 “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”

2 Cor 5:1-2, 6-8 “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven… Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”

Rom 14:8 “For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's.”

If I Blasphemed Holy Spirit, Do I have any Hope of Salvation?

2012-03-16T11:21:00.003-07:00

These sins against Holy Spirit are forgivable.

Acts 7:51 "Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye."

1 Thess 5:19 "Quench not the Spirit."

Eph 4:30-32 "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 31Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."

Heb 10:29 "Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite [Greek enubrizo, insult] unto the Spirit of grace?"

blaspheming against the Holy Spirit is unforgivable and is eternal sin.

Matt 12:31-32 "Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. 32And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come."

Mark 3:29 "But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation."

Luke 12:10 "And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven."

willful sinning and ignorant sinning - If blasphemy of the Spirit makes it impossible to receive forgiveness and continuing to sin willfully makes it impossible to receive forgiveness, and there is only one sin that makes forgiveness impossible, then blasphemy of the Spirit is the same as continuing to sin willfully after understanding the truth.

But isn't all or most of the sin willful? isn't Unsaved heart is source of all blasphemies. We know something is sinful and we do it anyway. We lie. We steal. Whatever. Even after we become saved we fall into sin again and again. We still have the unsaved flesh which is warring against saved soul. We sin intentionally, knowingly. Even the people out there who do not have the Bible, they have “the Law written in their hearts.” So they know that adultery is wrong or that murder is wrong. They sin still, willfully, knowing that these things are evil.

Matt 15:18-20 "But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. 19For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: 20These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man."

Pro 4:23 "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."

Rom 1:19-20 "Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:"

So what does it mean the sin of blaspheming the Holy Ghost? That is when repentance is impossible? That is when there is “no more sacrifice for sins.”? Is it an impossibility to become saved if you have sinned or blasphemed Holy Spirit willfully? Let us examine more closely. It was in Jesus day, it was the leaders of Israel who said of Jesus that He had “an unclean spirit” and that “He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils, that “He hath Beelzebub.” He brought the new covenant, the New Testament, in the days of Christ, and the Holy Spirit was completely involved in Jesus’ ministry. The Spirit moved Him in the wilderness to be tested. The Spirit, “like a dove,” descended upon Him. Again and again and again, the Spirit was leading Jesus, and so He was very instrumental in the completion of the New Testament. Yet the Pharisees and the scribes were saying that Jesus was not of the Holy Ghost. They were saying that it was not the Holy Spirit that was behind this; it was the devil. In that case, they were blaspheming the Holy Spirit. They were sealing their own fate, because it meant that they would never leave the Old Testament congregation of Israel. They did not think that Jesus was the Messiah. They did not think that God had sent Him. They were going to remain in the synagogues, in their traditions of circumcision and whatever else they could follow. As a result, there would never again be forgiveness within the nation of Israel. Never again would God bless the ministry of a teacher of Israel, a rabbi. Never again would God save anyone through the work of the Old Testament corporate body, the nation of Israel. This is a corporate sin.

Mark 3:22,28-30 "22And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils. 28Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: 29But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation. 30Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit."

Matt 21:42-44 "Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone [Jesus Christ] which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? 43Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you [Nation of Israel] , and given to a nation [New Testament Church] bringing forth the fruits thereof. 44And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder."

Rom 1:2-4: "(Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) 3Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; 4And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:"

This does not mean that there can not be people, individuals, who could not still come out of this blindness. So they could still be like the Apostle Paul “who was before a blasphemer.” Paul was under the teaching of those same scribes and Pharisees who had said that Jesus had Beelzebub. He was growing up in that church, in that Old Testament system of worship. He was sitting under the feet of those men, and they were teaching him that this was “after the way which they call heresy.” Paul was going to persecute those who were “of the way.” He was going to Damascus to hail men and women and throw them into prison because he was convinced that it was not of God. He was a blasphemer, but he did it ignorantly. So to conclude, God could still have mercy on anyone, even if they had wrong ideas themselves, blaspheming the Holy Spirit. Even if they had wrong understanding, they could still experience the grace of God and the mercy of God and Salvation.

1 Tim 1:12-13 "And I [Paul] thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; 13Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief."

Phil 3:5-7 "Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; 6Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. 7But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ."

Was the Holy Spirit Indwelling in Old Testament Believers?

2012-03-16T11:20:00.003-07:00

Except a man be Born Again, he Cannot See the Kingdom of God - Whether Old Testament believer or New Testament believer, one is always saved by God's Grace and God's Mercy. Always has the Holy Spirit been he who regenerates believers, convicting them of sin, working faith in their hearts. Salvation is the Work of Holy Spirit who blesses the Word of God to the believers hearts to make them born again. From the point of this New Birth, God's Spirit dwells in those individuals. Jesus explains this New Birth to Nicodemus. Later on in His dialogue with Nicodemus, Jesus has this to say to him: “Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?” (John 3:10). The point Jesus was making is that Nicodemus should have known the truth that the Holy Spirit is the source of new life because it is revealed in the Old Testament.

