All Scripture Quotations From The KJV With Modern
English Words By The Compiler
THE OLD TESTAMENT SCRIPTURES GAVE SALVATION THROUGH CHRIST
"And that from a child you have known the holy scriptures, which
are able to make you wise unto salvation through faith which is
in Christ Jesus" (2 Tim.3:15).
THE BOOK OF PSALMS GIVES THE WAY TO SALVATION
CHRIST IN THE PSALMS FROM PAGE 764 OF THE NKJV:
Psalm Portrayed Fulfilled
2:7 The Son of God Matthew 3:17
8:2 Praised by children Matthew 21:15,16
8:6 Ruler of all Hebrews 2:8
16:10 Rises from the dead Matthew 28:7
22:1 Forsaken by God Matthew 27:46
22:7,8 Derided by enemies Luke 23:35
22:16 Hands and feet pierced John 20:27
22:18 Lots cast for clothes Matthew 27:35,36
34:20 Bones unbroken John 19:32,33,36
35:11 Accused by false witnesses Mark 14:57
35:19 Hated without cause John 15:25
40:7,8 Delight's in God's will Hebrews 10:7
41:9 Betrayed by a friend Luke 22:47
45:6 The eternal King Hebrews 1:8
68:18 Ascends to heaven Acts 1:9-11
69:9 Zealous for God's house John 2:17
69:21 Given vinegar and gall Matthew 27:34
109:4 Prays for enemies Luke 23:34
109:8 His betrayer replaced Acts 1:20
110:1 Rules over His enemies Matthew 22:44
110:4 A priest forever Hebrews 5:6
118:22 The chief stone Matthew 21:42
118:26 Comes in name of the Lord Matthew 21:9
GOD'S CHARACTER IS PERFECT, HOLY, AND RIGHTEOUS:
"For you are not a God that has pleasure in wickedness:
neither shall evil dwell with you......you hate all workers of
iniquity" (Ps.5:4,5).
"For the righteous Lord loves righteousness....."(Ps.11:7).
"For the word of the Lord is right; and all His works are
done in truth. He loves righteousness and judgment....."
(Ps.33:4,5).
"Your righteousness is like the great mountains; your
judgments are a great deep......For with you is the fountain of
life: in your light shall we see light" (Ps.36:6,9).
"Among the gods there is none like unto you, O Lord; neither
are there any works like unto your works......you are God
alone.......a God full of compassion, and gracious,
longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth" (Ps.86:8,10,15).
"For who in heaven can be compared unto the Lord? Who among
the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord?.....Justice
and judgment are the habitation of your throne: mercy and truth
shall go before you" (Ps.89:6,14).
"Your testimonies are very sure: holiness becomes your
house, O Lord, for ever" (Ps.93:5).
"Say among the heathen that the Lord reigns......He shall
judge the people righteously.....for He comes, for He comes to
judge the earth: He shall judged the world with righteousness,
and the people with His truth" (Ps.96:10,13).
"......righteousness and judgment are the habitation of His
throne" (Ps.97:2).
"Let them praise your great and terrible name for it is
holy.....Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at His holy hill;
for the Lord our God is holy" (Ps.99:3,9).
"For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His
truth endures to all generations" (Ps.100:5).
"Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, you are very
great; you are clothed with honor and majesty. Who covers
yourself with light as with a garment....." (Ps.104:1,2).
"His work is honorable and glorious: and His righteousness
endures for ever.....the work of his hands are verity and
judgment; all His commandments are sure.....He has commanded His
covenant for ever: holy and reverend is His name" (Ps.111:3,7,9).
"But our God is in heaven, He has done whatsoever He has
pleased" (Ps.115:3).
"Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and His
greatness is unsearchable" (Ps.145:3).
"Great is our Lord, and of great power: His understanding is
infinite" (Ps.147:5).
DEFINITION OF WICKEDNESS(SIN, UNRIGHTEOUSNESS):
"The transgression of the wicked says within my heart, that
there is no fear of God before his eyes. For he flatters himself
in his own eyes, until his iniquity be found to be hateful.....He
devises mischief upon his bed; he sets himself in a way that is
not good; he abhors not evil" (Ps.36:1-2,4).
"You have rebuked the proud that are cursed, which do err
from your commandments.......Horror has taken hold of me because
of the wicked that forsake your law.....Depart from me you evil
doers: for I will keep the commandments of my God.....They draw
nigh that follow after mischief: they are far from your law"
(Ps.119:53, 115, 150).
DEFINITION OF RIGHTEOUSNESS:
"My tongue shall speak of your word: for all your
commandments are righteousness" (Ps.119:172).
WE ARE NOT TO SIN:
"Stand in awe, and sin not......" (Ps.4:4).
"Depart from evil and do good, and dwell for evermore"
(Ps.37:27).
"I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my
tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is
before me" (Ps.39:1).
"You that love the Lord, hate evil......" (Ps.97:10).
"Your word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin
against you" (Ps.119:11).
MANKIND ARE ALL SINNERS(UNRIGHTEOUS):
"The foolish has said in their heart: There is not God. They
are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that
does good......The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children
of men, to see if there was any that did understand, and seek
God. They are all gone aside, they are altogether become filthy:
there is none that does good, no, not one" (Ps.14:1-3).
See also Psalm 53:2-3.
"And enter not into judgment with your servant: for in your
sight shall no man living be justified" (Ps.143:2).
THE WICKED CANNOT HAVE SALVATION:
"Salvation is far from the wicked: for they seek not your
statutes" (Ps.119:155).
MUST CONFESS WE ARE SINNERS:
"I acknowledge my sin unto you, and mine iniquity have I not
hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the
Lord......" (Ps.32:5).
"For my iniquities are gone over my head: as an heavy burden
they are too heavy for me......For I will declare mine iniquity;
I will be sorry for my sin" (Ps.38:4,18).
"For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine
iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look
up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart
fails me. Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me: O Lord, make haste
to help me" (Ps.40:12-13).
"I said, Lord, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have
sinned against you" (Ps.41:4).
"For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever
before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned, and done this
evil in your sight: that you may be justified when you speak, and
be clear when you judge" (Ps.51:3,4).
"O God, you know my foolishness; and my sins are not hid
from you" (Ps.69:5).
"You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in
the light of your countenance" (Ps.90:8).
"We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed
iniquity, we have done wickedly" (Ps.106:6).
MUST CRY OUT FOR MERCY, FORGIVENESS, IN HUMILITY
AND REPENTANCE:
"I cried unto the Lord with my voice....." (Ps.3:4).
"Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: you have
enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear
my prayer" (Ps.4:1).
"Harken unto the voice of my cry, my King, my God: for unto
you will I pray" (Ps.5:2).
"In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my
God: He heard my voice out of His temple, and my cry came before
Him, even into His ears" (Ps.18:6).
"Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions:
according to your mercy remember you me for your goodness' sake,
O Lord.....For your names sake, O Lord, pardon mine iniquities;
for it is great.......Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and
forgive all my sins" (Ps.25:7, 11, 18).
"Have mercy upon me, O God, according to your
lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of your tender
mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine
iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.....Purge me with hyssop,
and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than
snow......Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all mine
iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right
spirit within me.....The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a
broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise"
(Ps.51:1-2, 7, 9-10, 17).
See also: Ps.26:11; 27:7-9; 30:2,3,10; 31:9,10;
38:21,22; 40:11; 79:8,9; 86:5
GOD WILL HEAR AND BLESS THOSE WHO SEEK AND FEAR HIM:
"And they that know your name will put their trust in you:
for you, Lord, have not forsaken them that seek you" (Ps.9:10).
"The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him; and He
will show them His covenant" (Ps.25:14).
"Oh, how great is your goodness, which you have laid up for
them that fear you...." (Ps.31:19).
"Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear Him,
upon them that hope in His mercy; To deliver their soul from
death....." (Ps.33:18,19).
"Surely His salvation is nigh them that fear him....."
(Ps.85:9).
"He has not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us
according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the
earth, so great is His mercy towards them that fear Him. As far
as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our
transgressions from us. Like as a father pities his children, so
the Lord pities them that fear Him. For He knows our frame; He
remembers that we are dust.....But the mercy of the Lord is from
everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear Him, and His
righteousness unto children's children; To such as keep His
covenant, and to those that remember His commandments to do them"
(Ps.103:10-14, 17-18).
See also: Ps.111:10; 112:1; 115:11,13; 119:153,154;
145:17-20
GOD WILL SHOW AND GIVE MERCY:
"The Lord has chastened me sore: but He has not given me
over unto death: (Ps.118:18).
"If you, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall
stand? But there is forgiveness with you, that you may be
feared.....Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there
is mercy , and with Him is plenteous redemption" (Ps.130:3,4,7).
"The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion, slow to
anger, and of great mercy. The Lord is good to all: and His
tender mercies are over all His works" (Ps.145:8-9).
See also: Ps.30:10-11; 31:5; 32:1-2, 5; 40:1-2, 17;
59:16,17; 66:20; 103:3,8
MUST HAVE FAITH:
"O Lord, my God, in you do I put my trust......" (Ps.7:1).
"But I have trusted in your mercy; my heart shall rejoice in
your salvation" (Ps.13:5).
"The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my
God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn
of my salvation, and my high tower" (Ps.18:2).
"I have hated them that regard lying vanities: but I trust
in the Lord. I will be glad and rejoice in your mercy: for you
have considered my trouble; you have known my soul in
adversities" (Ps.31:6,7).
"Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusts in
the Lord, mercy shall compass him about" (Ps.32:10).
"The Lord redeems the soul of His servants: none of them
that trust in Him shall be desolate" (Ps.34:22).
See also: 39:7,8; 52:8; 86:2,3; 119:41, 42, 81, 86
MERCY, FORGIVENESS, IS GIVEN TO THOSE WHO
HUMBLY REPENT:
"When He makes inquisition for blood, he remembers them: He
forgets not the cry of the humble" (Ps.9:12).
"Lord, you have heard the desire of the humble: you will
prepare their heart, you will cause your ear to hear" (Ps.10:17).
"For you will save the afflicted people; but will bring down
high looks......You have given me the shield of your salvation:
and your right hand has held me up, and your gentleness has made
me great" (Ps.18:27,35).
"The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and
saves such as be of a contrite spirit" (Ps.34:18).
"For, lo, they that are far from you shall perish: you have
destroyed all them that go a whoring from you" (Ps.73:27).
"You are my portion, O Lord: I have said that I would keep
your words. I entreated your favor with my whole heart: be
merciful unto me according to your word. I thought on my ways,
and turned my feet unto your testimonies. I made haste and
delayed not to keep your commandments. The bands of the wicked
have robbed me, but I have not forgotten your law......I an a
companion of all them that fear you, and of them that keep
your precepts. The earth, O Lord, is full of your mercy: teach my
your statutes" (Ps.119:57-64).
MERCY, FORGIVENESS, SALVATION, IS GRANTED TO THOSE WHO
WILL OBEY AND KEEP GOD'S COMMANDMENTS AND COVENANT:
"All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as
keep His commandments and His testimonies" (Ps.25:10).
"Come, you children, harken unto me: I will teach you the
fear of the Lord. What man is he that desires life, and loves
many days that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil, and
do good; seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are upon
the righteous, and His ears are open unto their cry. the face of
the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance
of them from the earth" (Ps.34:11-16).
"The steps of a good man are established by the Lord: and he
delights in His way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast
down: for the Lord upholds him with His hand" (Ps.37:23,24).
"But unto the wicked God says, what have you to do to
declare my statutes, or that you should take my covenant in your
mouth? Seeing you hate instruction, and cast my words behind
you......Now consider this, you that forget God, lest I tear you
in pieces, and there be none to deliver. Whoso offers praise
glorifies me: and to him that disposes his way aright will I show
the salvation of God" (Ps.50:16,17,22,23).
"If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear
me" (Ps.66:18).
"But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to
everlasting upon them that fear Him, and His righteousness unto
children's children; To such as keep His covenant, and to those
that remember His commandments to do them" (Ps.103:17,18).
See also: Ps.119:67, 71-73, 76-77, 153-155, 165, 166, 174,
176
GRACE, MERCY, DOES NOT ABOLISH THE LAW
OR COMMANDMENTS OF GOD:
"Offer the sacrifice of righteousness, and put your trust in
the Lord" (Ps.4:5).
"Lord, who shall abide in your tabernacle? who shall dwell
in your holy hill? He that walks uprightly, and works
righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart. He that
backbites not with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor,
takes up a reproach against his neighbor. In whose eyes a vile
person is condemned; but he honors them that fear the Lord. He
that swears to his own hurt, and charges not. He that puts not
out money to usury, nor takes reward against the innocent. He
that does these things shall never be moved" (Ps.15).
"The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the
testimony of the Lord is sure , making wise the simple. The
statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the
commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear
of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the
Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are
they than gold, yes, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey
and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is your servant warned: and
in keeping of them there is great reward" (Ps.19"7-11).
"Who can understand his error? cleanse you me from secret
faults. Keep back your servant from presumptuous sins, let them
not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall
be innocent from the great transgression" (Ps.19:12,13).
"Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk after the
law of the Lord. Blessed are they that keep His testimonies, and
seek Him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity: they
walk in His ways. You have commanded us to keep your precepts
diligently......Then shall I not be ashamed when I have respect
unto your commandments........With my whole heart have I sought
you: O let me not wander from your commandments.......Open mine
eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.......I
will run the way of your commandments, when you shall enlarge my
heart.......Give me understanding, and I shall keep your law;
yes, I shall observe it with my whole heart. Make me to go in the
path of your commandments; for therein do I delight.......And I
will walk at liberty for I seek your precepts. I will speak of
your testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed. And
I will delight myself in your commandments, which I have loved.
My hands also will I lift up unto your commandments, which I have
loved; and I will meditate in your statutes.......O how love
I your law! it is my meditation all the day. You through your
commandments have made me wiser than my enemies: for they are
ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers: for
your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the
ancients, because I keep your precepts. I have refrained my feet
from every evil way, that I might keep your word.......Your word
is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.......My soul is
continually in my hand: yet do I not forget your law.......I have
inclined my heart to perform your statutes, even unto the end. I
hate vain thoughts: but your law do I love.......It is time for
you, Lord, to work: for they have made void your law. Therefore
I love your commandments above gold; yes, above fine gold.......I
opened my mouth, and panted: for I longed for your
commandments........rivers of water run down my eyes, because
they keep not your law.......Your righteousness is an everlasting
righteousness, and your law is the truth. Trouble and anguish
have taken hold of me: yet your commandments are my
delights....You are near, O Lord; and all your commandments
are truth.......for all your commandments are righteousness....I
have longed for your salvation, O Lord; and your law is my
delight.......I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your
servant; for I do not forget your commandments" (Ps.119: 1-4,
6-7, 10, 18, 32, 34-35, 45-48, 97-100, 105, 109, 112-113,
126-127, 131, 136, 142-143, 151, 172, 174, 176)
Read this whole 119th Psalm, there are many other verses I
have not quoted, that give the truth that grace does not abolish
the law and commandments of God.
THE REWARD OF THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE WICKED
"Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the
ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat
of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and
in His law does he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a
tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth his fruit
in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he
does shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the
chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not
stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the
righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous: but the
way of the ungodly shall perish" (Ps.1).
"Fret not yourself because of evildoers, neither be you
envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be
cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb....... For
evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord,
they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the
wicked shall not be: yes, you shall diligently consider his
place, and it shall not be. but the meek shall inherit the
earth.......The Lord knows the days of the upright: and their
inheritance shall be forever. They shall not be ashamed of the
evil time....But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the
Lord shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke
shall they consume away.......For such as be blessed of Him shall
inherit the earth; and they that are cursed of Him shall be cut
off.......For the Lord loves judgment, and forsakes not His
saints; they are preserved forever: but the seed of the wicked
shall be cut off. The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell
therein for ever.......Wait on the Lord, and keep His way, and He
shall exalt you to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off,
you shall see it.......But the transgressors shall be destroyed
together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off" (Ps.37:1-2,
9-11, 18-20, 22, 28-29, 34, 38).
"Also unto you, O Lord, belongs mercy: for you render to
every man according to his work" (Ps.62:12).
"Whoso privately slanders his neighbor, him will I cut off:
him that has a high look and a proud heart will not I suffer.
Mine eye shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may
dwell with me: he that walks in a perfect way, he shall serve me.
He that works deceit shall not dwell within my house: he that
lies shall not tarry in my sight. I will destroy all the wicked
of the land; that I may cut off all the wicked doers from the
city of the Lord" (Ps.101:5-8).
"Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the
wicked be no more. bless you the Lord, O my soul. Praise you the
Lord" (Ps.104:35).
"You have trodden down all them that err from your statutes:
for their deeds is falsehood. You put away all the wicked of the
earth like dross: therefore I love your testimonies"
(Ps.119:118-119).
"The Lord preserves them that love Him: but all the wicked
will He destroy" (Ps.145:20).
THE WAY OF SALVATION IS SO WRITTEN
For those who are having difficulty understanding Law and
Grace as taught in the New Testament, with Scripture verses that
seem to contradict each other, please request my in-depth study
article called "Saved by Grace" and the truth will be made plain
for you. There is no contradiction between the basic way of
slavation in either the Old or the New Covenants of your Bible.
..........................
Compiled in July 1997 by Keith Hunt, when with his Dad visiting
relatives in England and Wales.
