WE BELIEVE
Welcome to We Believe Blog
About Me
- We Believe Blog
- We Believe Blog is dedicated to Christian evangelism. It is designed to help you the evangelist with a resource to witness to those in need of salvation through faith in the Christian gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Saturday, May 24, 2025
Jesus Was Not A Socialist
You're absolutely right to make a distinction between voluntary charity and compulsory redistribution through government control. Jesus never promoted state-enforced economic equality; instead, He emphasized personal responsibility, private property, and voluntary generosity, not coercive socialism or communism.
Tuesday, September 3, 2024
The Sinners Prayer
🙏Title: The Sinner's Prayer: Embracing Faith in Jesus Christ
The Sinner's Prayer has long been a cornerstone of Christian tradition, offering believers a heartfelt expression of repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. Rooted in the conviction of trusting in Jesus and relying on the eternal truth of God's Word, it serves as a profound declaration of one's acceptance of Christ's sacrifice for redemption.
At its core, the Sinner's Prayer embodies a sincere acknowledgment of human fallibility and a humble plea for divine mercy. It signifies a turning point in an individual's spiritual journey, where they consciously choose to surrender their lives to Christ and seek forgiveness for their sins.
The prayer itself is a simple yet profound affirmation of faith, often personalized by individuals as they pour out their hearts before God. It acknowledges Jesus as the Savior, trusting in His word and the unfailing truth of Scripture. It embraces the belief in Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross for the atonement of sins, His resurrection, and His ascension to the right hand of God.
Central to the Sinner's Prayer is the recognition of Jesus as the propitiation for sin, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. It is an expression of gratitude for His boundless love and grace, which offers salvation to all who believe.
Moreover, the Sinner's Prayer underscores the transformative power of the Holy Spirit, who indwells believers and empowers them to live a life pleasing to God. Through faith in Christ, individuals become adopted as sons and daughters of God, heirs to His kingdom and recipients of His unmerited favor.
In essence, the Sinner's Prayer encapsulates the essence of Christian faith—a heartfelt plea for forgiveness, a declaration of trust in Jesus Christ, and a commitment to follow Him faithfully. It is a profound act of surrender, paving the way for a life transformed by the redeeming love of God.
Sunday, June 30, 2024
Jesus: That Which Is Perfect
Jesus: That Which Is Perfect
1 Corinthians 13;10 "That which is perfect"
### The Active Gifts of the Holy Spirit in the Church: Their Purpose and Continuation
The gifts of the Holy Spirit are essential aspects of the Christian faith, given to believers for the edification and growth of the Church. These gifts are not only active but are also vital for the Church's mission and will continue to be so until the end times. Here, we will explore the various gifts of the Holy Spirit, their purpose within the Church, and why they will remain active until the rapture and the ultimate revelation of God's perfect love.
Wednesday, March 13, 2024
Miracles Are For Today
Title: Embracing the Miraculous: Understanding the Continuation of Miracles in Today's World
Tuesday, March 12, 2024
Exposing the Cult of Scientology: A Christian Perspective
**Exposing the Cult of Scientology: A Christian Perspective**
Unraveling the Layers of Scientology: A Fusion of Religious Philosophies and the Legacy of L. Ron Hubbard
In the vast landscape of modern religions, few have elicited as much curiosity, controversy, and scrutiny as the Church of Scientology. Founded by Lafayette Ronald Hubbard, commonly known as L. Ron Hubbard, Scientology presents a unique blend of religious philosophies that have captivated millions worldwide. At its core lies a fusion of ideas and practices drawn from various sources, reflecting Hubbard's eclectic background and visionary pursuits.
False Catholic Dogma's
In the maze of religious traditions and doctrines, it's essential for believers to discern between man-made dogmas and the timeless truths of Scripture. Sadly, many Catholic dogmas often stray from the Word of God, hindering believers from experiencing the fullness of their inheritance in Christ. Let's shed light on some of these doctrines and uncover the biblical truth that sets us free.
Saturday, September 3, 2022
The Divine Inspiration of the Bible
The Divine Inspiration of the Bible
We Believe... The KJV (King James Version) Bible is the canon of scripture, both old and new testaments are the word of God, the product of holy men who spoke and wrote being divinely inspired (divinely breathed) by (borne by the agency) of the Holy Spirit. (2 Tim. 3:16; 1 Thess. 2:13; 2 Pet. 1:21). It is my personal conviction that the KJV is the most accurate bible version to date, although I am not be legalistic regarding the rejection of other bible versions, so long as they do not contradict or leave out inspired scripture verses as found in the KJV. It is the Spirit of the Word of God that gives life, not being legalistic about the P’s and Q’s.
The doctrine of the inspiration of the Bible means that the Bible in the original documents is God-breathed, that it is a divine product, and, because it is divine, the original documents are inerrant. The copies of those documents are not inspired. We have copies of inspired documents.
2 Tim. 3:16-17 says, "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." Paul who wrote this epistle was obviously referring to the entirety of the Old Testament as being inspired. The word "inspired" is literally "God-breathed." This is an interesting phrase, since it implies that the Scriptures are from the mouth of God.
Likewise, Peter says in 2 Pet. 1:21, "for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God." Notice that Peter is stating that prophecy is not the product of human will. Instead, prophecy occurs by those moved by the Holy Spirit.
Furthermore, we can easily see that the Old Testament Scriptures are full of statements and phrases claiming to be the Word of God.
"Thus says the Lord" occurs 418 times in the NASB, 413 in the KJV
Exodus 4:22, "Then you shall say to Pharaoh, Thus says the Lord, 'Israel is My son, My first-born.'"
1 Kings 11:31, "And he said to Jeroboam, 'Take for yourself ten pieces; for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and give you ten tribes.'"
Isaiah 7:7, "thus says the Lord God, 'It shall not stand nor shall it come to pass.'"
"God said" occurs 46 times in both the NASB and the KJV
Genesis 1:3, "Then God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light."
Exodus 3:14, "And God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM'; and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, I AM has sent me to you."
Exodus 6:2-3, "God spoke further to Moses and said to him, 'I am the Lord; and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name, Lord, I did not make Myself known to them.'"
God spoke through prophets...
1 Kings 14:18, "And all Israel buried him and mourned for him, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke through His servant Ahijah the prophet."
2 Sam. 24:11-12, "When David arose in the morning, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying, 12 'Go and speak to David, Thus the Lord says, "I am offering you three things; choose for yourself one of them, which I may do to you."
Zech. 7:7, "Are not these the words which the Lord proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and prosperous with its cities around it, and the Negev and the foothills were inhabited?"
The Spirit of the Lord spoke through people...
2 Sam. 23:2, "The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His word was on my tongue."
1 Kings 22:24, "Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, 'How did the Spirit of the Lord pass from me to speak to you?'"
2 Chron. 20:14-15, "Then in the midst of the assembly the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, the Levite of the sons of Asaph; 15 and he said, 'Listen, all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: thus says the Lord to you, Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God's.'"
As you can see, the Old Testament Scriptures are clearly full of statements showing the inspiration of God through the writers. The Old Testament assumes and speaks from the perspective of divine inspiration. Should we do any less?
What about the New Testament?
We see that the Old Testament is repeatedly spoken of as being inspired via the numerous references cited above, but what about the New Testament? Are the New Testament books inspired as well?
The Christian church has always considered the New Testament documents to be inspired. Though in the early church there were some debates on which New Testament books to include in the Bible, God worked through the Christian church to recognize those inspired works. Therefore we now have 27 inspired books for the New Testament.
In 1 Cor. 14:37 Paul said, "If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord's commandment."
In 2 Pet. 3:16 Peter said, "as also in all [Paul's] letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction."
Also, Jesus said in John 14:26, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you."
This means that the Lord has commissioned the apostles to accurately record what Jesus had said because the Holy Spirit would be working in them.
So, we can see that Jesus promised direction from the Holy Spirit, that Paul considered what he wrote to be the commands of God, and that Peter recognized Paul's writings as Scripture. In addition, since the Christian Church recognizes the 27 books of the New Testament are inspired, and since we see internal claims of inspiration in the New Testament, we conclude that inspiration applies to the New Testament documents as well.
Objections?...
Does Inspiration Violate Free Will?
Inspiration does NOT violate free will. What if the person through whom God is working has been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and desires to have the Lord speak through him?
Would this negate the ability of God to inerrantly speak through such a person?
Would it also mean that the person has no free will if he has voluntarily subjected his will to the will of God?
Certainly, God has the ability to work through individuals to bring them to a place where they can record inerrant statements. Cannot God manifest himself to someone, deliver to him a verbal message, and have that person record it?
Would that statement not be inspired of God?
Prov. 21:1,"The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever He wishes." This verse clearly states that God is able to work through an individual's "free will" to bring about what God desires.
Free Download "The Divine Inspiration of the Bible
by Arthur W. Pink" http://www.ntslibrary.com/PDF%20Books/The%20Divinie%20Inspiration%20of%20the%20Bible.pdf
Watch "THE BIBLE" YouTube video playlist.
We Believe... The KJV (King James Version) Bible is the canon of scripture, both old and new testaments are the word of God, the product of holy men who spoke and wrote being divinely inspired (divinely breathed) by (borne by the agency) of the Holy Spirit. (2 Tim. 3:16; 1 Thess. 2:13; 2 Pet. 1:21). It is my personal conviction that the KJV is the most accurate bible version to date, although I am not be legalistic regarding the rejection of other bible versions, so long as they do not contradict or leave out inspired scripture verses as found in the KJV. It is the Spirit of the Word of God that gives life, not being legalistic about the P’s and Q’s.
The doctrine of the inspiration of the Bible means that the Bible in the original documents is God-breathed, that it is a divine product, and, because it is divine, the original documents are inerrant. The copies of those documents are not inspired. We have copies of inspired documents.
2 Tim. 3:16-17 says, "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." Paul who wrote this epistle was obviously referring to the entirety of the Old Testament as being inspired. The word "inspired" is literally "God-breathed." This is an interesting phrase, since it implies that the Scriptures are from the mouth of God.
Likewise, Peter says in 2 Pet. 1:21, "for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God." Notice that Peter is stating that prophecy is not the product of human will. Instead, prophecy occurs by those moved by the Holy Spirit.
Furthermore, we can easily see that the Old Testament Scriptures are full of statements and phrases claiming to be the Word of God.
"Thus says the Lord" occurs 418 times in the NASB, 413 in the KJV
Exodus 4:22, "Then you shall say to Pharaoh, Thus says the Lord, 'Israel is My son, My first-born.'"
1 Kings 11:31, "And he said to Jeroboam, 'Take for yourself ten pieces; for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and give you ten tribes.'"
Isaiah 7:7, "thus says the Lord God, 'It shall not stand nor shall it come to pass.'"
"God said" occurs 46 times in both the NASB and the KJV
Genesis 1:3, "Then God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light."
Exodus 3:14, "And God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM'; and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, I AM has sent me to you."
Exodus 6:2-3, "God spoke further to Moses and said to him, 'I am the Lord; and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name, Lord, I did not make Myself known to them.'"
God spoke through prophets...
1 Kings 14:18, "And all Israel buried him and mourned for him, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke through His servant Ahijah the prophet."
2 Sam. 24:11-12, "When David arose in the morning, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying, 12 'Go and speak to David, Thus the Lord says, "I am offering you three things; choose for yourself one of them, which I may do to you."
Zech. 7:7, "Are not these the words which the Lord proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and prosperous with its cities around it, and the Negev and the foothills were inhabited?"
The Spirit of the Lord spoke through people...
2 Sam. 23:2, "The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His word was on my tongue."
1 Kings 22:24, "Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, 'How did the Spirit of the Lord pass from me to speak to you?'"
2 Chron. 20:14-15, "Then in the midst of the assembly the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, the Levite of the sons of Asaph; 15 and he said, 'Listen, all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: thus says the Lord to you, Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God's.'"
