Q&A: Uncategorized List

What Is Meant Saying That We DIED When We Believed On Christ?

Don Gerrity Q&A: Salvation, Q&A: The Truth About..., Q&A: Uncategorized List
What Is Meant Saying That We DIED When We Believed On Christ?

Apostle Paul wrote:

“Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized INTO HIS DEATH? Therefore we are BURIED WITH HIM by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:  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 TO SIN, but alive unto God THROUGH Jesus Christ our Lord.”
(Romans 6: 3-11 KJV)

Wow. The more I read this, the more grateful and hope filled I become. Yet, is this the message we are hearing from church religion pulpits today? What I hear mostly are sayings like, “we need to die to self.” and “we need to die daily.”  Did you know these phrases are not even found in the Bible? It is the truth! They are found no where in the Bible. Search it out for yourself; it simply does not exist in the Bible. In fact, the passage above in Romans 6 is likely the closest thing to the phrase and yet it does not teach us that at all. In fact, it is telling us something very opposite.

Do you really know and understand who you are, IN CHRIST?

The majority of people who say they are Christian do not even realize that we need to separate our physical existence and our Spiritual existence when coming to understanding about our Salvation and what happened (past tense!) at the very moment of belief on Christ’s finished work of atoning for our sins on the cross. So powerful and sufficient was Christ’s once for all sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10) for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2), yet do we grasp the depth of what Christ did for us? When you study passages like Romans 6 and Colossians 2 and 3 and Galatians we see Apostle Paul making this clearer and clearer.

‘When Jesus died on the cross, He nailed our sins to the cross.’ Now there is a phrase we hear all the time right? And, yes, that is certainly true but it goes well beyond that!

First, what is the wages of our sin? What is the penalty of our sin? Is the penalty that we need to be a better person? Do we need to be more penitent? Do we need to do more good than bad? In God’s economy regarding our sins, none of these are the wages of sin. The wages of our sin, IS DEATH! We cannot earn our way to paying off our sin debt against God because the only thing that can pay for our sins is death by the shedding of blood.

Now, look at verse 3 above in Romans 6. This is telling us that when Jesus died on the cross, He took our old self WITH HIM. It says we WERE baptized into His death. What does Baptized mean in this verse? Looking at the Greek in which this was penned for the translated into English word “baptized” here is the Greek word ‘baptizō‘ and the meaning is ‘to immerse’. Paul is not talking about water Baptism here though. He is talking about Spiritual baptism; the Baptism of the Spirit, being Born Again. As believers, our spirit nature was taken with Christ onto that cross and we DIED WITH CHRIST. Physically we are here on Earth. But spiritually, this is what took place. Notice that this is all written in the PAST TENSE! Our old spiritual self was DEAD with Christ, buried with Christ and rose again WITH CHRIST at the cross! In Colossians 2, Paul expands further and states that believers are “COMPLETE IN CHRIST” and “SEATED WITH CHRIST”, again all written in the present tense!

Just as Jesus said, IT IS FINISHED! God foreknew who will accept the GIFT of Salvation and who would reject such a great gift. And the will of the Father is that He will not lose any of His own.

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

In foreknowledge, God placed a believer’s old self on that cross WITH CHRIST. This is something we do not see taught very often from pulpits. Instead, we get more surface understanding that ‘our sins were paid for on the cross’ without the deeper understanding of this truth. We hear catchy phrases like ‘we need to die to self’, although this is as close as Scripture gets to that phrase; WE DIED WITH CHRIST! This is what being BORN AGAIN is all about folks! Our old self, (what Paul refers to as the Old Man)  and our sins were crucified on that cross. Died on the cross. Buried with Christ and have been resurrected (born again). Jesus cried out, on that cross just before physically dying, IT IS FINISHED which in the Greek it was penned is an accounting term meaning, DEBT PAID IN FULL. Our sin debt was paid. Our wages of sin (death penalty) was paid for, IN FULL, on Christ. And when Jesus rose again, so did we rise again in the Spirit; Eternal, Holy, Righteous and redeemed forever. That just makes me want to shout THANK YOU JESUS. How about you? Grateful is the word.