John 3:3 “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? 5Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water [Word of God typified by water] and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6That which is born of the flesh is flesh [unsaved state]; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.[saved state]”

Eze 36:25-27 “Then will I sprinkle clean water [Word of God typified by water] upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”

Titus 3:5 “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing [by the Word-Eph 5:26] of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;”

They that are In the Flesh Cannot Please God - Whether in Old Testament or in New Testament, the Bible differentiates between the one in “spirit” and the one in “flesh”. To be “in the flesh”, “after the flesh” and; “carnally minded” is not merely defining one’s physical existence, but is a statement of one’s spiritual condition, the nature of one who is unsaved and in the kingdom of Satan. On the other hand, to be “in the spirit”, “after the Spirit” and; “spiritually minded” refers to someone who has become saved by the will and Word of God and illustrates the nature of a true Christian – one who has become a citizen of God’s kingdom. This distinction is evident in the following verses. If one has not been born “of the Spirit”, they are, by biblical definition still “of the flesh”. Rom 8:9 affirms that one is not a child of God without the indwelling Spirit of God. The words “Spirit”, “Spirit of God”, and “Spirit of Christ” in Rom 8:8-9 all refer to the Holy Spirit.

John 6:63 “It is the spirit that quickeneth [makes you alive]; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”

Rom 8:5-10 “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 9But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.”

Gal 4:28-3 “Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise [Elect of God]. 29But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.”

If any man have Not the Spirit of Christ, he is None of His - Just as the coming of Messiah was the great promise of the Old Testament, so is the coming of the Spirit the great promise of the New Testament, although Jesus Christ is the lamb slain from before the foundation of the World and Holy Spirit is at work in the lives of the true believers through out the history. Atoning of sins by Christ's blood and renewing and regeneration by Holy Spirit is required for Salvation in any generation in the history of the world. The Fruit (Gal 1:22) of the Spirit’s regenerating work is Faith (Eph 2:8). By this Faith produced by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit, Old Testament believers looked ahead to the cross, believing that what God had promised in regard to their redemption would come to pass. They saw the promises and “welcomed them from a distance” (Heb 11:13), accepting by faith that what God had promised, He would also bring to pass. We see indwelling of Holy Spirit in David's life. God's Spirit can also come on an unsaved individual, though it may not be God’s intention to save that person but to accomplish God's purpose. We see this in the lives of wicked Balaam (Num 22:12-13), and in the life of Saul, the first king of Israel (I Sam 10:9-12).

Rom 8:9 “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”

1 Pet 1:10-11 “Of which salvation the prophets [of old testament time] have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: 11Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.”

1 Sam 16:13 “Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him[David] in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.”

Psa 51:10-11 “Create in me [David] a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. 11Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.”

1 Sam 10:10-12 “And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a company of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them. 11And it came to pass, when all that knew him beforetime saw that, behold, he prophesied among the prophets, then the people said one to another, What is this that is come unto the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets? 12And one of the same place answered and said, But who is their father? Therefore it became a proverb, Is Saul also among the prophets?”

1 Sam 16:14 “But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.”

What happened on the day of Pentecost? - The Feasts, feast of Passover/Unleavened Bread and the feast of Pentecost/Firstfruits had a spiritual meaning that God fulfilled with His Gospel. Jesus was the fulfillment of the feast of Passover/Unleavened Bread. The Bible teaches that the “fellowship”, or salvation, of the Gentiles (the “nations”, or non-Jewish people) was hidden, or was a “mystery”, until God chose to reveal it on the Day of Pentecost following Christ’s resurrection. That was when the Holy Spirit was poured out and the Feast of Pentecost/Firstfruits was fulfilled, and God’s program to evangelize the world was instituted. Let me hasten to add, however, that God “hinted” to this in the Old Testament when He saved certain individuals, who were obviously not Jews. Some examples are: Rahab the harlot of Jericho, Ruth the Moabitess, and Ebedmelech of Ethiopia. Though Christ is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the World, though the Holy Spirit is at work in OT believers (indwelling in them) and though the Salvation was extended to Gentiles but only few were saved. For eg; Bible records, there were seven thousand at one point whom the Bible says “have not bowed the knee to Baal”; and He saved 120 thousand in the city of Nineveh. Now that the Messiah, the Lord Jesus, had gone to the Cross, it was God’s plan to evangelize the whole world. The old Testament Church represented by Nation of Israel (who refused the corner stone Christ) ended and the New testament Church Age (with Christ as corner stone) began with 3000 souls being saved, by the outpouring of Holy Spirit. The evangelizing of the world began. The Holy Spirit was to be poured out upon the nations as the messengers of the Gospel going forth from the churches and congregations that God was establishing would carry the good news of salvation and a great multitude will be saved.

1 Cor 5:7 “Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:”

Acts 2:1-5 “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.”

Matt 21:42-44 “Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone [Jesus Christ] which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? 43Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you [Nation of Israel] , and given to a nation [New Testament Church] bringing forth the fruits thereof. 44And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.”

Psa 118:22-24 “The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. 23This is the LORD's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes. 24This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”

Rev 7:9-12 “…I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes [Robe of Righteousness of Christ], and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen”

How do I get Indwelling Holy Spirit?

2012-03-16T11:19:00.001-07:00

If any Man have Not the Spirit of Christ, he is None of His - Unsaved are referred to in Bible as “in the flesh”, or “carnally minded” . Rom 8:6 puts it this way, “For to be carnally minded is death [which refers to Hell]; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace”. Verses continue: “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God”. And Rom 8:9 affirms that one is not a child of God without the indwelling Spirit of God: “... Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his”. Without the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit a person cannot be regenerated nor can he understand spiritual truths from the Scriptures and cannot distinguish them from the lies of all the false gospels and religions of the world.

Rom 8:9-11 “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.”

1 Cor 2:11,14 “For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 14But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

Mark 4:5,17 “And some fell on stony ground [stony heart], where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: 17And [stony heart] have no root [no Spirit of Chirst] in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.”