As you can see, the Old Testament Scriptures are clearly full of statements showing the inspiration of God through the writers. The Old Testament assumes and speaks from the perspective of divine inspiration. Should we do any less?
What about the New Testament?
We see that the Old Testament is repeatedly spoken of as being inspired via the numerous references cited above, but what about the New Testament? Are the New Testament books inspired as well?
The Christian church has always considered the New Testament documents to be inspired. Though in the early church there were some debates on which New Testament books to include in the Bible, God worked through the Christian church to recognize those inspired works. Therefore we now have 27 inspired books for the New Testament.
In 1 Cor. 14:37 Paul said, "If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord's commandment."
In 2 Pet. 3:16 Peter said, "as also in all [Paul's] letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction."
Also, Jesus said in John 14:26, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you."
This means that the Lord has commissioned the apostles to accurately record what Jesus had said because the Holy Spirit would be working in them.
So, we can see that Jesus promised direction from the Holy Spirit, that Paul considered what he wrote to be the commands of God, and that Peter recognized Paul's writings as Scripture. In addition, since the Christian Church recognizes the 27 books of the New Testament are inspired, and since we see internal claims of inspiration in the New Testament, we conclude that inspiration applies to the New Testament documents as well.
Objections?...
Does Inspiration Violate Free Will?
Inspiration does NOT violate free will. What if the person through whom God is working has been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and desires to have the Lord speak through him?
Would this negate the ability of God to inerrantly speak through such a person?
Would it also mean that the person has no free will if he has voluntarily subjected his will to the will of God?
Certainly, God has the ability to work through individuals to bring them to a place where they can record inerrant statements. Cannot God manifest himself to someone, deliver to him a verbal message, and have that person record it?
Would that statement not be inspired of God?
Prov. 21:1,"The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever He wishes." This verse clearly states that God is able to work through an individual's "free will" to bring about what God desires.
Free Download "The Divine Inspiration of the Bible
by Arthur W. Pink" http://www.ntslibrary.com/PDF%20Books/The%20Divinie%20Inspiration%20of%20the%20Bible.pdf
Watch "THE BIBLE" YouTube video playlist.
**The Timeless Legacy of the King James Version Bible: God's Inspired Word**
For
centuries, the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible has stood as a
beacon of truth, wisdom, and inspiration for millions of believers
around the world. Its rich language, poetic beauty, and unparalleled
historical significance have made it a cornerstone of the Christian
faith. In this article, we will explore the historical and biblical
evidence that affirms the authenticity and authority of the King James
Version as the inspired Word of God, breathed out by the Holy Spirit for
the edification of believers.
Exposing the Dangers of Cessationism: A Biblical Rebuttal to John MacArthur's "Charismatic Chaos"
✝️ One of the strongest demonic strongholds in Christianity today is a
religious spirit. One in particular which Christian people need
deliverance from is, "Cessationism" - the false religious belief that
denies that the gifts of the 🕊️Holy Spirit are still active and
available for the church today. People who deny and quench the gifts of
the Holy Spirit are guilty of grieving God with such self willed
witchcraft, and need to repent for their irreverent blasphemy against
the Holy Spirit.
**Exposing the Dangers of Cessationism: A Biblical Rebuttal to John MacArthur's "Charismatic Chaos"**
Ed Lennox gives his personal testimony
Watch video on Tiktok
Watch video on YouTube
In his book "Charismatic Chaos," John MacArthur Jr. presents a staunch defense of cessationism, the belief that certain spiritual gifts, such as prophecy, tongues, and healing, ceased with the apostolic age and are no longer operative in the church today. While MacArthur's arguments may seem compelling to some, a closer examination reveals significant flaws and dangers inherent in cessationist doctrine. In this article, we will explore the biblical evidence that refutes cessationism and highlights its potential harm to believers in Christ.
### Misinterpreting Scripture
One of the primary problems with cessationism, as espoused by MacArthur, is its misinterpretation of key biblical passages related to spiritual gifts. For example, MacArthur often cites 1 Corinthians 13:8-10, where Paul speaks of prophecy, tongues, and knowledge ceasing "when that which is perfect has come." However, a careful examination of the context reveals that "that which is perfect" refers not to the completion of the biblical canon, as cessationists argue, but to the return of Christ and the consummation of all things (1 Corinthians 13:12; Revelation 21:1-4).
### Denying the Continuity of God's Work
Cessationism also denies the continuity of God's work in the world and limits His ability to manifest His power and presence among His people. Throughout Scripture, we see God working miraculously in the lives of believers, performing signs and wonders to confirm His word and demonstrate His glory (Acts 4:30; Hebrews 2:4). To suggest that God has ceased such manifestations of His power is to misunderstand His character and diminish His sovereignty over creation.
### Suppressing the Holy Spirit's Work
Furthermore, cessationism can lead to the suppression of the Holy Spirit's work in the lives of believers and hinder their spiritual growth and effectiveness in ministry. By denying the validity of certain spiritual gifts, cessationists effectively quench the Spirit and discourage believers from seeking and exercising the gifts that God has given them for the building up of the body of Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:19-20; 1 Corinthians 14:12).
### Embracing a Dangerous Paradigm
Ultimately, cessationism presents a dangerous paradigm that undermines the authority of Scripture and limits the work of the Holy Spirit in the church. By imposing arbitrary limitations on God's ability to work in and through His people, cessationists risk falling into spiritual pride and legalism, neglecting the dynamic and transformative power of the gospel to bring healing, deliverance, and salvation to all who believe (Romans 1:16; 1 Corinthians 2:4-5).
### Embracing the Fullness of God's Gifts
As believers, we must reject the narrow confines of cessationism and embrace the fullness of God's gifts and manifestations of His Spirit. Scripture exhorts us to eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy, which builds up the church and brings encouragement, consolation, and conviction to believers (1 Corinthians 14:1-5). Let us not be swayed by the arguments of those who would limit God's power and presence among His people but instead press on in faith, eagerly anticipating the full manifestation of His kingdom and glory.
### Conclusion
In conclusion, John MacArthur's "Charismatic Chaos" and the cessationist doctrine it promotes are not only biblically unfounded but also potentially harmful to believers in Christ. By denying the continuity of God's work and suppressing the Holy Spirit's manifestations, cessationism robs believers of the fullness of God's gifts and hinders their effectiveness in ministry. Let us instead embrace the biblical truth that God's Spirit continues to work powerfully in the lives of believers today, empowering them to proclaim the gospel with boldness and demonstrate His kingdom with signs and wonders following.
WARNING! DO NO READ "CHARISMATIC CHAOS'
Unless you are a strong Christian rooted in the faith and doctrines of the Bible on these subject matters, I strongly advise you not to read this book by John F (false teacher) MacArthur Jr. I read it when I was a young Christian, not knowing the Bible as well as I should have, I became possessed by a spirit of religious deception after reading it. I ended up leaving a good church where I was attending and went backwards in my walk with God to a cessationist church that denied the biblical truth about apostles, prophets, the gifts of the Spirit, the baptism of the Holy Ghost, prosperity, divine healing, speaking in tongues etc. The author twists scripture, misrepresents it's true interpretation, mixing truth with lies to decieve the unlearned and simple. Thankfully God delivered me and brought me back to the light after much study of God's Word, and restored me back to the church I had left. This book is religious poison!
Author of Charismatic Chaos, John MacArthur Jr, is a false cessation critic against the gifts of the Spirit, the five-fold ministry, signs and wonders, healing, and prosperity, tongues, and God speaking to us today etc. - it's flat out blasphemous denial-ism of the Spirits work in the church today.
Cessationism: In Christianity, cessationism is the doctrine that spiritual gifts such as speaking in tongues, prophecy and healing ceased with the apostolic age. This is generally opposed to continuationism, which teaches that the Holy Spirit may bestow the spiritual gifts on persons other than the original twelve apostles at any time.
The following is an excellent article which refutes the false doctrine of the book "Charismatic Chaos" and it's cessation gainsaying - line upon line...
Read here > https://www.douglasjacoby.com/wp-content/uploads/1970/01/response-to-charismatic-chaos-by-rich-natha.pdf
Titus 1:9...hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it was taught, so that by sound teaching you will be able to encourage others and refute those who contradict this message. 10 For many are rebellious and full of empty talk and deception, especially those of the circumcision…John F. MacArthur, Jr is a "Heretic on the Blood of Christ"
Read here > http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Wolves/john_macarthur_exposed.htm
The Deadly Doctrines of John MacArthur
Read here > http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/False%20Doctrines/Lordship%20Salvation/macarthur-confusing.htm
John MacArthur’s False Teachings and Pornography
Read here > https://vallee7.wordpress.com/2009/10/21/dr-john-macarthurs-false-teachings/
John MacArthur Jr exposed as a heretic, preaching the false gospel of Lordship Salvation, which is a form of works salvation.
John MacArthur is a false prophet and a wolf in sheep's clothing who teaches that man must surrender everything to Christ in obedience in order to be saved.
The same lie is spread by #RayComfort, #PaulWasher, #MikeHoggard, #TimConway, #DavidCloud, #AvantiMinistries, #JackChick, #ChickTracts, Local Church Bible Publishers and many other wolves in sheep's clothing.
The doctrine is the opposite of what the Bible says:
''But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.'' Romans 4:5
The Bible teaches that salvation is by grace through faith without works, before during or after salvation (Romans 4:5-6).
Salvation is a free gift (Romans 5:18), received through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:30-31, Ephesians 2:8-9).
John MacArthur Jr also denies that the physical blood of Jesus is what washes our sins away; he denies that Jesus' blood is necessary for salvation which is blasphemy.
Watch video here > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGwXIoMnNgg
The Gospel From A To Z
A. “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
B. “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” John 1:29
C. “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
D. “Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you.” James 4:8
Click below to EXPAND!...
E. “Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in Heaven that one of these little ones should perish.” Matthew 18:14
F. “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.” Ephesians 2:8,9
G. “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
H. “Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.” John 6:37
I. “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.” John 14:6
J. “Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent.” John 6:29
K. “Knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” Matthew 7:7
L. “Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.” Isaiah 45:22
M. “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.” II Corinthians 12:9
N. “Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” II Corinthians 6:2
O. “O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him.” Psalm 34:8
P. “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.” John 14:27
Q. “Quicken me according to Thy Word.” Psalm 119:154
R. “Repent ye, and believe the Gospel.” Mark 1:15
S. “Suffer little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.” Luke 18:16
T. “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” II Peter 3:9
U. “Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11
V. “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.” John 5:24
W. “Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” I Peter 2:24
X. “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3
Y. “Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” I Peter 2:9
Z. “Zealous of good works.” Titus 2:14
“O how love I Thy law! It is my meditation all the day.” Psalm 119:97 “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105 “Great peace have they which love Thy law: and nothing shall offend them.” Psalm 119:165 “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth.” II Timothy 2:15 “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.” II Timothy 3:16,17 “Preach the Word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” II Timothy 4:2
Two Roads Two Destinies
Click picture to enlarge...
The
Two Roads and Two Destinies is a chart based on Matthew 7:13-14
“Enter
ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way,
that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto
life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:13,14).
These
two roads are the avenues by which we flee through life to our
eternal abode. Our Lord reveals these two ways in Matthew’s Gospel,
chapter 7, verses 13,14. He mentions a broad and a narrow way. His
exact words are quoted at the end of this tract. Let us now consider
the broad way, for it is the main road.
THE
BROAD WAY’S GATE
The
broad way has a gate which marks its beginning. The gate is wide,
simply because it must accommodate every soul born into this world.
Over 201,000 humans enter this gate daily! Over 140 souls each
minute, two each second! With every breath you draw, an average of
eight souls begin their journey (by birth) on the broad way. “They
go astray as soon as they be born” (Psalm 58:3).
Not
only is the gate wide, but the road is broad. It accommodates the
masses of humanity in their various walks of life, from the murderer
to the moralist.