From the very moment of our belief on Christ’s finished work on the cross, we were SEALED by the Holy Spirit forever. (Ephesians 1:13-14) How close are we to Christ as believers? We hear in church sermons that we ‘need to die to self’ and that  we ‘need to get closer to Christ’ by doing this, that and the other thing. More church building attendance. More good works. More Bible study. These may all be good things to do, yes! Yet, Apostle Paul tells us that our old self ALREADY DIED  with Christ on that cross and we are now ALREADY a NEW self called The Spirit. We have become (past tense) BORN AGAIN in the Spirit and are a new creation in the Spirit which is the righteousness of God, in Christ (John 3:5-6, 14-18, 2 Corinthians 5:17-21).

What About Our Sins After Salvation?

Apostle Paul addresses this too of course. He tells us that because we DIED TO SIN with Christ on that cross (Romans 6, Colossians 2 and 3), and that we are now a NEW CREATION IN CHRIST (2 Corinthians 5:17), and that we are now SEATED with Christ in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 2:6-7), why should we continue in sin? He is not saying that sinning after Salvation will result in loss of Salvation. Remember ALL our life long list of sins (even future ones because all our sins are future from the cross) were paid in full on that cross 2000 years ago! He is just saying, look…this is the new you in union with Christ. Now when a temptation to sin comes around we should walk in the Spirit to avoid the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16). Walk in the truth and knowledge that as believers we are in union with Christ spiritually which is the new us and deny that sin knowing we are already DEAD to sin, in Christ.

Unbelievers just go ahead and sin and have no remorse about it really. But believers when they sin, well, we feel kinda icky! We become remorseful. We confess the sin and tell God we are sorry that we blew it after all He did for us. That is because we are born again. The Holy Spirit is right here dwelling within us. We are IN CHRIST! And sometimes if we are stubborn about a sin, God will chastise us just as a human parent chastises their children for their own good. It is all out of love for us and there is no greater love that God’s love for us.

I rather boast in God’s love for me , then my love for Him – that is for sure. I still blow it sometimes and fall into temptation as anyone at times. But do I ever feel bad about it later! Apostle Paul was telling us that he too had this ongoing struggle with our old mind not acknowledging or maybe knowing the truth about a sin. Even knowing something is a sin, we still step into it, even when our spirit really does not want to. Our new Spirit is Holy Righteous and redeemed but we need to renew our mind by the Word of God (Romans 12:2). We need to BELIEVE that what the Bible says we now are as believers is the truth and then accepting that in belief, our actions move outwardly into our lives. Let’s face it, how we believe, is how we will act!

Ever take notice that if someone tempts you to murder them, you just would never do that? You would walk away. But why then with other sins do you lose the battle with temptation? It is because right believing results in right living and right actions. If there is anything I pray for you and I as believers, it is that God grant us His WISDOM. His knowledge! The truth! And the more we study the Word of God the more knowledge we have for living in victory from our old self, wrongful thinking.

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of HIS MIGHT.” (Ephesians 6:10 KJV)

The devil and his fallen angels are working to instill FEAR in believers. They will throw arrows at you such as, ‘you are not good enough..see you sinned again’, or ‘you have trampled on Jesus and your salvation is lost’ or ‘you better do more good and follow the Ten Commandments or you will lose salvation’. There are many arrows and schemes (called the wiles of the devil in Ephesians 6:11) they are using against believers because it is through us, others will come to the truth. And if they can distract us with lies and fear they believe they can stop people from being saved through Christ. And the truth is the only thing believers have to fear is not entering God’s REST.

“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)

Know who you truly are in Christ. It is the truth that sets us free as believers.

“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
(John 8:32 KJV)

If I Am A New Creation In Christ, Why Can’t I Seem To Stop Sinning?

Don Gerrity Q&A: Christian Living, Q&A: Uncategorized List
If I Am A New Creation In Christ, Why Can’t I Seem To Stop Sinning?

“OH NO! I BLEW IT AGAIN AND SINNED!”

I once had a person telling me that the Jews killed Christ and made Him die on that cross. The reality though, which many may not want to think about, is that it really was ME and YOU that made it so Jesus had to shed His blood in such a horrible manner to save us from our debt of sins against God; to save us from perishing. Such an enormous sacrifice in love for us has Christ bestowed upon us! The greatest act of love in all of human history and that is a fact! ‘Jesus paid it all. All to Him I Owe’, as the song goes. We know the depth of desperation we find ourselves in. We believe. We are grateful. We are thankful. Yet…YET!, we still blow it and sin after accepting Christ. It is a powerful force, our old Flesh nature. We have had it all our lives. And it is at war with our new position in Christ.

“Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41 KJV)

Ever feel like that as a believer? Even as a very devout believer? You know, when you fail and blow it with sin as a believer, and you wonder if you will ever overcome that wrongful anger? Outbursts of hatred? Harsh words spoken to your daughter or son or wife? Or thoughts of lust that seem to come outta no where? Or there is a pesky sin that keeps popping up in your life? You hate it but it happens anyway. You tell God how sorry yo are and you feel worthless? You fight but lose the battle at times? Sometimes? Many times? You wonder why you just cannot win sometimes with the battle against sins in your life?

What Does It Mean That We Are Positionally Saved?

Let’s be honest for a moment. Guess what all this means? It means we are human and although God made us a NEW CREATION in the Spirit from the very moment we believed on Christ for forgiveness of our sins (Ephesians 1:13-14), we all still have Old Nature thoughts and processes in our mind, called The Flesh. It is like a disease and pestilence that we cannot eradicate in our own effort while we reside in our corrupt bodies.

To God, POSITIONALLY, we have become COMPLETELY NEW BEINGS that are called The Spirit. As believers in Christ, God made us into a NEW CREATION in the Spirit. This NEW US is not something we worked to achieve. The Spirit is the GIFT of Salvation from God and not of ourselves, nor our good works nor religious rituals (Ephesians 2:8-9). When we believe Jesus paid for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2) and then accept this GIFT of God’s grace as truth by belief, we are TRANSFERRED from being what the Bible positionally calls ‘The Unrighteous/Wicked’ group of people into being positionally ‘The Righteous/Redeemed’ group of people.

It is 100% the work of God. It is not some scale of our performance that makes us more and more Holy as time passes. We are deemed 100% Holy to God from the very moment of our Salvation and belief on Christ alone for Salvation. This is very clear in Scripture. We read in Colossians 2,

“For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And YE ARE COMPLETE IN HIM, which is the head of all principality and power: In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made WITHOUT HANDS, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: 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, 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)

We ARE (present tense, right now!) COMPLETE IN HIM. But how can that be if we still have sins in our life? Yes, we struggle against sinning but we still sin. The struggle is REAL! And it is NOT EASY.

If I am complete IN CHRIST, why do I still have such bad thoughts?

Let me show you by an analogy. Grab a book. Any book at all. We will call this book, CHRIST. Now take a piece of wrinkled up, torn scratched paper. Make it look filthy. That piece of paper represents you and I, with a debt of sins. Now, open that book and place that piece of paper inside between any two pages of the book. NOW, SHUT THE BOOK! Wherever that book goes, you are going with it because you are IN IT as that piece of wrinkled and torn paper.

When a person accepts the GIFT of Salvation by belief on Christ, the Holy Spirit (God) indwells that person from the very moment of belief on Christ (Ephesians 1:13-14). At the very same time we become the very righteousness of God, IN CHRIST in the Spirit (2 Corinthians 5:21). And because of this we are MADE COMPLETE…IN HIM. So when Jesus was on the cross nailing the sins of the world to that tree, we were there having our sins paid for. When Jesus died and was buried, so did we die in the Spirit. And when Jesus rose again, we too rose again in NEWNESS OF LIFE in the Spirit.

“Therefore we are buried WITH HIM by baptism INTO DEATH: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should WALK IN NEWNESS OF LIFE.” (Romans 6:4 KJV)

This is a change of POSITION from being unrighteous to being righteous. This righteousness is not of ourselves, nor something we achieve. It is only by faith in Christ’s complete atonement for our sins on that cross. If we had our sins forgiven by Christ on the cross (which we did) and we then DIED and were RAISED UP as a new being called The Spirit (which we did), our sins are no longer in the way between us and God! Even sins we commit after Salvation.

It is a positional relation.

When you were positionally in the group called The Unrighteous, could doing good deeds erase your bad deeds? Could you make yourself righteous through doing good to erase your bad deeds? NO! It only takes one sin to disqualify a person from Heaven. Well, the same is now true;  as a believer, your bad deeds cannot make you positionally a member of The Unrighteous group of people neither! Why? Because you are positionally IN CHRIST.