SAVED BY GRACE #1 AS SHOCKING AS IT MAY SOUND, NOT ONE IN ONE HUNDRED
CHRISTIANS UNDERSTAND WHAT BEING SAVED BY GRACE
REALLY MEANS. IN THIS ARTICLE THE TRUTH WILL
BE MADE PLAIN
by
Keith Hunt
"For by GRACE are you saved through faith, and not of
yourselves, it is the GIFT of God.." many will quote this verse
of Eph.2:8 and tell you the law of God has been abolished.
But Jesus answered the young man who asked Him how he might
have eternal life, by saying, "IF YOU WILL ENTER INTO LIFE, KEEP
THE COMMANDMENTS" (Mat.19:17).
Many say LAW and GRACE do not mix! Is that true? How can we
reconcile what Christ said to the rich young man, and what Paul
wrote to the Ephesians? Was Jesus and Paul of different opinions
as to HOW a person is SAVED?
The way of Salvation can be understood - your Bible makes it
PLAIN - here then is the truth of HOW YOU can have eternal life.
ALL OF GOD'S WORD
The verse in Eph.2:8 is an inspired part of God's revelation
to man - but so also is Mat.19:17 ! Do you believe what Paul
wrote to the Ephesian church? Do you believe what Jesus said to
the young man? If you believe that the Bible is INSPIRED, your
answer must be a resounding YES!
Jesus said elsewhere that the scripture can not be BROKEN -
in other words, there cannot be any CONTRADICTIONS in the word of
God. The verse, "For by grace are you saved" is true - very true.
No one can save themselves by their WORKS. You can work, perform,
DO THINGS for a thousand life times, and still you will never
WORK your way into eternal life. Your WORKS, of themselves, will
NOT save you.
God's salvation is a gift - it comes by the way of GRACE
through faith. But can God's grace be turned into something He
never intended? Yes indeed! Jude wrote towards the end of the
first century A.D. that, "....when I gave all diligence to write
unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write
unto you, and exhort you that you should earnestly contend for
the faith that was ONCE DELIVERED unto the saints(even BEFORE the
end of the first century the way of salvation was being
corrupted) for there are CERTAIN MEN crept in UNAWARES( they
looked like Christians but were deceivers)....UNGODLY men(not
speaking the truth of God's word ) TURNING (changing, doing
something other than what God intended) the GRACE of God into
LASCIVIOUSNESS(a license to sin)...." verse 3,4.
God's grace was being ABUSED, twisted, turned into something
other than what God said it was.
SOMETHING YOU CAN EARN!
Salvation comes as a GIFT - by grace - given to us by the
Father. Our works, our deeds cannot EARN us the right to eternal
life. But there is something we can most definitely EARN - by
what we have performed.
Turn to Rom.6:23 and read there what it is we can EARN, "For
the wages(the payment we are rightly due because we've worked
for it) of SIN is DEATH....." What we have earned by sinning is
DEATH - that is the eternal death, the SECOND death
(Rev.20:4-~6,14-15), from which there is no resurrection.
Again the last part of verse 23 says that eternal life is
God's FREE gift - His to give to us - not something we can demand
because we've earned it.
WHAT IS SIN ?
We can earn by sin - DEATH! The next question we should ask
and answer is "what IS sin?" What does God say sin is? Does He
define it for us, or is it left to us to decide what sin is?
The word of God does define sin for us. The Bible definition
is - never forget this verse - 1 Jn.3:4, "Whosoever commits SIN
transgresses also the LAW: for sin IS the transgression of the
LAW."
Now what law is John speaking about? Paul answers, "....I
had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known LUST,
except the law had said, YOU SHALL NOT COVET " (Rom.7:7).
What law contains the command "you shall not covet"? Why,
the TEN commandment law of EX.20. The marginal reference of many
Bibles will, for verse 7, take you to the Ten Commandments in
Exodus 20.
James further testifies that if we break only ONE of these
commands of God, we are guilty - we become a transgressor - we
SIN! "For whosoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend in
one point, he is guilty of all. For He that said, do not commit
adultery, also said, do not kill. Now if you commit no adultery,
yet if you kill, you have become a transgressor of the law"
(James 2:10,11).
WHO HAS SINNED ?
Sin then is breaking any one of God's TEN commandments, as
amplified by Jesus Christ and the entire word of God (see Jesus'
amplification of the law in Mat.5 - 7).Has anyone kept the law of
God completely perfectly - so no sin was incurred? Yes! Speaking
about Jesus Christ, Paul wrote, that He was tempted like we all
are, but He never sinned - not once (Heb.4:15).
What about the rest of mankind? Are only some sinners while
the rest are not? The Psalmist wrote, "The Lord looked down from
heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that
did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they
are ALL together filthy: there is NONE that doeth good, no, NOT
0NE" (Ps.14:2,3).
Paul translates this passage as, "There is NONE righteous,
no not one(righteousness is defined as all God's commandments -
Ps.1l9:172). - there is none that understands, there is none that
seeks after God ..... there is none that does good, no not one"
(Rom.3:10-l2).
God inspired Paul in verse 23 of this third chapter of
Romans to write, "For AII HAVE SINNED, and come short of the
glory of God." Earlier in this chapter Paul had stated, "...for
we have before proved both Jew and Gentile, that they are ALL
under sin" (verse 9).
All mankind has sinned - the only exception was Jesus
Christ. He only of all humans was without sin. He alone has kept
the law of God completely perfectly - all the rest have broken
that law - have SINNED - have earned the wages of sin - DEATH.
CUT OFF FROM GOD
God is HOLY (1 Pet.1:15,16). He is PERFECT (Mt.5:48). His
very nature and character is that of perfection. GOD the
Father and Christ Jesus are RIGHTEOUS (1 Jn.3:7) - there is NO
sin in them at all (v.5).
God's law is PERFECT (Ps. 19:7). His commandments are
RIGHTEOUSNESS (Ps.119:172). God's righteousness is FOREVER
(Ps.111:3). To sin, as we have seen is to BREAK, go against the
very character of God - His perfect HOLY, SPIRITUAL law
(Rom.7:12,l4).
The Father and Son have never sinned, but the rest of
mankind, all mankind - YOU and I, have sinned - have broken that
perfect and holy law. What has this sinning of ours done to our
relationship with the Father ?
God answers us through the prophet Isaiah, "Behold, the
Lord's hand is not shortened, that it can not save, neither His
ear heavy, that it can not hear, BUT your INIQUITIES (our sins)
have SEPARATED between you and your God, and your SINS have hid
his face from you, that He will not hear" (Isa.59:1-2).
Our sins have cut us off from God - we stand condemned to
DEATH, our wicked deeds, our WORK of sin has earned for us the
wages of death. But God the Father is a God OF LOVE (1 Jn.4:8).
Although we deserve to die, He loves us - He wants to SAVE
us from death. The Father, even before the foundation of the
World, knew mankind would sin, and so He planned HOW man could
be rescued from the penalty of sin - death. God had determined to
save us, not according to OUR WORKS, but according to His own
purpose(plan) and GRACE, which was given us in Christ Jesus
BEFORE THE WORLD BEGAN (2 Tim.l:9). God had determined to buy us
back from death through His very own Son - and this plan of
redemption was formulated before the world was founded
(1 Pet.1:19,20). God is so wonderful and merciful that He gave
His only begotten SON, that whosoever believes in Him should NOT
PERISH, but have EVERLASTING LIFE (JN.3: 16).
Sin - our sins, have separated us from God - have cut us
off, but there is a way we can be reconciled - the Father has
made a way possible by which our sins can be forgiven, and the
death sentence taken away from us.
GOD'S CALL TO MANKIND
The first step to salvation that we must do is to respond to
the CALL of God, "For the promise(of forgiveness of sins) is unto
you, and to your children, and to all that are far off, even as
many as the Lord our God shall CALL" (Acts 2:39). What does God
CALL OUT? Paul tells us, "And the times of this ignorance God
winked at, BUT NOW commands all men everywhere to REPENT" (Acts
17:30). Jesus said, "I tell you....except you REPENT, you shall
all likewise PERISH" ( Luke 1 3:5).
God inspired Isaiah to write, "Seek you the Lord while He
may be found, call upon Him while He is near: Let the wicked
FORSAKE HIS way, and the un- righteous man his thoughts: and let
him RETURN unto the Lord, and He will have MERCY(grace) upon him,
and to our God, for He will abundantly PARDON" (Isa.55:2,7). On
the day of PENTECOST, Peter cried out to the people, "REPENT (be
broken up over being sinners, change your way of life) and be
BAPTIZED every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, FOR the
REMISSION (the forgiveness) of SINS..." (Acts 2:38).
A little later Peter again shouted, "REPENT you therefore,
and be CONVERTED (be charged, be turned into something different)
that (in order that) your SINS may be blotted out" (Acts 3:19).
We are sinners - sin has cut us off from God - we are under the
sentence of death. But God says if we REPENT of being sinners -
if we are willing to CHANGE, to be converted to His thoughts and
ways, our sins can be FORGIVEN - blotted out of the book of
death, so to speak.
Listen again to what God calls out to us through the apostle
John, "If we CONFESS our sins, He is faithful and just to FORGIVE
us our sins, and to cleans us from all unrighteousness" (1
Jn.l:9).
Another time, "He that covers his sins shall not prosper:
but whosoever CONFESSES and FORSAKES them shall have MERCY"
(Prov.28:13) .
Just as a MURDERER on death row must show by a humble,
contrite, repentant attitude, he is broken up over what he has
done, and never wants to commit that crime again, if he is to
stand any chance of obtaining MERCY or GRACE, so it is with us
before God. We must show God that we have repented of our
transgression of His holy law - that we want to CHANGE our way of
life to conform to His way. Upon manifesting that attitude, God
says He will show us MERCY - our sins will be blotted out -
FORGIVEN.
And just as the murderer on death row cannot possibly EARN
his forgiveness by his repentant attitude, or anything he can do
after he has murdered, so with us. Our repentance does not,
cannot EARN our forgiveness with God. It is merely a CONDITION
that the Father lays down in order for us to receive His free
pardon of our sins.
When rightly understood, even the ability to come to
repentance is a gift from God. As no one can come to Christ,
accept Him as Savior, UNLESS the Father DRAWS him with His
Spirit. You will see this truth by reading these scriptures: John
6:44,65; 16:13; 2 Tim..2: 24-26.
We do have our part to do - we must HUMBLE ourselves - have
the proper kind of respectful fear of God (Isa. 66:2) and then
God will look to us - give to us as one of His gifts the ability
to REPENT which in turn leads to the forgiveness of our sins
through faith in Christ Jesus.
WHAT IS GOD'S GRACE ?
It is written, "....the Lord is GRACIOUS...." (Ps. 111:4).
The word "grace'' can have manifold meanings. The WORLD BOOK
DICTIONARY gives a long passage as to the various meanings of the
word "grace." But in connection with THEOLOGY they say,
"God's free and UNDESERVED favor to and love for mankind....."
They also state grace is, "MERCY, CLEMENCY, PARDON, FORGIVENESS."
If someone has done you WRONG and justice would demand they
pay the prescribed penalty for his their wrong actions, but you
have compassion on them and put aside the right to exercise the
justice of the law, you have shown CLEMENCY, you have had MERCY,
you have granted PARDON, you have been GRACIOUS, shown GRACE
to the wrong doer. Grace or mercy is a quality of character that
comes from a person, where he could just as easily demand the
penalty of the law be enforced.
Being shown grace - being under grace, does not mean you
are in a condition of being free to henceforth live as you
please, and break with impunity the laws of the land. The
murderer, Being shown grace or forgiveness is not free to just go
out and murder again - of course not! Why, the law enforcement
agencies have no problem understanding what GRACE is - but some
theologians and professing Christians have a terrible time in
understanding the grace of God.
The grace of God is an ATTRIBUTE, quality of CHARACTER -
one of the many qualities of God. It is the ability of God to
forgive sin - to blot out the sins of any person - to show mercy
- undeserved favor in not claiming the justice of the law, to be
carried out on that person - which for us would mean eternal
death.
But as God's law is ETERNAL and stands fast FOREVER
(Ps.111:7,8) and as the penalty or wages for breaking that law is
death, the law must be satisfied. If God could have taken His
magic wand and said, "law be gone, be no more" then there would
be NO TRANSGRESSION, "for where no law is, there is no
transgression" (Rom.4:15). You cannot get a speeding ticket if
there is no law to tell you that you must not go over a certain
speed. If God's law has at any point in time been "done away" or
"nailed to the cross" then nobody from that time on has sinned -
for sin is the transgression of the law. And so a savior would
not have been needed.
The TRUTH is - God's law, has never been abolished, so the
penalty of breaking it must be satisfied - it must be paid.
We have all sinned - we are under the laws penalty, which
is death. God says there is a way to get out from under that
death sentence. The first step is to REPENT of sinning - to
repent of breaking the law of God. But the death penalty must he
satisfied. The next step of God's plan now comes into play.
HOW WE ARE JUSTIFIED
A word that is used many times in the Bible, especially in
the New Testament with reference to, and in connection with
salvation, is the word JUSTIFICATION or JUSTIFY. Again to many
this word is nebulous - they don't really understand what it
means. A few
inutes spent with a DICTIONARY will clarify its meaning.
The word means and denotes the act of pronouncing RIGHTEOUS,
acquitting persons of guilt, to clear of blame or guilt. A person
who has been JUSTIFIED has been acquitted or released from the
penalty of his error. It is as if he had never been guilty of
any wrong doing - he stands innocent - FORGIVEN - no penalty
hangs over him. We have seen that we stand as SINNERS - the law
claims our lives - death is the sentence. That penalty must be
paid - the law is UNMOVEABLE. But God has provided a way by
which we can escape that death penalty. He planned that His very
own Son would come and die for us, in our place. It is as if the
son of the judge of the land, who is about to enforce the death
sentence on all murderers, came forward and said he would die in
their stead - he would bear the penalty of death, so the law that
was broken could be satisfied and the murderers could be declared
innocent - righteous, forgiven of any crime - JUSTIFIED.
That is the way it is with God, the judge of the universe,
His Son Jesus Christ, His perfect law, the penalty for breaking
that law, and us the sinners who have transgressed that law and
have incurred the sentence of death. We may have repented, but
the law must be satisfied.
So Paul wrote, "Being JUSTIFIED(declared righteous -
forgiven) FREELY(not something we can earn, or claim we have a
right to because of some good work we've done) by His
GRACE(undeserved pardon) through the REDEMPTION(the buying back
or redeeming power) that is in Christ Jesus. Whom God hath set
forth(it was planned as we've seen before the world began) to be
a PROPITIATION(an atoning sacrifice) through FAITH(believing and
trusting the way God said it would be) in His blood(His death on
the cross) to declare His righteousness for the REMISSION(passing
over or blotting out) of SINS that are PAST(the grace of God does
not give us a blanket forgiveness of sins we may commit in the
future) through the forbearance of God" (Rom.3:24-25).
Again Paul wrote, "For we ourselves also were sometimes
foolish, DISOBEDIENT, deceived, serving different lusts and
pleasures..... But after the kindness and love of God our Savior
towards man appeared. Not by WORKS of righteousness which we have
done(there's no deed we could possibly do to release us from the
death penalty) but according to His MERCY He saved us(from sure
death) which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our
Savior. That being JUSTIFIED by His GRACE, we should be made
heirs according to the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:3-7).
The man about to die for the crime of murder can live
perfectly - he can obey the laws of the land completely - he can
do all manner of GOOD DEEDS - but none of them can erase the
sentence of death hanging over him. He can only escape death by
being shown MERCY or GRACE by the powers that be.
God has made our justification - our acquittal from guilt
possible through the death of His Son. We must believe - have
faith - trust in God that truly Jesus' death in our stead,
satisfies the law's demand and we are declared sinless -
RIGHTEOUS.
And as Paul says, "Where is boasting then? It is excluded(we
can not boast we did some deed to have to make God forgive us).
By what law? of WORKS? No! but by the law of faith. Therefore we
conclude that a man is JUSTIFIED by faith without the
deeds of the law" (Rom.3:27,28).
Paul in writing to the Christians at Rome about Salvation
and Justification, had to combat the Gentle and Jewish doctrine
of justification by WORKS or DEEDS. The Jewish sects believed
that being physically circumcised in the flesh, observing certain
ritualistic ordinances, performing animal sacrifices, and the
like, would get you in right standing with God - that certain
WORKS would justify you. The Gentile religions had similar
beliefs. They held that by punishing the physical body, going
through certain ceremonies, sacrificing animals, they could
please their gods and acquire forgiveness of sins. Paul explains
this was not the way God planned to JUSTIFY mankind from sin.
It was not the way of EARNING your forgiveness but a matter
of God Himself through His Son, coming in the form of man, being
made flesh and dying for the sins of the whole world - taking the
death penalty upon Himself, so all mankind could be made free
from the penalty of the law.
It was a simple matter of how God had planned it and faith
in that promise of His. Faith in the fact Jesus died for us. Upon
our REPENTANCE and acceptance of the death of Christ in our stead
- the acceptance of Him as our PERSONAL Savior, God would forgive
us our sins - would declare us righteous, sinless in His eyes. We
would be JUSTIFIED - and that by GRACE through FAITH.
To be continued(written in 1984)
SAVED BY GRACE #2 ONE MAN DIES FOR ALL ?
