Pharisee's

Jesus challenged the leaders of Judaism while he walked the earth. He challenged the Pharisees and Sadducees (teachers of religious law and scribes) and they challenged him and ultimately killed him. There were many differences between these groups that I will not get into here. What I do want to address is their nature as a whole and why they were so offensive to our Savior.

As Christians it is easy for us to look at the Pharisees, Sadducees and the other Jewish leaders of Jesus' time and consider them immoral and corrupt. We simply assume that they were bad guys that had "it out" for Jesus. But, the evidence tells a different story.

The Pharisees and Sadducees were known for following the letter of the law. They strictly followed and enforced these laws and were considered priests. They wielded great power and were a huge influence on the Jews of their time. Most people would have thought of them as being upright and righteous men. Men that could be followed and respected. They would have exuded piety (looked very religious and devoted in their actions, personality and dress). They would have walked the walk of a priest. I am not saying that they were free from sin, but they followed certain ceremonies and offered sacrifices for their sin. This, in their minds, made them right with God. This type of thinking breeds pride.

These groups challenged Jesus because he upset their understanding of the law. He challenged their understanding of murder, adultery, oaths, hatred, vengeance, marriage and divorce. His ministry was to show that living by the letter of the law would not satisfy God without a heart devoted to him.

I intend to show that what was objectionable to Jesus (God) about the Pharisees was that they were full of pride and that they had no relationship with God. They simply followed the rules and insisted that everyone else do the same. There was no love or compassion for their fellow man or for God himself.

Here is an important point for us to understand: God does expect our obedience, but sin will enter our lives from time to time even when we do our best (this is why Jesus died for us). In fact, Paul describes this as a struggle between our sinful nature and our desire to be obedient. If that struggle isn't there we are not living in faith. Further, it is impossible to be saved without an ongoing relationship with God (Matt 15:1-9). The Bible clearly shows this over and over. We are saved by faith through grace. God's grace has always been there and always will be, but part of faith is a relationship with God. True faith can't exist without it.

What was it about Abraham that made him acceptable to God? He believed what God said. How about David? Same thing. Were these men free of sin? Not even close. But, what two things did they have in common. They both had faith in God and they had a relationship with him. Their relationship was demonstrated by their daily walk and talk with the Lord.

Jesus challenged the Pharisees and other religious leaders, why? Were they not obedient to the laws that God himself issued to the Jews? They were remarkably obedient to the laws as they understood them. Then what problem did Jesus find in them? Let us take a closer look at Jesus' statements. I will list some verses from the Gospel of Matthew that show some of Jesus' challenges to these two groups below:

John the Baptist called them out first.

Matthew 3:7-10. "But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducee's coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: 'You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, "We have Abraham as our father." I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.' "

The Pharisees couldn't be saved by simply being born into salvation. They considered themselves to be acceptable because they were obedient Jews and not because of God's grace.

Jesus said: in Matt 5:20 "For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." Okay so what is righteousness?

Definition: righteousness- "The establishment of a right relationship-- primarily between God and people, secondarily between people and themselves. Righteousness is the fulfillment of just expectations in any relationship, whether with God or other people..." (Tyndale Bible Dictionary 2001)

So no relationship with God would, by definition, disqualify them from being considered righteous. God's grace applies to those who belong to him.

Matt 6:5 "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full."

Matt 6:2 "So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full."

Were their works wrong? Nope, the Bible instructs us to do these things. It is the attitude in which the works are done that is pleasing or displeasing to God. If we seek to please God over men, that pleases him. If we, on the other hand, desire a relationship with men and to be approved by them over God, we anger God and distance ourselves from him.

In Matt 9:1-8 Jesus heals a paralyzed man. When he does he forgives his sins. The teachers of the law accused him of blasphemy for saying that he could forgive sins. Jesus demonstrates his authority by telling them that he has the authority and then commanding the paralytic to stand and walk home. Jesus proclaims his authority as the Messiah in this passage.

Matt 9:10-11 "When Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked the disciples, 'Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners'?' On hearing this, Jesus said, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: "I desire mercy, not sacrifice." For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.' "

Internal devotion leads to external obedience and it requires a relationship with God. External obedience doesn't lead to internal devotion nor require any such relationship. What is in our hearts matters most to God.

