Why We Have Heresies and Cults

Secular Humanism Has Fizzled Out

The Truth About Free Masonary and the Masonic Lodge

Good Information for SDA

A Look At Romans 6 - Click here!

The Gracious Work of God for Humanity

A Glimpse Into Grace: An Exposition of God's Marvelous Gifts - Click here!

The Grace of God Understood in Context verse by verse in the NT

The Riches of God's Grace - Click here!

Epiphenies of the New Covenant - Click here!

When Mercy is Ugly - Click here!

Who My God Truly Is - Click here!

What is Salvation?

Please feel free to copy any of the articles on this website and read or study at your leisure. God bless you in your pursuit of knowledge of our Lord.

The Holy Spirit has been working greatly in my life of late, using scripture to teach me, reprove me, correct me and train me in His righteousness so that I as a man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. This is one of the most spiritually exciting times in my life. I awaken most mornings eager to get to my bible study where I am fed by the Holy Spirit from the Word. These next two studies involving God's grace are a product of my time in the word. I am using my concordance, my bible dictionary, my different bible handbooks and God is rewarding me for my diligence and faithfulness in studying His world.  Coming soon, will be many comments relevant to God's grace from Lewis Sperry Chafer and others. I pray that you will be challenged to become faithful in studying God's word, if you are not already, for it is through the application of God's word to our lives by the Holy Spirit that we are molded and shaped into the image of Christ.

June 14, 2011

The Great Mistake of Israel: Embracing the Law and Shunning God’s Grace

The law was never imposed upon any people or generation before it was given to Israel at the hand of Moses. "And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak to your ears this day, that you may learn them, and keep, and do them. The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. The Lord did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day" (Deut. 5:1-3). When the law was proposed, the children of Israel deliberately forsook their position under the grace of God, which had been their relationship to God until that day, and placed themselves under the law. The record is given thus:

And Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, "Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: 'You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel." So Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before them all these words which the Lord commanded him. Then all the people answered together and said, "All that the Lord has spoken we will do." So Moses brought back the words of the people to the Lord (Ex 19:3-8).

While it is certain that Jehovah knew the choice the people would make, it is equally certain that their choice was in no way required by Him. His description of the relation they had sustained to Him until that moment is most tender and pleading: "You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings, and brought you to Myself." Such is the character of pure grace. By it the sinner is carried on eagles' wings and brought to God. It is all of God. Until that hour they had been sustained in the faithfulness of Jehovah and without the slightest reference to their wickedness; but His plan and purpose for them had remained unchanged. He had dealt with them according to the unconditional covenant of grace made with Abraham. The marvelous blessedness of that grace-relationship should have appealed to them as the priceless riches of the unfailing mercy of God, which it was. The surrender of [to] the blessings of grace should [would] have been allowed by [God for] these people on no condition whatever, had they said at the hearing of the impossible law, "None of these things can we do. We crave only to remain in that boundless mercy of God, who has loved us, and sought us, and saved us from all our enemies, and who will bring us to Himself," it is evident that such an appeal would have reached the very heart of God. And the surpassing glory of His grace would have been extended to them without bounds; for grace above all else is the delight of the heart of God. In place of the eagles' wings by which they were carried unto God, they confidently chose a covenant of works when they said: "All that the Lord hath spoken we will do." They were called upon to face a concrete choice between the mercy of God, which had followed them, and a new and hopeless covenant of works. They fell from grace. The experience of the nation is true of every individual who falls from grace at the present time. Every blessing from God that has ever been experienced came only from the loving mercy of God; yet with that same blasting self-trust, people are now turning to a dependence upon their works. It is far more reasonable and honoring to God to fall helpless into His everlasting arms, and to acknowledge that we rely on His grace alone.

From Lewis Sperry Chafers, “Grace: An Exposition of God’s Marvelous Gifts”

Posted June 4, 2011

The Types of Covenants Made by God With Man

by Lewis Sperry Chafer

The several great covenants into which God has been pleased to enter with human beings are either conditional covenants, or unconditional covenants. A covenant is conditional whenever it is made to depend at any point on the faithfulness of people. The law as given by Moses was a conditional covenant. Its terms might be stated in the words, "If you will do good, I will bless you." On the other hand, a covenant is unconditional when it stands as a simple declaration from God as to what He purposes to do, and without relation to the faithfulness, or unfaithfulness, of people.

The New Covenant which is made in Christ’s blood, and by which every Christian is now related to God, is an unconditional covenant. It is God's declaration of what He proposes to do for the one who places his faith in Christ alone. Belief in Christ, it should be noted, is not a condition within the covenant; it is the one condition of entrance into the covenant. Turning to the great promises of the keeping of God through grace, it will be discovered that they are always unconditional. These promises are made to depend only on the goodness and faithfulness of God. As fruit of the saved life, good works are closely related to the Christian's life under God, and are the ground of all future rewards; but human works, as important as they are, do not enter as a condition into either the divine plan of salvation by grace, or of divine keeping through grace. This, too, may be verified from the Word of God. Three very brief and unconditional promises of eternal security are here given: "I will in no way cast out" (John 6:37); "They shall never perish" (John 10:28); and, "shall not come into condemnation" (John 5:24). Under such unconditional promises the eternal purposes of God in grace may be received with unwavering confidence.

Certain passages, it should be noted, have been interpreted by some writers to teach that the Christian who is truly saved might be lost again, in spite of this overwhelming body of revelation concerning the purpose and power of God in grace,. The passages are worthy of careful consideration but such consideration cannot be entered into here. Scripture does not present a contradiction, and, as must be concluded from what has gone before, it will be found upon careful examination of these Scriptures, considering their context and dispensational character, that there is no Scripture which lessens the force, or discredits the revelation, concerning the eternal purposes of God in grace.

Salvation by grace is, then, the indivisible whole of God's redeeming purpose in Christ and that which rescues a sinner from the lowest depths of human standing, and transforms, preserves, and presents that sinner in the highest eternal glory. At infinite cost, God has made Himself free to do all of this. His unmeasured love will suffer Him to do no less in behalf of every one who comes to Him through His Son. Divine grace is God's all. It is the expression of the last degree of His love. In no sense could He exercise a part of His grace. It must be all or none. He must save perfectly for all time and eternity, or not at all. There is no other salvation offered in the Word of God.

Failure to trust in Christ alone is disclosed when salvation is supposed to depend on anything other than believing in Christ, and when security is made to depend at any point whatsoever on human faithfulness. Men and women are saved and kept in sovereign grace through simple faith in Christ alone. This is the heart of the gospel of divine grace. If any other gospel than this be preached, it must fall under the unrevoked anathema of God (Gal. 1:8-9).

The zeal engendered by modern religious movements, which are even accompanied with signs and wonders, is no guaranty of sound doctrine. The enthusiasts responsible for these movements almost universally deny that salvation is by simple faith in Christ, and that the grace of God will keep those who are saved as His own forever. Those who discredit the absolute reign of grace in the salvation and keeping of a soul should ponder well the fact that there is no other way of salvation.

We have thus complete evidence that the eternal purposes of God in grace are unalterable, since His keeping power through grace is included in every consideration of the principles of grace, His keeping power is implied in every revelation in which is presented the truth that grace reaches into the coming ages for its consummation, and His keeping power is indicated by the manifold provisions and safeguards which He has made to that end. Should His eternal purpose fail by the slightest degree, the object of salvation, the object of the death and resurrection of Christ, and the object of creation itself, will have failed. It shall not fail; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.

—Grace: An Exposition of God's Marvelous Gift

Living by The Power and Under the Control of The Holy Spirit – Grace Life

I am convinced that the major problem in the life of most believers today is that they have never been taught correctly or completely about God’s grace, the empowering supernatural element in the life of every believer. If you ask the average believer what grace means to them they will probably say that they were saved by grace. If you ask them what part grace plays in their every day walk in the Spirit, they would most likely say that they can’t live without it. Both answers are factually true answers but these are only two grains of sand on the seashore of God’s grace. Yet, this is about the extent of what most believers really know about grace. There seems to be very little awareness that grace should be the preeminent, living, powerful, supernatural component in every believers relationship with God the Father, His Son and the Holy Spirit. Grace is the driving force in everything we accomplish in our spiritual life.

Out of the many truths into which the Holy Spirit desires to guide every child of God, there are two that stay in the forefront of my spiritual realm of knowledge and understanding. I am talking about the two fundamental truths concerning life under grace that every believer should include in the preface of their “Life’s Story” that they should be writing on the tablet of their heart.

The first fundamental truth is: Under grace, a separate, complete, and wholly independent rule of life is purposed for the child of God. The second fundamental truth is: The new manner of “grace life”, which first originates as a purpose in the heart by the Spirit, is then lived out in the power of the same Spirit, accompanied by joy, gladness and peace, that comes through the realization of heavenly desires.

Everything in our walk under grace should contemplate and long for an overflowing, Spirit-filled life. God has made no provision for any other life, but a Christ centered life, for believers. The lost person should never be urged to try to live a spiritual life, for they can not! Rather they should be implored to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ unto salvation, apart from which, there can be no Spirit-filling with its realization of power.

This supernatural power, which is nothing less than the power of God, is provided for the exact and perfect execution of the superhuman rule of life under grace. There is no aspect of the teachings of grace which is more vital than this, or which so fully differentiates these teachings from every other rule of life in the Bible. Under grace, the all powerful, abiding, indwelling and all sufficient Holy Spirit of God is given to every saved person. This statement is abundantly established by revelation found in these following scriptures: (John 7:37-39), “On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. “But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified””; (Romans 5:5 and 8:9), “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us” “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he [or she] is not His [Christ’s]”; (1 Cor. 2:12 and 6:19), “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we [believers] might know the things that have been freely given to us by God” “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?”; (Gal. 3:2), “This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?”; (1 Thess. 4:8), “…but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit.”; (1 John 3:24 and 4:13), “…And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.” “By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit”.

That believers possess the Holy Spirit is assumed in every teaching of grace. The superhuman manner of life, under grace, is not addressed to some spiritual group, company, or select individuals within the whole body of Christ; it is addressed to all believers alike. The imposition of this superhuman manner of life upon all believers alike carries with it the revelation that all have the supernatural power by which to live according to the superhuman standards. This, it is evident, is according to the teaching of the Word of God.

The character of pure grace is destroyed when the reception of the Spirit into the individual heart is made to depend on any human merit, goodness, or personal consecration whatsoever. In 1 Corinthians 6: 19-20 we read: “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.” The law [of Moses] element [in it’s totality] is excluded here. Under the law, it would have been written: "Glorify God in your bodies and spirit and ye shall become temples of the Holy Spirit." Under grace, believers are temples of the Spirit without reference to merit, and this is true of every aspect of their salvation. The fact that they are temples of the indwelling Spirit is the basis of this appeal for holy lives. A consideration of 1 Corinthians 5:1-2, 13 and 6:1-8 will give abundant evidence of the meritless condition of the Corinthian saints at the time the Spirit addressed this appeal to them through the apostle Paul. The earnest supplication is for a daily life, which corresponds to the wonderful fact that they are already temples of the Spirit.

There is an important distinction to be noted between the indwelling and the infilling with the Spirit. No Scripture asserts that all believers are filled with the Spirit.[However, after receiving the Holy Spirit we are commanded to be filled with the Spirit for special purposes]. The filling with the Spirit, which is the requirement for an experience of blessing and the exercise of divine power, is an issue, which should be considered wholly apart from the revelation concerning the indwelling Spirit. An example of scripture that commands believers who have the Holy Spirit residing in them to be filled with the Holy Spirit for special purposes is: Eph. 5:18 - 21, “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God”.

The fact that the Spirit indwells every believer is peculiar to the age of grace. In the law dispensation [the time of Israel under the Law of Moses], for particular divine purposes, certain individuals were, at times, filled with the Spirit; but there is no revelation stating that every Israelite, being under the law, was a temple of the Spirit. In like manner, under the law, there was no abiding character to the relationship between the Spirit and individuals upon whom He came (Ps. 51:11). The Spirit came upon them, or departed, according to the sovereign purpose of God. Under grace, the Spirit is not only given to every believer, but He never withdraws. This assurance is based on the unfailing prayer of Christ recorded in John 14:16, “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever.” This is in precise accordance with the conditions embodied in the covenant of grace. Should human merit determine His abiding presence, then, under that relationship, the basic principle of grace would be superseded by the principle of law-works. The entrance of the Spirit into the heart, and His abiding presence there, is a part of the saving and keeping power of God, which is by grace alone. The revelation of the New Testament with regard to the indwelling, abiding Spirit in every believer is in full agreement with the doctrine of pure grace.

So vital is the fact that the enabling Spirit is now given to every believer as a part of salvation by grace, that it is presented as a fundamental characteristic of this age. This is the dispensation of the indwelling Spirit. We read: “But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter” (Romans 7:6). Thus the new enabling power of the Spirit characterizes this age, just as the "oldness of the letter" characterized the age that is past. Likewise circumcision is now "of the heart," in the Spirit, and not in the "letter" (Rom. 2:29) or as it was in the flesh under the law. Again, "Who also has made us able ministers of the New Testament; not of the letter [of the Law], but of the Spirit: for the letter [the law] kills, but the Spirit gives life" (2 Cor. 3:6). Reference in this passage is not made to different methods of interpreting Scripture—a spiritualizing, or a literal method; but to two dispensations with their different methods of divine rule. "The letter kills"—such is the inevitable ministry of the law; "But the spirit gives life"—such is the ministry of the Holy Spirit under grace there by providing the divine life, spiritual vitality, energy, and power for the believer under grace, and for every believer alike. Thus it is revealed that the blessing of the indwelling Spirit is an essential characteristic of this age.

If the manner of life under grace is superhuman, so, also, the provided enablement is supernatural, and is as limitless as the infinite power of God. Since God has proposed a humanly impossible manner of life, He has, in full consistency, provided the Spirit who gives life. Too much emphasis cannot be placed on the fact that, since God has proposed the impossible rule of life and provided the sufficient Spirit, the believer's responsibility is thereby changed from being a struggle of the flesh to being a reliance on the Spirit. Grace thus introduces a new problem for the believer's life, which is wholly foreign to every aspect of the law. It is the problem of the adjustment [surrender] of the heart to the holy presence of the Spirit, and of maintaining the unbroken attitude of dependence on the Spirit.

[This] new principle of achievement consists in getting things accomplished in the believer's daily life and service by trusting the power of Another, rather than by trusting the energy of the flesh. The revelation concerning this new problem of life under grace constitutes the major part of the teaching of the Epistles. Not only is the faith principle directly taught in the Epistles, it is implied and assumed in every injunction under grace. The unfolding of the precise relationship between the personality of the Spirit, and the personality of the believer, is not omitted. Experimentally, the believer, when empowered by the Spirit, will be conscious only of the exercise of his own faculties. The Spirit does not disclose His presence directly; His ministry is to reveal and glorify Christ. His presence will be evidenced, however, by the victory that is wrought [produced], which victory could be wrought only by the Spirit.

Thus, either the by-works principle of the law, or the by-faith principle of grace, may be chosen by the believer as a method of achievement even within the deepest issues of Christian conduct and service. If these heaven-high demands are undertaken in the energy of the flesh, they become purely legal in character; if they are undertaken in full reliance on the provided energy of the Spirit, they are purely gracious in character. One is wholly within the scope of the covenant of the law, which covenant is based on works; the other is wholly within the scope of the covenant of grace, which covenant is based on faith. Thus the teachings of grace, when attempted in the energy of the flesh, become a legal code, the demands of which are the most impossible to meet. How very many Christians are under this aspect of law, even those who give some attention to the actual precepts of grace!

There are two inseparable revelations given in the grace teachings of the New Testament. Each one is the counterpart, complement, and supplement of the other, and untold violence is done to the whole revealed purpose of God in this age when either one of these themes is made to stand alone. One theme is presented in that body of Scripture which sets forth the character of conduct that is becoming to the one who is already saved and safe in the grace of God; the other theme is presented in that body of Scripture which sets forth the fact that the life in grace is to be lived in sole dependence on the enabling power of the indwelling Spirit. The latter body of Scripture includes all the details and instructions concerning the life of faith, and the walk in the Spirit. It is obviously imperative that these two revelations shall not be separated. Otherwise, on the one hand, the teachings of grace will seem to be an impossible law-code, or, on the other hand, the walk in the Spirit will seem to be an uncharted, aimless procedure.

In the grace teachings of the New Testament, these two aspects of truth are never separated. In adducing proof of this, it is impossible in a work of this length to review every Scripture bearing upon this truth. Proceeding from the fact that the superhuman manner of life under grace is taught in all the New Testament books beginning with the gospel by John, there is space for only one quotation from each of these up to, and including, the epistle to the Colossians. This body of Scripture discloses the truth that the life in grace is to be lived only by the enabling power of God:

John 7:37-39. “On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” Here the superhuman outflow of rivers of living water is distinctly said to be the result of the energy of the Spirit.

Acts 1:8. “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” The revelation here is that, apart from the power of the Spirit, there can be no vital witness to Christ.

Romans 6:14. “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” No enabling power was provided for the doing of the law; but such power is provided under grace, as seen in Romans 8:4, "That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." No passage in the teachings of grace is more decisive than this. "The righteousness of the law," referred to is evidently no less than the whole will of God for His child under grace [not the keeping of any part of the Mosaic Law]. This divine will is to be fulfilled in the believer, but never by the believer.

1 Cor 12:4-7. “There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one [who believes] for the profit of all.” As all Christian service is by the exercise of a spiritual gift, these gifts are wholly realized by the energy of the power of God.

2 Cor 10:3-5. “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” For this superhuman manner of life, the believer is to be "mighty through God."

Galatians 5:16. "This I say then, Walk in [the power of] the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh." This promise is as sure as it is far-reaching.

Eph 6:10-11. “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might, put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” True overcoming strength is none other than the imparted "power of God."

Phil. 2:13. “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” Here the divine enablement reaches to the very molding of the desires of the heart, and to the full accomplishment of those desires.

Colossians 2:6. "As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him." In this Scripture the very same faith principle, by which alone a soul can be saved, is continued as the principle by which alone he is to walk.

The whole aspect of grace, which provides a supernatural sufficiency for the superhuman, heavenly conduct, and which is the believer's reasonable life and service, is summed up in two great doctrines of the New Testament:

[1]. The superhuman manner of life is to be Christlike. He is the pattern: "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 2:5); "As he is, so are we in this world" (1 John 4:17); "Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that we should follow his steps" (1 Pet. 2:21); "For to me to live is Christ" (Phil. 1:21); “To those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ ), that I might win those who are without law” (1 Cor 9:21).   To be under the law toward Christ is to be committed to the very standard of which He is the ideal. Therefore the Christian's standard is superhuman, and beyond the power of human achievement.

[2]. It is the supreme purpose of the indwelling Spirit to reproduce the likeness of Christ in the believer. The most comprehensive statement of the reproduction of Christ in the believer is found in Galatians 5:22-23: "But the fruit of the Spirit [fruit produced in a believer by the Spirit] is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control." Every word, as here used, represents a superhuman quality of life. It is an exact description of the life of Christ; but Christ likeness is never gained by the energy of the flesh. These virtues are not found in human nature; they are the "fruit of the Spirit." Under the law, the degree of love that is required is that which is possible to the natural man; under grace, the divine love is produced in the heart by the Holy Spirit. This is true of all the superhuman demands under grace. They are produced in the life of a Christian by the Spirit. The heavenly standard requires: "Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice" (Phil. 4:4). This is humanly impossible, but the fruit of the Spirit is "joy," and the Lord has said, "That they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves" (John 17:13). The standard of grace requires that "The peace of God" shall "rule in your hearts" (Co. 3:15). Man has never achieved this, but the fruit of the Spirit is "peace," and Christ has said: "My peace I give unto you" (John 14:27). The ninefold fruit of the Spirit represents the true Christian graces, since under grace, this fruit is produced in the heart and life by the Spirit.

Likewise, Christian service is to be superhuman. It is the outflow of "rivers of living water"; but "this He spoke concerning the Spirit" (John 7:37-39). It is the full proof of "that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God" (Rom. 12:2); but, "it is God who works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure" (Phil 2:13). It is all supernaturally produced; for it is the work of the Holy Spirit." As Christian character is the composite of the Holy Spirit produced graces, so Christian service is an imparted "grace." "But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ" (Eph. 4:7); and, "The manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all" (1.Co. 12:7).

Divine grace, produced and imparted by the indwelling Spirit, results in a manifestation of the very graciousness of God in and through the heart of the believer. It is in no sense an imitation of God's graciousness; it is a reproduction by the indwelling Spirit of God’s graciousness in the life and service of the believer. This truth is one of the most extensive doctrines of the New Testament (Cf. Rom. 12:3-6; 15:15; 1 Cor. 1:4; 3:10; 15:10; 2 Cor. 1:12; 4:15; 6:1-3; 8:1,6-7,9; 9:8, 14; 12:9; Gal. 2:9; Eph. 3:2-8; 4:7, 29; Phil. 1:7; Col. 3:16; 4:6; 2 Thess. 1:12; 2 Tim. 2:1; Heb. 4:16; 12:15; James 4:6; and 2 Pet. 3:18).

It may be concluded, then, that there are three major distinctions between law and grace: (1) They are unlike because they impose separate and sufficient rules of life, which are, in their character, either wholly legal or wholly gracious; (2) They are unlike because there are in these systems opposite orders between the human obligation and the divine blessing; and (3) They are unlike because the requirements of these systems of divine rule differ, with corresponding revelations concerning divine enablement provided in each.

Editors Note: These words and the truths embedded in these words, came from the heart of Lewis Sperry Chafer's lifes work.  All credit for any spiritual insight and recognition of God given talents goes to him and others who inspire me. This article is taken almost verbatem from his wonderful work, "Grace: An Exposition of God's Marvelous Gifts

The Gracious Work of God for Humanity

The following is from Lewis Sperry Chafers work - Grace:An Exposition on God's Marvelous Gifts. I have added, in brackets, words and phrases that are more commonly used today, or to hopefully aid in understanding the meaning of some words used by Mr. Chafer. I have also printed out the scriptures when the author stated only the Reference to the scripture. Otherwise this is posted from an electronic version of his great work on grace without comment or change.

III. The Gracious Work of God for Humanity

The uncomplicated work of God for man, which is to measure His grace, is presented in the Word of God in seven major aspects:

A. The Finished Work of Christ

This is no less than the combined values of His redemption, reconciliation, and propitiation, as these aspects of His Cross are related to the whole world lost in sin, as seen in these verses;

"For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time" (1 Tim 2:5-6); As our redeemer Christ delivered us from sin and its penalties by sacrificing His life for us.

"that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word (and work) of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God" (2 Cor 5:19-20); By the redeeming work of Christ on the cross, God is enabled to deal with lost souls in the light of what Christ has accomplished. -New Unger's Bible Dictionary

"My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world" (1 Jn 2:1-2). By the effectual work of Christ on the cross, God is now favorably inclined and gracious toward all sinners.

This aspect of the divine work is forever "finished" for every soul, and its "glorious achievement is the good news of the gospel ofsaving grace."

B. The Convicting Work of the Spirit

By this work of God the gospel of His saving grace is revealed to the mind and heart of the unsaved by the Spirit of God. He convinces [convicts] the lost of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment as seen in these verses:

Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged (Jn 16:7-11).

Only by this illuminating work of the Spirit can the Satan-blinded mind of the unsaved understand the way of life in Christ Jesus. This is what the apostle Paul wrote in 2 Cor 4:3-4:

But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

C. The Saving Work of God

This divine undertaking includes every aspect of the work of God that is accomplished at the instant when the sinner believes on Christ. It is no less than many transforming miracles, which are wrought [brought into being, made to happen, materializes] instantaneously and simultaneously in the saving power of God.

