Salvation Through Christ
Author: Don Gerrity
Faith That Works
Is Adding The Law Of Moses To How We Are Saved Wrong?
If you look through all the Epistles of Paul it is very evident that he taught that Salvation is by faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ, without works nor rituals of any kind. Obeying The Law Of Moses (Including the Ten Commandments) will not save a person because it is impossible for us to do that with the sin nature we all have. That all of us are sinners headed for the judgement of God, God’s wrath, and are desperately wicked. That Salvation is something that happens in a moment of time and at that moment of Repentance (changing mind/view about sin) by accepting through faith the forgiveness of all your life’s sins by the act of atonement Jesus provided to us all for the remission of sins (Matthew 26:28). This is what Paul taught. Let’s look at some of the many Scriptures and teachings of Paul on this subject and you can see for yourself.
“For by GRACE are ye saved THOROUGH 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)
“For there is ONE God,and ONE mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself A RANSOM for all, to be testified in due time. (1 Timothy 2: 5-6 KJV)
“Now to the one who WORKS, his wage is NOT RECKONED on the basis of GRACE, but as what is DUE. But to the one who DOES NOT WORK, but BELIEVES in Him (Jesus) WHO JUSTIFIES the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as RIGHTEOUSNESS.” (Romans 4:4-5 KJV)
“Knowing that a man is NOT JUSTIFIED BY THE WORKS OF The Law Of Moses, but BY THE FAITH OF JESUS CHRIST, even we have BELIEVED in Jesus Christ, that we might BE JUSTIFIED by the FAITH OF CHRIST, and NOT BY THE WORKS OF The Law Of Moses: FOR BY THE WORKS OF The Law Of Moses SHALL NO FLESH BE JUSTIFIED.. But if, while we seek to be justified BY CHRIST, we ourselves also are FOUND SINNERS, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make MYSELF a transgressor. For I through The Law Of Moses am dead to The Law Of Moses, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but CHRIST LIVETH IN ME: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for IF RIGHTEOUSNESS COME BY The Law Of Moses, THEN CHRIST DIED IN VAIN.” (Galatians 2:16-21 KJV)
“I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, LET HIM BE ACCURSED.” (Galatians 2:6-8 KJV)
In Galatians, there were those who came and started telling the believers that in order to be saved, the practices of The Law Of Moses are also required and not faith alone in Christ. That is that works and rituals of The Law Of Moses are also still required. Paul called this a ‘perversion’ of the Gospel of Christ. He called it ‘another Gospel’, that is to say a fake gospel message. And he says that it is a very serious matter. So serious that those that add anything to the Gospel message of faith in Christ alone as the way to Salvation are to be ‘accursed’. If a person’s righteousness come by following The Law Of Moses , then Christ died for our sins, in vain. If a person believes they can work away their sin debt by following The Law Of Moses (by doing good works and being a good person) they do so in complete PRIDE. They are saying they have a self righteousness that will lead to Salvation because they are following The Law Of Moses. They are saying that Christ’s Sacrifice for our sins was not sufficient. God forbid! This will never work.
1 John 3:9: ‘Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin’
“Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” (1 John 3:7-9 KJV)
1 John 3:7-9 is a difficult passage of Scripture and many haven fallen for false cults and false teaching that use this to tell people that if you sin after Salvation, that you are not saved. There are a few of interpretations of this passage but only one is correct. Some believe that just one sin after Salvation and a person loses their Salvation. That is the most obvious one that is false because Salvation is ETERNAL and this view is not found anywhere in the New Testament.
What Is Being Addressed In 1 John?
John was writing to already eternally saved believers and it is important to understand that the context of John’s letter is to thwart a heresy that false teachers were trying to get these true believers to accept. This heresy is called Gnosticism. This is the sin that John is referring too in his letter. Those believing this heresy.
Gnosticism in incompatible with Biblical Christianity because Gnostics do not believe that a person can be born again through Christ. Gnostics refute the very deity of Christ. They also refute that a born again believer is indwelled by the Holy Spirit. They deny that we are saved because Christ died in our place and took on the punishment for our sins but instead rely on extra Biblical ‘secret knowledge’ they say has been imparted to them as if they are special somehow. This was a big heresy in the early church and is being shown as false by John in encouragement to true believers.
The Gnostics teachings were causing fear in some of the believers and had them questioning their faith on Christ alone for Salvation. John is exposing this false heresy to these believers who he is addressing.
John Cannot Be Teaching Sinless Perfection To Be A Believer By Context
John is not telling us that if we are believers that we will not have any sin. Some are teaching this but are completely wrong and are having a severe lack of using proper context. Why? We do not have to look far to refute that John is not teaching sinless perfection is required or a person is not saved. Let’s just go back to 1 John 1 for proper context.
