When someone asks if you are Christian today…. what do they believe Christianity actually is in these End Times?
Confusion actually. What I mean is, many think CHRISTIANITY is going to church and doing good to earn your way to Heaven. There are so many church religions teaching this false Gospel that the term ‘Christianity’ is skewed actually in these end times. In fact, the majority of ‘Christian’ formal religion organizations and denominations are teaching false gospels and are filled with many many unsaved people – who think they are saved by works. Jesus warned about this in Matthew 7.
When I am asked ‘what religion are you?’, my response is .. NONE. I am a ‘Biblical Christian’ saved by God’s grace through the once for all sacrifice for the sins of the whole world by Jesus Christ crucified, died and risen.
》》 When I say I am Christian… that does not mean the other person really knows what I mean see?
The world sees ‘Christianity’ as a RELIGION – not a relationship with Christ and a Spiritual rebirth, where we become one with Christ who is God in the flesh.
It is time to stand fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Time is short, the Lord is coming and people need THE TRUTH of the Gospel of Grace Through Jesus Christ.
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 Spiritual Death
∴ The Spirit Of Man
When Apostle Paul writes about our ‘old man‘ he is talking about our spirit BEFORE being saved; 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 (Colossians 2, Romans 6). It is dead and raised born 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, Colossians 2). 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), and was made by God, eternal and was SEALED by the Holy Spirit of promise (Colossians 2, John 3:14-18, Ephesians 1:13-14).
Believers were Buried WITH CHRIST in baptism of the Spirit, 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; TheNew 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 since their very moment of belief on Christ. He is talking about our 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.
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). The battle for a believer is not in our Spirit – it is in our mind!
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 in the Spirit. 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, inThe Soul. Read that again.
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. Our Spirit remains redeemed! 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…nota 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 thingcalled 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 isinside 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 More Right Living Outwardly & Less Sinning.
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 GOD MADE US in Christ.
We cannot be SINLESS until our bodily resurrection when we receive our glorified bodies. Understanding who God made us at our conversion and belief can help us SIN LESS though! As a believer we need to focus on RENEWING OUR MIND by God’s Word, believing that we are who God said He made us, IN CHRIST. Do not focus on or be sin conscious because that will lead you to SIN MORE.
“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16 KJV)
“For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers ONCE PURGED should have had no more conscience of sins.” (Hebrews 10:2 KJV)
Do believers have to ‘Die To Self’ to be saved or to remain saved? We here this phrase all the time don’t we? Yet, can I ask a question? Where does that phrase read in the Bible? In reality, it actually does not even exist as a phrase in the entire Bible.
Now, we need to put off the old man, our old Adam/Flesh thinking and renew our mind by the Word of God. This is repentance for a believer (changing our minds) about many things according to the truth of the Word of God. It causes an inward change in our thinking and beliefs and that works it’s way outward into our lives. I agree with that completely.
But, there is just something about the ‘die to self‘ phrase being thrown around so often these days that many say we must do to be saved or remain saved, because what I read in the Bible is that my old self is ALREADY DEAD as a believer. In fact the Bible teaches that we have been given a NEW SELF called The Spirit which is the very seed of God (1 John 3:9) and it cannot sin.
That is not to say that we do not sin as believers. We still reside within this corrupt body and we still have wrong thinking about many things in the mind which Apostle Paul calls The Flesh (or sometime referred to by some as the Adam Sin nature) but God circumcised the SIN off the new real us now, our Spirit. The Spirit is the real us now and we are a New Creation in Christ which is at war with The Flesh, in our minds.
Yet, as Apostle Paul taught in Romans 7, verses 17 and 20… it is not our Spirit (our new self) that wants to, nor sins. It is The Flesh. And God severed the Flesh from our spirit when He made us a new creation in Christ.
That is why at physical death, our Spirit goes to be with the Lord. It has no sin. It is perfect and Holy, fully redeemed and complete in Christ. Yet, our flesh, our body, it cannot inherit the kingdom of God because it is corrupt with this THING called sin. (Note: In Romans, the word SIN is a noun mostly! It is a THING.)