D. The Keeping Work of God

The dear biblical testimony is to the effect that the believer is kept always and only through the grace and power of God.

Because of the work of Christ on the cross, God is presented as not only being free to save meritless sinners, but He is presented as being free to keep those whom He has saved. Under legal relationships [the law] people endured in order that they might be saved, "But he who endures to the end shall be saved," (Matt 24:13).

Under grace relationships people endure because they are saved, "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand," (John 10:28). God alone is "able" to keep.

E. The Delivering Work of God

The Christian who is perfectly saved from the guilt and penalty of sin needs also to be saved from the reigning power of sin. God alone can save in any case, and therefore deliverance from sin, weakness, and failure is provided, not by human effort, but by the power of the indwelling Spirit; and is secured, not, on the principle of works, but on the principle of faith. "Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh" (Gal. 5:16). Deliverance, too, is always and only a work of God.

F. The Work of God in Christian Growth

Too often Christian growth is confused with spirituality, or deliverance from the power of sin. A very immature believer, as to growth, may be delivered and be in the full blessing of the Spirit. He has yet much to learn from experience and from the Word of God, but this need not limit his immediate blessing of heart and life. In fact only spiritual Christians grow. Carnality in life means perpetual babyhood in spirituality. "But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Pet. 3:18); "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as with a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Cor. 3:18).

G. The Final Presenting Work of God

It is the final and consummating work of God to present the believer faultless before the presence of His glory to His own exceeding joy. It is promised that when we see Him we shall be like him. "Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him ....," (1 John 3:2 ). We shall then be [completely] conformed to the image of the Son of God.

No one will persuade himself that he will assist in this final transformation and translation. No more can any believer assist in any of these aspects of the work of God. Salvation is the work of God alone. It is from Him, by Him, and to Him. In every stage of the development it is the work of God alone, which can avail, and that work is now provided and offered in marvelous grace. Particular emphasis is needed at this point. Salvation is of God; man's responsibility is only that of being a recipient of it. Man is called upon to make only such personal adjustment to God as will place him in the normal position to receive the divine blessing. The undertaking is of such a character that man can contribute in no way to its accomplishment. It aims to reproduce the very perfection of Christ Himself, which perfection would be ruined could man touch it. And it is all to the demonstration of the grace of God in the ages to come and hence, as certainly, precludes the thought of any complication with human merit, else the greatest motive of God which has been working from before the foundation of the world would be defeated-a contingency impossible in the light of revelation.

According to the Scriptures, the human element is never included beyond the essential adjustment [surrender] of man to the work of God. This human responsibility is always expressed in terms, which suggest that man is the recipient of the benefits of the work of God. Some of these Bible terms are: "believe," "receive," "faith," "By me if any man enter in," "Come unto me," "Whoever will may come," "Whoever calls," "turned to God," being "reconciled to God." Thus it is seen that one is saved from the guilt and penalty of sin, not by expiating his own sins, but by believing in the One who has suffered in his stead. After one is thus saved, he is delivered from the power of sin in his daily life, not by anxious striving, but by yielding to, and by relying on the all-sufficient, indwelling Spirit. He will be saved from the presence of sin into the coming glory and likeness of Christ, not by any effort or human device, but by the power which wrought [worked] in Christ to raise Him from the dead, and, by which he will be translated instantly from the earth to heaven. In every instance the divine responsibility is seen to be within the sphere of the actual accomplishment of the mighty undertaking; one's responsibility is in the sphere of the reception of that work. The whole transaction is free from every consideration of remuneration, barter, or trade. It is the love of God expressing itself in His gracious work for those who, within themselves, will ever be hopelessly undeserving and therefore eternally debtors to infinite grace.

Salvation is the work of God for man; it is not the work of man for God.

Salvation is the bestowal and actual impartation of eternal life; it is not the beauties and artificial imitations of ethical living.

Salvation is the imputed righteousness of God; it is not the imperfect righteousness of man.

Salvation is according to the faithful calling of God; it is not according to the fitful carefulness of man.

Salvation is a divine reconciliation; it is not a human regulation.

Salvation is the canceling of all sin; it is not the cessation from some sin.

Salvation is being delivered from, and dead to, the law; it is not delighting in, or doing [obeying], the law.

Salvation is divine regeneration; it is not human reformation.

Salvation is being acceptable to God; it is not becoming exceptionally good.

Salvation is completeness in Christ; it is not competency in character.

Salvation is possessing every spiritual blessing; it is not professing any special betterment.

Salvation is always and only of God. It is never of man. It is the unsearchable riches of Christ. It is to good works in which God has before ordained that we should walk in them.

IV. The Grace of God Is Sovereign

Not every member of the human family will be included in the glorious, grace-revealing company of the redeemed in heaven. Nothing is more clearly taught in the Scriptures than this; the salvation of those who are being gathered into that company, it is revealed, will be according to the sovereign purpose of God, and not according to any merit in the individual. There are two fields of divine undertaking wherein the work of God stands alone; however, three are entrusted to men. They are: (1) appointed to preach the gospel to the lost, (2) to edify the saints by teaching, (3) and to cooperate in the gathering and care of the assemblies of believers. Yet even this human service is impotent apart from the enabling power of the Spirit of God.

So, also, while God is sovereign in the salvation of men, He has allowed sufficient latitude within the larger circles of His unalterable purpose for the exercise of the human will. "Whosoever will may come", this is the invitation to the unsaved. Likewise He addresses the believer concerning the possible blessings of a Spirit-filled life by such words of human responsibility as yield, reckon, and confess. It is equally revealed in the Scriptures that such action of the human will is never apart from the divine enablement. God must move the heart of the unsaved: "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him" (John 6:44). He must move the heart of the saved as well: "For it is God which works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13). Tom's note: God, the Holy Spirit, works in us so that we will want to do and then we will do what ever His good pleasure is for us to want and do.

There is no biblical ground for the theory that even the minutest detail of the eternal purpose of God will ever be uncertain because of a supposed unanticipated action of the human will. God cannot be disappointed, defeated, or surprised. The glorious company of the redeemed will, therefore, be gathered according to an "election of grace."

Two outstanding facts are disclosed in the Scriptures in regard to the attitude of God toward this world: (1) Back of the secondary question of the human choice for which one is held responsible is the more important fact that God has permitted men to be born and live who He absolutely knows will reject His grace with all the woe that their choice entails. Thus there is no escape from the fundamental fact of the sovereignty of God by emphasizing the superficial issues of a human choice. And (2) God is under the compelling force of His own boundless love to be the Savior of all men. He so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Thus, if divine love for a lost world can form any incentive in the heart of God [toward one person], according to the Scriptures, there is formed an equal incentive toward all. These statements are seemingly contradictory one to the other, and the solution of the problem they present [God's sovereignty vs the free will of man] is never found in seeking to minimize the one in the hope of preserving the other. Theological systems have been developed, made their appeal, and failed at this very point. The solution of the problem is never found in the range of human reason; it is perfectly solved in the range of divine righteousness. Being unable to penetrate the infinite issues involved, man may rest on the absolute righteousness of [and faith in] God. The glorified saint, looking back over the steps of the divine accomplishment [on the road of life] will then see that all God did was right [every step of the way]. Here faith alone can minister rest to the soul. The consummation of the age will be seen to be according to infinite wisdom, love, and power. It will be to the eternal satisfaction of God whose tenderheartedness is boundless and whose justice can never be diminished. It will be all-satisfying to His saints, for it is declared that they will be "satisfied" when they awake in His likeness. The gospel of the grace of God is to be preached to all men with an appeal to their wills. The result will be a selection and election according to sovereign grace. It will be in absolute accord with infinite goodness, and the result will be to His own exceeding joy.

Every form of evangelism, which tends to force the decision of the will beyond the sovereign movements of the Spirit on the hearts of men is fraught with infinite perils.

No emphasis on the importance of preaching the gospel of grace in its purity can be too strong. Biblical preaching must present saving grace with no mixtures of limitations because of human sin, human obligation, or human merit. Only thus can there be the fullest cooperation of the Spirit of God, and only thus can the messenger be saved from the unrevoked anathema which is pronounced (Gal. 1:8-9) on all those who pervert the gospel of the grace of God. [But even if anyone, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. (Gal 1:8-9)]

From Lewis Sperry Chafer's - Grace:An Exposition of God's Marvelous Gifts 

A Look Into Selected Passages of the Book of Romans

My favorite passage of scripture in all the Word is verse 18 through verse 25 of the Book of Romans chapter one. It was from the reading of Romans One by an evangelist named Jimmy Lyons from the pulpit of 5th Street Presbyterian Church in Tyler, Texas in March 1975 that the Holy Spirit convicted me of sin. The first 17 verses came in one ear and left out the other as quickly as they were spoken. But when Jimmy Lyons began the reading of verse 18, the Holy Spirit stepped in and began the work in me that He was sent to earth to do, which was to convict me of sin. "And when He [the Holy Spirit] has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment" (John 16:8). What I heard from that evangelist lips was addressed to me. To this day, I am convinced that the Holy Spirit inserted my name as the words entered my ears beginning in verse 18 and continuing through verse 25. It went something like this.

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men like Tom, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in Tom, for God has shown it to Tom. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by Tom by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that Tom is without excuse, because, although Tom knew God, Tom did not glorify Him as God, nor is Tom thankful, instead Tom became futile in his thoughts, and his foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, Tom became a fool, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man--and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave Tom up to uncleanness, in the lusts of his heart, to dishonor his body among others like himself, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave Tom up to his vile passions.

Having left the church at age seventeen professing to be an atheist, for seventeen years I experienced no guilt over anything that I did. In fact, some of it was so rotten, flies flew away from me. But by the time Jimmy Lyons reached verse 26 I was convicted of my sin. I went straight home after that service, where I lived on Lake Palestine, walked out on my pier, got on my knees and said, "God, I have been a fool. I've said a thousands times that You did not exist, but I know now that You do. I have made a wreck of my life and unless you change me I will make a wreck of the lives of my sons by living such a sorry, pathetic example before them. I want You to come into my life and take it over. I don't want to live this way anymore." At that moment the Holy Spirit came in, baptized me into the Lord Jesus Christ and took up residence in my being. Within a week I was taking a bible to work with me and at noon I would drive to a city park, sit at a picnic table, eat my lunch and read the bible. The first book of the bible that I read was not the book of John, as most new Christians are encouraged to read. It was Romans because of that passage of Scripture that the Lord used to convict me of my sin. This year in March I begin my thirty seventh year of walking in the Spirit. Hallelujah!

Because God used a passage from Paul's epistle to the Romans to bring me to Himself, this book is one of my favorites in all scripture. However, I must say this book has not always been an easy read. Though I thought I understood what the apostle Paul was saying in most of it's verses, my faith wasn't strong enough to permit the Holy Spirit to guide me into many of the truths proclaimed by Paul in this marvelous work. Let me explain.

In the past three years God has, in essence, taken me through a boot camp of faith. For those of you who have been through the military, you will recall that boot camp was a time that most participants grow tremendously in believing in and comprehending the kind of stuff, of which, they were made. A kid that enters boot camp a sissy, a weakling, a goof off, if he has the right stuff in his heart and head, and if he submits to military authority, will have a boot camp experience that brings the good stuff out and sets him on the road to being a responsible, dependable, trustworthy, good soldier.

Like I said, God has been taking me through a spiritual boot camp and He has been revealing to me (and I hope and pray He will continue until the rapture or He takes me home) the many blessings of grace in Christ Jesus that the Holy Spirit deposited deep down inside me the moment I prayed to receive Christ. These wonderful things became mine through faith in Christ the moment the Holy Spirit entered my heart and baptized me into Christ. But now they are being revealed to me through in-depth, persistent studying of His Word and my daily prayer for the Holy Spirit to guide me into all truth. If you are reading this on my website, you will find on this same web page, "All About God's Grace and More" an article titled God's Blessings of Grace. Read it! Meditate on the truths revealed! And, as you do, ask the Holy Spirit to guide you into all truth. That is one of the things the Lord Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to earth to do for believers. Read for yourself what Jesus says in John 16:13, "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth." We saw in John 16:8 there are three things the Holy Spirit does for the world [lost people.] Let me assure you there is a whole lot more that He does for, and things that He reveals to, those in whom He dwells.

One of my favorite passages from the book of Romans is chapter 6, verse 1 through 18. I want to share this passage with you, but before looking at the verses in chapter 6, let's glance back at the first five chapters using an outline. An outline of Romans 1 - 5, would look something like this:

Chapter One verse 1 through 17 Salutation and Statement of Theme

Chapter One verse 18 through chapter 3 verse 20, Righteousness Needed; Condemnation, Sin

Chapter Three, verse 21 through chapter 5 verse 21, Righteousness Imputed; Justification, Salvation

Chapter Six verse 1 through chapter 8 verse 29 Righteousness Imparted; Sanctification, Separation.

The Church at Rome, unlike the churches of today, contained many people who had come out of Judaism as well as gentiles. And unlike Christians of today, who have the 27 books of New Testament, of which 23 are filled with the teachings of grace, these believers were practically ignorant of all the many blessings of Grace in Jesus Christ.

Therefore Paul was greatly motivated to get to Rome and begin teaching those beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, about the many blessings that belong to every believer through faith in Christ, which the Holy Spirit was revealing to Paul. However, not being able to make the trip as soon as he hoped, Paul decided to write a letter revealing those things the Holy Spirit was impressing on him to share. In this letter to the church in Rome, Paul shares some of the blessings of grace that he may have already been sharing with other churches. If that is the case, another good reason for Paul's writing a letter was to hopefully thwart some of the lies that Satan always tries to plant in the hearts and minds of those to whom the Holy Spirit is imparting spiritual truths. Satan wants to rob all believers of the knowledge of the blessings of God through grace.

In these first six chapters of this epistle, Paul sets forth the doctrines of justification by faith, imputed and imparted righteousness and sanctification. Through the Holy Spirits leading, Paul seems to anticipate some of the difficulties that might arise from hearing these new truths. Considering that the church of Jesus Christ was less than thirty years of age and only one of the Gospels and five epistles had been written, there is no doubt in my mind that these new concepts, teachings and spiritual truths, would bring a plethora of questions, misunderstandings and presumptions. I suspect it was with these things in mind that Paul puts forth the hypothetical question in verse one of chapter six. Had I been writing this letter, I would have been thinking of some new Christian in Rome, who might, while hearing this letter read by a church elder, come to realize for the first time that he or she was no longer under condemnation of the law. Logically, they might wonder, ‘If it is true that where sin abounds in the life of a believer, grace abounds even greater, would it not make since that if one would sin even more, then grace would abound all the more?' Let us pick up the scripture at Chapter six, verse one where Paul is saying:

"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?

Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?"

At this point, I must pause and tell you that during the first thirty three years of walking with the Lord, I read, taught or preached from this passage of scripture thirty times at least. I even took a credited Seminary Class on the book of Romans. Yet, I don't remember even one time giving more than a cursory consideration to what it truly meant to be baptized into Christ or baptized into His death. I can't remember ever hearing a Sunday School teacher, bible study teacher, preacher or evangelist ever speak on the subject of Baptism into the death of Christ until I heard our pastor, Craig Lacy, preach on it. So, let me ask you the reader. First of all, did you know that you have been baptized into Christ? I'm not asking have you read the passages in the New Testament that speaks of a believer being baptized into Christ, I'm asking you do you know that you have been baptized into Christ and what that means?

The moment we believe in Jesus Christ as Savior we are baptized by the Holy Spirit into the Lord Jesus for the purpose of being placed in the most perfect union with another that can be experienced by any man or woman. I'm talking about the union of a believer with Christ. It is at this instant in the process of salvation that a person becomes one with Lord Jesus Christ, God the Son. Through being baptized into Christ, we become part of Christ's living Body and we experience spiritually, the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. We also experience being seated in the heavenlies with Him, at our Fathers right hand.

Thank God that Paul did not stop revealing these important truths with just our being baptized into Christ. It is of utmost importance that we understand that when we were baptized into Christ we were baptized into His death. It is through the wonder of God's grace working in the spiritual realm via the Holy Spirit that puts the old man to death and allows us to experience, in the spiritual realm, being buried with Christ in death. For without our dying, in Christ, how could we experience being raised with Him in newness of life? Water baptism in the physical world is the picture of what takes place spiritually the moment one believes in Jesus Christ as Savior. It means we were buried with him through baptism into His death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we come out of the instantaneous salvation experience as a new creation in Christ (see 2 Cor. 5:17).

Now let me ask you, did you know in your heart that as a believer you had been baptized into Christ's death? Do you know what that means? One of the greatest struggles we have as a new creation in Christ, is trying to understand why we still sin, if we are truly dead to sin. The answer comes at the end of this next passage.

Continuing with verse four. "Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

The answer to how we deal with our propensity to sin after we have been born again is found in that last verse above. We reckon ourselves to be dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. What does that look like? Let's begin with understanding what it means to reckon.

Webster defines reckon as: 1) to count; figure up; compute; 2) to consider as; regard as being; to judge; to estimate; 3) to depend on; to rely on;

Now here is my simple understanding and definition: God said it, therefore it is so.

This being a truth to which the Holy Spirit has lead me, I can now paraphrase and apply to my being verses four through eleven in the following way:

I have been buried with Christ through baptism into death so that I can walk by faith in newness of life; I have been united with Him in this likeness of His death, in the likeness of His burial and resurrection and my old flesh has been crucified with Him that my body shall no longer be a slave to sin. My old sinful flesh has been put to death and no longer has power over me. Therefore I reckon myself to be dead to sin and more importantly alive to God in Christ my Lord.

Believing with all my being that with the Holy Spirit living in me I can have victory on a moment by moment basis over my old sinful self, which I continually reckon to be dead, I have made a covenant with the Lord. Here is my covenant. With the help of the Holy Spirit: 1) I will not let sin reign in my mortal body, that I should obey it in its lusts; 2) I will not present my body as an instrument of unrighteousness to sin, but I will present myself to God as being alive from the dead, and my whole being as an instrument of righteousness to God; and 3) I will not let sin have dominion over me, for I am not under law but under grace.

What I have just demonstrated is how to take scripture and apply it to ones life by personalizing it.

Now I am going to demonstrate, in closing, how I would personalize verses fifteen through eighteen in a conversation with You.

What then? Shall you and I go on sinning because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! Do we not know that to whom we present ourselves as slaves to obey, we are the slaves of the one whom we obey, whether of sin that could lead to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though we were slaves of sin, yet you and I obeyed from our hearts that form of doctrine to which we were delivered. Now having been set free from sin, let's you and I become slaves of righteousness. Romans 6:1-18 Paraphrased and personalized.

I pray that God will use these things I have shared from my heart in both our lives for His honor and glory and for our growth in spiritual wisdom and understanding.

In parting, I want to pray for all those who are believers in Jesus Christ.

Father in heaven,

I ask that these my brothers and sisters in Christ be filled with the knowledge of Your will with all wisdom and spiritual understanding.

I ask that You enable them to walk worthy of the Lord Jesus Christ, being fully pleasing to Him, the Holy Spirit and You, our God.

I ask that You enable them to be fruitful in every good work.

I ask that You enable them to increase daily in the knowledge of You Our Father. And please strengthen them with all might, according to Your glorious power.

I ask that you equip them with patience and longsuffering with joy.

I pray that the result of your blessings on them and all believers will be our continual giving of thanks to You Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.

And I thank You Father that You have delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of Your love, in whom we have redemption through His blood and the forgiveness of sins. Based on Col 1:9-14.

For all who are unbelievers, I pray this prayer to my heavenly Father for you:

Father, I am asking that You send Your Holy Spirit to these who do not believe that He might convict them of their sin of unbelief, of righteousness and of judgment. Give each one O Lord the faith to believe in Your Son. Amen

Fri, March 4, 2011 4:46:04 AM

I believe, now what?

From Matt Mullins

There's more great news for you as a Believer in Jesus Christ. You not only have eternal life, but there are more promises in the Bible for you because you have trusted in Christ to be your Savior. (If you are still not 100% certain that you are going to Heaven when you die, check out: Am I Going to Heaven?)

God is now your Father!

This promise is in John 1:12. It says, "But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name."

When you received Jesus, you received the Father also. You can begin calling Him "Father" whenever you pray. God wanted it that way. He will never stop being your Father and has promised that He will never cast you out of the family. That promise is in John 6:37. It says, "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."

What if I sin?

Sin is definitely not a good thing for a Believer, but God has his ways of dealing with disobedient children without throwing them out of His family. He spanks them. Hebrews 12:6 says, "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth."

The words "chasten" and "scourge" mean that God disciplines by spanking. He spanks His children for their profit, not to harm them. He has many ways of disciplining, including loss of fellowship, prayer, and health - but God's discipline for a child will never be Hell. Look at the above verse again and you

will see that God does this to all His children. Why? Because all of His children disobey Him, some more than others. Sin is definitely bad for a child, but God allows us to grow and learn - even when we mess up.

God's Spirit is in You!

When you trusted in Christ, you also were given the Holy Spirit. The Bible says it like this:

"Christ, in whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise." Ephesians 1:13

The seal of God cannot be broken. The Spirit will stay in you until you are with Christ in Heaven. The Spirit will help you by coming alongside you, leading you, and teaching you. You will never be alone again!

When you do what the Spirit leads you to do, this is called "walking" in the Spirit, or being "filled" with the Spirit.

How do I know what the Spirit wants me to do?

The Bible was inspired by the Spirit. Do what the Bible says for Believers to do and you will be doing what the Spirit wants. Simple, huh? Some people might try to tell you to do weird things like fall down, and make funny sounds to see if the Spirit is in you. Leave those people. You know the Spirit is in you because the Bible says He is. You don't have to try to do weird things to prove it.

You have everything that you need to grow up as a child of God. The Bible says to "grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord." There are many more promises for you in the Bible to learn and use.

Keep on growing!

This is from a dear friend who is totally blind, yet has computer equipment that translates the printed word into the spoken word and vice versus. He also types, plays the guitar, does wood work using saws, drills, and other power equipment. He is a phenomenal blessing!

What Is Salvation?

According to the Scriptures, the human element is never included beyond the essential adjustment [surrender] of man to the work of God. This human responsibility is always expressed in terms, which, suggest that man is the recipient of the benefits of the work of God. Some of these Bible terms are: "believe," "receive," "faith," "By me if any man enter in," "Come unto me," "Whoever will may come," "Whoever calls," "turned to God," being "reconciled to God." Thus it is seen that one is saved from the guilt and penalty of sin, not by expiating [paying the penalty of] his own sins, but by believing in the One who has suffered in his stead. After one is thus saved, he is delivered from the power of sin in his daily life, not by anxious striving, but by yielding, and by relying on the all-sufficient, indwelling Spirit. He will be saved from the presence of sin into the coming glory and likeness of Christ, not by any human effort or human device, but by the power which wrought [worked] in Christ to raise Him from the dead, and, by which he will be translated instantly from the earth to heaven. In every instance the divine responsibility is seen to be within the sphere of the actual accomplishment of the mighty undertaking; one's responsibility is in the sphere of the reception of that work. The whole transaction is free from every consideration of remuneration, barter, or trade. It is the love of God expressing itself in His gracious work for those who, within themselves, will ever be hopelessly undeserving and therefore eternally debtors to infinite grace.

Salvation is the work of God for man; it is not the work of man for God.