“If we say that WE HAVE NO SIN, WE DECEIVE OURSELVES, AND THE TRUTH IS NOT IN US. If we CONFESS OUR SINS, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, AND HIS WORD IS NOT IN US.” (1 John 1:8-10 KJV)
Now that right there is the true context. The Gnostics were teaching there is no sin to worry about. John is refuting this false teaching to eternally saved believers, not to unbelievers. John is not flip flopping in his writing and he is not contradicting himself later in 1 John 3 either. The truth is a believer still has wrong beliefs in the MIND that need renewing (Romans 12, John 17:17) and our mind will not be perfected until our bodily resurrection and so until then a believer will still at times commit sin in the body. Yet, that does not mean our new born again Spirit of has loss righteousness! We did nothing but believe on Christ to receive it in the first place (John 3:14-18, Ephesians 1:13-14, 2 Cor. 5:17-21). An eternally saved, born again in the Spirit Christian, will still sin. That does not affect our righteousness before God but it can affect our fellowship because when we sin, we feel guilt because that is not who we truly are anymore in our core being, The Spirit. We recognize that we sinned. It is at that moment where our belief in Christ is truly tested. John encourages us to not ‘run FROM God’ but to ‘run TO God’ and confess our sins. That is to agree with God that you sinned. And then ask God to help us overcome that temptation next time. This is not asking God to forgive each and every sin and if we miss, one we lose salvation either. Remember, we were forgiven ALL our sins from the moment we believed on Christ. It was a ONCE FOR ALL blood atoning sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10) for all the sins of the whole world as John earlier stated in 1 John 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)
Here again we see proper context because 1 John 2 comes before 1 John 3 right? John cannot be stating that anyone who claims to believe on Christ, yet sins, has lost salvation in 1 John 3. So what is John trying to convey to us? This is where some teachings go all over the place and the reason is Bible Translations differ. We need to get to the bottom of this issue to see it more clearly and to make sure we are reading 1 John 3 in the proper context.
Is John Writing About Habitual Sin or Practicing sin?
Some think 1 John 3:7-9 is about habitual sin or practicing sin. But that is because newer Bibles translations are corrupted and this verse is completely differently than the King James Version or the Geneva Bible which are the earliest and most reliable Bibles. This is yet another good example of why not to use modern day Bible translations, and at the very least to always fall back on the KJV for the truth in Scripture regarding foundations of the Gospel and faith in Jesus Christ for our justification.
Let’s compare shall we?
“Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” (1 John 3:9 KJV)
“Whosoever is born of God sinneth not: for his seed remaineth in him, neither can he sin, because he is born of God.” (1 John 3:9 GNV)
“No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.” (1 John 3:9 NIV)
“No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” (1 John 3:9 NASB)
“Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God.” (1 John 3:9 NLT)
Keep in mind that the Bible does not contradict itself. And again, John is not contradicting himself either because of earlier in 1 John 1 ,
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8 KJV)
So the modern day translations have it all wrong. John is not talking about practicing sin or sinning habitually. Of course, it subtly is similar in that our new Spirit wants to not sin and a believer will feel that war going on IN OUR MIND (Romans 7). It is a true sign you are a believer actually.
A person who does not believe on Christ has not received the new inner man, that is the newly created Spirit of God where all things have become new.
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” ( 2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV)
An unbeliever just does want they feel like doing, without regard for their performing acts of the sin nature. It is their very nature to sin. You see we do not sin and thus have a sin nature. People sin because they have a sin nature as their inner man. But when a person believes on Christ and receives the free gift of Salvation, we are made as a new creature and receive a new Spirit who is the new us.
This is what 1 John 3:9 is all about. John is talking about the NEW CREATION we received at the moment of our Salvation (Ephesians 1:13-14). The new spirit nature we now have which is the “seed of God”.
1 John 3:7-9 IS NOT A THREAT. IT IS AN ENCOURAGEMENT AGAINST BELIEVING IN GNOSTICISM
It is a truth of encouragement! The Gnostics were teaching that Jesus indwelling believers was not true and John is refuting this! The indwelling Holy Spirit is a born again Christians central truth! The Holy Spirit indwells believers and our new spirit CANNOT SIN and NEVER DOES SIN. In opposition to the Gnostics teaching, a born again believer was made the very righteousness of God, in Christ (2 Cor. 5:21). Our new born again Spirit is the seed of God Himself and never directs us to sin. The Spirit directs us to right living!
We cannot attain sinless perfection, which is a false doctrine, and that is not what John is telling us here. Again, in proper context, John is refuting the beliefs of the Gnostic teachers. He is telling them, and us today, that our old self (which the Bible calls Adam and The Flesh) directs people to sin. But since our conversion, God made us into a new creature called the Spirit and the Spirit always wants to live righteously because it is the very righteousness of God, IN CHRIST. This in reality is the new us.
It is clear by the context of previous chapters in 1 John, that John is not saying a believer must be SINLESS or they are not saved. Given the fact that he is refuting the false teachings of the Gnostics in 1 John, we must see the context as the same. The “sin” we read in 1 John 3 is believing the Gnostics false teachings. That is the sin because in doing so it is complete unbelief in the deity of Christ and what HE did on that cross for us.A true born again believer knows that the very core of the Gospel is Christ is God. A true believer will never deny the deity of Christ because without that truth there is no salvation at all. The sin John is writing about is believing in Gnosticism which he is refuting. John does not write ‘sins’ (plural) he wrote ‘sin’ (singular). John is talking about the sin of belief in Gnosticism.
“Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” (1 John 3:9 KJV)
Reading this in this light, John is just saying that no born again believer can accept Gnosticism. A believer already has the seed of God and Holy Spirit indwelling and residing within them. Gnosticism denies the deity of Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of a believer. And anyone who does accept Gnosticism has committed a sin and they are not even born again. In fact, they were never saved in the first place because they deny that Christ is the only begotten Son of God who IS GOD just as the same John explained in John 1.
The Newly Created Spirit At Salvation Is The New Us
In Romans 7, an often overlooked truth comes to light. And it is this truth that sheds a blinding light on 1 John 3:9. Paul is teaching the Doctrine of the Two Natures at war in a Believer. Think Paul had sinless perfection? Think again. Let us have a look at what Paul wrote for us to read:
“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.
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.
I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”
(Romans 7: 12-25 KJV)
The Doctrine Of The War In The Mind of a Believer Between The Two Natures.