It may be asked at this juncture, "How can the death of just
ONE man forgive the sins of millions upon millions of human
beings?"
What many do not realize is the fact that, the Jesus of the
New Testament was the God of the Old Testament. Jesus was the one
who made the physical universe - who made all the things that are
recorded in the first chapter of Genesis - the one who formed
man and breathed into him the breath of life. The Jesus of the
Gospels was the one who talked to Abraham, who wrestled with
Jacob, who called and delivered Israel out of Egypt.
This same Jesus who died on the cross is the one who wrote with
His finger the 10 commandments to Israel.
Paul tells us that God the Father, "Has in these last days
spoken unto us by His Son..... BY WHOM HE MADE THE WORLDS"
(Heb.1:2). ALSO in Col.1:16 we read, "For by Him(the Son -
Christ - v.13-15) were ALL THINGS created, that are in heaven and
that are in earth, ALL THINGS Here created by HIM....."
Jesus told the Jews that He had seen Abraham - they laughed at
Him( Jn.8: 56-57 ). He said to them, "Truly, I say unto you,
before Abraham was born I was the I AM spoken of in scripture"
(v.58 paraphrased). See EX.3:13-14.
Christ existed before all things - He WAS and IS and is to
COME(Rev.1:8). He WAS WITH God and WAS God from the
beginning(Jn.1:1-2,14). He was the second person of the Godhead -
the LOGOS or WORD - the spokesman. Jesus Christ was that
spiritual ROCK that followed the Israelites(1 Cor.10:4).
Because Jesus was the very God (in the main) we read about
in the Old Testament - the CREATOR of all life - His life is
worth more than all the human lives that have ever existed or
will exist. That's why His ONE DEATH can forgive all the sins
ever committed by all mankind.
DOES GRACE AND FAITH MAKE VOID
THE LAW ?
Because no amount of good deeds or WORKS - no amount of
perfect law keeping can earn you God's grace or make up for past
sins - because our sins can only be blotted out by the blood of
Christ - as our justification from a guilty past is through the
death of Jesus - as it is our faith in His sacrifice that
cleanses us from sin - does this FAITH mean we do not have to
OBEY God or serve His holy law?
Paul was the man God inspired to preach and write so much on
JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH, let's let him answer our question.
"Do we then make VOID the law through faith? God FORBID! No we
ESTABLISH the law" (Rom 3:31).
Our man on death row for murder, who finds that the son of
the judge has died for him so he need not die, is thankful for
the GRACE and LOVE shown to him. He has FAITH in the sacrifice of
the son - he knows he is now justified. BUT he also knows he
cannot just go out and murder again - he knows the law is still
in force against such a crime. The law that says "you shall not
murder" has not been made void because he was justified freely by
GRACE through the redeeming power of the son.
As Paul builds up his case for the teaching of justification
by faith, through the death of God's Son Jesus(Rom.4 and 5) and
not by any works that we can perform - a natural question would
arise: "What shall we say then, shall we CONTINUE IN SIN, that
GRACE may ABOUND?" Or as the PHILLIPS translation puts it, "Now
what is our response to be, shall we SIN to our HEART'S CONTENT
and see how far we can EXPLOIT the grace of God?" (Rom.6:1).
"If God's grace is so free and wonderful," the question may
be put, "and sin can only be blotted out by undeserved
forgiveness, should we not go out and sin even more, so God can
bestow more and more grace upon us, and so His love and mercy can
be manifested even still more abundantly?"
What is Paul's answer to such an idea as this? "GOD FORBID!"
or "WHAT A TERRIBLE THOUGHT" (Phillips Trans.). The FAITH we have
in being forgiven of sin - the GRACE shown to us through the
death of Jesus, does NOT give us the LICENSE or freedom to sin to
our hearts content.
THE SAVIOR'S PURPOSE
At this point we should ask another question: "Did Jesus
come to save us IN our sins, while we continue to live IN sin, or
did He come to save us FROM sin and its penalty?"
When the angel announced to Joseph that Mary would be the
one to bear the very Son of God, he said, "And she shall bring
forth a son, and you shall call His name Jesus(which means
Savior) for He shall SAVE His people FROM their sins "
(Mat.1:21).
Why was Christ manifested to the world - so the world could
be saved while continuing IN sin? NO! The Greek word "from" in
Mat.1:21 is APO and means "forth from, away from."
NOTICE 1 JN. 3:5-10, "You know moreover, that Christ became
man to TAKE AWAY sin, and He Himself was free from sin. The man
who lives in Christ does not HABITUALLY sin. The REGULAR sinner
has never seen or known Him. You my children should not let
anyone deceive you. The man who lives a good life is a good man,
as surely as Christ is good. But a man whose life is HABITUALLY
sinful is spiritually a son of the devil, for the devil has been
a sinner from the beginning. Now the Son of God came to the earth
with the express purpose of undoing the devil's work. The man who
is really God's son does not PRACTICE sin, for God's nature is in
him, for good, and such a heredity is incapable of sin. Here we
have a clear indication as to who are the children of God and who
are the children of the devil" (Phillips translation).
A true child of God - one who has been saved from sin - who
has been JUSTIFIED by GRACE through FAITH - does not CONTINUE IN
sin. He does not PRACTICE as an HABITUAL way of life, the works
of the devil - sin.
The death of Jesus for the remission of sins, was also our
death - He died in our stead - it was as if we had died. The
Christian doctrine of BAPTISM pictures our death and resurrection
in Christ Jesus.
Paul, writing about NOT LIVING IN SIN a moment longer, now
that GRACE has been shown to us, said, "that all of us who were
baptized into Jesus Christ were, by that very action, sharing in
His death. If we have, as it were, shared in His death, we shall
also share in His resurrection......And if we were dead men with
Christ we can believe that we shall also be men alive with Him.
He died because of sin(the breaking of the law) once, He lives
for God forever. IN THE SAME WAY look upon yourselves(converted
justified Christians) as dead to the APPEAL and POWER of sin
but alive to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Do not then(today
as baptized forgiven children of God) allow SIN to establish any
power over your mortal bodies in making you give way to its
lusts, but like men rescued from certain death, put yourselves in
God's hands as weapons of good for His own purpose. For SIN CAN
NEVER(now ,today, or tomorrow) be your master - you are no longer
living under the law, but under grace" (Rom.6:3-14 Phillips -
amplification mine).
Jesus came to save us FROM sin - from its penalty - death,
and from its POWER over us. As we have been given a new lease on
life by His sacrifice in our stead, and as He lives for God -
doing His will, forever - so we too must be instruments in God's
hands for His purpose and will, not the devil's. We are not to
let SIN - the breaking of God's law - be our normal practice. Sin
is not to have power and control over us.
NOT UNDER THE LAW ?
Some have taken verse 14 of Romans chapter 6 to say you are
no longer under OBLIGATION TO OBEY the law of God. But if that
was true then we could break the law at our hearts content, for
sin as we have seen, is the breaking of God's law. If we can sin
as a way of life because we are no longer under obligation to
keep the law, then why did Paul spend so much time before verse
14 in telling the Romans not to let sin(disobedience to the law)
rule their lives. Is Paul CONTRADICTING himself in verse 14? Of
course not!! Ye are now through JUSTIFICATION by GRACE no longer
under the CONDEMNATION of the law - no longer does the law
CONDEMN us to death for violating it. We have been made free from
its penalty by GRACE - undeserved pardon and we are not under the
law as a means of EARNING our justification - trying to perform
good works in order to claim God must justify us from sin.
All the well know Bible Commentaries have so understood
verse 14. See such Commentators as: MATTHEW HENRY, ADAM CLARK,
ALBERT BARNES, and more modern works like the WYCLIFFE and
ABINGDON Bible Commentaries.
GRACE DOES NOT GIVE US LICENSE T0 SIN
Again I quote from the Phillips translation of Romans 6:15,
"Now what shall we do? Shall we go on sinning because we have no
law to CONDEMN us any more but are living under grace? NEVER!"
Paul, clearly and plainly did NOT believe that the grace of God
gave us permission to willfully go on PRACTICING sin. Notice what
he said in verses 16-22., from the Phillips with my inserts,
"Just think what it would mean. You(saved Christians)
belong(now,today) to the power which you choose to obey, whether
you choose SIN, whose reward is(still is) DEATH, or God,
obedience to whom means the reward of righteousness(eternal
life)." Do you see ? If we saved Christians return again to the
life of habitual sin, we would AGAIN come under the condemnation
of the law - DEATH.
Let's continue, "Thank God that you, who were at one time
the servants of sin, honestly responded to the impact of Christ's
teaching when you came under its influence. Then released from
the service of sin(being forgiven by Christ's death) you entered
the service of RIGHTEOUSNESS(you repented and said you would walk
in God's commandments - Ps.119:172). For when you were employed
by sin you owed no duty to righteousness. But now that you are
freed from sin and employed by God, you owe no duty to sin, and
you reap(now,today) the fruit of being made righteous, while at
the END OF THE ROAD is life for evermore."
Being justified by GRACE puts us on the road - the beginning
of the road, of salvation. We are in a SAVED condition yes, but
we have not INHERITED eternal life - we are HEIRS of God, not yet
inheritors(Rom.8:17). At the end of the road is eternal life.
We must walk that road all our lives until our death or Christ's
return, whichever comes first. If we deliberately, willfully -
with clear INTENT, turn from serving God, we come again under
condemnation and the death sentence of sin.
Salvation is a PROCESS! There is no such doctrine taught in
the work of God as "once saved always saved". That doctrine is
FALSE - it is a lie - it has deceived tens of thousands into a
false salvation!
LISTEN! Will you believe what the word of God plainly says?
"For if we SIN WILLFULLY after we have received the knowledge of
the truth, there remains NO MORE SACRIFICE FOR SINS. But a
certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation,
which shall devour the adversaries" ( Heb. 10: 26, 27 ) .
Jesus our Savior said, "But he that shall ENDURE TO THE END,
the same shall be saved" (Mat.24:13). Again He said, "....He that
OVERCOMES shall not be hurt of the second death. He that
OVERCOMES, the same shall be clothed in white raiment, and
I will NOT BLOT HIS NAME OUT OF THE BOOK OF LIFE:...." (Rev.2:11;
3:5). So it is possible for a Christian to have his name blotted
out of the book of life. If he does not endure and overcome to
the end he will not be saved.
The apostle James wrote, "BRETHREN, if any of YOU do ERR
from the TRUTH and one CONVERT him; Let him know, that he which
converts the SINNER from the error of his way shall save a soul
from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins" (James 5:19,20).
It is possible for a Christian to FALL AWAY from the TRUTH
for a time, and be helped back again to conversion by another
Christian?
Did the apostle Paul, a man who had experienced the great
MERCY of God, who had been justified - who was in a saved
condition, believe that it was now IMPOSSIBLE for him to "fall
away"? He wrote these words, "Not that I have become perfect yet:
I have NOT YET WON, but I am STILL RUNNING, trying to capture the
prize for which Christ Jesus captured me. I can assure you my
brothers, I am FAR FROM THINKING I have already WON. All I can
say is that I forget the past and I strain ahead for what is
still to come; I am racing for the FINISH, for the prize to which
God calls us upward to receive in Christ Jesus" (Phil.3:12-14,
Jerusalem Bible).
Paul knew that he had eternal life in him, because Christ
was in him through the Spirit(1 Jn.5:11-13), but he also knew he
was not yet an INHERITOR of eternal life - that prize was still
ahead of him. So what must he do until he inherited it? Be
careful - and as he said to the Philippians, "....work out your
own salvation with FEAR and TREMBLING" (chap.2:12). Do not get
into a laxidazical attitude in your Christian life. We must
constantly be putting on the whole armor of God to withstand the
darts of the devil, for he's always going about to see who he can
devour (Eph.6:10-18; 1 Pet.5:8).
Did Paul believe it was possible for him to FALL WAY from
the grace of God?
"....But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection(he
was enduring and overcoming): lest that by any means, WHEN I HAVE
PREACH TO OTHERS I MYSELF SHOULD BE A CAST AWAY" (1 Cor.9: 24-27,
KJV).
Paul did not believe in or teach any such idea as "once
saved always saved." The GRACE of God gives no one a license to
practice sin. If once we have REPENTED and been JUSTIFIED we
again turn back to be the servants of sin, we shall reap the -
what we CAN EARN - death! "Sin PAYS its servants - the wage is
death. But God GIVES to those who serve Him: His FREE gift is
eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom.6:23 Phillips
trans.).
A CHRISTIANS ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE LAW OF GOD
What should be the attitude of a person who has come under
the GRACE of God, towards the law of the Lord? We may well ask -
what was Paul's attitude? What was John's attitude? What Has
Peter's? What was James'? What was Jesus' attitude towards the
law of God? Did they think it something terrible - a bondage -
something to SHUN?
After Paul had been justified he wrote, "Wherefore the Law is
HOLY, and the commandment HOLY, and JUST, and GOOD..... I DELIGHT
in the law of God after the inward man" (Rom.7:12,14).
After James had come under the grace of God, he wrote
concerning the law, "But whoever looks into the PERFECT LAW OF
LIBERTY, and continues in it, he being not a forgetful hearer,
but a DOER of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deeds''
(James 1:25).
John clearly tells us how we can KNOW that we KNOW the Lord,
"And HEREBY do we KNOW that we KNOW Him, IF we keep His
COMMANDMENTS. He that says, I know him, and keeps not His
commandments is a LIAR, and the TRUTH is not in him "
(1 Jn.2:3,4).
Peter, after his conversion, speaking about Christ and sin,
wrote, "For even hereunto were you called; because Christ also
suffered for us, leaving us an EXAMPLE, that you should follow
His steps. WHO DID NO SIN" (1 Pet.2:21). Peter said Jesus never
sinned - never broke the law of God - and that was an example for
us to follow. WE are to have the attitude after being forgiven -
shown grace - of not wanting to sin again.
The longest of all the Psalms - PS.119 - over and over again
extols the wonder and greatness of God's LAW - COMMANDMENTS -
STATUTES - PRECEPTS - and JUDGMENTS. Here is some of what is
written: "Open you my eyes that I may behold wonderous things
out of your law.... I will delight myself in your commandments,
which I have loved.... O how love I your law, it is my
meditation all the day.... Rivers of water run down my eyes,
because they keep not your law..... I have longed for your
salvation, O Lord, and your law is my delight"
(Ps.119:18,47,97,136,174).
Jesus said, "If any man love me, he will keep my words....
he that loves me not, keeps not my sayings: and the word which
you hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me"
(Jn.14:23,24).
What was one of the sayings - words - of Jesus that came from
the Father? "but if you will ENTER(inherit) into life, KEEP THE
COMMANDMENTS" (Mat.19:17). A Christian - a person under the
grace of God - will LOVE the law of God and will, with his mind
and inward attitude DELIGHT in it and want to serve it. For in
this way we love God, for, "this is the love of God, that we
KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS: and His commandments are not grievous" (1
Jn.5:3).
WILL GRACE BE GIVEN TO JUST ANYONE ?
Some say GRACE and LAW do not mix - cannot go together. Oh,
really! Now it is only possible to show MERCY or GRACE to someone
when a law has been broken and a penalty incurred. Will God
shower down His mercy upon just anyone, no matter what kind of
rotten, filthy, rebellious attitude they are in? Does God have
the right to lay down certain CONDITIONS to receiving His grace?
If so, what are those conditions?
The very answer to those questions above, is given in the
very commandments of God that so many seem to hate and preach
against today. Speaking about not making images to worship, God
says, "for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the
iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and
forth generation of them that hate me. And showing MERCY(grace -
forgiveness of sins) unto," NOTICE IT, "unto thousands of them
that LOVE me," we have seen already what loving God entails,
"and KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS" (EX. 20:5,6).
God does have the right to lay down CONDITIONS for receiving
His GRACE or MERCY. The condition is to love Him and be willing
to KEEP His law.
Peter in Acts 3:19 put it this way, "REPENT you therefore
and be CONVERTED that your sins may be blotted out." God will
grant you GRACE - forgiveness - justification - only upon
REPENTANCE - upon your willingness to change your way of serving
sin to the way of serving righteousness - His COMMANDMENTS (see
Isa. 55:6-9 and Ps.119:172).
NOTICE PS.103:17-18, "But the MERCY(grace) of God is from
everlasting to everlasting upon," who, upon just anyone? "upon
them that FEAR Him...." (read Isa.66:2 for an amplification of
Godly fear, "to such as KEEP HIS COVENANT," (read about the new
covenant WE must enter into with God in Heb.10:1-17) "and to
those that REMEMBER His COMMANDMENTS to DO them."
As we have already shown and proved, the keeping of the
commandments - the law - cannot EARN you forgiveness - the grace
or God. That is God's free GIFT, something He gives to you, that
you do not deserve. You deserve only to die. But God will have
mercy upon you IF you meet certain CONDITIONS. In PS. 103 those
conditions are listed as:
1) A Godly fear. 2) A willingness to enter His covenant. 3) To
remember His law to keep it.
Now, understanding that God does lay down conditions for His
grace and what those conditions are, shows us WHY Paul wrote,
"For not the HEARERS of the law (those only that hear but will
not perform) are JUST(forgiven) before God, but the DOERS of the
law (those who have repented of sin and are willing to serve the
law of God) SHALL BE JUSTIFIED" (Rom.2;13).
Performing the law does not justify you, but only those who
are willing to keep it, will be justified or forgiven by God.