What I see in the Bible, what Apostle Paul taught, is that God gave us a new heart, a new self, and WE DIED (past tense) with Christ. Did you know that as a believer in Christ? Our Salvation begins with death. Apostle Paul tells us that “the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23 KJV). But not just Jesus’ death! As believers, our old self died with Him on the cross!
In fact, we were buried with Christ and we rose again with Christ in the new created Spirit. We are right now as believers, COMPLETE IN HIM, in The Spirit.
“For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
And yeare complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, inputting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
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.
And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
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 2:9-14 KJV)
So yes, we put off our old Flesh sinful ways. Yes, we strive to not do what The Flesh/Adamthoughts we have, tempt us to do. In that sense, we sort of ‘die to self‘. I get that. But that really is dying to our OLD SELF. But the phrase, kinda goes against the way to say that because the language in the Bible tells us we died with Christ.
Maybe I am picky on the wording because I know MOST believers use this phrase describing our struggle with the old sin nature thoughts we have after Salvation.
And then I hear some preachers using ‘you must die to self!’ …. as if that is how we get saved or stay saved; by our SELF righteous efforts. They take this phrase to mean the very opposite of the Gospel of Grace Through Jesus Christ, which is without works required, but is a GIFT to be received or rejected. (Eph. 2:8-9)
Maybe it’s just me. Yet, maybe it is something we should think about before telling others to ‘die to self’.
This phrase confuses new believers. A more accurate phrase would be, ‘our old self died with Christ so why walk it the old self ways? It is not who we are anymore. We are now IN CHRIST. And Christ is living IN US.
Sins committed by a believer of Christ for Salvation will not result in loss of Salvation. That stated, should we just sin all we want so that God’s grace abounds? No. We still have consequences for our sins and they are not good at all.
Damnation in hell is not a consequence of sin for a believer on Christ’s atonement but we should be transformed during our life as a believer. We renew our mind by the Word of God, guided by the Holy Spirit.
》》 First… confessing sins and asking for forgiveness for sins are not the same thing.
Confessing is agreeing with God that we sinned. All a person’s sins were forgiven on that cross because Jesus did not make a partial payment for just the sins of those who would believe; He paid for all sins of every person!
“2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and NOT FOR OURS ONLY, but also for the sins of THE WHOLE WORLD.” (1 John 2:2 KJV)
This ‘once for all’ payment of all sins (Hebrews 10:10) is given to us all as a GIFT of God’s grace and can be accepted or rejected because God gives us free will to decide. He asks us… ‘Here is a free unmerited GIFT. It is complete forgiveness of your life sins and makes you the righteousness of God, in Christ.’
….If the gift is rejected, the payment is not placed on the account of a person’s sin debt and they will one day pay for their sin debt themselves in a place called hell.
….If they accept the gift payment by belief on Christ and His once for all sacrifice for our sins on the cross (John 3:14-18, Hebrews 10:10) then they are freed of the debt ENTIRELY. All sins we commit are future from the cross, sins we comit after Salvation as well and all were paid for by Jesus’ ONCE FOR ALL payment , if we accept the GIFT of Salvation.
Jesus paid for ALL SINS FROM ALL TIME..past/present/future.
On that cross Jesus cried out.. IT IS FINISHED. In the Greek that was penned it is an accounting term meaning A DEBT PAID IN FULL.
Salvation is a gift to be received (Eph 2:8-9) by BELIEF ON CHRIST (John 3:14-18, 1 Cor. 15:1-4) not something we work to achieve nor keep. By believing on Christ….any sins comitted both before and after the moment of Salvation are already judged and paid in full.
From the moment of belief on Christ we are SEALED by the Holy Spirit:
” 13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also AFTER THAT YE BELIEVED, YE WERE SEALED with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” (Eph 1:13-14 KJV)
Notice it is past tense and a believer was sealed from the moment of belief. That does not mean we have no consequences for sinning!!! There could be severe consequences such as physical death even and loss of eternal rewards. But damnation in hell for sins Christ already paid for in our place? Not for the believer.
