Satan's machinations: PART TWO (further study on Satan's affect on us as individuals)
Part Two: The battle of the mind.
In my last post; I ran out of space again; but was getting into the verse where Jesus told Satan to get behind him when Peter was stating that basically going to the cross was not fit for Jesus to do. This shows how Christ expects us as His disciples to rely totally on the Spirit to allow the flesh to be dead. Luke 4:8 is the other verse where Jesus says this to Satan after the temptations in the wilderness. We see a difference between Peter then and after Pentecost as Jesus foretold after he denied knowing him. In all fairness since ALL the disciples ran off their fear for their lives superseded their love for Christ. This truly shows how only trust in the Spirit of God will enable us to face death with courage should it be in the time and place God has chosen. As I have said before it is the end of a life of obedience that Christ and in fact all the Disciples except for John met their fate; the spiritual man grows and matures through self denial and service to that point.
Our thought processes are determined merely by our old man at birth. Thus characteristic behaviors and routines develop which tend to linger with us even post salvation. There are; of course the affects of nurturing vs cruel parents; abundance or poverty in youth which the Lord is aware of but also weigh in on the enemy's game plan. Of course with the mind along with everything else the enemy attacks us with the easiest thing to do is be determined to TRUST God and reject any thought which isn't captive to His (God's) will ( 2 Corinthians 10:5); compare with 2 Timothy 2:26. We learn to recognize the enemy's patterns after hopefully only a few similar assaults at our weakest points. We learn to discern the Spirit of God which is outside of self from Satan's devices; which always appeals to the flesh and exalting self. RUN IF IT GOES AGAINST SCRIPTURE!
Hello Trishkus: I hope it's okay if I respond to some of the "things people have told you" as not being quite right according to the KJB. I want to encourage you not to believe what I or others have told you. In 2 Timothy 2:15 God very plainly tells us to study for ourselves, rightly dividing the truth. If you are a born again child of God the Holy Ghost will give you decrement in understanding His word. You are right about all the modern versions of the bible, like the NKJV, ESV, NIV, etc. They're corrupt. They change doctrine not just the language that people claim they can't understand. There are videos you can see that simply give you a comparison verse by verse. You might also download biblehub.org. It will help you a lot. In response to the first thing you mentioned, I'm not sure what happened, but you are only condemned if you don't accept Jesus as your Savior while on this earth. Perhaps forget about that. If you haven't already, repent and accept Christ into your heart and dedicate your life to Him and, as long as you keep Him in your heart and life, you will not be condemned. Water baptism should be done by you as a testimony that you have accepted Him as your Savior but it's NOT necessary for salvation. It is the blood of Jesus that saves us not His blood AND water. Once we have accepted Christ as our Savior, we must put Him first in our life. We must give ourselves to Him in prayer, fasting and study to be always His obedient child. The rich young ruler in Matthew 19:16-22, was told by Jesus to sell all his belongings in order to gain heaven but the lesson Jesus was teaching was he needed to love God more then his possessions. The reasons God turned away from the Jews was because they refused to accept Jesus as their Messiah, which would have led them to be a witness for Him to the Gentiles. Most of them continued to do this until they ultimately crucified Him. His church then taught the Jews and Gentiles of salvation through Jesus. God Bless :)
Welcome to the site, what comes to mind is 2 Timothy 2:15-16, truth only comes from the Spirit of Truth, not our mind which is full of preconceived thoughts that blind our eyes, plug our ears, and block the truth.
Do you believe that the will of the Father and the will of the Son are always the same or different?
Jesus was obedient to the Father, Jesus said many times it is not His will but the will of the Father who sent Him, the same as we are to do, John 4:34John 5:30Mark 3:35.
Do you believe that a human being can truly save all men from sin and death by a perfect life in their own will?
First, I will have to say it was the will of the Father, Jesus at the end even asked His father if there was another way but not Jesus's will but the will of His Father, Matthew 26:39Luke 22:42. We are told this is the foundation of our faith, Jesus' sacrificial death. God cannot die God is Spirit He has no blood to shed for sin it had to be a man, His Son, born of a woman.
John 3:16 God gave His Son not Himself 1 John 2:221 John 4:32 John 1:7Romans 5:82 Corinthians 5:21, God cannot be made sin, 1 Corinthians 15:17 Jesus died, and God raised Him from the dead, the first man to live a perfect life, the first fruits of those who sleep in death. 1 Corinthians 15:14 as said if Jesus was not a man who lived a perfect life and died and was raised from the dead all is vain.
The first Adam was the first man Jesus was the last Adam and the second man, 1 Corinthians 15:45-47. 1 Corinthians 15:21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. The law had to be fulfilled by a man.
How would a human being know that they are the Messiah from birth and thus know not to ever sin?
As we see Luke 2:51-52 Jesus grew up increasing in wisdom and stature in favor with God and man. Jesus was twelve years old and He knew His father was God, but it doesn't say Jesus knew then He was to be the Messiah. God also said He would raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, Deuteronomy 18:15, Isaiah 11:1-5Isaiah 61:1-2 confirmed in Luke 4:18-21. Romans 1:1-42 Timothy 2:8.
Hi Nath Oga: I understand that this kind of thing is very strong in the culture of your country. But God is an all powerful God and He can never be overcome by these people practicing demonic curses on you. However, if you want God to help you, you must be truly born again. You must have repented of your sins to Christ and Christ alone and that He is the only one you pray to and accept as your Sovereign God. No other persons must be prayed to or adored or worshiped. God and God alone. If you are born again through repentance by the divine blood of Jesus Christ and worship Him and Him alone, then He will fight this battle for you. If these people are saying curses over you then read scripture over them, not only scriptures of the power of God but also scripture of love and forgiveness. This is what the verses in Proverbs 25: 21-22 mean when we heap coals of fire on our enemies head. Do you understand that God is much greater and more powerful then these witches and warlocks? With God they have no power at all. If you have the Spirit of God in your life as a true believer these foolish people shouldn't even bother you. They have no power over you if you belong to God. I could give you tons of verses from God's true word, the King James 1611 Bible, that tell you this is so. I will give you a couple but it would be best if you searched some out for yourself. 2 Timothy 2:15.
Rebuke these people as Jesus did when the devil tried to tempt him while He was in the wilderness. Mathew 4: 1-11. Stand up to them with scripture but, also showing them love and kindness; the unconditional love of Christ. You do need to belong to Jesus for this to work for you. If you have become a new creature in CHRIST and CHRIST alone and God your Father and Jesus your Savior are the only ones you pray to then, be brave, be strong and trust God with your whole heart, soul and mind and He will send these demonic people out of your life and they will leave you alone.
To know Christ and to make Him known is the theme of the Navigators ministry and correlates with 1 John and other passages.
This is a good summary of understanding the personal meaning of Christ's sacrifice on the cross for atonement as well as our duties fulfilling our part in the Great Commission.
I imagine most here know the necessary doctrines of believing Christ is a member of the Godhead and thus Divinity Himself who was the only one who could atone for sins (as the sinless spotless Lamb of God) by becoming a man as we are without sin and remaining so throughout His earthly ministry; then dying on the cross and resurrecting from the dead 3 days later. Finally; He is to return once again physically to rule and reign on the earth.
2 Timothy 2:8 and 2 Thessalonians 2:2 show we should avoid the error of stating that the resurrection has already occurred or the day of the Lord is at hand. Matthew 24:26 states that the Lord hasn't come yet for those who say He is hiding somewhere and also states the likeness of His arrival as lightning in the very next verse. This should be enough to disclaim what Preterists state that the Lord has already come. Therefore I would contend that full Preterists that state this are far enough off in doctrine that we should avoid fellowship with them.