Ask, and It [the Holy Spirit ] shall be Given to You - Unfortunately, much of what passes for prayer is characterized by the penetrating words of Jam 4:2-3: “Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts”. In Jam 4:2 the word is used to describe sinful “desire” for worldly things, which is a characteristic of unsaved people. Only those individuals who have indeed become born from above, seek earnestly the things which are above as Col 3:1 affirms. It is also manifested in both their attitudes as well as their actions. Only they have the amazing privilege of approaching their Heavenly Father as 1 John 5:14-15 instructs. In this passage we discover the key to all prayer is to ask according to the will of God.

Luke 11:9-13 “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 10For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 11If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? 12Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?”

Col 3:1 “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.”

1 John 5:14-15 “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”

Luke 11:5-8 “And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; 6For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? 7And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. 8I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.”

I [God] will Put My Spirit Within You - Indwelling Holy Spirit is given in Salvation. When Adam and Eve rebelled against God in the Garden of Eden they immediately died spiritually - lost fellowship with God, and eventually they died physically. So, each and every human being born since that time is in Adam nature - unsaved both in soul and body in his natural condition. He is rebellious and antagonistic toward God and is subject to eternal damnation. The Holy Spirit do not indwell in an unsaved person. Only God can “restore the soul” and make a person “born-again” into Christ nature, to a right relationship with Him and put His Spirit within that individual, and give eternal life. Only God can resurrect the soul from the dead, and make a “new creature” of a person, as we read in Eze 36:26-27. God must sprinkle the clean water of the True Gospel on him to cleanse him from his sins, give him a new heart, and put His Spirit within him. After one has become born from above, God the Holy Spirit indwells the new Christian in his newly resurrected soul. Salvation is all the work of God - God must draw the elect to Himself and grant them repentance, spiritual understanding, faith to trust Him, and a capacity to love and obey Him. In this wonderful new relationship (which the Bible likens to marriage) the child of God is both taught and led by God in the Scriptures. No one can fear and love God and keep His commandments until God saves him. Obviously, only a heart that has been made alive spiritually and infused with the Spirit of God will want to be obedient to the Word of God.

John 3:3 “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? 5Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water [Word of God typified by water] and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6That which is born of the flesh is flesh [unsaved state]; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.[saved state]”

Eze 36:26-27 “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”

2 Cor 3:3 “Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.”

Mark 4:8,20 “8And other fell on good ground [heart of flesh], and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred. 20And these are they which are sown on good ground [heart of flesh and have Spirit of Christ]; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.”

Ye are the Temple of God, the Spirit of God Dwelleth in You - 1 John 4:13 reveals, “Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit”. Each “born-again” Christian has the incomparable awareness that his body is now the temple of God. As incredible as that may seem, a true believer has become the dwelling-place of the living God. The true believer has also assurance of Salvation because they have been given the Holy Spirit as the “earnest”, or down payment, of their salvation, as we read in 2 Cor 1:22, “Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts”. The true believer, by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, can overrule his evil nature and focus his thoughts on the things of God. A Christian can have victory over evil and wickedness because, amazingly, he has now the “mind of Christ”. By the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit true believers can understand spiritual truths from the Scriptures and can distinguish them from the lies of all the false gospels and religions of the world. One who earnestly fears God will, in fact, be motivated to obey the Bible by God the Holy Spirit, Who is indwelling him. We see in Eph 2:10 that true believers are God’s “workmanship”, which means “the fruit (or product) of a workman’s labor”. We also see in Gal 5:22-26 that true believers are governed by the “fruit” (or product) of the Holy Spirit’s work in their lives.

1 John 4:13 “Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.”

Rom 8:14-17 “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”

1 Cor 3:16 “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”

1 Cor 2:10-13 “But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”

2 Cor 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

Gal 5:22-26 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.”

If God is Sovereign and Omniscient, am I still Responsible for my Sin?

2012-03-16T11:16:00.002-07:00

Well, didn’t God Create Sin, since He Created Everything? - Absolutely not! God is not the author of sin. God can never Sin and God can never initiate Sin. The Bible says that when God created the Universe and the first man and woman (Adam and Eve), He commanded them not to eat of one tree in the Garden of Eden. He told them that if they did, they would die. They were tempted by Satan, the Devil, and did disobey and ate of the fruit of that tree. “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Rom 5:12). Their disobedience brought forth death for the whole human race. They began to die physically, and immediately died spiritually, and, unless saved, would experience eternal damnation on Judgment Day. James 1:13-15 informs us man is enticed by his own lust, and it is lust that “bringeth forth” sin, and sin “bringeth forth” death, which means, that in the final analysis, one has to pay for one’s sins in Hell. In Jam 1:18, it is indeed interesting that this same word bringeth forth, or begat, is the only hope that the human race has of being rescued from an inevitable rendezvous with the Judge of this universe. This of course is speaking about the will of God in causing us to be born from above. The bottom line of all sin results in destruction and ultimately, everlasting death in Hell. “Man's will or freewill” brings forth sin and everlasting death, where as “God's will” brings forth life everlasting. The Bible is crystal-clear: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”, as we are reminded of in Rom 6:23.

Jam 1:13-15 “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”

Jam 1:18 “Of his own will begat [bringeth forth] he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.”