“4 According as HE HATH CHOSEN US IN HIM BEFORE the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and WITHOUT BLAME before him in love:” (Ephesians 1:4 KJV)
God knew every sin we would commit from the foundation of the world..yet He willing became flesh and paid for our sins anyway. Amazing love. Abounding grace!!
Where is our position with the Father and Jesus? Yes, we are forgiven all our sins because Jesus paid for our sins and we accepted the gift of Salvation by belief on Christ. Yet Christ did more than just forgive us! As a believer on Christ and His once for all sacrifice for the sins of the whole world (Hebrews 10:10, 1 John 2:2) there has been a very big change in our position with God. We are not only forgiven our sins.
BELIEVERS ARE NOW PRESENTLY… SAVED ETERNALLY FROM THE MOMENT WE BELIEVE, IN CHRIST
Jesus said,
“15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:15-16 KJV)
Apostle Paul wrote,
“13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also AFTER THAT YE BELIEVED, YE WERE SEALED with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-14 KJV)
DEEMED BY GOD AS THE CHILDREN OF GOD
“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:26 KJV)
Those who reject Christ are NOT children of God. Only believers are. We are in the family! Never to not be family.
MADE INTO A NEW CREATION CALLED THE SPIRIT
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” ( 2 Cor. 5:17 KJV)
We are an actual literal new creation of God called ‘The Spirit’. The Holy Spirit indwells us and is right here with us. From the very moment of belief on Christ we are SEALED by the Holy Spirit from now until Heaven and beyond. (Ephesians 1:13-14 KJV)
MADE BY GOD THE VERY RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD, IN CHRIST!
“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might BE MADE the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Cor. 5:21 KJV)
Many believers fail to understand how we are deemed righteous BY GOD – not by ourselves or what we do after Salvation! An amazing truth to let sink into our belief!
DEEMED COMPLETE IN CHRIST, IN THE PRESENT
“9 For IN HIM dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 10 And ye ARE COMPLETE IN HIM, which is the head of all principality and power: 11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: 12 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. 13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together WITH HIM, having forgiven you ALL trespasses; 14 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: 9-14 KJV)
We need to believe and enter God’s REST in our Salvation! Does that mean sit back and be lazy, unloving, not helping others come to the knowledge of Salvation or just go and sin all we want? No! These truths of who we now are as believers should drive us to live more for God as we recognize that we have been changed at the core of our being.
In Hebrews we see a comparison being made to the Hebrews being sent to the promised land. Did they laze around going there? No. It was hard actually. They murmured against God, complaining. They lived by fear, even after seeing the parting of the Red Sea, walking across on dry land, taking Pharaoh’s riches with them, given manna food from heaven to sustain them, etc. Instead God wants us to live by faith and not fear.
Faith that what He says He has deemed you to be is who YOU ARE! Want something to fear? Comparing the Moses Exodus and how the majority of them DID NOT enter the land of promise, the writer of Hebrews wrote what we should fear,
“Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us OF ENTERING INTO HIS REST, any of you should seem to come short of it.” (Hebrews 4:1 KJV)
If we use FAITH and BELIEVE that we are, as redeemed Christians, what God says we are in the Word of God; that is REAL REST. And if you REST in God, just watch God move in our life to help others come to the knowledge of Salvation in Christ! There is work to be done by God through you because we are ONE with The father IN CHRIST. But we must believe who we now are, IN CHRIST. Jesus prayed for you and me…
“20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.” ( John 17: 20-23 KJV)
Do you think the Father is answering Jesus’ prayer for us? We better believe He is! Amen!!
“And we know that ALL THINGSwork together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be CONFORMED TO the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also JUSTIFIED: and whom he justified, them he also GLORIFIED. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, WHO CAN BE AGAINST US?” (Romans 8:28-31 KJV)
Why do bad things happen to believers ? Why do good things happen to believers?