Matt 12 Demonstrates the Pharisees trying to enforce their understanding of the Jewish law of the Sabbath. Jesus responds by explaining that the law wasn't given to be so strictly followed that good isn't done (ie., healing). He further claims his authority over the Sabbath as the Messiah. The Pharisees, not liking the blows to their pride, plot to kill Jesus. Obedience to rules without the concept of love is not of God. Love is always our guide because God is Love.

In the story of Moses (Exodus 1:15-22) the midwives lie to the authorities to save the little babies lives. Lying is a sin, right? Of course, but because they did this out of love and respect for God, they were blessed by God instead of punished.

Matt 12:38-39 "Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, 'Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you.' He answered, 'A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.' " (Also 16:1-4)

Why were the Pharisees being considered by Jesus as being wicked and adulterous? Are not our lives to have been given over to the Lord as a bride gives herself to her husband? Feeling like we are justifying ourselves and the resultant sense of pride from being able to accomplish great feats among men apart from God, alienates us from God and makes us adulterers. Adulterers cheat on their spouses. In essence Jesus is saying that these men's hearts were running around on God.

Perhaps the most important scripture to understand Jesus' objection with the Pharisees is Matt 15:1-9 "Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, 'Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don't wash their hands before they eat!' Jesus replied, 'And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, "Honor your father and mother" and "Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death." But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, "whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is a gift devoted to God, " he is not to honor his father with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain: their teachings are but rules taught by men." "

Honoring God internally and maintaining a relationship with him is mandatory for salvation. It is not an option or sign of maturity. It is absolutely required. Christianity that preaches anything else is in vain.

Matt 15:10-14 "Jesus called the crowd to him and said, "Listen and understand. What goes into a man's mouth does not make him "unclean, " but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him "unclean." ' Then the disciples came to him and asked, 'Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?' He replied, 'Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. Leave them; they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit' "

Matt 16:5-12 Jesus warns his disciples to watch the doctrine and teachings of the Pharisees. He uses yeast as a symbol of their teachings. Yeast spreads fairly rapidly through the dough and is next to impossible to remove once it is there.

The Pharisees continually challenged Jesus' violation of their sense of the law. Jesus presented himself as the Messiah and let their pride follow it's course away from truth and righteousness just as it was prophesied in Isaiah. He challenged their pride head on and clearly stated that if your heart doesn't belong to God then your strict obedience is an act of pride and is therefore in vain.

God Bless,
Sean

Is Our Bible Trustworthy?

Last night I watched another "Discovery Channel" Bible bashing fest. The name of the show was, "Banned From the Bible". As you may guess the show examined books that were left out of the original canon. They briefly mentioned that the books in question were written in the 3rd and 4th centuries and went on to express that the books MAY HAVE been handed down in oral tradition from as early as the first century.

Now, this isn't the first time that I have heard this information. So, I am not shocked that a show that is designed, by it's very nature, to tickle itching ears would spew this kind of garbage to make a buck. After all, I watched it... which is what they bank on to sell their advertising time.

Let's face it, most adults of America are all too often looking for ways to water down the gospel message. This notion isn't new... Many of them want to believe in God, but don't want to get too immersed in the real direction provided by him in his Bible. After all, it directly condemns sin of all sorts and offers severe consequences for ignoring it's direction. So naturally people want to get rid of their guilt by watering down the power of the Word.

Now, the argument that many of the commentators, who are presumably ministers of some sort, is that the Bible is written by man and therefore bound to be laden with error. Additionally, the Bible that we Christians (Old and New Testaments) and Jews (Old Testament) read excludes some of the information that was available to those who canonized it and therefore is lacking details that are needed to make the Bible authoritative.

A little tidbit here is this: just because a person appears on TV doesn't make them right... or even close to it. In our society we tend to give a person clout deserved or undeserved just because they are on our television and have initials behind their name. A minister is no different. We assume that just because the person has gone to a school of theology for 4 years makes them better qualified to interpret the Bible for us. Right?... WRONG.

How many ministers are there? Do they all agree? All of them presumably graduated or they wouldn't be a minister. Many of them with extremely different beliefs and all from the same Bible. I have heard a minister say, "The Bible was inaccurate." To that I say, "Really? Mine isn't. Try a different version perhaps." My Bible is the infallible word of GOD. It is powerful, it is truth, it is righteous and it is PERFECT.