God is absolutely Sovereign and Righteous - Three words starting with “omni-” (from a Latin word meaning “all”) describe some of the characteristics of Eternal and Infinite God – Omniscient (having infinite knowledge – all knowing); Omnipotent (having unlimited power); Omnipresent (being everywhere present). It is important for us to understand that God is absolutely sovereign and righteous. God’s counsel from eternity past is immutable – unchangeable. That is, He is the Absolute Ruler over everything, and everything He does is without sin. He answers to no one and is in total control of everything – including His salvation program for mankind – in order to accomplish His will for His honor and glory. God uses man's sinful intentions for His greater good. We see how God worked in the life of Joseph in order to save Jacob and his family and all of Israel, as well as all the land of Egypt. Joseph was sold by his brothers into slavery in Egypt. They intended evil; they thought evil. They had no good intentions as they violently threw him into a pit. But God turned it to good. “All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose,” it says in Rom 8:28. Joseph did not know what was going to happen when those Midianite traders just carried him in their caravan into Egypt. Joseph had to be in the dungeon to interpret his fellow prisoner’s dreams in order for God to trouble Pharaoh one night with a dream so that the butler who was released could then remember Joseph in prison. Then Joseph could be called unto Pharaoh, and then we see how God exalted him and elevated him. There was bread in Egypt all because Joseph had been taken through these circumstances. Jospeh has come to the realization that it was not his brethren that sent him hither, but God and that God had a purpose. Notice how this helps him to forgive his brethren, how it enables him to forgive them.

Isa 46:9-10 “Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, 10Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:”

Gen 45:4-8 “And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. 5Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. 6For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. 7And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 8So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.”

Gen 50:20“But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.”

If God is Sovereign and Omniscient, am I still Responsible for my Sin? - Because God uses sinful intentions of man for His good, does not in any way diminish the fact that He hates sin and punishes sin, though good comes out of that sin. He absolutely will judge and punish all who are not His children in Hell. God never causes anyone to sin to achieve his purpose. For example, it was God's Will to lay the sin of His Elect on His Son Lord Jesus Christ and he used sinful intentions of Jews and Judas to carry out His Will, yet the Jews and Judas are accountable for their own sin in crucifying Christ. It is important to remember that sin has to be punished, and that man is completely accountable to God for his sin, since he was created in the image of God. As a just Ruler or Judge, God must punish sin, which the Bible defines as “transgression of the law” in 1 John 3:4. One of the chief characteristics of God is His perfect justice. This means that He is an altogether holy and righteous judge, as quoted in Acts 17:31: “... he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man [Jesus Christ] whom he hath ordained;...”. For all His Children, he has provided a substitute as quoted in 2 Cor 5:21, “For he [God the Father] hath made him [God the Son] to be sin for us [the elect], who [Christ] knew no sin; that we [the elect] might be made the righteousness of God in him [Christ]”. Simply put, God is indisputably in control of life and death, Heaven and Hell, and is in control of this universe which he brought into existence by His Word.

Isa 53:10 “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him [Jesus Christ]; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 11He [God the Father] shall see of the travail of his [God the Son] soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many [his Elect]; for he shall bear their iniquities.”

Acts 2:22-24 “Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: 23Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: 24Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.”

John 6:70-71 “Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? 71He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.”

John 13:2 “And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him;”

Luke 22:21-22 “But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the table. 22And truly the Son of man [Lord Jesus Christ] goeth, as it was determined: but woe [eternally damned] unto that man by whom he is betrayed!”

Acts 1:16-18 “Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus. 17For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry. 18Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.”

What does it mean "LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh"?

2012-03-16T11:15:00.002-07:00

God can never Sin and God can never initiate Sin - God is NOT the author of sin. The Bible says that when God created the Universe and the first man and woman (Adam and Eve), He commanded them not to eat of one tree in the Garden of Eden. He told them that if they did, they would die. They were tempted by Satan, the Devil, and did disobey and ate of the fruit of that tree. “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Rom 5:12). Their disobedience brought forth death [physical and spiritual] for the whole human race. James 1:13-15 informs us man is enticed by his own lust, and it is lust that “bringeth forth” sin, and sin “bringeth forth” death, which means, that in the final analysis, one has to pay for one’s sins in Hell. In Jam 1:18, it is indeed interesting that this same word bringeth forth, or begat, is the only hope that the human race has of being rescued from an inevitable rendezvous with the Judge of this universe. This of course is speaking about the will of God in causing us to be born from above. The bottom line of all sin results in destruction and ultimately, everlasting death in Hell. “Man's will or freewill” brings forth sin and everlasting death, where as “God's will” brings forth life everlasting. The Bible is crystal-clear: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”, as we are reminded of in Rom 6:23.

Jam 1:13-15 “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”

Men by nature have Hardened Hearts and Unbelieving Hearts - Blindness to their own sinfulness and hard-heartedness is evidenced in many places in the Bible and is a characteristic of everyone who is not saved, as we learn in Eph 2:1, “And you hath he quickened [or made alive] who were dead in trespasses and sins…”. The Bible also makes reference to a dead heart as a “hard heart”, or a “hardened heart”. And the thrust of these words has to do with rebellion or stubbornness against God and His Word, the Bible. Rom 2:5 describes man’s awful spiritual condition: “But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God”. Heb 3:10-13, 18-19 and 4:1-2 are directed to those who are identified externally or corporately as the people of God. Lord Jesus expressed his grief many times over the hard-heartedness of many of the leaders and people found within the Old Testament temple, the forerunner of the New Testament congregations. God softens the hearts of those whom he saves. Eze 36:26-27 is such a magnificent portrait of what happens in salvation: God raises us from the dead spiritually, and puts His spirit within us, in accordance with Rom 10:17, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”. Another example of this is seen in the conversion of Lydia in Acts 16:13-14: “And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard [us]: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul”. All these examples highlight God’s plan to redeem His elect from sin and Hell, as 2 Cor 4:6 so beautifully affirms: “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ”.