THE
BROAD WAY’S END
“There
is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the
ways of death” (Proverbs 16:25). Thus we see that the broad way
appeals to folks as being the right way, even though it leads to
death. Such deception reveals the blinding power of Satan! Our Lord
says it leads to destruction. However, the devil has made it very
sce-nic with various pursuits and pleasures which keep the traveler
from thinking about death and meeting God, until at the end he
plunges into the abode of the lost, to be doomed forever. The end of
the broad way is hell fire — an eter-nal calamity indeed!
THE
NARROW ROAD
Thank
God, the broad way is not life’s only road! The Lord Jesus speaks
of the narrow way which leadeth unto life. This road, like the broad
way, has a beginning, too. Just as we begin on the broad way by a
fleshly birth, so we begin on the narrow road by a spiritual birth
which is a divine necessity! The Lord says; “That which is born of
the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again” (John
3:6,7). Now baptism is not the new birth, neither is confirmation!
Peter speaks of being born again by the Word of God (I Peter 1:23).
In the Word of God (the Bible) we have the gospel, “how that Christ
died for our sins . . . was buried, and that He rose again the third
day” (I Corinthians 15:3,4). When the sinner sees that his sins are
tak-ing him to hell — when he turns to Christ and trusts Him for
salvation — he is immediately saved, he is born again! He enters
the strait gate and begins his journey on the narrow way that leads
to heaven. He becomes a new creature — his desires change! He no
longer desires the vain amusements of life, but thirsts for the
things of God (II Corin-thians 5:17). Many profess to be Christians
who are not Christians at all. The true Christian is a “new
creature” — born again, with new desires! Reader, when did you
experience the new birth and start on the narrow way? The Lord Jesus
says; “I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be
saved.” “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh
unto the Father, but by Me” (John 10:9; 14:6).
Is
God’s salvation popular? The width of the road to heaven gives the
answer. The Lord says it’s narrow and few there be that find it!
The
world, by its actions, proves that most are on the broad way. The
jukebox is geared to meet public demand. What kind of records do they
play? Hymns? What draws the crowd — a humble gospel preacher, or a
nearby fair, a professional football game or a prayer meeting? You
know the answers. Friend, your desires betray the road you are on!
The
broad way is smoothly paved to make it easy to go to hell, but
there’s never been a steam roller on the road to heaven. This word
“narrow” is also translated “suffer tribulation.” Thus the
true Christian bears reproach and scorn for Christ. He is looked upon
as a religious fanatic, and the world separates him from their
company (Luke 6:22).
What
madness to enter the narrow way if it weren’t for what is at the
end. It leads to life eternal! It leads to heaven and the Father’s
house, eternal comfort and joy with Christ forever! These future
blessings make the journey worth-while!
Oh,
dear soul, time is short. The end of the road is nearer than you
think. Flee to Christ for salvation. Trust Him as your Saviour and
enter the narrow road which “leadeth unto life.”
“Enter
ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way,
that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto
life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:13,14).
To give a helping hand in this, recently, believers around the world have taken on an effort to translate both the "Two Roads – Two Destinies" (34 different language versions existing today) and "Biblical Prophecy" charts (in 58 languages). Canadian Christians have been providing the "Two Roads - Two Destinies (Who is Wise) chart in banner form for many years. It is a pleasure now to provide them in digital form, making them more accessible for evangelism work around the world.
What Jesus Says About Hell?
Jesus said hell is a place of...
"fire" Matt 7:19, 13:40, 25:41
"everlasting fire" Matt 18:8, 25:41
"eternal damnation" Mark 3:29
"hell fire" Matt 5:22, 18:9, Mark 9:47
"damnation" Matt 23:14, Mark 12:40, Luke 20:47
"damnation of hell" Matt 23:33
"resurrection of damnation" John 5:29
"furnace of fire" Matt 13:42, 50
"the fire that never shall be quenched"
Mark 9:43, 45
"the fire is not quenched" Mark 9:44, 46, 48
"Where their worm dieth not" Mark 9:44, 46, 48
"wailing and gnashing of teeth" Matt 13:42, 50
"weeping and gnashing of teeth" Matt 8:12,
22:13, 25:30
"torments" Luke 16:23
"tormented in this flame" Luke 16:24
"place of torment" Luke 16:28
"outer darkness" Matt 8:12, 22:13
"everlasting punishment
In Luke 16, Jesus Christ gives a frightening picture of
hell:
22 . . . the rich man also died, and was buried;
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house:
28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. (Luke 16:22-28)
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house:
28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. (Luke 16:22-28)
HELL IS A PLACE
OF FIRE
The man in Luke 16:24 cries: ". . .I am tormented in this FLAME."
In Matthew 13:42, Jesus says: "And shall cast them into a FURNACE OF FIRE: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth."
In Matthew 25:41, Jesus says: "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting FIRE,. . ."
Revelation 20:15 says, " And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the LAKE OF FIRE."
THE BIBLE GIVES THE LOCATION OF HELL
When Jesus Christ died on the cross, He descended into hell. In Acts 2, Peter is speaking, verse 31, " . . . seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in HELL"
When Jesus Christ died His soul went into hell.
And in Matthew 12:40, Jesus Christ says:
"For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the
whale's belly: so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the
HEART OF THE EARTH. "
The Bible is clear — Hell is inside the earth!
Ephesians 4:9, says of Jesus: "Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the LOWER PARTS OF THE EARTH."
Ephesians 4:9, says of Jesus: "Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the LOWER PARTS OF THE EARTH."
In Numbers 16, the Bible gives the account of people falling
into hell alive!
"And THE EARTH OPENED HER MOUTH, and swallowed them
up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all
their goods. They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive INTO THE
PIT, and the EARTH CLOSED UPON THEM:" Numbers 16:32-33
In Mark 9:46, Jesus Christ says about hell: "Where
THEIR WORM dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."
Jesus said explicitly — THEIR worm — not a worm, or the worm — but THEIR worm. The Bible teaches that Christians will one day have a body like the Lord Jesus Christ. Could it be, as some Bible students teach — that men and women in hell take on the form of their father, Satan (John 8:44)? In Revelation 12:3, Satan is described as a red dragon. Could Jesus Christ be referring to the body lost men and women will have for eternity?
Jesus said explicitly — THEIR worm — not a worm, or the worm — but THEIR worm. The Bible teaches that Christians will one day have a body like the Lord Jesus Christ. Could it be, as some Bible students teach — that men and women in hell take on the form of their father, Satan (John 8:44)? In Revelation 12:3, Satan is described as a red dragon. Could Jesus Christ be referring to the body lost men and women will have for eternity?
And Jesus Christ said, "Where THEIR WORM dieth not,
and the fire is not quenched."
Have you read Isaiah 66 where the Lord Jesus Christ is quoting Mark 9:46?
Have you read Isaiah 66 where the Lord Jesus Christ is quoting Mark 9:46?
Look at the context and time period of Isaiah
66:22-24:
Isaiah 66:22-24:
22 For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.
23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.
24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.
22 For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.
23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.
24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.
The "new heavens and new earth" of Isaiah 66:22
matches Revelation 21:1. This occurs AFTER the Great White Throne Judgement of
Revelation 20:10-15! The references to "carcases"; "their
worm"; "their fire" (vs 24) — is AFTER the Great White Throne
Judgement of the LOST people! The reference to ". . the men that have
transgressed. . ." are the LOST people AFTER the Great White Throne
Judgement.
And at this point — they have received their NEW BODY!
Notice what Isaiah says, the saved people shall "LOOK upon the CARCASES of
the men that have transgressed. . ." It's worth mentioning that a
"carcase" is not always a "DEAD body". For instance, two
times the Bible specifically uses the term "dead carcase"
(Deut. 14:8 and Ezek 6:5). If a carcase is ALWAYS a "dead" body, then
why say "dead" carcase? And there's NOTHING in the context of Isaiah
to imply these "men that transgressed" are "dead".
In fact, Isaiah clearly says, "their worm shall NOT DIE". Even in our language, we refer to a living body as a "carcase". For example, "Get your carcase [body] in here". Why is that important? Because when the saved people in Isaiah 66:24 are "looking upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed" — And do you know what they are SEEING? "Their worm"! The "carcase" they are seeing is "their WORM that shall not die". The end of Isaiah 66:24 is a frightening endorsement of this interpretation. What the saved people are viewing Isaiah says is , ". . . an abhorring unto all flesh". And my friend, that is not JUST a normal flesh body they are looking at! It is something that will send chills screaming through your soul at the horror. And it will happen!
Revelation 14:10 says, " . . . and he shall be tormented with fire and BRIMSTONE . . ." And Job 18 describes the " . . . PLACE of him that knoweth not God" (vs 21), in verse 15 as, " . . . BRIMSTONE shall be scattered upon his habitation." Do you know what brimstone is? It's sulfur. And do you know where sulfur or brimstone is found? INSIDE THIS EARTH! According to the book Volcanoes by Pierre Kohler (p. 43), when Mt. St Helens erupted in 1980 — 150,000 tons of sulfurous gas was ejected! Job is the oldest book in the Bible, written over 3,000 years ago, and yet Job knew what science wouldn't know for years — inside this earth is BRIMSTONE!
HELL IS FOREVER!
All who enter hell — abandon all hope!
The horror of hell — for even one second is unbearable — but FOREVER!
Jesus says in Matthew 25:41: ". . . Depart from me, ye cursed, into EVERLASTING fire, . . ."
Rev. 14:11: "The smoke of their TORMENT ascendeth up for EVER AND EVER: and they have NO REST DAY NOR NIGHT."
Just look how the Bible warns of the eternity and permance
of hell!
everlasting fire ’ Matthew18:8, 25:41
everlasting punishment ’ Matthew 25:46
everlasting chains ’ Jude 1:6
eternal damnation ’ Mark 3:29
eternal judgment ’ Hebrews 6:2
eternal fire ’ Jude 1:7
unquenchable fire ’ Matthew 3:12
the fire that never shall be quenched ’ Mark 9:43, 44, 45, 46, 48
fire unquenchable ’ Luke 3:17
mist of darkness is reserved for ever ’ 2 Peter 2:17
the blackness of darkness for ever ’ Jude 1:13
everlasting punishment ’ Matthew 25:46
everlasting chains ’ Jude 1:6
eternal damnation ’ Mark 3:29
eternal judgment ’ Hebrews 6:2
eternal fire ’ Jude 1:7
unquenchable fire ’ Matthew 3:12
the fire that never shall be quenched ’ Mark 9:43, 44, 45, 46, 48
fire unquenchable ’ Luke 3:17
mist of darkness is reserved for ever ’ 2 Peter 2:17
the blackness of darkness for ever ’ Jude 1:13
Jesus Christ took hell very serious. . .
Jesus Christ says in Mark 9:43-47,
43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for
thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the
fire that never shall be quenched:
45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:
45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:
Jesus Christ took hell so serious — He could say without the slightest hesitation — to remove your eye, cut off your hand or foot, if that would keep you out of hell!
Another factor is that the statement, “Jesus talked more
about hell than about heaven,” probably refers to the total number of verses
devoted to the subject, and not just the number of references to the words
“hell” or “heaven.”
HELL. ‘Hell’ in the NT renders the Gk. word transliterated
as ‘Gehenna’ (Mt. 5:22, 29-30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15, 33; Mk. 9:43, 45, 47; Lk.