Assuming we have the essentials of salvation straightened out; there are many other warnings and admonitions in scripture such as testing ourselves to see if we are in the faith would involve ( 2 Corinthians 13:5). We need to accept that doctrines aren't just what is required to be saved; but also what is necessary to prove that we are bringing fruits worthy of repentance ( Matthew 3:8 and many other similar verses). We are not subject to the law in some sense IF we are truly dead to sin ( Romans 6:11) in one sense; because we have a new nature; but in the same token we DESIRE to obey Christ and love and serve Him as Lord; Master and Savior.
Hello Confuzzled: I know the idea of hitting a child, especially a young child like yours, can be traumatic. The key is to understand what the bible is saying about discipline and what a rod is. Right after WWII people started accepting the worlds philosophical methods to raise a child, which mostly included no discipline, instead of keeping with God's plan. Now today we see the terrible results; children, who have been coddled instead of receiving loving, caring discipline are a mess. If we rightly divide the word ( 2 Timothy 2:15), we can understand how to do this so our children are well behaved and show a good witness for the Lord and it is not harmful. When I was a single parent of 3 small children the discipling was now up to me. Since the mother's role is to nurture I didn't want to use my hand so I saw by scripture that a rod could be a stick. I got a thin, small, smooth branch and used that. It stung but didn't abuse and worked pretty well. After using it for awhile, usually all I had to do was reach for it and the bad behavior stopped.
Prov. 13:24 "He that spareth his ROD hateth his son: but he that loveth him CHASTENETH him betimes" (in good time).
ROD: SHEBET (SHAY-BET) STICK
CHASEN: MUSAR (MOO0SAWR') REPROOF, WARNING. Discipline, however, doesn't have to always be a spanking. MY daughter babysat for two little girls. One was very active and the other one loved just sitting and reading a book all day. If the first one was misbehaving my daughter would make her just sit in a chair staring at the wall for a time, this was punishment to her. If the other one needed discipling my daughter made her go outside and ride her bike or roller skate, or something like that for a time. It worked very well. There really is a lot to learn about the discipling of a child but God can lead you to people who can help. Just be sure their advise is biblical. I hope this helps a little and I will be praying. God Bless :)
1. Payment of the redemption; illustrated with the "Kinsman-Redeemer" situation between Boaz and Ruth in the book of Ruth. This is the first visible action from the Lord only when one comes to salvation; it was predetermined in the counsel of God before the foundation of the world ( Eph. 1:4; 1 Peter 1:20).
2. Repentance being granted. This is also mentioned in Acts 11:18 and 2 Timothy 2:25.
3. Confession by the mouth as a result of believing in the heart ( Romans 10:9-13). This is an action of response to God's saving grace.
There is no other way or method to salvation but by God's prescribed measure of believing on the Son ( Matt. 11:27)
Hebrews 11:1 states: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." In my last post I discussed the concept of repentance and that it isn't something we merely learn by our own wisdom or intuition but that it is a gift from God as many scriptures state. 2 Timothy 2:25 as well as scriptures in Acts; 2 Peter and Romans show how repentance is granted or given by the Lord. As stated in my earlier comments no contrition on our part is able to save us. This is not to say; however that the admonition in Romans 6:1-2 isn't pertinent; we shouldn't seek to sin more for more grace. Our testimony should come from a genuine admission of realization of our state before salvation. We realize that we are no better than a murderer; adulterer or any other sinner that is repugnant to society at large. Of course our NATURE has to be understood; or else we are as Judas Iscariot did just sorry for our actions rather than realizing the cause is a rotten heart needing to die to itself and be rebirthed. Peter had a downfall and Thomas doubted but they recognized the Lord when He made Himself known to them.
My earlier statements should by no means detract from the importance of emulating external actions which are outflows of GOOD FRUIT in our lives. 1 Corinthians 11:1 (easy to memorize with this numbering) gives Paul's exhortation to imitate him as he imitates Christ. Demonstrations of such behaviors are much like a parent to a child in this case. How we need such examples in church leadership today! How many of these mega pastors live even close to Paul who would work for himself so as not to burden the churches and suffer as he did with deprivation and imprisonment for the cause of Christ?
We are not to idolize people but those of Godly character should motivate us; and also bring the fear of the Lord and His holiness to unbelievers as Paul did with the prison guard ( Acts 16:30-33). Our lifestyles must back up our words.
All there is to know about our LORD SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST is in scripture. Let us study to show ourselves approved, with the knowledge of being able to discern and apply HIS word daily as it glorifies HIM. 2 Timothy 2:15
May we add daily unto our knowledge and wise application the attributes and character of our GOD the LORD JESUS. Colossians 3; 2 Peter 1
(many more)
Numbers 6
24 The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
25 The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
26 The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
27 And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them.
The Millennium: Conceiving of mortal man coexisting with resurrected saints.
According to Isaiah 65:20 the man who dies at 100 will be considered a youth and before 100 cursed. This shows the reason for death during the Millennium; it would seem that the lifespan will reach 1000 emulating those who lived well into their 900s according to several accounts in Genesis in the Antidiluvian world. Proof of the Millennium is also found in verses such as Zechariah 14:17 for those who would argue that once the Lord returns that is it and we go immediately into eternity; where death clearly doesn't exist anymore ( 1 Cor. 15:55-57 coming from a passage in Hosea in the O.T.)
The idea of the necessity of a temple at that time makes sense; therefore for several reasons. There would need to be a ceremonial cleansing to be in the presence of Christ and probably us in glorified bodies; not for sin but because of our still corrupted and inferior bodies for those who survive the Tribulation and come to worship there. There are subtle differences as to frequency of sacrifices and a few other details in the temple mentioned in the last few chapters of Ezekiel from the O.T. standards. The external ceremony honoring the Lord; and it fulfilling its role as a place for prayer for all nations ( Isaiah 56:7; quoted by Christ when cleansing the Temple in the N.T.) will bring together these individuals with us; the glorified saints who are given authority to rule and reign with Christ ( 2 Timothy 2:12; etal).
The Gospel; as I have stated rather often at this forum will never be the same by the sixth seal in Revelation forward. There will be no need to preach about who Christ is; or what we are supposed to do although it will be a wonderful truth to share with the natural born children at that time. The warnings about testing ourselves to see if we are in the faith; however certainly will be vital ( 2 Cor. 13:5). Many will believe but sadly ( Rev. 20:8) will rebel and be lost.
Yes, Momsage, man will always have free will & be able to make choices in life (a gift granted by God). What I've tried to show from my comment you referred to, is that when God by His Spirit is indwelling & controlling His child, the child, though having free will & maybe somewhat self-willed, will always be under the Spirit's watchful Ministry - and this can include correction, warning, discipline, even death (so that the "spirit may be saved": 1 Corinthians 5:5).
From what the Word tells me about the Work of the Spirit, is that a truly saved person, though subject to correction will be kept by HIS Power & not ours: 1 Peter 1:3-5 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy HATH begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, TO an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth NOT away, RESERVED in heaven for you, Who are KEPT by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." All of God's Work & according to His Promise; or else, we can be popping in & out of salvation (re-birth) at will, making mockery of God's faultless & unfailing work.
Thank you for the testimony of you & your husband's 'salvation', your departure from the Lord & subsequent joyful return. I think many of us can testify similarly of such an experience - but in each case, we have to rely on God's Work & Word & the knowledge that "the foundation of God standeth sure, having this SEAL, The Lord KNOWETH them that are his. And, Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity" ( 2 Timothy 2:19). I believe that those whom the Lord seals (& He alone knows them by name), can never be un-sealed. As in your case, or even with me, having at one stage left the Lord & enjoyed the world's offerings, & then returned, it is the Lord's application of His Work in our lives - and this Work usually testifies well through personal testimony. Blessings.