Jer 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”

Mark 7:21-23 “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: 23All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”

Heb 3:10-13, 18-19 “Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin … And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.”

Zec 7:11-12 “But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear. Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts.”

Neh 9:16-17 “But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments, And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not.”

Rom 2:4-5 “Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? 5But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;”

Eze 36:26-27 “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”

God Restrains Mankind Sin - Once mankind fell into sin in the Garden of Eden, the whole human race became infected with a terrible disease – a sin nature – causing every individual to be by nature and practice wickedness. That is why Jer 17:9 states, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”. The Bible indicates that out of the heart of man come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, and blasphemies (Matt 15:19). God works in the lives of the unsaved through giving them a conscience by writing His Law in the hearts of men. So as long as man has a conscience, even though it can be “seared,” he still has some element of the conscience that God gave him and restrains himself from some sin. But only because man experiences God's restraint is he able to live a reasonable life and manifest some virtues such as love between parents and children, kindness and loyalty between friends, and compassion for the underprivileged. We can see God's hand at work in restraining Abimelech from sinning against Sarah. God can restrain sin (in saved or unsaved individuals) or let go sin loose but can never initiate sin. Man is accountable for his own sin. If God did not restrain sin, mankind would destroy themselves. God can withhold His hand of restraint, and that person’s heart will be hardened. Being Omniscient, God uses man's sinful intentions for His purpose. Thus, when God speaks in 2 The 2 of “a falling away first” before the last events of the end come, with the man of sin taking his seat “in the temple”, taking Him [Holy Spirit-the restraining activity of the Holy Spirit in the churches was also to restrain Satan from being able to frustrate God's plan to save, as the Gospel is preached] who restrains out of the way (out of the midst), He is indicating that He will remove His hand of restraint to permit apostasy in corporate Church. Matt 24 speaks of wickedness being multiplied. Rev 20 speaks of Satan being loosed. All these passages teach one and the same thing: In the end time God will allow the world to become desperately sinful. He will accomplish this by removing His restraint on unsaved man and on Satan and his angels.

Gen 20:3-6 “But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife. 4But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, LORD, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation? 5Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this. 6And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.”

Rom 1:23-26 “And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 24Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 26For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:”

2 Thes 2:10-12 “And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

The Purpose of God according to Election might Stand - Exo 14:17 describes the fate of the Pharaoh of the Exodus, Thutmosis III, who historians call the “Napoleon of Egypt” because of his military prowess and conquests: “And I, behold, I [God] will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen”. God accomplished that in Exo 14:28-30: “And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them. But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore”. The Israelites typifying the elect of God, were physically “saved”, or “delivered”, out of slavery in Egypt; and, of course, symbolically this is a marvelous illustration of the nature of salvation. However, those over the age of twenty died in unbelief and ultimately had to pay for their sins in Hell. God had simply allowed them to escape from their oppressors. So we can say that even though the Israelites did obtain political freedom, they did not necessarily obtain spiritual freedom. That is, they saved their physical lives, but many lost their souls in the process. Spiritually speaking, God delivers His Elect by opening their eyes and ears and softening their hearts. God withholds His hand from softening the hearts of non-elect, and that person’s heart will be hardened or rather remains hardened. The Word of God-The Bible, either Softens or Hardens Hearts. God’s Word penetrates people’s dead hearts or souls in order to either bestow eternal life or to confer eternal damnation. Notice how the “hearts” of the men now “burned” as a result of hearing the words of Scripture as explained by its Divine Author in Luke 24:32. Previously, the Lord had classified them in verse 25 as “fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken…”. These two individuals were being “cut” by the mighty “Sword of the Spirit” – the Bible – in the same manner as were those people 50 days later on the day of Pentecost. That momentous event is described in Acts 2:37: “Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?” The second example reveals how the Word cuts to perdition. Acts 7:54, speaking of the testimony of Stephen to the Sanhedrin before they killed him by stoning, states: “When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth”. Rom 9:11-18 reveals that God’s purpose in election is His prerogative. It fulfills His divine will and ultimately sustains His everlasting glory.

John 12:37-41 “But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him: 38That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? 39Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again, 40He [God] hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them. 41These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.”

Matt 11:25 “At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.”

Luke 24:32, 44-45 “And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?… And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures.”

Matt 16:15-17 “He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.”

Rom 9:10-23 “And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; 11(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) 12It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. 13As it is written, Jacob [typifying the elect] have I loved, but Esau [typifying the non-elect] have I hated. 14What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. 15For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 16So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. 17For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. 18Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. 19Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? 20Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? 21Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? 22What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: 23And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,”

How can I Combat Besetting Sins?

2012-03-16T11:14:00.002-07:00

The source of our sins is our heart.

Jer 17:9 "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"

Matt 15:18-20 "But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the [unsaved] heart; and they defile the man. 19For out of the [unsaved] heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: 20These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man."

We can have victory over sins and addictions through our self-conscious and our own will power or through medical help and support groups. But what we need to realize is, that sin is going to come back or some new sin is going to popup. The root itself is evil. You can cut down the branches of a poison ivy but unless the root is plucked out, branches are going to grow back.

Luke 6:43-45 "For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 44For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. 45A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh."

Matt 23:25-26 "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. 26Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also."

Mark 4:5-6,16-17 "5And some fell on stony ground [unsaved stony heart], where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: 6But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. 16And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground [unsaved stony heart]; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended."