1. For HIS PURPOSE.
2. So that we can be CONFORMED TO THE IMAGE OF CHRIST.
In ALL, ALL, ALL THINGS you face as a believer. The good. The bad. Love, compassion, joy, peace, times of plenty. Also, Persecution, Financial difficulty, Bankruptcy, Threat of death, Terminal illness, Sudden medical emergency, Death of a loved one, Loss of work. ALL MEANS ALL! The list goes on and on and on.
When bad things happen in your life. Sudden things that make you doubt the love of God. HANG on these verses!
God has a perfect plan and the plan is HIS – NOT OURS
And the plan, in the end of your life, you will see that it was all for GOOD. Good for you. Good for someone else’s Salvation. GOOD. GOD’s GOOD. God’s WILL. In God’s PERFECT WAY. Amen.
Both Matthew and Paul tell us that Christ will return to Earth physically as a ‘thief in the night’. Yet, many misunderstand to who this refers; believers or unbelievers? Context shows us.
In Matthew 24, it is all about the Second Coming of Christ and not about the Pre-Tribulation Rapture. In verse 29, we see that these prophesied future events will take place AFTER the Tribulation period.
Jesus says in verse 29, “Immediately AFTER the tribulation of those days …”
“42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. 43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch THE THIEF would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. 44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” (Matthew 24: 42-44 KJV)
The context here is addressing UNBELIEVERS who survived the Tribulation period. To them Jesus’ Second coming will be a shocker. It will be as a thief in the night as they are unprepared for the event.
We also see Apostle Paul telling believers about the Day of the Lord in verses 1-3 below, which is the time period between the start of the Tribulation and the end of the 1000 year reign of Christ on Earth in the future. This includes the Tribulation Period (which starts with ‘peace and safety as Antichrist takes power and half way through turns to the evil he really is all about.) and includes the Second Coming of Christ event that they understood from the Torah. The first 3 verses are describing UNBELIEVERS who will not be taken up by Christ at the Harpazo Rapture. And then Paul switches to BELIEVERS. This is the right context.
“1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. 2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.”
》》 4 BUT YE, BRETHREN, ARE NOT in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.” (1 Thessalonians 5: 1-6 KJV)
》 Believers know the Lord is coming!
And we are COMPLETE IN CHRIST (Colossians 2) and are children of the light. And for us BELIEVERS IN CHRIST, “…God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,” (1 Thessalonians 5: 9 KJV)
Paul continues in the same chapter offering words of COMFORT to the believers in contrast to Jesus warnings in Matthew 24.
》 Unbelievers are warned to obtain Salvation before it is too late.
For UNBELIEVERS Christ’s appearing will be a shock! As a thief in the night. Warnings are given in Matthew 24 to the unsaved,
“48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; 49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; 50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, 51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 24: 48-51 KJV)
This is describing a delay of time between the end of the Tribulation Period and the Return of Christ. Only those who endure in belief that Christ is coming will be saved. Some will waiver in their belief and be lost as we see in Matthew 25 and the Parable of the 10 Virgins. Some teach that as the Rapture event, but they are wrong by the context of Matthew 24:29.
Struggling With Sin? You do not want too. You want to stop. You still fail. What to do?
As a believer in eternal security from the very moment of belief on Christ’s finished work (Ephesians 1:13-14), there has been a drastic change in our Spirit, in our inner person which has been born again. Made a New Creature and MADE the very righteousness of God IN CHRIST. This NEW US which Apostle Paul calls THE SPIRIT is real.
Are we perfect in the Spirit? God says YES. How about our minds though? Our minds still need renewing by the Word of God. Our mind is where our beliefs are. The new us at our core being has been changed but we still have ‘wrong old thoughts and wrong old beliefs’ about many things. By reading the Word of God we start seeing who Christ has transformed us into. Now FREE FOREVER from our debt of sins we ‘change our mind’ (the very definition of the Bible English word REPENT) about many things as we read the Bible and see God’s truth as the Holy Spirit COMFORTS us.