Your sin debt has been fully paid by Christ. How much was paid? Did Jesus give a FULL payment for our sins or a partial payment? It is one or the other folks! The Bible tells us this,

“As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he REMOVED our transgressions from us.” (Pslam 103:12 KJV)

“By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ ONCE FOR ALL. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can NEVER take away sins: But this man, after he had offered ONE SACRIFICE FOR SINS FOR EVER, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by ONE OFFERING he HATH PERFECTED FOR EVER them that are sanctified.” (Hebrews 10:10-14 KJV)

The writer of Hebrews continues to say,

“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities WILL I REMEMBER NO MORE.  Now where remission of these is, there is NO MORE OFFERING for sin.” (Hebrews 10: 16-18 KJV)

This is why Jesus on the cross, just after He paid for the sins of the whole world, cried out, “IT IS FINISHED”. It was DONE. The SINS of the world were COMPLETELY PAID IN FULL. In fact, if you look at the Greek in which the New Testament was written, the phrase translated to English Bibles as ‘IT IS FINISHED’ is an accounting term literally meaning ‘DEBT, PAID IN FULL’! Jesus did not make a partial payment for our sins. It was a full and complete payment.

Your sins will never disqualify you once you are saved. They were all paid for by Christ on the cross. That is not to say there are no consequence for sinning; there are serious consequences. Yes, we should turn from our sins. But loss of your new position IN CHRIST as being eternally saved is NOT a consequence. Salvation is ETERNAL (John 3: 14-18, Ephesians 1:13-14).

If I Am A New Creation In Christ, Why Can’t I Seem To Stop Sinning?

This is where many Christians struggle. Actually, ALL Christians (whether they admit it or not). We have become a NEW CREATION in the Spirit. Yet we still struggle with this SIN ISSUE. We understand that all our sins are paid in full by Christ. We understand that we are right now deemed by God to be COMPLETE IN CHRIST, positionally. Apostle Paul knew this struggle as well! Did you know that Paul called himself the CHIEF of sinners? And he did not say that in his past, when he was persecuting Christians that he was the chief of sinners. He used the word in the present tense and so that means after his conversion.

“This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I AM CHIEF.” (1 Timothy 1:15 KJV)

We find the answer to the question of ‘why we still sin?’ provided by Apostle Paul in Romans 7. The Apostle Paul is who God chose to give the Gospel Of Grace to the gentiles (us today) and he also taught the doctrine of the Two Natures At War In The Mind Of A Believer in Romans 7 where we read,

“14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. 15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. 16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. >> 17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 18 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. 19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. >> 20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.” (Romans 7: 14-20 KJV, ‘>>’ added for emphasis)

Reading Verse 17 and then again in verse 20 is the truth that so many Christians have not grasped. Paul is saying very clearly that inside of us is the Adam, our OLD NATURE THOUGHTS in our mind before our moment of Salvation which Paul calls The Flesh. Our old nature ways always wants to sin.  Whatever feels right was right with no thought given to sin against God. The Flesh is like a disease since our physical birth.

And then there is the New Created Spirit we received at our conversion and belief in the Gospel Of Grace that our Apostle Paul taught. The Spirit is now the real us and has become our very nature; though we may not act perfectly living in The Flesh. The problem is The Newly Created Spirit is residing in The Body still and will until our bodily resurrection. Our minds have not yet been completely renewed to match up with our new reality of being the very righteousness of God, IN CHRIST, and so our thinking is not perfect yet.

This is where all these sinful thoughts come from to tempt us to sin. Sometimes we can reject the temptation but sometimes it simply gets the best of us. The thing is that there are teachers and pulpits telling believers that if we sin after Salvation, we can lose our position IN CHRIST. That is simply not found in the Bible. For a teacher to give verses seeming to state this as fact, they are ignoring proper Bible context; not to mention ignoring so many other Scriptures stating the very opposite! This is why it is so important to study the Word of God. Do not rely only only pastors, or pulpits or TV evangelists. Do not rely on what my articles and e-books teach either! “Let the Word of God be true and everyone else a liar.” Simply meaning, go and prove if what a person is teaching about the Gospel is actually true, using proper context, to be sure of your faith. To be sure of God’s promises for you which are vastly rich and meaningful in our lives!