To avoid them, you have to know who they are. You can't avoid somebody if you don't know who they are. This idea of identifying and avoiding shows up in
1 Corinthians 5:11;
2 Thessalonians 3:6,
2 Thessalonians 3:14;
2 Timothy 3:5;
2 John 1:10.
In other words, Christians, and shepherds in particular, should be discerning and alert to behavior and teaching that dishonors Christ and destroys people - and not treat it in a casual or harmless way.
And then in 1 Timothy 5:19-20, Paul went beyond just "avoid them" to "rebuke them publicly." So, speaking of elders who persist in error, he said, "Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. As for those who persist in sin" - and that can be sin of false doctrine or sin of evil behavior, anyone who does not accept correction - "rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear.."
And then Paul went on and actually named destructive false teachers:
"Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me" 2 Timothy 4:10.
You are aware that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes" 2 Timothy 1:15.
"By rejecting this [faith and a good conscience], some have made shipwreck of their faith, among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander" 1 Timothy 1:19-20.
"Their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus" ( 2 Timothy 2:17).
Paul names at least six false teachers that the church should watch out for.
So, I infer from Jesus and Paul and Luke and John that false teaching and destructive behavior are present dangers in this fallen world for the church. And all of us - especially shepherds, pastors - should be alert and discerning to identify and, in appropriate ways, expose. In order to protect the flock, we should expose them and minimize the spread of the gangrene (as Paul calls it).
May the LORD give us wisdom in reading, studying and applying HIS word.
2 Timothy 2:15
James 2:
10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
Romans 4:
2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.
3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Ephesians 2:
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Titus 3:
4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
May we be intercessors in CHRIST name, Isaiah 59:16, for those who have been blinded by the god of this world, 2 Corinthians 4:3, 4.
We are called to stand in the gap for others, Ezekiel 22:30, and plant the seed of the word that others may water and that GOD will give the increase.
Acts 15:
8 And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;
9 And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.
1 Corinthians 10:4 talks about everyone drinking from the same spiritual rock and the Rock was Christ. God made a covenant with His chosen people and delivered them after 400 years of bondage in Egypt; passing them through the Red Sea. Not all Israel is Israel however. ( Romans 9:6-7). Some argue this represents Baptism; holding those under the covenant parents make on behalf of their children at infancy. Whatever the case; when we become church members; we make a vow or covenant as to our service toward other believers. In fact when we first come to Christ; it should be looked at as a Covenant. Christ has fulfilled everything in the finished work on the cross on our behalf; but is only EFFECTIVE if we are truly saved. God makes us willing ( Psalm 110:3) and He gives the gift of repentance. ( 2 Timothy 2:25 and several other references). If we truly are saved we will love God and of course keep His commandments ( John 14:15). This involves obedience toward Christ and Him being Lord Savior AND Master of our lives.
When we make a church vow as members we affirm our faith in Christ; and our commitment to the body of Christ (prayer and fellowship). In Pittsburgh one of the things my pastor did annually was print out our vow as a reminder which I think is a good thing. This naturally encompasses the discipline of rebuking a brother and going through necessary disciplinary measures if personal resolution cannot be accomplished. If leadership is guilty and the congregation doesn't corroborate clearly evident apostasy or sin then we must disfellowship. I went through a specific issue that I won't elaborate on now with an elder after discussion with the Pastor in a previous church; eventually I left; so I've been there. This as with a marriage involves the same principal; we always seek reconciliation but separation may be needed at times. We are all part of covenant fellowship with all true Christians.
Greetings Stewart, peace from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.
I understand what you mean, a few people think I'm "crazy" because I take the whole bible literal. I know some passages are symbolic etc. But when Jesus said to the the rich man ( Matthew 19:21) "Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me." I took this literal. My PC and TV is all that I own and I only use it to study. Stay off youtube etc. ( Matthew 24:23) "Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not." Instead continue to ( 2 Timothy 2:15) "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
Resurrection, when the dead in Christ rise first. Who will teach during Tribulation? I am praying and 'quit the sin business' a preacher said once. So I can be found worthy to escape these things ( Revelation 4:1 - Revelation 19:11-21 ) Grace, Salvation and the Holy Spirit does remain before during and for some after Tribulation. When sharing those scriptures, it was a reply but I realize now I did not reply to the post. Advice taken is a wise thing to do, so I am all ears or in this case eyes, God Bless. We got to help each other, even if I am wrong . But we must not strife but get it right with each other out of love for one another. 2 Timothy 2:15-18 was just something I shared, to encourage others that we should not argue. Heb 3:15 God Bless you for that and continue to.
Good evening Stewart! I appreciate bringing the 2 Timothy 2:18 verse to my attention. This brings up a question. Who continues to teach purely that the resurrection is today ( Hebrews 3:15 ) durning the time of the seven years in heaven that you mentioned in another post?
There is zero pressure to respond, I am meditating on this with you.
You most certainly can, otherwise we could live a life of sin and go to Heaven. But it ain't the case, we got to cut the sin out. Grace from God in Prayer through Jesus Christ our Salvation and the Holy Spirit. When a Christian commits a sin, he/she trangesses the law. When we ask for forgiveness of our sins, We Pray to God Our Father, anything you ask Him ask in my Name Jesus said. So anytime we pray, we have to ask in the Name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. And the Holy Spirit.
When someone sins, they say without saying to GOD that they don't have faith in Him. When God says He will lead a way of escape, not giving you too much you can't handle. And we can do all things through Christ, we just got to do our part and RESIST the temptations of the devil and he will flee.
Romans 6:23
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
But like the Prodigal son or the lost sheep. If you do sin, repent and go forth and sin no more. Grace and Salvation will always be there for those who want it. So ya, you can lose your salvation, which is to be saved from sin. When one is in sin, they like I said above ask God in prayer for forgiveness...
We just got to keep away from the sin business as a Pastor once said. If you stumble, get up, keep on striving.
I encourage you to look up a fella who since passed away. His name Finis Dake, we got to get rid of that idea that the Bible is hard to understand. Basic Bible teaching, made me realize English is a peculiar language. God Bless and Keep on striving, being Christlike in anything you do.
2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
John is speaking to believers who are in the progressional stages of "sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience & sprinkling of the Blood of Jesus". they're learning & putting on Christ in ever increasing measures, yet they have not yet attain to the baptismal of Christ were self is crucified & they are "dead unto sin" but are in the working out of their salvation with fear & trembling, revealing the true fear of the Lord is working within their hearts, to depart from all evil.
In this ever increasing measures of growth in Christ/Grace/Light/Spirit 1John 1:8 is refer too, John commands them to 1John 2:1 keep repenting, remaining tender to the motions of His Spirit, with a heart devoted to the fear of the Lord until the appointed time of the Father when we are baptize with the baptismal of Christ, " thoroughly purged". We having experientially learnt the struggles of Rom 6 & 7 and have been brought to Rom 8:1,2 & their is no condemnation because His Word has
Isa 55:11, go & sin no more, we have been brought through 1Pet 5:10 in Christ, born again of the Incorruptible Seed & thus become incorruptible too, by the Cross/ Spirit / Grace / Light shining in our hearts & received John 1:12
through all these experiences in the working out of our salvation & in our continuing to perfecting of holiness in the love & fear of God, ever growing in Grace, we can say with John, 1John 1:1-3
a very important subject here in both topics, faith & suffering
1.Faith, we all know that Rom 10:17, Paul earlier says it is Rom 10:8 he's not talking about the letter here
But John 6:63 The Grace / Light that appears in the heart bringing salvation to all mankind Hebrews 9:28 that wait on Him.
