Don Gerrity, Author at Ask Seek Knock Find Christian Resource | Free Grace

Refuting That A Person Loses Salvation By An Act Of Their Free Will.

Don Gerrity General OSAS Questions July 26, 2019

Do not believe in the Eternal Security Of A Believer?

A person’s Salvation starts with two important DEATHS.

God imputed our sin to Christ who knew no sin and shed His blood on cross and died. But believers also died in the Spirit! God imputed Christ’s righteousness to believers.

Our Old Spirit of Man Died WITH CHRIST and ROSE WITH CHRIST reborn in the Spirit (Romans 6, Colossians 2) and are SEATED WITH CHRIST in the Spirit, right now. MADE the righteousness of God, in Christ by faith in Christ’s once for all sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10) for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2).

This is a believer. It is who God made us (2 Cor. 5:17-21) from the moment we believed on Christ alone for our righteousness (Eph. 1:13-14). It is the good news. All our sins are forgiven; future sins included. We are Christ’s workmanship. We were PURCHASED by Christ. Redeemed forever. This is God’s Grace; an unmerited favor.

Now saved, does it mean we just go on sinning? No. Our new Spirit does not want this but our mind needs renewing by the Word of God (Romans 12). It still has old spirit thinking and thought processes (The Flesh).

But our WILL, nor our sins, do not ‘unsave us‘. Nor does our ‘feelings‘ or even ‘belief‘ after Salvation.

Before being saved by belief on Christ, could doing good works save us by our free will? Could willing to be righteous by our WILL save us? No. Why? Because our Spirit was corrupt with SIN.

We were trapped in a prison called SIN. A prison called the UNRIGHTEOUS. With a debt of sins we could not pay for. Headed for condemnation.

How did Jesus become sin to pay for the sins of the whole world? By sinning Himself? No. God IMPUTED our sin to Him.

Christ paid our sin debt, IN FULL. By belief on this, this payment is credited to our account and we are given eternal life (John 3:14-18, John 6:40, 1 Cor. 15:1-4). The wages of sin is Spiritual death (Romans 6:23). We died with Christ in The Spirit of man (Romans 6, Colossians 2). The penalty paid IN FULL. Purchased by Christ.

Now, how did we become RIGHTEOUS? By our efforts? No. By belief in the FINISHED work of Christ, God IMPUTED Christ’s righteousness to us. Salvation is not of works nor ourselves. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Believers had a prison transfer from the prison of unrighteousness to the prison of righteousness.

Just as our WILL good works and self effort could not get us out of the prison of unrighteousness, a redeemed person’s WILL, nor sin, will have us escape nor lose Salvation. We are IN CHRIST. Where He is, so we are in the Spirit. ETERNALLY.

Jesus said,

“And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.” (John 6:39 KJV)

Defending The Pre-Tribulation Rapture Of The Church (Bride Of Christ)

Don Gerrity Q&A: Bible Prophecy & End Times July 26, 2019

Some are teaching aggressively against the Pre-Tribulation Rapture view. However, I have yet come across an objection that could not be explained fully with Scripture. The Pre-Tribulation Rapture is the only view where all Scriptures actually work together in unity.

The fact is, there are TWO RETURNS of Christ in the Last Days; The Rapture Event and the Second Coming Event. By the Scriptures very context, they cannot be the same event. Scripture clearly shows this.

Why These Are Two Separate Events

The Rapture Verses are NOT the same as the Second Coming verses.

WHEN, TIMING DIFFERENCES:

→ The Pre-Tribulation Rapture: The exact timing and date of this event is not know or provided to us in Scripture (1 Thes. 5:4-6, Rev 3:3). Although we can see signs for the Tribulation period approaching. Notice that I am not mentioning the Matthew 24:36-37 verse about ‘not knowing the Day nor the Hour’. Many are teaching it is about the Rapture Event but they are wrong by context. Matthew 24:36-37 is NOT about the Rapture but is Jesus telling the disciples about the Second Coming Event! Just look a couple of verses prior for proper context. Jesus actually tells us He is talking about AFTER the Tribulation Period:

“Immediately AFTER THE TRIBULATION of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:” (Matthew 24:29 KJV)

→ The Second Coming: The date will actually be known in the Tribulation Period. Also, the Second Coming happens after the 7 year Tribulation period. The exact day and hour is not known but all will see Christ coming (Matt 24:29-30, Dan 9:24-27, 2 Thes. 2:3-8).

LOCATION DIFFERENCES:

→ The Pre-Tribulation Rapture: Christ is seen coming to meet us “in the air” (1 Thess. 4:13-18) to a place He has been preparing for the last 2000 years. It is a physical place with width/length/height. A huge place 1500 miles cubed! Large enough to hold every believer from the beginning of time! A place prepared to TAKE US TOO and where we will be WITH HIM. (John 14:1–3). This place is called the New Jerusalem, that celestial heavenly city. It is located in a place called ‘Heaven’. Heaven may be in our universe too far away for us to see or it could be in a different dimension. All we know is that it will come ‘out of Heaven’ and enter the space some distance from Earth during the Millennium Kingdom Age on Earth to come.

→ The Second Coming: Jesus lands His feet ON EARTH PHYSICALLY. Scripture shows Christ returning to start His 1000 year reign ON EARTH. No one is TAKEN to be with Him where He is. Instead, Christ is coming to be here on Earth for 1000 years. Those Raptured will be coming WITH HIM.

TAKEN VS. LEFT

→ The Pre-Tribulation Rapture: Christians are the first to be TAKEN and unbelievers are LEFT BEHIND. (1 Thes. 4:13-18)

→ The Second Coming: The opposite is seen! The “wicked” (unsaved) are taken first and the “righteous” (saved) are LEFT BEHIND on Earth. The unbelievers who survive the Tribulation Period are the “GOATS” killed and the believers who survived the Tribulation are the “SHEEP” who will repopulate the Earth in the 1000 year reign of Christ on Earth. (Matthew 25:32-46)

WHAT JESUS WILL DO

→ The Pre-Tribulation Rapture: Jesus is going to gather together His Bride (This is about us today, Believers, The Church, in the age of grace we now live in) to where Jesus is for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, a celebration of a believers marriage to Christ fully completed as we have already received our new glorified bodies. Now our Spirit and body are both perfected. (Rev. 19:6-9)

→ The Second Coming: Jesus returns to Earth and His feet LAND on the Earth. He then executes judgement on the nations (Sheep/Goats Judgement) and sets up His Kingdom ON EARTH where the previously Raptured will be ruling and reigning WITH CHRIST on Earth. (Jude 14-15, Rev 19:11-21, Zech 14:3-4)

SPEED Of COMING

→ The Pre-Tribulation Rapture: Happens in the ‘twinkling of an eye’, and that is faster than one blink of an eye! (1 Corinthians 15:52)

→ The Second Coming: Scripture states that every eye will see Jesus coming. People will be terrified knowing what is coming and they will hide themselves in rocks and caves. And so, it seems like the Second Coming is not going to be an instant moment like the Rapture Event. (Rev 6:15-17)

WHO WILL BE SEEING JESUS?

→ The Pre-Tribulation Rapture: Believers in Christ will see Him. (1 John 3:2, 1 Cor 15:52) The unsaved will see that millions of people, in an instant, right before their very eyes, vanished. The devil is prepared for this event and has a plan to explain what has happened (2 Thessalonians 2). It is likely one of the reasons he takes over the world government which will be in instant panic , economic disaster and utter despair; seeking someone to save them from their troubles. There will be a great deception. Some speculate it is something to do with an alien invasion, others about trans-humanism, but we do not know what it will be at this time.

→ The Second Coming: Scripture indicates that EVERY EYE WILL SEE HIM on Earth. Even those who rejected Him as Lord and Savior. (Rev. 1:7)

SHOUTING?

→ The Pre-Tribulation Rapture: Jesus calls believers to meet Him in the air with a SHOUT. (1 Thessalonians 4:16)

→ The Second Coming: Cannot find a verse where Jesus is shouting to believers.