Salvation is the bestowal and actual impartation of eternal life; it is not the beauties and artificial imitations of ethical living.

Salvation is the imputed righteousness of God; it is not the imperfect righteousness of man.

Salvation is according to the faithful calling of God; it is not according to the fitful carefulness of man.

Salvation is a divine reconciliation; it is not a human regulation.

Salvation is the canceling of all sin; it is not the cessation from some sin.

Salvation is being delivered from, and dead to, the law; it is not delighting in, or doing [obeying], the law.

Salvation is divine regeneration; it is not human reformation.

Salvation is being acceptable to God; it is not becoming exceptionally good.

Salvation is completeness in Christ; it is not competency in character.

Salvation is possessing every spiritual blessing; it is not professing any special betterment.

Salvation is always and only of God. It is never of man. It is the unsearchable riches of Christ. It is to good works in which God has before ordained that we should walk in them.

From Lewis Sperry Chafer's powerful book, Grace: An Exposition of God's Marvelous Gifts

A Glimpse Into Grace: An Exposition of God's Marvelous Gift's

In October of 2010 I was browsing through the books that had recently been downloaded into my Bible Explorer Software program on my computer during an upgrade. I was delighted to find that one of the books was Lewis Sperry Chafer's "Grace: An Exposition of God's Marvelous Gifts". I have been in awe of this man's life and work since early in my Christian walk. He is the founder of Dallas Theological Seminary and the author of the eight volume set, Systematic Theology. He was at times a traveling evangelist and a Bible lecturer, he taught Bible at Philadelphia School of the Bible, and for many years was editor of the theological journal Bibliotheca Sacra.

As I began reading the Preface to the First Edition of Grace: An Exposition of God's Marvelous Gift, which was published in 1922, I was exhilarated, almost to being overwhelmed, at the treasures of wisdom that I found on those first few pages of this book.

I have spent an average of an hour almost every day since October ruminating my way through this dynamic work. I have just finished my third methodical, studious reading, taking copious notes. I hope, in the near future, to be able to put on this website for your reading pleasure, enjoyment, education, enlightenment and edification a few of the things that the Holy Spirit has revealed to me through my study of this wonderful work. You will find that Mr. Chafer used words on occasion that are not used today in speaking or writing. I have added in brackets, words from Webster's dictionary that have, to the best of my understanding, the same meanings of his original words. Where the exact words he uses are not to be found in Webster's dictionary, I made a guess at what words in our vocabularies would have the same meaning.

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Preface to the First Edition

Through false emphasis by many religious leaders, Christianity has become in the estimation of a large part of the public no more than an ethical system. The revealed fact, however, is that the supreme feature of the Christian faith is that supernatural, saving, transforming work of God, which is made possible through the infinite sacrifice of Christ and which, in sovereign grace, is freely bestowed on all who believe. God has given instruction to those who are saved, it is true, as to the manner of life which is consistent with their new heavenly calling and standing in Christ; but in its spiritual blindness, the world, led by its blind leaders, sees in Christianity only the rule of life which is secondary. The blindness of the world at this point, with the consequent neglect of all that is vital in the Christian faith, is both anticipated and explained in the Word of God.

The two foundation truths which determine all spiritual perception are that, by divine arrangement, (1) the Spirit is given only to those who are saved, and (2) spiritual understanding is made to depend exclusively on the presence of the Spirit of God in the heart.

The precise body of truth which may be understood only through the ministry of the indwelling Spirit is described as, "things" related to the Father, "things" related to the Son, "things" related to the Spirit, "things" to come, and "the kingdom of God." We read:

"But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness to him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually [by the Spirit] discerned (1 Cor. 2:14).

"Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3).

"Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him, nor does it know Him (John 14:17).

"But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them" (2 Cor 4:3-4).

"For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe" (1 Cor 1:21).

"But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one" (1 Cor 2:15).

"Now we have received... the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God" (1 Cor. 2:12).

"However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you" (John 16:13-15).

"But the anointing, which you have received from Him, abides in you, and you do not need any one to teach you: but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is truth, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in him" (1 John 2:27).

"But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him." But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God" (1 Cor 2:9-10).

"Through faith we understand" (Heb. 11:3).

Spiritual understanding is not, therefore, dependent upon human sagacity [penetrating intelligence and sound judgment] or learning; it depends only on the teaching of the indwelling Spirit. Possessing this biblical testimony, misunderstanding at this point is without excuse.

Likewise, the terms upon which men may now be saved and thus receive the Spirit are as clearly defined in the Scripture. Salvation is by grace through faith. It is the result of the transforming work of God for man, and not the result of the work of man for God. It is that which God does for the one who trusts the Saviorhood [saving power] of Christ. By that trust, Christ is personally received as the divine Redeemer who shed His blood as a sufficient ransom for the guilt and penalty of sin, as the One who reconciles by having taken away the sin of the world, and as the divine Propitiation who, as Substitute, met every indictment brought against the sinner under the holy government of God.

Since the Spirit is given only to those who are saved through faith in Christ, they alone are able to receive the particular body of truth which, the Spirit teaches. Neglect of this fundamental, unalterable fact is the key error of all modernism.

[MODERNISM: Any of several movements variously attempting to redefine Biblical and Christian dogma and traditional teachings in the light of modern science, historical research, etc.]1

It is assumed by the modernist that any person whose education has qualified him to be an authority in matters of human learning, regardless of the new birth and the indwelling Spirit, is also qualified, because of that learning, to speak with authority concerning the things of God.

That the leaders of modernism are unregenerate men and therefore themselves spiritually blind is self-revealed by their attitude toward that truth which forms the only basis upon which, according to the Scriptures, a soul may be saved. When men avowedly disbelieve that the death of Christ was vicarious and substitutionary, they have rejected the only grounds upon which, according to the Word of God, the saving work of God righteously can be wrought [brought into existence] for the sinner. Rejecting the saving truth of the gospel, these men could not be saved upon any promise or provision of God. Though educated, religious, and sympathetic to the ethical ideals of the Bible, such men, being unregenerate, are of necessity totally blind to all that body of truth, which is said to be imparted by the indwelling Spirit. Preaching and teaching under these limitations, Christianity is represented by these men as a system of ethics only.

The first step in spiritual understanding is the knowledge of God as Father. "All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him" (Matt 11:27). "And this is life eternal, that they might know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent" (John 17:3).

Until God becomes real to the heart by the direct ministry of Christ as Savior, all His ways and works are unreal. Not knowing God, the unregenerate mind is not satisfied with the explanation of the origin of things, which declares that God directly created things as they are. To such a mind, it is actually easier to believe in a supposed natural development from nothing to something, and to hide all attending problems resulting from this theory behind the mists of a measureless past. If God is not real, there could be no inerrant Book; the Bible must be fallible as man; nor could God be manifest in the flesh; the Son of God must be of illegitimate birth, and though the greatest of all teachers, to them, He is really no more divine than ordinary mortals. These blind guides are forced to give some explanation to the meaning of the death of Christ. They therefore contend that He died as an heroic martyr, a loyal patriot, as a wonderful moral example of fortitude, or to show the wickedness of sin. They utterly reject the only reason given in the Word of God for the death of Christ-He died that others might not die. They brand this saving truth as "immoral," and "unworthy of the goodness of God." They understand little of the resurrection of Christ, His present ministry in heaven, and nothing of the revelation that He is coming again. To these religious leaders, there is no supernatural; for God is not real. There could be no immediate salvation through the Spirit. The salvation in which they believe is assumed to be the result of a self-created character, and the life to be lived is represented only as an heroic struggle of the flesh. If unregenerate men could understand anything better than this, the Word of God would be proven untrue.

It is equally true, that, those who are spiritually blind are unconscious of their blindness until they are saved by the grace and power of God through Christ. Coming thus into the light, they testify, as all who have ever been saved have testified: "Whereas I was blind, now I see." They, like all the unsaved, could be aware of their blindness if they would receive the testimony of God concerning their own limitations; but this is precisely what they will not do. Therefore, a notable neglect of the most vital truths of Scripture and the denial of the essential glories of divine grace is to be expected from these religious leaders who reject the only grounds of salvation through the substitutionary death of Christ.

Modernists content themselves with borrowing some ideals from the Bible while reserving the right to reject whatever is not desired. Those portions which are acceptable to the unregenerate mind are received and taught as being authoritative on the basis of the fact that these ideals are in the Bible. Here, indeed, is strange inconsistency on the part of men who pride themselves on their scientific reasonings.

The unsaved preacher or teacher, being able to comprehend only the ethical teachings of the Scriptures, is a living proof of the truthfulness of the divine testimony. He cannot see the kingdom of God. He sees nothing of the glories of divine grace-the things of the Father, the things of Christ, the things of the Spirit, and things to come. He blindly ignores every dispensational division of the Word of God and is, therefore, free within himself to draw material from the kingdom teachings of Christ and from the law of Moses while constructing his world-improvement, sociological theories which he imposes on a Christ-rejecting world.

Men of this character are sufficiently numerous in this day of apostasy to be responsible for the present-day impression that the sole objective [and value] of Christianity is the improvement of human conduct. Being blind to the real principles and purposes of saving grace, they teach that it makes little difference what is believed, it is the life that counts. Against this is the overwhelming testimony of the Word of God that every aspect of salvation and every blessing of divine grace in time and eternity is conditioned only on what is believed.

Influenced by these misunderstandings concerning the Truth, few serious-minded young men will choose to enter the ministerial profession, for it would mean the assumption of the role of a mere moralist. Common modesty generally precludes such an assumption. On the other hand, when the essential message of Christianity is seen to be the measureless, transforming grace of God with all of its eternal glories in the new creation in Christ, it is a challenge to the deepest impulses of the heart, and offers a ministry for which one may well sacrifice all.

Christians are ambassadors for Christ and are commissioned to preach the gospel to every creature. This ministry does not consist in either the education or the moral improvement of lost men while they are on their way to hell; it is the proclamation of the mighty, redeeming, transforming grace of God which offers eternal life and eternal glory to all who will believe.

If it shall please God to use this exposition in any measure to the unfolding of the riches of His grace, the labor expended in its preparation will not have been in vain. This very inadequate treatment concerning the grace of God is committed to Him that He may in some way use its message to the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.

1. Definition inserted by website administrator

Lewis Sperry Chafer

March 1922

-Grace: An Exposition of God's Marvelous Gift

I would appreciate any comments or thoughts about this article. Email me through the contact page of this website. Thanks and God bless you for taking the time to visit this website. Tom

The Grace of God Understood Through It's Use in Context in the New Testament

I was over sixty five years of age and had walked with the Lord over thirty years before I began to truly understand the many tremendous blessings of God's grace that is given to every child of God the moment he or she believes. An article, that is a must read for all believers, is posted on the website, www.hislightshining.com under the title The Riches of God's Grace. It is based primarily on a sermon series that our pastor Craig Lacy preached last year and the insight from Miles J. Stanford's excellent book, The Complete Green Letters. I highly recommend, no I beg of you, read and study the article and the book. You will be tremendously blessed.

My purpose in creating this article is to present every New Testament verse found in the NASB containing the word grace and my understanding of what is being said in the verse in the context in which it was written and any application thereof. Very few verses in the Bible can be fully understood apart from the context in which the Holy Spirit had each writer place them.

Here are some definitions of what I believe the word grace means taken in the various context in which the word is used in the New Testament.

"Grace is what God may be free to do, and indeed what he does, accordingly, for the lost after Christ has died on behalf of them" (Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology, 7:178).

Webster. God's grace is:

The unmerited love and favor of God toward mankind;

Devine influence acting in a person to make the person pure, morally strong, etc;

The condition of a person brought to God's favor through this influence;

A special virtue, gift, or help given to a person by God.

As defined and articulated by other Christian teachers, evangelist, preachers and writers who have influenced my walk with Christ, God's grace is:

The Power of God unto salvation;

The Unlimited Power of God working through Jesus Christ in the lives of believers;

The power of God the Holy Spirit at work in every surrendered believers life;

The desire and power of God available to every believe to do His will;

God's unending supply for every believers unending need (Pastor Craig Lacy);

God's Riches At Christ's Expense; and

The dynamic inworking of an omnipotent God.

I believe, that regardless how many wonderful definitions that we might come up with to help us understand grace, God's grace is available in the life of every believer in abundance beyond measure to accomplish God's plan, will and purpose in our lives. We don't deserve it, we can't add anything to it that will improve the work of the Holy Spirit, but we must be living in humble obedience to God for grace to achieve His intended purpose in our lives.

As I have written out each verse and stated what I believe the verse is saying, I have included in parenthesis in some of the verses one or more of the definitions of grace simply to show how I could see God's grace at work in each context.

"And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him" (Luke 2:40). This verse speaks of the maturation in spirit, wisdom and the grace (power to do God's will) of Jesus through childhood and adolescence. O that this could be said of every child of God since Pentecost.

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). This verse speaks of God the Son who was the Word of God being full of grace (unlimited power of God) and truth while a man on earth.

"And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (John 1:16-17). Verse sixteen substantiates that everyone who believes in Jesus Christ unto salvation receives the fullness of the multitude of blessings of God's grace (saving and sustain power of God) upon believing. Verse seventeen reveals that the lesser blessing of the Law was given by God through Moses, but the greater blessings of grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.

"And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all" (Acts 4:33). This verse reveals it was through the great grace of God (the desire and power to do His will) that the apostles were able to proclaim the good news of our Lord most effectively.

"And Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders and signs among the people" (Acts 6:8).

Stephen, greatly desirous to do God's will, was given the power through the Holy Spirit dwelling in him, day by day to do great things for the honor and glory of God. Had believers today the faith of Stephen, we could each be doing great wonders and signs among earths inhabitants for the honor and glory of God.

"When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord" (Acts 11:23). When Barnabas arrived in Antioch, having been sent there by the Church in Jerusalem, he saw the grace (the dynamic power) of God at work in the Christians there and being filled with gladness he encouraged them to continue serving the Lord with that same purpose of heart.

"Now when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews and devout proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God" (Acts 13:43). Paul and Barnabas, while visiting a synagogue in Antioch in Pisidia, where Paul presented a lengthy history of Israel, ended with a short presentation of the gospel to those inside. Later they visited outside the synagogue with some Jews, gentiles and devout proselytes and they encouraged and persuaded the believers to continue living, teaching and preaching in the power of God.

"Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who was bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands" (Acts 14:3). In Iconium Paul and Barnabas visited synagogues where there were Jewish and gentile believers as well as Jewish and gentile unbelievers present. They shared the gospel so powerfully that a great multitude believed resulting in unbelieving Jews stirring up the mind of gentiles causing them to be embittered toward the Christians present. Therefore Paul and Barnabas stayed a great while there speaking boldly in the Lord, during which time, the Lord bore witness to the word of His great power and the power of His great word allowing Paul and Barnabas to do great signs and wonders.

"From there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work which they had completed" (Acts 14:26). Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch where they had originally been commissioned to do their evangelistic work in the power and provision of the Lord.

"But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they." (Acts 15:11). While ministering at Antioch men came from Jerusalem teaching that gentile males could not be saved unless they submitted to circumcision. Paul and Barnabas vehemently challenged the false teaching, so they were sent to Jerusalem to argue before the apostles and elders that this was heresy. After hearing Paul's persuasive reasoning Peter stood up and stated that gentiles and Jews alike were saved through the dynamic power of the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ alone.

"But Paul chose Silas and departed, being commended by the brethren to the grace of God" (Acts 15:40). For his second missionary journey Paul chose Silas to accompany him and the church at Antioch commissioned them to go in the power and will of God.

"And when he desired to cross to Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him; and when he arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace" (Acts 18:27). When Paul arrived in Achaia he began diligently teaching and training those who had recently become followers of Christ by grace (the power of God unto salvation) through faith to emulate Christ in their lives.

"But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry, which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God" (Acts 20:24). Paul has just stated to the elders of the church of Ephesus, who had gathered to Paul in Miletus, that the Holy Spirit had assured Paul that he was destined to suffer greatly for the cause of the Gospel of Christ. He assures the elders that whether he suffers greatly or not, nothing is more important than the ministry he had received from the Lord Jesus himself, which was to testify to the good news of God's power to save the lost through the sacrifice of His Son.

"So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified" (Acts 20:32). Paul concludes his message to the elders from the church in Ephesus, by commending them to God and the message of God's saving and sustaining power, which was available to build them up in their faith and give them an inheritance among all the saints.

"Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name" (Romans 1:5). Paul in his greeting to "all who are beloved of God in Rome" testifies to the grace (that is the awesome power of God) that every believer receives through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that will enable them to live in obedience to God's will no matter where they are.

"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 1:7). This is the great Pauline greeting found in all his letters. It is Paul's declaration of the blessings of grace and peace from God the Father and His Son the Lord Jesus Christ to believers everywhere who read or hear this message.

"Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:24). Paul is saying in this passage of scripture, beginning with verse 21, that every believer upon believing in the Lord Jesus is acquitted, vindicated and declared righteous before God. And it is all based upon grace, the saving and sustaining power of God.

"Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all" (Romans 4:16). Paul in this passage of scripture, beginning in verse 13 is revealing that the promise from God given to Abraham that his descendents (his seed) would be heir to the world, did not come through Abraham's keeping of the Law, but came through his faith. Abraham's faith was according to the power of God working in Abraham whose seed includes those under the law and those who are saved by grace through faith.

"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God" (Romans 5: 1 & 2). Paul is saying, "Since we have been judicially declared righteous and acceptable before God by His power operating through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, we have peace with God through His Son. It is also through our faith in His Son that we continually have access to the divine power of God in which we live, move and have our being, and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God."

"But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man's offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many" (Romans 5:15). This passage begins with verse 12 and continues through verse 21. Paul is comparing the free gift of salvation and all that it entails with the sin of Adam. He states that: as horrible as the offense of Adam was, causing eternal separation from God for many; much greater are the untold benefits of salvation by the power of God through the one Man, Jesus Christ, which are freely given to all who believe.

"For if by the one man's offense, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:17). Paul continues his thoughts in vs 17, by saying that because of Adams offense, death reigns in the lives of all lost men through Adam. However, it is not so with those who by faith believe in God's Son. These have not only received abundant grace and the gift of righteousness through Christ at the moment they believed, but it is the gift that keeps on giving daily through all eternity.

"Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more" (Romans 5:20). Paul continues by saying that when the law was given to man, man recognized his sin and as he understood more of the law, he recognized that his sins were growing by leaps and bounds. But when the power of God was unleashed into the lives of men, the power of God in the lives of these men was much greater than mans sins.

"So that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 5:21). Paul adds, that just as sin reigned in the lives of lost men resulting in eternal separation from God, the power of God now reigns through God's righteousness, which man has become (2 Cor. 5:21), resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ for those who believe.

"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?" Romans 6:1. Paul surmised that, because of his teaching on grace, some of the beloved in Rome would reach the illogical conclusion that since the working of God's power would always be greater than the power of sin in the life of a believer, perhaps they should continue in sin so that grace could abound more. Paul deals with any notion that believers should continue in sin so as to help God's power in their lives to abound in the next 13 verses. The conclusion is that the answer to the hypothetical question is emphatically NO!

"For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace" (Romans 6:14). For me, the heart of the gospel of grace is found in this declaration by Paul. Because believers in Jesus Christ are no longer under the Law, but under grace, we are assured that sin can not and will not have dominion over us, so long as we walk by faith and in the Spirit of God.

"What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!" (Romans 6:15). Just as in verse 1 of this chapter where Paul dealt with believers reaching illogical conclusions about grace, Paul deals with the possibility of abuse of the declaration of God that believers are not under a principle of legalism. Paul is stating emphatically that sanctification by grace does not give license to sin, vs. 14 - 15, but actually provides freedom from sin, vs16-23.

"And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work" (Romans 11:6). This verse comes in the middle of a passage that is dealing with God's setting aside of the nation of Israel. During this present age of grace God always has a saved Jewish remnant. They are chosen by grace and not works and are composed of believing Jews who become one with Gentiles in the Body of Christ, the church through faith in Christ. These Jewish believers obtain the blessings of grace, while the rest of Israel is blinded and hardened in unbelief.

"For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith" (Romans 12:3 & 6). In this passage of scripture, verse three and following through verse eight, Paul is teaching on Christian service and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Here Paul is saying that it is through the dynamic power of God given to His people that they are to serve and bless one another. Therefore we are not to become puffed up or proud over the power that we have as we walk and live in the spirit and serve the Lord and the church through our Spiritual gifts.

"Nevertheless, brethren, I have written more boldly to you on some points, as reminding you, because of the grace given to me by God" (Romans 15:15). I believe Paul is simply stating that there are times in which God gives him a special or specific power for the purpose of producing boldness in communicating with the Church. I believe there is a need today for Church leaders to speak out boldly in addressing issues in the church and in our families to bring conviction to all believers that we must return to our first love.

"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen" (Romans 16:20). Here is an excellent example of a simple Pauline benediction or salutation. I believe Paul is referencing the grace of God in all its different definitions and applications.

"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen" (Romans 16:24). A continuation of his benediction.

"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor 1:3). Paul's greeting to the Church in Corinth.

"I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus" (1 Cor 1:4). A great example to us of how we should be grateful for the grace of God through Jesus Christ given us and all believers at the moment we are saved. Grace is truly the one gift that keeps on being given in proportion to our need for as long as we are on this earth.

"According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it" (1 Cor 3:10). It was the power, wisdom, will and purpose of God that enabled Paul, the great foundation layer and wise master builder, to lay the doctrinal foundation of the New Testament Church. No other apostle or follower of Jesus Christ has contributed as much as Paul in building the doctrinal foundation of the Church of Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus, being the bedrock upon which this foundation is built is also the chief cornerstone. The Holy Spirit of God working in the life of every believer in the Lord Jesus has enabled each of us from Pentecost to the present to reap the benefits of spiritual growth, truth and wisdom from the study of Paul's handiwork, an excellent example of grace upon grace.

"But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me" (1 Cor 15:10). Through the divine influence of God, Paul is who the Holy Spirit has made him. The powerful work of God in Paul was not fruitless, for the labor of the Holy Spirit working in Paul produced more New Testament truths than all the other apostles together. Yet, it was not Paul the apostle doing the laboring, but the power of God working through Paul

"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you" (1 Cor 16:23). This is another of Paul's salutations. Here he is soliciting the power and presence of the Lord Jesus Christ to be with the believers in Corinth.

"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Cor 1:2). Here, Paul is invoking the power and peace of both God the Father and God the Son upon the Church at Corinth in the greeting of his second letter to the Church.

"For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you" (2 Cor 1:12). If any Christian is ever moved by the Holy Spirit to boast, it should be as Paul does here. The testimony of our life should be that we conducted ourselves in the world in humility and godly sincerity, not with worldly wisdom but by the power and presence of God in our lives.

"For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God" (2 Cor 4:15). Paul is reminding the Church at Corinth that all of God's spiritual riches and blessings bestowed on believers, at Jesus Christ's expense, at the moment of belief in Christ is resulting in prolific thanksgiving to the glory of God through out the church.

"We then, as workers together with Him, also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain" (2 Cor 6:1). Paul pleads with members in the church at Corinth, and through his words he pleads with us today, do not use the power of God for sinful accomplishments.

"Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia" (2 Cor 8:1). In this passage of scripture (1-8), Paul demonstrates the special virtue of giving using the generosity of Macedonian churches as the example of God's power in us to give generously.

"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich" (2 Cor 8:9). Here Paul is using the example of a special virtue, the grace of giving, of the Lord Jesus Christ to demonstrate how, though He was rich in His position as God the Son, for the sake of sinful man He became materially poor, owning nothing but the clothes he wore. Yet, out of His poverty He gave His all that we might become rich in God's grace and through the grace of giving that God supplies, we then can be generous in our giving to others.