Paul is showing us a doctrinal truth here. You see after our Salvation we have a war going on between our old Flesh thoughts, Adam, our Old Self Nature (which died with Christ (Romans 6, Colossians 2) and our New born again Spirit. We still have the ADAM nature thoughts in our mind which is called The Flesh and The New Eternal Spirit Nature we received at our moment of Salvation. The truth is that the real us now, is the New Eternal Spirit Nature. This Spirit of God within us NEVER SINS nor wants to sin but our Flesh in Adam does. That is why Paul shows us clearly that there is a constant battle going on in the believer, a sure sign you are saved. The new us, the newly created Spirit from the moment of our Salvation, wants to do only what is right Holy and good. It does not want to sin, nor does it sin.
We are told in Colossians 2, that when Christ died on the cross, we died WITH HIM. When He rose from the dead, we rose with Him in newness of life. Now what does that mean? We are still here on Earth are we not? This is talking about our Spirit.
“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: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin ONCE: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:6-11 KJV)
Our ‘old self’, that is our ‘old man’, died on that cross and we were given the newly created Spirit of God which is from the seed of God Himself. We have a NEW self. And it wants to please God. Yet our flesh still remains within us. Our new spirit wars with our flesh. The battle is real. If a person does not feel this battle over temptations and sins then they are not saved.
“Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.” (1 Corinthians 15:50 KJV)
One day each of us will die (unless Raptured first). Does the body of a believer go to be with the Lord in heaven at our physical death? No. Why? Because it is corrupted by this disease passed down from Adam called SIN. What about our new spirit? Well Paul tells us that our New Eternal Spirit Nature goes to be with the Lord because it is perfect (the seed of God within us). Nothing less than sinless perfection can enter Heaven because Heaven is a perfect place.
“We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”
( 2 Corinthians 5:8 KJV)
And then ONE DAY Jesus will return and our body will be resurrected into the perfect incorruptible body like Jesus now has. A new body WITHOUT the SIN NATURE which is identified in Scripture as ‘The Flesh’. We will be Raptured (snatched us up with force) in the twinkling of an eye and be changed and will finally be perfect and whole as our Lord is perfect. Sinning will become an impossibility for us. Think about that a moment… it is so hard to believe while we are living here on Earth with our Flesh still affecting us! Yet, it is going to happen!
“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.” (1 Corinthians 15:52 KJV)
This is what 1 John 3:9 is talking about. It is the New Eternal Spirit Nature given to us from God that NEVER SINS and cannot sin because it is the nature of God; Holy and Righteous perfectly. John is telling us that this is the true reality we are currently in and so why not work toward living in the New Spirit Nature we really are (that God has MADE US to be through Salvation in Christ) and cast off living by what the old man, The Flesh, tempts us with. Stop sinning as a normal thing to do that comes so easily for a non believer. Paul says to WALK BY THE SPIRIT TO AVOID THE LUSTS OF THE FLESH. This is what he meant by that.
Strive to be who God actually MADE US until our resurrection. We will not do it perfectly and we will fall into sin at times, willful or not! The Apostle Paul struggled with sin just as you or I do!
Yet remember this truth as fact. Jesus will never leave us nor forsake us. Though we still fall at times and sin. The Holy Spirit of God is always within us. As 1 John 4 later reads ,
“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)
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GOD HATES RELIGION! SHOCKED?
This statement is very true according to the Bible. The most religious people of Jesus’ times on Earth were the Pharisees and what does Jesus say to them?
“O generation of VIPERS, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.” (Matthew 12: 34-36 KJV)
He called them VIPERS out for the kill. Coveting for money and instilling fear to accomplish this. And then we see Jesus get quite upset at these religious leaders in Matthew 23:
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.
Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.” (Matthew 23: 29-39 KJV)
Look at those TOUGH TOUGH words of Jesus! We see here clearly just how much God hates religion! Religion is man working their way through self righteous deeds to be justified with God. But that is the sin of PRIDE, the same sin that caused Lucifer (the shining angel closet to Gods thrown) to become Satan (our adversary and hater of God and humans). And more than that, the leaders in these religions that are coveting for money and power are even worse. Just as Jesus warned Israel, in 70 AD, the Jewish people were dispersed into other nations and have been until recently when in May of 1948, when the main prophecy triggering the End Times Generation was fulfilled, Israel once again became a nation and the Jewish people in other nations have been returning.
Many people believe that the Bible is not true and that Jesus is not God. Many who do not believe though are simply seeing the irony, hypocrisy and corruption in Christian religious organizations and denominations. They see Christians in general as ‘pious’ pointing their noses down at unbelievers and people who ‘think they are better’ and they attribute that with the Word of God. But is that the truth? No, it is not. It is the Christian RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS pushing the negativity. Telling others to BE GOOD or GOD WILL GET YOU! Yet, all the while we hear of child molestation in the church, preachers caught with hookers and worse. Do not get me wrong. I am not talking about ALL priests and pastors who are truly serving God. GOD BLESS THEM!! But to the unsaved people out there, this is all they hear on the news. It is all they see and it makes them angry. Heck, it makes ME ANGRY!
The real problem here is that the vast majority of Christian religious organizations and denominations are not teaching the Biblical Gospel of Grace that Apostle Paul taught. Most of these organizations teach false gospel messages such as the rampant prosperity gospel (God wants to make you rich) of TV evangelists, the extreme coveting of works based salvation gospel (It is what you DO that matters. Do more good than bad and then MAYBE you will make it to heaven), the word of faith movement false gospel (just say the right words with ENOUGH faith) and the list goes on and on.
Why is it that so many are being deceived? The reason is no one is reading their Bible anymore! Most people have a Bible but it just collects dust. And so, many pulpits can take any verses they want. Standing alone with a verse taken out of context of the whole chapter or book of the Bible can make it say anything they like because no one is checking if what they are teaching is actually Biblical or not!