12:5; Jas. 3:6). The name is derived from the Heb. the Valley of (the son[s] of
Hinnom, a valley near Jerusalem
(Jos. 15:8; 18:16), where children were sacrificed by fire in connection with
pagan rites (2 Ki. 23:10; 2 Ch. 28:3; 33:6; Je. 7:31; 32:35). Its original
derivation is obscure, but Hinnom is almost certainly the name of a person. In
later Jewish writings Gehenna came to mean the place of punishment for sinners
(Assumption of Moses 10:10; 2 Esdras 7:36). It was depicted as a place of
unquenchable fire-the general idea of fire to express the divine judgment is
found in the OT (Dt. 32:22; Dn. 7:10). The rabbinic literature contains various
opinions as to who would suffer eternal punishment. The ideas were widespread
that the sufferings of some would be terminated by annihilation, or that the
fires of Gehenna were in some cases purgatorial (Rosh Hashanah 16b-17a; 58b;
Mishnah Eduyoth 2. 10). But those who held these doctrines also taught the
reality of eternal punishment for certain classes of sinners. Both this
literature and the Apocryphal books affirm belief in an eternal retribution
(cf. Judith 16:17; Psalms of Solomon 3:13). The teaching of the NT endorses
this past belief. The fire of hell is unquenchable (Mk. 9:43), eternal (Mt.
18:8), its punishment is the converse of eternal life (Mt. 25:46). There is no
suggestion that those who enter hell ever emerge from it. However, the NT
leaves the door open for the belief that while hell as a manifestation of God’s
implacable wrath against sin is unending, the existence of those who suffer in
it may not be. It is difficult to reconcile the ultimate fulfillment of the
whole universe in Christ (Eph. 1:10; Col. 1:20) with the continued existence of
those who reject him. Some scholars have contended that an eternal punishment
is one which is eternal in its effects; in any case eternal does not
necessarily mean never-ending, but implies ‘long duration extending to the
writer’s mental horizon’ (J. A. Beet). On the other hand Rev. 20:10 does
indicate conscious, never-ending torment for the devil and his agents, albeit
in a highly symbolic passage, and some would affirm that a similar end awaits
human beings who ultimately refuse to repent. In any case, nothing should be
allowed to detract from the seriousness of our Lord’s warnings about the
terrible reality of God’s judgment in the world to come. In Jas. 3:6 Gehenna,
like the bottomless pit in Rev. 9:1ff.; 11:7, appears to be the source of evil
on the earth. NT imagery concerning eternal punishment is not uniform. As well
as fire it is described as darkness (Mt. 25:30; 2 Pet. 2:17), death (Rev.
2:11), destruction and exclusion from the presence of the Lord (2 Thes. 1:9;
Mt. 7:21-23), and a debt to pay (Mt. 5:25-26). In 2 Pet. 2:4 only, we find the
Verb translated in RSV ‘cast into hell’, and rendered by the Pesh. ‘cast down
to the lower regions’. is the classical word for the place of eternal
punishment but is here applied to the intermediate sphere of punishment for
fallen angels.
Who Will Be Sent To The Lake Of Fire?
Eternal life is knowing a person,
Jesus Christ.
And this is eternal life, that
they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent (John
17:3).
Unbelievers will not have that privilege of eternal life. Though they do not possess eternal life, they will exist eternally. Their final destination is hell, or the "lake of fire." The Bible specifically tells us who it is that will populate the lake of fire.
1. Hypocrites
The place of final judgment is where God will place hypocrites. Jesus said.
And will cut him in two and
appoint him his portion with the hypocrites (Matthew 24:51).
A hypocrite is an actor, someone wearing a false face. Many religious people without a genuine relationship to Christ will end up in hell because they are merely pretending to be a Christian.
2. Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot, the betrayer of Jesus, has been consigned to the place of final judgment. Peter said of him.
To take part in this ministry and
apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own
place (Acts 1:25).
3. The Antichrist
The final antichrist, or false Christ, that comes upon the scene of history will have his end in hell.
And then the lawless one will be
revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and
destroy with the brightness of His coming (2 Thessalonians 2:8).
4. The False Prophet
The false prophet, the cohort of the antichrist, will also be sent to the lake of fire.
Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone (Revelation 19:20).
5. Satan
The lake of fire has been prepared for the devil and his evil angels. The Scripture says that this will be his final destination.
And the devil, who deceived them,
was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false
prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever
(Revelation 20:10).
6. The Fallen Angels
The angels who rebelled against God will be sent to the "lake of fire."
Then He [God] will say to those on
His left, 'Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire
prepared for the devil and his angels' (Matthew 25:41).
7. All Unrepentant Sinners
The lake of fire will be the final destination of all unrepentant sinners. This includes everyone, before and after Christ, who have not responded to God's Word. Those who have not trusted Christ as Savior will find their way to the lake of fire. John wrote.
And anyone not found written in
the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15).
Jesus said.
I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come . . . Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He (John 8:21,24).
Summary
The Bible specifies who will be living in hell, or the lake of fire. This is their final judgment from which there is no escape. They include.
1. Hypocrites
2. Judas Iscariot
3. The Antichrist
4. The False Prophet
5. Satan
6. The Fallen Angels
7. All Unrepentant Sinners
The Bible specifies who will be living in hell, or the lake of fire. This is their final judgment from which there is no escape. They include.
1. Hypocrites
2. Judas Iscariot
3. The Antichrist
4. The False Prophet
5. Satan
6. The Fallen Angels
7. All Unrepentant Sinners
You Must Be Born Again!
“There
was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The
same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou
art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou
doest, except God be with him. 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. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born
again” (John 3:1-7)...
To
understand what it means to be born-again, it is necessary to
understand that there are TWO BIRTHS. The “first” birth is the PHYSICAL
BIRTH when you were born into this world from your mother and father.
When the Bible speaks of being “born of water,” it is speaking about the
physical birth (NOT baptism). The “second” birth is a SPIRITUAL BIRTH,
which means to be born of the “Spirit” (that is, God's Holy Spirit). Why
does a person need to be born spiritually? What is a “spiritual” birth?
The
Bible teaches that man is created in the image of God (Genesis
1:26-27). There is one God according to Deuteronomy 6:4; but He exists
in the three Persons of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy
Spirit. The Bible refers to this triune nature of God as the Godhead
(Acts 17:29; Romans 1:20, Colossians 2:9 - King James Bible only).
Colossians 2:2 refers to the Godhead as “the mystery of God, and of the
Father, and of Christ.” The Godhead wasn't meant to be understood; but
rather, believed as sound Biblical doctrine by God's children.
Likewise,
mankind is created in God's image in the form of a body, soul and
spirit. Our earthly body is the tabernacle (2nd Corinthians 5:1-4) of
the soul and spirit. The body is a temporary dwelling place of man's
soul and spirit. Our soul is composed of the heart (to feel), the mind
(to think), and the will (to decide). Hebrews 4:12 makes a distinction
between man's soul and spirit, “For the word of God is quick, and
powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the
dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and
is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
Man's
spirit is dead in sin when we are born; that is, we are born void of
God with an inherited sin nature from Adam. The only exception is the
Lord Jesus Christ Who came as God in the flesh (1st Timothy 3:16). Our
spirit is dead in trespasses and sin the Bible says...
“And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Wherein 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” (Ephesians 2:1,2)
The unsaved person cannot understand God, nor His Words, because they are spiritually discerned...
“But 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” (1st Corinthians 2:14)
The
reason why you need to be “spiritually” born is because you have never
been spiritually born to begin with. So when the Bible speaks of being
“born again,” it actually means “born for the second time.” You were
born physically into this world, but you were born without the Spirit of
God in your soul (spiritually dead). Yes, God created you, but He gave
you a freewill to decide for yourself where you will spend eternity.
God
never forces anyone to accept Jesus as their Savior. He simply offers a
warm invitation to anyone who wants to have their sins forgiven and go
to Heaven. Salvation is a free gift (Romans 5:15; 6:23), paid for by the
precious blood of Jesus Christ (1st Peter 1:18,19; Revelation 1:5). We
must accept God's gift of eternal life or it WILL be forever forfeited
when we leave this world (die).
God
commanded Adam and Eve not to eat of the forbidden fruit in the Garden
of Eden. Genesis 2:17, “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.” Notice, God said they would die “the day that
thou eatest thereof.” Interestingly, Adam and Eve DIDN'T die physically
the day they ate the fruit and disobeyed God's command. Why?
The
reason is because they died SPIRITUALLY instead of physically. When
Adam sinned, sin and death entered the human race. The Bible teaches
that from Adam until present time, mankind has been born spiritually
dead, inherited down from Adam's sin. This is why humanity MUST be
born-again. This is only possible through the Holy Spirit of God, which
makes us alive again (quickened the Bible says) by faith in Jesus Christ
as our Savior. We are saved by repenting of our unbelief and believing
the Gospel that Jesus DIED, was BURIED and RAISED up three days later.
To
be “spiritually” born means that God's Holy Spirit “quickens” us (or
makes us alive). When a sinner believes on the Lord Jesus as the
Christ—trusting Him alone to forgive all sins—then God the Father and
God the Son come into one's heart in the form of God the Holy Spirit
(John 14:23). The “Holy Spirit” is “God within us.” The old man is the
flesh. The old man cannot be tamed. There is nothing good about the
flesh. When we get saved (born again), the old man doesn't change.
Rather, the new man (which is Jesus Christ) comes to indwell (live)
within our body. 1st Corinthians 3:16, “Know ye not that ye are the
temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”
A
person cannot understand the Bible without the presence of the Author,
and God is the Author. When you become born-again (or born for the
second time), God's Holy Spirit comes into your body (1st Corinthians
3:16), never to leave (Hebrews 13:5), and you will begin to understand
many new things for the first time in your life...
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things
are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” —2nd Corinthians
5:17
It
is ONLY through the Precious Word of God that anyone can be born-again.
Surely, no one can be born into this world again physically. There is
no turning back the hands of time. However, you most certainly can be
born again, spiritually, into God's family through the Spirit of
Christ... “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” (Romans 8:9).
How To Be Born Again
The way we become “born again” is found in the Word of God...
“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by
the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” —1st Peter 1:23
We
are born again by the Word of God. Jesus is the Word of God (John
1:1,14: Revelation 19:13). The following statement sums it up pretty
good...
If you're born once, then you die TWICE;
If you're born twice, then you die ONCE.
If
you don't receive Jesus Christ and become a born again Christian, then
you will sadly burn in hellfire for all eternity (John 3:18,36;
Revelation 20:15; 21:8). Perhaps you say with the man I mentioned
earlier, “That born again stuff makes no sense to me.” Well, most people
can't explain how a black cow can eat green grass, give white milk, and
then it's turned into yellow butter—but they still eat it! My friend,
you don't have to figure everything out to be saved, you just need to
trust upon Jesus, the Christ, the only begotten Son of God.
Again,
being born-again means having He Who is the Beginning (Jesus Christ)
born in you.” Revelation 1:8, “I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and
the Ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to
come, the Almighty.” Isn't that beautiful. When a person is born-again,
the Spirit of Christ comes to live in that person's body. “Now if any
man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His” (Romans 8:9b).
This birth comes about only through faith in the Son of God.
The
GOOD NEWS (the Gospel) is that it is very EASY to have the second
birth, i.e., a spiritual birth. God came down to this earth 2,000 years
ago and took upon Himself the form of a man. That man was the Lord
Jesus Christ (John 1:1,14; 1st Timothy 3:16). Literally, the GODHEAD
became incarnate (Colossians 2:9—King James Bible).
Jesus
was born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14). Jesus never sinned even once (2nd
Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15). Jesus died, was buried and rose again
after three days (1st Corinthians 15:1-4). Jesus shed His precious blood
to pay for all our sins (Colossians 1:14; 1st Peter 1:18,19), and
applied that blood to the Mercy seat in Heaven (Hebrews 9:12, 24-26). My
friend, if you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the only begotten Son
of God Who died, was buried and rose again for your sins, and you've
made that your hope for Heaven by believing on His name, then you are a
born-again child of God.
Jesus
is the Savior Who paid for our sins. If you realize that you're a
guilty sinner, then you simply need to believe on the Gospel of Jesus
Christ to have your sins forgiven. Believe that Christ died and was
resurrected, shedding His precious blood to wash away your sins. All God
the Father asks is that we come for salvation by way of the cross upon
which His Son Jesus Christ died.
Prayer to be saved...
Be
assured, God loves you, and wants to forgive, save, and heal you. Cast
all your burden on Him, and embrace Jesus with all your heart.