As believers, we are positionally COMPLETE IN CHRIST and FULLY REDEEMED, RIGHT NOW. Yet our mind still has all this stinking thinking and wrong beliefs hanging around in our mind and that is where the Devil attacks. That is where the devil tempts. He uses externals to excite sinful thoughts and thoughts, not kept in check, can become beliefs.

“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:…” (Proverbs 23:7 KJV)

Paul tells us to Renew Our Mind By The Word of God because it is no longer The Flesh that is our nature as believers. We are now actually the New Created Spirit. That is our identity now, in Christ. And that when we fail and sin, and believe me we ALL DO! (1 John 1:10), it is not the REAL US that does it. Instead, as believers, it is this disease we have called the The Flesh. It is this disease we have called sin (our older nature before our belief on Christ).

The Newly Created Spirit we received and have become, is PERFECT (1 John 3:9) and without sin. It is of the seed of the Spirit Of God and is perfectly Holy (which simply means ‘set apart’). This is why the Apostle Paul tells us that our present body, with this Flesh Sin bent, will never inherit the Kingdom of God.

“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)

It is also the reason why we need a bodily resurrection in our future as Apostle Paul continues,

“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. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 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: 51-57 KJV)

Heaven is a perfect place and there is no sin there. No one can enter Heaven with a sin nature and sin debt against God. The problem is we cannot stop sinning perfectly while living in this Flesh. That is why we need Christ! Paul admonishes that regarding the doctrine of  the Two Natures At War In The Mind Of A Believer in the last verse of Romans 7:

“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 7:24-25 KJV)

Christ paid for all of our lifetime of sins on the cross 100%. Even the future sins we may commit were PAID IN FULL by Christ on that cross because all of our sins were future to the cross right? Jesus paid for ALL THE SINS OF THE WHOLE WORLD (1 John 2:2). He did not give us a partial payment on our sin debt. Jesus cried out on the cross, IT IS FINISHED! Salvation is eternal and the word eternal means, well, ETERNAL and FOREVER!

We do not keep our Salvation intact by our own efforts! It is Christ alone that keeps us saved. Jesus tells us this very clearly:

“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 10:27-20 KJV)

In God’s sovereignty, He foreknew everything you and I would do in our life and the sins we would commit and yet He still decided to give every person the opportunity to accept Salvation as a FREE GIFT without self righteous works or deeds required. God still came in the flesh and died on that cross for us so that we would be forgiven and saved eternally. What a great gift (Ephesians 2:8-9)! And whosoever believes on Christ alone in faith, He gives them eternal life and keeps them saved forever.

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

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed. Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore. For the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.” (Psalms 37:23-28 KJV)

The Grace Of God Is Not A License To Sin

There are still consequences for sinning in this life after the moment of our Salvation (steal/jail) and loss of rewards at the judgement seat of Christ for believers after the Rapture. The Loss of Salvation is not a consequence though. We as believers have the Holy Spirit within to guide us into all truth. We should be reading the Word Of God to renew our minds (John 17).

We should be striving to walk in the Spirit and not by the lusts of The Flesh (The old Sin Nature we were before our moment of Salvation).

“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16 KJV)

What we need to realize is that right believing and right thinking (that lines up with the Word of God) leads us to right living in a more effortless manner. So we need to  RENEW OUR MIND by the Word of God. It is the only truth there is!

Focus on that. Shake! Shake off the ‘old man’…The Flesh, because as a believer in Christ for Salvation you are now a NEW CREATION called The Spirit and it is HOLY, REDEEMED and the very righteousness of God, in Christ! Put on your NW MAn clothes to match who God made you in the Spirit; Holy, Set Apart, Redeemed, the righteousness of God, in Christ and right now present tense risen with Christ in the Heavenlies. Realize who you are by FAITH in God’s Word. Believe that inside.

Walk in the Spirit because that is who we truly are as believers.

Psalm 143: Prayer For Tough Times

Don Gerrity Q&A: Prayer, Q&A: Uncategorized List
The Blessed Hope

“1 Hear my prayer, O Lord, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness.

2 And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified.

3 For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead.

4 Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate.

5 I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands.

6 I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah.

7 Hear me speedily, O Lord: my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit.

8 Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.

9 Deliver me, O Lord, from mine enemies: I flee unto thee to hide me.

10 Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.