Summing up this passage of scripture (2 Cor 8:1-9), I want to mention some observations that should be evident in the life of every believer as a result of the grace of giving working in their lives. 1. Our lives must be a living sacrifice, acceptable to the Lord. This is where all charity and Christian giving begins. 2. In all grace giving will be found the evidence of the miraculous. For even out of deep poverty God will enable us through His grace to give with rich liberality. 3. The evidence of God truly possessing us is when He has our all, including our pocketbooks. 4. Believers will recognize this great truth in their lives, "The grace of giving is a disposition wrought in the heart by the Holy Spirit." Merle F. Unger-New Unger's Bible Handbook.

"And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work" (2 Cor 9:8). Paul is reiterating what he said in 8:9, that God is able to supply all the grace in all its manifestations to enable us to do God's will including giving generously to the needs of the church body.

"And by their prayer for you, who long for you because of the exceeding grace of God in you" (2 Cor 9:14). Just as there is a grace of giving there is also a grace of receiving. When a believers needs are met through the giving of others there should be a spontaneous out pouring of gratitude and thanksgiving to God. We should also be motivated to much prayer along with our thanksgiving to God for the grace He has shown to the giver and to the recipient. This outpouring of gratitude to God should result in our longing for the grace of God that will enable us: to give back to Him in our generosity of giving in the future; and a longing to see God's hand of blessings resting on the giver.

"And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me" (2 Cor 12:9). This verse concludes a passage of scripture in which Paul reveals two different experiences in which God involved and blessed him. The first was a sublime visit to heaven where Paul experienced God's glory, so magnificent that he was not allowed to describe what he experienced. The second experience, as described by Paul on different occasions, was "a thorn in my flesh". This was an experience of testing. Though Paul asked God to remove it three times, God's response to Paul was that His grace was sufficient for Paul. Whatever the thorn was, it could not be removed by Paul's faith, or his prayers. Whether this thorn was a physical object in his flesh, a type of sickness or physical handicap, or a messenger from God we don't know. But some conclusions we can draw from Paul's experience are: (1) God's grace (desire and power to do God's will) is always fully sufficient for those His is testing; (2) God's grace is most fully realized in human weakness; (3) we are to glory in our human weakness and not our strengths, so that God's power may rest upon us; (4) when we are weak in ourselves, we are strong in Christ, vs 9-10.

"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen" (2 Cor 13:14). This is another benediction and/or salutation from Paul.

"Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ" (Gal 1:3). This is another example of a Pauline greeting.

"I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel" (Gal 1:6). In this letter to the Churches of Galatia Paul is addressing the issue of believers deserting or abandoning grace to return to legalism and human effort. Paul makes the point that they are not just deserting the good news of God's grace in Christ Jesus, but they are deserting God Himself. The most egregious sin of all for a believer is not adding something to the gospel of grace, it is in deserting our God for another gospel.

"But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb and called me through His grace" (Gal 1:15). In this passage of scripture (15 -24, Paul reveals that when God was pleased to do so He determined Paul's future as an apostle. And just as it was God who separated Paul from his mothers womb, this anointing, this setting aside, this predetermination was through God's power and will. For the message of the gospel of grace among the gentiles was from the Lord Jesus Christ not through flesh and blood.

"And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised" (Gal 2:9). In the passage of scripture from verse1 and continuing through verse 14 Paul reveals that the full orbed message of grace that was given to him had not been revealed to some of the other apostles and leaders of the church. And upon his sharing of the truths that he had received the spirit of the other church leaders bore witness with his spirit that the revelations were from God.

"I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain" (Gal 2:21). Paul states very emphatically and succinctly to the Galatians that God's imputed righteousness comes through faith in the finished work of Christ and never through keeping of the law, otherwise Christ died in vain.

"You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace" (Gal 5:4). In verses 5 through 9 Paul is warning the Galatians of the perils of taking oneself out from under the blessings of grace. He says that if they put themselves back under the yoke of slavery in their efforts be justified by the law that they will suffer the sad results of turning from grace. The consequences of God's displeasure with them would result in: loss of fellowship with the God Head; being entangled again in the yoke of slavery; falling prey to the false teachers; further corrupting of the gospel of grace leading to greater peril.

"Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen" (Gal 6:18). This is another example of a Pauline benediction or salutation.

"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" (Eph 1:2). Another example of a Pauline greeting.

"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace" (Eph 1:7). In this verse are just two of the great blessings that every person receives the moment they believe in Jesus Christ. These two are part of ‘every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places' (vs. 3) with which God has blessed every believer. I have listed fifty seven of these blessings that are precious jewels given to each believer at the moment of their salvation, but which come to us at a horrendous cost. In fact, they cost our dear Savior hours of terrible suffering and then His life. You can read the article that is posted on www.hislightshining.com titled, "The Riches of God's Grace". As you meditate on the vast importance and scope of each of these blessings you will begin to understand how great is the love of God for mankind. You will be blessed as I, and many others are who are discovering the riches of God's grace that came at a great cost to Christ.

"Even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)" (Eph 2:5). In this passage (vs. 1-7) Paul reveals that it was purely God's grace that gave true life to us who were dead in our trespasses and sins. We were born again, not through the human gestation process, but spiritually through the supernatural, divine power of God.

"That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus" (Eph 2:7). And God is still showing us the riches of His grace almost two thousand years after His Son died on that cross that we might know true life eternal and have an inheritance that is "incorruptible and undefiled and does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you and me" (1 Peter 1:4).

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God" (Eph 2:8). In what has to be one of the great verses of the New Testament, perhaps the entire Word of God, Ephesians chapter two, verse eight stands alone in its profundity. It states with utmost clarity that salvation is all about grace, Gods riches at Christ's expense. Because of what Christ did through His death, burial and resurrection, God is favorably disposed to release all His power, including as a small part, all His collective power in the known universe to save me from hell and eternal separation from Him.

"If indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you" (Eph 3:2). In chapter three Paul discloses to the church at Ephesus that it was part God's eternal plan for Jews and Gentiles to be brought together in the formation of one spiritual body, the Church. In this verse Paul relates that it was for this very purpose that God had dispensed or given to Paul His unlimited power to accomplish this task.

"Of which, I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power" (Eph 3:7). Here Paul is referring specifically to the mystery of the gospel of Jesus Chris, which was that Jews and gentiles would be: fellow heirs of all God's riches; fellow members of the body of Christ; and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus. It was through the effective power of God working through Paul that millions of Jews and gentiles would eventually be joined together as the church of Jesus Christ.

"To me, the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ" (Eph 3:8). I thank God with all my being for this grace that Paul was given. I do not understand why the unfathomable riches of Christ, made available by his death, burial and resurrection, are not sought, taught and passionately preached by every teacher, pastor and evangelist in the world. As I have said, I was a believer for over thirty years when the Holy Spirit begin to open my eyes to the infinite number of blessings bestowed on every believer the moment they believe in Christ. I wonder if another mystery of God's grace through Jesus Christ might be that He opens the eyes of His children, one by one, to the full sphere of the riches of His grace. These free gifts are the unfathomable riches of Christ through God's grace.

"But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift" (Eph 4:7). In this verse Paul is speaking in relation to spiritual gifts. Christ's gift to every believer is the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit gives His gift or gifts to individual believers as the body of Christ has need.

"Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers" (Eph 4:29). This is a verse that I required my three sons to memorize and apply to their daily lives when growing up. When my sons said anything negative to anyone within my hearing, I would require them to quote this verse, apologize and then speak an affirmation to the person(s) to whom they had been speaking. I take seriously and I wanted my sons to grow up taking seriously the truth of this verse: Our words, when under the control of the Holy Spirit, will impart grace to the hearer(s). We, most probably, will not be conscious of God working His grace through our words, but we can rest in the knowledge that God wants to use our words for the benefit of others and for His glory.

"Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen" (Eph 6:24). Here is another wonderful Pauline benediction. Oh, how wonderful if Christians would give a short, quiet sincere benediction each time they said goodbye in parting from a brother or sister in Christ

"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" (Phil 1:2). While I was the director of Brookhaven Christian Retreat, I served in the capacity of president elect, president and past president of the Texas Chapter of Christian Camps International, USA. As part of my efforts as the President of the Texas organization, I would write an encouraging letter every month to the camp directors within the Texas organization. From my very first letter God moved on my heart to always begin with a Pauline greeting and end with a Pauline benediction whenever I wrote to my fellow camp directors. After I started receiving positive responses from those who received my letters, I begin to use these greetings and benedictions in my all my correspondence. After I left Christian Camping I very seldom wrote letters so I stopped using Paul's greetings and salutations to bless others. By doing so, I have probably robbed the Holy Spirit of opportunities for blessings to some as He might have seen fit.

"Just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace" (Phil 1:7). In the passage in which this verse is found (vs.1-11) Paul expresses his joy and gratitude in each remembrance of the body of Christ in Philippi and his continual interest in their spiritual welfare. Paul says his recollections always bring joy through the wonderful memories of: their fellowship in the gospel; God working mightily in them as He will until the day of Christ Jesus; and their shared experiences with Paul of the joy of Christ.

"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen" (Phil 4:23). Another one of Paul's encouraging blessings or benedictions.

"To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colossi: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" (Col 1:2). Even though Paul did not start the Church in Colossi, he greets her with one of his wonderful greetings as if she were his very heart and soul.

"Which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth" (Col 1:6). In this passage (vs. 3- 8) Paul is expressing gratitude for the faith, love and hope of the saints in Colossi and commending them for the fruit they constantly are bearing through God's power and will at work in their lives.

"Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were, with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one" (Col 4:6). This reminds me of Eph. 4:29. In that verse Paul tells us that our speech can give grace to the hearer. In this verse he says we are to always speak the truth with love under the control of the Holy Spirit. Thus we will know we are saying what pleases the Lord.

"This salutation by my own hand--Paul. Remember my chains. Grace be with you. Amen"

(Col 4:18). Some recipients of Paul's letters may have doubted that they came from Paul.

"Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thess 1:1). Another example of an excellent Pauline greeting.

"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen" (1 Thess 5:28). This is another example of a Pauline salutation.

"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Thess 1:2). Another example of a wonderful Pauline greeting.

"That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Thess 1:12). In verses 3-12 Paul says that he is always giving thanks to God because their faith continues to grow and their love for the saints grows even greater. Then he gives them encouragement in the midst of their persecutions and afflictions. He prays that they will always be counted worthy of their calling, fulfilling every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power; in order that the name of Jesus may be glorified in them according to God's grace at work in their lives. O that, believers everywhere had the heart of Paul.

"Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work" 2 Thess 2:16-17 A benediction and prayer of Paul that Christians should pray daily for believers everywhere.

"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen" (2 Thess 3:18 Another Pauline salutation.

"To Timothy, a true son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord" (1 Tim 1:2). Another Pauline greeting, this time to Timothy his son in the faith.

"And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus" (1 Tim 1:14). Paul proclaiming how exceedingly abundant God's grace, faith and love is to His children that is available to every child of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

"Grace be with you. Amen" (1 Tim 6:21). One of Paul's shortest benedictions.

"To Timothy, a beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord" (2 Tim 1:2). Paul's greeting to his son in the faith in his second letter to Timothy.

"Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began" (2 Tim 1:9). Paul is telling his child in the faith that it is God who saves, God who calls and God who empowers his saints according to His purpose through His power, which was given to His children in Christ Jesus before time began. See Eph. 1:4.

"You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus" (2 Tim 2:1). Paul knows that spiritual strength is required to proclaim the gospel of grace, so he tells Timothy emphatically that he is to strengthen himself in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

"The Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Grace be with you. Amen" (2 Tim 4:22). Another wonderful benediction.

"To Titus, a true son in our common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior" (Titus 1:4). Another wonderful Pauline greeting.

"For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men" (Titus 2:11). My thoughts went back to Romans 1: 20 -25 when I read this as prepared this article. It was when I heard Romans chapter one, verses 18 - 32 being read from the pulpit by an old evangelist in a Presbyterian Church that the Holy Spirit brought conviction to my heart that I was lost and needed Christ. Paul is saying that the power of God unto salvation has been made known through God's handiwork to all mankind every since creation. I was, as all men are, without excuse.

"That having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:7). Note the three riches of God's grace mentioned in this one scripture. 1. Justification: I am justified through Christ in God's eyes. 2. Heir of God: I become an heir with Christ of all things of God through faith in Christ. 3. Eternal Life: I have eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ.

"All who are with me greet you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Amen" (Titus 3:15). Another fine example of a wonderful Pauline salutation.

"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" (Philemon 1:3). "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen" (Philemon 1:25). An wonderful example of a fine greeting and fine salutation in the letter to Philemon.

"But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone" (Heb 2:9). In this verse we see God becoming man, submitting to human limitations to which angels are not subject, undergoing the suffering and tasting death for every man. The phrase ‘tasted death' convicted me that while on that cross Christ actually physically, spiritually and soulfully died for a short span of time and experienced total separation from God the Father. But by the power of God, which is beyond any mortal's ability to comprehend, He brought Himself back to life.

"Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Heb 4:16). We know that there is a heavenly tabernacle, the perfect one after which the earthly copy was built. Under the Old Covenant, the earthly priest had to enter and sprinkle the tabernacle and all the utensils there in on a regular basis. The Lord Jesus Christ has entered and sprinkled His supernatural, efficacious blood in that heavenly tabernacle, once for all time and for all mankind. Under the New Covenant, in the Holiest place of that heavenly tabernacle sits the thrones of God the Father and His Son. The blood of our Savior has transformed God's throne of judgment to a throne of grace, mercy and worship for believers. Through the blood of our Savior we enter spiritually into the throne room of God and His Son when we worship and pray in spirit and truth. Try to grasp this as I say it another way. Our worship and intercession take place in the heavenly sanctuary because the believer is brought, in spirit, directly into God's presence when they pray and worship finding more grace to meet our every need.

"Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?" (Heb 10:29). To set the context, this verse ends a passage of scripture that began in verse 26. The problem(s) here in this passage in chapter ten is almost identical to the problem(s) in chapter six. And in fact, may very well be same problem(s). The writer is apparently having to deal again with believers who are mocking or taking liberties with God's grace. Either they were practicing and teaching that the blood of Christ wasn't sufficient to cover all sins and were requiring converts to employee some of the Old Covenant rituals and ceremonies upon believing in Jesus at salvation, or they were taking added precautions after becoming believers because of their willful, purposeful sinning.

In either case they were denying the one and only sacrifice that God has provided for the forgiveness of sin and they were flaunting and making sport of the grace of God. In chapter six, it is said that they have fallen from grace. Bible scholars, it seems, are divided in their understanding of whether the writer of Hebrews is talking about believers or unsaved people in these verses. Because of the use of first person, personal pronouns (we, us, our etc.) in the complete passage from vs. 19 through 39, it seems evident to me that the writer is speaking of Jewish believers.

The warning for these heretical Hebrews and the church today is emphatically set forth in this passage. "If we sin purposely and willfully after having received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for our sins. What remains is a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and the fiery indignation, which will devour God's adversaries. We know that under the Old Covenant anyone who rejected Moses' law died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Now, how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will be thought worthy for those who have trampled the Son of God underfoot? They have counted the blood of the covenant by which they are sanctified, a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace!" (Heb 10:26-29). God's word is truth and the truth shall set us free.

"Looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled" (Heb 12:15). In this passage that began in verse one the writer is addressing our every day walk with Christ in the spirit. In vs. 1 he speaks of our journey of faith as a race that we should run with endurance. In vs. 2-4 we are to seek the goal of our faith. In vs. 5-9, he addresses the discipline of faith. Divine discipline is for our encouragement so that we will press on toward our goal, recognizing that God's discipline is a demonstration of His love for His children. In vs. 10 - 11 we see the results of God's discipline as we become more like Christ. In vs. 12 - 14 believers are encouraged to: lift up drooping hands; strengthen their weak knees; and to make straight the paths for their feet. They are also to be at peace with all men and to pursue holiness without which no man will see God. Verses 15 - 17 is a warning not to give up on or set aside the grace of God.

"Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods, which have not profited those who have been occupied with them" (Heb 13:9). Having addressed the errors of returning to rituals and ceremonies of Judaism on two separate occasions, the writer is encouraging Hebrew believers to concentrate on the blessings of grace alone for in doing so they will become spiritual healthy followers of Christ.

Grace be with you all. Amen" (Heb 13:25). Paul's benediction to Hebrew believers.

"But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble."" (James 4:6). Two things of which every believer needs to be convicted: (1). Grace is from God, we can't earn it nor do we deserve it; (2). There is nothing in all the world as valuable and as needed in the life of all men as grace.

"Grace to you and peace be multiplied" (1 Peter 1:2). Peter's greeting, pronouncing grace to all the believing Jews through out Asia Minor.

"Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you" (1 Peter 1:10). Old Testament prophets fascinated by the concept of a future salvation by God's grace had diligently searched through all the prophetical writings of the Old Testament, never fully understanding God's perfect plan that was based on the sufferings of the coming Messiah and would be absent of any of man's efforts to save himself.

"Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:13). Gird the loins of your mind is a figure of speech based on the gathering up and securing out of the way the long garments that were worn in that day, so that the clothing would not interfere with the individuals activity. Peter is saying that we are to be disciplined in our thinking, staying sober and resting our hope fully upon the power of God revealed and bestowed upon us the moment we believed in Jesus Christ as Savior.

"Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered" (1 Peter 3:7). Husbands are to purposefully heap honor on their wives and to show honor to all women because they are the physically weaker sex. Men are to recognize that both men and women are equal heirs of the riches of God's grace in all of life's situations. We are to do everything that we can so that domestic tranquility prevails in our marriage and the prayers of each marriage partner be unhindered.

"As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God" (1 Peter 4:10). This verse is set in a long discourse of how believers are to respond to suffering brought on by our faith in Christ. The word gift, I believe, is referring to a spiritual gift and Peter is saying that we are to use our gift from God to ministers to others, especially during times of testing of the church.

"Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble"" (1 Peter 5:5). There was a time when I rejoiced at the honor it was for me to be under the discipline and tutelage of the Lord through the older, wiser men of our church fellowship. And then as I grew older I prayed that I would be a wise and humble man for younger men to turn to for spiritual guidance. Discipleship, where godly men (often older )are training and teaching the younger is a thing of the past it seems in the church today. However, I can say without doubt that through my willingness to humble myself as a young Christian under the discipleship of older, godly men, God poured out His grace upon me. My hope and prayer of course is that others benefited from my mentoring, discipleship efforts in their lives.

"But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you" (1 Peter 5:10). Peter's prayer is that the recipients of his letter, through their suffering, be perfected, establish, strengthened and settled by the abundant power of God.

"By Silvanus, our faithful brother as I consider him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand" (1 Peter 5:12). Peter is exhorting believers who have read this epistle, delivered by Silvanus, to lay hold of this power and dynamic working of God as evidenced in all the apostles lives, some of whom they have seen doing mighty things under the grace of God.

"Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord" (2 Peter 1:2). This greeting of Peter's has a two dynamics. 1. Peter prays for these believers to have the power and peace of God multiplied to them through their gaining in the knowledge of God and the Lord Jesus His Son. 2. The revealed truth to which all mature believers can testify is that through the knowledge of God and our Lord Jesus grace and peace is multiplied to those who believe.

"But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen" (2 Peter 3:18). As Peter ends this epistle his continued prayer is that they will grow unceasingly in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

"To the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all those who have known the truth, because of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever: Grace, mercy, and peace will be with you from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love" (2 John 1:3). From this introduction and greeting of the apostle John, vs. 1-3, let me take the liberty to point out some great truths. The first is in vs.1, where John uses the term, ‘whom I love in truth'. True Christian love rests on the truth found in the revealed Word of God and is focused on the person and work of Christ, who is the way, the truth and the life. Secondly, fellowship in the truth produces a dynamic of love in the family of God that the world can never duplicate or experience. How can this be? Because His truth is the only sure basis of genuine love, both in the present and in the future. Now to vs. 3, grace, mercy and peace have their source in God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son, Therefore, they are always founded in God's revealed truth and love.

"For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ" (Jude 1:4). Let me turn my pen over to a great bible teacher and let you read what he has to say in commenting on this passage in Jude, vs. 1-4.

"The author's original purpose was to write a doctrinal epistle, 3a, 'about the salvation we share.' This 'common' (koines, 'belonging equally to more than one') salvation was for all believers. (However) False teachers threatened the teaching of this general truth involving Christ's person and finished work. Jude, therefore, found it necessary to switch to an exhortation to militantly defend the faith. 3b. 'The faith' is that which was once for all delivered to the saints. No other revelation or faith is needed, for it is complete and final. It is the answer to those who claim revelation and truths in addition to the canonical Scriptures. The intrusion of false teachers brought error concerning the doctrine of the person and work of Christ, especially with respect to His sovereignty and lordship, 4. This is the primary error of all false teaching" -The New Unger's Bible Handbook - That my dear friend, is powerful!

"John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne" (Rev 1:4). This is John's greeting to the seven churches of Asia.

"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen." (Rev 22:21) This is John's benediction and salutation at the end of the book, The Revelation of Jesus Christ.

My hope and prayer is that you have benefited from this article. If you have not, then go back and read only the scripture and ignore my comments and I can assure you, you will be blessed.

Kept in His love, Tom.

THE RICHES OF GOD'S GRACE THROUGH CHRIST

Following are some of the many spiritual blessings (benefits) that accrue to the believer at the moment of belief in Jesus as Savior. There is no growth involved in relation to these blessings and therefore no degree associated to them. That is, they are complete, whole and in force the moment we believe in Jesus Christ as Savior. Neither is one noted as more valuable than another. These are just some of the riches of grace purchased for us through Jesus' death and resurrection. As we begin to study and meditate on the scriptures that reveal these marvelous blessings as well as the blessings themselves we will find our salvation becoming more and more precious and secure, and we will marvel at our growth in grace. In other words, we will never comprehend the totality of our salvation nor experience the fullness of God's grace until we have a more perfect understanding of these blessings and allow the Holy Spirit to apply this wisdom to our lives. They should be embraced as the foundation of our Christian lives. There are many more that are not listed here, and all are crucial to the believer's walk of faith. 

These blessings that are in Jesus are not the believer's only resource for spiritual growth. To these must be added the promises and the revelations of how the Father deals with us to form Christ in us and to motivate us in the exercises of worship, prayer and service. 

These truths, and indeed the whole of Scripture, are the spring from which faith grows and grace flows bringing the believer into spiritual maturity. This sanctifying process is through faith and therefore through the Word (Romans 10:17). Jesus declared the need for the Word to Satan when He was tempted in the wilderness (Matthew 4:4).

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17 

But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.' " Matt 4:4  

Many additional spiritual blessings can be found throughout the New Testament. Also, many of these noted blessings can be found mentioned in scriptures other than the ones cited here. Usually, such multiple listings seem to stress various aspects or applications of the particular blessing revealed. In Ephesians 1:3, God says that He "has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ." This makes clear that there is no spiritual blessing except as is found in Christ and that all ­have already been imparted to the believer. These are the riches of grace and "the whole armor of God" that the believer is exhorted to put on in Ephesians 6:13-17. As we come to understand, appreciate and apply these works of God by faith, the mind of Christ is formed within us, the inward working of the Holy Spirit is manifested outwardly and Christ brings forth His fruit through us. 

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, Eph 1:3 

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; Eph 6:13-17 

No significance should be attached to the order in which these are presented. 