Pray this prayer, mean it, and you will be saved, right where you sit.
Pray this prayer, mean it, and you will be saved, right where you sit.
LORD: I here and now Repent and Believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
I believe you died for me, as my Substitute, and rose from the dead according to the Scriptures.
Thank you Lord, for taking my place, and paying my debt in full.
Even though I was apart from You, separated by my sin, You saw me, helpless, and fallen, and loved me enough to die for me.
You
did no wrong. I'm the one who has sinned, I broke God's Law. I deserve
to die for my sins. You were innocent, and yet took my place on the
Cross.
I believe that You suffered the penalty for all my sins, You paid the full price to wipe out my debt.
Your sinless Blood, precious and Divine, pays for all my sin.
Because
You took my punishment, I am now free. No sin remains to condemn me.
I'm no longer guilty before God. I can never be judged or condemned for
my sins because they were judged in You, Lord.
I believe this Good News, the message of the Cross. I trust Your Promise that everyone who asks receives.
Please forgive me Lord. I receive You now into my heart.
I accept Your gracious gift of love, mercy and peace.
The LORD Jesus Christ now lives in me.
I am a new creation in Christ.
Born of God with the life of Jesus in me.
I trust the Blood of Christ cleanses every sin from my life.
My record is wiped clean because of your grace and mercy.
LORD, I trust that You did enough for me. You paid it all, so no more price need ever be paid.
You
did enough to save me forever, I will not claim any merit, offer any
good works, or pay any price, as long as I live. Nor will I say or do
anything more to have my past sins forgiven, or to be saved.
Lord Jesus, You did enough 2,000 years ago to save me once and for all.
From this moment I trust entirely in what You did for me on the Cross. It is sufficient. Nothing can ever improve my salvation.
Your Blood has cleansed me now. I am forgiven now. I am saved now.
Help me to follow You, and share this wonderful news with everyone.
Thank You Lord for my full salvation. AMEN!
Ephesians 2:11-22 highlights the gospel's
power to reconcile both Jews and Gentiles to God and to each other,
creating a new unified body in Christ. It emphasizes that through
Christ's sacrifice, the hostility and divisions caused by sin are
overcome, and believers are brought into a reconciled relationship with
God and with one another.
This is a rich and powerful theological truth Paul explains especially in Ephesians 2, and it has huge implications for both Jews and Gentiles in Christ. Let’s walk through it carefully, breaking down:
📖 Context: Ephesians 2:11–22
Paul is addressing Gentile believers (non-Jews), reminding them of their former alienation and how Christ has reconciled them with Jewish believers into one unified body.
✡️ 1. Gentiles Were Once Excluded (Eph. 2:11–12)
Paul says:
“Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth... were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.”
- Gentiles had no access to the covenants made with Israel (including the Sinai covenant and the Abrahamic promises).
- They were alienated, spiritually and nationally.
- The Law (Sinai covenant) was a major dividing (wall) line between Jew and Gentile — it created a boundary of holiness and separation.
✝️ 2. Christ Tore Down the "Middle Wall of Partition" (Eph. 2:13–16)
Paul continues:
“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in His flesh the law with its commands and regulations.”
🔍 What is the “middle wall of partition”?
- Literal reference: In the Jewish temple, there was a physical wall (the "soreg") that separated Gentiles from entering into the inner courts where Jews worshiped. To go past it was punishable by death.
- Spiritual meaning: The Law of Moses (Sinai Covenant) acted as a spiritual barrier — it:
- Highlighted Israel’s special status as God’s chosen people.
- Required ceremonial, civil, and moral distinctions that set them apart from other nations.
- Made Gentiles unclean and disqualified them from entering fully into covenant blessings.
But Christ, through His death, fulfilled the Law and thus tore down this legal and spiritual barrier.
🩸 3. The Law Removed Through the Cross (Colossians 2:14 parallel)
Paul in Colossians says:
“Having canceled the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross.” (Col. 2:14)
- Jesus didn’t abolish the moral righteousness of the Law, but He abolished it as a system that:
- Condemned both Jews and Gentiles.
- Divided the two groups.
- Required ritual separation.
🤝 4. One New Man in Christ (Eph. 2:15–16)
“His purpose was to create in Himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross.”
- Christ didn’t just save Gentiles separately — He united them with believing Jews into one body.
- He created a new spiritual race: not Jew, not Gentile — but Christian.
- The Church is this "new man", where the old divisions are gone.
🏛️ 5. Access to God Through One Spirit (Eph. 2:18–22)
“For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit... You are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of His household.”
- Gentiles are now:
- Fellow citizens with the saints.
- Heirs of the promises made to Abraham (Galatians 3:29).
- Part of the spiritual temple God is building.
📜 Summary: How the Sinai Covenant Was Removed
| Component | Before Christ | After Christ |
|---|---|---|
| The Law (Sinai Covenant) | Divided Jews & Gentiles, kept Gentiles from full covenant access | Fulfilled and abolished as a dividing wall |
| The Temple wall | Gentiles excluded from inner worship | All believers have equal access to the Father |
| God's People | Jews (by birth or conversion to Judaism) | All in Christ (Jew + Gentile) are one body |
| Heirs of Abraham’s promise | Physical descendants (plus some Gentile proselytes) | All who are in Christ (Gal. 3:29) |
🧩 Related Passages
- Romans 10:4 – “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”
- Galatians 3:28–29 – “There is neither Jew nor Gentile... for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
- Hebrews 8:13 – The old covenant is “obsolete and aging” and “will soon disappear.”
✅ Conclusion
Paul teaches that through Christ’s death:
- The Sinai covenant (the Law) that divided Jew from Gentile is no longer in force.
- Christ fulfilled and removed it as a system that separated.
- Now, both Jews and Gentiles can be part of one new humanity, God’s Church, and joint heirs of the promises made to Abraham.
- This is the gospel of reconciliation — peace with God and unity with one another.
Gospel
Words
Salvation
Salvation is deliverance from danger or
suffering. To save is to deliver or protect. The word carries the idea of
victory, health, or preservation. Sometimes, the Bible uses the words saved
or salvation to refer to temporal, physical deliverance, such as Paul’s
deliverance from prison (Philippians 1:19).
More often, the word “salvation” concerns an eternal, spiritual deliverance. When Paul told the Philippian jailer what he must do to be saved, he was referring to the jailer’s eternal destiny (Acts 16:30-31). Jesus equated being saved with entering the kingdom of God (Matthew 19:24-25).
What are we saved from? In the Christian doctrine of salvation, we are saved from “wrath,” that is, from God’s judgment of sin (Romans 5:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:9). Our sin has separated us from God, and the consequence of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Biblical salvation refers to our deliverance from the consequence of sin and therefore involves the removal of sin.
Who does the saving? Only God can remove sin and deliver us from sin’s penalty (2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 3:5).
How does God save? In the Christian doctrine of salvation, God has rescued us through Christ (John 3:17). Specifically, it was Jesus’ death on the cross and subsequent resurrection that achieved our salvation (Romans 5:10; Ephesians 1:7). Scripture is clear that salvation is the gracious, undeserved gift of God (Ephesians 2:5, 8) and is only available through faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12).
How do we receive salvation? We are saved by faith. First, we must hear the gospel—the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection (Ephesians 1:13). Then, we must believe—fully trust the Lord Jesus (Romans 1:16). This involves repentance, a changing of mind about sin and Christ (Acts 3:19), and calling on the name of the Lord (Romans 10:9-10, 13).
A definition of the Christian doctrine of salvation would be “The deliverance, by the grace of God, from eternal punishment for sin which is granted to those who accept by faith God’s conditions of repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus.” Salvation is available in Jesus alone (John 14:6; Acts 4:12) and is dependent on God alone for provision, assurance, and security.
More often, the word “salvation” concerns an eternal, spiritual deliverance. When Paul told the Philippian jailer what he must do to be saved, he was referring to the jailer’s eternal destiny (Acts 16:30-31). Jesus equated being saved with entering the kingdom of God (Matthew 19:24-25).
What are we saved from? In the Christian doctrine of salvation, we are saved from “wrath,” that is, from God’s judgment of sin (Romans 5:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:9). Our sin has separated us from God, and the consequence of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Biblical salvation refers to our deliverance from the consequence of sin and therefore involves the removal of sin.
Who does the saving? Only God can remove sin and deliver us from sin’s penalty (2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 3:5).
How does God save? In the Christian doctrine of salvation, God has rescued us through Christ (John 3:17). Specifically, it was Jesus’ death on the cross and subsequent resurrection that achieved our salvation (Romans 5:10; Ephesians 1:7). Scripture is clear that salvation is the gracious, undeserved gift of God (Ephesians 2:5, 8) and is only available through faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12).
How do we receive salvation? We are saved by faith. First, we must hear the gospel—the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection (Ephesians 1:13). Then, we must believe—fully trust the Lord Jesus (Romans 1:16). This involves repentance, a changing of mind about sin and Christ (Acts 3:19), and calling on the name of the Lord (Romans 10:9-10, 13).
A definition of the Christian doctrine of salvation would be “The deliverance, by the grace of God, from eternal punishment for sin which is granted to those who accept by faith God’s conditions of repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus.” Salvation is available in Jesus alone (John 14:6; Acts 4:12) and is dependent on God alone for provision, assurance, and security.
Propitiation
This means the turning away of wrath by an
offering. It is similar to expiation but expiation does not carry the nuances
involving wrath. For the Christian, the propitiation was the shed blood of Jesus
on the cross. It turned away the wrath of God so that he could pass "over
the sins previously committed," (Rom. 3:25). It was the Father who sent
the Son to be the propitiation (1 John 4:10) for all (1 John 2:2).
Luke 18:13. In the parable of the
"Pharisee and the Tax Collector", we also have an extraordinary use
of the same word group. Note the Tax Collector cries out, "God, be
merciful to me a sinner". Although our English translations do not bear it
out in obvious fashion, this is a cognate verb, "be merciful"
(hilaskomai). Note Colin Browns discussion: Vol. 3, 160
In Rom. 3:25 and Heb. 9:5 the Greek word
hilasterion (KJV, "mercy-seat") is used. It is the word employed by
the Septuagint (LXX). translators in Ex. 25:17 and elsewhere as the equivalent
for the Hebrew kapporeth, which means "covering," and is used of the
lid of the ark of the covenant (Ex. 25:21; 30:6). Hilasterion came to denote
not only the mercy-seat or lid of the ark but also propitiation or reconciliation
by blood. On the great day of atonement the high priest carried the blood of
the sacrifice he offered for all the people within the veil and sprinkled with
it the "mercy-seat," and so made propitiation.^[3]^
In 1 John 2:2; 4:10, Christ is called the
"propitiation for our sins." Here a different Greek word is used,
hilasmos. Christ is "the propitiation," because by his becoming our
substitute and assuming our obligations he expiated our guilt, covering it by
the vicarious punishment which he endured. (Compare Heb. 2:17, where the
expression "make reconciliation" of the KJV is more correctly in the
ASV "make
Propitiation in Romans 3:25 "Jesus' blood 'propitiated' or satisfied
God’s wrath (1:18), so that his holiness was not compromised in forgiving sinners.
Some scholars have argued that the word propitiation should be translated
expiation (the wiping away of sin), but the word cannot be restricted to the
wiping away of sins as it also refers to the satisfaction or appeasement of
God’s wrath, turning it to favor (cf. note on John 18:11). God’s righteous
anger needed to be appeased before sin could be forgiven, and God in his love
sent his Son (who offered himself willingly) to satisfy God’s holy anger
against sin. In this way God demonstrated his righteousness, which here refers
particularly to his holiness and justice. God’s justice was called into
question because in his patience he had overlooked former sins. In other words,
how could God as the utterly Holy One tolerate human sin without inflicting full
punishment on human beings immediately? Paul’s answer is that God looked
forward to the cross of Christ where the full payment for the guilt of sin
would be made, where Christ would die in the place of sinners. In the OT,
propitiation (or the complete satisfaction of the wrath of God) is symbolically
foreshadowed in several incidents: e.g., Ex. 32:11–14; Num. 25:8, 11; Josh.