Coming to have the attitude - purpose of mind - that you are
willing to obey the law is a CONDITION to receiving GRACE through
FAITH. That is why James wrote:
"What is the use (profit), my brethren, for anyone to profess to
have faith if he has not (good)works (to show for it)?
Can(such)faith save(his soul)? If a brother or sister is poorly
clad and lacks food for each day, and one of you says to him,
Goodbye! Keep(yourself) warm and well fed, without giving him the
necessities for the body, what good does that do? So also faith
if it does not have works(deeds and actions of obedience to back
it up), by its self is destitute of power - inoperative, dead.
But someone will say (to you then), You(say you) have faith and I
have (good) works. Now you show me your (alleged) faith apart
from any (good) works (if you can), and I by (good) works (of
obedience) will show you my faith. You believe that God is one,
you do well. So do the demons believe, and shudder (in terror and
horror such as makes a man's hair stand on end and contract the
surface of his skin)! Are you willing to be shown (proof), you
foolish, unproductive, spiritually-deficient fellow, that faith,
apart from (good) works is inactive and ineffective and
worthless? Was; not our forefather Abraham (shown to be)
justified - made acceptable to God - by (his) works when he
brought to the altar as an Offering his (own) son Isaac?
(Gen.22:1-14). You see that (his) faith was co-operating with his
works, and this faith was complete, and reached its supreme
expression (when he implemented it) by (good) works. And so the
Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed - adhered
to, trusted in and relied on - God, and this was accounted to him
as righteousness (as conformity to God's will in thought and
deed), and he was called God's friend. (Gen.15:6; Isa.41:8; 2
Chron.20:7).
You see that a man is justified (pronounced righteous before God)
through what he does and not alone through faith - through works
of obedience as well as by what he believes.
For as the human body apart from the spirit is lifeless, so faith
apart from (its) works of obedience is also dead" (James 2:14-26,
The Amplified Bible).
The MURDERER who is shown MERCY - grace - on condition that
he does not murder again, can be pardoned from his crime if he
accepts that condition and is willing to live in compliance with
the law.
So likewise - God will be gracious to us on CONDITION that
we no longer practice as a way of life - sin (the breaking of
God's law).
Now do you see why Jesus said to the rich young man,
"....IF you will enter(inherit) into life KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS."
God will only show GRACE (by which you are saved) to those
who REMEMBER His COMMANDMENTS to DO them (Ps.103:17-18).
To be continued(written 1984)
SAVED BY GRACE #3 AS SHOCKING AS IT MAY SOUND, NOT ONE IN ONE HUNDRED
CHRISTIANS UNDERSTAND WHAT BEING SAVED BY GRACE
REALLY MEANS. IN THIS ARTICLE THE TRUTH WILL
BE MADE PLAIN
IS IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR A CHRISTIAN TO SIN ?
God's grace towards a repentant sinner does not END with
that persons initial justification, as we shall now proceed to
prove.
A person has REPENTED - he has confessed to God he is a
sinner - he's cried out to God for mercy. He sees that God has
made a way possible for him/her to be forgiven and have the
penalty of death removed. They see that Jesus Christ came and
paid that penalty for them - they accept Jesus as their PERSONAL
savior and are baptized. Their sins are now completely washed
away - they stand RECONCILED to God - sinless - absolutely
RIGHTEOUS in God's sight. Now from that day on, is it IMPOSSIBLE
for him/her to ever commit a sin ? They do not WANT to sin -
their whole attitude is to NOT sin - they want to serve and obey
God's commandments, but is it POSSIBLE under temptation and human
weakness of the flesh, to slip up and sin?
Turn to 1 Jn.1:8. This verse plainly says, "If WE(converted
Christians) say that we HAVE NO SIN, we DECEIVE ourselves, and
the truth is not in us."
Spirit led, humble children of God, ones who desire to live
the way of God's love, which is His commandments - DO AT TIMES
SIN! If any say they do not, God's word says they are deceived.
Read the 7th chapter of Romans, and see how Paul explained
the battle that went on between his old sin lusting nature and
his now Spirit filled mind. He did not want to sin - he loved and
wanted to keep God law, but he found himself at times falling
short of that perfectness of God. He had to CRY OUT to God for
HELP and MERCY!
HOW A CHRISTIAN IS FORGIVEN
So a baptized - converted - Spirit filled Christian, can and
DOES SIN at times. The law has not been abolish as we have
previously proved - the wages of sin is still death. How then can
a Christian be FORGIVEN(be shown grace) of his sins this time?
Can he be forgiven by DOING some good work or deed? Can he go
about to EARN forgiveness? Does God add up all his good works and
law keeping and use them to cancel out his evil deeds? If that is
case, then he would indeed be EARNING his way to eternal life and
salvation, and Eph. 2:8 would not be true.
God does not leave us in any doubt as to HOW we as
Christians walking along the salvation road, can obtain
FORGIVENESS of sins that we may through weakness commit.
Turn again to 1 Jn.1. We have read verse 8 which says we do
sin, now read verse 9, "If we CONFESS our sins, He is faithful
and just to FORGIVE us our sins, and to CLEANSE US from all
unrighteousness." We again turn to God in a REPENTANT attitude
- we confess to Him we have sinned. He sees our heart. He knows
we do not want to sin, that we desire to obey Him, to serve and
keep His law - He WILL FORGIVE US! God will again show us grace,
because are still wanting to live within His law and the
conditions He set down for us to qualify for His constant grace
over us.
Look at chapter 2 of 1 John and verses 1-2, "My little
children, these things I write unto you, that YOU SIN NOT." Yes,
our aim - our direction of mind is not to sin, "And(but) if any
man (does) sin, we have an ADVOCATE(an intercessor) with the
Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." Jesus is in heaven pleading
on our behalf before the Father.
Continue, "And He is the PROPITIATION(the atoning sacrifice)
for OUR SINS" Yes - Jesus was RAISED AGAIN from the dead - raised
for our CONTINUAL justification (Rom.4:25). We are not only
justified (forgiven of our past sins by the blood of Jesus, by
His death - Rom.4:23-26) to RECONCILIATION with the Father by
Christ, but He was raised again for our present day to day
justification or forgiveness. He was raised to life so He could
intercede for us.
Upon our present repentance and confession of sin, God the
Father will accept the work Jesus is doing for us while in heaven
above seated at the right hand of the Almighty. The Father will
again and again(constantly) apply the BLOOD and SACRIFICE of His
Son to us and cleanse us from our iniquities.
Turn to Hebrews the 4th chapter, verses 14-16. Read those
wonderful words of truth. Jesus Christ is our HIGH PRIEST in
heaven above. He is speaking on our behalf to the Father. He
knows what it is like to be human . As a human He was tempted to
sin, but He did not sin, not once. Jesus really knows and
understands the battle we face in overcoming sin. We can come to
the throne of GRACE when we do sin and ask for mercy. We shall
obtain it.
Now do you see the WONDER of all the great LOVE of the
Father? We do not have to try to amass more good works than bad,
more good thoughts than evil ones, so the good can cancel out the
bad. No amount of good works can blot out our sins. Our sins
during our Christian walk are washed away by the present work of
Jesus in heaven, by His atoning sacrifice, by His shed blood
being applied to them. Grace being again shown to us by the
Father. WE CANNOT EARN THAT MERCY BY ANY OF OUR GOOD WORKS! It
is God's to GIVE as His GIFT. But there are conditions laid down
for us to receive His free grace. Those conditions we have
previously shown you.
As long as we maintain that attitude of REPENTANCE and
willingness to OBEY God, then He will through Christ Jesus ,
FORGIVE us our sins.
SAVED BY THE LIFE OF JESUS
You have probably thought or been taught that Jesus' DEATH
on the cross COMPLETED salvation, that it WAS FINISHED at
Calvary. After all, didn't Jesus say, "it is finished" (Jn.
19:30). But WHAT was finished on the cross? Let Paul answer, "For
all have sinned(broken God's law - 1 Jn.3:4) and come short of
the glory of God. Being JUSTIFIED declared righteous) freely by
His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom
God had set forth to be a propitiation (an atoning- sacrifice)
through faith in His blood (death on the cross) to declare His
righteousness for the remission (forgiveness) of sins that are
PAST....." (Rom.3:23-25 KJV, amplification mine).
The sinner upon REPENTANCE, accepting Jesus as his personal
savior, can have ALL PAST SINS - sins up to that very moment -
FORGlVEN, washed away by the blood of Jesus on the cross.
Christ's DEATH secured our justification from the sins we
HAVE ALREADY committed. His DEATH took away the penalty we had
incurred by our sins (Rom.6:23). What Jesus finished on the cross
was the sacrifice for our PAST sins to justification and
reconciliation with the Father.
Listen friends, this may shocks some of you, but the truth
of the matter is that it takes BOTH the DEATH and LIFE of Christ
to SAVE you. If Jesus had only died and had never been raised to
life, you could never be saved, you would never inherit eternal
life - you would be dead in your sins!
Read these verses in your own Bible - mark them, and never
forget them: "And if Christ be not RISEN, then is our preaching
vain, and your FAITH IS VAIN ALSO.....if Christ be not RAISED,
your FAITH IS VAIN - you are yet IN YOUR SINS!! Then they
also which are fallen asleep in Christ ARE PERISHED" (1
Cor.15:14,17,18. KJV). If Jesus is not alive - if He was not
RESURRECTED, we are yet in our sins! We are yet sinners
- doomed to perish. The death of Jesus is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY
for salvation, but so is His LIFE!
It takes not only His death but His LIFE also to save you.
Now how much of that part of the gospel have you heard? You
hear a lot about the death of Jesus - His blood shed to cleanse
your guilty past - but how much do you hear about His LIFE to
cleanse your present and future sins? Christ is NOW upon the
Father's right hand in heaven INTERCEDING for us, so the Father
will daily forgive us our sins. That is why Paul wrote, "For if,
when we were enemies, we were RECONCILED to God by the DEATH of
His Son, much more, being reconciled, we SHALL BE SAVED by His
LIFE" (Rom 5:10).
Then we also read in chapter 8:9-11, "Now if any man has
not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His....But if the Spirit
of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that
raised up Christ from the dead shall also QUICKEN(make alive)
your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwells in you."
When Jesus shall RETURN - when God the Father sends Him back
to this earth, WE the children of God shall be LIKE HIM (1
Jn.3:1-2). You can read what Jesus looks like TODAY in Revelation
1:13-16. WHAT GLORY AND SPLENDOR THAT WILL BE!!
If you meet the CONDITIONS given by God, you can be in the
Kingdom of God. And all who are there, will be there not because
of their WORKS that they've done, but because of God's mercy -
GRACE. Because they have been forgiven their sins through the
blood of His Son - Christ Jesus.
You are truly saved by GRACE !
.............................
Written in 1984 by Keith Hunt
SAVED BY GRACE - APPENDIX #1
HUMILITY:
Recommended Books - Fruits Of The Spirit, A Shepherd Looks At
Psalm 23 - A Gardener Looks at the Fruits of the Spirit by
Phillip Keller.
WHAT IS YOUR ATTITUDE TOWARDS LAW?
Recommended reading - Digest Of The Divine Law by Howard Brand,
LL.B. published by Destiny Publishers, Merrimac, Mass. 01860.
Digest Of The Divine Law points out the fact that we face the
rule of Law or chaos. It sets forth the justice, equity and
righteousness of the Law of the Lord. A Lawyer looks at the
beauty of God's Laws.
REAL REPENTANCE
Dr. Herbert Lockyer in his book "All The Doctrines Of The Bible"
pages 169 - 176, gives some very sound truths regarding
repentance:
".......We seldom hear the old prophetic cry, 'Break up your
fallow ground, sow not among thorns' (Jeremiah 4:3). This
generation, with all its religion, has lost the sense of sin and
pays preachers to 'Prophesy smooth things.' Repentance is robbed
of its true significance. The plow of conviction is never driven
deep into the human soil. So-called 'revivals' and
'evangelistic efforts' produce shallow results because of the
shallow repentance preached.
Deep mourning for sin, hot, scalding tears of repentance, souls
writhing in agony because of their burden are not common as they
used to be..... The sob of anguish, 'Woe is me, for I am
undone, ' is seldom heard in a religious service today.....
Statistically minded, the church counts numbers. God give her
numbers that count ! We go out for quantity. God seeks quality
...... There are those who cry repentance down, calling it a
LEGAL doctrine, but the Bible is full of this basic doctrine.
Christ preached it ! At His farewell, when He was about to ascend
to heaven, He commanded that repentance should be preached in His
name (Luke 24:47).....
The Bible unhesitatingly and emphatically declares that
repentance is the first step in the soul's return to God: that it
is not arbitrary, but necessary, seeing no soul can be saved
without it. Thus the summons to repent is the dominant note in
God's call to men in both Old and New Testaments..... Because
repentance is indispensable it is imperative that we understand
what it means and implies. It is clearly evident that defective
and counterfeit views are prevalent. Men try to persuade
themselves that something else, or something less, can pass for
repentance(Jeremiah 25:5; Ezekiel 14:6; Joel 2:13,14; Acts
5:6-11).... We confess our sin and turn from it to God. This is
'repentance toward God' (Acts 20:21) and results in remission.
Such a repentance, however, is a condition, not the cause of
salvation. Christ alone can save, and once He blots out our
confessed sin, sin must be forsaken....."
FIRST DAY
For the researchers of Church History and those wanting the truth
of how the first day of the week replaced the original Sabbath,
the following books are recommended.
From Sabbath To Sunday - Anti-Judaism And The Origin Of Sunday
- Divine Rest For Human Restlessness, by Samuele Bacchiocchi
Ph. D.
Some of the many Reviews on the book "From Sabbath To Sunday"
are:
"The scholarship is not lust impeccable, it is truly a
marvel......" The Catholic Historical Review.
"The book will, I am sure, stimulate a re-examination of long
established attitudes...." Norman Vincent Peale.
"It is a thorough and painstaking piece of research....." Bruce
M. Metzger, Professor of NT, Princeton Theological Seminary.
".....a most impressive, helpful work of first rank
scholarship....." Vernon C. Grounds, President, Denver Baptist
Theological Seminary.
"I appreciated reading From Sabbath To Sunday. Dr. Bacchiocchi
has done his research in a very thorough way with a kind, irenic,
Christlike spirit. It was good to benefit from such a research on
the early church Fathers as it applies to the Sabbath question."
David Pieratt, Director Correspondence Department, Ozark Bible
College.
"Dr.Bacchiocchi's scholarly investigation reveals that the
replacement of the seventh-day Sabbath by the first day of the
week was not the work of Christ, the apostles, or the
Jerusalem church, but that Sunday-keeping was introduced in the
Church of Rome to replace pagan sun worship and to show that
Christians were different from Jewish Sabbath-keepers."
W.Charles Heiser, S.J. in "Theology Digest."
THE RESURRECTION WAS NOT ON SUNDAY
Perhaps the number one reason that has been put forth over the
centuries, for keeping Sunday as the Sabbath, has been the
teaching that Jesus was resurrected the morning of the
first day of the week. This teaching is not only unscriptural but
contrary to a number of Historical sources.
The Didascalia, an early Christian work which is preserved in
Syriac, supports a Wednesday crucifixion day. In this work the
apostles are quoted as saying that it was on Tuesday evening
that they ate the Passover with Jesus, and on Wednesday that He
was taken captive and held in custody in the house of Caiaphas.
Epiphanius, a post-Nicene writer, gives Tuesday evening as the
Last Supper (A.Gilmore, "Date and Significance of the Last
Supper," Scottish Journal of Theology, Sept. 1961, pp.
256-259, 264-268).
Victorinus of Pettau, worked out a chronology that arrives at the
conclusion that Jesus was arrested on a Wednesday. Loc.cit.
There is a certain amount of evidence found in the writings of
the Early Church Fathers for the Last Supper having taken place
on the 13th of Nisan, i.e., Tuesday evening. Loc.cit.
The Dead Sea Scrolls. Writing in " Eternity" magazine, its
editor, Donald Grey Barnhouse, cited evidence from the scrolls
which would place the Last Supper on Tuesday. He also quoted from
a Roman Catholic journal published in France that "an ancient
Christian tradition, attested to by the Didascalia Apostolorum as
well as by Epiphanius and Victor-inus of Pettau(died 304 A. D.)
gives Tuesday evening as the date of the Last Supper and
prescribes a fast for Wednesday to commemorate the capture of
Christ." (Eternity, June, 1958.
Though strongly holding to a Friday crucifixion, The Catholic
Encyclopedia says that not all scholars have believed this way.
Epiphanius, Lactantius, Wescott, Cassiodorus and Gregory of Tours
are mentioned as rejecting Friday as the day of the crucifixion.
(Vol.8, p. 378, art. "Jesus Christ.").
The Companion Bible, published by Oxford University Press, in its
Appendix 156 explains that Christ was crucified on Wednesday.
Dake's Annotated Reference Bible. Finis Dake has said on his note
on Matthew 12:40: Christ was dead for three full days and for
three full nights. He was put in the grave Wednesday just before
sunset and was resurrected at the end of Saturday at sunset....
No statement says that He was buried Friday at sunset. This would
make him in the grave only one day and one night, proving his own
words untrue." (page 13).
The error in believing Jesus was crucified on a Friday has
largely come about by thinking that the Sabbath that followed
"the preparation" of Mt.27:62 and Jn. 19:31 was the weekly
7th day Sabbath instead of the first Passover Sabbath.