What we require is a new heart or in other words Salvation. We cannot give ourselves a new Heart. This new heart can only be given by God. Now you have the root plucked out, the leak plugged in.

Eze 36:26-27 "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them."

1 John 5:18 "We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten [born-again of] of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not."

Jam 3:11-12 "Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? 12Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh."

Luke 6:43-45 "For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 44For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. 45A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh."

Mark 4:8,20 "8And other fell on good ground [saved heart of flesh], and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred. 20And these are they which are sown on good ground [saved heart of flesh]; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred."

Now God enabled me to battle the Sin by granting Salvation as a gift, how can I combat the Sin? by putting on the whole armor of God, following the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, who combated with the Word of God.

Eph 6:10-18 “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”

Psa 119:11 "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee."

Luke 4:1-13 "And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. 3And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread [lust of the flesh] . 4And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. 5And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.6And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them [lust of the eyes] : for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. 7If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. 8And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 9And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence [pride of life]: 10For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: 11And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 12And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 13And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season."

Whosoever is Born of God does Not Commit Sin?

2012-03-16T11:13:00.005-07:00

The following verses seem to contradict each other. Every born again believer falls into sin every day knowingly. So how do we harmonize these verses?

1 John 3:9 "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God."

1 John 5:18 "We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not."

1 John 1:8,10: "8If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 10If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."

When First Adam disobeyed God, Adam brought the Spiritual death, which is the death of the Soul into all human race. In other words, God's Holy Spirit do not indwell in a person's Soul anymore [unless "born again"]. God sent forth his son who was born of Holy Spirit and who took only Adam's nature in flesh to make us alive again by giving us indwelling Holy Spirit.

Gen 2:15-17 "And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God com-manded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die [in regards to his relationship to God, he is Spiritually dead]."

Rom 7:9 "For I [whole human race] was alive without the law once [in the loins of Adam]: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died."

Rom 8:3 "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:"

1 Cor 15:22 "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."

2 Cor 1:21-22 "Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; 22Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest [down payment] of the Spirit in our hearts."

Source of Sin is our Heart/Soul/Inward man/Adam-Nature. What happens in Salvation is, a new Heart/Soul/Inward man/Christ-Nature is given and indwelling Holy Spirit is put in this new heart. The root of the evil is removed, the leak is plugged in. No sin flows out of this new heart.

Matt 15:18-20 "But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the [unsaved] heart; and they defile the man. 19For out of the [unsaved] heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: 20These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man."

Eze 36:26-27 "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them."

1 John 5:18 "We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten [born-again of] of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not."

So where is the sin coming from? from the flesh or the sinful body [vulnerable to sin] which has not been reborn yet. Only the Soul/Heart/Inward man/Nature is redeemed and reborn for now. The believers receive glorious sinless body on the Christs' second coming.

Rom 8:23 "And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body."

Rom 7:22-24 "For I delight in the law of God after the inward man [new heart]: 23But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members [sinful flesh]. 24O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?"

1 John 3:2 "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him [with glorious spiritual bodies]; for we shall see him as he is."

What is a born-again believer expected to do? Walk in Spirit yielding to the indwelling Holy Spirit. God has enabled the believer with a new heart and indwelling Holy Spirit to overcome sin. When believers fall into sin, God chastises them as father chastises children, to correct them and build them up but the believer once saved is never lost to destruction.

Gal 5:16-17 "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would."

Rom 6:11-20 "For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. 11Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. 12Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 13Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. 14For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. 15What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. 16Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?"

1 Cor 9:27 "But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway."

Did Christ go through the same temptations as us in flesh? He was tempted in the same way first Adam [and Eve] was tempted with 'lust of the eyes', 'lust of the flesh" and "the pride of life" and yet never gave into sin. He Walked in the Spirit, and did not fulfill the lust of the flesh. He was sinless, He was pure and holy, He had no sin in Himself, He never transgressed the law of God at any point, He was perfectly “without blemish,” so He could be qualified to be that sacrificial “Lamb,” that He could be the Passover Lamb.

Luke 4:1-13 "And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. 3And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread [lust of the flesh] . 4And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. 5And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.6And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them [lust of the eyes] : for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. 7If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. 8And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 9And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence [pride of life]: 10For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: 11And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 12And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 13And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season."

Heb 4:15 "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin."

Rom 8:3-6 "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 5For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace."

Can I Lose my Salvation?

2012-03-16T11:11:00.001-07:00

Ye Were Sealed with That Holy Spirit of Promise - All whom God chose, redeemed, and saved have been given eternal life. They live by the power of the Holy Spirit working in them and are guaranteed to persevere in the faith of Christ to the end of their lives on this sincursed earth and to be resurrected into glory on the Last Day. Eph 1:13 explains how God saves an individual: “...after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise ...”. First and foremost, God has to give a person “spiritual ears” to hear “the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation”. This also conforms with Rom 10:17, “So then faith [a synonym for salvation] cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”. Eph 1:13-14, among numerous other verses, indicate that trust, or belief, is a result of salvation. Now, what does the phrase “…ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise…” signify? In this context, being “sealed” by the Holy Spirit is a guarantee of eternal life for all true believers. Thus, one of the purposes of the “seal” is to authenticate ownership, according to 1 Cor 6:19-20: “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s”. The elect have been eternally purchased by the Lord Jesus, as Acts 20:28b describes, “… the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood”. The true believer has also been given the Holy Spirit as the “earnest”, or down payment, of their salvation, as we read in 2 Cor 1:22, “Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts”. Eph 1:14 also confirms, “Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory”. The Greek word for “earnest”– or as we would say, “down payment”, apparently stems from a Hebrew word meaning “pledge”. Rom 8:9 reminds us that the indwelling Holy Spirit is given to the believer as the “earnest”, or “pledge”, of God’s salvation: “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his”.