• So all ministers are not to be believed. At some level we must be responsible to read the Bible for ourselves. Not the latest Bible study (not that there is anything wrong with this type of study).
  
• But, pick up your Bible read the New Testament from Matthew to Revelations.
  
• Don't be afraid to get the New Living Translation (Life Application Study Bible version of the NLT is pretty good). The NLT is closer to the thought for thought on the continuum than it is to word for word. However, word for word translations are often cumbersome to new Bible readers. They tend to maintain the original sentence structure and can be deceiving. A well done thought for thought has a bunch of checks and balances in place to provide an excellent and accurate translation. I would stay clear of the Message for this purpose as it doesn't maintain the verse structure.
  
• Follow the indexing (usually found beside the verses) to study a verse that stands out to you further.
  
• Use commentaries not just one commentary especially if you don't grasp a subject.
  
• When you study your Bible all the way through. Go back and reread the Epistles... It is a good idea to use a more word for word translation for this. Maybe the Disciple's NIV Study Bible, Zondervan's NASB Study Bible or the Nelson's NKJV Study Bible (In my opinion the Nelson's is the best... though all of them are great).
  
• Some may argue that this can become very expensive. So could not understanding what you believe and why. If your family is like mine, there are areas that you can cut back on each payday to allow you to afford a $70 Nelsons NKJV Study Bible one week, a $50 NLT another week, a $20 Commentary another week and an Exhaustive Concordance for $20 some other week. $160 can easily be saved for by most families. If not let me know and I will see what I can do for you.
  
• Ask questions of yourself. Is this saying what I have always thought that it had said? What my minister told me that it said?
  
• Make notes in your Bibles... common threads or something that stands out. This will help you get back to these subjects while sharing what you learn with others.

Once we become well versed in the scripture we wont be easily lead astray by the devil and his demons that appear as angels of light (2 Cor11:13-15). And we will have a reason to give for our belief (1 Pet 3:15).

Why should we do all of these things? Because people without Biblical knowledge can be easily lead astray. Even in the first century this was going on.

2 Timothy 4:2-5
"Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage -- with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all duties of your ministry."

Galatians 1:6-9
"I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel-- which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!"NIV

Regarding the claims of those so called Christians who claim the Bible can't be authoritative: We who belong to Christ can have confidence, because there is an interesting promise that the Bible makes in:

Psalms 33:11
"The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations." KJV emphasis mine

Psalm 119:89, 90
"Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens, Your faithfulness continues through all generations;..." NIV

1 Peter 1:25
"... but the word of the Lord stands forever."NIV

The promise is this that God's council and his word (aka. THE BIBLE) will last:

1. FOREVER
2. To all generations

So, unless we have a powerless God or no God at all, the Bible is not only reliable but absolutely perfect. Peter explained that the Scriptures were not from man but were guided by the Holy Spirit and therefore perfect (2 Peter 1:20,21).

2 Timothy 3:16
"All Scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ..."NIV

This guarantees the authority of the Bible. Because if God is going to provide his word to all generations then I can be sure that he is going to take an interest in the accuracy of the words that are being provided. And since the Bible has remained unchanged since it was canonized it is safe to say that God is satisfied with it. If not, he would have changed it from the form that it has been for over 1600 years.

Generally, AD 367 is the date that the Bible was assembled or canonized in the form that we see it today. There were many books excluded at this time. All books that were included into the canon were considered:

• Apostalic
• Divinely inspired
• In the same tradition as those books known to be written by the apostles.

If you ever look at the books that were left out of the Bible it becomes clear why they were. Some don't make a whole lot of sense. Some are off the wall with there claims and would require a believer to throw the better part of the Bible away to believe their contradictions. These books tend to have a Gnostic feel to them.

Gnosticism is where most, if not all of these other books came from. Gnosticism is by definition a heresy. Peter warned of these groups in their early stages of development (2 Peter 2).

The Bible is a protected document. Look through history and you will find a lot of people who tried to burn and destroy it. It can't be destroyed.

Have faith in the Bible that you hold. It is divinely inspired and the unblemished word of God. Man did not write any part of the Bible that God didn't personally direct through his perfect Spirit.