The Wycliffe Bible Commentary says, " The day after the
preparation(ASV). Usually explained as Saturday..... However,
this preparation day was the day before the Passover Feast
day (Jn 19:14,31), which feast may have occurred that year on
Wednesday night. Perhaps this accounts for Matthew's not using
the term 'Sabbath' here, lest it be confused with Saturday.
According to this view, the entombment lasted a full seventy-two
hours, from sundown Wednesday to sundown Saturday. Such a view
gives more reasonable treatment to Mt.12:40. It also explains
'after three days' and 'on the third day' in a way that does
least violence to either. "(page 984).
The answer is all resolved when it is understood that there were
TWO SABBATHS in the last week of our Saviours physical life.
Ferrar Fenton ( a wealthy Englishman, for about 50 years avoided
reading the Bible in any but the original languages, that his own
translation of the Bible might not be influenced by other
translations ), renders the first part of Mt.28:1 as, " After the
SabbathS.." He states in his foot note that the Greek original is
in the PLURAL.
Fenton translates Lk.24:1 as," But at day-break upon the first
day following the Sabbaths, they proceeded to the tomb
Again in Jn.20:1 " Now on the first day following the
SABBATHS....." And his footnote says,that this is literally as
the Greek reads.
The Greek is very significant in LK.23:54 - 56. In verse 54 Luke
was inspired to write, "A preparation day, and A Sabbath " but in
verse 56 the definite article "the" is used with "Sabbath"
showing that this Sabbath was the weekly Sabbath, thus making a
difference between the two Sabbaths, and showing there was indeed
TWO Sabbath days at the beginning of that Passover week.
Jesus ate the Passover with His disciples on a Tuesday evening.
He was arrested during that night and crucified during the
daytime of Wednesday. At about 3 p.m. in the after-noon He
died - His burial was shortly AFTER sunset (that in itself is
another study). At sunset the high day Sabbath for the feast of
Unleavened Bread began. It lasted till sunset the next day -
Thursday. This was ONE night and ONE day in the tomb. Friday,a
work day before the weekly Sabbath, followed. Now we have TWO
nights and TWO days that Jesus lay in the grave. The night of the
weekly Sabbath was the THIRD night, and the daylight part of that
Saturday was the THIRD day - after a full 3 days and 3 nights in
the tomb,the heart of the earth - Jesus rose from the dead, just
after sunset - exactly 72 hours after being put into the
tomb. It was a first day of the week resurrection, yes, but NOT
on Sunday morning. It was what we call Saturday evening.
As Jesus represented the Wave Sheaf or first of the First Fruits,
cut after sunset of the weekly Sabbath during the
Passover/Unleaven Bread feast and waved before the Lord in the
Temple on the morning of the first day of the week, it was only
fitting that He should be resurrected shortly after the sun had
set to end the weekly Sabbath, after three days and three nights
in the grave.
LUKE and MARK give us the final proof. Luke tells us, "And the
women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and
beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid.
And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested
the Sabbath day according to the commandment" (Luke 23:55-56).
They had and prepared these spices BEFORE the Sabbath. But notice
what Mark tells us, "And when the Sabbath was past, Mary
Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought
spices, that they might come and anoint him"(Mark 16:1). They
bought the spices AFTER the Sabbath was past! Putting the two
Gospel accounts together, it would have been impossible for them
to purchase the spices after the Sabbath, and then to prepare
them before the Sabbath, and rest on the same Sabbath. The
conclusion is inescapable. There were two Sabbaths that week, and
when properly harmonized, everything fits in place.
A note on Mark 16:9 Someone is bound to say that this verse
plainly says that Jesus rose on the first day of the week.
In the Greek the phrase"early the first day of the week" can be
grammatically connected either with the words "having risen" or
with the words "he appeared first to Mary Magdalene." The
Expositor's Greek Testament says the phrase "early the first day
of the week" may be either "connected with (having risen),
indicating the time of the resurrection, or with (appeared),
indicating the time of the first appearance."
We have seen that it could not refer to the time of the
resurrection Mark 16:9 should have been translated, "Now having
risen, early the first day of the week he appeared first to Mary
Magdalene."
It is rendered this way in the Montgomery translation.
The REPORTER Charles F. DeLoach has written: ".....those who do
keep the Lord's Day have no specific Bible command to do so, but
base their commemoration of it as the day of Christ's victory
over death and the grave. That this observance goes all the way
back to the earliest Christians, PHILLIP SCHAFF, a recognized
authority on church history in the last century, had no doubt. In
his monumental eight-volume work which is still widely used,
Schaff said: ' The celebration of the Lord's Day in memory of the
RESURRECTION of Christ dates undoubtedly from the apostolic
age..... the Fathers did not regard the Christian Sunday
as a continuation of, but as a SUBSTITUTE for the..... Sabbath,
and based it, not so much on the FOURTH commandment, and the
primitive REST of God in creation, to which the commandment
expressly refers, AS UPON the resurrection of Christ and the
apostolic tradition....... ' " ( emphasis ours).
Phillip Schaff, along with others of his day, believed in 1st day
sanctification not as a divine command from the heavenly Father
or Christ, but from the supposed fact that Jesus rose from the
dead on that day and a presumed apostolic tradition.
Schaff was WRONG on both accounts! As we have seen, the Bible
itself and recorded historical data clearly show Jesus to have
been crucified on a Wednesday, and 3 days and 3 nights later -
just after sunset on Saturday - He was resurrected. Jesus did
not rise from the dead on the morning of the first day of the
week. He was not resurrected on a Sunday morning. AND there is
NO know recorded APOSTOLIC history or tradition from the
apostles of Christ, to either state that, Jesus rose on the
morning of the first day or that Sunday had replaced the fourth
commandment Sabbath.
THE SABBATH - FOR JEWS ONLY?
It is often said or written by some Bible teachers, that the 7th
day Sabbath is " the Jewish Sabbath " only for the Jews, while
Gentiles have Sunday. With due respect to these individuals I
cannot see this reasoning to be logical or scripturally sound.
It is very true that the Lord did enter into a special Sabbath
covenant with Israel (Ex.31 :12-17), but to say the 7th day is
only for Jews or Israelites is an error, and not a small one at
that, as the following facts of scripture will show.
1. The 7th day Sabbath was BLESSED, SANCTIFIED and made HOLY from
the beginning of creation week ( Gen.2:1-3; Ex.20:8-11) before
there were any Israelites or Jews.
2. The religion given to Israel ( which included Sabbath days )
under the OT was not just for national Israel, but the Lord
intended that other nations would learn of His righteous ways
through Israel ( Deut.4:1-14 ).
3. Gentiles could worship the true God under the OT by accepting
the religion of Israel, and so becoming an adopted Israelite.
There was to be only ONE Law for both Israelite and Gentile ( Ex.
12:48,49; Num. 15:13-16).
4. So under the NT there is no difference between Jew or Gentile
- there is ONE Lord, ONE faith, ONE baptism ( Gal.3:26-29;
Col.3:11; Eph.4:3-6 ) . Jesus Christ is not divided (1 Cor.
1:13 ). The NT is completely silent - nay, completely against
any idea that there is one Sabbath day for the Jew and another,
different day, to be kept by the Gentiles. If this was the
case, such an important institution as which day should be kept
holy by the Jew and which day for the Gentile, would have been
all over the NT.
5. If an ordinance like circumcision could cause so much dispute
( Galatians and Acts 15 ) surely a CHANGE or DIVISION in the
Sabbath would have done as much or more. The apostles and elders
at the Jerusalem conference, in handing down their simple, brief
instructions to the Gentiles ( Acts 15:19-20 ) did not labour the
point, but it seems knew that the Gentiles could learn more about
God, not on the Lord's day but on the Sabbath - indicating the
Gentile Christians around this time in the first century ( 49 A.
D.), were keeping the ancient Sabbath along with the Jews (verse
21). Otherwise it would have been simple for James to have said
that the Gentiles could learn more about Moses on "their Lord's
Day, when he is read."
Further, when Paul in Antioch on the Sabbath was asked by the
Gentiles to preach again to them (the next Sabbath - Acts 13:42),
IF the Christian church or Gentile part was already observing
the first day( as some have claimed ), then Paul could have
easily told them to "come back tomorrow, the Lord's day - I will
preach again." But nothing remotely along these lines was
recorded to have been said by Paul.
6. If a CHANGE of the weekly Sabbath, or IF there were now TWO
Sabbath days - one for the Jews, one for the Gentiles - was
taught either from Jesus or the apostles, then we would expect to
find some clear record of this in the writings of the early, so
called "church fathers." But instead, we find complete silence -
no record - no teaching or tradition from the apostolic church on
this matter has ever been found.
7. Jesus plainly said the Sabbath (7th day) was MADE (it was made
at creation), and it was made not for the Jew, but for MAN -
MANKIND ( Mark 2:27)!
A COMMENT ON THE EARLY CHURCH FATHERS AND THE 1ST DAY
Some have used the DIDACHE ( written between 80 and 120 A. D. by
an unknown author) the writings of IGNATIUS ( 67-110 A. D. ),
JUSTIN MARTYR ( 100-167) , IRENAEUS(130-200 ) even the epistle
of BARNABAS ( written sometime between 90-120 A. D.) and the
letter of PLINY the YOUNGER to Trajan, to uphold apostolic
sanction and teaching that the 1st day became the Christian
Sabbath from the beginning of the NT church.
To those who are of the Roman Catholic persuasion that TRADITION
is equal to the inspired Word, then there would be a partial
argument in the use of these so called Post-Nicaen Fathers. BUT
for those ( myself being among them) whose faith and salvation
rests ONLY with the infallible and non-contradictable Word of God
- the Bible - then the writings of fallible men or women can
bear no consideration, except where they agree with the inspired
Word. This is especially so, when we consider the facts of God's
own Word as to the early CORRUPTION and falling away from the
teachings of Jesus and the apostles - the turning aside of TRUTH
unto FABLES, LAWLESSNESS and deception (yet calling it Christian)
was everywhere present even before 70 A. D.as the following
scriptures will show.
BOOK WRITTEN ABOUT A.D.
GALATIANS 1:6-7 49-53
II THESSALONIANS 2:1-3,7 51
II CORINTHIANS 11:3-4, 13-15 55-57
ACTS 20:17,18-30 57-60
COLOSSIANS 2:4,8 60-62
I TIMOTHY 6:3-5 64-66
TITUS 1:7,9-11 64-66
II TIMOTHY 2:16-19 67
II PETER 2:1-3,15,18-19 65-67
JUDE 3-4 65-80
Now if the gospel of Jesus Christ was already being corrupted so
widely before 70 A.D. how much suppose you that it is corrupted
today - nearly 2,000 years later ?
For your further study on the corruption of the Gospel we
recommend the following books:
THE TWO BABYLONS by the late Alexander Hislop. Published by
Loizeaux Brothers, Neptune, New Jersey.
BABYLON MYSTERY RELIGION by Ralph Woodrow. Box 124, Riverside,
Calif. 92502.
SAVED BY GRACE
NOT UNDER THE LAW (Romans 6:14)
"The Law which exacts obedience, without giving POWER to obey;
that condemns every transgression and every unholy thought
without providing for the expiration of evil or the pardon of
sin. But under grace . You are under the merciful and beneficent
dispensation of the Gospel, that although it requires the
strictest conformity to the will of God, affords sufficient power
to be thus conformed; and, in the death of Christ, has provided
PARDON for all that is past and GRACE to help in every time need"
(Adam Clarke's Bible Commentary - emphasis his).
"To be 'under the Law' in St.Paul's language, means to avoid sin
from fear of penalties attached to sin by the Law. This principle
of fear is not strong enough to keep men in the path of duty.
Union with Christ can alone give man the mastery over sin"
(The Life and Epistles of Paul, by Conybeare and Howson ).
"Those in Christ are not under the regime of the Mosaic Law as
the MEANS of attaining salvation. We are under the grace of God
and of Christ. The whole of the OT - the Law, the Prophets, and
the Writings (e.g., Psalms) - certainly brings the knowledge of
sin (Rom.3:20;5:20)..........
When we are under grace, we have a new owner. This fact changes
all of the believer's conduct. Our status under grace is like
that of a woman married to another man after the death of her
husband. It involves a whole new manner of life. Thus, by
analogy, Paul shows why being under grace NEVER ALLOWS a believer
to be INDIFFERENT to SIN" (Wycliffe Bible Commentary - page 1201
- emphasis ours).
"....not under the Law of sin and death, but under the Law of the
Spirit of life, which is in Christ Jesus: we are actuated by
other principles than we have been ....... Or, not under the
covenant of works, which requires brick, and gives no straw,
which condemns upon the least failure.... but under the covenant
of grace ....... which requires nothing but what it promises
strength to perform...... that every transgression in the
covenant does not put us out of the covenant ...... grace which
accepts the willing mind, which is not extreme to mark what we do
amiss, which leaves room for REPENTANCE, which promises PARDON
upon repentance: and what can be to an ingenuous mind a stronger
motive than this to have nothing to do with sin? Shall we SIN
against so much GOODNESS, abuse such LOVE ?...... to SPIT in the
face of such love, is that which, between man and man, all the
world would cry out shame on" (Matthew Henry's Bible Comm. Vol.3,
page 955 - emphasis ours).
"We who are Christians are not subject to that Law where sin is
excited, and where it rages unsubdued. But it may be asked here,
what is meant by this declaration? DOES IT MEAN THAT CHRISTIANS
ARE ABSOLVED FROM ALL THE OBLIGATIONS OF THE LAW? I answer, (1)
The apostle does not affirm that Christians are not bound to obey
the moral Law. The whole scope of his reasonings show that he
maintains that they ARE. The whole structure of Christianity
supposes the same thing. Comp. Matt. 5:17-19. (2) The apostle
means to say that Christians are not under the Law as legalists,
or as attempting to be justified by it .
They seek a different plan of justification altogether; and they
do not attempt to be justified by their own obedience, The Jews
did; they do not ...... BUT UNDER GRACE. Under a scheme of
MERCY, the DESIGN and tendency of which is to subdue sin, and
destroy it. In what way the system of grace removes and destroys
sin, the apostle states in the following verses" ( Albert Barnes'
Notes on the New Testament, page 593 - emphasis ours
and his).
A CONCISE SUMMARY FROM HALLEY'S BIBLE HANDBOOK (New Revised
Edition)
"If we are no longer under the Law, and Christ Forgives our Sins,
then why not continue to sin? Keep on Sinning, and Christ keep on
Forgiving. Paul answers that such a thing is unthinkable. Christ
died to Save us from our Sins. His forgiveness is for the purpose
of making us Hate our Sins. We cannot be servants of Sin, and
servants of Christ. We must choose one or the other. It is
not possible to please Christ, and continue at the same time TO
LIVE IN SIN.
This does not mean we can entirely overcome All our Sins,and
place ourselves beyond the need of His Mercy. But it does mean
that there are two essentially different Ways of Life; The WAY of
CHRIST and the WAY of SIN. In heart we belong to one or the
other, but not to both.
Christ, the perfect embodiment of the Law of God, furnishes us
with the MOTIVE, and supplies us with the POWER, to struggle on
unto the attainment for ourselves of that Perfect Holiness which,
by His Grace, ultimately shall be ours" (page 587 - emphasis
ours and his).
THE BIBLE DEFINITION AS TO WHAT IS SIN
"......Sin is the transgression of the Law" (1 John 3:4).
"......I had not known Sin, but by the Law: for I had not known
lust except the Law had said, You shall not covet" ( Romans 7:7).
"......for by the Law is the knowledge of Sin" ( Romans 3:20).
"All unrighteousness is Sin......." (1 John 5:17).
"......for whatsoever is not of faith is Sin" ( Romans 14:23 ).
"Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and does not do it, to
him it is Sin" (James 4:17).
THE DOCTRINE OF SIN
In the book "All the Doctrines of the Bible" Dr. Herbert
Lockyer has a very illuminating chapter called 'The Doctrine of
Sin'. He explains the meaning of the many Hebrew words that
are used in the OT to give us a clearer picture of the many sides
and different shades that make up, what the Bible calls sin
I will but quote a few of his last paragraphs here:
"..... The Bible describes so many sins for our enlightenment and
warning. There are little sins (Song of Solomon 2:15); big sins
(Ps.25:11 - a strange plea for mercy); tall sins (Rev.18:5 -
colored iniquity); secret sins (Ez.8:7, 12 - a darkened gallery);
open sins (1 Sam. 2:23 - talk of the town); youthful sins (Job
20:11 - malignant germs); middle life sins (Ps.91: 6 - prayer
book version); old age sins (2 Chron.16:12 - gouty troubles);
ignorant sins (Lev.4:1,35 - a merciful provision); sins against
the light (John 15:22 - a cloakless evil); sins against God
(Ps.51:4 -a royal penitent's wail); sins against man (1 Cor.8:13
- abuse of Christian liberty) and sins against the Holy Spirit
(Matt.12:32). Is it not blessed to know that the blood of Jesus
Christ is able to cleanse us from ALL sin?....
Sin is unrighteousness. When a man sins he ceases to be right. He
becomes crooked and has perverted thoughts of God and His
ways...... Sin is the absolute denial of divine righteousness,
a breaking away from the divine standard and the divine right to
command..............