Almost all of the material presented here is a result of the work and teaching of our Pastor at Lake Country Bible Church, Craig Lacy. I thank God for blessing our pastor with the Gift of teaching that is unparalleled and I thank pastor Craig for letting me use his outline and notes from a series of sermons he preached on the Blessingts of God's Grace.

1. Adoption as God's sons (Romans 8:15) (Ephesians 1:5) 

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." Romans 8:15  

having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, Eph 1:5 

Adoption - This term as used in a theological sense commonly denotes that act of God by which He restores penitent and believing men and women to their privileges as members of the divine family, and makes them heirs of heaven. Unger's Bible Dictionary (UBD)  

2. Accepted in the Beloved Son (Ephesians 1:6) 

.......to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved. Eph 1:6 

Accepted - Meaning: To receive with pleasure and kindness, and is the opposite of to reject. In the Beloved - Because of what Jesus Christ the Beloved accomplished through His death, burial and resurrection. (UBD) 

3. Redemption (Ephesians 1:7) (Colossians 1:13-14) (Romans 4:22-24) 

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. Eph 1:7 

......the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. Col 1:13-14 

And therefore "it was accounted to him for righteousness." Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, Romans 4:22 - 24 

Redemption - Meaning: a loosing away, a loosing, particularly by paying a price; a comprehensive term employed in theology with reference to the special intervention of God for the salvation of mankind. Its meaning centers in the atoning work of Christ as the price paid for human redemption. (UBD) 

4. Understanding of God's eternal purpose for us (Ephesians 1:4) (Ephesians 1:5) 

Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, Ephesians 1:4, 

Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, Eph 1:5 

Understanding - to know thoroughly, grasp and perceive accurately God's Eternal - without beginning or end, through all time Purpose - intention, aim, resolution, determination for us - God's children 

5. Forgiveness of our sins (Ephesians 1:7) (Colossians 1:14) 

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace Eph 1:7 

In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. Col 1:14 

Forgiveness of sins - Meaning: The forgiveness of sins, through the finished work of Jesus Christ is one of the most widely misunderstood doctrines of Scripture. It is not to be confused with human forgiveness that merely remits a penalty or charge. Divine forgiveness is one of the most complicated and costly undertakings, demanding complete satisfaction to meet the demands of God's outraged holiness. The great foundational truth respecting the believer in relationship to his sins is the fact that his salvation comprehends the forgiveness of all his trespasses past, present, and future so far as condemnation is concerned (Romans 8:1; Col. 2:13; John 3:18; John 5:24). Since Christ has, as mankind's substitute, borne all sin and since the believer's standing in Christ is complete, he is perfected forever in Christ. When a believer sins he is subject to chastisement from the Father, but never to condemnation with the world .(1 Cor. 11:31-32). By confession the Christian is forgiven and restored to fellowship (1 John 1:9). It needs to be remembered that were it not for Christ's finished work on the cross and His present intercession in heaven, the least sin would result in the sinner's banishment from God's presence and eternal ruin.-(UBD) 

6. Understanding of God's eternal purpose In Christ (Ephesians 1:9-10) 

Having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth--in Him. Eph 1:9-10 

Understanding - to know thoroughly, grasp and perceive accurately God's Eternal - without beginning or end, through all time Purpose - intention, aim, resolution, determination for us, God's children, in Christ - through His death, burial, resurrection and His present ministry at the right hand of God of intercession for His Own.  

7. Inheritance that we will have in Jesus to the praise of His glory (Ephesians 1:11-12) 

In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. Eph 1:11-12 

Inheritance, Spiritual - The metaphor of spiritual ‘inheritance' is peculiarly, though not exclusively, Pauline. Peter employs it twice (1 Peter 1:4; 1 Peter 3:9), James once (1 Peter 2:5, KJV; NASB, "heirs"), but Paul in a multitude of instances. It is closely interwoven with the substance of the longest and most intricate arguments in his epistles; it appears in the reports of his sermons in the Acts; he alone of all the sacred writers employs it in what may be described as the most daring of all theological conceptions-that which is embodied in the celebrated definition of believers as ‘heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.' It is through and because of the finished work of Christ on behalf of lost mankind that we are made co-heirs with Christ of all that is the Fathers and have an equal inheritance in the Kingdom of God with Christ and all the other adopted Children of God. 

8. Sealed with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13) 

Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, Eph 1:13 

Sealed with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13) The term sealed is used for that which is permanent, confirmed (John 6:27; Romans 4:11), impenetrable to men but known to Christ (Rev. 5:2), approval (John 3:33). The "seal of the living God," on which is supposed to be engraved the name of Jehovah, impressed upon the foreheads of the faithful, symbolizes safety and deliverance from judgment (Rev. 7:2-8). A seal also denotes the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians. 1:13; Ephesians. 4:30; 2 Cor. 1:22; The seals upon the "foundation of God" (2 Tim. 2:19) are inscriptions upon this mystical building, proper to be impressed upon the minds of all professing Christians, both for encouragement and for warning. (UBD) 

9. Eternally alive in Christ right now(Ephesians 2:5)

Even when we were dead in trespasses, (God) made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together .....in Christ Jesus, Eph 2:5 

Eternally alive in Christ right now means the moment we accept Christ as Savior we become a brand new creation, thus born again. We will ever, through out all eternity, time without end, live and move and have our being in Him. (Acts 17:28) 

10. Buried and Resurrected In Christ (Ephesians 2:6) (Col 2:12) 

And (God) raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, Eph 2:5-6 

(We were) buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. (Col 2:12) 

Buried and Resurrected In Christ Christian baptism is, according to the Bible, an outward (physical) testimony of what has occurred inwardly (spiritually) in a believer's life. Christian baptism illustrates a believer's identification with Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. The Bible declares, "Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life" (Romans 6:3-4). In Christian baptism, the action of being immersed in the water symbolizes dying and being buried with Christ. The action of coming out of the water pictures our resurrection with Christ. 

11. Seated with Christ In the heavenlies, present tense (Ephesians 2:6) 

and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, Eph 2:6 

Seated with Christ in the heavenlies, present tense Meaning: Christ is presently seated at the right hand of God the Father. Their abode is in the heavenlies, where the throne room occupied by God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit exists. It is apparently the same place identified by Paul as the third heaven. Christians apparently occupy two separate realms at the same time. The realm of the natural, the earthly, the flesh is here on earth, where scriptures says that we are aliens and strangers. The spiritual realm where Paul says that we are seated with Christ Jesus, is incomprehensible to mortal man. We can not touch it, feel it, hear it or experience it in any physical way as long as we are in our earth suit which we will wear until we die or Christ comes to take His bride to heaven. The reality of the heavenlies existence is known and experienced only through faith in God's word.

12. Created for good works which God has foreordained for us (Ephesians 2:10) 

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Eph 2:10 

Created for good works which God has foreordained for us: Meaning - the moment we believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior we are born from above new spiritual creations and as new creations in Christ we are via the Holy Spirit that lives in us to begin growing toward spiritual maturity. As we grow, God has prepared (foreordained) for us an unlimited number of good things we can do on behalf of others and the Kingdom of which we are now a part. 

13. Brought near to God (Ephesians 2:13) 

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off (from God) have been brought near by the blood of Christ Eph 2:13 

Brought near to God - Meaning - Before believing in Christ and becoming a new creation, we were covered in, infected by and rotten with sin and unworthy to come into the presence of a perfectly Holy and Righteous God. The moment we believed in Jesus Christ we were changed. We were washed in His blood, cleansed of all our filth and unrighteousness, declared Holy, righteous and acceptable in God's sight. Thus through Jesus Christ, we were reconciled and brought near to God. 

14. At peace (harmony) with God (Ephesians 2:14-16) (Colossians 1:20) (Romans 5:1 

For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. Eph 2:14-16 

And (God) by Him (Jesus) having reconciled all things to Himself, .............. having made peace (for us) through the blood of His cross. Col 1:20 

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ Romans 5:1  

At peace (harmony) with God - Meaning: Before believing in Christ every man has a strong, settled feeling of hatred, whether concealed, displayed, or latent toward God. Therefore, there is no way for peace to exist between unsaved man and a Holy, Just and Righteous God. The moment we believe in Jesus Christ as Savior we have a new being living in us in the person of the Holy Spirit. No longer are we under the Law which condemns us. Where the Spirit is allowed free reign there is peace with God. 

15. Bold and confident access to the Father (Ephesians 2:18, 3:12) 

For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. Eph 2:18  

in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. Eph 3:12 

Bold and confident access to the Father - Meaning: Upon being indwelt by the Holy Spirit, the new believer has the boldness, confidence and assurance that He can come to His heavenly Father at anytime, anywhere for any reason without fear of being turned away or denied access into God's holy presence. Our access is guaranteed by the Life of the One who indwells us.  

16. Fellow citizens with all saints (Ephesians 2:19) 

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, Eph 2:19 

Fellow citizens with all saints - Meaning: When one becomes a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ, he or she also becomes either a brother or sister to each and every saint of all time. As children of God they are also citizens of the Kingdom of God. 

17. Members of God's household (Ephesians 2:19) (Hebrews 2:11) 

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, Eph 2:19 

For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, Heb 2:11  

Members of God's household - Meaning: Our place with God is one of Kinship and intimacy because we are the adopted brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son. When one becomes a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ, he or she also becomes either a brother or sister to each and every saint of all time in God's Forever Family. The Saints of all time starting with the very first Old Testament believer and ending with the last person to be saved during Christ's Millennial Kingdom will make up the household of God. 

18. We are a temple being built as a dwelling for God (Ephesians 2:21-22) 

in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. Eph 2:21-22 

We are a temple being built as a dwelling for God - Meaning: The moment a person believes in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord the Holy Spirit of God enters into that person's being and takes up residence. Since we have been born again and are a new creation the moment we believe, and since the Holy Spirits work is to shape and mold us into the image of Christ, perhaps He is residing in our spirits and the more He shapes and molds us into Christ's image the more of a dwelling place, thus God's temple, we become. 

19. Equipped for the building up of the body of Christ (the church) Ephesians 4:11-12 

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, Eph 4:11-12 

Equipped for the building up of the body of Christ (the church) - Meaning: As we live in obedience to the known, revealed will of God, the Holy Spirit is doing the work of growing us up in Christ. Part of the growing and maturing process of all believers is the equipping that the Holy Spirit will do in us to enable us to minister and serve in the body of Christ, the church. Most every person upon natural birth is given a predisposition to learning and developing skills and talents as they grow. Upon being born again, God gives every new believer at least one spiritual gift. He intends for His children to use their natural talents and skills and their spiritual gifts to bless their family, the church, in whatever way He calls, instructs, encourages and leads.  

20. Made light Instead of darkness. Ephesians 5:8

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light Eph 5:8

Made light Instead of darkness - Meaning: The moment we believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord we move from darkness to light. We are no longer children of darkness. We are children of light because our Savior and Lord is the Light. With the Holy Spirit living in us we have a constant source of light dwelling in us. We need therefore to let our light so shine that it lights the way for others living in darkness to come to the Light of Jesus Christ. We are to walk in His Light not in darkness. 

21. Qualified to share inheritance of saints in light. Colossians 1:12 

giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. Col 1:12 

Qualified to share inheritance of saints in light - The moment we believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord we are qualified to share in the inheritance of all that is our heavenly Father's. That is why we are known as co-heirs with Christ. All saints, Old and New Testament, are co-heirs with Christ. 

22. Reconciled to God (Colossians 1:20) 

and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. Col 1:20 

Reconciled to God - Meaning: The moment we believe in Jesus Christ as Savior, all the wonderful work that He did on behalf of fallen man is appropriated to our lives, thus all the enmity between us and God is done away with and we are acceptable in the sight of God and brought near to Him and reconciled with Him through the blood of the Lord Jesus. 

23. Assurance of our becoming perfected (Hebrews 10:14) 

For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. Heb 10:14 

Assurance of our becoming perfected - Meaning: The moment we believe in Jesus Christ as Savior we are sanctified, that is we are declared holy spiritual beings in the sight of God and that is the status we will carry through all eternity by His decree. And because we are being sanctified through His offering as a perfect sacrifice to God for our sins, we are also being spiritually perfected through that perfect offering of sacrifice. God has assured each believer that this process will be completed when Jesus comes back for us. 

24. Lacking nothing (complete) (Colossians 2:10) 

and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. Col 2:10

Lacking nothing (complete) - Meaning: In Christ, we are positionally complete, from the moment we believed in Him. We have been made complete and we will always be complete, lacking nothing as Spiritual beings for now and through all eternity.

 25. Spiritually circumcised (the flesh cast away) (Colossians 2:11) 

In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, Col 2:11 

Spiritually circumcised (the flesh cast away) - Meaning: Christians are said to be circumcised in Christ (Col. 2:11. This is a spiritual reality and not a physical rite. Christian circumcision is "removal of" not a part, but the entire "body of the flesh." "The body of the flesh" is the physical body controlled by the old fallen nature that all possess, saved as well as unsaved. The "removal of" is positional truth, that is, truth that arises as a result of the believer being placed in Christ by the Spirit's baptizing work. Because the sin nature was judged by Christ in His death, so the believer by virtue of his organic union and identification with his Lord shares that "removal" that Christ accomplished, just as he shares Christ's fullness and is declared to be "complete" in Him. (Col. 2:10). (UBD) 

26. Buried with Christ (God's Judgment of the flesh completed) (Colossians 2:12) 

(You are) buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. Col 2:12  

Buried with Christ (God's Judgment of the flesh completed) - Meaning: God's Judgment of the flesh was completed in Jesus on behalf of all who believe. 

27. Resurrected with Christ (now spiritual beings) (Colossians 2:12) 

buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. Col 2:12 

Resurrected with Christ (now spiritual beings) - Meaning: We are a new creation in Christ - something never known before - born sons and daughters of God. 

28. Debt of sin fully paid (Colossians 2:14) 

having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us (record of sins), which was contrary to us. And He has taken it (record of sins) out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Col 2:14 

Debt of sin fully paid - Meaning: To comprehend how our sins debt could be fully paid, we must understand the great doctrine of Justification. Justification is a divine act whereby an infinitely Holy God judicially declares a believing sinner to be righteous and acceptable before Him because Christ has borne the sinner's sin on the cross and has become "to us . . . righteousness" (1 Cor. 1:30; Romans 3:24). Justification springs from the fountain of God's grace (Titus 3:4-5). It is operative as the result of the redemptive and propitiatory sacrifice of Christ, who has settled all the claims of the law (Romans 3:24-25; Romans 5:9). Justification is on the basis of faith and not by human merit or works (Romans 3:28-30; Romans 4:5; Romans 5:1; Galatians 2:16). (UBD) 

29. Made righteous in God's eyes apart from the Law (Romans 3:21) (2 Cor 5:21) 

But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed (and imparted), being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. Romans 3:21-22 

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Cor 5:21 

Made righteous in God's eyes apart from the Law - Meaning: The moment a person believes in Jesus Christ as Savior, they are declared "right" forevermore in the eyes of God by the righteous judge of all mankind, God the Father, based upon what Jesus Christ accomplished on their behalf through His death on the cross. (UBD) 

30. Justified before God by faith in Jesus (Romans 3:26) (Romans 3:24) 

to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Romans 3:26  

being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, Romans 3:24  

Justified before God by faith in Jesus - Meaning: In this marvelous operation of God the infinitely holy Judge judicially declares righteous the one who believes in Jesus (Romans 8:31-34). A justified believer emerges from God's great courtroom with a consciousness that another, his Substitute, has borne his guilt and that he stands without accusation before God (for all eternity) (Romans 8:1, 33-34). (UBD) 

31. Made a new creation in Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17) 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2 Cor 5:17  

Made a new creation in Jesus - Meaning: "New" in the Greek implies a new nature quite different from anything previously existing. In the spiritual realm, or sense, having been born from above, we are a new spirit, a new creation. Therefore, applying the spiritual reality to the earthly realm, we allow Christ to live His live through us as we walk through this world, remembering that we are crucified with Christ, buried into his death, and are risen to walk in a newness of life. The old life ended when we died and were buried in Christ. Born anew, we are new creatures who must live a new life. 

32. Introduced to grace (God's power working through Jesus) by faith (Romans 5:1-2) 

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Romans 5:1-2  

Introduced to grace (God's power working through Jesus) by faith - Meaning: The moment we believe in Jesus Christ as Savior we experience God's amazing grace working with and through our faith to save us from hell, from the penalty of sin, from the wrath of God toward those who do not believe and placing us into His forever family for all eternity. This initial experience of grace is to be followed endlessly by the riches purchased for us by Jesus Christ. Because God's grace continues to work in believer's lives through out eternity. 

33. Confidence and joy in spite of circumstances (Romans 5:2-5) 

through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:2-5 

Confidence and joy in spite of circumstances - Meaning: The moment we believe in Jesus Christ as Savior, the Holy Spirit enters our being and with Him comes the infinite power and the wonderful promises of God that are ours to be used by the Holy Spirit to fill us, protect us, enlighten us and to nurture us as we begin our journey as a babe in the Lord and continues through out eternity. Jesus promised abundant, fulfilling life to all who come to Him. This abundant life belongs to the believer in spite of trials and tribulations. 

34. Baptized into Jesus' death (Romans 6:3) 

Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Romans 6:3 

Baptized into Jesus' death - Meaning: The moment the Holy Spirit enters a new believer upon their believing in Christ as Savior they are baptized in and by the Holy Spirit into Christ. To be baptized into Christ means to enter into a vital union with him, so as to be found in him. Also, to be baptized into Christ means that every new believer is baptized into the death of Christ. It is through grace (the desire and power to do God's will), working in the spiritual realm via the Holy Spirit that enables new believers to die to sin, to experience in the spiritual realm being buried with Christ and also being raised with Him in newness of life. Water baptism in the physical world is the picture of what takes place spiritually the moment one believes in Jesus Christ as Savior. 

35. Released from the demands of the Law (Romans 10:4) (Galatians 3:23-25) 

For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. Romans 10:4 

But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. Gal 3:23-25  

Released from the demands of the Law - Meaning: That by the death of Christ as an atoning sacrifice and by His taking our place on the cross and by His suffering for us sufficiently to meet the demands of the law, He has released us from the law as a way of justification, freed us from its penalty, and saved us from its curse. Therefore, having been released from the demands of the law, we are at liberty to be united to Him who has bought us with His blood-Barnes' Notes on the New Testament

 36. Joined to the resurrected Christ (Romans 7:4)

 Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another--to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God. Romans 7:4 

Joined to the resurrected Christ - Meaning: The moment we believe in Christ as Savior we are released from the demands of the law and are at liberty to be spiritually joined to Him as individual believers, so that He lives His life in us. 

37. Eternally free from condemnation (Romans 8:1) 

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. Romans 8:1 

Eternally free from condemnation - Meaning: The moment we believe in Jesus Christ as Savior we are set free from the penalties of our sins. God has punished Jesus Christ for all our sins: past, present and future. Therefore, He has suffered the pains of hell in our place. There is therefore, now, no condemnation, no wrath, no eternal suffering for any sins for those who believe in Jesus Christ as Savior. 

38. Righteous requirements of Law fulfilled in those who live by faith (Romans 8:3d-4) 

He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Romans 8:3d-4 

Righteous requirements of Law fulfilled in those who live by faith - Meaning: The new 'law of the Spirit of life,' is the Holy Spirit operating in the sphere of the believer's new position in Christ as a higher principle, counteracting and overcoming the lower 'law of sin and death,' producing righteousness and life. What the law of Moses, or any legal principle, was unable to do because of human sin, God accomplished through the incarnation of His Son, He, through His sinless humanity, condemned sin as a master criminal and secured a judicial sentence against it. Accordingly, God has met the righteous requirements of the law in us. -UBD  

39. Joined to all other believers to make one body In Christ (Romans 12:4-5) 

For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Romans 12:4-5

Joined to all other believers to make one body In Christ. Meaning: The moment we believe in Jesus as our Savior, we are baptized into Him and we become a member of the church of Jesus Christ, His betrothed, the bride of Christ. There is coming a day when the Church, the Bride of Christ, will be spiritually united to Him at the marriage supper of the Lamb of God in heaven. However, so long as we are on this earth we are to remember and live out Romans 12:4-5.

40. Judged In Christ (John 3:18) 

"He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe in Him has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." John 3:18 

Judged In Christ - Meaning: Since Christ died in our place, paid all the penalties of our sins, we are eternally justified in God's eyes. "God pardons sin, and delivers us from deserved punishment, because we believe on Jesus Christ. Jesus died in our stead; He suffered for us, and by His sufferings our sins are expiated, and it is consistent for God to forgive (and forget)." -Barnes' Notes on the New Testament 

41. Indwelt by Christ (Galatians 2:20) 

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Gal 2:20 

Indwelt by Christ - Meaning: The moment we believe in Jesus Christ as Savior, we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ, who is God the Son. As co-equals (in all the attributes of God) in the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit is the Holy Spirit of both God the Father and God the Son. Thus, it is both the Holy Spirit of God and the Holy Spirit of Christ Jesus who lives in us. 

42. Inheritors of spiritual blessings (promises made to) of Abraham (Galatians 3:13-14) 

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us .... that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Gal 3:13-14 

Inheritors of spiritual blessings (promises made to) of Abraham - Meaning: The blessing which Abraham enjoyed was that of being justified by faith. However, God promised that He would pour His Spirit upon Abraham's descendents (Isaiah 44:3; God promised to put His Spirit in future children of His (Ezekiel 36:37); and in Joel 2:28-29 God says that He will pour out His Spirit on all flesh. 

43. Indwelt by God's Spirit (Galatians 4:6) 

And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!" Gal 4:6 

Indwelt by God's Spirit - Meaning: The moment we believe in Jesus as Savior the Holy Spirit indwells us. "The spirit is bestowed not to make us sons and daughters, but because we have become His children by the faith." - The People's New Testament 

44. We are the temples of the living God (1 Corinthians 3:16) (1 Corinthians 3:19) 

Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 1 Cor 3:16  

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 1 Cor 6:19

We are the temples of the living God - Meaning: The total person of every believer becomes a sacred temple in which the Holy Spirit dwells immediately upon believing in Jesus as Savior. Thus a dwelling place for God's presence. 

45. Heirs of the riches of Jesus secured by His death and resurrection (Galatians 4:14-5) 

But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem (through His death and resurrection) those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Gal 4:4-5  

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ ....... Romans 8:16-17 

Heirs of the riches of Jesus secured by His death and resurrection - Meaning: The moment we believed in Jesus as Savior: "We are entitled to all the privileges of a child, and of course are regarded as an heir through the Redeemer. As God's Son, Christ is heir to the full honors and glory of heaven. As Christians, we are united to Him and thus are destined to partake with Him of His glory."-Barnes' Notes on the New Testament  

46. Assured an eternal home with Christ (John 14:2-3) 

In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. John 14:2-3 

Assured an eternal home with Christ - Meaning: When we believe in Jesus Christ, all the power and provisions of God (grace) are applied to our human condition and whatever eternal future Christ has, we have. The precious promise of Christ was that He was returning to heaven where He was going to prepare a mansion for each of us in which we would spend eternity.  

47. Consecrated, sanctified, made holy (Hebrews 10:10) 

then He said, "Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God." He takes away the first that He may establish the second. By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Heb 10:9-10

Consecrated, sanctified, made holy - Meaning: The moment we believe in Jesus Christ as Savior, God sets us apart for His own special purpose, He applies the righteousness of Christ to our being, and He declares us perfectly holy in His sight. 