Believing that it is He, speaking to us & His first works within us is teaching us to deny all ungodliness & the learning of righteousness
Paul says in Gal 3:2 so there's an increase of His Spirit as we received His judgement of sin & instruction in righteousness.
Here is Power offered to overcome all sin. For He who show us our sin, will not only take them away, but power is given to preserve from repeating the sin. There is one requirement, a truly contrite & broke heart birth through godly sorrow for the offense. This is saving faith produce by the Spirit, True faith purifies the heart, cleanses the vessel 2 Timothy 2:21
2.Suffering 2Timothy 3:12
As we look through both Testaments, we see a common thread, the suffering of the faithful
Paul by the Spirit call them 2Cor 4:17 which suffering brings a far more eternal weigh of glory
Hebrews 11:35,38 attain a better resurrection, whom the world was not worthy of.
We must have a renewing of our minds as Paul contiu.. 2Cor 4:18
What an encouragement on this side of the grave, & the reward is eternal,
Folks,
lets pick up our Cross & follow Jesus, He merciful & faithfully cleanses us from all unrighteousness, takes away our sins against Him, continually increases us with His Spirit alone the Way, until we are baptize unto His death, being dead unto sin, baptizes us in His Spirit, each one fitted in the body according to His gifts, we enter into the fellowship of His suffering (He's there with us ) therefore we experience the Power of His resurrection, & He never leaves us or forsakes us.
Then rewards us for what He alone done through us, what a deal, Come on!
As we recognize the dire situation in our country as in the current reading; let us also recognize that each of us may become that "... man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it:"
Let us agree to walk with the LORD and put forth HIS will and commandments first by carrying out HIS promises.
1- Let us confess and repent of our own sins. 1 John 1:9
2- Ephesians 2:8-10 Remember we are ordained to do good works!
3- 2 Peter 3:9 love the lost
4- Matthew 28:18-20 Go make disciples
5- 2 Timothy 2:15 Study HIS word
6- 2 Timothy 3:16, 17 Love, and apply HIS word
7- 1 Timothy 2: 1-4 pray for "...all that are in authority..."
8- Romans 10:1, 2 cultivate the desire and pray to GOD that all might be saved
This is in no particular order and not exhaustive by any means. I am sure the brethren on this forum are able and capable to add to it to the glory and praise of the LORD.
Titus 2:11-14 for while we wait and looking for that blessed hope; for HIS
glorious appearing may we be "...Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;"
Our hope must be only in CHRIST and no one else. GOD to shine HIS face on all who are on this forum and gloriously bless your situation.
2 Timothy 2:21 shows that we can clean ourselves so that we are not just vessels of clay but can be vessels of honor. Jesus tells us that he purges branches to produce more fruit ( John 15:2). We thus face that the lost are nothing but dead branches or profane vessels but we can through sanctification work towards purification and honor. We can perhaps see this also with the parable of the sower where some have the thorns of worldly cares snuff them out. ( Mark 4:18-19). A truly saved individual will pass the test of the trials which God places to test His own (see 1 Peter 1:7).
To succeed we need to be hidden in Christ ( Colossians 3:3) and truly be dead in Christ. Our old nature is impossible to put to death otherwise and will forever try to resurrect itself. God has put eternity into the hearts of men ( Ecclesiastes 3:11); yet that verse shows we cannot see to understand God who is basically beyond time and ourselves. Perhaps self preservation is a reflection that we are an eternal soul; thankfully God has the upper hand for those He has called and predestined will make it to glorification; and that for eternity ( Romans 8:30).
The concept of redemption or Kinsman redeemer is seen with the story of Ruth. Christ redeemed us from among men through His atoning sacrifice ( Galatians 3:13). He purchased us with His blood. He has removed our sins as far as the east is from the west ( Psalm 103:12 also read verses 13 to 14). We have passed from death to life ( John 5:24). His Spirit bears witness with our spirit as to our salvation ( Romans 8:16).
These and many other promises are things to meditate on and give comfort. We can only undestand such things if we are spiritually discerned; however and one of His children. ( 1 Cor. 2:14-15). Let us test ourselves to see if we are in the faith therefore ( 2 Cor. 13:5-6).
My last posting ended with a brief discussion of spiritual rewards. If we never consider these things; we are in danger of just wanting "fire insurance" when coming to Christ from fear of hell. That lack of love for God will blind us to the need for sanctification; and we will never want to go beyond what we consider the bare minimum to ensure our place in heaven. The basic point here is that sanctification goes on from the point of salvation until death (or the Rapture) which finally brings glorification; or final salvation of the body from sin and decay. So we need here to discuss what sanctification means.
Sanctification. 2 Timothy 2:12 says that if we suffer with Him we will reign with Him. Jesus spoke to the Disciples about the cost involved in following Him; and James speaks of pure joy in suffering in James 1:2-4. The Apostles need no further case as to the cost of following Him as all but one were martyred (and apparently they may have tried to kill John before Patmos as well). We see how Peter failed Christ when he said he would die for him yet denied Christ at his trial. Whenever that verse comes up in James I comment that I am still working on that; I feel like a hypocrite otherwise.
Too often we look at dying to self as a martyrdom issue rather than looking at a progressive lifestyle of dying to self day by day; which also was the example of Christ. Once we practice loving others above ourselves for a long time it is much easier to handle our fate no matter how bleak (or at least less hard). Again; this is where the rubber meets the road. With today's "easy believism" we see little exhortation of others ( Hebrews 3:13); we see Christ being perhaps the "center" of our lives in many of today's churches rather than BEING our life and our old life dead and buried with Him.
So far we are discussing things that accompany salvation. Now I will begin to quote verses to examine warnings against falling away
You are right that the Bible is not God. It is a written book about God. The only true book that talks about God.
Jema is right that we need the Bible that reveals us what God wants us to know about Him. Is the Bible necessary to us? Definitely yes. Think about Paul and Timothy. In 2 Timothy 2:1-2, Paul asks Timothy, "1Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also."
The teachings about Christ and salvation were at that time progressing from mouth to mouth. But eventually they were written down in what we call The New Testament. Nowadays we don't have Paul (neither the other wittnesses and apostles) with us to teach us what Christ said to people or what Christ revealed specifically to them BUT we have what the wisdom of God has preserved for us to know (gospels and epistles) which are adequate for our salvation. We don't know everything, but neither Paul did. That is why he said that we know in part, the perfect and complete knowledge about God will be aquired by us when we go to Heaven and speak to God face to face. But what we have now is adequate.
In what you are right is that we need the Spirit of God to give us a deeper knowledge and revelations about the written word of God. But again God will never reveal to somebody something which is in contrast with His written Word. If that may be the case one has to reject such revelations, they are not from God, God doesn't contradict/cancel Himself. A deeper knowledge can be also aquired when we live the Word of God. Example, one may know that God baptizes believers in His Spirit, but the real sense and knowledge about what just a baptizm is, will only be felt by one when they are going through such a baptizm. I hope you get what I want to say.
We know certain things to be true of God for one reason: in His mercy He has condescended to reveal some of His qualities to us. God is spirit, by nature intangible ( John 4:24). God is One, but He exists as three Persons-God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit ( Matthew 3:16-17). God is infinite ( 1 Timothy 1:17), incomparable ( 2 Samuel 7:22), and unchanging ( Malachi 3:6). God exists everywhere ( Psalm 139:7-12), knows everything ( Psalm 147:5; Isaiah 40:28), and has all power and authority ( Ephesians 1; Revelation 19:6).