God Bless,

Sean

Dying with Christ- Baptism of a Believer

When we talk about baptism, which of the following do you think is more important? The body of water, the person performing the baptism (assuming they are a Christian) or a believing and faithful heart of a person who is giving their life to Jesus? It is absolutely the faithful heart of the person being baptized in the name of Jesus Christ that is most important.

For example, in the story of Paul's conversion (Acts 9), Ananias was a nobody just like me or you ... yet he baptized Paul. His only known qualification was that he was a Christian. And since Jesus had only recently been executed, he hadn't been one for very long. Yet this insignificant man was chosen by our Lord and Saviour to do this very special task for, what would become, a very special man. The apostles didn't spend much of their time baptizing people. In fact, Paul said that baptism wasn't his ministry.

1 Corinthians 1:17
"For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel-- not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power."

Notice in Acts 9 that Paul wasn't picky about where he went to be baptized. In fact, where he went isn't important enough to be mentioned in the story. What is mentioned is that he believed and was immediately baptized.

I believe that baptisms are necessary for every Christian. The Bible directs those who have repented of their sin (changed their mind about how they think of sin) and believe that Jesus died and was resurrected from the dead, to be baptized (Matt 28:19, Mark 16:15,16).

A person being baptized makes a lifelong spiritual commitment. It should be a reflection of the inner change within their lives. Dying with Christ as they go under water and being raised with him to a new life as they come out of the water. All of this is done in the name of Jesus which makes anything powerful. (Romans 6:2-14, 1 Cor 12:13, Col 2:11-12, 1 Pet 3:18-22, Mark 10:38,39).

One thing that seems to stand out about the early Christian baptism is that it was so important to them that they didn't wait for a fancy ceremony. They were baptized immediately after accepting the message. This confirms its importance to me.

An example showing this point is, yet again, Paul's conversion (Acts 9). He was blind and hadn't had anything to eat or drink for 3 days. When Ananias came and laid hands on him the scales fell from his eyes... what was the very first thing that Paul did? As hungry as he must of have been, he was baptized and then he ate and drank (Acts 9:18, 19). If baptism weren't important to the early Christians don't you think Paul would have taken the dunk after lunch?

The thief on the cross met Christ in paradise without baptism. Does that surprise us though? Didn't he believe that Jesus was the Son of God? He proclaimed that from the cross. Jesus hadn't died yet. What made Abraham righteous and therefore able to enter into paradise? His believing God. Yet Abraham hadn't been baptized.

Make no mistake, baptism isn't just a right of passage. It may be the moment that we receive the Holy Spirit. There are verses that seem to indicate that very fact (Acts 1:5, 2:37-39, 19:1-6). In Acts 19 there was a group of people who didn't receive the Holy Spirit because they hadn't had a proper baptism in the name of Jesus Christ. A clear statement of the point is that when Paul asked these people if they had received the Holy Spirit. They responded that they didn’t know anything about the Holy Spirit. What kind of remark does Paul make next? “Then what baptism did you receive?” Acts 19:3.

Is it fair to say that Paul assumed that these Christians were baptized? Paul assumed because these people where Christians they would have been baptized. Notice that these Christians hadn’t announced their baptisms to Paul. What was it that caused Paul such alarm? That these Christians were baptized yet didn’t receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38-39 gives some direction on this subject:

Acts 2:38-39
"Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off-- for all whom the Lord our God will call."

Notice that the Holy Spirit is promised to you too. Right now in our generation.

In order to receive the Holy Spirit during baptism, laying on of hands appears to be necessary. Acts 8:15-17 talks about someone who had been baptized in the name of Jesus, yet hadn't received the Holy Spirit until Peter and John placed their hands on them. Now I am reasonably sure that Peter and John are in heaven with the Lord right now so who in todays world would be qualified to lay hands on and deliver the gift of the Holy Spirit. The short answer is this: anyone who is a mature Christian that has faith in the power in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit can do this.

There is a verse that says that there is a baptism that saves you.