I can tell you I was shocked when I started reading the Word of God and how the religion I was in was completely teaching against the Gospel of Grace that God gave us gentiles through the Apostle Paul. SHOCKED!
“For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. But not as the offence, so also is the FREE GIFT. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the GRACE OF God, and THE GIFT BY GRACE, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is THE GIFT: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the FREE GIFT is of many offences unto JUSTIFICATION.”
(Romans 5:10-16 KJV)
You see Salvation is not something we can accomplish by our own self righteous efforts nor by following a set of religious rituals. Salvation and JUSTIFICATION with God is a FREE GIFT!
“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)
“Now to the one who WORKS, his wage is NOT RECKONED on the basis of GRACE, but as what is DUE. But to the one who DOES NOT WORK, but BELIEVES in Him (Jesus) WHO JUSTIFIES the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as RIGHTEOUSNESS.” (Romans 4:4-5 KJV)
“Knowing that a man is NOT JUSTIFIED BY THE WORKS OF THE LAW, but BY THE FAITH OF JESUS CHRIST, even we have BELIEVED in Jesus Christ, that we might BE JUSTIFIED by the FAITH OF CHRIST, and NOT BY THE WORKS OF THE LAW: FOR BY THE WORKS OF THE LAW SHALL NO FLESH BE JUSTIFIED.. But if, while we seek to be justified BY CHRIST, we ourselves also are FOUND SINNERS, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make MYSELF a transgressor. For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but CHRIST LIVETH IN ME: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for IF RIGHTEOUSNESS COME BY THE LAW, THEN CHRIST DIED IN VAIN.” (Galatians 2:16-21 KJV)
The very definition of GRACE is an UNMERITED FAVOR. The definition of a GIFT is, well a free gift to be RECEIVED. And the definition of ETERNAL LIFE is… ETERNAL LIFE!
“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” (John 17:3 KJV)
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.” (John 10:27-30 KJV)
“That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 5:21 KJV)
“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified BY HIS GRACE, we should be made HEIRS according to the hope of ETERNAL LIFE. This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men. But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings ABOUT THE LAW; for they are UNPROFITABLE AND VAIN.” (Titus 3:5-9 KJV)
The Law spoken of here is the Law of Moses. Many know of this to be The Ten Commandments but it also includes hundreds of other rules that the Jewish people aspired to uphold, yet in vain. You see The Law of Moses and Ten Commandments are HOLY and RIGHT. However, the Bible is clear that trying to do the Law perfectly is impossible and will not MAKE a person Holy.
In fact, the Bible tells us that “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. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory THROUGH our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:56-57 KJV)
I can tell you that the first time I read that I was floored! God gave us the Ten Commandments so that wrong doing would abound and increase? What?! All those years being taught to follow the Ten Commandments and not commit a “mortal sin” to finally read the Bible myself and find that the Apostle Paul told us that ‘The STRENGTH of SIN.. IS THE LAW?’ The Ten Commandments even? I never heard that one in a church service!
The truth is, “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we may be justified BY FAITH. BUT AFTER that faith is come, we are NO LONGER under a schoolmaster.” (Galatians 3:24-25 KJV)
God gave us the Law so we would stop comparing our “goodness” with ‘other bad people’ and instead compare our goodness with Holy God Almighty. And I can tell you WE ALL FAIL MISERABLY trying to attain righteousness through our own self righteous efforts in good works, deeds and religious rituals in an organized religion.
“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)
The Ten Commandments ARE HOLY but cannot MAKE YOU HOLY! They actually show us just ow sinful we are. Heaven is a perfect place and to go to heaven we must be PERFECT. But we are NOT perfected by doing good works. The Bible says that the “wages of sin is death” not “good works and religious rituals”. DEATH and the Greek for the word DEATH here is ETERNAL DEATH. The good works we do will not erase any sin that we have committed. NEVER! Is your church pulpit teaching otherwise? If so, just read the Bible for yourself and discover the truth!
“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)
In John 6:28-29 Jesus makes this clear when asked “…`What can we do in order to do what God wants us to do? Jesus answered, `What God wants you to do is to believe in the one He sent.” (John 6:28-29 KJV)
The Apostle Paul is VERY clear that Salvation and justification with God is not by ANY of our own efforts. It is all by faith through the grace of God through Jesus The Christ crucified.
“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)
Jesus Himself also said clearly the way to attain Salvation in John 3:
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever BELIEVETH in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 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 3:14-18 KJV)
Look how many times the word BELIEVE is used in this very direct message of how to be saved and ‘born again’. Believe in what? What is the object of our faith that we should believe in? ‘Whosoever believes in CHRIST’, God in the flesh, and the only atonement for the sins of the world that He provided for us on the cross. The fact is, you do not even need to say a prayer to be saved. The Bible never tells us that we need a sinners prayer. Yes, it is okay to pray the sinners prayer. Do not write me angry letters now. I am just making a point here and it is that the Bible tells us that all that is required for Salvation and justification with God is to BELIEVE by faith what Christ accomplished on the cross for us as God in the flesh. He paid the penalty for our sins so that we did not have to. And then He MADE US the very righteousness of God, in CHRIST. The liberty I felt once I knew the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ was like a weight coming off my sinful back. The best word to describe the moment when the lights came on in my mind by the Word of God is FREEDOM!!
I mean before being saved and even now, I am a pretty decent guy. But even so, I still have sin. Don’t you? The Bible says it only takes ONE sin to disqualify us fro Heaven. That means ALL Of US until we accept Salvation as a gift. Doing so is actually giving up on trying to appease an angry God. I felt freedom from trying to work my way into God’s favor. I am now highly favored and accepted by God. I am DEEMED BY GOD to be HOLY RIGHTEOUS and REDEEMED, even when I fail. Even when I fall into a sin. Christ eradicated my sin debt. THANK GOD!! I could NEVER do it myself!