7:25–26."
Justification
Justification is the doctrine that God
pardons, accepts, and declares a sinner to be "just" on the basis of
Christ's righteousness (Rom 3:24-26; 4:25; 5:15-21) which results in God's
peace (Rom 5:1), His Spirit (Rom 8:4), and salvation. Justification is by grace
through faith in Jesus Christ apart from all works and merit of the sinner (cf.
Rom 1:18-3:28).
To be justified is to declared legally
righteous. It is a divine act where God declares the sinner to be innocent of
his sins. It is not that the sinner is now sinless, but that he is
"declared" sinless. The sinner
is not made righteous in that his soul is changed or that his soul is infused
with God's grace. Instead, justification
is a legal act of imputing the righteousness of Christ to the believer (Rom.
4:11; Phil. 3:9). This justification is based on the shed blood of Jesus,
"...having now been justified by His blood..." (Rom. 5:9). When God
sees the Christian, He sees him through the sacrifice of Jesus and
"sees" him without sin. This declaration of innocence is not without
cost for it required the satisfaction of God's Law, "...without shedding
of blood there is no forgiveness," (Heb. 9:22). By the sacrifice of Jesus,
in the "one act of righteousness there resulted in justification of life to
all men," (Rom. 5:18, NASB). In justification, the justice of God fell
upon Himself--Jesus. We receive mercy--we are not judged according to our sins.
And grace is shed upon us--we receive eternal life. This justification is a
gift of grace (Rom. 3:24), by faith (Rom. 3:28) because Jesus bore our guilt
(Isaiah 53:12).
Psalm 103: 1-12
The LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
The LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
Why doesn't it say "as far as the north is from the south..."?
If you travel North you will eventually go over the North Pole and start walking South again, and come face to face with a continual reminder of the condemnation of sin which once was, but if you walk East you will never be walking West again unless you willfully turn back to where you came from. But you don't want to do that, remember Lots wife. Keep pressing forward knowing that as far as God is concerned He has chosen to remove and forget what sin has been done in the past. God has now made you justified before Him through faith in Christ, walk it out, live it out, just as though you have never sinned, out of sight and out of mind - as far as the east is from the west...
If you travel North you will eventually go over the North Pole and start walking South again, and come face to face with a continual reminder of the condemnation of sin which once was, but if you walk East you will never be walking West again unless you willfully turn back to where you came from. But you don't want to do that, remember Lots wife. Keep pressing forward knowing that as far as God is concerned He has chosen to remove and forget what sin has been done in the past. God has now made you justified before Him through faith in Christ, walk it out, live it out, just as though you have never sinned, out of sight and out of mind - as far as the east is from the west...
Atonement
Atonement theologically speaks of God's
acting in human history to reestablish the original relationship between God
and man by dealing with sin. To atone
means to make amends, to repair a wrong done.
Biblically, it means to remove the guilt of man. The Old Testament atonements offered by the high
priest were temporary and a foreshadow of the real and final atonement made by
Jesus. Jesus atoned for the sins of the
world (1 John 2:2). This atonement is
received by faith (Rom. 5:1; Eph. 2:8-9).
Man is a sinner (Rom. 5:8) and cannot atone
for himself. Therefore, it was the love
of the Father that sent Jesus (1 John 4:10) to die in our place (1 Pet. 3:18)
for our sins (1 Pet. 2:24). Because of
the atonement, our fellowship with God is restored (Rom. 5:10).
Vicarious
Atonement is the teaching that the atonement which
states that Christ's death was "legal." It satisfied the legal
justice of God. Jesus bore the penalty of sin when he died on the cross. His
death was a substitution for the believers. In other words, he substituted
himself for them upon the cross. Jesus hung in our place as he bore our sin in
his body on the cross. See 1 Pet. 2:24.
Substitution
Substitution means to take the place of
something. Christ's death on the cross was substitutionary in that he took our
punishment. Isaiah 53:4-6 says,
"Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
and our sorrows He carried. Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of
God, and afflicted. 5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities; The
chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging, we are
healed. 6 All of us like sheep have gone astray. Each of us has turned to his
own way. But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him,"
(Isaiah 53:4-6).
Our
sin was imputed to Christ. That is, it
was reckoned to his account so that when he died on the cross, he
fulfilled the requirement of the law that states that the wages of sin
is death (Romans
6:23).
Also, consider the following verses.
"And He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we
might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were
healed," (1 Peter 2:24).
"He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf so that we
might become the righteousness of God in Him," (2 Cor. 5:21).
The Lord Jesus died for sinners and on
behalf of sinners so that we might be redeemed through the complete and
finished work of Christ.
"There are two Greek prepositions that
emphasize the substitutionary nature of Jesus’ death. The preposition anti, translated
“for,” means Christ died “instead of” sinners (Matt. 20:28; Mark 10:45). The
preposition huper, also translated “for,” means Christ died “in behalf of” or
“in place of” sinners (Gal. 3:13; 1 Tim. 2:6; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 3:18).
Philemon 13 shows that huper must mean “in place of.”1
Finally, the death of Christ was a legal
act. Sin is breaking the law of God and Christ's substitutionary atonement was
a satisfaction of the law of God.
Reconciliation
Reconciliation is changing for the better a
relationship between two or more persons. Theologically it refers to the change
of the relationship between God and man. We are naturally children of wrath (Eph.
2:3), and are at enmity with God (Eph. 2:11-15); but, "...we were
reconciled to God through the death of His Son..." (Rom. 5:10). Because of
the death of Jesus, the Christian's relationship with God is changed for the
better. We are now able to have fellowship with him (1 John 1:3) whereas before
we could not. So, we are reconciled to Him (Rom. 5:10-11). The problem of sin
that separates us from God (Isaiah 59:2) has been addressed and removed in the
cross. It was accomplished by God in Christ (2 Cor. 5:18).
Second Corinthians 5:18-19 declares, “All this
is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the
ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in
Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.”
The Bible says that Christ reconciled us to
God (Romans 5:10; 2 Corinthians 5:18; Colossians 1:20-21). The fact that we
needed reconciliation means that our relationship with God was broken. Since
God is holy, we were the ones to blame. Our sin alienated us from Him. Romans
5:10 says that we were enemies of God: “For if, when we were God’s enemies, we
were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been
reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!”
When Christ died on the cross, He satisfied
God’s judgment and made it possible for God’s enemies, us, to find peace with
Him. Our “reconciliation” to God, then, involves the exercise of His grace and
the forgiveness of our sin. The result of Jesus’ sacrifice is that our
relationship has changed from enmity to friendship. “I no longer call you
servants… Instead, I have called you friends” (John 15:15). Christian
reconciliation is a glorious truth! We were God’s enemies, but are now His
friends. We were in a state of condemnation because of our sins, but we are now
forgiven. We were at war with God, but now have the peace that transcends all
understanding (Philippians 4:7).
Redemption
Redemption means to free someone from
bondage. It often involves the paying of a ransom, a price that makes
redemption possible. The Israelites were redeemed from Egypt. We were redeemed
from the power of sin and the curse of the Law (Gal. 3:13) through Jesus (Rom.
3:24; Col. 1:14). We were bought with a price (1 Cor. 6:20; 7:23).
The English word "redemption"
means 'repurchase' or 'buy back', and in the Old Testament referred to the
ransom of slaves (Exodus 21:8). In the New Testament, the redemption word group
is used to refer both to deliverance from sin and freedom from captivity.
Everyone is in need of redemption. Our natural
condition was characterized by guilt: “all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Christ’s redemption has freed us from guilt, being
“justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus”
(Romans 3:24).
The benefits of redemption include eternal
life (Revelation 5:9-10), the forgiveness of sins (Ephesians 1:7), righteousness
(Romans 5:17), freedom from the law’s curse (Galatians 3:13), adoption into
God’s family (Galatians 4:5), deliverance from sin’s bondage (Titus 2:14; 1
Peter 1:14-18), peace with God (Colossians 1:18-20), and the indwelling of the
Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). To be redeemed, then, is to be forgiven,
holy, justified, free, adopted, and reconciled. See also Psalm 130:7-8; Luke
2:38; and Acts 20:28.
The word “redeem” means “to buy out.” The
term was used specifically in reference to the purchase of a slave’s freedom.
The application of this term to Christ’s death on the cross is quite telling.
If we are “redeemed,” then our prior condition was one of slavery. God has
purchased our freedom, and we are no longer in bondage to sin or to the Old
Testament law. This metaphorical use of “redemption” is the teaching of
Galatians 3:13 and 4:5.
Related to the Christian concept of
redemption is the word ransom. Jesus paid the price for our release from sin
and its consequences (Matthew 20:28; 1 Timothy 2:6). His death was in exchange
for our life. In fact, Scripture is quite clear that redemption is only
possible “through His blood,” that is, by His death (Colossians 1:14).
The streets of heaven will be filled with
former captives who, through no merit of their own, find themselves redeemed,
forgiven, and free. Slaves to sin have become saints. No wonder we will sing a
new song—a song of praise to the Redeemer who was slain (Revelation 5:9). We
were slaves to sin, condemned to eternal separation from God. Jesus paid the
price to redeem us, resulting in our freedom from slavery to sin and our rescue
from the eternal consequences of that sin.
Repentance
Many
understand the term repentance (from the Greek word metanoia) to mean “turning
from sin.” This is not the biblical definition of repentance. In the Bible, the
word repent means “to change one’s mind.” The Bible also tells us that true
repentance will result in a change of actions (Luke 3:8-14; Acts 3:19). Acts
26:20 declares, “I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove
their repentance by their deeds.” The full biblical definition of repentance is
a change of mind that results in a change of action.
What, then, is the connection between
repentance and salvation? The Book of Acts seems to especially focus on
repentance in regards to salvation (Acts 2:38; 3:19; 11:18; 17:30; 20:21;
26:20). To repent, in relation to salvation, is to change your mind in regard
to Jesus Christ. In Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost (Acts chapter 2), he
concludes with a call for the people to repent (Acts 2:38). Repent from what?
Peter is calling the people who rejected Jesus (Acts 2:36) to change their
minds about Him, to recognize that He is indeed “Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36).
Peter is calling the people to change their minds from rejection of Christ as
the Messiah to faith in Him as both Messiah and Savior.
Repentance and faith can be understood as
“two sides of the same coin.” It is impossible to place your faith in Jesus
Christ as the Savior without first changing your mind about who He is and what
He has done. Whether it is repentance from willful rejection or repentance from
ignorance or disinterest, it is a change of mind. Biblical repentance, in
relation to salvation, is changing your mind from rejection of Christ to faith
in Christ.
It is crucially important that we
understand repentance is not a work we do to earn salvation. No one can repent
and come to God unless God pulls that person to Himself (John 6:44). Acts 5:31
and 11:18 indicate that repentance is something God gives—it is only possible
because of His grace. No one can repent unless God grants repentance. All of
salvation, including repentance and faith, is a result of God drawing us,
opening our eyes, and changing our hearts. God's longsuffering leads us to
repentance (2 Peter 3:9), as does His kindness (Romans 2:4).
While repentance is not a work that earns
salvation, repentance unto salvation does result in works. It is impossible to
truly and fully change your mind without that causing a change in action. In
the Bible, repentance results in a change in behavior. That is why John the
Baptist called people to “produce fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew
3:8). A person who has truly repented from the rejection of Christ to faith in
Christ will give evidence of a changed life (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians
5:19-23; James 2:14-26). Repentance, properly defined, is necessary for
salvation. Biblical repentance is changing your mind about Jesus Christ and
turning to God in faith for salvation (Acts 3:19). Turning from sin is not the
definition of repentance, but it is one of the results of genuine, faith-based
repentance towards the Lord Jesus Christ.