1 Peter 3:20-21
“… In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also-- not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, …” emphasis mine

I would offer this final statement for your consideration. Would Christ have had to die such a very brutal death if we could be saved by John the Baptist's, baptism of repentance. We know by reading Acts 18:25- 19:7 that John’s baptism was not the same baptism as the early Apostles. Their baptism was a baptism in the name of Jesus Christ. It involved a heart felt commitment to Christ. Deep faith in Jesus' promises and a desire to give their very lives for him… literally. Jesus' baptism was of fire and the Holy Spirit (Matt 3:11, Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16). I believe this is the baptism that is required of those who wish to be saved.

Salvation is all about Jesus and not about us.

My Humble Regards.

Your Brother in Christ,
Sean Porter

Work Out Your Salvation With Fear and Trembling

Yesterday as I was preparing a future post I ran smack into a verse that just would not leave me alone. That verse is found in:

Philipians 2:12 (NIV)
"Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed-- not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence-- continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling..."

When I couldn't leave this alone I searched every commentary in all of my Study Bibles (NIV, NLT, NASB, NKJV and the Amplified Bible- without commentary) and finally I went to my MacArthur Bible Commentary. Each resource brought something to the table though most resources left out much more than it listed.

It seemed that they didn't want to completely go over the subject. Are there things that we are responsible for in our own salvation? This and many other verses seem to indicate that there is a commitment that we must make and keep. Many verses encourage us to persevere to the end when we will be receive our salvation. If there aren't any requirements of us, why do we need to persevere in faith in the face of adversity?

The trouble here is that we have been taught a truth. Salvation is free, it is by grace through faith and not by works lest anyone boast. Right? Absolutely... however, there are many verses that issue a warning to professing believers about not living in faith. I will list some of them shortly. First, I want you to see what the Amplified Version of the Bible has to say about Philipians 2:12.

Phil 2:12 Amplified Bible
"Therefore, my dear ones, as you have always obeyed [my suggestions], so now, not only [with the enthusiasm you would show] in my presence but much more because I am absent, work out (cultivate, carry out to the goal, and fully complete) your own salvation with reverence and awe and trembling (self- distrust, with serious caution, tenderness of conscience, watchfulness against temptation, timidly shrinking from whatever might offend God and discredit the name of Christ)."

We know that we are not ever going to be able to pay our way into heaven. One good reason is that we have sinned in the past and will sin again in the future even though we became a Christian. So God sent his Son, Jesus, to die in our places so that our sin could be forgiven and we would be made righteous in Gods eyes.

Did Jesus die, however, so that we could live any way that we want. We would all answer no. Everyone that I know that claims to be a Christian would imfatically say no. But, why not? If we are not bound to be obedient to God then why should we be? I mean, you'd be more comfortable doing your own thing wouldn't you? Oh, sure... you would go to church when it wasn't an inconvenience, right?

The Bible clearly states that we are to be new creations:

Ephesians 4:20-24, NIV
"You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."

Romans 6:1-4, NIV
"What shall we say then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin, how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, WE TO MAY LIVE A NEW LIFE." emphasis mine.

... How sinful was your life before you gave your life to Christ? Mine? I was a alcohol drinking, cigarette smoking, lustful, sexually immoral, lying, selfish, money grubbing, self centered, greedy, envious individual. My life is still changing from that life. Did it change instantly? No. In fact, tomorrow I will make another attempt at quiting cigarette smoking. Most of the things that are on that list I have given up. Yet, occasionally I find that old selfishness creeping back in or I may envy someone else's situation. I resist these behaviors as my strength allows and when it gives way, I pray for God's strength in the situation.

What did change instantly and permanently is that I have a relationship with God. I seek him by reading my Bible and studying it and by praying as often as I find a purpose. I found that when I don't... I become distant to him. I avoid him. I become increasingly sinful and seek my flesh. I tend to get angry about little things, I swear and become pessimistic.

On the other hand, when I spend my life seeking God I see the world in a different way. I see it as a dwelling place that I must endure until I can be home with my Father.

That's working out my salvation. It's following through with my commitment to God. That is not to say that I can always be perfect. I sin... but I don't feel I am entitled to. I agree with God's righteous judgment that sin is sin (Romans 7:7-25). I feel Godly sorrow (2 Corinthians 7:9-11) when I sin. I fear God and don't want to disappoint him. Does this sound like the Amplified Versions statement, "...watchfulness against temptation, timidly shrinking from whatever might offend God and discredit the name of Christ."