“To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.” (Ephesians 1:6 KJV)
Are you attending a church that is NOT teaching this? If so, LEAVE that dead church! Experience the freedom provided by the Gospel of Jesus Christ from the Word of God, not from men using Scriptures out of context to covet for money and church membership by instilling FEAR into the members without giving the assurance of eternal life. FEAR is the opposite of FAITH.
As 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)
You see it? If the SON (Jesus The Christ) shall MAKE YOU FREE. The key word here is MAKE. We do not make ourselves Holy and justified with God through our own efforts. NO! By believing on the atonement for sin provided by Christ Jesus on that cross, Jesus MADE US FREE from the bondage of sin. He paid our entire life of sinful deeds, even our future sins not yet committed (all sins are future to the cross right?)
We do not have to FEAR God once we believe in Christ. We have been MADE RIGHTEOUS and are Heaven bound! Those preaching FEAR and saying we cannot know if we will be good enough to make it to Heaven are so VERY WRONG! Thinking and believing that way; I can guarantee that you will NOT make it to Heaven. We CAN KNOW if we are saved and John makes this clear to us:
“These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that YE MAY KNOW that ye HAVE ETERNAL LIFE, and that ye may BELIEVE on the name of the Son of God.” (1 John 5:13 KJV)
Do not take my words in this article on my own merit. NO! Go read the Word of God! Go read 1 John 5. Go read John 3. It is the Word of God that has the very words of eternal life and justification with God through the Salvation provided by the Son of God, Jesus The Christ (the anointed one and God in the flesh).
TRUTH ABOUT: Willfully Sinning After Salvation.
The truth is Jesus Christ forgave ALL our sins. In fact, Jesus paid for the sins of not just the believers but for the whole world.
“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)
Remember that all our sins are future to Christ on the cross when He paid the penalty for the sins of the whole world. And so, even the sins we have not yet committed but will commit in our future were also PAID IN FULL on the cross. When Jesus said, IT IS FINISHED, the Greek meaning is PAID IN FULL. Jesus did not provide a partial penalty payment!
We know that after Salvation we should try our best not to sin. Grace is not a license to sin. We hear that all the time. But that does not mean after Salvation that a believer wants to and loves to sin. NO! If a person feels that way.. they need to question their belief and Salvation through Christ.
A believer will hate it when they do sin! Yes believers sin! The Holy Spirit will discipline a believer when they do. What I mean is, when a believer sins we feel horrible and guilty about it. We go to God and confess to God that we blew it…again, and to help us not repeat the sin. However, we should be confident that all our sins will never again keep us from heaven. It can affect our fellowship with God. But our Salvation is eternal and never to be lost.
Here is an analogy. A father says to his child, do not play in the street. It is a rule. DO NOT play in the street! Why does a father or mother restrict like that? Because he/her loves his children and does not want them to get hurt by oncoming cars right?
Now one day, the child played in the street and a car hit the child. The child received a broken arm. What does the father do now? Run out and tell the child they are kicked out of the family and banished from home?? Of course not!
Question… is this person still a child of the parents? Well, yes of course! The Father is grieved because the child disobeyed and is not hurt by their wrongful action even though they were told a command not to play in the street. So as a grieved father what does he do? He holds the child, tells them I told you! But then the father hugs the child and supports the child until they are better because the father loves his child. The Father is always wanting to help his children.
This is what is meant when the Bible says,
“And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.:” (Ephesians 4:30 KJV)
You notice that in this verse it mentions not to grieve the Holy Spirit but it ALSO mentions we are SEALED unto the day of redemption. We do not lose Salvation based on our sins. It grieves God? YES. Does God kick you out of the family of God because of sin? NO.
The penalty for sins was ALREADY PAID IN FULL on the cross.
Just Ask Jesus Unto Your Heart To Be Saved? NO!
Ever hear a preacher or TV evangelist tell people to just ‘Ask Jesus Into Your Heart’ to be saved? Those teaching the False Word of Faith movement do this as well.
If a person asks Jesus Into their hearts.. are they then saved?
With truly Biblically saved people, The Holy Spirit indwells within us. Yes. If you take ‘heart’ to mean ‘spirit’, as in the real us inside, I can see this thought to an extent. However…Jesus did not ‘come into our heart’ at the moment of Salvation. No…He gave us a NEWLY CREATED SPIRIT!
“In whom ye also TRUSTED, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that YE BELIEVED, ye were SEALED with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the EARNEST of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-16 KJV)
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a NEW CREATURE: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV)
I am just making the point that asking Jesus into our heart alone is a false Salvation INVITATION that many false gospel preachers teach. It is a subtle deception. Show a Scripture that says that is how we are saved… there is none. Here is what JESUS HIMSELF says. Again, it is Scripture and not my personal thoughts.
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever BELIEVETH in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 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 3:14-18 KJV)
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and BELIEVETH on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is PASSED FROM DEATH UNTO LIFE.” (John 5:24 KJV)
“… 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 6:40 KJV)
Those who , BELIEVE and accept Jesus Christ as the only atonement for our sin. Those that BELIEVE Jesus as the Only begotten Son of God, was born of the virgin Mary, born without the sin curse passed down since the fall in the Garden of Eden. Those that BELIEVE that Jesus died on the cross and at that time accepted the punishment for the sins of the whole world and took upon Himself our sins. Instead of God punishing us for our sins, He became a human (Jesus the Christ) and bore our deserved punishment so that His perfect justice would be served. Those that ACCEPT this eternal pardon of sin IN BELIEF are now called now ‘the saved’, ‘the redeemed of God’ and the ‘righteous’.