1 Pet 2:9 “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people [i.e., a people purchased for possession]; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.”

2 Cor 5:5 “Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit”.

Eph 1:13-14 “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory”

2 Tim 2:18-19 “Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some. 19Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”

For the LORD Thy God… Doth Go with Thee… He Will Not Fail Thee Nor Forsake Thee - The promise that God uttered in Deu 31:6 by Moses, at the end of his life, should be a tremendous encouragement to every Christian: “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee”. Indeed, Moses had exclaimed earlier in Exo 33:15, “And he [Moses] said unto him [God], If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence”. In fact, for the next 40 years “… the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night”, as we learn from Exo 13:21. Deu 20:4 also affirms: “For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you”. As He did with Moses, God repeated this same promise to his successor, Joshua, in Jos 1:5, “There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee”. Prior to Joshua’s death at 110 years of age, he records these words as a reminder to the Israelites, as well as to us, in Jos 24:17: “For the LORD our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went and among all the people through whom we passed”. As the Bible chronicles God’s faithful care and love for His people – His flock – the tender words of Isa 40:11 come to mind: “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young”. Heb 13:5 also quotes Deu 31:6, “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee”. Since this is a direct quotation, God has given us a “bridge” between the Old and the New Testaments. In other words, the Hebrew word translated as “fail” in Deu 31:6 corresponds to the Greek word translated as “leave” in Heb 13:5. God would never abandon His eternal church – His Bride. John 10:11 and 15 is a further reminder of the infinite expression of Christ’s sacrificial love in offering Himself for His people, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep… As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep”. Ponder this statement for just a moment: God will never forsake His true believers, yet God did forsake His own dear Son – Who had to suffer the equivalent of eternal damnation for the sins of these same people. Mat 27:46 says, “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Make no mistake about it – if Christ had not drink the awful cup of the wrath of God, then not one single individual will be able to escape the just punishment that God has reserved for them (Rev 14:10-11).

Rev 14:10-11 “The same [unsaved] shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.”

John 10:3-5 “... the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. 4And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. 5And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.”

John 10:27-29 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.”

John 6:39-40 “And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. 40And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Heb 13:20-21 “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect [complete] in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

He Which Hath Begun a Good Work in You Will Perform It Until the Day of Jesus Christ - We read in Php 1:6 “Being confident of this very thing, that he [God] which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ”. This verse explains that the believer’s confidence is rooted in the fact that the work of saving grace which the Lord Jesus has initiated in his life will be brought to completion one day. Eph 2:8-10 declares: “... we are his workmanship ...”. The Greek word for “confident” in Php 1:6 is rendered as “persuaded” in Rom 8:38-39: “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 creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”. Psa 138:8 brings out this same truth: “The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands”. 1 The 5:23-24 proclaims: “Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it”. As has been frequently mentioned in these studies, salvation is altogether an act of God’s grace. Even after God saves us, He continues His work of grace, as Php 2:13 illustrates, “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure”. Rom 8:28-30 gives a panoramic view of God’s intervening activity in each of His children’s lives: “... whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified”. Think of it: The Almighty Triune God, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, His Eternal Majesty is at work to finish what He has started in the infinitesimal lives of His people! 1 Pet 1:3-9 outlines the glorious future that awaits every Christian. Naturally, this is in complete harmony with the eternal scope of Eph 5:25-27: “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”

Heb 12:2 “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our - The word “our” in this verse was added by the translators] faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Eph 2:8-10 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

1 The 5:23-24 “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it”.

1 Pet 1:3-5, 9 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. ... Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.”

He That Shall Endure Unto the End The Same Shall Be Saved - Mat 24:12-14 teaches: “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come”. What does the Bible mean by this term “endure”? At first one might assume that this “enduring” is something we have to “battle out” in our own strength. But, on the contrary, it is one of the hallmarks of a true child of God, as we see from the Parable of the Sower in Matt 13, Mark 4 and Luke 8. Only the “seeds” that fell on “good ground” (the regenerated hearts of the elect) germinated and brought forth fruit. The other “ground” (the unsaved hearts) did not produce fruit. Spiritually speaking, endurance denotes spiritual, eternal life. One of the chief characteristics of love – the preeminent fruit of the Spirit – is endurance, as 1 Cor 13:7 states so beautifully: “[Love] Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things”. What is the “end” that is in view in “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved” ? This refers to a true believer’s spiritual standing before the very God Who formed him and gave him eternal life, according to John 13:1: “Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end”. Likewise 1 Pet 1:9 affirms, “Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls”. Similarly, 1 Cor 1:8 concludes: “Who shall also confirm [or establish] you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ”. Earlier in this study, we discussed that the basis for a believer’s confidence is the work and faith of the Lord Jesus, as we read in Php 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing, that he [God] which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ”. The concept of enduring is also linked to the idea of “abiding”, or “continuing”, in the Word – the Bible. The Lord Jesus made this abundantly clear in John 8:31: “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed”. John 15:4-9 states: “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: ...”. Continuing, or abiding, in the Word of God implies obedience to what one finds in the Bible, according to John 15:10, “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love”.

John 6:44 “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”

John 6:64-66 “But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. 65And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. 66From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.”