Am I earning my salvation? Of course not. The Bible says that no one can give to God so that he would owe him anything (Romans 11:35). So even after doing my best not to sin, helping those in need and doing other good works, I still couldn't make it to heaven without Jesus. In fact, by doing everything that I just mentioned and being absolutely perfect (not that that is possible) we are only doing what we are supposed to and God wouldn't owe us anything.

Yet in order to qualify for this free gift that can't be earned we must give Christ our lives and everything in it. We must believe in [trust in, cling to, rely on] Christ. Have faith in him. And do good works (James 2:20-24).

Is your life heading in that direction? If not was it ever? Many verses in the Bible encourage us to persevere through trials and tribulations. Testing is intended to make us grow stronger in our faith. Yet, some, not understanding this point fall away from their faith. James says:

James 5:19-20, Amplified
"[My] brethern, if anyone among you strays from the Truth and falls into error and another [person] brings him back [to God],

Let the [latter] one be sure that whoever turns a sinner from his evil course will save [that one's] soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins [procure the pardon of the many sins committed by the convert]."

God Bless,
Sean

Salvation in Heaven for Eternity

A. We are enemies of God
Man is inherently doomed to Hell [Rom 6:23]. That’s because people are bent on following their own sinful desires aka our flesh. They enjoy our world, which is the kingdom of Satan. In Romans 8:7, 8 it says,

“the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.”

We are enemies of God because of one man’s sin, Adam’s [Romans 5:12]. That means that even those who lived before the Law of Moses between the time of Adam and the time of Moses were guilty of the same sin that those who had the law were faced with. Simple put, David said that our sinful nature is such that we are born sinners right out of the womb [Psalms 51:5].

B. So What, We’re Sinners
…What’s he going to do kill us? Everyone sins.

Yep. We all sin and don’t meet Gods expectations. The penalty of sin is DEATH. No not physical death, we all have to face that unless we are raptured first. The death that we are talking about is spiritual death in HELL. Hell is a place that the enemies of God go and it packs quite a punch. Here’s why:

• It will last forever… once you are in there you can’t get out

• Darkness

• It’s in the Lake of Fire (Rev 20:15) People here will be burning in fire and begging for a drop of water to cool their tongues (Luke 16:24)
  

• Place of Tears (Matt 8:12)

• Constant Torment (Luke 16.23)

• It is continuous pain, gnashing teeth (Matt 8:12)

• It includes complete separation from God (2 Thes 1:9). How would this affect you? God is love, justice, light, peace, and so on. If you are completely separated from God… none of these things would be present. However, the opposites of these things would be there. You could easily find: hatred, injustice, darkness, conflict, and so on.

Many people claim that they either don’t sin except for the occasional _______ fill in the blank. But, the Bible teaches that there is no value system when it comes to sin. In other words, there are no really big sins and no small sins. Sin is simply sin.

James 2:10
For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.

Romans 3:10
As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one;”

Romans 3:23
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

The law cannot be lived up to because of our sinful nature. No one has ever, except Christ, lived without breaking the Law of Moses. It’s only intent was to show us that we sin .

Romans 3:20
Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.

As people [not just Christians or non-Christians] we don’t live up to the moral standard that God has placed in our hearts. People always live below their own moral standards however low or high that may be. This is why people who are in countries that they don’t have the Law of Moses readily available would be considered sinners.

C. Paying for Sin
God requires a blood sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin. The old Jewish method of sacrificing animals was not pleasing to God and didn’t take away sins anyway [Heb 10:4-8, 11]. The Bible says that Jesus is the Messiah and that his death was adequate to pay for the sins of all people from the beginning of time until the end [Heb 10:12, 9:12-14]

John 3:16
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

So it’s pretty simple really. God can’t tolerate sin in his presence. Through God’s grace we have been given a way out in Jesus, but he is the only way. God’s grace has existed always and will continue to exist for eternity. But, everyone won’t get into heaven, why not? Because another component is required for salvation. Faith.

John 14:6
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

You can pay the death penalty yourself or let Jesus pay it for you.