Notice a prayer alter call to ‘Ask Jesus into your heart’ is not mentioned nor even required for Salvation. The Holy Spirit comes and indwells within our NEWLY CREATED Spirit from the very moment of BELIEF and from that moment the goal is the ‘renewing of our mind’..our sanctification.
Some hear ‘Ask Jesus into your heart’, yet do not understand who Jesus is or why doing so saves. TV evangelists in the false word of faith movement and many many pulpits ask this as an invitation to Salvation, but it does not save people!
Our heart? What does Scripture say about our heart before being saved?
“For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: 20 These are the things which defile a man: ” (Matthew 15:19-20 KJV)
I agree that Jesus is within me and all believers; the Holy Spirit and comforter as Jesus promised. YES!
My only point is asking Jesus into our hearts as a means of Salvation…without knowing about the atonement for sins through Christ will not save a person and many many are preaching a false Gospel such as word of faith teachers and are deceiving people for money. That is called the sin of coveting!
Readers do not be deceived. Salvation is only by belief in THE FREE GIFT of Salvation through Christ Jesus who atoned and paid for our sins and MADE us the very righteousness of God..in Christ.
“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)
“For he hath MADE HIM him to be sin FOR US, who knew no sin; that we might BE MADE the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN HIM.” (2 Corinthians 5:21 KJV)
See how subtle the devil works to deceive people?
RELATED TOPICS…
Is The Law Of Moses & Ten Commandments A Believer’s School Master?
Every hear someone say that we must obey the Law of Moses to be saved because the Law is our school master?
Well, the Law of Moses is our school master BEFORE we were saved. But is that still true AFTER we have been saved?
“The sting of death is sin; and the STRENGTH OF SIN IS THE LAW. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:56-57 KJV)
If the strength of sin is the Law, then why would that be true after we are saved. The Ten Commandments show us our sinfulness and our need for a Savior because no one has ever kept the entire Law of Moses, except for God Himself in the person of Jesus, the Christ.
And NO, the Law is NOT our school master AFTER we are saved.
“Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christthat we may be justified by faith. , BUT AFTER that faith is come, we are NO LONGER under a schoolmaster.” (Galatians 3:24-25 KJV)
“For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” (Romans 6:14 KJV)
What Are The Types of God’s Books And Two Judgement Seats
Is there a difference between the Book of the Living (The Book Of Life) and the Lamb’s Book Of Life?
Some teach that they are the same book. But when you look at context closely, it appears they are NOT the same book at all. If you look at Psalm 139, we see the Biblical reason that our human existence is from our very conception – not our physical birth. God knows us, even in the womb! And in great detail, before our actual body parts were even formed in the womb!
“Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was NONE OF THEM.” (Psalm 139:16 KJV)
Notice it says that we were written in God’s Book of the Living, before we were formed in the womb. But does that mean that every person conceived will find themselves in Heaven? No. Does it mean every person is written in the Lambs Book Of Life from their conception? No. But God FOREKNEW EVERYTHING, you see?
God foreknew you before you were physically born. He gives us all FREE WILL to choose the gift of Salvation through Christ or to reject the gift. In John 3, Jesus is clear, that it is “WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH ON HIM HAS ETERNAL LIFE”. The word ‘whosoever’ is clear yes? There is a choice to be made by our FREE WILL. God did not create a person to be damned before they were created. He created a person with a free will to choose.
God may already know the choice they will make, but the person makes that choice; not God. Jesus had Judas join the disciples. God foreknew what Judas would do. God foreknew that Judas rejected Christ as Messiah, as God in the Flesh. God knew that Judas would do this thousands of years earlier in Bible Prophecy. And Judas did what God foreknew that He would. God put what he would do in Old Testament Bible Prophecy regarding the coming Messiah to prove He is the true God. But that does not mean that God predestined Judas to hell before he was created!
Judas was lost, but it was his own choice. Peter denied Jesus three times right? Jesus told him he would. See, God knows everything a person will do before they do it! But Peter is seen earlier proclaiming Jesus is the Christ, God in the flesh. By this belief he was saved eternally (John 3:18) that very moment.
And God FOREKNEW ALL that would accept and reject this great gift through Christ crucified and risen, before you we were even born. It is simply that God knows everything you will do in your life. EVERYTHING. NOTHING TAKES HIM BY SURPRISE FOLKS! There is fear and coomfort in that. Fear if you are unsaved and comfort if you are saved!
God already knows who will be saved and who will be lost. God exists outside of time, because He created time. He is the Alpha and Omega; the beginning and the end. God sees all time as NOW. To God, believers are already with Him in Heaven. To us, we are inside of TIME and things are playing out. And in this thing called ‘time’ we live within, He gives everyone the choice and opportunity to choose Him in wisdom. But He also gives free will to choose.
So, the question is do the unsaved get blotted out of the Lambs Book of Life? Not according to Scripture. In fact, the Bible tells us that all who accept the gift of Salvation in Christ are the only one found in the Lamb’s Book of Life. And Jesus says that He will NEVER blot a person out of the Lambs Book Of Life, as an encouraging promise in Revelation 3. Yet, we see people are blotted out of the Book of the Living (The Book of Life)
Therefore, it is easy to conclude that these are two separate books God keeps. Let’s have a closer look into this to see the truth about these two separate books.
.:: God’s Book Book of the Living
Some call this the Book Of The Living as well. This Book is clearly NOT the Lamb’s Book of Life because Rev 3:5 tells us that no one’s name will be blotted out of the Lamb’s Book Of Life. But we can see that people can and are blotted out of God’s Book Of Life.