THE RESURRECTION!

→ The Pre-Tribulation Rapture: The dead in Christ are bodily resurrected with new glorified bodies. Those Believers alive at the Rapture event are CHANGED physically into glorified bodies as Jesus now has. Eternal bodies without the sin problem. This is our Bodily resurrection. The ‘the redemption of the purchased possession’, our new bodily resurrection (Ephesians 1:13-14, 1 Thes. 4:13-18, 1 Cor 15:51-54)

→ The Second Coming: There is no resurrection spoken of for those who survive the Tribulation Period. The Sheep and Goats Judgement (Matthew 25:31-46) occurs instead where the unbelievers are killed and will one day be resurrected for the Great White Throne Judgement of the condemned. Surviving believers will repopulate the Earth in the 1000 year reign of Christ on Earth. The only resurrection mentioned at the Second Coming is for the believers who were martyred or died during the Tribulation period. They will be resurrected at the Second Coming as they come back to Earth with Christ. (Rev. 20:4-5, Zech. 12:10, Zech.14:4-5, Rev 1:7, Rev 19:11-21, Rev 20:11-15)

THE MENTION OF ANGELS

→ The Pre-Tribulation Rapture: No angels gather anyone. “For the Lord HIMSELF shall descend from heaven with a shout…” (1 Thessalonians 4:16). Not angels, Christ Himself. Christ resurrects and changes our bodies and we meet Him “in the air” and so shall we forever be with the Lord.

→ The Second Coming: Scripture clearly shows that God sends angels to gather the surviving Tribulation period unbelievers for judgment and then they are killed. (Matt 13:39, 41 & 49, Matt. 24:31, Matt. 25:31, 2 Thes. 1:7-10)

WILD HORSES!

→ The Pre-Tribulation Rapture: NO MENTION of Jesus coming on a ‘white horse’.

→ The Second Coming: Jesus will return riding a ‘white horse’. (Rev. 19:11)

THE BLESSED HOPE!

→ The Pre-Tribulation Rapture: This event is described as our ‘blessed hope’ (Titus 2:13). Something believers are to look forward to. Believers today are to be DELIVERED FROM THE WRATH TO COME (1 Thessalonians 1:10).

→ The Second Coming: Judgment is coming to the unbelievers who survived the Tribulation period. (Revelation 19:11-21)

These above are just some of the reasons why the Pre-Tribulation Rapture and the Second Coming are two different events.

Do Not Mix Law Following With Grace For Justification With God

Don Gerrity Q&A: False Salvation Invitations, Q&A: Law of Moses, Q&A: Salvation, Q&A: The Truth About... July 9, 2019

Apostle Paul wrote,

“For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” (Romans 6:14 KJV)

The English word ‘dominion’ here in the Greek is ‘kyrieuō‘ and is defined as ‘to rule over’. In essence, in today’s English would be the words ‘your master’.

Does that mean we will never sin as believers? No. But sinning will not be master over us. We have the Holy Spirit living within us to guide us into all truth and to CHANGE us by the renewing of our mind by the Word of God (Romans 12). It is an inward change in the MIND that happens over time and changes us on the inside, in our inner man. This change slowly works it’s way outward into our lives and affects others. We believe right by God’s Word and that expresses in our outward living because as we believe in the mind – is how we live.

What is it, according to Apostle Paul, that causes sin to not be master over us as believers anyway? Is it because we work so hard to not sin? NO , it does not say that. Is it because we obey the Law of Moses? No, it does not say that either.

Why will sin not be master over believers?

Because WE ARE NOT UNDER THE LAW BUT UNDER GRACE. Reading this verse backwards helps clarify what Paul is actually stating to us.

‘Under grace, we are Not Under The Law, and so sin is not our master.’

Do you see how clear this verse is? It is Law for justification with God or it is by God’s Grace through faith. It is NEVER mixing them together for righteousness.

Paul goes on to say even more about Law following verses Salvation by the Grace of God through Christ Jesus in Romans 7:

“But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.” (Romans 7:8 KJV)

What is this ‘concupiscence’? It is defined in the Greek as ‘lusts and desires’. So let’s replace the word so we can see exactly what Paul is meaning in this verse.

“But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of lustful desires. For without the law sin was dead.”

Paul is telling us that following the Law of Moses actually causes us to sin more! You see, that is the very purpose of the Ten Commandments; The Law. Here are other verses by Apostle Paul explaining this:

“Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall NO FLESH BE JUSTIFIED in his sight: for by the law is the KNOWLEDGE OF SIN.” (Romans 3:20 KJV)

“Moreover the law entered, that the offence MIGHT ABOUND. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:” (Romans 5:20)

“The sting of death is sin; and the STRENGTH OF SIN IS THE LAW.”
(1 Corinthians 15:56 KJV)

Paul is clearly stating that the very STRENGTH of sinning is following the Law of Moses for justification. I ask you, does that somehow change after being saved by God’s grace? NO.

The Law and Ten Commandments as many know it by were given by God to bring the Jews to their knees in understanding that we CANNOT EVER justify ourselves nor make ourselves Holy in our own self righteous efforts. The Law is a mirror so we can see ourselves as God sees us; wretched sinners needing a Savior. The Law is meant to bring us to our knees and to cry out to God for mercy because only God can MAKE us Holy.

YES! The Ten Commandments are true and they are still valid as God’s Holy standard. Yet, Paul tells us that following them will NOT make you Holy nor give you favor or justification with God. And after Salvation, following the Law will not make you any more Holy than God has already made a believer – the very righteousness of God, in Christ by faith, complete in Him (see 1 Corinthians 5:17-21, Colossians 2).

Only by belief in the Son of God, who is God in the flesh, Jesus The Christ, who never sinned in thought nor deed, who willingly died on the cross and shed His blood to pay for the sins of the WHOLE WORLD (1 John 2:2) and then rose again; through this belief is a person justified with God. (John 3:18, 1 Corinthians 15:1-4)

Salvation is a gift to be received or rejected. After accepting it – we are NOT KEPT SAVED by our performance or Law keeping to RETAIN righteousness. Should we not murder steal etc. Of course, we should not do these things. But our new source is the indwelling Holy Spirit who also guides us to not do such things. Our old self is DEAD and we are now a NEW SELF – a NEW Spirit if God at the very core of our being.

In Galatians, we see false teachers who crept into the church teaching that Law following was also a REQUIREMENT of justification with God. Does Paul agree? In fact, he strongly opposed this teach as false. Paul’s response to this is calling the Galatians ‘foolish’ and that such teachers are to be ‘accursed’ and that,

“Christ is become of NO EFFECT UNTO YOU, whosoever of you are justified BY THE LAW; ye are FALLEN FROM GRACE.” (Galatians 5: 4 KJV)

No effect unto you is not somewhere we should be as believers !

Do Not Mix Law and the Gospel of God’s Grace Through Jesus Christ. Doing so, is not Gospel and no salvation at all. Instead, it is the sin of pride, being boastful. We need to be humble.

Is Lordship Salvation The Gospel?

Don Gerrity Q&A: False Gospels, Q&A: False Salvation Invitations July 9, 2019

Lordship Salvation is one of the most widely spread false teachings about Salvation today within the Christian communities. This is serious and it is rampant false teaching within the Christian Community and being taught by pulpits. It ‘sounds right’ but that is because it appeals to our wrong old nature thinking in the mind, instead of the truth of God’s Word and our New Spirit of God that God made believers from the moment of belief on Christ for justification and Salvation (Ephesians 1:13-14).

Lordship Salvation teachers tell us that a person must believe the gospel PLUS repent of sins a requirement of Salvation Through Christ. The very statement itself states two opposing beliefs! It is teaching that salvation is not by faith alone in Christ alone. It is PRIDE! Instead, it would be by faith PLUS the act of turning from sin as a person makes Jesus Lord Of All.

WE DO NOT MAKE JESUS LORD….HE IS LORD!