Sanctification
Sanctification is God’s will for us (1
Thessalonians 4:3). The word sanctification is related to the
word saint; both words have to do with holiness. To “sanctify” something
is to set it apart for special use; to “sanctify” a person is to make him holy.
Jesus had a lot to say about sanctification in John 17. In verse 16 the Lord says, “They are not of the world, even as I am not of it,” and this is before His request: “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” (verse 17). In Christian theology, sanctification is a state of separation unto God; all believers enter into this state when they are born of God: “You are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30, ESV). The sanctification mentioned in this verse is a once-for-ever separation of believers unto God. It is a work God performs, an intricate part of our salvation and our connection with Christ (Hebrews 10:10). Theologians sometimes refer to this state of holiness before God as “positional” sanctification; it is the same as justification.
While we are positionally holy (“set free from every sin” by the blood of Christ, Acts 13:39), we know that we still sin (1 John 1:10). That’s why the Bible also refers to sanctification as a practical experience of our separation unto God. “Progressive” or “experiential” sanctification, as it is sometimes called, is the effect of obedience to the Word of God in one’s life. It is the same as growing in the Lord (2 Peter 3:18) or spiritual maturity. God started the work of making us like Christ, and He is continuing it (Philippians 1:6). This type of sanctification is to be pursued by the believer earnestly (1 Peter 1:15; Hebrews 12:14) and is effected by the application of the Word (John 17:17). Progressive sanctification has in view the setting apart of believers for the purpose for which they are sent into the world: “As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them, I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified” (John 17:18–19). That Jesus set Himself apart for God’s purpose is both the basis and the condition of our being set apart (see John 10:36). We are sanctified and sent because Jesus was. Our Lord’s sanctification is the pattern of and power for our own. The sending and the sanctifying are inseparable. On this account, we are called “saints” (hagioi in the Greek), or “sanctified ones.” Prior to salvation, our behavior bore witness to our standing in the world in separation from God, but now our behavior should bear witness to our standing before God in separation from the world. Little by little, every day, “those who are being sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14, ESV) are becoming more like Christ.
There is a third sense in which the word sanctification is used in Scripture—a “complete” or “ultimate” sanctification. This is the same as glorification. Paul prays in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, “May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (ESV). Paul speaks of Christ as “the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27) and links the glorious appearing of Christ to our personal glorification: “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:4). This glorified state will be our ultimate separation from sin, a total sanctification in every regard. “We know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2).
To summarize, “sanctification” is a translation of the Greek word hagiasmos, meaning “holiness” or “a separation.” In the past, God granted us justification, once-for-all, positional holiness in Christ. Now, God guides us to maturity, practical, progressive holiness. In the future, God will give us glorification, permanent, ultimate holiness. These three phases of sanctification separate the believer from the penalty of sin (justification), the power of sin (maturity), and the presence of sin (glorification).
Jesus had a lot to say about sanctification in John 17. In verse 16 the Lord says, “They are not of the world, even as I am not of it,” and this is before His request: “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth” (verse 17). In Christian theology, sanctification is a state of separation unto God; all believers enter into this state when they are born of God: “You are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30, ESV). The sanctification mentioned in this verse is a once-for-ever separation of believers unto God. It is a work God performs, an intricate part of our salvation and our connection with Christ (Hebrews 10:10). Theologians sometimes refer to this state of holiness before God as “positional” sanctification; it is the same as justification.
While we are positionally holy (“set free from every sin” by the blood of Christ, Acts 13:39), we know that we still sin (1 John 1:10). That’s why the Bible also refers to sanctification as a practical experience of our separation unto God. “Progressive” or “experiential” sanctification, as it is sometimes called, is the effect of obedience to the Word of God in one’s life. It is the same as growing in the Lord (2 Peter 3:18) or spiritual maturity. God started the work of making us like Christ, and He is continuing it (Philippians 1:6). This type of sanctification is to be pursued by the believer earnestly (1 Peter 1:15; Hebrews 12:14) and is effected by the application of the Word (John 17:17). Progressive sanctification has in view the setting apart of believers for the purpose for which they are sent into the world: “As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them, I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified” (John 17:18–19). That Jesus set Himself apart for God’s purpose is both the basis and the condition of our being set apart (see John 10:36). We are sanctified and sent because Jesus was. Our Lord’s sanctification is the pattern of and power for our own. The sending and the sanctifying are inseparable. On this account, we are called “saints” (hagioi in the Greek), or “sanctified ones.” Prior to salvation, our behavior bore witness to our standing in the world in separation from God, but now our behavior should bear witness to our standing before God in separation from the world. Little by little, every day, “those who are being sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14, ESV) are becoming more like Christ.
There is a third sense in which the word sanctification is used in Scripture—a “complete” or “ultimate” sanctification. This is the same as glorification. Paul prays in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, “May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (ESV). Paul speaks of Christ as “the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27) and links the glorious appearing of Christ to our personal glorification: “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:4). This glorified state will be our ultimate separation from sin, a total sanctification in every regard. “We know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2).
To summarize, “sanctification” is a translation of the Greek word hagiasmos, meaning “holiness” or “a separation.” In the past, God granted us justification, once-for-all, positional holiness in Christ. Now, God guides us to maturity, practical, progressive holiness. In the future, God will give us glorification, permanent, ultimate holiness. These three phases of sanctification separate the believer from the penalty of sin (justification), the power of sin (maturity), and the presence of sin (glorification).
Glorification
The short answer is that “glorification” is
God's final removal of sin from the life of the saints (i.e., everyone who is
saved) in the eternal state (Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians
4:17). At Christ’s coming, the glory of God (Romans 5:2)—His
honor, praise, majesty, and holiness—will be realized in us; instead of being
mortals burdened with sin nature, we will be changed into holy immortals with
direct and unhindered access to God’s presence, and we will enjoy holy
communion with Him throughout eternity. In considering glorification, we should
focus on Christ, for He is every Christian’s “blessed hope”; also, we may
consider final glorification as the culmination of sanctification.
Final glorification must await the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13; 1 Timothy 6:14). Until He returns, we are burdened with sin, and our spiritual vision is distorted because of the curse. “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12). Every day, we should be diligent by the Spirit to put to death what is “fleshly” (sinful) in us (Romans 8:13).
How and when will we be finally glorified? At the last trumpet, when Jesus comes, the saints will undergo a fundamental, instant transformation (“we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye” – 1 Corinthians 15:51); then the “perishable” will put on the “imperishable” (1 Corinthians 15:53). Yet 2 Corinthians 3:18 clearly indicates that, in a mysterious sense, “we all,” in the present, “with unveiled face” are “beholding the glory of the Lord” and are being transformed into His image “from one degree of glory to another” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Lest anyone imagine that this beholding and transformation (as part of sanctification) is the work of especially saintly people, the Scripture adds the following bit of information: “For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” In other words, it is a blessing bestowed on every believer. This does not refer to our final glorification but to an aspect of sanctification by which the Spirit is transfiguring us right now. To Him be the praise for His work in sanctifying us in the Spirit and in truth (Jude 24-25; John 17:17; 4:23).
We should understand what Scripture teaches about the nature of glory—both God’s unsurpassed glory and our share in it at His coming. God’s glory refers not merely to the unapproachable light that the Lord inhabits (1 Timothy 6:15-16), but also to His honor (Luke 2:13) and holiness. The “You” referred to in Psalm 104:2 is the same God referenced in 1 Timothy 6:15-16; He is “clothed with splendor and majesty,” covering Himself “with light as with a garment” (Psalm 104:2; cf. 93:1; Job 37:22; 40:10). When the Lord Jesus returns in His great glory to execute judgment (Matthew 24:29-31; 25:31-35), He will do so as the only Sovereign, who alone has eternal dominion (1 Timothy 6:14-16).
Created beings dare not gaze upon God’s awesome glory; like Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1:4-29) and Simon Peter (Luke 5:8), Isaiah was devastated by self-loathing in the presence of the all-holy God. After the seraphim proclaimed, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” Isaiah said, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” (Isaiah 6:4). Even the seraphim showed that they were unworthy to gaze upon the divine glory, covering their faces with their wings.
God’s glory may be said to be “heavy” or “weighty”; the Hebrew word kabod literally means “heavy or burdensome”; Most often, the Scriptural usage of kabod is figurative (e.g., “heavy with sin”), from which we get the idea of the “weightiness” of a person who is honorable, impressive, or worthy of respect.
When the Lord Jesus became incarnate, He revealed both the “weighty” holiness of God and the fullness of His grace and truth (“and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” [John 1:14; cf. 17:1–5]). The glory revealed by the incarnate Christ accompanies the ministry of the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:7); it is unchanging and permanent (Isaiah 4:6-7; cf. Job 14:2; Psalm 102:11; 103:15; James 1:10). The previous manifestations of God’s glory were temporary, like the fading effluence of God’s glory from Moses’ face. Moses veiled his face so that the hard-hearted Israelites might not see that the glory was fading (1 Corinthians 3:12), but in our case the veil has been removed through Christ, and we reflect the glory of the Lord and seek by the Spirit to be like Him.
In His high priestly prayer, the Lord Jesus requested that God would sanctify us by His truth (i.e., make us holy; John 17:17); sanctification is necessary if we are to see Jesus’ glory and be with Him in eternal fellowship (John 17:21-24). “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, maybe with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world (John 17:24). If the glorification of the saints follows the pattern revealed in Scripture, it must entail our sharing in the glory (i.e., the holiness) of God.
According to Philippians 3:20–21, our citizenship is in heaven, and when our Savior returns He will transform our lowly bodies “to be like His glorious body.” Although it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, we know that, when He returns in great glory, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is (1 John 3:2). We will be perfectly conformed to the image of our Lord Jesus and be like Him in that our humanity will be free from sin and its consequences. Our blessed hope should spur us on to holiness, the Spirit enables us. “Everyone who thus hopes in Him purifies himself as He is pure” (1 John 3:3).
Final glorification must await the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13; 1 Timothy 6:14). Until He returns, we are burdened with sin, and our spiritual vision is distorted because of the curse. “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12). Every day, we should be diligent by the Spirit to put to death what is “fleshly” (sinful) in us (Romans 8:13).
How and when will we be finally glorified? At the last trumpet, when Jesus comes, the saints will undergo a fundamental, instant transformation (“we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye” – 1 Corinthians 15:51); then the “perishable” will put on the “imperishable” (1 Corinthians 15:53). Yet 2 Corinthians 3:18 clearly indicates that, in a mysterious sense, “we all,” in the present, “with unveiled face” are “beholding the glory of the Lord” and are being transformed into His image “from one degree of glory to another” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Lest anyone imagine that this beholding and transformation (as part of sanctification) is the work of especially saintly people, the Scripture adds the following bit of information: “For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” In other words, it is a blessing bestowed on every believer. This does not refer to our final glorification but to an aspect of sanctification by which the Spirit is transfiguring us right now. To Him be the praise for His work in sanctifying us in the Spirit and in truth (Jude 24-25; John 17:17; 4:23).
We should understand what Scripture teaches about the nature of glory—both God’s unsurpassed glory and our share in it at His coming. God’s glory refers not merely to the unapproachable light that the Lord inhabits (1 Timothy 6:15-16), but also to His honor (Luke 2:13) and holiness. The “You” referred to in Psalm 104:2 is the same God referenced in 1 Timothy 6:15-16; He is “clothed with splendor and majesty,” covering Himself “with light as with a garment” (Psalm 104:2; cf. 93:1; Job 37:22; 40:10). When the Lord Jesus returns in His great glory to execute judgment (Matthew 24:29-31; 25:31-35), He will do so as the only Sovereign, who alone has eternal dominion (1 Timothy 6:14-16).
Created beings dare not gaze upon God’s awesome glory; like Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1:4-29) and Simon Peter (Luke 5:8), Isaiah was devastated by self-loathing in the presence of the all-holy God. After the seraphim proclaimed, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” Isaiah said, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” (Isaiah 6:4). Even the seraphim showed that they were unworthy to gaze upon the divine glory, covering their faces with their wings.