Christ, then, has made a full provision for the guilt and
government of sin. Through His atoning work, He is able to save
from the PENALTY of sin. Alive for evermore, He is able
through the Spirit, daily to save us from the POWER of sin. When
He returns the second time without sin unto salvation, He will
deliver His saved ones from the PRESENCE of sin WITHIN and
AROUND. Hallelujah, what a Saviour!
.......Christ came into the world to save sinners. He died for
our sins, according to the scripture....... At Calvery, the guilt
of sin was dealt with and forever cancelled by the merit of
Christ's atoning work. Upon the cross, He became a curse for us
(Gal.3:13). Willingly He became the propitiation for our sins (1
John 2:2)....... Dealing, then, with our transgressions,
Christ takes up His abode within us and KEEPS us right with God.
He it is who STRENGTHENS us to do all things right, ENABLING us
to stand perfect and complete in all the WILL of God. IMPELLED by
the Spirit, we keep within the boundary of every divine
command....... Thereafter, walking in the Spirit, the healed one
fulfils the lusts of the flesh no more......
Sin is DECEIT, producing all that is fictitious and FALSE ......
Jesus came as the Lamb, innocent, harmless, CLEAR and
transparent...... To all those deluded by sin, He comes, as He
did to the demoniac of old, to clothe them in a right mind......
Jesus offers the bankrupt sinner the unsearchable RICHES of His
GRACE...... " (pages 157, 158. emphasis ours).
To be continued
SAVED BY GRACE - APPENDIX #2
A NOTE ON PAUL AND THE LAW (Romans 7)
From the one volume ABINGDOM BIBLE COMMENTARY, page 1151 we read:
"Paul has been accused of glaring inconsistency in his language
about the Law and in his practical relation to it. On the one
hand he asserts its divine origin and character, its high
ethical quality, as in v.12...... On the other hand he appears to
reckon the Law among the spiritual foes of man; it is something
to which Christians have to die as they die unto Sin.....THE
INCONSISTENCY IS, HOWEVER, MORE APPARENT THAN REAL.
It disappears when we recognize the distinction which was clearly
present to the apostle's mind. That is the distinction between
the Law as a system whereby the Jews had learned to expect that
they could establish a CLAIM upon God's favor, could EARN his
forgiveness and secure a righteousness of their OWN, and the Law
as the expression of the moral ideals of God set before his
people....... It was the Law....... as a system in which men
trusted to establish a righteousness of their own, that Paul
dreaded, criticized and proclaimed to have come to an end in
Christ. Yet he saw it as something which had been perverted from
its original purpose, though something which had not lost its
original character....... he continued to regard the moral ideals
of the Law as valid....... The Jew thought that if he kept the
law he would be saved. Paul taught that man must be saved in
order to keep the Law " (emphasis ours).
ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED?
Amongst some evangelical circles is promulgated the teaching that
once an individual has been converted or saved, it is not
possible for him/her to fall away from grace. This doctrine
is called "once saved always saved." After many years of reading
the Bible commentators, I must confess I find it difficult to
understand how this teaching entered Christendom, as none of the
old commentators I have perused ever hinted that the Bible taught
such a view.
Likewise, among more recent commentaries, I have found total
silence on this hypothesis.
Perhaps, someone could find a commentator somewhere at some time
who has written upholding this theory. Be that as it may - it
would not alter the plain fact that the Bible itself, especially
the NT, teaches no such thing as that it is not possible to fall
away once a person has been truly converted.
I ask the reader to look at and meditate upon the following
scriptures, which clearly disprove the "once saved always saved"
teaching. These verses show that anyone, after being saved,
can, through different circumstances, pressures, and human
weaknesses - if not relying on and yielding to the Spirit of God
- fall from grace, slip back into the old man and again be
entangled in sin and death, for a short, or long, or permanent
length of time.
MAT. 10:16-22; 13:18-23; 24:11-13; 25:1-13, 14-30; LUKE.
15:11-32; 21:29-36; ROM.2:6,7; 8:12,13; 11:17-23; 14:13-21; 1
COR.3: 16,17; 5;8; 9:42-27;10:6-12; 2 COR. 6:1; 11:1-3; 12:20,21;
13:5; GAL. 1:2-6; 5:1; 4:8,9; 6:1; PHIL. 2:12-16;4:1; COL.
1:21-23; 2:1-8; 1 TIM. 1:18-20; HEB. 2:1-3; 6:4-6; 10:35-39;
12:1-3,15; JAMES.5:19,20; 1 JN. 2:24. There are indeed more
verses I could yet give - but surely the truth has sufficiently
been shown.
THE DOCTRINE OF ASSURANCE
It may be asked, WHY, with all the Scriptural evidence to the
contrary, is this peculiar doctrine of "once saved always saved"
taught?
Possibly it was contrived to try and give ASSURANCE to those
individuals, who were still UNsure whether their sins had been
forgiven, what repentance meant, what salvation was really all
about, and unsure about their present daily sins and acceptance
with God the Father. Because the NT teaches that it is NOT
impossible to fall away from the grace and saving work of Christ,
this does not mean a Christian can have no assurance or
confidence. To the CONTRARY, a true child of God can have great
confidence, for it is written, "And this is the record, that God
HAS GIVEN TO US ETERNAL LIFE, and this life is in His Son. He
that has the Son HAS LIFE...... " (1 John 5:11,12).
Those who have truly come to understand what REAL repentance is,
what Salvation is, what conditions the Lord lays down to be saved
by His grace ( if you are still in doubt, please read again my
articles "Real Repentance" and "Saved by Grace" ), those who have
accepted Jesus as their PERSONAL saviour, have surrendered to the
guiding work of the Holy Spirit in their daily lives - those
individuals can come before the throne of grace BOLDLY
( Heb.4:16) and have ASSURANCE that they are a son or daughter of
the Father. The apostle John was further inspired to instruct us
HOW we can KNOW that we KNOW, "These THINGS HAVE I WRITTEN unto
you (that believe on the name of the Son of God) THAT YOU MAY
KNOW that you have eternal life...." (1 John 5:13 ). The things
that John wrote in his epistles are, if we are doing them, our
assurance, confidence that eternal life dwells within us through
Christ (chap.3:24; 4:4; 5:11-12). The writings of John especially
give us the ACID test - we can test our assurance by the things
that John wrote.
IF we are walking in the LIGHT (ch.1:6-7); IF we are of a
constant REPENTANT mind (verses 8-10); IF we are, with the faith
OF Jesus - He IN us (Gal.2:20), endeavouring to KEEP His
Commandments, His word, willing to walk and live as He did
(ch.2:3-6); IF we have NO HATE for anyone (v.9-11); IF we do not
love the LUSTS of the world (v.15-17); IF we are not denying
Jesus (v.21-23; Titus 1:16); IF we are not PRACTICING (as a way
of life) SIN, but practicing RIGHTEOUSNESS (ch.3:6-10); IF we
LOVE the brethren and serve them (verses 14-19); IF we LOVE God,
which is manifested by keeping His COMMANDMENTS (ch.3:24; 4:8,
16; 5:3); THEN YOU MAY KNOW THAT YOU HAVE ETERNAL LIFE ABIDING IN
YOU (ch.3:24; 5:13).
Friend, are you willing to EXAMINE yourself to see if you are in
the faith, as Paul instructed us to do ( 2 Cor. 13:5) ? Are you
willing to PROVE yourself against the acid test of the
epistles of John, that you may KNOW that you KNOW that eternal
life dwells in you? And therein KNOW that you are of the truth,
and ASSURE your heart before God (ch.3:19)? That assurance can
be yours. It is all summed up in four passages, chapters 1:8-10;
3:24; 4:16; and 5:3.
Is there a sin, a commandment of God that you are breaking,
something you are practicing that is contrary to the will of the
Father - something that is separating you from God, that keeps
you from full assurance?
Maybe you have some IDOL, such as wealth, a job, a loved one, a
friend, an ambition, or something else that is keeping you from
fully surrendering to Jesus?
Maybe you have not yet given your TONGUE over to the control of
God's Spirit and you are still practicing slander, gossip,
swearing, cursing, or profanity?
Possibly you have trouble loving and communicating with your
parents. Do you despise or hate someone - not able to forgive
others the wrongs they have done to you? Maybe you
have yet to stop practicing sexual immorality of one sort or
another. Are you still not willing to surrender all to the
heavenly Father and start keeping His Sabbath days holy?
Possibly COVETING, lusting and greed for material goods or fame,
is still a part of your daily life. How about self-conceit and
vanity, or a quick temper, what about mental and physical
laziness, do these still dominate your life?
Whatever may be keeping you from having assurance in your heart
that you are in Christ and Christ in you, then you need to cry
out to the Lord in deep heart-felt repentance, ask Him to
help you with His Spirit of power to cast away what needs to be
cast away. Ask for HELP to SURRENDER ALL to Him!
Do not deceive yourself, do not allow others to deceive you into
just turning a blind eye to what John in his epistles has written
for us, to KNOW how we can KNOW that we are of God. Do not be
UNSURE - do not be deceived by the false teachings that it makes
no difference what you do after you have been saved, or that the
Law of the Eternal is "done away." or "once saved always saved."
YOUR ETERNAL LIFE IS AT STAKE!!
Listen to what John was inspired to tell us:
"Let that therefore abide in you, which you have heard from the
beginning. IF that which you have heard from the beginning shall
REMAIN in you, you also shall CONTINUE in the Son, and in the
Father......And we know that the Son of God is come, and has
given us an UNDERSTANDING, that we may KNOW Him that is
true.......And this is the promise that He has promised us, even
ETERNAL LIFE" (1 John 2:24, 25; 5:20).
Again:
"But be on your GUARD, my dear children, against every false god"
(1 John 5:21 Phillips Translation).
As shocking as it may sound to many, ASSURANCE is not found in
feelings! To just "feel" with your emotions that you have
Salvation, that you have been "saved," that you are a child
of God, DOES NOT BY ITSELF MAKE IT SO!!
NOW PLEASE READ WHAT HERBERT LOCHYER HAS TO SAY ON THE DOCTRINE
OF ASSURANCE:
"As assurance is the spiritual birthright of every believer, it
is their privilege and duty to experience and enjoy such an inner
possession......it is amazing to discover that the Bible
maintains a propound silence on feelings. The Concordance shows
that the word is used only twice in the Word. and in either case
it is employed in connection with our salvation......The word
'feel' is found in six places, but in no instance is it related
to a true Christian experience. Our salvation rests, not upon
fluctuating and fitful feelings, but upon the UNASSAILABLE FACTS
the Scriptures present......There can be no assurance within
unless there is the acceptance of the direct testimony of the
WORD of God......Assurance is no vocal or audible voice or
revelation of an angel, but of a condition of being secure, the
willingness to take God at His word.......when with confidence we
can say with the apostle Paul: ' I know whom I have BELIEVED, and
am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed
unto him against that day ' (2 Tim.1:12), all doubt is excluded.
ASSURANCE IS A BIRTHRIGHT WE MUST PRESERVE and never forfeit. We
must 'hold fast the confidence and rejoicing of the hope firm
unto the end' (Heb.3:6, 14). Such confidence must never be 'cast
away' (Heb.10:35). When Peter took his eyes of Christ and looked
at the waves, he began to sink.
TRUE ASSURANCE IS BUILT UPON A SCRIPTURAL FOUNDATION.........
assurance is the completeness of Christ's atoning work...... Full
assurance also rests upon the intercessory work of Christ, who is
' able to succor ' and also able to 'save to the uttermost '
(Heb.2:18; 7:25). God's own nature, imparted to the believer is
our assurance. Christ becomes 'our life ' (Col.3:4). By faith,
through grace, we become partakers of a divine nature (2 Pet.
1:4; 1 Pet. 1:23).
Further, assurance springs from righteousness, not our own, but
THE LORD'S (Isa. 32:17).
Many are confident that all is well because of their OWN
morality. But their assurance is FALSE, seeing all their
righteousness is as filthy rags in God's sight. Only DIVINE
righteousness can avail on our behalf, and when clothed with it,
a blessed assurance becomes ours....... Assurance of an eternal
salvation is based on UNDERSTANDING (John 20:31; Col.2:2; 1 John
5:13,20). Assurance is an INTELLECTUAL PROCESS whereby the mind
is enabled by the Spirit to accept revealed truth, resulting in
an emotional state, or a deep soul satisfaction........
Unconfessed, UNFORSAKEN sin can rob a man of full assurance......
We must exercise ourselves unto all godliness (1 Tim.4:7).
HOLINESS is the SAP helping to produce the fruit of
assurance......The devil rocks men in the cradle of a false peace
(Isa. 57:21)...... True peace is the sister of assurance, and
springs from our union with Christ and CONSTANT SUBMISSION to
Him.......
No man has the jewel of assurance who does not abhor the works of
the flesh. Assurance is associated with true humility, while
presumption is the other face of pride. Presumption estranges God
from the soul ...... Assurance can be cultivated by believing all
God says (1 John 2:23; 5:2; 5:14), by Bible study, by prayer, and
by desiring all the things of the Spirit. Lack of love for the
Word and ignorance of the indwelling presence of the Spirit
hinders assurance........ No one can know if they are saved,
unless they are prepared to be FULLY SAVED. Others lack
assurance simply because they are unwilling to carry out the
KNOWN WILL of God. OBEDIENCE TO ALL HE REVEALS results in an
assurance nothing can disturb......... " ( All the Doctrines of
the Bible, pages 204 - 207). ( emphasis ours and his ).
Now that my friends are some true words indeed from the above
book by Lockyer. Many need to read them again and slowly with
meditation, for it is what the whole context of the Bible
teaches.
THE 3 STAGES OF THE PROCESS OF SALVATION
THE NEW SCOFIELD REFERENCE BIBLE says, " Salvation is in three
tenses: (1) The Christian has been saved from the guilt and
penalty of sin. (2) The Christian is being saved from the habit
and dominion of sin. And (3) the Christian will be saved at the
Lord's return
The GREEK of the NT makes this 3 stage process of Salvation very
clear - some more modern translations of the Bible have corrected
the KJV version and given the correct tense.
"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according
to His mercy He SAVED US ( Gr. Aorist Ind. - ' has saved us ' ),
by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Spirit.
Which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour"
(Titus 3:5).
"For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish ( Gr.
Present tense - ' are perishing ' ) foolishness; but unto us
which ARE SAVED ( Gr. Present tense - ' are being saved ' ) it is
the power of God" (1 Corinthians 1:18).
"But he that shall endure unto the end, the same SHALL BE SAVED"
( Gr. Future tense - 'shall be ' ) (Matthew 24:13).
WE AGAIN QUOTE FROM DR. HERBERT LOCKYER.
God's perfect salvation covers the PAST, includes the
PRESENT and embraces the FUTURE, as Paul so clearly reveals in
his Roman epistle.
"1. A Past Salvation
Salvation is a gift we receive the moment we accept Christ as our
Saviour. In the moment of our surrender to His claim, we
experience His Gospel to be the power of God unto salvation
( Romans 1:16). No matter how sinful we were in the past, in a
moment of time the red blood of Jesus makes the black heart
whiter than the snow.... Under the curse and condition of sin (
we came to know what it was to be saved from the guilt and
penalty of our sin, Luke 7:50; 1 Cor.1:18; 2 Tim.1:9).
2. A Present Salvation
Too many who have been saved are ignorant of the fact that their
salvation covers the journey between their conversion and death
or the return of Christ. Because He continues His ministry
in glory, Christ's salvation is unfailing (Heb.7:24,25). Paul had
this aspect of salvation in mind when he wrote - ' For if, when
we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His
Son, much more being reconciled, we SHALL BE saved by His life
(Rom.5:10).
Here we have a DOUBLE salvation - one by the DEATH of Christ,
and the other by His LIFE. ' Reconciled to God by the death of
His Son ' - this is PAST salvation. But Paul said 'much more':
Is there something more than being saved? The apostle says there
is - ' being reconciled, we SHALL be saved by His life.'
The reference to ' his life ' does not apply to the earthly life
of Christ ....... Paul then, had in mind the present life of
Christ. His risen, glorified throne life. He ever liveth to keep
us saved, to provide us with a day by day salvation from the
POWER of sin, as well as its PENALTY: from sin's government as
well as its guilt. This is the grade of salvation we are to
exhibit (Ps.96:2), and represents salvation from the HABIT and
DOMINATION of sin (Rom.6:14; Phil.2:12,13; 2 Cor.3:18).
The question of paramount importance is, ARE WE BEING SAVED? Have
we daily victory over the flesh? Do we reign in life by Christ
Jesus? Are we more than conquerors? Is ours the OVERCOMING life?
Or can it be that, although we can look back and think of the day
we were saved from our guilty past, we are miserably defeated in
the PRESENT?.......
3. A Prospective Salvation
Paul must have had the FUTURE in mind when he gave us the third
aspect or tense of salvation. ' Now is our salvation nearer than
when we believed ' (Rom.13:11). This is also the grace of
salvation of which Peter speaks, as being ' ready to be revealed
in the last time ' (1 Pet. 1:5).
........Did we not receive salvation when we believed? Yes! Do we
not receive salvation as we keep on believing? Yes! Then what
brand of salvation did Paul refer to when he said it is 'nearer'
than it was in the initial hour of faith? It is a salvation from
the PRESENCE of sin, just as the past salvation delivered us from
the PENALTY of sin, and a present salvation delivers us from the
POWER of sin. We need salvation from the presence of sin within,
and from the presence of sin around us in the world. When will
this salvation take place? Why, when Jesus comes.......Returning,
He will save us from sin within, giving us an unsinning nature
like unto His own....... (1 John 3:1,2)....... we shall be saved
to sin no more. With the redemption of the body ( Rom.8:23; 1
Cor. 15:51-54 ), the seat, source and seductiveness of sin will
be removed....... The Church will be saved to sin no more " ( The
Doctrine of Salvation, pages 161-163. emphasis ours and his).