Who is God? - His Work
We cannot understand God apart from His works, because what God does flows from who He is. Here is an abbreviated list of God's works, past, present, and future: God created the world ( Genesis 1:1; Isaiah 42:5); He actively sustains the world ( Colossians 1:17); He is executing His eternal plan ( Ephesians 1:11) which involves the redemption of man from the curse of sin and death ( Galatians 3:13-14); He draws people to Christ ( John 6:44); He disciplines His children ( Hebrews 12:6); and He will judge the world ( Revelation 20:11-15).
Who is God? - A Relationship with Him
In the Person of the Son, God became incarnate ( John 1:14). The Son of God became the Son of Man and is therefore the "bridge" between God and man ( John 14:6; 1 Timothy 2:5). It is only through the Son that we can have forgiveness of sins ( Ephesians 1:7), reconciliation with God ( John 15:15; Romans 5:10), and eternal salvation ( 2 Timothy 2:10). In Jesus Christ "all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form" ( Colossians 2:9). So, to really know who God is, all we have to do is look at Jesus.
Jerry that is much of what we know about God and that probably don't scratch the surface on GOD!
A church, any church, must have solid doctrines. If anyody can claim that God reveals them something else from somebody else, then the whole thing will become a mess, as it often occurs in the the regenerated churches.
Yes God reveals His truth, He gives understanding of His Word etc etc, and we all have such an experience but the main doctrines come from the ministries not from God directly.
In 1 Cor 12"7-11 the spiritual gifts are described, V7-8, But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;"
So you as you see those gifts are not for everybody, you may have them or you may not have them. You may have a ministry or you may not have a ministry.
2 Timothy 2:1-2, " Thou therefore, my son(Timothy), be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also." Here Timothy is asked to teach others.
So I think you confuse the personal work done in our Spirit by God with the function that a church as a whole should have.
About that "Jesus comes in our heart". It is often said figuratively. Either that love for Jesus comes in our heart, or His Word etc.
Yes Jesus and Father and the Holly Spirit dwell in our body (not only our heart) and that is done through His Spirit, but this is a different thing from the former.
I also do believe firmly that the all the gifts given to the ancient church should exist in today's churches, there is nowhere in the Bible where it says that God put an expiring date for them, these are beliefs of churches that dropped them from their cannon and so they don't seek them and subsequently don't receive them. To me this is sad, because we drop some of the guns that God has provided to us for our spiritual fights. So we are in agreement to that. Blessings.
Part Two: The battle of the mind.
In my last post; I ran out of space again; but was getting into the verse where Jesus told Satan to get behind him when Peter was stating that basically going to the cross was not fit for Jesus to do. This shows how Christ expects us as His disciples to rely totally on the Spirit to allow the flesh to be dead. Luke 4:8 is the other verse where Jesus says this to Satan after the temptations in the wilderness. We see a difference between Peter then and after Pentecost as Jesus foretold after he denied knowing him. In all fairness since ALL the disciples ran off their fear for their lives superseded their love for Christ. This truly shows how only trust in the Spirit of God will enable us to face death with courage should it be in the time and place God has chosen. As I have said before it is the end of a life of obedience that Christ and in fact all the Disciples except for John met their fate; the spiritual man grows and matures through self denial and service to that point.
Our thought processes are determined merely by our old man at birth. Thus characteristic behaviors and routines develop which tend to linger with us even post salvation. There are; of course the affects of nurturing vs cruel parents; abundance or poverty in youth which the Lord is aware of but also weigh in on the enemy's game plan. Of course with the mind along with everything else the enemy attacks us with the easiest thing to do is be determined to TRUST God and reject any thought which isn't captive to His (God's) will ( 2 Corinthians 10:5); compare with 2 Timothy 2:26. We learn to recognize the enemy's patterns after hopefully only a few similar assaults at our weakest points. We learn to discern the Spirit of God which is outside of self from Satan's devices; which always appeals to the flesh and exalting self. RUN IF IT GOES AGAINST SCRIPTURE!
Welcome to the site, what comes to mind is 2 Timothy 2:15-16, truth only comes from the Spirit of Truth, not our mind which is full of preconceived thoughts that blind our eyes, plug our ears, and block the truth.
God bless,
RLW
Part 4 Trinity discussion.
Do you believe that the will of the Father and the will of the Son are always the same or different?
Jesus was obedient to the Father, Jesus said many times it is not His will but the will of the Father who sent Him, the same as we are to do, John 4:34 John 5:30 Mark 3:35.
Do you believe that a human being can truly save all men from sin and death by a perfect life in their own will?
First, I will have to say it was the will of the Father, Jesus at the end even asked His father if there was another way but not Jesus's will but the will of His Father, Matthew 26:39 Luke 22:42. We are told this is the foundation of our faith, Jesus' sacrificial death. God cannot die God is Spirit He has no blood to shed for sin it had to be a man, His Son, born of a woman.
John 3:16 God gave His Son not Himself 1 John 2:22 1 John 4:3 2 John 1:7 Romans 5:8 2 Corinthians 5:21, God cannot be made sin, 1 Corinthians 15:17 Jesus died, and God raised Him from the dead, the first man to live a perfect life, the first fruits of those who sleep in death. 1 Corinthians 15:14 as said if Jesus was not a man who lived a perfect life and died and was raised from the dead all is vain.
The first Adam was the first man Jesus was the last Adam and the second man, 1 Corinthians 15:45-47. 1 Corinthians 15:21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. The law had to be fulfilled by a man.
How would a human being know that they are the Messiah from birth and thus know not to ever sin?
As we see Luke 2:51-52 Jesus grew up increasing in wisdom and stature in favor with God and man. Jesus was twelve years old and He knew His father was God, but it doesn't say Jesus knew then He was to be the Messiah. God also said He would raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, Deuteronomy 18:15, Isaiah 11:1-5 Isaiah 61:1-2 confirmed in Luke 4:18-21. Romans 1:1-4 2 Timothy 2:8.
See part 5
Rebuke these people as Jesus did when the devil tried to tempt him while He was in the wilderness. Mathew 4: 1-11. Stand up to them with scripture but, also showing them love and kindness; the unconditional love of Christ. You do need to belong to Jesus for this to work for you. If you have become a new creature in CHRIST and CHRIST alone and God your Father and Jesus your Savior are the only ones you pray to then, be brave, be strong and trust God with your whole heart, soul and mind and He will send these demonic people out of your life and they will leave you alone.
Luke 26:69/ Exodus 3:14.
To know Christ and to make Him known is the theme of the Navigators ministry and correlates with 1 John and other passages.
This is a good summary of understanding the personal meaning of Christ's sacrifice on the cross for atonement as well as our duties fulfilling our part in the Great Commission.
I imagine most here know the necessary doctrines of believing Christ is a member of the Godhead and thus Divinity Himself who was the only one who could atone for sins (as the sinless spotless Lamb of God) by becoming a man as we are without sin and remaining so throughout His earthly ministry; then dying on the cross and resurrecting from the dead 3 days later. Finally; He is to return once again physically to rule and reign on the earth.
2 Timothy 2:8 and 2 Thessalonians 2:2 show we should avoid the error of stating that the resurrection has already occurred or the day of the Lord is at hand. Matthew 24:26 states that the Lord hasn't come yet for those who say He is hiding somewhere and also states the likeness of His arrival as lightning in the very next verse. This should be enough to disclaim what Preterists state that the Lord has already come. Therefore I would contend that full Preterists that state this are far enough off in doctrine that we should avoid fellowship with them.