11 Quicken me, O Lord, for thy name’s sake: for thy righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble.

12 And of thy mercy cut off mine enemies, and destroy all them that afflict my soul: for I am thy servant.”

(Psalm 143 :1-12 KJV)

Where Does A Person Go At Physical Death?

Don Gerrity Q&A: Uncategorized List
Where Does A Person Go At Physical Death?

To the thief on the cross who came to believe Jesus was the Christ and had asked Jesus to remember him Jesus replied,

“And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43 KJV)

The question that comes to mind is where is ‘paradise’ Jesus spoke of. Is it Heaven? Why would Jesus not say Heaven as He mentioned Heaven in His ministry. Why the word ‘PARADISE’?

The story of the rich man and Lazarus after they died is found in Luke 16. Jesus talks about the place a person’s Spirit goes after physical death prior to Jesus dying on the cross; that is prior to the New Covenant. Prior to Christ’s physical death on the cross. Some teach that this is only a parable but no other parable uses specific names as Jesus describes here. Jesus is explaining an incident.

This place is called HADES in the Greek and is a holding place for human Spirits separated from the body at death. Hades has 2 container areas separated by a great chasm/divide.

One side is called ‘paradise’ (Abraham’s Bosom) where Old Testament believers, went at physical death. This is the place Jesus said to the thief on the cross who ended up believing on Christ for Salvation went at his death as Jesus promised.

“And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:42-43 KJV)

The other side of Hades is called called ‘torments’, where the unbeliever’s Spirit of Man went, and still goes today, at physical death. Those in this container are headed for the Great White Throne Judgment of the unsaved as described in the book of Revelation. We see Jesus state that at this judgement seat,

“And death and hell  were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.” (Rev. 20:14 KJV)

The word ‘hell’ in this verse in the Greek is ‘Hades‘; this very holding place of all the Spirits of the unredeemed dead. Before Christ, and before His death and resurrection as the final once for all sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10) for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2), believer’s sins were only temporarily covered, year to year, as they looked toward the Messiah to come (Hebrews 10). Jesus had not yet completed His sacrifice and so ‘paradise’ was a holding place for Old Testament believer’s Spirits until Christ came.

Heaven is a perfect place without sin. Only perfection may enter. Now that Jesus came and fulfilled the final sacrifice for sins, believers today are immediately from the moment of belief on Christ, born again in the Spirit (John 3) and eternally sealed in Salvation (Eph. 1:13-14), recreated in the Spirit as the righteousness of God, in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17-21). Complete in Christ and already risen with Christ (Colossians 2) . And seated with Christ (Eph. 2:6). All in the present tense!

So when a believer in Christ dies physically today, only their Spirit is with Christ. It is fully redeemed, right now! It is IN CHRIST, yet still tethered to our physical body, our ‘tabernacle’ , our ‘tent’.

However, our body is not yet resurrected, still corrupted by this THING called sin. The body cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. It is still corrupt and stays behind at physical death; one day to also be resurrected either to Heaven at the Bema judgement seat of believers or the Lake Of Fire at the Great White Throne judgement.

When Christ ascended He took those waiting in Paradise to heaven with Him. He finally could because the final sacrifice for sins was PAID IN FULL in the cross.

“Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)” (Ephesians 4:8-10 KJV)

Today, living in the New Covenant dispensation, the age of God’s Grace, a believer’s Spirit is SEATED WITH CHRIST. The ‘paradise’ side of Hades is empty.

Yet the ‘torments’ side in Hades keeps being filled with the Spirits of the unsaved dead. Reserved until bodily resurrected for eternal damnation at the Great White Throne Judgement.

Do not end up in ‘torments’ nor the Lake Of Fire. Jesus paid for your sins! But you have free will to accept or reject the gift He paid for (Eph. 2:8-9) by belief or unbelief.

Jesus says you must be born again in the present by accepting the gift of Salvation THROUGH BELIEF ON HIM; NOT BY GOOD WORKS NOR BY BEING A GOOD PERSON.

“…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 3:15-18 KJV)

Bible Prophecy Videos By Dr. Arnold Yankee

Don Gerrity GO: Bible Prophecy Videos, Q&A: Uncategorized List
Bible Prophecy Videos By Dr. Arnold Yankee

PastorArnoldHeadshotDr. Ralph “Yankee” Arnold accepted Jesus Christ as his personal savior at the age of 18. The major thrust of Dr. Arnold’s ministry is soul winning.  He is known for his clear presentation of the gospel and his fervent appeal for sinners to be saved. His sermons challenge and motivate Christians to win souls as a result of yielding their lives to Christ. As an evangelist, he speaks out clearly and unmistakably on the issues that effect fundamentalists, warning against compromise with liberals and modernists.