In other words, it is a belief that salvation is obtained by faith in God PLUS turning from sin–which amounts to keeping the Law. It is about our performance being required. This is very false. It is NOT the Gospel! In fact, it appeals to The Flesh. It is really a more subtle ‘works for Salvation’ false Gospel.

A Very Deceptive Teaching

It is so subtly deceptive. It is mixing grace with self righteous works in order to be saved. It mixes Salvation with sanctification. It teaches that all believers have chosen to be disciples but not all believers have. Salvation is not by our efforts!!

It uses a wrong definition of the English word REPENT used in the Bible.

Repenting is not defined as ‘turning from sin’ in the Bible. Turning from sin may be a result, over time, as the Holy Spirit renews a believers mind. But it is not a requirement of our justification; it is a result, yet not perfectly! Not until the Rapture will we become perfect, when we become whole with bodies and minds free from the Fleshly wrong thinking in the mind. We will be in the body, and mind, just like Jesus now is. Currently, only our Spirit has been reborn but our mind and body need renewing.

John says,

“If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” (1 John 1:10 KJV)

The modern day dictionary defines the word repent as “to feel such sorrow for sin or fault as to be disposed to change one”s life for the better; be penitent.”

If this were the definition for repentance in the Bible then the entire Gospel and Salvation in Christ becomes a false gospel based on works and our own human effort. A read through the book of John Galatians, Ephesians, Hebrews and Romans shows that this cannot be the case.

The Greek word for the English word repent is “metanoia” and is defined as “a change of mind”. By repenting we change our mind toward Salvation by faith alone in the atonement Christ Jesus provided for us on the cross. By repenting we have turned toward God. After Salvation we repent and change our mind by God’s Word by guidance of the Holy Spirit (Romans 12); our ongoing sanctification process.

The repenting UNTO Salvation is the change in your mind from the world’s way of dealing with sin (by our performance, being a good person, doing more good than bad, Law following, religious rituals) and changing to God’s way of dealing with sin which is believing on Christ for Salvation apart from works of any kind (Ephesians 2:8-9, John 3:18).

**Stopping the practice of a particular sin is a RESULT of repenting and changing your mind. That is, it is NOT the repenting itself. This is so important to understand!

A Dangerous Teaching!

Lordship Salvation is not only wrong. It is serious and dangerous teaching. Apostle Paul says in Galatians 3, such are ‘foolish’. He goes on and writes ,

“This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?:” (Galatians 3:2-3 KJV)

In Galatians 5 Paul makes this statement about mixing our performance with God’s Grace for Salvation:

“Christ is become of NO EFFECT UNTO YOU, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are FALLEN FROM GRACE. For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness BY FAITH.” (Galatians 5:4-5 KJV)

Christ of NO EFFECT to a person? Scary place to be! Believing this is that ‘other Gospel’ Paul spoke of in Galatians 1 stating that such teachers are to be ‘accursed’. Such have ‘fallen from grace’ Paul says. This is serious business my fellow believers!

Renewing our mind by God’s Word, by the guidance by the Holy Spirit, is a very good thing (Romans 12). This is REPENTING – changing our mind by God’s Word. It is what we need to do, what we should do. We live outwardly as we believe in the mind. The mind connects our Spirit with our body see? Believe right by God’s truth instead of our emotions and old nature thoughts and we start living right and sinning less!

In our Spirit, from the moment we believed on Christ alone for our justification (Ephesians 1:13-14) something miraculous happened. In foreknowledge of all who will accept the gift of Salvation by belief on Christ alone, God placed our Spirit of Man on the cross with Christ and WE DIED in the Spirit! We died WITH CHRIST and ROSE WITH HIM in the Spirit (Colossians 2, Romans 6). God imputed our sins to Christ and Christ’s righteousness to us. An exchange that saved us eternally! We were at that moment of belief in Christ MADE BY GOD the ‘righteousness of God, IN CHRIST’ (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). A Divine Exchange indeed!

This is something so many Christians have not grasped yet. They know they were forgiven. But do they know that God changed their core being, their ‘self’, their Spirit, into the very righteousness of God? Do they know they have eternal life from that very moment of belief on Christ’s atonement for our sins (John 3:18, Ephesians 1:13-14) ? Do they know they are, in the present tense, ‘Complete In Christ’, right now (Colossians 2:12)? Many believers do not know this part! They think that after accepting Christ’s GIFT of Salvation that they now have to work to retain Salvation and that is not the Gospel ! And it is easy to be deceived by this false teaching of Lordship Salvation. It appeals to our feelings of ‘guilt’ and to our fleshly thoughts. But that is in THE MIND – not the Spirit. The BODY, SOUL, MIND AND SPIRIT are not the same.

We are to walk by the New Spirit God made us (2 Cor. 5:17-21) to avoid the sins of the flesh (Galatians 5:16). A believer’s sin debt PAID IN FULL! NOT BY US! God made us the righteousness of God, IN CHRIST. By our works? By our efforts and performance to be a ‘good person’? No! By faith in Christ alone and HIS finished work. Never forget that!

After Salvation we are to ‘repent’ but it is all about mind renewing (Romans 12). Our new Spirit is of God, the seed of God, eternal, Holy and FULLY REDEEMED ALREADY as believers. Yet our MIND is not yet made perfect. It still has thinking processes and thoughts and beliefs from the now DEAD ‘old man’, the old Spirit of God that was crucified with Christ. Apostle Paul called this ‘The Flesh’. That is why Apostle Paul focused on renewing our mind by God’s truth in Romans 12. ‘Walk in The Spirit’ is what God Paul taught. Walk by the truth of who you really are now in the Spirit – Righteous, Holy Redeemed. Do we feel like we are these things living in this sinful world with un-renewed bodies and minds? NO. But our emotions about it are not the truth. God’s Word is the truth and we are who it says we are as believers on Christ. It is all about right believing fellow believers.

Why continue walking in the old DEAD Spirit anymore? It is GONE! Renew our mind. BUT THAT COMES AFTER WE ARE SAVED. Our good works and refusing to sin does not keep us saved. We are ALREADY ETERNALLY SAVED from the moment that we believed on Christ for our justification. We do not work to be ‘more saved’ or ‘more righteous’ or to get ‘more of the Holy Spirit’. NO friends. No. We have it ALL ALREADY in the Spirit (in our core being). Focus on renewing the mind. That is where the battle is. That is also where satan attacks. He excites the left over old Fleshly thoughts and emotions of our mind to entice us to sin. But when we renew these old beliefs with the truth of God’s Word – satan’s efforts are greatly lessened. We find ourselves sinning..LESS NOT MORE. But if you believe it is all about your performance over renewing the mind, that is the same as Law following and you are doomed to fail and sin more!Paul put it this way,

“But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.” (2 Corinthians 3: 7-9 KJV)

Paul tells us that Law following, our performance for righteousness is a ministry of CONDEMNATION! What we are to follow is the ministry of righteousness and that only comes by belief on Christ and His finished work. The same Apostle Paul stated,

“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 KJV)

Look what Jesus said,

“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?

Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall MAKE YOU free, ye shall be free indeed.” (John 8: 31-36 KJV)

There are two important statements being made here by Jesus that are related to this false Lordship Salvation teaching in these last days.

First, Jesus tells His BELIEVERS (the saved) if they continue in HIS WORD they will be disciples. Not all saved people are disciples! Lordship Salvation teaches all believers MUST BE DISCIPLES. Wrong. Should we be? Well, YES! But our Salvation does not rely on that. Our Salvation is by BELIEF on Christ alone as Jesus told Nicodemus (a chief Pharisee and Law follower) in John 3:18,

“He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:18 KJV)

Second, Who makes us free from sin? THE SON! JESUS MAKES US FREE! By our works? By our efforts in not sinning after Salvation? No. By HIS WORK on the cross alone (John 3:14-18)! Adding your own self righteous efforts and works to remain saved is the same as being a servant to sin. So are good works and not sinning a requirement of Salvation? No! Should we do good works after being saved? ABSOLUTELY YES! But it is not good works after Salvation that keep us saved. BELIEF in God’s Grace through Christ Jesus crucified (1 Corinthians 15:1-4), the once for all sacrifice for the sins of the whole world (Hebrews 10:10, 1 John 2:2) does.