Assuming we have the essentials of salvation straightened out; there are many other warnings and admonitions in scripture such as testing ourselves to see if we are in the faith would involve ( 2 Corinthians 13:5). We need to accept that doctrines aren't just what is required to be saved; but also what is necessary to prove that we are bringing fruits worthy of repentance ( Matthew 3:8 and many other similar verses). We are not subject to the law in some sense IF we are truly dead to sin ( Romans 6:11) in one sense; because we have a new nature; but in the same token we DESIRE to obey Christ and love and serve Him as Lord; Master and Savior.
Prov. 13:24 "He that spareth his ROD hateth his son: but he that loveth him CHASTENETH him betimes" (in good time).
ROD: SHEBET (SHAY-BET) STICK
CHASEN: MUSAR (MOO0SAWR') REPROOF, WARNING. Discipline, however, doesn't have to always be a spanking. MY daughter babysat for two little girls. One was very active and the other one loved just sitting and reading a book all day. If the first one was misbehaving my daughter would make her just sit in a chair staring at the wall for a time, this was punishment to her. If the other one needed discipling my daughter made her go outside and ride her bike or roller skate, or something like that for a time. It worked very well. There really is a lot to learn about the discipling of a child but God can lead you to people who can help. Just be sure their advise is biblical. I hope this helps a little and I will be praying. God Bless :)
1. Payment of the redemption; illustrated with the "Kinsman-Redeemer" situation between Boaz and Ruth in the book of Ruth. This is the first visible action from the Lord only when one comes to salvation; it was predetermined in the counsel of God before the foundation of the world ( Eph. 1:4; 1 Peter 1:20).
2. Repentance being granted. This is also mentioned in Acts 11:18 and 2 Timothy 2:25.
3. Confession by the mouth as a result of believing in the heart ( Romans 10:9-13). This is an action of response to God's saving grace.
There is no other way or method to salvation but by God's prescribed measure of believing on the Son ( Matt. 11:27)
My earlier statements should by no means detract from the importance of emulating external actions which are outflows of GOOD FRUIT in our lives. 1 Corinthians 11:1 (easy to memorize with this numbering) gives Paul's exhortation to imitate him as he imitates Christ. Demonstrations of such behaviors are much like a parent to a child in this case. How we need such examples in church leadership today! How many of these mega pastors live even close to Paul who would work for himself so as not to burden the churches and suffer as he did with deprivation and imprisonment for the cause of Christ?
We are not to idolize people but those of Godly character should motivate us; and also bring the fear of the Lord and His holiness to unbelievers as Paul did with the prison guard ( Acts 16:30-33). Our lifestyles must back up our words.
May we add daily unto our knowledge and wise application the attributes and character of our GOD the LORD JESUS. Colossians 3; 2 Peter 1
(many more)
Numbers 6
24 The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
25 The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
26 The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
27 And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them.
Happy New Year everyone!
December 30, 2023
Ephesians 2: 4-9
May we all celebrate and worship our KING, the LORD JESUS CHRIST by serving HIM as scripture dictates us to do.
By prayer... 1 Timothy 2:1-4
By making disciples... Matthew 28:19, 20
To study ... 2 Timothy 2:15
To know the LORD.. 2 Timothy 3:16, 17
Any many more scriptures to help us to grow in HIM.
Merry Christmas to all the brethren, the LORD to shine HIS glorious face upon us.
December 25, 2023
So let us enjoy the time we have to celebrate and declare HIS salvation with HIS blood shed on the cross.
Then there is a debate regarding HIS resurrection.
2 Corinthians 4:
3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost
May we live our lives showing that our GOD lives. We can show this by being obedient and true to HIS word. 2 Timothy 2:15; 3: 16, 17
Merry Christmas to all; and
Numbers 6
24 The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
25 The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
Luke 2
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
Have a great time with family and friends!
December 23, 2023
According to Isaiah 65:20 the man who dies at 100 will be considered a youth and before 100 cursed. This shows the reason for death during the Millennium; it would seem that the lifespan will reach 1000 emulating those who lived well into their 900s according to several accounts in Genesis in the Antidiluvian world. Proof of the Millennium is also found in verses such as Zechariah 14:17 for those who would argue that once the Lord returns that is it and we go immediately into eternity; where death clearly doesn't exist anymore ( 1 Cor. 15:55-57 coming from a passage in Hosea in the O.T.)
The idea of the necessity of a temple at that time makes sense; therefore for several reasons. There would need to be a ceremonial cleansing to be in the presence of Christ and probably us in glorified bodies; not for sin but because of our still corrupted and inferior bodies for those who survive the Tribulation and come to worship there. There are subtle differences as to frequency of sacrifices and a few other details in the temple mentioned in the last few chapters of Ezekiel from the O.T. standards. The external ceremony honoring the Lord; and it fulfilling its role as a place for prayer for all nations ( Isaiah 56:7; quoted by Christ when cleansing the Temple in the N.T.) will bring together these individuals with us; the glorified saints who are given authority to rule and reign with Christ ( 2 Timothy 2:12; etal).
The Gospel; as I have stated rather often at this forum will never be the same by the sixth seal in Revelation forward. There will be no need to preach about who Christ is; or what we are supposed to do although it will be a wonderful truth to share with the natural born children at that time. The warnings about testing ourselves to see if we are in the faith; however certainly will be vital ( 2 Cor. 13:5). Many will believe but sadly ( Rev. 20:8) will rebel and be lost.
From what the Word tells me about the Work of the Spirit, is that a truly saved person, though subject to correction will be kept by HIS Power & not ours: 1 Peter 1:3-5 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy HATH begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, TO an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth NOT away, RESERVED in heaven for you, Who are KEPT by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." All of God's Work & according to His Promise; or else, we can be popping in & out of salvation (re-birth) at will, making mockery of God's faultless & unfailing work.
Thank you for the testimony of you & your husband's 'salvation', your departure from the Lord & subsequent joyful return. I think many of us can testify similarly of such an experience - but in each case, we have to rely on God's Work & Word & the knowledge that "the foundation of God standeth sure, having this SEAL, The Lord KNOWETH them that are his. And, Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity" ( 2 Timothy 2:19). I believe that those whom the Lord seals (& He alone knows them by name), can never be un-sealed. As in your case, or even with me, having at one stage left the Lord & enjoyed the world's offerings, & then returned, it is the Lord's application of His Work in our lives - and this Work usually testifies well through personal testimony. Blessings.
To avoid them, you have to know who they are. You can't avoid somebody if you don't know who they are. This idea of identifying and avoiding shows up in
1 Corinthians 5:11;
2 Thessalonians 3:6,
2 Thessalonians 3:14;
2 Timothy 3:5;
2 John 1:10.
In other words, Christians, and shepherds in particular, should be discerning and alert to behavior and teaching that dishonors Christ and destroys people - and not treat it in a casual or harmless way.
And then in 1 Timothy 5:19-20, Paul went beyond just "avoid them" to "rebuke them publicly." So, speaking of elders who persist in error, he said, "Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. As for those who persist in sin" - and that can be sin of false doctrine or sin of evil behavior, anyone who does not accept correction - "rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear.."
And then Paul went on and actually named destructive false teachers:
"Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me" 2 Timothy 4:10.
You are aware that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes" 2 Timothy 1:15.
"By rejecting this [faith and a good conscience], some have made shipwreck of their faith, among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander" 1 Timothy 1:19-20.
"Their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus" ( 2 Timothy 2:17).
Paul names at least six false teachers that the church should watch out for.
So, I infer from Jesus and Paul and Luke and John that false teaching and destructive behavior are present dangers in this fallen world for the church. And all of us - especially shepherds, pastors - should be alert and discerning to identify and, in appropriate ways, expose. In order to protect the flock, we should expose them and minimize the spread of the gangrene (as Paul calls it).