Website: http://www.biblelineministries.org/

 

Bible Prophecy Videos By Bill Salis

Don Gerrity GO: Bible Prophecy Videos, Q&A: Uncategorized List
Bible Prophecy Videos By Bill Salis

bilsalusBill Salus is a media personality that has appeared on major Christian TV networks like, TBN, CBN, Daystar and more. Additionally, he is a conference speaker and the bestselling author of Psalm 83, The Missing Prophecy Revealed, How Israel Becomes the Next Mideast Superpower. Bill’s ability to interpret and explain ancient biblical prophecies has earned him the respect of many of today’s top Bible prophecy experts.

Website: http://www.prophecydepotministries.net/

Bible Prophecy Videos By Walid Shoebat

Don Gerrity GO: Bible Prophecy Videos, Q&A: Uncategorized List
Bible Prophecy Videos By Walid Shoebat

walidshoebatWalid Shoebat is a Palestinian American, born in the West Bank to an American mother, and who converted to Christianity from Islam. Walid has spoken on end time Bible Prophecy and Islam all over America and the world including Chile, Mexico, Canada, the UK and South Africa. He has also appeared on national television stations all over the world including CNN, CNN International, FOX News, ITN, RTE, NBC, CBS, and ABC. He has also been featured on BBC radio 4 and 5.

Website: http://shoebat.org/

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

The Christian Bible and Christian Bible Prophecy predict that in the end times the Antichrist, a beast, an dreaded evil man, more evil than any who ever walked the earth in history, will be thrust upon the world scene, and that billions of people on planet earth will die between natural cataclysms and those killed by the Antichrist–including gruesome beheadings for those who refuse to bow to his religious-government system. Millions of American evangelicals believe that the Antichrist will rise from Europe from a ‘born again’ Roman Empire, as depicted in the immensely popular Left Behind book series. But what most people don’t know is that the Muslim Bible and Islamic Prophecy also predicts the coming of a person fitting nearly that identical description: The Madhi, the Muslim Messiah! How can this be?…

Bible Prophecy Videos: Hal Lindsey

Don Gerrity GO: Bible Prophecy Videos, Q&A: Uncategorized List
Bible Prophecy Videos: Hal Lindsey

“The Hal Lindsey Report” is a weekly half-hour news and commentary series. It is hosted by popular Bible prophecy teacher Hal Lindsey, author of The Late Great Planet Earth. This informative program covers current events and national and international issues from a Biblical and prophecy-based perspective.

Visit and support Hal’s Ministry: https://www.hallindsey.com/

View more of His Videos: https://www.hallindsey.com/videos/

Does A Believer Fall Out Of Fellowship When We Sin And Back In Fellowship When We Repent?

Don Gerrity Q&A: The Truth About..., Q&A: Uncategorized List
Does A Believer Fall Out Of Fellowship When We Sin And Back In Fellowship When We Repent?

This is a rampant false teaching in the Christian community these days but it is not found in the Scriptures. First we need to understand that the English word repent is Biblically defined as ‘change your mind’. It is true that 90% of the time when the word REPENT is used in the New Testament, it is regarding changing your mind about how to be saved. For unbelievers it means to change from self righteous works and religious rituals and Law keeping for Salvation to believing on the finished work of Christ on the cross, paying the punishment we deserved for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2, John 3:14-18). Yet, as believers on the other side of Salvation we too need to repent, that is change our mind, about many things. We are saved and forgiven our sins but we need to renew our minds and change how we think about our sins and how we live for God.

There is no yo-yo fellowship with God. God does not turn away from you when you sin and turn back towards you when you do not! I hear believers and pulpits saying this a lot and it is just not found in Scripture. The Holy Spirit does not walk away from you when you are dealing with sin; the Holy Spirit works to help you overcome the sin. The Holy Spirit will discipline you when you sin in His great love for you.

There are only two kinds of people:

  • Those IN THE SPIRIT and
  • Those WITHOUT the Spirit.