These changes in beliefs work outwardly into our lives effortlessly as by believing right will result in how see things and determine decisions and how we respond to others in love. Our inner beliefs allow God to work through us and so we do the good works Christ has set before us to accomplish.
Salvation happens in a moment. Our core being made eternal by belief on Christ’s FINISHED WORK (John 3:14-18, 1 Cor. 15:1-4, Eph. 1:13-14) but our sanctification is an ongoing process in our life as we change our mind by the truth of the Word of God that the Holy Spirit guides to BELIEVE.
We need to focus on God’s Grace and not our failures in sin.
When we focus on not sinning it is the same as following The Law and the Bible is clear that the result is we will sin more, not less. It is the opposite of how the world thinks. The world view is all about our performance. Do good to be good. Keep in mind that it is Satan who is the ruler of this world.
“Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become EXCEEDING SINFUL. For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.” (Romans 7:12-14 KJV)
“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)
As believers, we are not under the Old Covenant of Law following by self righteous efforts. We are under the New Covenant which has replaced the Old Covenant. We are under the GRACE OF GOD through Jesus Christ. So when you fall into sin, God wants us to be focusing on a Christ conscious, not a sin conscious. This means that when you struggle with sin (we all will), God wants you to be conscious that in Christ you have forgiveness of sins through His blood. ALL your sins were already paid IN FULL by Christ on the cross 2000 years ago. God foreknew every sin you will commit in your life, before you were born. And Jesus paid for them ALL.
God wants us to be conscious that “…the was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)
When we are Christ-conscious, we will have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:” (Romans 5:1 KJV)
We believe that we are the righteousness of God in Christ.
“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Cor. 5:21 KJV)
So when you STRUGGLE with sin and feel a failure, don’t be overly conscious of your failure and feel bad or condemned. Instead, be conscious of who you are in Christ, pick yourself up, dust yourself off and continue your walk with God!
Confess your sins to God which means to AGREE that you sinned. Sorry you sinned, ask God to help you overcome the temptation in the future. Focus on His love for you and His grace and you will find yourself sinning less.
WE NEED TO ENTER GOD’S REST. THAT IS WHAT BELIEVERS SHOULD FEAR.
“Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.” (Hebrews 4:1 KJV)
Yes. Think about Peter. He believed Jesus was the Messiah and as such was saved. Yet he denied Christ not once but three times swearing before men. Jesus always foretold Peter he would deny Him three times but that He prayed for Peter to come back in faith after feeling such shame for doing it. And Peter was restored to strengthen the other disciples. He did not lose Salvation. He was eternally saved by his BELIEF on Christ as Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3, repetitively, regarding how a person is born again and justified in Salvation.
What about Matthew 10:33?
“But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 10:33 KJV)
As believers, knowing what Christ went through to save us on that cross, shedding His blood for us, we hope that we would have enough courage to withstand persecution, even unto death. However, if a person is tortured for their belief in Christ and denies Christ verbally, yet in their heart still fully believes, are they still saved? Jesus paid such a high price in the greatest love there is for us. Would He deny a saved believer for verbally denying Christ under such duress?
The TYPE of denial matters in understanding this subject. Jesus was talking to the disciples right? Keep in mind Judas Iscariot. He did not deny Christ out of fear or distress. His act of betrayal for silver was a complete denial. Although Judas was with Christ, traveled with the disciples and Jesus, he never believed Jesus was the Messiah. He was not a saved believer. And even though he felt remorse and guilt for being responsible for Jesus horrible death, he still did not believe He was the Messiah and committed suicide unsaved.
Do you see the contrast between Peter’s denial and Judas’ denial of Christ. Yes! It is about BELIEF and not outside appearances. Don’t get me wrong, we should all stand up for our belief in Christ. The Gospel is the power to be saved eternally! Yet. I am saying God looks at a person’s heart. Not everyone is strong enough to withstand torture and persecution. They may act one way outwardly to protect themselves but inwardly they are a true believer.