God’s glory may be said to be “heavy” or “weighty”; the Hebrew word kabod literally means “heavy or burdensome”; Most often, the Scriptural usage of kabod is figurative (e.g., “heavy with sin”), from which we get the idea of the “weightiness” of a person who is honorable, impressive, or worthy of respect.
When the Lord Jesus became incarnate, He revealed both the “weighty” holiness of God and the fullness of His grace and truth (“and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” [John 1:14; cf. 17:1–5]). The glory revealed by the incarnate Christ accompanies the ministry of the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:7); it is unchanging and permanent (Isaiah 4:6-7; cf. Job 14:2; Psalm 102:11; 103:15; James 1:10). The previous manifestations of God’s glory were temporary, like the fading effluence of God’s glory from Moses’ face. Moses veiled his face so that the hard-hearted Israelites might not see that the glory was fading (1 Corinthians 3:12), but in our case the veil has been removed through Christ, and we reflect the glory of the Lord and seek by the Spirit to be like Him.
In His high priestly prayer, the Lord Jesus requested that God would sanctify us by His truth (i.e., make us holy; John 17:17); sanctification is necessary if we are to see Jesus’ glory and be with Him in eternal fellowship (John 17:21-24). “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, maybe with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world (John 17:24). If the glorification of the saints follows the pattern revealed in Scripture, it must entail our sharing in the glory (i.e., the holiness) of God.
According to Philippians 3:20–21, our citizenship is in heaven, and when our Savior returns He will transform our lowly bodies “to be like His glorious body.” Although it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, we know that, when He returns in great glory, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is (1 John 3:2). We will be perfectly conformed to the image of our Lord Jesus and be like Him in that our humanity will be free from sin and its consequences. Our blessed hope should spur us on to holiness, the Spirit enables us. “Everyone who thus hopes in Him purifies himself as He is pure” (1 John 3:3).
Faith
Hebrews 11:1
tells us that faith is “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we
do not see.” Perhaps no other component of the Christian life is more important
than faith. We cannot purchase it, sell it or give it to our friends. So what
is faith and what role does faith play in the Christian life? The dictionary
defines faith as “belief in, devotion to, or trust in somebody or
something, especially without logical proof.” It also defines faith as
“belief in and devotion to God.” The Bible has much more to say about faith and
how important it is. In fact, it is so important that, without faith, we have
no place with God, and it is impossible to please Him (Hebrews 11:6).
According to the Bible, faith is the belief in the one, true God without actually
seeing Him.
Where does faith come from? Faith is not something we conjure up on our own, nor is it something we are born with, nor is faith a result of diligence in study or pursuit of the spiritual. Ephesians 2:8-9 makes it clear that faith is a gift from God, not because we deserve it, have earned it, or are worthy to have it. It is not from ourselves; it is from God. It is not obtained by our power or our free will. Faith is simply given to us by God, along with His grace and mercy, according to His holy plan and purpose, and because of that, He gets all the glory.
Why have faith? God designed a way to distinguish between those who belong to Him and those who don’t, and it is called faith. Very simply, we need faith to please God. God tells us that it pleases Him that we believe in Him even though we cannot see Him. A key part of Hebrews 11:6 tells us that “he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” This is not to say that we have faith in God just to get something from Him. However, God loves to bless those who are obedient and faithful. We see a perfect example of this in Luke 7:50. Jesus is engaged in dialog with a sinful woman when He gives us a glimpse of why faith is so rewarding. “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” The woman believed in Jesus Christ by faith, and He rewarded her for it. Finally, faith is what sustains us to the end, knowing that by faith we will be in heaven with God for all eternity. “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:8-9).
Examples of faith. Hebrews chapter 11 is known as the “faith chapter” because in it great deeds of faith are described. By faith Abel offered a pleasing sacrifice to the Lord (v. 4); by faith Noah prepared the ark in a time when rain was unknown (v. 7); by faith Abraham left his home and obeyed God’s command to go he knew not where, then willingly offered up his only son (vv. 8-10, 17); by faith Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt (vv. 23-29); by faith Rahab received the spies of Israel and saved her life (v. 31). Many more heroes of the faith are mentioned “who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies” (vv. 33-34). Clearly, the existence of faith is demonstrated by action.
According to the Bible, faith is essential to Christianity. Without demonstrating faith and trust in God, we have no place with Him. We believe in God’s existence by faith. Most people have a vague, disjointed notion of who God is but lack the reverence necessary for His exalted position in their lives. These people lack the true faith needed to have an eternal relationship with God who loves them. Our faith can falter at times, but because it is the gift of God, given to His children, He provides times of trial and testing in order to prove that our faith is real and to sharpen and strengthen it. This is why James tells us to consider it “pure joy” when we fall into trials, because the testing of our faith produces perseverance and matures us, providing the evidence that our faith is real (James 1:2-4).
Where does faith come from? Faith is not something we conjure up on our own, nor is it something we are born with, nor is faith a result of diligence in study or pursuit of the spiritual. Ephesians 2:8-9 makes it clear that faith is a gift from God, not because we deserve it, have earned it, or are worthy to have it. It is not from ourselves; it is from God. It is not obtained by our power or our free will. Faith is simply given to us by God, along with His grace and mercy, according to His holy plan and purpose, and because of that, He gets all the glory.
Why have faith? God designed a way to distinguish between those who belong to Him and those who don’t, and it is called faith. Very simply, we need faith to please God. God tells us that it pleases Him that we believe in Him even though we cannot see Him. A key part of Hebrews 11:6 tells us that “he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” This is not to say that we have faith in God just to get something from Him. However, God loves to bless those who are obedient and faithful. We see a perfect example of this in Luke 7:50. Jesus is engaged in dialog with a sinful woman when He gives us a glimpse of why faith is so rewarding. “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” The woman believed in Jesus Christ by faith, and He rewarded her for it. Finally, faith is what sustains us to the end, knowing that by faith we will be in heaven with God for all eternity. “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:8-9).
Examples of faith. Hebrews chapter 11 is known as the “faith chapter” because in it great deeds of faith are described. By faith Abel offered a pleasing sacrifice to the Lord (v. 4); by faith Noah prepared the ark in a time when rain was unknown (v. 7); by faith Abraham left his home and obeyed God’s command to go he knew not where, then willingly offered up his only son (vv. 8-10, 17); by faith Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt (vv. 23-29); by faith Rahab received the spies of Israel and saved her life (v. 31). Many more heroes of the faith are mentioned “who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies” (vv. 33-34). Clearly, the existence of faith is demonstrated by action.
According to the Bible, faith is essential to Christianity. Without demonstrating faith and trust in God, we have no place with Him. We believe in God’s existence by faith. Most people have a vague, disjointed notion of who God is but lack the reverence necessary for His exalted position in their lives. These people lack the true faith needed to have an eternal relationship with God who loves them. Our faith can falter at times, but because it is the gift of God, given to His children, He provides times of trial and testing in order to prove that our faith is real and to sharpen and strengthen it. This is why James tells us to consider it “pure joy” when we fall into trials, because the testing of our faith produces perseverance and matures us, providing the evidence that our faith is real (James 1:2-4).
1. You need to be saved from sin’s penalty
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way. Isaiah 53:6
There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. Proverbs 14:12
For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23
The wages of sin is death. Romans 6:23
Each of us will give an account of himself to God. Romans 14:12
It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment. Hebrews 9:27
2. You cannot save yourself
Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. John 3:3
He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy. Titus 3:5
For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. James 2:10
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” John 14:6
3. Jesus has provided for your salvation
For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. 1 Timothy 2:5
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God. 1 Peter 3:18
For our sake he [God] made him [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21
God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
4. You can be saved today
Whoever hears my word and believes has passed from death to life. John 5:24
Behold, now is the… time; behold, now is the day of salvation. 2 Corinthians 6:2
Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near. Isaiah 55:6
Your part:
Believe: Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved. Acts 16:31
Repent (turn from your sins): Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Luke 13:3
Confess your sin to Jesus: For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. I Timothy 2:5
Confess Jesus before others: If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9
Trust Him to keep you: [He] is able to keep you from stumbling. Jude 24
That’s what God wants you to know!
The Romans Road to Salvation
The first verse on the Romans Road to salvation is Romans 3:23,
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” We have all
sinned. We have all done things that are displeasing to God. There is no
one who is innocent. Romans 3:10-18 gives a detailed picture of what sin looks like in our lives.
The second Scripture on the Romans Road to salvation, Romans 6:23a, teaches us about the consequences of sin: “For the wages of sin is death.” The punishment that we have earned for our sins is death. Not just physical death, but eternal death!
The third verse on the Romans Road to salvation picks up in the middle of Romans 6:23b: “But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 5:8 declares, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Jesus Christ died for us! Jesus’ death paid for the price of our sins. Jesus’ resurrection proves that God accepted Jesus’ death as the payment for our sins.
The fourth stop on the Romans Road to salvation is Romans 10:9, “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Because of Jesus’ death on our behalf, all we have to do is believe in Him, trusting His death as the payment for our sins - and we will be saved! Romans 10:13 says it again, “for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins and rescue us from eternal death. Salvation, the forgiveness of sins, is available to anyone who will trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
The final aspect of the Romans Road to salvation is the results of salvation. Romans 5:1 has this wonderful message: “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Through Jesus Christ we can have a relationship of peace with God. Romans 8:1 says, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Because of Jesus’ death on our behalf, we will never be condemned for our sins. Finally, we have this precious promise of God from Romans 8:38-39: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Would you like to follow the Romans Road to salvation? If so, here is a simple prayer you can pray to God. Saying this prayer is a way to declare to God that you are relying on Jesus Christ for your salvation. The words themselves will not save you. Only faith in Jesus Christ can provide salvation! “God, I know that I have sinned against you and am deserving of punishment. But Jesus Christ took the punishment that I deserve so that through faith in Him I could be forgiven. With your help, I place my trust in You for salvation. Thank You for Your wonderful grace and forgiveness - the gift of eternal life! Amen!”
The second Scripture on the Romans Road to salvation, Romans 6:23a, teaches us about the consequences of sin: “For the wages of sin is death.” The punishment that we have earned for our sins is death. Not just physical death, but eternal death!
The third verse on the Romans Road to salvation picks up in the middle of Romans 6:23b: “But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 5:8 declares, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Jesus Christ died for us! Jesus’ death paid for the price of our sins. Jesus’ resurrection proves that God accepted Jesus’ death as the payment for our sins.
The fourth stop on the Romans Road to salvation is Romans 10:9, “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Because of Jesus’ death on our behalf, all we have to do is believe in Him, trusting His death as the payment for our sins - and we will be saved! Romans 10:13 says it again, “for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins and rescue us from eternal death. Salvation, the forgiveness of sins, is available to anyone who will trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
The final aspect of the Romans Road to salvation is the results of salvation. Romans 5:1 has this wonderful message: “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Through Jesus Christ we can have a relationship of peace with God. Romans 8:1 says, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Because of Jesus’ death on our behalf, we will never be condemned for our sins. Finally, we have this precious promise of God from Romans 8:38-39: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Would you like to follow the Romans Road to salvation? If so, here is a simple prayer you can pray to God. Saying this prayer is a way to declare to God that you are relying on Jesus Christ for your salvation. The words themselves will not save you. Only faith in Jesus Christ can provide salvation! “God, I know that I have sinned against you and am deserving of punishment. But Jesus Christ took the punishment that I deserve so that through faith in Him I could be forgiven. With your help, I place my trust in You for salvation. Thank You for Your wonderful grace and forgiveness - the gift of eternal life! Amen!”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
-
Mormon's are Christians? Joseph Smith (1805–1844) was the most deceptive and fraudulent Mormon "prophet" of ...
-
We Believe International Ministries "Where there is no [prophetic] vision [divine guidance, revelation] the peopl...