Mark 4:3, 8, 14, 20 “Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow: 4And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. 5And some fell on stony ground [the unsaved hearts], where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: 6But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. 7And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. 8And other fell on good ground [the regenerated hearts of the elect], and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred. 14The sower soweth the word. 15And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. 16And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground [the unsaved hearts]; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended. 18And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, 19And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. 20And these are they which are sown on good ground [the regenerated hearts of the elect]; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.

John 15:4-9 “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love”

How is Anyone Declared Righteous in the Bible?

2012-03-16T11:09:00.002-07:00

Are there any righteous people? - Man justifies himself thinking I am not wicked, I am a decent, moral person, surely the good I have done in my life far outweighs whatever bad I have done. On the contrary, by God’s standard of righteousness even the most moral person is looked upon by God as desperate sinner on his way to Hell. God knows the secrets of the heart of man, where sin resides. The Bible teaches that no one is good enough in himself to go to Heaven. Our problem with God is not just “bad behavior, errors, and mistakes”. Because all men have broken God’s Laws in the Bible repeatedly, we are all sinners, and we are all guilty before God. Since Adam and Eve represented the human race, God’s curse of eternal death was transmitted to all of their descendants, as Rom 5:12 instructs. Furthermore, Psa 51:5 indicates that this happens at the moment of conception. Thus man is born physically alive, yet spiritually dead. Before salvation, there is none righteous, no not one. Neither Noah, nor Job, nor David, nor Moses, nor Zechariah the father of John the Baptist, nor anyone else in himself was righteous. We are all sinners.

Rom 5:12 “Wherefore, as by one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death [spiritual] passed upon all men, for that all have sinned…”

Psa 51:5 “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.”

Rom 3:10-12 “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”

Can anyone get right with God by following the God’s law? - First of all God's Law is not just ten commandments but the whole Bible. 1 John 3:4 declares that sin is “…the transgression of the law…”, and the “Law” that is being disobeyed is God’s Word, the Bible. God’s Word says that our breaking of just one of God’s commandments means that we’ve broken the whole Law. In the eyes of God, one’s thoughts are identical to one’s actions, and are thus sufficient to incur His eternal wrath. Even our “good works” are considered wicked by God because they are tainted with our sin. What about the people without God's law? God has written law in every human being's conscience. We all know wrong from right. You do not have to teach your child to sin, to steal a cookie or to tell a lie. We know that it is wrong to murder or commit adultery. The fact remains that man cannot be righteous by anything he does on his own. The purpose of the Law of God, even to the people who never heard the law, since the law is written in everyone's heart, is to expose sin, so that we might be driven to see the need for the Savior and go back to God.

Jam 2:10 “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”

Matt 5:27-28 “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 28But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.”

1 John 3:15 “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.”

Isa 64:6 “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”

Rom 2:12 “For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;”
Rom 2:14-15 “For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: 15Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)”

Rom 3:20 “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”

Rom 3:19 “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.”

Gal 3:24 “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”

Can men be “made” righteous? if so, how? - Our own works of righteousness cannot save us, as we learn from Tit 3:5. Rom 10:3 also underscores this important fact, “For they [national Israel] being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God”. That was the condition of the Apostle Paul until he was saved and freed from a life of spiritual bondage in trying to keep the law, according to Php 3:9. The robe of Christ’s righteousness [given in Salvation] is absolutely needed in order for one to escape from the inevitable broad road that leads to Hell. One can be made Righteous only “through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith”. Noah was “perfect” and “walked” with God because he was saved by grace. God looks upon a person whom He has saved as “walking uprightly” because his sins have been paid for by the Lord Jesus Christ at the cross; and God's Spirit works in the person and causes the person to walk uprightly as a result of his salvation.

Tit 3:5 “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.”

Gen 7:1 “And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.”

Heb 11:7 “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.”

Rom 4:1-8 “What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? 2For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. 3For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. 4Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. 5But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. 6Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, 7Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. 8Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.”

Phil 3:9 “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:”

2 Cor 5:21 “For he [God the Father] hath made him [God the Son] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

Isa 61:10 “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.”

Do we then make void the law through faith? - We establish the Law, answers Rom 3:31. How so? Obedience is the distinctive hallmark of the child of God, as we read in John 14:15, “If ye love me, keep my commandments”. God is essentially telling us in these verses in John 14:15 and John 15:10, “You must become saved in order to have a right relationship with Me”. This is comparable to Jesus’ words in John 3:7, “Ye must be born again [born from above]”. No one can fear and love God and keep His commandments until God saves him. The test or evidence of salvation is a desire to be obedient to the Word of God – the Bible. It is against this backdrop of salvation by the grace and will of God that we are exhorted to “be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves”. A “doer of the Word” is one who has become saved. The Bible differentiates between the “carnally minded” and “spiritually minded”. To be “carnally minded” is not merely defining one’s physical existence, but is a statement of one’s spiritual condition, the nature of one who is unsaved and in the kingdom of Satan. On the other hand, to be “spiritually minded” refers to someone who has become saved by the will and Word of God and illustrates the nature of a true Christian – one who has become a citizen of God’s kingdom. Obviously, only a heart that has been made alive spiritually and infused with the Spirit of God will want to be obedient to the Word of God. So God must sprinkle the clean water of the True Gospel on him to cleanse him from his sins, give him a new heart, and put His Spirit within him, as we read in Eze 36:26-27.

Rom 8:7-8 “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.”

Rom 3:31 “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.”

John 15:10 “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.”

Rom 2:13 “For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.”

Eze 36:26-27 “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”