All people born since Adam are added in The Book Of The Living (The Book Of Life). It lists all who are living on Earth physically. If a person has not accepted the free gift of Salvation as a means to give the required payment for their sins, their name is blotted out of this book at the unbeliever’s death.
We see God’s Book of the Living in the Exodus story. Moses knew about this Book kept by God. When coming back down from receiving the Ten Commandments, he found that they built a golden calf and were worshiping it. After all the miracles God performed for them, after freeing them from slavery in Egypt, after walking across the Red Sea on dry land, after God parted the sea. They did this wicked thing of idol worship and God said,
“Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.” (Exodus 32:10 KJV)
And then we see that Moses asks God to forgive them. Remember that Moses was once a leader in Egypt, treated as a true son of Pharaoh. He had major guilt over using the Hebrew slaves, especially once he knew that he too was a Hebrew. Moses even killed a fellow Egyptian for mistreating a Hebrew. He truly cared for the people so much that Moses said to God in response,
“And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin–; and if not, BLOT ME, I pray thee, OUT OF THY BOOK which thou hast written. And the Lord said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I BLOT OUT OF MY BOOK.” (Exodus 32:31-33 KJV)
It is as if Moses said to God.. “I know they sinned wickedly – but take my physical life instead, in their place”. God surely understands that! He sent HIS only begotten Son, Jesus to do that for us! God also tested Abraham in the same way right?
We see that God, “…repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.” The Lord CHANGED HIS MIND, the very Biblical definition of the English translated word ‘repent’.
So it seems that the Book of Life, or the Book of the Living, contains the names of every person God creates in physical birth, and when they die physically, their name is blotted out of this book because they have sinned.
And by the way, we all have sinned right (Romans 3:23)? So why are humans still here alive if they have sinned? Are they not blotted out of the Book of the Living by God? God decides the WHEN of this judgment. We see in Hebrews that
“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” (Hebrews 9:27 KJV).
God has set a DAY and appointed a specific time, to the very second, for every single person’s physical death. Death exists because we have sin. If there were no sin, there would be no death you see? So, this blotting out of the Book of the Living is gonna happen for every person who rejects Salvation in Christ. As I will explain below in this article, those who have accepted the free gift of Salvation have already had their sins forgiven and paid in full.
Is it so hard to believe that God delays judgment? Not at all! We see it throughout the Bible. Even the unbeliever who dies, is ‘reserved for judgement’ (Job 21:30) and one day, after the 1000 year reign of Christ on Earth, after Christ returns, the Great White Throne Judgment will be held and the unbelievers will be resurrected to face condemnation. That is a long delay between judgment and sentencing right? And even if you look at when Lucifer and those angels that sided with him against God rebelled and were kicked out of Heaven, are they already judged? Yes. But what about their sentencing? That has been delayed. They are still here affecting and ruling the Earth right? But a DAY IS APPOINTED for their sentence to take place and they will be cast into the Lake of Fire on that day.
If a person accepts the free gift of Salvation through Christ their name remains in this book after their death and there name is also added to the Lamb’s Book Of Life (see below). God’s view is that He wants ALL to come to Salvation through Christ. But ultimately, the choice to accept the free gift of Salvation is ours to make because to God free will is important. He does not want robots with Him in eternity; instead He wants real relationships.
.:: The Lamb’s Book of Life
The names of people in this book are all of the eternally saved who have believed on Christ’s atonement alone (without works required) to save them from the eternal punishment of their sins.
“He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I WILL NOT BLOT OUT his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” (Revelation 3:5 KJV)
This verse tells us clearly that NO ONE IN THIS BOOK will be blotted out of this book – they are eternally saved. I know that those that do not believe in the eternal Salvation of a believer will immediately go to the passage and point out that it says only “He that ‘overcometh'” that will be found in this book. To such, I ask you, can we overcome Satan on our own efforts? Can we overcome sin that so easily entangles us with our mind still corrupt by the old DEAD sin nature thoughts? Through our own self righteous efforts? If you answer honestly, the answer must be a resounding No!…We Cannot! What does this ‘overcometh’ mean then? As with everything in Scripture, let’s look to the Bible to answer itself! In 1 John 5:4-5 we see who it is that overcometh:
“For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:4-5 KJV)
Notice that Salvation is not by works but by faith and belief in the atonement for our sins provided by the ONLY begotten Son of God, Jesus The Christ, who paid the price for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). Paid through Christ, the once for all sacrifice for our sins (Hebrews 10:10).
Ephesians makes it clear that justification positionally before God in Salvation is not something we work towards in our own self righteous efforts (doing so is called pride). Salvation is instead a FREE GRACE GIFT from God to be received!
“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)
.:: The Bema Seat Judgement Of Believers In Christ
All found in The Lamb’s Book Of Life will find themselves Raptured when Christ returns in the air. And each will attend the Bema Seat Judgement Of Believers By Christ. This is not a judgement of making it to Heaven or being condemned to Hell. All at this event are already in Heaven with new eternal resurrected bodies (with no more sin nature) with all their sins already forgiven and paid for by Christ on the cross. In fact, in Scriptures the word ‘sin’ is not even mentioned in the description of this judgement event. This judgement is about the service of believers for Christ AFTER Salvation. It is a judgement of rewards. It is a judgement of our works done for Christ AFTER Salvation. There will be rewards given and rewards lost. Some will weep because they lived carnally after their moment of accepting the free gift of Salvation through Christ and have no rewards. They will realize the lost opportunities they had. We all should think about this regarding our service to God. Are we working to bring people to the truth of the Gospel and allowing the Holy Spirit to work within us? Are we walking by the Flesh and not reading the Word of God to allow the Holy Spirit renew our mind by God’s truth?