These statements made by Jesus disprove Lordship Salvation as truth.

The Main Books On Salvation

In fact, if we look at the ‘Main Books’ in the Bible about Salvation it also disproves Lordship Salvation.

The book of John is all about how to be saved. Do you know that the word “repent” nor “repentance” does not even appear once. But the word “believe” on Christ is seen all over the book many times.

The book of Galatians. This is the book fighting against the false Gospel based on works for Salvation. Again, the word “repent” is not found once in this book contending for the true Gospel! However the word “faith” in Jesus Christ is found all through the book!

The book of Romans known as ‘the Romans road to Salvation’. Paul tells us again and again that Salvation is NOT OF WORKS IN ANY MANNER! And where the word “repent” is found, it is not the same Greek word. It does not mean “turning from your sin”.

Christian teachers need to stop using the dictionary definition of the word “repent”. They are teaching a FALSE GOSPEL WHICH WILL NOT SAVE ANYONE!

And also God repents many times in Scripture. Now, think logically a moment. Does God need to turn from His sins? NO! Repent is defined as simply, ‘changing your mind’.

You can change any Scripture that says ‘repent’ with ‘change your mind’ and then see the real meaning of the passage based on the context of the passage.

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: REPENT ye, and believe the gospel.” (Mark 1:15 KJV)

…is same as…

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: CHANGE YOUR MIND ye, and believe the gospel.” (Mark 1:15 KJV)

Do not allow this false teaching to evade your beliefs about your Salvation. It is rampant and growing and being taught in pulpits; maybe even your own church’s pulpit. It is deceptive teaching. It is ‘slight of hand’ teaching. Those teaching this are mostly sincere but they are sincerely wrong! They may even use Matthew 7 to prove their Lordship Salvation teaching is correct – but they IGNORE the entire context of Matthew 7, which is false prophets teaching works for Salvation (see Matthew 7, verse 15).

Is God Unjust In Not Saving Anyone That Is Trying To Be A Good Person Without Knowing Christ?

Don Gerrity Q&A: Salvation July 7, 2019

This is one of the questions where so many shy away from believing in a loving God. Some even think God is unjust! Others believe religion based on works is what saves a person or keeps a person righteous with God. It is all about DOING. But is that true?

We need to realize that the top sin is PRIDE. This is the sin of Lucifer causing him to fall as satan. That started the whole problem with angels and humans! It caused all the DIVISION. Pride, even though deceived by the devil, is why Eve and Adam sinned in the garden. It is also for any person, the very sin that leads to remaining a lost person and unsaved.

God has already done everything He can to save us

Following RELIGION is SELF RIGHTEOUSNESS as if we are Vines (gods) but we are not vines…WE ARE BRANCHES , unable to do anything without Christ abiding in us in belief (John 15) !

All religions, Jewish included, are works based salvation false lies that teach it is what WE DO to be justified with God. That is every person’s belief before accepting the Gospel; before accepting Christ’s finished work for our righteous standing before a perfectly Holy God.

Jesus warns unbelievers of justification by works and not by faith alone in Him in Matthew 7 warning against false prophets (verse 15) teaching a works for Salvation.

“21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that DOETH THE WILL of my Father which is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23 And then will I profess unto them, I NEVER KNEW YOU: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Matthew 7:21-23 KJV)

Do you See it? They are saying have not WE, and in thine name WE, WE done many WORKS. WE WE WE! They rely on their own ability to please God and by doing such think they are saved.

It is PRIDE and SELF RIGHTEOUSNESS. It saves no one.

What is this will we are to do Jesus speaks of in Matthew 7 then? Is it about our performance as saved believers as some teach? No! Jesus is teaching about false prophets, unbelievers…not saved believers. Doing the Father’s will for an unbeliever is ONE THING ONLY and Jesus Himself answered what God’s will for an unsaved person is in John 6,

“39 And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:39-40 KJV)

It is not about externals. It is about a change in our inner core being; our Spirit. Not a change we can make…a change only God can make if you humble yourself of Pride and instead accept the GIFT of Salvation paid for by Christ the cross. And RECEIVE FREELY righteousness by faith, not works. Salvation by BELIEF on Christ’s FINISHED WORK having paid for our sins. A once for all sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10) for the sins of the whole world – ALL SIN! (1 John 2:2)

Once received a person is free of their debt of sins and has been changed into the righteousness of God, in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21).

It is FROM THIS new Spirit of God we have been reborn as that believers show fruit of good works. It is UNTO good works FROM salvation without works required. (Ephesians 2:8-10)

Live in self righteous pride… you are lost.

Believe on Christ’s finished work for righteousness… you are saved.

Sharing Salvation On Social Media

Don Gerrity GO: Sharing Your Faith July 7, 2019

Ever have someone on Facebook or social media ask you to show by Scripture HOW a person is saved by Christ? Many believers know the truth and can state the truth that we are saved by BELIEF ALONE – NOT OF WORKS – on Christ’s finished work on the cross. But when Scripture references are being asked about every point of how a person is saved, it can get complicated. Especially when you only have a few minutes in your day to respond in a way to benefit the person asking. Maybe you just do not respond, knowing you cannot follow through with the person at this specific moment you read the question.

I have written this text below as a way of answering the question quickly, yet thoroughly, with Scripture references provided. Copy it. Paste it into your Mobile phone Text Editor or NotePad. When this happens, copy and paste it into a reply. It takes less than 1 minute to share the Gospel with Scripture References.

May it help you in your sharing of the Gospel to others seeking the truth.

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BELIEVE on the FINISHED work of Jesus, the Christ, God in the flesh, who was born by the Virgin Mary and lived life 100% without any sin in thought nor deed (2 Corinthians 5:21). He went to the cross to pay for the sins of THE WHOLE WORLD (1 John 2:2), the ONCE FOR ALL sacrifice for the our sins (Hebrews 10:10), “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;’ (Colossians 2:14 KJV).

This Salvation through belief on Christ alone is a GIFT FROM GOD – it is NOT EARNED! (Eph. 2:8-9). God offers every person this GIFT to be received OR rejected by our free will. It is a choice WE make.

“He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:18 KJV)

Salvation is BY BELIEF on Christ and His finished work (John 19:30) on the cross ALONE – NOT BY good works, nor being a good person, nor Ten Commandments following, nor attending church, nor water baptism, nor any religious ritual. (Ephesians 2:8-9, 1 Cor. 15:1-4, John 3:14-18, John 6:39-40, Acts13:38-39, Romans 8:2, Philippians 3:9, Romans 4:4-5, Galatians 2:16-21, 2 Corinthians 3:7-9, Romans 3:20, Romans 5:20, 1 Corinthians 15:56, Romans 3:19-28… the list goes on and on)

FROM THE VERY moment of BELIEF on Christ alone for Salvation and our justification with God (Ephesians 1:13-14) the Holy Spirit indwells us and this is what happened to us:

+ We were CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST in the Spirit (Galatians 2:20)

+ We DIED WITH CHRIST AND WAS BURIED WITH CHRIST in Baptism in the Spirit (Colossians 2:12, Romans 6:4)

+ We ROSE AGAIN A NEW CREATION WITH AND IN CHRIST in the Spirit (Colossians 2:12, 2 Corinthians 5:17)

+ We are right now, in present tense, COMPLETE IN CHRIST in the Spirit (Colossians 2:10)

+ We Have Been Made, by God, the righteousness of God, IN CHRIST in the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

+ We are FREE from God’s Wrath, have PEACE WITH GOD (Romans 5) having been saved by God’s GRACE through believe on Christ crucified (Romans 5, Hebrews 10:10, Ephesians 2:8-9)

LIFE AFTER SALVATION BY GOD’s GRACE …

Once saved by belief on Christ, regardless of our emotions and feeling about it, we believe what the Bible tells us and who we actually now are in Christ. Under the indwelling guidance of the Holy Spirit, we READ the Word of God to change our MIND about our beliefs based on the truth of God’s Word (Romans 12). Beholding Christ, we CHANGE OUR MIND by God’s Word (the Bible Greek definition of the English word REPENT is ‘change your mind’).