AVOID, REBUKE, AND CALL OUT.
God bless
2 Timothy 2:15
James 2:
10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
Romans 4:
2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.
3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Ephesians 2:
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Titus 3:
4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
May we be intercessors in CHRIST name, Isaiah 59:16, for those who have been blinded by the god of this world, 2 Corinthians 4:3, 4.
We are called to stand in the gap for others, Ezekiel 22:30, and plant the seed of the word that others may water and that GOD will give the increase.
Acts 15:
8 And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;
9 And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.
Salvation is by faith in CHRIST alone.
GOD bless everyone!
1 Corinthians 10:4 talks about everyone drinking from the same spiritual rock and the Rock was Christ. God made a covenant with His chosen people and delivered them after 400 years of bondage in Egypt; passing them through the Red Sea. Not all Israel is Israel however. ( Romans 9:6-7). Some argue this represents Baptism; holding those under the covenant parents make on behalf of their children at infancy. Whatever the case; when we become church members; we make a vow or covenant as to our service toward other believers. In fact when we first come to Christ; it should be looked at as a Covenant. Christ has fulfilled everything in the finished work on the cross on our behalf; but is only EFFECTIVE if we are truly saved. God makes us willing ( Psalm 110:3) and He gives the gift of repentance. ( 2 Timothy 2:25 and several other references). If we truly are saved we will love God and of course keep His commandments ( John 14:15). This involves obedience toward Christ and Him being Lord Savior AND Master of our lives.
When we make a church vow as members we affirm our faith in Christ; and our commitment to the body of Christ (prayer and fellowship). In Pittsburgh one of the things my pastor did annually was print out our vow as a reminder which I think is a good thing. This naturally encompasses the discipline of rebuking a brother and going through necessary disciplinary measures if personal resolution cannot be accomplished. If leadership is guilty and the congregation doesn't corroborate clearly evident apostasy or sin then we must disfellowship. I went through a specific issue that I won't elaborate on now with an elder after discussion with the Pastor in a previous church; eventually I left; so I've been there. This as with a marriage involves the same principal; we always seek reconciliation but separation may be needed at times. We are all part of covenant fellowship with all true Christians.
I understand what you mean, a few people think I'm "crazy" because I take the whole bible literal. I know some passages are symbolic etc. But when Jesus said to the the rich man ( Matthew 19:21) "Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me." I took this literal. My PC and TV is all that I own and I only use it to study. Stay off youtube etc. ( Matthew 24:23) "Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not." Instead continue to ( 2 Timothy 2:15) "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
There is zero pressure to respond, I am meditating on this with you.
Carleton
When someone sins, they say without saying to GOD that they don't have faith in Him. When God says He will lead a way of escape, not giving you too much you can't handle. And we can do all things through Christ, we just got to do our part and RESIST the temptations of the devil and he will flee.
Romans 6:23
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
But like the Prodigal son or the lost sheep. If you do sin, repent and go forth and sin no more. Grace and Salvation will always be there for those who want it. So ya, you can lose your salvation, which is to be saved from sin. When one is in sin, they like I said above ask God in prayer for forgiveness...
We just got to keep away from the sin business as a Pastor once said. If you stumble, get up, keep on striving.
I encourage you to look up a fella who since passed away. His name Finis Dake, we got to get rid of that idea that the Bible is hard to understand. Basic Bible teaching, made me realize English is a peculiar language. God Bless and Keep on striving, being Christlike in anything you do.
2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Jesse A, is right,
John is speaking to believers who are in the progressional stages of "sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience & sprinkling of the Blood of Jesus". they're learning & putting on Christ in ever increasing measures, yet they have not yet attain to the baptismal of Christ were self is crucified & they are "dead unto sin" but are in the working out of their salvation with fear & trembling, revealing the true fear of the Lord is working within their hearts, to depart from all evil.
In this ever increasing measures of growth in Christ/Grace/Light/Spirit 1John 1:8 is refer too, John commands them to 1John 2:1 keep repenting, remaining tender to the motions of His Spirit, with a heart devoted to the fear of the Lord until the appointed time of the Father when we are baptize with the baptismal of Christ, " thoroughly purged". We having experientially learnt the struggles of Rom 6 & 7 and have been brought to Rom 8:1,2 & their is no condemnation because His Word has
Isa 55:11, go & sin no more, we have been brought through 1Pet 5:10 in Christ, born again of the Incorruptible Seed & thus become incorruptible too, by the Cross/ Spirit / Grace / Light shining in our hearts & received John 1:12
through all these experiences in the working out of our salvation & in our continuing to perfecting of holiness in the love & fear of God, ever growing in Grace, we can say with John, 1John 1:1-3
Oh, praise the Lord, Psalms 62:5 Proverbs 23:18
2 Timothy 2:19 Psalms 93:5 " who houses we are"
the LORD, strengthen & encourage you
a very important subject here in both topics, faith & suffering
1.Faith, we all know that Rom 10:17, Paul earlier says it is Rom 10:8 he's not talking about the letter here
But John 6:63 The Grace / Light that appears in the heart bringing salvation to all mankind Hebrews 9:28 that wait on Him.
Believing that it is He, speaking to us & His first works within us is teaching us to deny all ungodliness & the learning of righteousness
Paul says in Gal 3:2 so there's an increase of His Spirit as we received His judgement of sin & instruction in righteousness.
Here is Power offered to overcome all sin. For He who show us our sin, will not only take them away, but power is given to preserve from repeating the sin. There is one requirement, a truly contrite & broke heart birth through godly sorrow for the offense. This is saving faith produce by the Spirit, True faith purifies the heart, cleanses the vessel 2 Timothy 2:21
2.Suffering 2Timothy 3:12
As we look through both Testaments, we see a common thread, the suffering of the faithful
Paul by the Spirit call them 2Cor 4:17 which suffering brings a far more eternal weigh of glory
Hebrews 11:35,38 attain a better resurrection, whom the world was not worthy of.
We must have a renewing of our minds as Paul contiu.. 2Cor 4:18
What an encouragement on this side of the grave, & the reward is eternal,
Folks,
lets pick up our Cross & follow Jesus, He merciful & faithfully cleanses us from all unrighteousness, takes away our sins against Him, continually increases us with His Spirit alone the Way, until we are baptize unto His death, being dead unto sin, baptizes us in His Spirit, each one fitted in the body according to His gifts, we enter into the fellowship of His suffering (He's there with us ) therefore we experience the Power of His resurrection, & He never leaves us or forsakes us.
Then rewards us for what He alone done through us, what a deal, Come on!
Jesse you inspire me, thank you
Let us agree to walk with the LORD and put forth HIS will and commandments first by carrying out HIS promises.
1- Let us confess and repent of our own sins. 1 John 1:9
2- Ephesians 2:8-10 Remember we are ordained to do good works!
3- 2 Peter 3:9 love the lost
4- Matthew 28:18-20 Go make disciples
5- 2 Timothy 2:15 Study HIS word
6- 2 Timothy 3:16, 17 Love, and apply HIS word
7- 1 Timothy 2: 1-4 pray for "...all that are in authority..."
8- Romans 10:1, 2 cultivate the desire and pray to GOD that all might be saved
This is in no particular order and not exhaustive by any means. I am sure the brethren on this forum are able and capable to add to it to the glory and praise of the LORD.
Titus 2:11-14 for while we wait and looking for that blessed hope; for HIS
glorious appearing may we be "...Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;"
Our hope must be only in CHRIST and no one else. GOD to shine HIS face on all who are on this forum and gloriously bless your situation.