D. Weigh the Costs

The details of salvation are as follows:
1. It’s a free gift. In fact, it is through God’s grace [which means it is not deserved or earned] that we are able to partake in it [Rom 6:23, 11:6]. So being really good, helping the poor, tithing, going to church or anything else that you could do on your own cannot EARN you salvation. That is not to say that we don’t need to make any effort to live righteously. It just means that, even though we try with al our might to be all these things we won’t be able to be perfect. We ultimately need Jesus to fill in the gaps for us. Further, the sum total of our lives dedicated to God’s service couldn’t put God in debt to us. We are simply doing what is expected of us. And even our very best day, if it were considered by itself, would fall short of God’s glorious standard.

We must try to seek righteousness because the opposite of this is living in our sinful nature. Paul told us that to do this would disqualify us from heaven [Gal 5:19-21]. Even in doing this… you could never earn salvation, yet you can’t have it with out giving your life to Christ, without dying to your flesh and this world.

Romans 11:35
“Who has given to God that God should repay him?”

2. It is available to all. John 3:16, recorded above, clearly says, “…whoever believes”.

3. We must BELIEVE in Jesus.

Requires FAITH which in turn produces a relationship with God. [Rom 4:16]

Romans 10:9, 10
That if you confess with you mouth, “Jesus is Lord”, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you WILL be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. [Emphasis mine]


4. We must have FAITH

[Rom 5:1-2]

• That Jesus was a perfect man who died and was resurrected for payment of all sins. That his death was sufficient for all of your sins, big or small.
• That we receive the Holy Spirit into our lives when we make a decision for Christ.
• The Holy Spirit will direct your life and will constantly pray for you in areas you don’t even know to pray about.
  
• As Christians we need to separate ourselves from our sinful nature so that we can hear his desires for us.
  

5. We must live through our FAITH

2 Cor 5:7
We live by faith, not by sight.

Live by the Spirit

Romans 8:13, 14
For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are lead by the Spirit of God are sons of God.


Galatians 5:16-18
So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit you are not under law.

If we truly live by the Spirit the following things will be developed in your life. These things come from following the Spirit.

a. Die with Christ
Rom 6:2-10
By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, WE TO MAY LIVE A NEW LIFE. [emphasis mine]

b. Die to our SINFUL NATURE/ FLESH

[Rom 6:1-4, 11-14]

2 Timothy 2:19
Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription; “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”

Rom 8:5-8
Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.

What are acts of sinful nature? Galatians gives us understanding in this.

Galatians 5:19-21
The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery [excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures]; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord [causing tension and strife], jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions [arguing], factions [forming a click or group that excludes others] and envy; drunkenness, orgies [unrestrained indulgence] and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. [descriptions in brackets are definitions of the words preceding them, from Riverside Webster’s II New College Dictionary, 1995]


c. Die to the WORLD

Luke 9:23-26
Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever-wants to save his life will lose it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.


1John 2:15-17
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world-- the cravings of sinful man, the lust of the eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

d. Live a life of OBEDIENCE

Hebrews 10:26-27
If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.

Romans 6:16
Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey--whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?

John 14:15-17
“If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever--the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you…”

John 15:9,10
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.

Matthew 28:18-20
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to OBEY EVERY THING I HAVE COMMANDED YOU. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

The greatest commands:
Matthew 22:37-40
“ ‘ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment, And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”


e. Do good WORKS

[2 Cor 5:9, Rom 2:7-9]

John 15:1-8
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples…”

James 2:14
What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

James 2:22-24
You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. [emphasis mine]


Ephesians 2:10
For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.


E. Your response required

Make no mistake, after reading this article you will be making some sort of decision:

Rejection of Christ- if you decide to toss it aside and do nothing
Giving your life to Jesus for the first time- Amen
Rededicating/ Dedicating your life to Christ fully- Amen
Continuing to believe that you can live the way that you want because you said a prayer and God’s grace is sufficient to cover you. Your life changed… you go to church almost ever Sunday don’t you? Or at least you live a good life and don’t commit any big sins, just the ones that EVERYONE else commits. After all you are only human. And besides your preacher says, “We don’t have to do works, cause salvation is paid once for all.”