We all should be to some extent, right? Work while their is daylight in the love of Christ because the Rapture event is coming very soon folks.. VERY SOON. The signs foretold in the Bible for the Great Tribulation period are starting to happen. The stage for the Psalm 83 war and Ezekiel 38-39 war in the Middle East is nearly set now. Israel became a nation again in 1948 as foretold thousands of years ago and is the number one big sign that we are now living in the last days. And if the Tribulation Period is almost upon us, the Rapture is even closer to being fulfilled!
.:: Individual Books God Keeps
God keeps perfect records of every moment and every thought we have had or will ever had. Although with our amazing brains we can forget what we have done or not done in the past, God’s memory is perfectly clear and God knows it all and remembers the sins of every person. Does that scare you? It should!
But isn’t God perfectly loving? Yes, God is perfectly loving which is why He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross so that we could be redeemed and forgiven our sins. However God is perfect in every way and that includes perfectly just and Holy. God loves us but He must judge our sins because God is perfect in EVERY WAY, including perfect in justice. God never changes and he must meet His own perfect character in every way.
If a person rejects God’s free gift of Salvation through the atonement provided by Christ on the cross then that person has chosen God’s judgment for their sins. This is pure PRIDE, boasting in our goodness all the while we are sinning.
Sound familiar? It is the sin of pride that made Satan and his fallen angels turn against God. If you believe you are good enough to get to Heaven (a perfect place where no sin can enter) based on our own ability and goodness, you are VERY WRONG. Sure, you can compare yourself to other people and say to yourself, ‘I am not as bad as that person’ and ‘I feel like I am a fairly good person’. But your feelings have NOTHING to do with your justification before God. Your feelings would be deceiving you and you are deceiving yourself.
Do not compare your goodness to other people. The Bible tells us clearly that “…all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:23 KJV). Instead, compare yourself to our perfectly Holy God. Look at just the Ten Commandments and see how miserably you have failed to keep them. That is the fair comparison and I can tell you, we all FAIL MISERABLY. Only the Son of God Himself kept the Ten Commandments perfectly. In fact, all the Law of Moses! As the Son of God, Jesus NEVER sinned in thought nor deed. He was the perfect sacrifice for OUR sins on that cross (Hebrews 10).
.:: The Great White Throne Judgement Of The Unredeemed
In Revelation 20, at the Great White Throne Judgement of the unredeemed, all the dead unredeemed are bodily resurrected and their souls reunited. The Individual Books Of each person’s earthly life that contain all their deeds are opened. The Lamb’s Book Of Life of the redeemed and saved is also checked and their name is not found in it (they never accepted the free gift of Salvation through Christ) and so they are judged by their own personal Individual Books full of their deeds and works in their lifetime. Even if they had many good works they do not erase the sinful works and deeds they committed in their lifetime. In fact, let’s be honest that the size of that list will pale in comparison with their sins not paid for. And remember that Heaven is a perfect place where sin cannot enter. Even ONE sin is enough to disqualify a person from Heaven because that sin must be paid for and the Bible tells us that the wages of sin is eternal death:
“For the wages of sin is death; BUT the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23 KJV)
Please pay attention to the word ‘BUT’ in that verse because what follows that word in this verse is the solution for us sinners! Accepting the free gift of Salvation through the atonement of Christ! And without having accepted Christ, they have chosen to stand on their own ‘self righteous goodness’ and will be very mistaken in that choice. They have sided with the devil and his fallen angels which hell was prepared for (Matthew 25:41). And by siding with Satan and his fallen angels in pride, they too will take part in their fate which is being thrown into the Lake of Fire.
How horrible for the unredeemed who reject Christ!
The thought of it makes me shiver. And at this judgement will also be those who claim they have done many works for Christ and even in His name but they relied on their good works to save them and not by receiving the free gift of Salvation. Those who believe in Christ but rely on their good works to save them (the false works based Salvation that is running rampant in church organization in these modern times!) are also still not saved because they rely on their works to save them in pride. They will hear the most fearful words of all when Christ tells them,
“And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Matthew 7:23 KJV)
Are you saved? Are you found in the Lamb’s Book Of Life?
Do not choose wrong and end up in the same place as the devil and his fallen angels in torment when Jesus came to save you from that! God wants NO ONE to perish in this way but He gives us all the free will of choice.
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all SHOULD come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9 KJV)
⇒ What Must I Do To Be Saved?
Only one thing which is not of your own self righteous efforts in any way; BELIEVE the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who paid your penalty for the sins you have committed. When a person believes this they are from that very moment saved eternally, even without saying a prayer (it is good to give Him thanks in belief, do not get me wrong!), the Holy Spirit of God indwells the person and they are SEALED and saved for all eternity!
“In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye BELIEVED, ye were SEALED with that holy Spirit of PROMISE, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-16 KJV)
And this Scripture below shows just how much God has saved such a person for all eternity. To be with God in Heaven we must be without sin debt. In belief of the atonement provided by Christ, the person actually becomes the very righteousness of God, in Christ. An amazing truth to be so thankful for, yet many believers have not grasped how powerful our Salvation is!
“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 Corinthians 5:21 KJV)
Because Jesus paid the penalty for our sins and has imputed the righteousness of God to us, in God’s eyes He sees us through the filter of Christ! To Him we are Holy, righteous and redeemed for all eternity. To God, all your sins (past/present/future) have all been fully paid for (1 John 2:2) and so there is now no condemnation for them that believe on Christ alone in faith and belief.
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1 KJV)
“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. For God sent NOT his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world THROUGH HIM might be saved. 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 3:16-18 KJV)
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