THE DOCTRINE OF GRACE
I will take the space to again quote some passages from
Mr.Lockyer's book on this most important subject.
" The importance of a right understanding of this further basic
Christian doctrine can be judged by the fact that 'grace' and its
cognates, 'gracious' and 'graciously' occur almost 200 times in
Scripture...... Salvation from commencement to consummation,
service from start to finish, sanctification from beginning to
end are all associated with the grace of God.
>From the first reference to grace in Gen.6:8, 'Noah found grace
in the eyes of the Lord,' until the last reference in Rev.22:21,
'The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you,' this glorious
.......theme dominates the Word......None of the other
fundamentals of the Gospel can be rightly understood, if the
Biblical unfolding of divine grace is not fully grasped.
PERVERTED views of grace mean perversion in all areas of divine
truth.
Grace has been described as...... 'Unmerited, undeserved favor ';
'A comprehensive word of boundless reach as it carries an
infinite depth of significance signifying unlimited favor to the
undeserving...'
.......In Greek terminology CHARIS implies a favor freely
done...... When used by the Greeks themselves, CHARIS expressed
favor shown to a friend. When the word is applied to Christ
dying for sinners ( Rom.5:8-10), it takes a leap forward for He
expressed His favor toward His enemies. Divine grace is therefore
more commendable than human grace (1 John 3:1)
.......Grace is unmerited favor manifested toward sinners and
indicates that the demands of divine justice have been met,
seeing that the PENALTY was placed upon Christ. Grace introduces
us into a new realm. Through it we are taken out of the sphere of
DEATH into LIFE ( Rom.5:2; Gal. 1:6 ). By grace we are fully and
freely justified. The Law said, 'Pay me what you owe, even to the
uttermost farthing.' Grace says, 'You have nothing to pay your
debt with. I freely forgive all.' The Law...... evicts, as a
landlord evicts a tenant who cannot or will not pay rent - GRACE
steps in, cancels the bond and relieves the debtor. The LAW
reveals a sinful condition and CONDEMNS the sinner to DEATH -
GRACE provides a righteousness the sinner could never attain
(John 1:17; Rom.6:14).......
Grace comes to us from God. He is its Rise and Spring ( Ps.84:11;
1 Pet. 5:10; James 4:6).
Grace flows from the glorious and transcendent nature of God. It
is one of His infinite ATTRIBUTES....... Grace is an ACT, not
only a favor, a gift revealing the divine character. Grace
reveals what God IS as well as what He DOES .........
Those who come to know what it is to be saved by grace are not
long in discovering that they cannot remain static . Grace is
found to be related to Christian growth (2 Cor.1:12; Eph.4:29).
We can not grow INTO grace but once grace becomes a possession by
faith, we grow IN it. Once we are made the sharers of divine
grace, then it becomes a progressive force in life ( 2 Pet.3:18
). There is grace upon grace (John 1:16). We pass from one degree
of grace to another degree (Ps.84:7; Phil.1:9; Rom. 1:17). Grace
is not a seed in the heart that cannot grow, but a blade, an ear,
then the full corn in the ear. Once we are made the recipients of
grace we are not like Hezekiah's sun dial that went backward, or
Joshuah's sun that stood still, but are ever increasing in
holiness. There is a continuous unfelt progression as we journey
on from the first measure of grace to the riches of grace. As the
roots spread, the tree grows ( Col.2:7). Growth in grace is the
best evidence of its possession. If we are not growing in grace,
then there is something lacking in one's faith (1 Thes.3:10).
Loss of spiritual appetite is a sure sign of spiritual
decline.......
How can we grow in grace? By using all the available means for
such a growth. We must exercise ourselves unto godliness (1
Tim.4:7)....... Growing in grace we grow less in our own
eyes. Growing Christians are HUMBLE Christians (1 Pet.5:5,6).
Through grace we grow out of all selfconceit ( Ps.22:6 ). Grace
subdues self (1 Cor. 15:10).......
As we grow in grace, the growth of corruption is hindered. The
flowers of grace prevent the weeds of sin from spreading. When
grace rules within the whole being is brought into subjection to
Christ, and the Spirit transforms us into His holiness.......
Growth in grace means a more spiritual frame of heart, and a
desire to become more spiritual in activities as well as in
affections. While it is possible for a believer to fall FROM
grace ( Gal.5:1 ), he can never fall OUT of grace....... "
(All the Doctrines of the Bible - pages 163 - 168, emphasis our
and his).
A SHORT STUDY ON FAITH ( excerpts taken from the book God's
Plan for Man by Finis Dake).
1. The Definition of Faith
The word FAITH is found only twice in the OT, but 245 times in
the NT.
The word BELIEVE with its various endings occurs 45 times in the
OT and 268 times in the NT. The word TRUST is the other OT word
for FAITH and BELIEVE. It is used with its various endings 154
times in the OT and 35 times in the NT.
These words simply mean to CONFIDE IN, so as to be secure without
fear; to flee for refuge to or to take shelter in; to put faith
in; to stay or rest on; to rely on; to believe or to take one
at his word; to rely upon the promise of another; and to put
absolute trust in a person without any questioning or doubts as
to his faithfulness.
The Bible definition of faith is, ' The substance of things hoped
for, the evidence of things not seen ' ( Heb.11:1 )...... 'Now
faith is a well-grounded assurance of that for which we hope, and
a conviction of the reality of things which we do not see '
( Weymouth )
Faith is a union of assurance and conviction .......
2. What Faith is Not
The average person who seeks to exercise faith depends upon what
he can see, hear, or feel.
Testimonies concerning faith are usually expressed in connection
with feelings and emotions, or the various senses...... All who
take this road as the basis of faith will sooner or later be
deceived. Faith should be based upon the Word of God regardless
of any sense-knowledge, or feeling-evidences.......
Faith has not the slightest relationship with feelings and
sense-evidences...... The Word of God should have first
place...... instead of senses......True faith is not trusting in
the goodness and in the faith of another man. It must be personal
faith in God and His Word.......
The right program is not talking about faith, or the need of it,
but the actual exercise of it.
Simple faith in the Word regardless of feelings and circumstances
is never possible to the man who lives only in the realm of his
senses, for he believes only what he can see, feel, hear, or
understand to be possible.This was the kind of faith Thomas had
when he declared that he would not believe until he had
seen......
The individual must come to LIFE and ACTION before he will
realize the benefits of active, living faith that refuses to know
defeat and failure......
3. Kinds of Faith
There are several kinds of faith mentioned in the Scriptures, of
which the following list will be helpful in arriving at the kind
of faith one should have:
*Common Faith ( Titus 1:4). It is called 'mutual faith' (
Rom.1:12 ). This is the faith that is common to all men who claim
to be Christians......
*Weak Faith (Rom.4:19; 14:1-23; 15:1-4; 1 Cor.8:1-13)...... There
are literally thousands of people who spend much of their time
arguing and condemning each other over small details of life that
are not essential enough to mention in particular in Scripture...
In the above-cited Scriptures it is clear that the Kingdom of God
does not consist of meat, drink, and personal details of life
that are not specifically forbidden in Scripture, but that it is
' righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit '
( Rom.14:17)....... The Law of Scripture concerning anything that
is not definitely for-bidden by God......is '...... Whatsoever is
not of faith is sin' ( Rom.14:23 )........
' but it is evil for that man who eats with offence. It is good
neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby
your brother stumbles, or is offended, or is made weak...... We
then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak,
and not to please ourselves. Let everyone of us please our
neighbor for his good to edification ' ( Rom.14:19-22; 15:1-2).
*Strong Faith ( Rom.4:20 ).......Abraham had this kind of faith:
' Who against hope believed in hope, that he should be the father
of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall
your seed be. And being not WEAK IN FAITH, he considered not his
own body now dead, when he was about a hundred years old, neither
yet the deadness of Sarah's womb (who was about ninety years
old): He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief;
but was STRONG IN FAITH, giving glory to God; and BEING FULLY
PERSUADED that, what he had promised, he was able to perform. And
it was counted to him for righteousness ' ( Rom.4:18-22).
* Little Faith ( Matt.6:30; 8:26; 14:31: Lk.12:28 )....... is the
wavering kind ( Heb.10:23; James 1:5-8).
*Great Faith ( Matt.8:10; 15:28). This is the true, unwavering
faith... (Heb. 11:6).
*Unfeigned Faith (1 Tim.1:5; 2 Tim.1:5 )...... It is simply
genuine, and real and sincere in its every aspect...... is the
kind that all honest, pure, and sincere men have. It is the
unselfish, holy, and godly kind that naturally increases in the
life of every true child of God, as he grows in grace and
knowledge (2 Pet.1:4-9; 3:18 ).
*Temporary Faith ( Luke 8:13 ). This is the kind of faith that
believes for a while and springs up like a mushroom, but because
of shallowness, lack of root it fails in time of temptation
and test...... They receive the Word of God with great joy, and
it seems that they are going to outstrip everybody else in faith,
but after a few days or weeks they are not heard of again ......
They never fully come clean with God or make the full surrender
of their lives except for the moment. They do not prepare the
soil so that the seed can take root and produce fruit.
Some teach that this can not happen, but it does inspite of the
so-called impossibility of falling away from the faith and being
renewed in repentance again. Some teach that one cannot fall from
the faith, but Jesus certainly said that some would ' receive
the word with joy, and these have no root, WHICH FOR A WHILE
BELIEVE, and in time of temptation FALL AWAY ' ( Mat. 13:20-21;
Luke 8:13 ). Paul speaks of these as those who ' concerning
faith have made shipwreck ' (1 Tim. 1:19), as ' having cast off
their first love ' by going ' aside after Satan '
( 1 Tim.5:12-15 ), and as having ' erred concerning the faith '
(1 Tim. 6:21 ). Many Scriptures say that men can depart from and
fall from the faith (Acts 14:22; 1 Tim.2:15; 4:1; 5:8-15;
6:10,21; 2 Tim. 2:18; Heb.3:6;12-14; 6:11-12; 10:22-28). Men are
repeatedly told to continue in the faith (Acts 14:22; Col.1:23;
2:6-7). Anybody with common intelligence knows that he can
disbelieve anything that he chooses to lose faith in, especially
in things that are not seen.
*Historical Faith (1 John 5:10-13). This is faith in the history
or the record of God concerning the past and concerning His own
work for men. One can believe the record of God to the letter and
still not be saved. It is simply believing in the record of
anything of the past. No consecration to God is necessary to
believe history.
*Mental Faith (James 2:14-26). Mental faith is similar to
historical faith in that it believes history but goes further and
believes every part of the Bible, past, present, and future, as
well as all the truths of the blessings of God, but it does not
ACT upon the Word of God. Faith without works is dead, being
alone. It is passive faith or mere mental assent to truth.
Thousands of sinners have mental faith in God, the Bible, but
they keep neglecting the definite ACTION of obeying truth.
*Active Faith ( James 2:14-26; Heb.10:19-38 ). This is the kind
that ACTS upon the Word of God as it is made clear. James put it
this way: ' shew me your faith without your works, and I will
shew you my faith by my works '...... As long as faith is mental
and passive no action will be taken to obey the truth. Men must
get beyond the stage of hearing and into the act of DOING what
God says before they get results. ACTIVE, LIVING faith moves to
OBEY every truth of God to the letter...... You are commanded to
be a DOER of the Word You are not to be merely a hearer. You
are not deceiving yourself when you act upon the Word. It will be
confirmed for it is the truth. It must be a living, active faith,
not a mere mental passive something that all sinners can
have.......
*Wavering Faith ( James 1:5-8 ). This is a faith doubting God
and refusing to believe. Truly to believe and to have faith is to
act on the Word....... Doubting is to refuse to act on
the Word. Unbelief is either refusing to act according to the
knowledge that you have, or it is a manifestation of ignorance of
the word of God. If you do not know, you cannot act because
you do not understand. If you do not understand you are afraid to
act because you do not know how to act. The cure for all unbelief
is a thorough knowledge of the Word and consecration to obey
it...... regardless of how impossible it may seem at the moment.
* Unwavering Faith ( Heb.10:23; 11:6)...... We are told to ' Hold
fast the profession of our faith without wavering ( for he is
faithful that promised) ' ( Heb.10:23). Again, ' But without
faith it is impossible to please him; for he that comes to God
must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that
diligently seek him ' ( Heb.11:6)...... It laughs at
impossibilities and goes on in utmost confidence that what God
has promised He is able to perform.......
*Human Faith ( Mark 11:22-24 ). This is simply the exercise of
human faculties in having confidence and conviction that he can
believe God, and that God is true to all that He has promised.
All men are capable of faith in themselves and faith in anyone
else that makes any statement of promise to them.......
*Divine Faith ( Heb.11:3; Gal.2:20; 1 Cor.13:14 ). Faith is not
only a natural attribute of man. It is an attribute of God.......
The last passage mentioned above speaks of 'faith ' abiding
along with hope and love, which means that these three qualities
are eternal as attributes of God....... Thus it is clear that
God has faith...... and men must have faith in order to please
God (Heb . 11:6 )..............
4. The Importance of Faith
The Bible definitely declares that faith is all-important: ' But
without faith it is impossible to please him...' ( Heb.11:6)
...... ' Now the just shall LIVE BY FAITH: but if any man draw
back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him ' ( Heb.10:35-39)....
Jesus commanded men to ' Have faith in God,' and such is
possible, or it would not be mandatory....... "
( The above was taken from the book - "God's Plan for Man" by
Finis Dake pages 503 - 510, emphasis ours and Dake's).
FROM FAITH TO FAITH
Every person who is brought to real repentance must exercise
HUMAN faith in believing God - that sins will be forgiven, that
justification can be obtained through grace by the sacrifice
and death, the shed blood of Jesus Christ. We must have
assurance, confidence, FAITH in this promise of God the Father.
Upon our acceptance of Jesus Christ as our personal saviour -
our baptism in water - the Father has promised to give us HIS
HOLY SPIRIT - HIS NATURE (Acts 2:38; 1 Pet.1:4 ). In so doing
BOTH the Father and Christ come to live WITHIN the believer
( John 14:23 ). One of the fruits of God's Spirit is FAITH
( Gal.5:22 ), which means a Christian does not live by HUMAN
faith but by the very DIVINE FAITH - the same faith that was in
Jesus when He was flesh and blood, is now IN those that are in
Christ , for it is written, "I am crucified with Christ:
nevertheless I live: yet not I, but Christ LIVES IN ME: and the
life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith OF the Son
of God ....... " ( Gal.2:20).
God's Spirit is also His LOVE flowing into us ( Romans 5:5 ).
God's love is manifested through His COMMANDMENTS ( 1 John 5:3 ).
We need help to keep and stay in that right attitude of wanting
to obey the Fathers' commandments - of and by ourselves we cannot
do it, our own righteousness is as filthy rags to God - our help
comes through Christ IN us. His FAITH in us, not our human faith
but faith from Him imparted to us via the Holy Spirit ( Romans
7:14 - 25). We do the Father's WILL, we OBEY Him, fulfil His
commandments, keep His LOVE not on our own steam, with our faith,
but with the faith that HE GIVES US. We do not keep the Law in
order to be saved - we are saved by grace through faith in order
to keep the Law, by means of that FAITH which is given to us -
DIVINE faith - the faith OF Jesus Christ.
Truly it is CHRIST IN US THE HOPE OF GLORY ! And so we can also
truly say with Paul, "Do we then make void the Law through
faith? God forbid: No! We establish the Law" ( Romans 3:31).
To be continued
SAVED BY GRACE - APPENDIX #3
THE DOCTRINE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
I will again use the comments of Dr. Lockyer for our
understanding of this subject.
".... Doctrinal and practical righteousness meet us on almost
every page. Such an important truth has been treated as if it is
most difficult. Theologians may have made it so, but the Word of
God is simple and clear in its teaching on this doctrine of
grace. Is it not tragic that a theme so beautifully and blessedly
simple has been muddled, confused, tortured, twisted and
disputed over through centuries of wrangle and strife.....
The simple idea resident within the word is that of ' doing what
is right.' While there may be shades of meaning associated with
the word, the root idea wherever it is used is a state of
RIGHTNESS whether towards God or man.......
It may make for clarity if we summarize this theme of tremendous
importance in the following ways:
1. God is righteous, and as such, demands righteousness, for
without it there can be no possible fellowship between the
Creator and His creatures.
The consistent testimony of Scripture is that two cannot walk
together except they be agreed. Righteousness cannot have
fellowship with unrighteousness (Deut.25:16; Ps.1:5,6; 2
Cor.6:14; Rom.1:18; 2:8-9).
But what do we mean by 'the righteous act of God ' ? This phrase,
peculiar to and characteristic of Paul's epistles, signifies
God's consistency (with His own nature and character) in freely
and perfectly JUSTIFYING a sinner believing on Jesus. It is the
revelation of the righteous ground on which God can and does
freely justify a guilty sinner.......
2. Man has no righteousness of his own with which he may meet the
righteous and inexorable demands of God.