We replace wrong belief in the MIND with God’s truth. We start to believe right more and more over time (Walking by the Spirit of God who we now are IN THE SPIRIT; our sanctification process. WE LIVE AS WE BELIEVE and right believing IN THE MIND leads to right Godly living outwardly. Perfectly? No. Increasingly? Yes. It is an ongoing process. We were saved in an instant from the moment of BELIEF on Christ alone and His finished work on the cross – OUR JUSTIFICATION and SALVATION, and God’s starts changing us as we believe the truth more and more (OUR SANCTIFICATION).

Warning: Some mix how we are justified with our sanctification. They mix LAW FOLLOWING with GOD’s GRACE. They mix our performance with God’s grace through Jesus Christ. Apostle Paul warns us NOT TO DO THAT. The Galatians had some teaching this heresy and this is how He addressed them about it:

“O FOOLISH GALATIANS, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey THE TRUTH, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? 2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing OF FAITH? 3 Are ye so FOOLISH? having begun IN THE SPIRIT, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? 4 Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain. 5 He therefore that ministereth to you THE SPIRIT, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing OF FAITH? 6 Even as Abraham BELIEVED GOD, and it was ACCOUNTED TO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” (Galatians 3: 1-6 KJV)

“Christ is become of NO EFFECT UNTO YOU, whosoever of you are justified BY THE LAW; ye are FALLEN FROM GRACE. 5 For we THROUGH THE SPIRIT wait for the hope of RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH.” (Galatians 5:4-5 KJV)

Salvation is by FAITH ALONE. As we learn more of God’s Word – the truth – we live more and more as we believe outwardly. In this way, God works through us. Believers do good works – YES! But it is not FOR SALVATION nor to KEEP being saved. It is an inward change in the mind that moves outwardly UNTO GOOD WORKS (Ephesians 2:8-10)

Excerpt From:
https://seekknockfind.org/2019/07/07/sharing-salvation-on-social-media/

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Matthew 10:38-39: ‘taketh not his cross’

Don Gerrity Matthew, Q&A: Christian Living, Q&A: Difficult Passages July 2, 2019February 18, 2022

“And he that taketh not HIS cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.” (Matthew 10:38-39 KJV)

MATTHEW 10: Instructions For Service As Disciples

Up until Matthew 10, the disciples have learned the Gospel message and seen the miracles of Jesus. Now they are about to experience this for themselves. Jesus sends the Disciples out to preach the good news of the Gospel. He sends them to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel”. Jesus knows the threats they will face. He knows the fear they will have in proclaiming the good news to the Jewish people He is sending them to. He is sending them with the message of the Gospel that the Messiah has come and that Jesus from Nazareth is the foretold Messiah that would come and save them from their sins. To share the first hand account of the miracles performed by Jesus even to rising people from death back to life.

The fear in proclaiming the Gospel to the Jewish people is because the teachings of Jesus went directly against the grain of what the Pharisees taught. The nation of Israel at that time, from the religious leaders down to the people themselves, were believing in following the Law of Moses (which was 613 Laws which included the Ten Commandments given to Moses) in order to gain righteousness before God. Jesus’ teachings were threatening this belief and the people were following Christ more and more. The Jewish Pharisee leaders felt threatened about losing the power they had over the people. As Jesus taught, they were all about the ‘letter of the Law’ but ignored the ‘heart of the Law’. Jesus proclaimed that He is the foretold Messiah and that He forgave sins and many called His saying this as blasphemy. Jesus told the Jewish people and Pharisees that He is the Son Of God. He did this right at the start of His ministry to the Jewish people in the synagogue of His home town, by quoting Old Testament prophecy about the Messiah to come, saying ‘in your hearing this has been fulfilled’ (Luke 4:21).

Jesus knew the fear they had and also knew what they would go through in each city and town they were being sent to. He knew they , as He, would be rejected by many, and also threatened in persecution by many in this endeavor.

Jesus did give them powers to heal and to cast out demons from people. He gave them the ability to heal even lepers and to raise people from the dead! These were some serious powers Jesus bestowed on them for their missions to preach the Gospel to the cities and towns in Israel.

However, Jesus also told them that they will have to rely on God for everything. They were denied bringing their own money, no extra cloths, no extras sandals for their journey (a big deal in the sandy region back then!). They could not even bring a staff with them for protection. They will have powers but they would also be vulnerable to an extreme (Matthew 10:9-11). They are being sent out as “sheep among wolves”! I believe what they went through also prepared them for what was to come after Christ ascended and they went out to preach the Gospel.

Jesus explains to them that this is not going to be an easy task, even with the powers He bestows on them. He tells them things that will happen that would give anyone great fear. They will be facing arrest, possible beatings, persecution (even by their own family members and friends). A fear that those being preached to would want to kill them even (Matthew 10:16-23). Jesus explains to them that if the Master is persecuted then so shall they as the disciples preaching the same message that Jesus was preaching to the Jewish people. The Pharisee religious leaders were brutal towards Jesus and so the disciples too are being sent directly into the same kind of situation. After telling them this Jesus encouraged the disciples to not fear these people that will do such to them. Instead FEAR GOD. Trust in God in this task with every fiber of their being.

This is the context of Matthew 10, sending the disciples to preach the Gospel. They were sent to “the house of Israel” and we need to keep that context in focus. At the same time, there is something relative to us today on this side of the cross as well. Telling others about Jesus is not easy. Witnessing can be a fearful endeavor. Even family members are known to turn backs on believers. Even today there is great persecution against Christians in the world. So this whole chapter can apply to believers who choose to be disciples in this way. We may not have all those powers Jesus gave them but we have the complete Word of God today.

This is the context of Matthew 10. In Matthew 10:38-39 we then read,

“And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.” (Matthew 10:38-39 KJV)

Some are taking these two verses out of the context for Matthew 10 and making it about our salvation. That would be wrong because Jesus is talking to already saved disciples here. Matthew 10 is all about instructions for service as a disciple. It is not about salvation other then helping others hear the good news of the Gospel to help others believe in Christ for righteousness and salvation.

Some are also saying that Matthew 10 applies to us as well today as believers, fully. Remember that from verses 5 to 10 that the commission here in Matthew 10 is specific to the original Twelve Disciples, not all who came to believe on Jesus at that time. The powerful abilities Christ gave them was for them alone at that time. No one since that time has been given such authority and power. In Matthew 10, this is focused on the disciples alone preaching the truth to the Jewish people of Israel, to the “house of Israel”. That said, once Jesus went to the cross and rose again and then ascended, the Church Age believers too are called to preach the Gospel (See Acts 1:8). So there are points here we too can take to heart.

DISCIPLES: Take The Cross & Follow Jesus

By saying to take the cross and follow Christ, Jesus is telling the disciples they will now have to carry a cross to bear as He has. At this point in time, Jesus has not gone to the cross and so to the disciples, they did not see that cross event. That stated, they certainly knew what the cross bearing meant! It was going against the powerful Roman Authority. The teaching of the Gospel to Israel caused quite a bit of turmoil. The Jewish leaders were in fear of the turmoil Jesus was causing as well. The disciples understood this well. The punishment of death by crucifixion was a very public and painful punishment unto death for anyone convicted and sentenced to face it in those days. Criminals and even those who went against the authority of Rome feared it. Jesus was telling them that they needed to follow Him and preach the Gospel even under the most fearful of all persecutions, even such a horrible death. They did not know it at the time, but Jesus Himself would be crucified and here we see Jesus foreshadowing this event which only those of us on this side of Jesus’ crucifixion see clearly.