Philippians 2:10-11
…that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

The Bible says that when we become Christians and accept his gift of salvation and forgiveness of sin that we must repent [change our minds about sin, turn from sin] and give our lives to Jesus. This WILL produce a new life. [Luke 13:3, Acts 26:20, 2 Cor 7:10

Being saved doesn’t, however, mean that you will not ever sin again. What it does mean is that you are committing to a daily walk with Jesus and a relationship with God for the rest of you life. We don’t try to impress the world or focus on our flesh but instead focus on the one who saved our souls. And he will take care of the rest.

If we truly die with Christ and live through the Spirit the old law is made complete in us because we no longer live for sin but for righteousness. Daily we will be changed, a little at a time, to be in Christ’s image. More and more as we mature spiritually he will work through us producing good works, Godly living, obedience and Love.

Works, if we truly have died to ourselves are works of the Holy Spirit and not of our own. This all comes from True Faith. Without these works, faith is really not faith [James 2:17, 2:24]. Keep in mind that you are not trying to earn your salvation… any number of works couldn‘t earn it.

Romans 11:35
“Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

Receiving Jesus Into Your Heart
The gospel is simply this:

If you will come to him humbly in prayer, repent of your sins and say something like this:

Jesus, I am a sinner. I have sinned against you and Heaven and am unworthy to be in your family. But speak the word and I know that I will be forgiven. For you died on the Cross of Calvary so that I may be forgiven of my sins. From this day forward you are the Lord of my life and I will die to this world and my flesh and be reborn in your Spirit. I will follow your Spirit for the rest of my life. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen

Rededicating your life to Jesus Christ (James 5:19-20, Hebrews 6:6)

God, I am sorry for my sin. I am sorry that I have strayed from you. I ask you to forgive me now as I repent of my sin. I don’t want to live like a prodical any longer. Renew and revive me as I once again follow you as my God. From this day forward you are the Lord of my life and I will die to this world and my flesh and be reborn in your Spirit. I will follow your Spirit for the rest of my life. Thank you for your forgiveness. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen

F. Assurance of Salvation

When we give our lives to Christ we receive the Holy Spirit. This Holy Spirit is the same spirit that raised Christ from the Dead, allowed Jesus and the Apostles to heal the sick, cast out demons and even walk on water.

Romans 8:9
You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.


1 Corinthians 2:14-15
The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment…

The Holy Spirit is the Seal of Redemption.

2 Corinthians 1:21-22
Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
2 Corinthians 5:5
Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

Ephesians 1:13-14
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance, until the redemption of those who are God’s possession-- to the praise of his glory. [emphasis mine]

We show that we are saved by the mere fact that we have him. But how can you tell whether you have the Spirit or not?


Galatians 5:22-26
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Someone who has the Holy Spirit in their lives behaves differently than the world.

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

In fact, there is a change in their lives-- because they have been re-born in the Spirit.

John 3:3-5
In reply Jesus declared, “ I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”

“How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked, “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!”

Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit…”

The person who lives by the Spirit truly is reborn because they begin to choose God’s desires for them instead of their own sinful desires. This life changing event [becoming a Christian] is simply reliant on Faith. Believing in something and acting on it even though you can‘t see it.

If we are following the Spirit we know that we are doing the will of God because the Spirit only does the will of God. Conversely, it would be impossible to turn to a life of sin if, indeed you are following the Spirit. So a person who is following the Spirit turns from sin and chooses righteous acts instead of sinful ones, however tempted they may be. As we mature as Christians we become more and more able to hear the Spirit, not less and less. (Hebrews 10:26-27)

It is important to recognize the urgings and convictions of the Spirit in you. We learn how to listen and discern his teaching and guidance by reading the Bible and through prayer. When we sin we sense his conviction of our heart. The Bible doesn’t put limits on the Spirit and neither should we. It is important that we confirm the urging of the Spirit in the Bible. As we mature this practice will help to lead others to the kingdom of God. Additionally, spending time daily in reading the scripture, books at a time and continuous prayer throughout your day really helps us to stay focused on the Lord. These simple acts decrease my own fleshly urges and keep my eyes on Jesus. Give it a try.

Please pray about these things and if you do not attend church find a fundament Bible preaching church. If you are in the Nashville area please feel free to call me or stop by my apartment. I would love to have you come to my church which is Donnelson Fellowship Free Will Baptist Church.

Your Brother in Christ,

Sean