Apostle Paul puts it this way,

“But ye are not in THE FLESH, but in THE SPIRIT, if so be that the SPIRIT OF GOD dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” (Romans 8:9-10 KJV)

This RIGHTEOUSNESS is not of ourselves and is not attained by our works. This righteousness is what we BECAME from the moment of our conversion to being a believer in Christ’s finished work on the cross to save us.

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

From the very moment of belief on Christ, and the atonement He provided for us on the cross, a person is SEALED by the Holy Spirit forever.

“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 1:13-14 KJV)

From the very moment of belief on Christ in Salvation God MAKES US a NEW CREATURE which both Jesus and Apostle Paul calls ‘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 Corinthians 5:17 KJV)

This is not about us externally making ourselves a new person in self righteous efforts. Salvation is not of ourselves in self righteousness (Ephesians 2:8-9). It is all about how from the moment of belief on Christ to forgive us our sins and how God MAKES US a new creation called THE SPIRIT and SEALS us for all eternity as being IN CHRIST. We do not do this – only God can do this and that is exactly what the Bible teaches us that He did.

Jesus says to believers,

“…I am with you always, even unto the end of the world…” (Mathhew 28:20 KJV)

“…I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Hebrews 13:5 KJV)

“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.” (John 10:28-29 KJV)

We are always IN THE SPIRIT as believers because the Spirit is dwelling within us! We do not lose our fellowship with Christ because we are in Christ and He is in us…forever. And nothing will change that!

Does that mean we just go and sin all we want? Do we use the Grace of God as a license to sin?

Apostle Paul tells us, “God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (Romans 6:2 KJV)

We have are a new creation with a NEW nature called ‘The Spirit’ now and so why walk by our old Flesh nature?

Walking by the Flesh will leave a believer unhappy. Why? Because our new Spirit, which is the new us God made us to be at our moment of conversion, will war with The Flesh and we will feel miserable and guilty.

Was that sin already paid for on the cross? Yes. Did God turn away from you in surprise of that sin? No. Nothing surprises God! God foreknew every sin we will make in our life from the very foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4) , both before and after our Salvation. Yet He still sent Jesus to die and pay for all our sins. God is right there with you. He is not in judgment against you because Jesus already paid for that sin on the cross. Jesus paid for ALL THE SINS OF THE WHOLE WORLD (1 John 2:2) and it was a sufficient payment to God.

However, we do reap what we sow still. The consequence of what happens in your Earthly life for that sin are still real. I mean, if you steal and are caught you will still go to jail if you are Christian right? If you commit adultery you will still have the consequences of that action. Your wife may leave you, your kids despise you. God will discipline you. Not a pleasant situation to be in.

But to say you will lose fellowship with God is not true. God made a CHANGE in you and it was a heart change of our very nature. He translated you from The Flesh as your nature to be The Spirit which is the very seed of God. Temptations fly our way every day in this fallen world. Even with Christ dwelling inside us we still have that old bad thinking of the Flesh nature that we had before we got saved by belief on Christ, even if that is no longer our NATURE. Our Salvation happens in a moment of time but our sanctification by the renewing of our minds by the Word of God and by the Holy Spirit takes a lifetime as we are in process to become more like Christ. We cannot be perfect and without sin until we receive our new glorified resurrected body which will not have The Flesh nature. That is why Paul writes,

“…flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.” (1 Corinthians 15:50 KJV)

Yet Paul tells us that at our physical death our Spirit goes to be with the Lord. Why? Because our Spirit is Holy Righteous and Redeemed but our body needs to be resurrected still.

That is why Apostle Paul tells us to “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16 KJV)

The more we keep our eyes focused on Jesus and not our OLD Flesh nature. The more we renew our mind by reading and studying the Word of God, the less we will fall prey to the lust of the old Flesh nature. And some temptations are strong indeed. They may not disappear from your life with immediacy. It may take time, sometimes a lot of time, to overcome their temptations.

Just know and understand this; God loves you. God forgave you all the sins of your life (future ones too – they are all future from the cross right?). You are completely and utterly SECURE in Christ. Christ is in you and you are in Christ and Christ in in the Father and so we are one with God. As Christ is seated in heaven, so are we seated with Christ. Focus on Christ and He will change you from the inner man and that will work outward into your life.

Your fellowship with God will last and grow forever.

Jesus promises you,

“… I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matthew 28:20 KJV)