It cuts clean across our fancied greatness and goodness to be
told that all our righteousness is but as filthy rags in God's
sight. All we pride ourselves upon is rejected by God. Ignorant
of divine righteousness, we try to establish our own ( Rom.10:3;
Ecc.7:20; Isa.64:6 ).
How futile is our effort to work out, even under the Law, a
character which God can approve! The human heart is corrupt,
deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked ( Jer.17:9)
and cannot therefore out of rottenness produce righteousness
acceptable to God. If personal and vicarious righteousness by
Law-keeping or obedience in life could be ours, justification by
blood is a nullity....... By human righteousness no man can be
justified ( Ps.143:2; Rom.1:17; 3:20). The mind of the flesh,
even good flesh, is enmity against God( Rom.8:7)....... If the
sinner is to have a righteousness acceptable to God, it must be
divinely provided. His eyes must turn away from his own ruin and
self-righteousness to Christ..
3. The sinner, through believing, is constituted the
righteousness of God in Christ, the sinless, righteous One.
Christ, on the CROSS, was made sin for us, Now on the THRONE He
is the righteousness of God, that is, the perfect expression of
it. The phrase, ' the righteousness of Christ ' is not to
be found in Scripture. The substitution of this for ' the
righteousness of God ' has created much misunderstanding.......
The kernel of the Gospel is that Christ died for our sins and was
raised again, manifesting thereby God's work in love and
righteousness for sinners Rom.4:25; 1 Cor. 15:3,4 ).......
Our righteousness, then, is not something but SOMEONE, even Him
who possessed Lordship( Mark 12:36,37; John 13:13).
At this juncture it might be well to consider the whole matter of
IMPUTATION with which Paul deals in his epistle to the Romans. To
IMPUTE means to reckon or count to one something which he,
himself, is destitute of....... With God, imputation is His
gracious act whereby He accounts righteousness to the believer in
Christ, who has borne the believer's sins in vindication of the
Law....... ' Imputed righteousness ' is not Biblical Language,
for divine righteousness is not imputable, neither is the
law-keeping of Jesus....... righteousness imputed or reckoned is
what the Word teaches.......
As a sinner has no righteousness of his own, he must have a
righteousness without works.
Thus the only righteousness for him is the imputed one of God's
in Christ. God alone is able to justify a guilty sinner, and He
alone can impute righteousness to one who is destitute of it.
BUT this divine action is not the placing of a quantity of
righteousness IN man. It is simply holding, or regarding as
righteous or just, one who is not so either in nature or
practice, as Romans 4 clearly shows. Righteousness imputed
supposes that one is destitute of it....... Pardon accompanies
justification before God's bar.......
The sinner, however, pardoned before, and by God, is always
justified also...... Christ bore the judgment of God upon our
offenses, but was raised again for our justification (Rom.4:25 ).
In this great chapter, ' righteousness ' occurs eight times, but
the words ' of God ' are not added. ' The righteousness of God '
is nowhere said to be imputed or reckoned unto us, but
' righteousness ' that is, all Christ accomplished in our stead
and behalf is put to our account through acceptance of Him as
Saviour.
4. Divine righteousness can only become ours by faith.
.......Righteousness must be accepted as a divine gift ( Rom.4:5;
9:30-32; 10:4 ). Paul cast to the dogs the righteousness of which
he was once so proud. Those things he counted gain were
willingly reckoned loss that he might be found clothed in his
Lord's righteousness (Rom.1:16,17; Gal.2:16; Phil.3:6-9 )......
This is that which is called 'the righteousness of God by faith'
( Rom.3:26; 4:6; 2 Cor.5:21 ).
5. It is essential to exhibit practical righteousness in everyday
life.
We deceive ourselves if we deem ourselves righteous yet fail to
manifest righteousness in life. ' Doing ' righteousness is the
sure fruit and proof of 'being ' righteous, that is, of having
the only principle of true righteousness within and the only
means of justification, namely, faith(Rom.4:3-8; Eph.2:5,8-10).
Noah, the preacher of righteousness, was just or righteous
in life ( Gen.6:9 ) ....... Right with God, we shall live right
before men ....... When John urged the saints to do righteousness
( 1 John 3:7), he meant them to live that righteous life ever
resulting from salvation....... To be righteous is simply to BE
right and to DO right toward God and man .......
How can God supply us with MOTIVE and POWER to act rightly in all
things, at all times and in all relations? In these matters, as
in all others, we must turn to Scripture for satisfactory
answers....... we are always directed to Christ as the grand and
constraining MOTIVE. How righteous He was in all His ways. As to
the POWER by which practical righteousness can be effected, we
know that the Holy Spirit alone can transform position into
PRACTICE.
Satan, the enemy of the Righteous ONE and of righteousness, is
determined and wily and an everwatchful foe ( Eph.6:14 ). He
knows that if practical righteousness is lacking in a saint,
he is exposed to satanic attacks. Lack of consistency in any
realm of life leaves one weak, powerless and unfruitful in
service. PRACTICAL righteousness is the keynote of the Sermon
on the Mount ( Mat.5:6). It is ever the ground of our appeal in
prayer ( Ps. 23)....... One must have the determination to '
follow righteousness ' ( 2 Tim.2:22), in all things, in all
places, in all relationships.......
6. The manifold blessings resulting from the acceptance of a
divinely provided righteousness.
The righteous are blessed with PROSPERITY
( Isa.3:10).
The righteous are surrounded with divine FAVOR
( Ps.5:12 ).
The righteous enjoy peace,quietness and ASSURANCE
(Isa.32:17).
The righteous experience deliverance from affliction
( Ps.34:19).
The righteous have enlightened minds and glad hearts
( Ps. 97:11 ).
The righteous are NEVER FORGOTTEN
(Ps.112:6; 1 Pet.3:12)
THE ULTIMATE BLESSING OF RIGHTEOUSNESS BY FAITH IS ETERNITY
WITH HIM WHO IS OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.................. "
( From the book "All the Doctrines of the Bible" by Dr.H.Lockyer
- emphasis ours and his).
THE CHRISTIANS DESTINY
THE HOLY SPIRIT - A PERSON ?
Growing up in a Church of England school called "The Holy
Trinity School" I was well aware of such language as " God the
Holy Ghost " - " Three in One " etc. Though subjected to such
terminology on a daily basis I also read my Bible very
frequently. Through those young years of my life I could never
understand what these adults meant by " God the Father,
God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit " and no one ever sat me
down to clearly explain this phrase to me. I had seen from my own
Bible reading that God the Father was described by Jesus as like
Himself - a person then with form and shape as like a man - I had
seen where the book of Revelation showed Jesus to be sitting in
heaven on the Father's right hand. I had read that there was
indeed a Holy Spirit, but it could be IN all Christians, poured
out, look like a dove, be divided up and appear as tongues of
fire as on the day of Pentecost. It never entered my young mind
that the Holy Spirit was a PERSON with body and shape as to look
like a man. I was 19 when first plainly told that the Spirit was
a bodily person - the third member of a three person Godhead. I
was somewhat shocked to hear this as my previous personal Bible
reading had never led me to this conclusion.
Since that time, over many years now, I have read numerous
writings by various Theologians (including Finis Dake and Herbert
Lockyer) giving what they consider the proofs as to why the Holy
Spirit is a person . None of them have convinced me to change my
boyhood understanding.
This is not the place to answer these men and their so-called
proofs. We have a 15 page article that does that called "The Holy
Spirit - Is it a Person?" and my sermon tape on the same subject.
They are free upon request.
TO BE A SON OF GOD - OR AN ANGEL?
A critic has written:
" This idea of BEING God strikes a responsive chord in many who
like the thought of somehow being equated with God ....... Such a
teaching is entirely contrary to the Scriptures.
It is true that in this coming Kingdom, Christ will be seated
HIGH ABOVE THE ANGELS.
The author of Hebrews was most specific on this point. He wrote:
' When he ( Christ ) had made purification for sins, he sat down
at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as MUCH
SUPERIOR TO ANGELS as the name he has obtained is more excellent
than theirs ' ( Heb. 1:3-4 RSV ).
This, then, is Christ's exalted place in the kingdom. What,
according to the Bible, will be ours? Will we....... also be
superior to the angels and have a place above them? No. Christ
Himself explained our place in His reply to the Sadducees as they
questioned Him sharply on the subject of marriage in the kingdom
age. He said, ' The sons of this age marry and are given in
marriage; but those who are accounted worthy to attain to that
age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are
given in marriage, for they can not die anymore, because they are
EQUAL TO ANGELS and are sons of God ....... ' (Lk.20:34-36
RSV)....... Christians therefore will not be HIGH ABOVE the
angels, but their EQUAL......." ( emphasis his ).
My reply is:
FIRST.
( a) What GLORY will Christians inherit, that of angels or that
of Christ? The answer is found in 1 John 3:1-3. ( b ) Will
Christians inherit equal or more AUTHORITY than angels?
Christians will inherit MORE authority because they shall JUDGE
angels (1 Cor.6:3 ). ( c ) Who will judge the world? Angels -
Angels and Christians together as equals - Jesus only ? The
answer is found in John 5:22; Acts 17:31; 1 Cor.6:2; Heb.2:5.
SECOND.
Two other gospel writers recorded the same incident as Luke,
notice how Mark wrote it, " For when they shall rise from the
dead, they neither marry, nor are they given in marriage -
but are AS the angels which are in heaven " ( chap. 12, verse 25
KJV or " but are LIKE angels in heaven " RSV). Matthew wrote,
" For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in
marriage but are LIKE angels in heaven " ( chap. 22:30 RSV).
Now what is the CONTEXT - what is being DISCUSSED - what was the
specific question Jesus was answering? Was it a question of how
much authority angels had over the saints in the Kingdom - which
class of beings would have more glory, power or authority than
the other? Were they discussing the LEVEL of existence Christians
would have when they inherited the Kingdom? NO! Jesus was
answering the Sadducees trick question on MARRIAGE in the Kingdom
( please read verses 27-38 ) and if there would BE a resurrection
(the Pharisees taught there would be - the Sadducees taught
otherwise ).
Concerning a woman who had had 7 husbands in this physical life,
the Sadducees said, " Now this is our question - Whose wife will
she be in the resurrection?For all of them were married to her ."
Jesus went on to answer THAT specific question.
The writer of the LIVING BIBLE translates Luke 20:34,35 as, "
Jesus replied, Marriage is for people here on earth,but.......
those who are counted worthy of being raised from the dead
do NOT MARRY. And they never die again - in THESE RESPECTS they
are LIKE angels " (emphasis ours).
The angels in heaven do not DIE, and they do not MARRY ! The
children of the resurrection will not MARRY or DIE - in these
areas of eternal existence they will be AS, LIKE, EQUAL, similar
to the angels. The Sadducees well understood that angels do not
die or marry. Jesus was giving them an easily understood figure
to show them that their question was invalid, as children of God,
like angels, they will not marry in the resurrection. In this
respect, not marrying, (in the human sense ) BOTH groups are
equal. Both the angelic beings and the resurrected children of
the Father DO NOT MARRY, neither do they die.
THIRD.
Luke makes it quite clear what Jesus CALLED those who would be
worthy to attain the resurrection. Christ did not call them,
"children of angels " - " beings of the angelic realm " -
" a new form of angel " or any such language. It would have been
very simple to have used such terminology IF Christians were to
become a type of angel. Jesus called the children of
the resurrection - SONS of GOD!
As I have shown in other writings of mine, there is a VAST
difference between being a type of angel and a SON(or daughter)
of God.
Oh, how slow is the heart of man to believe ALL that is written
in the Scriptures, all that the Eternal Father has prepared for
them that LOVE Him and will DO His will. How many today
call themselves a son or daughter of God, and they do not
UNDERSTAND what it MEANS .
The Pharisees well understood what it meant to call yourself a
SON of God ( John 5:18). And they accused Jesus of blasphemy and
tried to kill Him.
"But Jesus answered them, My Father works and I work. Therefore
the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he....... said also
that God was his FATHER, making himself EQUAL with God." ( John
5:18 ).
I have shown you in other articles what being "equal with God "
means.
What a shame that the phrase " I am a child of God " has become
so easy and common place for so many to use today, that very few
fully realize what those words mean or imply for those who will
indeed become a born child in the Kingdom of God.
"For in Him we live, and move, and have our being....... For we
are also His OFFSPRING. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring
of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold,
or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device" ( Acts
17:28,29).
"He that overcometh shall inherit all things - and I will be his
God, and he shall be MY SON" ( Rev.21:7).
EPILOG
ARE THERE FEW THAT BE SAVED ?
It has become popular in the last forty years, for many
fundamental preachers and churches to proclaim very vociferously
to the unconverted the scripture of Acts 16:31 " BELIEVE on the
Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall BE SAVED." This is a very true
statement. but it would seem in many cases, because the
unconverted are shown no other verses, that too large a
group of new Christians have come to understand this as only
having to believe the fact that Jesus did become human - that He
did die for sinners and that He is alive today.
It should be obvious to anyone who has spent any time at all
reading the NT, that the apostle James showed that having a
belief on Jesus that was ONLY based upon certain facts of who
He is, what He became and what He did, CANNOT SAVE ANYONE!
" You BELIEVE that there is one God; you do well: the demons also
BELIEVE, and TREMBLE. But will you know, 0 vain man, that FAITH(
belief ) without works is dead! " (James 2:19,20).
Yes, the demons believe the FACTS that Jesus is the Christ, that
He became human, that He died to save sinners, that He arose and
lives forever - BUT they still TREMBLE - they are NOT SAVED !
The BELIEF that the NT and the whole Bible proclaims, is a belief
that leads to ACTION - a belief that leads to a CHANGE of life. A
belief that not only believes certain FACTS about Jesus, but a
believing on what Jesus SAID and TAUGHT - a LIVING, a DOING
belief.
" What does it profit, my brethren, though a man say he has faith
( belief ), and has not works ( actions ), can (this kind of
belief ) faith save him?....... For as the body without the
spirit ( breath ) is dead, so faith ( belief ) without works is
dead also " ( James 2:14, 26, amplification ours).
Factual knowledge is a PART of belief, and it must be the RIGHT
facts, as we shall see. The other part of belief is ACTING on
those facts.
" Not EVERY ONE that says to me, Lord, Lord ( calling themselves
Christians and believing Jesus is the Christ ), shall enter into
the Kingdom of heaven - but he that DOES ( action ) the will of
my Father which is in heaven. Many ( not a few ) will say to me
in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied ( spoken and
preached ) in your name( believing Christ to be the Messiah ),
and in your name have cast out demons, and in your name done many
wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I NEVER KNEW
YOU - depart from me, you that WORK (whose actions are) iniquity
( Lawlessness - practicing sin as a way of life). Therefore he
that hears these sayings of mine and DOES them, I will liken him
unto a wise man, that built his house upon a ROCK....... And
every one that hears these saying of mine, and does not DO them,
shall be like the man who foolishly built his house upon the
SAND. And the rain descended, and the floods came.... and great
was the fall of it " ( Mat.7:21-27 amplification ours).
Is Salvation - being SAVED, as easy as "falling off a log "?
Will it be the MAJORITY of those who call themselves " Christian
" that will be in the FIRST resurrection ( Rev.20:1-4) ? Or will
it be only the FEW ?
Let Jesus answer! Will you believe Him ?
" Then someone asked Him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And
He said to them, ' STRIVE( Gr.means, to agonize, to contend; to
strive as in a contest for a prize; to put forth every effort )
to enter in at the STRAIGHT( Gr. means, narrow) gate: for many, I
say to you, will SEEK to enter in, and shall not be able. When
the master of the house has risen, and has shut the door, and you
begin to stand outside and knock at the door saying, Lord, Lord,
open to us, he shall answer and say, I do not know where you are
from, I do not recognize you as one of mine. Then shall you say,
We have eaten and drunk where you were being talked about, and we
heard you being preached and read your words. But he shall say, I
know you not as one of my followers, go away from me all of you
who WORK ( practice as a way of life) INIQUITY ( Gr. means,
unrighteousness, lawlessness ) ' "
(Luke 13:23 - 27, paraphrased and amplification ours).
Here are some individuals who are seeking to enter in - they
would call themselves Christian, they have "gone to church " and
heard Jesus being taught on the Radio, T.V. or in local Revivals.
Here are people that have some TRUE facts, but obviously some
FALSE facts that they have lived by or facts they have chosen to
ignore, and in doing so were guilty of practicing things contrary
to the will of God.
Jesus says to them, "...... depart from me, all you workers of
UNrighteousness. " They never fully had the BELIEF that lead
them to.... righteousness - to DO the sayings of Jesus and the
commandments of the Father.
" Not every one that says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the
Kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which
is in heaven " ( Mat.7:21 ).
"And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly
and the sinner appear? " (1 Peter 4:18 ).
For those who have truly come to the factual knowledge that Jesus
Christ was God in the flesh, that He is SAVIOUR, that He is alive
in heaven making intercession for the saints. For those who have
truly come to understand what SIN is, what REAL repentance is,
what GRACE is, what having the FAITH of Jesus is, and what having
and following RIGHTEOUSNESS is - those who have surrendered all
to God as a humble LIVING sacrifice - to those who have true
factual belief coupled with true action belief, making a complete
belief - SALVATION is simple and assured!
BELIEVE ON THE L OR D JESUS CHRIST AND YOU SHALL BE
SAVED!
...................
This Appendix to the article SAVED BY GRACE was compiled in 1985
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