48. Brought to completeness (made perfect) forever (Hebrews 10:14) 

For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. Hebrews 10:14  

Brought to completeness (made perfect) forever - Meaning: The moment we believe in Christ Jesus as Savior, we are perfected, cleansed, purified, fitted for perpetual communion and fellowship with God. The word perfected (teteleiōken) means "completed." - The Wycliffe Bible Commentary 

49. Confident access to the Father through faith (Hebrews 10:19-22) 

Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Heb 10:19-22 

Confident access to the Father through faith - Meaning: Because of all that the Lord Jesus Christ has done, we (believers in Jesus Christ as Savior) can have great boldness. This is free access by the blood of Jesus. The way is already opened. Here is the means of access, by a new (prosphaton) and living way..., or consecrated way. The veil no longer blocks access to God, nor does human nature, symbolized by the reference to flesh (sarx). Christ's suffering in the flesh forever removes this barrier. As his body was torn on the cross, so the veil between God and men was torn, giving immediate access to God.- The Wycliffe Bible Commentary,  

50. Possessors of a living hope (I Peter 1:3) 

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,1 Peter 1:3 

Possessors of a living hope - Meaning: Because of God's manifested salvation in Christ, and because He is the source of all the believer's expectations, He is called the "God of hope"-New Unger's Bible Dictionary. This living hope is imperishable; not subject to decay; inviolately intact; kept in heaven, or, better translated, 'which has been and is reserved [laid up in trust] for you.'- The New Unger's Bible Handbook,  

51. Assured of a heavenly Inheritance (I Peter 1:4) 

(see above scripture) to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 1 Peter 1:4 

Assured of a heavenly Inheritance - Meaning: This refers to the future spiritual glorification and inheritance that awaits every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ based on the promises of the God of all hope. 

52. Guarded by God's power until our salvation is completed (I Peter 1:5) 

(see above scripture) who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Pet 1:5 

Guarded by God's power until our salvation is completed - Meaning: Further encouragement was given by the reminder that these believers were 'shielded by God's power' in the sense that they were continually guarded and thus maintained in a state of security.- The New Unger's Bible Handbook. These promises and assurances apply to the spiritual realm, from the moment one believes until he or she is face to face with their Lord and Savior.

53. One of a chosen race (generation, family) (I Peter 2:9)

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 1 Peter 2:9

One of a chosen race - Meaning: The believers truest identification with Christ. This identification with Christ also brings one into living relationship with the whole company of believers. - The New Unger's Bible Handbook,  

54. One of a royal priesthood (king-priests) (I Peter 2:9) 

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 1 Peter 2:9 

One of a royal priesthood (king-priests) - Meaning: Directly related to the King, the Lord Jesus. It is through His priesthood that He ministers His will and purpose in our lives and gives us immediate access through Him to God that we might be equipped to praise, worship and appreciate our Heavenly Father.  

55. Citizen of a holy nation (spiritual, not physical) (I Peter 2:9) 

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 1 Peter 2:9 

Citizen of a holy nation (spiritual, not physical) - Meaning: As a special people/family we are a sanctified nation, spiritually set apart in Christ unto God with our citizenship being in heaven -UBD 

56. One chosen out for God's own possession (I Peter 2:9-10a)

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, 1 Peter 2: 9 -10a

One chosen out for God's own possession - Meaning: We are a people belonging to God for His own possession and good pleasure. 

57. Destiny of becoming fully like Christ (I John 3:2)

Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 1 John 3:2 

Destiny of becoming fully like Christ - Meaning: Though the Holy Spirit works in every believer to shape and mold them into the image of the Lord Jesus, that work will not be completed until the day we come into the presence of Jesus Christ at His glorious appearing in the heaven at the time of the rapture of the church. Somewhere between the moment our feet leave the terra firma or our bodies break out of the grave and when we come into His glorious presence in the clouds we will be changed, totally, completely and we will be as He is. We will: have a new resurrection body; be sinless; be completely righteous and pure. 

I pray that after taking the time to read this article, you will be motivated to prayerfully search the Word to discover even more of the great blessings that are ours the moment we believe. All the blessings I have listed here on these pages and the many others that are found in God's Word are the living proof that God's grace is active, all encompassing, sure and eternal. Ask God to allow you to experience the riches of these blessings through a deeper, life changing understanding of all that He has for you through salvation in His Son. The more we understand God's grace working through all the blessings He has for us, the more we will surrender to His will, conform ourselves to His Word and allow the Lord Jesus to live His life through us.  

I want to thank my pastor, Craig Lacy, at Lake Country Bible for allowing me to use his list of These Great Blessings of Grace from a sermon series he recently preached. I also thank him for the forward to this article. I thank God for the Bible study resources that are available to His children here in the USA. I thank God for Miles J. Stanford's book, "The Complete Green Letters" that started me on this journey of discovering the many blessings that are ours from the moment that we believe. I pray that you will grow in grace from your own diligent bible study of these blessings. 

God bless you richly, Tom. 

Epiphanies of the New Covenant 

In God's Word the Book of Hebrews teaches that Christ is a more superior priest than the Levitical priest established under the old Covenant, the Mosaic Law. He is the eternal priest of the New Covenant in the order of Melchizedek whose priesthood predated the Levitical priest and was superior to the Levitical. The Old Covenant ratified by the shedding of the blood of goats and lambs and calves is replaced with the New Covenant which was ratified by the shedding of the blood of the Lamb of God. The New Covenant was first announced by God through the Prophet Jeremiah, in Jeremiah 31, verses 31 - 34. Here is what the LORD God said:  

"Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah-- not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."  

God recognized that there were problems concerning the Old Covenant that He had given to and made with Israel. The writer of the book of Hebrews states in chapter 8, verse 7:  

‘For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second.' 

Jesus Christ, with the shedding of His own blood, His death on the cross, His burial, His resurrection and His ascension to the right hand of God the Father on high set the stage for the fulfilling Jeremiah's prophecy. With His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place, established the New Covenant and abolished the Old Covenant. Hebrews 8:13 says:  

‘In that He says, "A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.'  

Also, Hebrews 9:12 and 24 reads:  

‘Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. (24) For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.' 

I thank God that through His mercy, grace and loving kindness He abolished the Old Covenant and gave us immediate, direct access to Himself through the Great High Priest, His Son, Jesus Christ who sits at God the Fathers right hand ever interceding for His own. I thank God that I don't have to wait until a special weekly day to worship and come before His throne of Grace. I thank God that I have access into the Holy of Holies, into His very presence, having a 24 hour per day, seven days a week line of communication with and worship of Him through the Eternal Blood of the Lamb of God.

 Because of the shed blood and death of the Lord Jesus I am forever, through all eternity to come, twenty four hours a day, seven days a week:  

(1) accepted in the Beloved Son in the eyes of God the Father;  

(2) perfectly Holy (sanctified) in my Fathers eyes;  

(3) justified in the eyes of God, the Great Judge of all Creation;

 (4) totally forgiven every sin I have ever committed and will ever commit;  

(5) redeemed from the enslaving kingdom of Satan; and  

(6) a new creation in Christ.

These six wonderful, super blessings were mine the moment I believed in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. And believe it or not there are more than six of these great, wonderful, God bestowed blessings that await every man, woman or young person who places their faith in Jesus Christ as Savior. More to come. Tom

When Mercy Is Ugly

9/25/09

In one of Shakespeare's most known and loved passages, the young heroine, Portia, urges Shylock, the moneylender, to show the kind of mercy that "droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven," that "is enthroned in the hearts of kings," and "is an attribute to God Himself."(1) This arresting image of mercy is both noble and other-worldly, rousing images like that of Caravaggio's "The Seven Acts of Mercy," in which an angel's outstretched hand reaches over seven scenes of mercy: burying the dead, feeding the hungry, refreshing the thirsty, harboring the stranger, clothing the naked, visiting the sick, and ministering to prisoners. The seven scenes are based on Christ's words in Matthew 25:35-36: "I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me." Though Jesus does not specifically reference burial as an act of mercy, it was deemed merciful by the church during the time of plague, when care of the dead was literally care of one's neighbors.

Similar depictions of sympathy, provision, and leniency often come to mind at the thought of mercy. As Caravaggio paints it and Jesus depicts it, mercy is beautiful. Images of quiet humanitarianism and heavenly acts of concern afford mercy a reputation worthy of Portia's words. Yet this is not the only perception of mercy in action. Even Shakespeare reasons elsewhere, "Mercy but murders, pardoning those that kill."(2) There is perhaps no better representation of this contrasting perception than in the practice of "compassionate release" for convicted criminals. At the release of the terminally-ill Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi, who was sentenced to life in prison for the 1988 bombing of a Pan American jetliner, mercy was more than unpopular. One headline described Megrahi's release as "an ugly act of

'mercy.'"(3) Mercy is far less beautiful when its recipients mar the pictures.

Reactions to Megrahi's release were understandably intense. Outrage at the thought of compassion for someone who showed no compassion for his 270 victims was readily voiced. Cries for justice were heard across the globe. A sense of injustice was rightly palpable, particularly for those who lost loved ones at the hands of the now-freed man. Much can be said in this case about justice and injustice. For indeed, justice demands that guilt not be swept under the carpet; and yet here, mercy served as the broom. What cannot be said, however, is that we expect anything different from mercy, that we expect mercy to always be beautiful, or somehow easier to swallow. Mercy is always ugly to someone.

Yet we rarely see it this way with any consistency. When demanding justice partial to our situations, mercy's ugliness is usually clearer. But we seldom apply the same thunderous demands for justice when it works against us. This is well-illustrated by Orual in C.S. Lewis's Till We Have Faces. Orual, who has spent a life time carefully building her case against the gods, meticulously describes each instance where she has been wronged, and demands to be heard by the gods for the sake of justice. But after she has finally had her chance to formally state her case before the gods themselves, she is stunned to hear that it is now her turn to face her judges.

"My judges?" she asks.

"Why, yes, child. The gods have been accused by you. Now's their turn."

"I cannot hope for mercy," she laments to the one beside her.

"Infinite hopes-and fears-may both be yours," he replies. "Be sure that, whatever else you get, you will not get justice."

"Are the gods not just?" she asks.

"Oh no, child. What would become of us if they were?"(4)

Our strong sense of justice is not misguided. But justice demands that it will apply to us as thoroughly as we apply it to others. For those who realize the gravity of this equation, no image barring the Cross of Christ will console. Where Jesus' death on the Cross became the satisfaction for God's perfect justice, the guilty were given God's eternal pardon and official release. Only here is reconciliation fully achieved and liberation entirely just. Mercy is indeed as ugly as it is beautiful.

Jill Carattini is managing editor of A Slice of Infinity at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.

(1) William Shakespeare, The Works of William Shakespeare, Vol. 1, "The Merchant of Venice," (London: Bickers & Son: 1874), 186.

(2) William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet (Philadelphia; J.B. Lippincott, 1899), 165.

(3) "Lockerbie Terrorist's Release Is an Ugly Act of 'Mercy,'" LA Times, August 21, 2009, www.latimes.com, accessed August 24, 2009.

(4) C.S. Lewis, Till We Have Faces (Orlando: Harcourt, 1984), 297.  

What is Salvation?

According to the Scriptures, [in the salvation of man] the human element is never included beyond the essential adjustment [surrender] of man to the work of God. This human responsibility is always expressed in terms, which, suggest that man is the recipient of the benefits of the work of God. Some of these Bible terms are: "believe," "receive," "faith," "By me if any man enter in," "Come unto me," "Whoever will may come," "Whoever calls," "turned to God," being "reconciled to God." Thus it is seen that [in the salvation experience] one is saved from the guilt and penalty of sin, not by expiating [paying the penalty of] his own sins, but by believing in the One who has suffered in his stead. After one is thus saved, he is delivered from the power of sin in his daily life, not by anxious striving, but by yielding, and by relying on the all-sufficient, indwelling Spirit. He [or she] will be saved from the presence of sin into the coming glory and likeness of Christ, not by any human effort or human device, but by the power which wrought [worked] in Christ to raise Him from the dead, and, by which he [or she] will [one day] be translated instantly from the earth to heaven. In every instance the divine responsibility is seen to be within the sphere of the actual accomplishment of the mighty undertaking; one's responsibility is in the sphere of the reception of that work. The whole transaction is free from every consideration of remuneration, barter, or trade. It is the love of God expressing itself in His gracious work for those who, within themselves, will ever be hopelessly undeserving and therefore eternally debtors to infinite grace.

Salvation is the work of God for man; it is not the work of man for God.

Salvation is the bestowal and actual impartation of eternal life; it is not the beauties and artificial imitations of ethical living.

Salvation is the imputed righteousness of God; it is not the imperfect righteousness of man.

Salvation is according to the faithful calling of God; it is not according to the fitful carefulness of man.

Salvation is a divine reconciliation; it is not a human regulation.

Salvation is the canceling of all sin; it is not the cessation from some sin.

Salvation is being delivered from, and dead to, the law; it is not delighting in, or doing [obeying], the law.

Salvation is divine regeneration; it is not human reformation.

Salvation is being acceptable to God; it is not becoming exceptionally good.

Salvation is completeness in Christ; it is not competency in character.

Salvation is possessing every spiritual blessing; it is not professing any special betterment.

Who My God Is!

My God is a triune God. He is Jehovah God my Father,

He is Jesus Christ God the Son, my Savior,

He is God the Holy Spirit Who lives in me. 

He is the first and last

The beginning and the end. 

He is the keeper of creation and the creator of all that is

He is the architect of the Universe and the manager of all times.

He always was, He always is, and He always will be...

He is unmovable, unchangeable, undefeated and never undone 

He was bruised and brought healing.

He was pierced and eased pain.

He was persecuted and brought freedom.

He was dead and brought life.

He is risen and brings power.

He reigns and bring peace. 

The world can't understand Him,

Its armies can't defeat Him,

Its intellects can't explain Him and its leaders can't ignore Him.

Herod couldn't kill Him, The Pharisees couldn't confuse Him,

And the people couldn't hold Him.

Nero couldn't crush Him and Hitler couldn't silence Him,

The New Age can't replace Him, and Oprah Winfrey

or Larry King can't explain Him away. Hallelujah!

He is light, He is love, He is longevity and He is Lord.

He is goodness, He is Kindness, He is gentleness and He is peace.

He is holy, He is righteous, He is mighty, powerful and pure. 

His ways are right,

His word is eternal,

His will is unchanging, and His mind is on His children. 

He is my Savior,

He is my guide, and He is my peace.

He is my joy,

He is my comfort,

He is my Lord, and He rules my life 

His bond is love, His burden is light,

And His goal for me is the abundant life.

He is the wisdom of the wise.

He is the power of the powerful, He is the ancient of days,

He is the ruler of those who rule,

And He is the leader of those who lead. 

His eternal plan from the foundations of the world

included a relationship with ME! Therefore, 

He will never leave me,

He will never forsake me,

He will never mislead me,

He will never forget me,

He will never overlook me

And He will never remove my name from His book of life! 

When I fall, He lifts me up,

When I fail, He forgives me.

When I am weak, He is strong.

When I am afraid, He is my courage.

When I stumble, He steadies me.

When I am hurt, He heals me.

When I am broken, He mends me.

When I am blind, He gives me sight.

When I am hungry, He feeds me.

When I am thirsty, He gives me drink.

When I face trials, He walks through them with me.

When I face persecution, He shields me.

When I am sorrowful, He comforts me.

When I face loss, He provides for me.

And when I face death, He will carry me home. 

He is God, He is faithful, I am His, He is mine

And I will serve Him for all eternity!

Why We Have Heresies and Cults Based on Eleven Truths for Believers
Note definition of quasi = seemingly

How and why we have quasi-Christian heresies and quasi-Christian cults masquerading in the church of Jesus Christ as if they were truly part of the body of Christ has bothered and perplexed me ever since I became a believer. However, it has become less of a mystery as I have been studying God's word as it deals with how the Holy Spirit leads believers into all truth. I chose the term quasi because it means ‘seemingly' because there are heresies and cults that are seemingly Christian in appearance, but they are not part of the body of Christ.

By definition, these heresies and cults are religious organizations whose tenets and body of followers deny that salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone, plus nothing else. Members of these orgs may swear on a stack of Bibles that salvation is by faith in Christ, but they always demand additional steps or practices in addition to faith. For instance, requiring their followers to keep any commandment in conjunction with or in addition to belief in Christ, or having to be baptized as part of the salvation experience is heresy. There is nothing Christian about either of these type groups or organizations. However, this doesn't mean that there are not Christians in these organizations. But, those who are Christians in these organizations are Christians because they believed in Jesus and He alone for their salvation. Plus zero, zilch, nada or nothing else.

Heresies and cults are not and can never be a part of the body of Christ. Although there are cults that have millions of members and they may be identified by the world as representative of Christ's church or a Christian denomination or organization, they are not, in fact, part of the Church of Jesus Christ. Once you require anything more than belief in Christ as a prerequisite for salvation you have deemed the sacrifice of the Son of God insufficient. Thus, if the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ is not sufficient to save anyone, in and of itself, nothing in all the Universe will be sufficient to save mankind. The revealed truth is that the supernatural, saving, transforming work of God, which is made possible through the infinite sacrifice of Christ is by God's sovereign grace, freely bestowed on all who believe on His Son as Savior and mankind can add nothing else.

When one believes in Jesus Christ unto salvation they are baptized into Christ by the Holy Spirit and then the Holy Spirit takes up residence in the new believer at that time. Here the Holy Spirit will abide until the believer either enters into the Lord's presence at death or at the rapture. The purpose of the Holy Spirit residing in each believer is to lead the believer into all truth and to shape and mold the believer into the image of the Lord Jesus.

To give us perspective, let me quote Lewis Sperry Chafer from one of his magnificent works on the grace of God. "The two foundation truths which determine all spiritual perception are that, by divine arrangement, (1) the Spirit is given only to those who are saved, and (2) spiritual understanding is made to depend exclusively on the presence of the Spirit of God in the heart."[1]

So, if the Spirit is given only to those who have been saved and if spiritual understanding comes through the presence of the Spirit of God in a person, then those who are not saved can not receive or understand spiritual things. However, lost people can mimic Christians, pretend to be a Christian, fake spiritual insight and repeat what they have read or heard and give the illusion of having the Holy Spirit. However, a believer walking in the Spirit will soon find that their spirit does not bear witness with the unbeliever because the unbeliever is spiritually dead.

Here are eleven truths that only Christians can come to truly understand through the ministry of the indwelling Spirit leading a child of God into all truth.

1. This first truth concerns the things of the Spirit of God. Note that the natural (lost) man or woman does not receive them and nor can they know them for they are foolishness to him or her. These things of the Spirit of God are spiritually discerned

"But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned," (1 Cor. 2:14).

2. This next truth is that only those who are born again can see the kingdom of God. Thus the natural, or unsaved, man will never see the kingdom of God.

"Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God,"" (John 3:3).

3. The truth revealed here is that the world cannot receive the Holy Spirit of God, the Spirit of truth, nor can the world know Him or see Him. However, Christians know Him because He dwells with and in them.

"the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you," (John 14:17).

4. This truth is that the gospel is veiled to those who are perishing (those who do not believe in Jesus Christ as Savior). In fact, their minds are blinded by the god of this world, Satan, who desires that they not believe in and on the Lord Jesus Christ unto salvation.

"But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them," (2 Cor. 4:3-4).

5. The truth here is that God is pleased that it is through the foolishness of the message of the gospel that those who believe are saved.

"For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe," (1 Cor 1:21).

6. This next verse reveals the truth that those who are spiritual beings through the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit judges all things but he or she is judged by no one. Now here is a truth that every believer needs to write upon the tablet of their heart and mind: Believers are never judged or condemned in the spiritual realm. The Lord Jesus has been judged in our place and has received the punishment for all our sins.

"But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one", (1 Cor 2:15).

7. Because Christians have received the Holy Spirit of God we have this truth, we can know all things that have been freely given to us by God.

"Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God," (1 Cor 2:12).

8. The moment the Holy Spirit indwells a person at salvation, He begins to guide them into all truth. He does not speak from His own authority, but whatever He hears from the Lord Jesus He will speak. He will glorify the Son of God and will declare the things of God that also belong to the Lord Jesus to those who believe in the Lord Jesus unto salvation.

"However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you," (John 16:13-15).

9. The Holy Spirit, by whom all believers are baptized into Christ at salvation, they received from Christ Jesus, and they do not need anyone to teach them the truths of God for the Holy Spirit teaches them all things. He teaches believers the truths of God, not lies, therefore believers are to abide in His teachings and also in Him.

"But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him," (1 John 2:27).

10. Another scriptural truth is, the wisdom of God is hidden from the world, therefore the wisdom we speak in the presence of unbelievers will appear to be a mystery to them. God ordained before the ages, for our glory, that which none of the rulers of the ages could understand. For, had they understood, they would not have crucified the Son of God. It was written by the Prophet Isaiah, "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him."

"But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him," (1 Cor 2:7-9).

11. Therefore, by their sustaining faith and the presence of the Holy Spirit abiding in them and leading them unto all truth, Christians understand the very things of God. However, the world can only see and understand the things they see with their eyes, they can not see and comprehend the unseen things of God.

"By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible," (Heb 11:3).

We have seen through these verses that anything related to the Father, anything related to the Son, anything related to the Holy Spirit, anything related to "things" to come, and anything related to the kingdom of God, will be declared to the believer. However, the unbeliever can not have knowledge of, understand or comprehend any of these things.
Since the natural man: 1).does not receive the things of the Spirit of God; 2). can not receive the Holy Spirit; 3). Has the gospel veiled to them; 4). whose minds the god of this age has blinded; 5). who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them, how can they not but masquerade as something they are not? Their god is the god of this world, the lord of all liars, who has not the truth in him.
Therefore, evil men and women since Calvary have tasted of the blessings of the New Covenant and desired those blessings for themselves, They have by lies and deception, by hook and crook, by vain imaginations and their own precepts, created ungodly, satanic cults and heresies in their attempts to experience the blessings of the church of Jesus Christ.

Any man or woman who desires the blessings of God need only to believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and he or she will have all the blessings of the riches of God's grace as their own. These are every believers rightful possessions in Christ.

Lewis Sperry Chafer's Grace: An Exposition of God's Marvelous Gift
Posted April 21, 2011

Secular Humanism has Fizzled Out

Marsha West

It may surprise some readers to learn that secular humanism, the anti-religious, anti-supernatural belief system liberal reformers and radicals tried to foist on society has fizzled out.  Their anti-God worldview failed to sway us away from our religious beliefs and from our obsession with “hidden knowledge.”  Instead of the promised Utopia, “secular humanists created two world wars and the death of 200 million.”  They also created a modern culture war, an upheaval over social issues such as abortion, guns and gays and, worst of all, they created moral anarchy.  

Worldview Weekend radio host, Brannon Howse, examined the reasons secular humanism (SH) failed to deliver the ideally perfect place, socially, politically and morally and why there has been a shift to spiritual paganism or “spiritualism.”  The shift happened because of guilt, says Howse:

“Secular humanism denies the soul, the conscience and thus can not address the guilt.  Spiritual Paganism is all about removing the guilt. Human reasoning has left an entire generation groping in the dark while spiritualism gives the promise of enlightenment, the revelation of hidden knowledge. Secular humanism has not infiltrated evangelical churches to any real degree but spiritualism is rushing in like a tsunami.”

Theologically, secular humanists are atheists.  Philosophically they are naturalists.  Humanists reject the possibility of any supernatural phenomena…human beings have no soul…there is no afterlife…no heaven.  As for hell? Oh please. 