DICSIPLES: Lose Your Life For Jesus’ sake And Find Eternal Life

Jesus is encouraging them that even though they are about to face persecution and great fear from some of those who they will proclaim the Gospel truth to, they will be helping others find eternal life and they themselves as well. It is about aligning their lives to God and the Gospel and that means they will forgo living their lives for the worldly.

This is what “making disciples” of others is about. This is sharing the Gospel in face of anything that comes. What the Twelve Disciples did, changed many minds unto salvation for all who believed. And after Christ ascended, look what the Apostles did. Look how they changed people’s minds. Because of what they did, we today know the truth of the Gospel and God continues to bring people around the globe, both Jew and Gentile, to the knowledge of the truth.

Applications Of Matthew 10 For Today, On This Side Of The Cross Of Jesus Christ

A person is saved from the very moment of belief when we TAKE the cross. That is, when we believe the Gospel. This word TAKETH in Strongs Greek Concordance is ‘Lambano’, which means to ‘grab a hold of’. We accept the GIFT of Salvation Jesus paid through the cross of Jesus. God’s hand reaches out to every person and offers the gift of Salvation. It can be accepted and TAKEN or rejected and not taken. When a person takes it and grabs hold of Salvation (Lambano), that person is saved that very moment (John 3:18, Ephesians 1:13-14). This is to be saved by the cross. A person believes by faith and taking the gift is how they receive it.

BEING A DISCIPLE IS THE NEXT STEP OF A BELIEVER

Later, in Matthew 16:24, we notice that Jesus uses a DIFFERENT Greek word, Strongs G142, ‘airo‘. It’s meaning is different that lambano. It is defined as ‘to lift up; by implication, to take up or away; figuratively, to raise ‘:

“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and TAKE UP his cross, and follow me.” (Matthew 16:4 KJV)

So Lambano is simply to ‘grab hold of’ and airo is to ‘lift up’. So we are to grab hold of the cross in Salvation and then lift it up. This is what Jesus asks us to do with the cross. Just as the man who helped Jesus carry the cross when He stumbled and fell carrying the cross. The man grabbed the cross of Jesus and lifted it up (see Matthew 27).

So we are to not only make a decision to take hold of the cross in receiving the unmerited gift of Salvation; We are to lift it up on our shoulders and SHARE IN the cross.

WHICH CROSS BEARING SAVES US TODAY?

Jesus bore the suffering and paid for the sins of the whole world on that cross. Only He can do this! Why? Because He is the only one who never sinned! He is God in the flesh who bore our sins on that cross.

Are we without sin? Nope…we have sin right? So Jesus saying we need to ‘take up’ (airo) is not about our cross bearing and being the once for all sacrifice for sins that Jesus is (Hebrews 10:10).

However, by taking and grabbing hold of the cross, we partake in belief. The cross is about one thing to criminals and that is DEATH! Paying for their crimes with their very lives! Before being saved, it must be understood that by believing Salvation by the cross of Christ that we know where it is going to head… to the death of our Spiritual self.

TWO DEATHS ARE REQUIRED FOR OUR SALVATION

In Romans 6:23, Paul tells us that,

“… the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life THROUGH Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Our self righteous efforts nor good works can save us. These things are not the currency that can pay for our sins committed. In God’s economy, the payment required is death. And looking at the Greek for this word it is actually talking about Spiritual death.

By grabbing hold of what Jesus did on the cross and lifting it up onto our shoulders, we willingly share in losing our life WITH CHRIST as partakers.

“He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.” (Matthew 10:39 KJV)

Only Jesus paid for our sins. But by belief on Christ Paul tells us that…

“Knowing this, that our old man is CRUCIFIED WITH HIM, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that IS DEAD is FREED FROM SIN. Now if we be DEAD WITH CHRIST , we believe that we shall also LIVE WITH HIM:” (Romans 6:6-8 KJV)

“Buried WITH HIM in baptism, wherein also ye are risen WITH HIM through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.” (Colossians 2:12 KJV)

The real us is our Spirit. You see, by taking hold of the cross in belief that Christ paid for our sins, our old unsaved Spirit of Man (which Paul referred to as our ‘old man’), was placed on the cross WITH CHRIST. Christ’s death paid the penalty required for our sins; Spiritual death. But we too, as believers in Christ had our sins paid in OUR Spiritual death WITH CHRIST. In that moment, an exchanged happened ON THE CROSS.

When Christ died, we died (in the Spirit). When Christ rose, WE ROSE a new being in the Spirit. In foreknowledge of all who will believe on Christ for Salvation, God placed believers, IN CHRIST, on that cross! God took all our sins and imputed them onto Christ. At the same time God imputed Jesus’ righteousness onto us (2 Corinthians 5). Our spirit was placed in Christ and Christ bore the physical and Spiritual punishment and pain on the cross and we BOTH DIED.

The wages of sin was completely satisfied with the Father!

Paul says clearly, in the present tense, right now, as believers in Christ,

“And YE ARE COMPLETE IN HIM, which is the head of all principality and power:” (Colossians 2: 10 KJV)

Did we earn that? NO WAY. It was imputed to us by belief on Christ alone. Believers are in Christ, FOREVER. Our body is here on Earth but the real us, The Spirit of God is wherever Christ is, because we are in Christ!

In Ephesians Apostle Paul tells us,

“And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:” (Ephesians 2:6 KJV)

We also read this in 1 John 4:

“Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because AS HE IS, SO ARE WE IN THIS WORLD.” (1 John 4:17 KJV)

The seat is about our position in Christ. Our Spirit resides in our soul and is housed in our body. But our Spirit is now also one with Christ, who is one with the Father and the indwelling Holy Spirit.

BEING A DISCIPLE TODAY IS ABOUT LIVING OUT OUR FAITH, FROM SALVATION

The world is offended by Salvation. In pride, the unsaved person thinks they are a good enough person in self righteous good works, Law following and religious rituals to appease God. “Do good…Get good.” Be good to pay for the bad deeds. Do a ritual and God will forgive. DO, DO, DO….but that is a bunch of “doo doo!’ It simply is not Biblical.

Apostle Paul considered everything the law gained him as “skybalon” which is in the Greek the literal word for “poop”! (Philippians 3:4-8) Pretty graphic and strong words again from Paul. See, this is important for a person’s very Salvation and witness to others!

We read in Luke 14:26-27 KJV,

“If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be MY DISCIPLE. And whosoever doth not BEAR his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.”

Again, in proper context, we see here that Jesus is talking about being a disciple. He is sending the future apostles out to preach the Gospel and He is telling them many will be greatly offended and lash out at them.

The Greek word BEARING OUR CROSS is Strong’s G941, ‘bastazo‘ and means ‘to lift, literally or figuratively (endure, declare, sustain, receive, etc.):—bear, carry, take up.’

This word is about our ‘enduring’ and ‘bearing’ the truth of the cross when sharing it with others. Especially with those living under a performance based belief for righteousness with God, steeped in traditions and Law following with no assurance of Salvation. That is so horrible!

Being a disciple of Christ and the atonement for sin by the cross carries with it persecution and suffering by the unbelieving world in response. Mention GOD and some may disagree and others will say they believe there is a God. Well, try mentioning Jesus is the only way to have our sins forgiven because of the cross and we get a very different response indeed! A major offence resulting is persecution and ridicule. I have been called ‘narrow minded’ many times – but they do not understand GRACE!

WHEN IS A BELIEVER, A DISCIPLE?

At what point do we become a disciple then? Is it when we accept the gift of Salvation by belief on Christ and ‘Lambano‘; grab hold of and take the cross? The prerequisite is believing the Gospel of Salvation through Christ’s finished work. Following Christ and sharing the Gospel with others is where discipleship comes into play.

Being a disciple of Christ means that we are willing to live out who we now are in Christ and it means we will have to endure persecution at times. The enduring is not what keeps us saved. It is just a reality of being a disciple of Christ.