September 19, 2023
2 Timothy 2:21 shows that we can clean ourselves so that we are not just vessels of clay but can be vessels of honor. Jesus tells us that he purges branches to produce more fruit ( John 15:2). We thus face that the lost are nothing but dead branches or profane vessels but we can through sanctification work towards purification and honor. We can perhaps see this also with the parable of the sower where some have the thorns of worldly cares snuff them out. ( Mark 4:18-19). A truly saved individual will pass the test of the trials which God places to test His own (see 1 Peter 1:7).
To succeed we need to be hidden in Christ ( Colossians 3:3) and truly be dead in Christ. Our old nature is impossible to put to death otherwise and will forever try to resurrect itself. God has put eternity into the hearts of men ( Ecclesiastes 3:11); yet that verse shows we cannot see to understand God who is basically beyond time and ourselves. Perhaps self preservation is a reflection that we are an eternal soul; thankfully God has the upper hand for those He has called and predestined will make it to glorification; and that for eternity ( Romans 8:30).
The concept of redemption or Kinsman redeemer is seen with the story of Ruth. Christ redeemed us from among men through His atoning sacrifice ( Galatians 3:13). He purchased us with His blood. He has removed our sins as far as the east is from the west ( Psalm 103:12 also read verses 13 to 14). We have passed from death to life ( John 5:24). His Spirit bears witness with our spirit as to our salvation ( Romans 8:16).
These and many other promises are things to meditate on and give comfort. We can only undestand such things if we are spiritually discerned; however and one of His children. ( 1 Cor. 2:14-15). Let us test ourselves to see if we are in the faith therefore ( 2 Cor. 13:5-6).
Agape.
My last posting ended with a brief discussion of spiritual rewards. If we never consider these things; we are in danger of just wanting "fire insurance" when coming to Christ from fear of hell. That lack of love for God will blind us to the need for sanctification; and we will never want to go beyond what we consider the bare minimum to ensure our place in heaven. The basic point here is that sanctification goes on from the point of salvation until death (or the Rapture) which finally brings glorification; or final salvation of the body from sin and decay. So we need here to discuss what sanctification means.
Sanctification. 2 Timothy 2:12 says that if we suffer with Him we will reign with Him. Jesus spoke to the Disciples about the cost involved in following Him; and James speaks of pure joy in suffering in James 1:2-4. The Apostles need no further case as to the cost of following Him as all but one were martyred (and apparently they may have tried to kill John before Patmos as well). We see how Peter failed Christ when he said he would die for him yet denied Christ at his trial. Whenever that verse comes up in James I comment that I am still working on that; I feel like a hypocrite otherwise.
Too often we look at dying to self as a martyrdom issue rather than looking at a progressive lifestyle of dying to self day by day; which also was the example of Christ. Once we practice loving others above ourselves for a long time it is much easier to handle our fate no matter how bleak (or at least less hard). Again; this is where the rubber meets the road. With today's "easy believism" we see little exhortation of others ( Hebrews 3:13); we see Christ being perhaps the "center" of our lives in many of today's churches rather than BEING our life and our old life dead and buried with Him.
So far we are discussing things that accompany salvation. Now I will begin to quote verses to examine warnings against falling away
If I may intervene in your discussion with Jema.
In a sense you are both right.
You are right that the Bible is not God. It is a written book about God. The only true book that talks about God.
Jema is right that we need the Bible that reveals us what God wants us to know about Him. Is the Bible necessary to us? Definitely yes. Think about Paul and Timothy. In 2 Timothy 2:1-2, Paul asks Timothy, "1Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also."
The teachings about Christ and salvation were at that time progressing from mouth to mouth. But eventually they were written down in what we call The New Testament. Nowadays we don't have Paul (neither the other wittnesses and apostles) with us to teach us what Christ said to people or what Christ revealed specifically to them BUT we have what the wisdom of God has preserved for us to know (gospels and epistles) which are adequate for our salvation. We don't know everything, but neither Paul did. That is why he said that we know in part, the perfect and complete knowledge about God will be aquired by us when we go to Heaven and speak to God face to face. But what we have now is adequate.
In what you are right is that we need the Spirit of God to give us a deeper knowledge and revelations about the written word of God. But again God will never reveal to somebody something which is in contrast with His written Word. If that may be the case one has to reject such revelations, they are not from God, God doesn't contradict/cancel Himself. A deeper knowledge can be also aquired when we live the Word of God. Example, one may know that God baptizes believers in His Spirit, but the real sense and knowledge about what just a baptizm is, will only be felt by one when they are going through such a baptizm. I hope you get what I want to say.
Part 5.
Who is God? - His Nature
We know certain things to be true of God for one reason: in His mercy He has condescended to reveal some of His qualities to us. God is spirit, by nature intangible ( John 4:24). God is One, but He exists as three Persons-God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit ( Matthew 3:16-17). God is infinite ( 1 Timothy 1:17), incomparable ( 2 Samuel 7:22), and unchanging ( Malachi 3:6). God exists everywhere ( Psalm 139:7-12), knows everything ( Psalm 147:5; Isaiah 40:28), and has all power and authority ( Ephesians 1; Revelation 19:6).
Who is God? - His Work
We cannot understand God apart from His works, because what God does flows from who He is. Here is an abbreviated list of God's works, past, present, and future: God created the world ( Genesis 1:1; Isaiah 42:5); He actively sustains the world ( Colossians 1:17); He is executing His eternal plan ( Ephesians 1:11) which involves the redemption of man from the curse of sin and death ( Galatians 3:13-14); He draws people to Christ ( John 6:44); He disciplines His children ( Hebrews 12:6); and He will judge the world ( Revelation 20:11-15).
Who is God? - A Relationship with Him
In the Person of the Son, God became incarnate ( John 1:14). The Son of God became the Son of Man and is therefore the "bridge" between God and man ( John 14:6; 1 Timothy 2:5). It is only through the Son that we can have forgiveness of sins ( Ephesians 1:7), reconciliation with God ( John 15:15; Romans 5:10), and eternal salvation ( 2 Timothy 2:10). In Jesus Christ "all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form" ( Colossians 2:9). So, to really know who God is, all we have to do is look at Jesus.
Jerry that is much of what we know about God and that probably don't scratch the surface on GOD!
I HOPE THIS HELPS.
GOD BLESS.
A church, any church, must have solid doctrines. If anyody can claim that God reveals them something else from somebody else, then the whole thing will become a mess, as it often occurs in the the regenerated churches.
Yes God reveals His truth, He gives understanding of His Word etc etc, and we all have such an experience but the main doctrines come from the ministries not from God directly.
In 1 Cor 12"7-11 the spiritual gifts are described, V7-8, But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;"
So you as you see those gifts are not for everybody, you may have them or you may not have them. You may have a ministry or you may not have a ministry.
2 Timothy 2:1-2, " Thou therefore, my son(Timothy), be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also." Here Timothy is asked to teach others.
So I think you confuse the personal work done in our Spirit by God with the function that a church as a whole should have.
About that "Jesus comes in our heart". It is often said figuratively. Either that love for Jesus comes in our heart, or His Word etc.
Yes Jesus and Father and the Holly Spirit dwell in our body (not only our heart) and that is done through His Spirit, but this is a different thing from the former.
I also do believe firmly that the all the gifts given to the ancient church should exist in today's churches, there is nowhere in the Bible where it says that God put an expiring date for them, these are beliefs of churches that dropped them from their cannon and so they don't seek them and subsequently don't receive them. To me this is sad, because we drop some of the guns that God has provided to us for our spiritual fights. So we are in agreement to that. Blessings.
"To send these two female spirits that were with him from the beginning..."
GOD, the LORD JESUS CHRIST to give us all discernment to rightly divide HIS word. 2 Timothy 2:15
Thank you.
July 2, 2023