According to Christiananswers.net, SH is a set of beliefs “through which one interprets all of reality—something like a pair of glasses.”  They say it is also a religious worldview:

“Do not let the word ‘secular’ mislead you. The Humanists themselves would agree that they adhere to a religious worldview. According to the Humanist Manifestos I & II: Humanism is ‘a philosophical, religious, and moral point of view.’”   

But not all humanists want to be identified as religious.  Why?  Christiananswers.net gives the following reason:

“[T]hey understand that religion is (supposedly) not allowed in American public education. To identify Secular Humanism as a religion would eliminate the Humanists' main vehicle for the propagation of their faith. And it is a faith, by their own admission. The Humanist Manifestos declare:  ‘These affirmations [in the Manifestos] are not a final credo or dogma but an expression of a living and growing faith.’"  

Those who experienced years of spiritual depravation—and guilt—have moved on to Cosmic Humanism (CH). President of Summit Ministries, David Noebel, explains CH thusly:

“The Cosmic Humanist worldview consists of two interrelated spiritual movements. One is known as the New Age Movement (NAM), and the other is neo-paganism, which includes occult practices, Native American spiritism, and Wicca.  … This worldview is summed up by Jonathan Adolph: ‘In its broadest sense, New Age thinking can be characterized as a form of utopianism, the desire to create a better society, a 'New Age' in which humanity lives in harmony with itself, nature, and the cosmos.’"  

Humanists and neo-pagans are looking for Utopia, it seems.  What they have in common is that both worldviews are man-centered and reject the God of the Bible.

CH is a pantheistic worldview which holds that God is all and all is God (all things are interconnected) including humans, animals, insects, water, rocks, trees, planets, stars and so on. Cosmic humanists believe that humanity is evolving, moving upward toward an age of higher consciousness where we will experience “cosmic unity.” Humans who want to achieve unity with all existing things must get in touch with the "god within."  

Some of their doctrines include: the Divine Mind (“Creating instant manifestation through union of the human and divine mind”), Christ consciousness (“the state of awareness of our true nature, our higher self, and our birthright as children of God”), reincarnation (“rebirth of the soul in one or more successive existences, which may be human, animal, or vegetable”) and karma (a person's action, either bad or good, determines his or her destiny).

Cosmic humanists “blur the line between physics and metaphysics,” reveals Debra Rae. “To them, all life is energy; composite energy is god; and the promised expectation is ‘life beyond the grave’ by becoming god.”  

Throwing off all our cares and woes and becoming god sounds intriguing, doesn’t it?  

Not so fast.  What this means is that the individual will disappear as a separate person and meld into the “universal oneness.”  Is this the sort of afterlife humans can look forward to?

CH is very different from SH in that the secular humanist sees man as the measure of all things and denies the soul whereas the religious humanist sees man as having unlimited human potential because of his “inner divinity.” 

“Unity is at the central core of Being,” says one cosmic humanist.  So “Let us learn to reflect this greatest Truth in our lives. Let us appreciate the beauty of diversity much as we cultivate the diverse flowers in a garden. Let us not assign God to any one religion, creed, or belief system; for how can the created possibly understand the Creator! Let us come together in love, respect, and share in a humility born of the wisdom that we are a part of everything. Nothing exists independently. Let us grow, let us learn, let us flower and let us bear fruit!” (Online Source)

Let us get real! Let us apply logic! The person who wrote this obviously did not think this through. If God exists, common sense dictates that there can be only one true God.  All other gods are counterfeit.  So God is either: Jehovah of Judaism; the Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) of Christianity; Allah of Islam; a multitude of Hindu gods; the Ultimate Self of Buddhists; Enlightened Humans of Jainism; the Supreme Architect of Deism; Eloheim of Mormonism; the New Cosmic Consciousness of the New Age movement or what New Thought devotees refer to as Infinite Intelligence; the Higher Power of Alcoholics Anonymous.   All these religions/groups say that their god is the one true God.  How is that possible?

DARWINIAN EVOLUTION

Getting back to my point, those who embrace CH are naturalists, meaning that they are evolutionists.  The theory of Darwinian Evolution (DE) holds that life evolved from one common origin over billions of years.   DE also holds to what Darwin called “natural selection” or as Herbert Spencer put it “survival of the fittest.”  Which means that,  

“Any individual organism which succeeds in reproducing itself is ‘fit’ and will contribute to survival of its species, not just the ‘physically fittest’ ones, though some of the population will be better adapted to the circumstances than others. A more accurate characterization of evolution would be ‘survival of the fit enough’.

“Moreover, to misunderstand or misapply the phrase to simply mean ‘survival of those who are better equipped for surviving’ is rhetorical tautology. What Darwin meant was ‘better adapted for immediate, local environment’ by differential preservation of organisms that are better adapted to live in changing environments. The concept is not tautological as it contains an independent criterion of fitness.” (Online Source )  

EVOLVING FROM SLIME INTO GODS

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin said, “Evolution is a light illuminating all facts, a curve that all lines must follow. . . . Man discovers that he is nothing else than evolution become conscious of itself.”

Oh really.    

First off, whatever we know about how man became “conscious” and began to think is sheer speculation!  Guesswork!  Not fact!  I don’t hold a biology degree and I’m no expert in any area of science, and I know very little about philosophy, but one thing I do know is that the brain is very complex.  It doesn’t take a Ph.D to understand that the brain controls every single bodily function.  Which begs the question: Before the brain developed how could any creature draw a breath?  Without a fully developed brain, what controlled body temperature…blood pressure…digestion?  How did creatures chew their food/swallow…excrete waste…recognize danger?  Did the memory evolve?  Homo sapiens somehow came to realize that they couldn’t see.  So they set about evolving something to see with.  And lo, 1 billion years later the eye came into being.  So here’s my next question: Did primitive humans have to stay in the swamp to avoid bumping into trees or stepping off a cliff, or did they feel their way around?

One last question: Wouldn’t organs have to evolve at precisely the same time for the body to be able to function?  I mean, think about it.  If all our vital organs fail to operate in harmony, our bodies shut down and die!  Yet we’re supposed to believe that Homo sapiens managed to evolve into modern man sporting all our pretty amazing bells and whistles!   

We’re also supposed to believe that the next stage in the evolutionary process is for Homo sapiens to “evolve into the New Age by realizing their godhood.”  To reach this new pinnacle, “Cosmic Humanists use a wide variety of occult means in their effort to attain this higher consciousness, resulting in a movement described as metaphysical or paranormal.”  (Online source)  

The means they use to attain a higher consciousness include meditation, visualization and hallucinogenic drugs.  Some become junkies hooked on a spiritual high.  These methods are the "sacraments" of the New Age religion and are practiced to experience “interconnectedness of all things.”  

So those who wish to evolve to the next step in human evolution must dive into the occult.  Those of us who prefer not to take the plunge will simply remain unenlightened humanoids.  Sort of like Neanderthals, but with less hair.   

HUMANITY AND THE EARTH

“Enlightened” consciousness researcher and spiritual visionary John White believes that humanity and the earth have the makings of a promising future together. But there will be change.  “The form of human being that will be here to participate is a primate of a very different order than the human as we know it today. He calls it Homo noeticus—the next step in human evolution.” (Online source)  

White and Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell founded the Institute of Noetic Sciences in Northern California. According to the IONS website:

“’Noetic’ comes from the ancient Greek nous, for which there is no exact equivalent in English. It refers to ‘inner knowing,’ a kind of intuitive consciousness—direct and immediate access to knowledge beyond what is available to our normal senses and the power of reason.”

Under the heading: What are 'Noetic Sciences'? it says,

”Noetic sciences are explorations into the nature and potentials of consciousness using multiple ways of knowing—including intuition, feeling, reason, and the senses. Noetic sciences explore the ‘inner cosmos’ of the mind (consciousness, soul, spirit) and how it relates to the ‘outer cosmos’ of the physical world.” (Online source)  

COSMIC HUMANISM AND CHRISTIANITY

As I stated earlier, the CH believes in the god within and the divinity of man.  What is hard to fathom is that a large number of what were once evangelicals have thrown off traditional Christianity and adopted CH’s pantheistic (pagan) worldview.

The serious Christian simply cannot ignore this subject any longer.  The Bible admonishes us to "be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear" (I Peter 3:15).  This includes being ready to have a meaningful, informed dialogue with those who have been drawn into the lie of CH by Satanic forces.

Even though the older generation has dropped the ball it’s not too late to shift gears, says David Noebel:

“Society will flourish in the light of truth only when the emphasis shifts back to a Christian perspective. This dramatic shift in emphasis can be brought about through the leadership of thousands of informed, confident Christian students who think deeply and broadly from a well-honed biblical worldview and emerge as leaders in education, business, science, and government.”

Copyright by Marsha West, 2010.  All rights reserved.

The Christian perspective:

Genesis 1:1, 27 (Creation)

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

John 1:1–3 (Jesus—the Word—is the Creator)

 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

John 14:6 (Jesus is the only path to God)

 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Acts 4:10–12 (Salvation in Christ alone)

 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Colossians 1:15–20 (Jesus’ credentials)

 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

Hebrews 9:27 (No reincarnation)

 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.

1 John 1:7–10 (The Bible’s teaching on sin)

 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

About the Author:  

Marsha West is a religious/political-based writer and owner of EmailBrigade.com. As well, she is the founder and editor of the Email Brigade News Report, a biweekly news resource for people of faith that is chock-full of critical news and information. Marsha is dedicated to restoring a more common sense approach to our nation's governance by encouraging people to thoroughly understand the issues that impact American lives, and then to engage the culture. Marsha's articles have been published widely online and in print. She is a regular contributor to News With Views, Renew America, Worldview Times, Christian Research Network, Conservative Crusader and a guest columnist for American Daily and Mich News. Marsha is currently writing a fiction series for Christian children to equip them to defend their faith and live for Christ. Visit Marsha's website: http://emailbrigade.com

Rob Bell goes off the deep end

Peter Heck - Guest Columnist - 4/21/2011 9:15:00 AM

A few years ago I overheard some friends talking about a new minister named Rob Bell.  They were watching some of his videos online and when I asked what they were doing, they told me...before following it up with, "But we don't think you'd probably care for him too much."
 
Frankly, they weren't terribly far off in that assessment.  Please understand I don't know Rob Bell and I'm sure he's a delightful and warm and genuine person.  But the reason my friends felt that I wouldn't "care for him" was because they knew I'd have bigger problems than just the fact that he was of the hipster emerging church movement: the jeans-wearing, un-tucked shirt school of latte-sipping gospel spreading.  Though it's not my style, I can deal with that. My preferences are just that...preferences...so long as it's the true gospel that's being spread.

But I've always feared that too often a casual attitude demonstrated in approaching the throne of God reflects a casual attitude about the holiness and authority of who sits on that throne.  With Rob Bell, such a concern is seemingly validated.
 
A recent TIME Magazine profile explains Bell's disastrous decision to blaspheme the Word of God and consequently lead an untold number of congregants who follow him -- rather than Christ -- down a destructive path.  The TIME piece begins by telling the opening story of Bell's new book, Love Wins.  In the account, Bell has an art show at his church that includes a piece quoting Gandhi.  Someone who attended the show posted a note on the piece that said, "Reality Check: Gandhi is in Hell."
 
Now, I can certainly appreciate Bell being concerned about the lack of tact.  But what I can't understand is any minister who supposedly holds to the authority of Scripture using this incident as the impetus to begin preaching something fundamentally opposed to Christian doctrine:

He suggests that the redemptive work of Jesus may be universal -- meaning that, as his book's subtitle puts it, "every person who ever lived" could have a place in heaven, whatever that turns out to be. Such a simple premise, but with Easter at hand, this slim, lively book has ignited a new holy war in Christian circles and beyond.

For those who might be confused as to the significant danger of this "holy war," Dr. Albert Mohler put it plainly:

"When you adopt universalism and erase the distinction between the church and the world," says Mohler, "then you don't need the church, and you don't need Christ, and you don't need the cross. This is the tragedy of nonjudgmental mainline liberalism, and it's Rob Bell's tragedy in this book too."

Precisely.  And the reason "tragedy" is such an appropriate term is that this failure doesn't involve just Bell and his own family.  It includes countless families that have trusted him with their spiritual guidance.  This unfolding disaster reflects undoubtedly why Scripture warns those who teach and preach to be wary -- for they will be judged more harshly than others.
 
But Bell doesn't appear overly worried about his judgment...or, more frighteningly, anyone else's for that matter.  His own words betray his greater interest may be accumulating earthly accolades -- becoming the leader of what he perceives as a great Christian revolution:

"I have long wondered if there is a massive shift coming in what it means to be a Christian," Bell says. "Something new is in the air."

What arrogance.  No Rob, there is no shift coming in "what it means to be a Christian."  You may be successful in diminishing the number of people who adhere to biblical Christianity, or who regard all Scripture as God-breathed. But no mortal -- no matter how many people fill his parking lot (something Bell bizarrely boasts about in this piece) -- will alter the immortal meaning of being a disciple of Christ.
 
And I would implore Rob Bell to take a good sniff at that smell that is "in the air."  It's nothing new at all.  It's the same, tired old stench of false teaching.  Consider:

He believes in Jesus' atonement; he says he is just unclear on whether the redemption promised in Christian tradition is limited to those who meet the tests of the church.

Tests of the church?  Where did this man get his theological training?  It becomes clear from this statement that Bell is one who, consciously or not, rejects the infallibility of Scripture and the inerrancy of God's Word.  Much as Bell might love to tuck Love Wins right in there between Galatians and Ephesians, the Word stands alone -- and if one can ignore the exclusive nature of the Gospel message (meaning while open to all, the narrow path is reserved for only those who choose it), interpreting it away for some universalist, liberal doctrine that soothes itching ears, what prevents one from doing the same with any sticky or uncomfortable teaching of Scripture?
 
Even the TIME writer gets the problem:

[T]o take away hell is to leave the church without its most powerful sanction. If heaven, however defined, is everyone's ultimate destination in any event, then what's the incentive to confess Jesus as Lord in this life? If, in other words, Gandhi is in heaven, then why bother with accepting Christ? If you say the Bible doesn't really say what a lot of people have said it says, then where does that stop? If the verses about hell and judgment aren't literal, what about the ones on adultery, say, or homosexuality? Taken to their logical conclusions, such questions could undermine much of conservative Christianity.

Drop the intentionally misleading word "conservative," and that assessment is about spot-on.  This has been the tactic we Christians have had to protect ourselves against coming from the world.  They have sought to call into question certain biblical teachings, and we have resisted by stressing that once you relinquish the inerrancy of one portion of the Word, who is to stop another from calling into question the plan of salvation itself?  To our horror we have now found that questioning taking place by one of our own.  This isn't an outside assault against biblical authority.  It's internal subterfuge -- a mutiny from within.
 
Bell is later quoted as saying it is fair to speculate about heaven and hell because no one has sent back video footage of what happens after we die, so we don't know for sure.
 
If you needed more proof of Bell's sorry confusion, his arrogant willingness to boldly mislead, or his blasphemous undermining of the authority of Scripture, you need look no further.  A true disciple of Christ recognizes that we may not have video footage, but we do have the testimony of One who has seen both sides of the eternal divide -- One who conquered Hell to reign in Heaven.
 
It is He who said that no man comes to the Father except by Him, with no alternative Gandhi route mentioned. It is He that we are told represents the one name under heaven by which we must be saved. It is He that the most popular Bible passage of all time reminds us whosoever believeth in, shall live eternally.
 
And it is by His authority and His Word I choose to stake my life; not that of Rob Bell, who in the end -- despite undoubtedly earning earthly wealth and fame for doing so -- has accomplished nothing more than adding the latest chapter to the sorry text of humanism...and has willfully joined the lineage of those who have exchanged the truth of God for a lie.
 
Pray for "Pastor" Bell's repentance, and especially for those who he has permitted Satan to tragically lead astray through this false teaching.

The Truth About.......
FREEMASONRY AND THE MASONIC LODGE

Questions and Answers Pertaining to Free Masonry and Christianity
Please note - by this article, we are not claiming that all who are involved in Freemasonry are cultists, or that all Freemasons believe all the items mentioned below. What we are saying is this - Freemasonry at its core is not a Christian organization. There are many Christians who have left Freemasonry after discovering what it is truly all about. Please visit Ex-Masons for Jesus for more information. There are also good and godly men, true believers in Christ who are Freemasons. It is our contention that this is because they do not truly understand Freemasonry. Each person should pray for wisdom and discernment from the Lord as to whether to be involved with Freemasonry. This article was reviewed and approved for accuracy by a former Worshipful Master of a Blue Lodge.

"What is Free Masonry and what do Free Masons believe?"
Freemasonry, Eastern Star, and other similar "secret" organizations appear to be harmless fellowship gatherings. Many of them appear to promote belief in God. However, upon closer examination, we find that the only belief requirement is not that one must believe in the True and Living God, but rather, that one must believe in the existence of a "Supreme Being", which includes the "gods" of Islam, Hinduism, or any other world religion. The unbiblical and anti-Christian beliefs and practices of this organization are partially hidden beneath an outward appearance of a supposed compatibility with the Christian faith. The following is a comparison of what the Bible says with the "official" position of Freemasonry:

Salvation from Sin:
The Bible's View: Jesus became the sinner's sacrifice before God when He shed His blood and died as the propitiation (payment) for the sins of all those who would ever believe (Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 5:8, John 3:16).

Mason's View: The very process of joining the Lodge requires Christians to ignore the exclusivity of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. According to Freemasonry, a person will be saved and go to heaven as a result of his good works and personal self-improvement.

The View of the Bible:
The Bible's View: The supernatural and plenary inspiration of the Scriptures-that they are inerrant and that their teachings and authority are absolute, supreme, and final. The Bible is the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16, 1 Thessalonians 2:13).

Mason's View: The Bible is only one of several "Volume(s) of Sacred Law," all of which are deemed to be equally important in Freemasonry. The Bible is an important book, only as far as those members who claim to be Christians are concerned, just as the Koran is important to Muslims. The Bible is not considered to be the exclusive Word of God, nor is it considered to be God's sole revelation of himself to humankind; but only one of many religious sourcebooks. It is a good guide for morality. The Bible is used primarily as a symbol of God's will, which can also be captured in other sacred texts, like the Koran or Rig Vedas.

The Doctrine of God:
The Bible's View: There is one God. The various names of God refer to the God of Israel and reveal certain attributes of God. To worship other gods or to call upon other deities is idolatry (Exodus 20:3). Paul spoke of idolatry as a heinous sin (1 Corinthians 10:14) and John said that idolaters will perish in hell (Revelation 21:8).

Mason's View: All members must believe in a deity. Mason's believe that different religions (Christianity, Judaism, Islam, etc.) acknowledge the same God, only call Him different names. This is the gravest of errors. Although, Christians and Jews believe in the same God, careful study of Islam and the Qur'an shows that Allah is not the God of the Bible. Freemasonry invites people of all faiths, even if they use different names for the ‘Nameless One of a hundred names,' they are yet praying to the one God and Father of all.

The Doctrine of Jesus and the Trinity:
The Bible's View: Jesus was God in human form (Matthew 1:18-24, John 1:1). Jesus is the second person of the trinity (Matthew 28:19, Mark 1:9-11). While on earth, He was fully human (Mark 4:38, Matthew 4:2) and fully divine (John 20:28, John 1:1-2, Acts 4:10-12). Christians should pray in Jesus' name and proclaim Him before others, regardless of offense to non-Christians (John 14:13-14, 1 John 2:23, Acts 4:18-20).

Mason's View: There is no exclusivity in Jesus Christ or the Triune God who is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; therefore there is no doctrine of the deity of Jesus Christ. It is deemed to be un-Masonic to invoke the name of Jesus when praying, or mention His name in the Lodge. Suggesting that Jesus is the only way to God contradicts the principle of tolerance. The name of Jesus has been omitted from biblical verses that are used in Masonic rituals. Jesus is on the same level as other religious leaders.

Human Nature and Sin:
The Bible's View: All humans are born with a sinful nature, are totally depraved, and need a Savior from sin (Romans 3:23, Romans 5:12, Psalm 51:5, Ephesians 2:1). The Bible denies that because of the Fall, humanity has within itself the capacity for moral perfection (1 John 1:8-10, Romans 1:18-25).

Mason's View: Through symbols and emblems, Masons teach that man is not sinful, just "rude and imperfect by nature". Human beings are able to improve their character and behavior in various ways, including acts of charity, moral living, and voluntary performance of civic duty. Humanity possesses the ability of moving from imperfection toward total perfection. Moral and spiritual perfection lies within men and women.

When a Christian takes the oath of Freemasonry, he is swearing to the following doctrines that God has pronounced false and sinful:
1. That salvation can be gained by man's good works.
2. That Jesus is just one of many equally revered prophets.
3. That they will remain silent in the Lodge and not talk of Christ.
4. That they are approaching the Lodge in spiritual darkness and ignorance, when the Bible says Christians are already in the light, children of the light, and are indwelt by the Light of the World-Jesus Christ.
5. By demanding that Christians take the Masonic oath, Masonry leads Christians into blasphemy and taking the name of the Lord in vain.
6. Masonry teaches that its G.A.O.T.U. [Great Architect of the Universe], whom Masonry believes is the true God of the universe, is representative of all gods in all religions.
7. Masonry makes Christians take a universalist approach in their prayers, demanding a "generic" name be used so as not to offend non-believers who are Masonic "brothers".
8. By swearing the Masonic oath and participating in the doctrines of the Lodge, Christians are perpetuating a false gospel to other Lodge members, who look only to Masonry's plan of salvation to get to heaven. By their very membership in such a syncretistic type organization, they have severely compromised their witnessing as Christians.
9. By taking the Masonic obligation, the Christian is agreeing to allow the pollution of his mind, spirit, and body by those who serve false gods and believe false doctrines.

As you can see, Masonry denies and contradicts the clear teaching of Scripture and numerous issues. Masonry also requires people to engage in activities which the Bible condemns. As a result, a Christian should not be a member of any secret society or organization that has any connection with Freemasonry.

Again, for more information, we strongly recommend Ex-Masons for Jesus and reading all the articles on this Webpage.

I have been besieged of late to explain why I just won't go away and leave the Masons alone to do their "good works." Let me share a little history about this ministry and me. My comments come from the forward to an upcoming book on the subject.

I lay on the floor of the bathroom, retching. I was sure I was going to die. I had a TV show to do in just a few hours and I was certain that I wouldn't live to see it. I pulled myself up, leaning against the wall next to the toilet, trying to pull away from the pain I was in and sort out what was happening. I supposed that I had contracted food poisoning during the Pastors' lunch earlier, but then, my table companions, sharing the same pizza, were not in here fighting for space at this receptacle. I remembered the two out-of-town visitors, whose attendance our host expressed concern over. "This is a dangerous business, and I don't know these fellows," he warned.

"Don't give it another thought," I answered. "God is our protector."

Then I recalled that one of them had offered to refresh my drink and I had consented. A half-hour later, I was convulsing in pain.

Reflecting back, years later now, I guess I ought to have questioned the wisdom of going to Inverness, Scotland to do a TV program on "The Occult Origins of Scottish Rite Masonry." My host was correct in his concern, yet God truly was my protector. I rose up that evening by His strength and did that program, standing up. Yet, by the morning I was too ill to continue my tour and the next day began a terrible journey back to Seattle, to my own doctors and my own family. I arrived home barely able to walk.