Know who you are in Christ. You are no longer your dead old spirit of man, with a very nature to want to sin all the time. Your old self DIED WITH CHRIST, so why walk in the ways of the flesh (Romans 6:2) ? Deny your old self thoughts in the mind by replacing wrong beliefs with right beliefs. This is what Paul tells us to do. Renew our minds by the truth of the Gospel (Romans 12) and who God made us at our conversion; the very righteousness of God, in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21)

“Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:11 KJV)

Spiritual Warfare For Difficult Life Situations

Don Gerrity Q&A: Christian Living June 16, 2019

We all have things that happen in our life that blindside us. Others fail us or betray us expectantly. Work situations affect our financial well being. Family situations arise. That’s life. I say.. THAT’S LIFE!

This is how I look at this in the Spirit. Not only is it important to be careful what you say to others – but even to yourself out loud!

Demons / Fallen Angels Are Real

Fallen angels are everywhere. They cannot hear our thoughts – only God can. Yet, fallen angels have RANKS like an army just as the good angels do. (Jesus is commander in chief, Cherubim, Arch angels.. etc) Remember what the definition of the word ANGEL is.. It is defined as “a messenger”.

Lower ranking ones inform the higher ranking ones, who will then scheme and make plans against you.

KNOW THIS! UNDERSTAND THIS

If your thoughts come out of your mouth and one is hanging around (and there are many of them out there! 1/3 of all the angelic host fell) – they will hear and they will at on it against you.

For example, if you are upset or worried about some particular situation at work… and you scream it out in frustration at home by yourself with no one around, and they hear, that fallen one will go tell the higher ranking fallen angels.

The higher ranking ones will then start schemeing a plan and send out orders for other fallen angels to DO THINGS and to excite the ‘flesh’ emotions in he minds of people at work, who can affect the situation even more negatively. They are good at this. They have observed and done this to people for thousands of years now!

Jesus told us clearly that trouble will hit us at times in life.

“…In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. ” (John 16:33 KJV)

I love it when Jesus uses that little word “BUT” in Scriptures. When He uses that little word it usually means… SIT DOWN – THIS IS POWERFUL. It is so important to pray to God in faith about frustrating and worrying situations we all face. When I face such situations I immediately pray to God in my mind. He is the number one ‘goto’ in bad situations! He loves us! I pray to stop the fallen ones and for God to make a show of their efforts and to foil them at every turn when I face these situations that cause worry. We need to remember as Apostle Paul told us,

“…all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28 KJV)

Act in faith with full assurance that God is all knowing and all powerful and that He loes you so much that He sent Jesus to die on the cross for us. The amazing LOVE OF GOD! GOD IS ALWAYS THE FIRST PLACE TO TURN TOO IN FAITH when things blind side us in life ! He is right here – within us and FOR US ALWAYS.

BODY | SOUL | MIND | SPIRIT

Don Gerrity Q&A: Christian Living June 16, 2019

It’s complicated right? We are after all a complicated creation of a even more complicated God! Some Scriptures seem to convey that our Soul is the same as our Spirit. Other Scriptures show they are not the same. And then we read Apostle Paul’s letters which are teaching about our Mind and the Old Man and our New Man. Then we see passages about the Body being corrupted. This thing called SIN. It is complicated!

Yet, as believers in Christ, we really need to bring all these things together to understand who we really are as a redeemed human being. And understand what happened to us when we received the gift of Salvation through belief on Christ for our justification with God.

Let’s look closer in the Word of God for the truth together shall we?

There are Old Testament passages that are about The Soul written before the event of the cross. Before the New Covenant of the Gospel of Grace Through Jesus Christ crucified, that Apostle Paul taught. Most in the Old Testament, speak of our OLD SELF, what Paul refers to as our OLD MAN. Unredeemed. Needing sins covered by sacrificing unblemished Lambs to cover the sins of the Jews of Israel. The high priest doing his thing to keep the people’s sins covered until, as the writer of the book of Hebrews puts it, the Messiah would come and be the once for all payment for the sins of the whole world (Hebrews 10:10).

In John 3, Jesus told a top Jewish Pharisee, (Nicodemus) that we must be born again in “The Spirit”. Jesus then goes on to tell Nicodemus HOW to be born again in verses 14-18; which is by belief on Christ.

SALVATION STARTS WITH A DEATH

∴ The Spirit Of Man

When Apostle Paul writes about our ‘old man‘ he is talking about the Spirit Of Man. He also refers to this as our Adam nature. I also refer to it as my ‘old self’ to give clarity in my writing. If you think about it a moment, who is the real you? Is it your body or your spirit? It is your spirit, it is the ‘self’. It is the real us. We control our body by our spiritual self. It is our very core being. So I sometimes refer to it as our ‘self’.

The Spirit of Man is our Spiritual Self Before Salvation.

This is the core spiritual being of every person before they are saved. For a believer in Christ for righteousness, this core being, our Old Self is now DEAD. It is dead and raised again as a new creation called The Spirit Of God.

Apostle Paul tells us that from the moment we believe on Christ for righteous, and not Law of Moses following nor by good works, that our OLD SELF DIED and this was written in the past tense (Romans 6). Paul wrote this in the past tense because it already happened and it is finished now. It was fully accomplished on the cross by Jesus. It is not that we need to work to attain, nor to keep, this new self, this new creation called The Spirit Of God. Paul is clearly telling us that our Old Self, our Old Spirit Of Man, literally DIED on the cross WITH CHRIST, was baptized in Christ (born again), became eternal and was SEALED by the Holy Spirit of promise (John 3:14-18, Ephesians 1:13-14), buried WITH CHRIST, rose WITH CHRIST a new creature, is right now (in present tense) SEATED WITH CHRIST and COMPLETE IN CHRIST (Colossians 2), hidden IN CHRIST (Colossians 3), and has become the righteousness of God, IN CHRIST ( 2 Cor. 5:21). This is all in The Spirit – not The Body.

∴ The Spirit Of God

In Paul’s writings we see that Paul refers to the new creation in us, The New Spirit Of God believers now are through Salvation by belief in Christ, as ‘The Spirit’. When Paul talks about The Spirit he is referring to who a person has become from the very moment of belief on Christ. He is talkig about or New Spirit Of God. This is the new us now and is the very CORE of our being. Our very NATURE was changed and we are a NEW CREATION in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17), that Paul calls ‘The Spirit‘.

The Spirit never sins (1 John 3) and is the very righteous of God, in Christ (2 Cor. 5:21) and is deemed by God as without sin. Why? Because Jesus already paid for all our sins on that cross. But we can and do still sin in the body. Our OLD SELF thoughts in The Mind were ‘sin bent’ because our very nature of our old self, our old Spirit Of Man, wanted to sin as it’s very nature. We sinned because we had a sin nature. Born into sin. Our sin nature died with Christ and was replaced with The Spirit Of God. Why then do we still sin as believers if The Spirit is our very core being now? Thankfully, Apostle Paul wrote much about this very question in his letters in the New Testament.

The answer is when Paul writes about The Mind of a believer. Paul explains that it is because our Body has not yet been regenerated, and will not be until our bodily resurrection. Our old sin nature is dead as believers but our Mind is still corrupted with the Old Self thoughts and emotions and thought processes, left over in the mind. This is what Paul refers to when he is writing about ‘The Flesh’. That is why Paul says we need to Renew OUR MIND by the Word of God and bring every THOUGHT into submission to the image of Christ (Romans 12).

This is a believer’s process of sanctification (John 17:17). Our Spirit is IN CHRIST. By belief on the only payment for our sins, Christ crucified died and risen (1 Cor. 15:1-4), a person is Redeemed, born again. Christ abides in us and we abide in Christ (John 15). Jesus explains that believers are one with the Father and Holy Spirit because Christ is one with the Father and we are in Christ. (John 17). Our body is still corrupt, not regenerated though.

∴ The Mind

The Mind seems to be the connector between The Body and The Spirit, in The Soul.

However, as believers, we have this war in our mind between thoughts of the new self, the new real us which God made us at our conversion (The Spirit) and the left over sin bent thoughts and processes of the OLD MAN, our Old Self ; The Flesh. Paul explains it in Romans 7. And we see that it is SIN...not the new us in The Spirit that does the acts of sin when we sin in The Body, as believers.

“For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.

Now then it is NO MORE I THAT DO IT, BUT SIN THAT DWELLETH IN ME.

For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for TO WILL IS PRESENT WITH ME; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.

Now if I do that I would not, it is NO MORE I THAT DO IT, BUT SIN THAT DWELLETH IN ME.” (Romans 7:15-20 KJV)

The battle for right living AFTER SALVATION, is in The Mind. Paul tells us that the battle is in our mind which is in our Soul which is connected to our Spirit, yet is NOT our Spirit.

Before Salvation, our old man (our Old Self), which was of a sin nature, controlled our Soul. Influenced so strongly our very thoughts in The Mind and so affected how we lived in The Body. The mind connected the body with our old sin nature self. So you see, Sin came naturally. It takes only one sin to be deemed UNRIGHTEOUS by God, because God is perfect in every way and we are not. We were lost. Separated from God by this thing called SIN.

The Romans Road to Salvation is something many use to bring people to Christ and so let us get this right! If you read Romans believing all instances of the word SIN have the same meaning; that is where confusion starts. Many times overlooked, the New Testament was written in Greek and translated into English. There are TWO Greek words for SIN in Romans and they are hamartanō (a verb) and hamartia (a noun). What is the ratio of use between these two words of either SIN as a noun or SIN as a verb? Hamartia (a noun) is used a stunning 46 out of the 48 times! Apostle Paul is talking about SIN as a noun. And what is he definition of a noun? Is it an act of doing something? No. A noun is a person, place or thing. And so when Paul uses the word SIN as a noun, he is referring to sin as a ‘place’, as ‘a position’ and as a ‘thing’. This is so important to understand!

In Romans, Paul used the word ‘sin’ the overwhelmingly majority of the time as a noun…not a verb. As a noun it is a THING and a place or position that a person is in. Before Salvation we were prisoners to this thing called sin and stuck in a position of sin because our very nature was a sinful nature at our core being. And our body, even now as believers, has been corrupted with this thing called sin. Paul says our corrupt body can not inherit the kingdom of God – not even after Salvation. It will die, and go back to dust.

“Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood CANNOT inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.” (1 Cor. 15:50 KJV)

Paul explains about The Body to tell us our redeemed Spirit goes to God at physical death (2 Corinthians 5:8), one day to be united with a new glorified resurrected body, with no disease of sin on resurrection day when finally our corrupt body will be recreated, just as our Spirit already has.

“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be CHANGED. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” (1 Cor. 15:51-52 KJV)

Old Testament Scripture states, that the SOUL that sins will die right (Ezekiel 18)? That is certainly true BEFORE our conversion. But our born again Spirit replaced our old sin nature , the very core of our being IN our Soul. The Spirit Of God, our new self, will never die now. We are IN CHRIST. How long will Christ live? FOREVER! We are in Him, so how long will we live as believers now? FOREVER! Amen!

So although not the same, The Spirit and The Soul are definitely connected forever in a believer. No, they are not the same, but are most certainly connected right? We need the mind. The Mind is in our Soul and is what connects to our physical body.

The body is not The Soul as some are teaching. The mind is inside The Soul. So our mind and body are not together. We see in Genesis that God first created the body and then breathed into the body and we BECAME a living Soul.

“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” (Genesis 2:7 KJV)

The body alone is useless. It needs to be ALIVE. The alive part is The Soul. In The Soul is the connector between the body and our Self; The Mind. The mind is ultimately controlled by our core nature. What we call The Self, our Spirit. The real us deep inside. Before Salvation that Spirit was corrupted with a sin nature called the Spirit Of Man. After Salvation, a believer has the Spirit Of God. This friend is game changer for how we CAN live.

The wages of this THING called SIN is DEATH (Romans 6:23). When a person accepts Christ and trusts His once for all sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10) for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2) for righteousness, their OLD SELF DIED and rose with Christ. God changed the very core of our nature, in our soul.

An internal OPERATION by God, not ourselves (Colossians 2:12, Ephesians 2;8-9). The body is not yet regenerated and the mind needs to be renewed to our new core being by the guidance of the indwelling Holy Spirit, who is one with Our Spirit. This takes time while we are still residing in this corrupt body.

This renewing of the mind is repenting (a word defined in the Bible as ‘changing our mind’) about many corrupt beliefs and thoughts in our mind, by God’s truth in the Word of God. The mind connects the real us to the physical world in which we live, in the body. Our Soul and Spirit as believers are absolutely eternally connected.

! Right believing in The Mind results in right living outwardly through The Body.

Why Demons Cannot Possess The Truly Born Again Person

Some are teaching that a believer can be possessed by a demon. That is just not possible after the moment of Salvation!

A demon cannot occupy where God has redeemed us. The Spirit is Holy, the very righteousness of God and one with God. Can demons influence a believer to commit sins by exciting the corrupt thoughts left over by our Old Self death though? Oh yes! They TEMPT US! Where? Do they tempt is in our new SPIRIT? NO! They know you have left over OLD THOUGHTS from your Old Self that died with Christ…where? IN YOUR MIND! that is the battle ground for living right! Not our external forced good works. It is an INTERNAL change of your mind! And demons use the senses of The Body to excite the corrupt thoughts still in The Mind, where the true battle is fought (not for redemption but for right believing and right outward living).

Yet, as we renew our minds by the truth of God’s Word, the demons cannot influence believers so easily over time. It gets harder for them indeed! It is as Jesus said,

“And ye shall know THE TRUTH, and THE TRUTH shall MAKE YOU FREE.” (John 8:32 KJV).

We start to see God’s world view more and more through the guidance of the Holy Spirit teaching us ALL TRUTH of God’s Word. And as Paul says, since our Old Man died, why walk in it’s corrupt ways anymore? IT IS DEAD! We need to realize this fact! Now live in the newness of this new you! You are alive, IN CHRIST, forever! you are rigt now, regardless of your feelings (in the mind that needs renewing) the very RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD, IN CHRIST in The Spirit. That is the amazing GIFT of our Salvation folks! Paul says to “…Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” ( Galatians 5:16 KJV). I wondered for a long time what exactly ‘walking in the Spirit’ was and how to do it. Once I understood the relationship between the Body, Soul, Mind and Spirit a big light bulb went off! Of course! I need to believe that I am now as a believer, who the Bible says that I am. Not what I ‘feel’ I am. Not that I am a sinner because I struggle with sin. Not I have to still earn my salvation. I AM THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD, IN CHRIST RIGHT NOW. Since my old Spirit is DEAD… why am I still walking by it’s ways?

Know who you now are as believers; IN CHRIST. And walk by the NEW YOU thoughts by renewing your mind by the truth of the Gospel of God’s Grace Through Jesus Christ. The Gospel of our Salvation, that Apostle Paul was commissioned by Jesus to preach to the gentiles. The Holy Spirit is within you to guide you to ALL TRUTH. How amazing! And that is for you, and for me TODAY, living today under the NEW COVENANT and in the dispensation of the Grace of God.

I have created a diagram below so you can visually see who a believer has become in Christ.

God bless.

NEWER VIEW OF BIBLICAL END TIMES | Walid Shoebat

Don Gerrity All Videos June 15, 2019

Ex Islamic terrorist and PLO member, Walid Shoebat, reveals critical links between Islam and the Bible’s prophetic timeline, explaining current events as disturbing signs of the Last Days… Talks about Israel, Greece, Turkey, Islam, America, Antichrist.

Open up your Eyes, your Heart and your Mind and Watch this Video. Don’t ask your imam or mullah, he’ll tell you that this is the work of kuffar or the devil, but rather think about it logically, time to start thinking for yourself.