The poison had effected my involuntary muscle system and it was difficult to use my hands and feet and hold my head steady. I arrived in Seattle more than 25 pounds lighter than when I left. Tests showed that I had sustained a high, lethal dose of arsenic, enough to kill me a few times over. It took months to recover from the incident. Not only had the poison done serious damage to my digestive system, but also I would lie in bed, sleeping fitfully while my body twitched continually.

Later, the heavy metal began to work its way out through vicious sores in the tops of my hands and my head, making a terrible odor that smelled like dog urine. Even just recently, years later, while I was undergoing lung surgery caused by a bus accident, several blood vessels in my lower back broke spontaneously for apparently no reason. The doctors puzzled over the phenomenon for the better part of the day until a nurse asked my wife if I had been exposed to metallic poison in a work environment. When Carol told them about the Scotland incident, they had their answer. Tests showed that pockets of arsenic still in my system [lower back area] had been the cause and the vessels broke while I was in severe trauma.

I suppose we could have pointed out the man who poisoned me. He would have gone to prison, but as one Scottish friend warned, our host would have paid the price at the hands of the Masons in response. It wasn't worth it. I am still alive and I am still speaking out the awful truth of the lodge. I am sure there are more than a few Masons in Scotland that can't understand why I am still alive. I do. It was because God intended me to live.

When I began to study the Lodge with a critical eye, it meant that I had to look back at my own father, grandfather and their fathers before them for almost two hundred years. They were honest men, churchmen who took our faith, our family and our country seriously, fighting in its many wars. Generation after generation, each son followed after his father and entered into membership in the Lodge.

That line ended when I stepped out of the DeMoLay to join the Mormon Church. Well, tonight we have an wonderful opportunity to learn some things about Freemasonry, the lodges, et al...that you will never hear from those involved and we need to rejoice that this data is available if for no other reason than to know how to pray with wisdom for those you love who are involved...and for those here who are involved, to test my words against the Bible and your lodge and make a decision based on knowledge.

I know that this is a subject that comes close to home for many of you. Many of you have loved ones who are in the Masonic Lodge.

A lot of men get involved with Freemasonry, not fully understanding what they are getting entangled with.

I spent 20 years in the Mormon Church where the temple rituals had been directly "lifted" from the Blue Lodge degrees. Other portions of the Scottish rites, such as the ordination of the "Holy Melchizedek" priesthood were also common. The more I have studied Masonry, the more I realized the depth of its satanic hold over those within its "strong Grip". Within the pages of the hundreds of Masonic books and secret ritual manuals I have gathered and read in our research is a tragic story of Godly men who have succumbed to the snare of the enemy and have been snatched from the very arms of Christ. They have brought the darkest side of Baal worship into their homes and congregations, opening the door to every demon in that Masonic corner of Hell.

Most Masons get involved with the Lodge out of peer pressure, their friends are in it, their grandfather was in it, and some go into it for business reasons. They see it as a way to progress in their business and social lives. Others are attracted by the secret, mystic rituals and symbolism of Freemasonry. Others see people like the Shriners parading around in the red fezzes riding their funny cars in parades when the Shrine circus comes to town.

People wonder, "Well, what about the Shriners? We hear about the Shriners Hospital, about Masonic homes for Masons, about all the good works they do. Everyone knows about the Shrine Circus and the many people who are helped by them. Why are you criticizing them? Are you saying that they have something to hide from the world?"

Yes, I am saying just that. This is clearly the case with the Shriners. Their public image is that of a fun time group pouring out millions of dollars into charity, all the while dressed up in a party spirit, wearing their Red Fezzes with great aplomb.

The Fez itself, is an example of this double meaning behind most of Freemasonry's facade. Worn by ever Shriner and even carried to the grave with pompous dignity, the history of the Fez is barbaric and anti-Christian. In the early 8th century, Muslim hordes overran the Moroccan city of Fez, shouting, "There is no god but Allah and Mohammed is his prophet." There, they butchered many Christians.

These men, women and children were slain because of their faith in Christ, all in the name of Allah, the same demon god to whom every Shriner must bow, with hands tied behind his back, in worship, proclaiming him the god of his fathers in the Shrine initiation, at the Altar of Obligation.

We are going to discover that all those good works are simply an outer shell of an inner darkness. I am going to peel away all the outer wrapping. I will expose, very clearly, what Freemasonry is, and why no Christian has any business being any part of the Masonic Lodge.

The journey into Freemasonry begins at what is known as "The Blue Lodge." The Blue Lodge is the foundation of all Freemasonry. These are the many local lodge groups, scattered across the country in almost every little town and city. When a man goes into it, he is initiated into The Blue Lodge through three degrees: The first, or "Entered Apprentice" degree; the second, or "Fellowcraft Degree"; and the third, or "Master Mason" degree.

After going through the three degrees of The Blue Lodge, the Mason has the choice to stay in the Blue Lodge or to seek the advanced degrees through either the Scottish Rite or the York Rite. Many Masons will go through both.

Within the Scottish Rite, there are the fourth through the thirty-second degrees, and the thirty-third being an honorary degree. The York Rite has thirteen degrees. Once the Mason has attained the 32nd degree, through either higher arm of the craft, he has the option to petition to leading to join the Shriners.

Many people think that Masons and Shriners are one-and-the same, but actually, the Shrine is a separate body of the craft. Shriners are Masons who have achieved the highest degrees of the Blue Lodge, and Scottish or York Rites Masonry, who enter into what is known as "The Ancient and Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine."

Every step of Masonry has its ritual initiation, the mildest, of course being at the Blue Lodge level. Even this is bizarre, to say the least. In order to join the Lodge, each Mason must first be initiated through an initiation ceremony, similar throughout the world.

The Cable Tow:
The typical ceremony begins with the initiate being first divested of his jacket and his tie and any money or metal articles he has. His left trouser leg is then rolled up over the knee, his shirt is opened to expose his left breast and his right shoe is removed and replaced by a slipper. Then the person who is to be initiated will have a blindfold put on him and then a noose will be put around his neck. This is called a "Cable Tow". The blindfolded initiate (they call this being "hoodwinked.") is brought, with the noose around his neck, to the outer door of the Lodge.

The candidate, thus attired, is said to be in darkness, an allegory of Masonry that signifies that everyone outside of Masonry is in darkness and only Masons have the true light of the world. Only they have the true knowledge that will bring light to the world.

And so, the new Mason is brought to the outer door, seeking the light of the lodge, and there the Doorkeeper, or Tiler, will put a sword or a sharp point to his breast and lead him into the lodge room where an altar sits in its center. The lodge members await the candidate in the darkness that surrounds the altar, which is lit from a single light above. Behind the altar stands a man called "The Worshipful Master." He is the master of the lodge and presides over the initiation.

When the initiate is brought before him, he bows before "The Worshipful Master" and he says something like this, "I am lost in darkness, and I need the light of Freemasonry, I am seeking the light of Freemasonry." He is then told he is entering into a secret organization and that he must keep the secrets he is going to be taught.

At this time, he is required to take a blood initiation oath; every Mason who joins the Lodge takes his thumb or his hand to his throat and he then repeats an oath that has been repeated by every Mason who has joined the Lodge.

The oath for the Entered Apprentice (first level of the Blue Lodge) includes the following words:
"Binding myself under no less a penalty than having my throat cut across, my tongue torn out by its roots, and buried in the rough sands of the sea..."

The oath for the Fellowcraft Degree of Masonry (second level of the Blue Lodge) includes the following words:
"Binding myself under no less a penalty than that of having my left breast torn open, my heart plucked out and given as prey to the wild beasts of the fields and the fowls of the air..."

The Master Mason's Degree (third level of the Blue Lodge) requires every Mason to swear an oath including the following:
"Binding myself under no less a penalty than that of having my body severed in twain, my bowels taken from thence, and burned in ashes..."

Masons will tell you that there is nothing wrong in being a Christian as well as being a Mason. And, when they are exposed to some of the anti-Christian secrets of Masonry, they say, "Well, those are in the high degrees. We don't know about those things. I'm just in The Blue Lodge." I am sorry, but that is just not true.

The Blue Lodge Mason, who also claims to be a follower of Jesus Christ, has to ask himself some basic questions. First of all, "How can I put a blindfold on, come before a man I call The Worshipful Master", say I am lost in darkness and need the light of Freemasonry?"

The Bible brings us a very different message about light and darkness, one that brings with it the hope of joy:
"We write this to make our joy complete. This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin."(1 John 1:4 - 7)

How can a Christian Mason say he is lost in darkness and seek to join the Lodge, because he needs the light of Freemasonry?

The Bible says if you are a Christian and say you are in darkness, you are living a lie, and the truth is not in you. Why? Because, if Christ lives in you, you have "The Light".

The second thing The Christian Mason must ask himself is this: "If you are going to join the Lodge how can you come before a man called The Worshipful Master, and bow before him in a religious ceremony (remember the altar in the center, with the single light from above shining down on it) and say you are lost in darkness? "

Jesus said, "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Mammon." (Matt. 6:24)

Jesus said that we can not serve two masters. You can't claim to be a follower of Christ and then bow before a man you accept as your Worshipful Master any more than you can bow before a Buddha.

The mammon that Christ warned us about fits right into the lodge. What is it if it isn't the prestige, wealth, power and position among men promised by lodge membership?

The third thing we must ask is how can a Christian take a pagan blood oath? How can a man, who says he is a follower of Jesus Christ, swear to have his throat cut from ear to ear, his bowels ripped open, given to the beasts in the field as a penalty for breaking such an ungodly oath?

Most Masons respond by saying that these oaths are just some kind of fraternity type stuff that means little or nothing. What foolishness! The Mason would do well to take strong heed.

This isn't something silly that accidentally found its way in with real scripture. In the fifth chapter of the book of James, we are warned:
"Above all, my brothers, do not swear --not by heaven or by earthor by anything else. Let your "Yes" be yes, and your "No," no,or you will be condemned." (James 5:12)

The NKJV says you will fall into judgment

God's Word says that the penalty for taking Masonic oaths is condemnation. God isn't amused by this. He absolutely forbids taking these pagan blood oaths of Masonry.

But what is it that must be kept so secret? Why is it that Masons are required to take these pagan blood oaths of secrecy not to reveal the secrets of Masonry even before they're told what they are supposed to keep secret? Why must these men bow down while still in ignorance of the secrets to which they are being bound?

Why would a man who would never buy a car or a home or enter into a business agreement without first studying all the terms, kneel, blindfolded, in a lodge room with a noose around his neck, and swear obedience to things he has no understanding of? Crazy, isn't it! What could ever possess a sane man to do something like this?

The goal of Masonry, according to its leading authorities, is to do away with religions and their creeds and doctrines, and to establish a one-world, universal religion, free from the confining dogma of such narrow scope as is found in Christianity. We need to remember that the Masons only require its members to have a belief in a god, any god. The name is not as important as their belief in a being that is a deity.

This is a necessary and key element in the puzzle. It's there so that the Mason will be zealous in seeking first the lost name of that god or deity and then in accepting the Masonic god is the one, true god over all. When I reveal his name, you will see why it is hidden from the initiates.

The problem is many Masons do not understand this, and it is because their own Masonic authorities have been deliberately deceiving and lying to them. The most universally accepted authority on Freemasonry is the great Masonic scholar, Dr. Albert Pike, who wrote what is termed by many to be the "Bible of Masonry." It's called "Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Rite"

Albert Pike, who was The Sovereign Grand Commander of the Southern Supreme Council, A. A., Scottish Rite for thirty-two years. He wrote "Morals and Dogma" as the "supreme authority" of Masonic Doctrine. In fact, the current Sovereign Grand Commander, C. Fred Kleinknecht says, "Pike's great book, Morals and Dogma, is the most complete exposition of Masonic philosophy there is."

The New Age Magazine, was the Scottish Rite Freemasonry magazine of America until just recently, when they changed its name to The Scottish Rite Journal. In September, 1989, they pointed out that there was going to be a service honoring the memory of Albert Pike held at the Washington Temple in Washington, D.C. Norman Vincent Peale was going to be the speaker. Norman Vincent Peale, a 33rd degree Mason, and a well known Christian leader, is also one of the leading Masonic promoters in America.

Albert Pike is so revered among Masons that he is actually entombed within the inner walls of the Scottish Rite world headquarters, The House of The Temple, in Washington, D.C. Those Masons who deny the importance of Pike's words to the craft are in ignorance of the real value placed on this man. In July 1990, the Scottish Rite Journal came out with a ten-page article extolling the virtues of Albert Pike and his authoritative work in "Morals and Dogma."

I want to quote from some of Albert Pike's teachings in "Morals and Dogma," to give you some insight to what is really lurking behind those lodge doors. Page numbers will be from that book, unless otherwise noted.

"The Blue degrees or The Blue Lodge of Masonry, whichever a Mason joins, are but the outer court, or protocol, of the Temple. Part of the symbols are displayed there to the initiate, but he is intentionally misled by false interpretations. It is not intended that he shall understand them, but it is intended that he shall imagine that he understands them. Their true explication is reserved for the adepts, the Princes of Masonry. It is well enough for the mass of those so-called Masons to imagine that all is contained in the Blue Degrees." (Page 819)

"Masonry, like all the religions, all the Mysteries, Hermeticism and Alchemy conceals its secrets from all except the Adepts and Sages, or the Elect, and uses false explanations and misinterpretations of its symbols to mislead those who deserve only to be misled; [note: this means the Blue Lodge Masons] to conceal the Truth, which it calls Light, from them, and to draw them away from it. Truth is not for those who are unworthy or unable to receive it, or would pervert it." (Pages 104-105)

You see, many Masons who go into the Blue Lodge do so out of ignorance, viewing it as a philanthropic organization, an organization of good works, never understanding what they are really involved with. I asked earlier, just what are the secrets that they are getting involved with? The first secret of the Lodge is the fact that Freemasonry is a religion. Most Masons will say that is it not a religion, but simply a brotherhood, a fraternal organization. Yet, as they describe the workings of the lodge, they are talking religion.

The problem is that Masonry fits every category of what a religion is, according to every definition of religion. In fact, Albert Pike says, "Every Masonic Lodge is a Temple of religion, and its teachings are instruction in religion." (Page 213)
"Masonry is the legitimate successor from the earliest times the custodian and depository of the great philosophical and religious truths, unknown to the world at large, and handed down from age to age, in an unbroken current of tradition, embodied in symbols, emblems and allegories." (Page 210)

Pike says that Masonry is:
"The universal, eternal, immutable religion, such as God planted it in the heart of universal humanity. No creed has ever been long lived that was not built upon this foundation...The ministers of this religion are all Masons... Its sacrifices to God are good works... and perpetual efforts to attain to all the moral perfection of which man is capable." (Page 219)

According to them, Masonry is a natural religion without the need of revelation, that every thing in nature is part of God, and part of the infinite thought of God. Creation becomes God itself. It's very interesting what Paul said about this in the book of Romans.

"For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator --who is forever praised. Amen." (Rom. 1:21 -25)

Albert Pike did not say things he didn't mean. His writings are corpulent with evidences of the true nature of Freemasonry.

"We belong to no one creed or school. In all religions, there is a basis of truth, in all there is pure morality... All teachers and reformers of mankind we admire and revere. Masonry has her mission to perform... She invites all men of all religions to enlist under her banner." (Page 311)

"It [Masonry] reverences all the great reformers. It sees in Moses, the lawgiver of the Jews, in Confucius and Zoroaster, in Jesus of Nazareth, and in the Arabian iconoclast, Great Teachers of Morality, and Eminent Reformers, if no more: and allows every brother of the Order to assign to each such higher and even Divine Character as his Creed and Truth require... Masonry is a worship; but one in which all civilized men can unite..." (Pages 525, 526)

Pike also said, "The first Masonic teacher was Buddha." (Page 277)

Masonry claims to be the center of the one, universal religion. As Newton says in his book, "The Builders",
they are "seeking to unify and bring a universal religion in which all creeds and all doctrines would be done away with, where individual faith will cease and men will join together in a universal religion of an ubiquitous brotherhood of good works."

They say that religion is the experience of relating to God, and Masonry is the experience of relating to mankind. While separate, they can and do naturally co-exist. Well, if Freemasonry is truly what it professes publicly, then "Bravo!"; it is a welcome fellowship.

If it is being deceptive, or as we claim, a serious danger to the Mason, his or her family and Church, then it should be exposed as such. It is that simple."

Let's look at just a few of the Lodge's basic principles in the Light of Biblical truth.

NO OTHER GODS!
"And God spoke all these words: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.

You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me..."(Exodus 20:1-5)

This is the first and primary Commandment! All the other commandments find their reason in it. God put it at the top of the list for a reason! If you have a faulty view of God, your whole spiritual perspective is skewed by that error.

Listen to God:
"This is what the LORD says-- Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God." (Isaiah 44:6)

If your view of God is anything but that which God, Himself has declared above, your view is not Christian orthodoxy. If your view of Christ is not that which is equally Biblically based, your view of Christ is just as filled with danger. Let's see what the Masonic fraternity, itself has to say about the nature of God.

FREEMASONS BOW AT EVERY ALTAR
"The true Mason is not creed-bound. He realizes with the divine illumination of his lodge that as a Mason his religion must be universal: Christ, Buddha, or Mohammed, the name means little, for he recognizes only the light and not the bearer. He worships at every shrine, bows before every altar, whether in temple, mosque or cathedral, realizing with his truer understanding the oneness of all spiritual truth." ("The Lost Keys of Freemasonry", Manly P. Hall, 33o, p.65, Macoy Publishing and Masonic Supply Co., Richmond, VA., 1976.)

THE BIBLE SAYS:
"Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)
"For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus..." (1Tim. 2:5)

OUR LORD AMONG THE BAALIM
"Masonry, around whose altars the Christian, the Hebrew, the Moslem, the Brahmin, the followers of Confucius and Zoroaster, can assemble as brethren and unite in prayer to the one God who is above ALL the Baalim, must needs leave it to each of its initiates to look for the foundation of his faith and hope to the written scriptures of his own religion." (Morals and Dogma, Albert Pike, 1956, page 226)

[Ed note: The word "Baalim" is simply defined as "false god or idol." The Masonic author has included the God of the Christian in that category.]

IS JESUS LORD?
"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)

That is pretty straightforward. The question that has to be asked of the Mason here is simply, "Are you a Christian who confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord?" Is your answer, like many Masons, "yes!"??

Then our response to the Christian Mason is simply, "Why won't you just do what Jesus clearly told you to do?
THE BIBLE SAYS:

"Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, `Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' But I tell you, do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your `Yes' be `Yes,' and your `No,' `No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one." (Matt. 5:33 -37)

Take note that Jesus clearly describes the Masonic oaths and clearly states that these come from the evil one. Not from fun, not from some kind of macho male bonding, or some fraternity type of initiation, but from the devil. What would possess a man to stay bound by blood oath to this stuff, once exposed, except it come of evil?

That was Jesus Himself talking to those who believed on Him. Surely, it would be a foolish man who would defy the Lord in such a serious matter. What earthly thing would be worth violating a direct instruction from our Savior? None!

BOUND BY BLOOD OATHS
From the initiation rituals of the "BLUE LODGES" which I described earlier and through all 33 degrees of Freemasonry, every Mason in the world is bound by bloody oaths to maintain the secrets of the Lodge. These binding oaths are kept through the spirit of fear, because the penalties for betraying the brethren of the lodge include serious physical harm to the Mason.

THE BIBLE SAYS:
Jesus, speaking again to His disciples, clearly dealt with this exact situation.
" There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.
What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.
I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him." (Luke 12:2-5)

TRUSTING THE BIBLE
We do well to know the Word Of God. As Jesus prayed to the Father for His disciples, His prayer was:
"Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth." (John 17:17)

The Bible clearly teaches that the mature Christian must be grounded in God's Word. This is probably the most grievous error of those enmeshed in the web of Freemasonry. It is the ignorance of or lack of regard for the truth of God's Holy Word.

What true Christian man (or woman) would dare go through the rituals of Freemasonry knowing that someday, he or she would have to stand before a Holy God and account for those acts of darkness.

THE JUDGMENT OF THE DAMNED
The grave, Christless end awaiting members of the Masonic order can be demonstrated by the Apron Lecture, given every Mason in the Blue Lodge Ceremony. The following quote can be found almost word for word in most Masonic Monitors, the Craft ritual manual.

Each candidate, upon completion of the initiation is given a white Lambskin Apron whose pure and spotless surface, he is told, would be "an ever present reminder of purity of life and rectitude of conduct, and when at last, after a life of faithful service your weary feet shall have come to the end of life's toilsome journey and from your nerveless grasp shall have dropped forever the working tools of life, may the record of your life be as pure and spotless as this fair emblem which I place in your hands tonight, and when your trembling soul shall stand, naked and alone, before the Great White Throne, there to receive judgment for the deeds done while here in the body, may it be your portion to hear from Him who sitteth as the Judge Supreme, the welcome words: Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee rule over many things! Enter into the joy of thy Lord."

While the words sound noble, it is to the everlasting pit of hell that the unsuspecting candidate has been assigned in the subtle words of the message. The promise is that the apron represents the works of the flesh when the Mason stands before God at the Great White Throne judgment.

There is only one Great White Throne Judgment in my Bible and it is found in Revelation 20:11-15.

It is the judgment of those dead who are not in Christ. It is the judgment of the damned, who will be judged... not by the gift of God through Christ, but by their own works, with an end in the lake of fire. What a tragedy!

THE KING OF THE PIT OF HELL
In the seventeenth degree of the Scottish Rite, or The Knights of the East and West Degree, after the candidates have completed the initiation they are given the secret password, Jubulum, and the Sacred Word, Abaddon. Here is the clue to the true identity of the Masonic Deity. It is revealed in the "Sacred Word" of this ritual, "Abaddon." In Revelation 9:11, we learn what that actually is.

"And they [the demons and workers from hell] had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon!"

Again, I must ask, "How could any true Christian dare to take upon himself that evil name as a sacred word?"

THE WORD IS OUT
The supposed quest of the Blue Lodge Masons is the search for "The Lost Word." Most Masonic ritual is concerned with the recovery of this lost word, presumed to be the name of God-supposedly lost through the murder of the architect, Hiram Abiff, during the building of Solomon's Temple. This quest is attained during the ritual of the Royal Arch Degree.

It is here that the SECRET NAME of the DEITY OF MASONRY is revealed. That name is "JAHBULON."

"JAH" is the short form of the Hebrew name of God, "Yahweh," or "Jehovah." "BUL" is a rendering of the name, BAAL. "ON" is the term used in the Babylonian mysteries to call upon the deity, "OSIRIS"! The secret ritual book of the Craft prints the letters J.B.O. It states that:

"We three do meet and agree-in peace, love and unity-the Sacred Word to keep-and never to divulge the same-until we three, or three such as we-do meet and agree."

No Royal Arch Mason can pronounce the sacred name by himself. What is represented as the god of Masonry is a three-headed monster so remote from the Christian Trinity and so blasphemous as to damn the soul of anyone who would dare to pronounce its name in a ritual of worship.

COME OUT FROM AMONG THEM
" Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?

What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people. Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you." (2 Cor. 6:14-17)

ONE OR THE OTHER
"Even as Elijah called out on Mt Carmel 'You have abandoned the LORD's commands and have followed the Baals.' I cry out, "How long will you

To the Mason, Are YOU ready to risk laying your Masonic works before the Lord, covered by an apron of your own works, on that last day only to be told:

"I never knew you, depart from me!" (Matt.7: 21-23)

Are You???
I pray that you will choose Jesus, repent and be set free from this wicked power unto whom you have submitted your very own soul, Even beyond that, you have surrendered the spiritual headship of your home (and church if you are a leader in the congregation) to this dark, occult evil thing. If this is your desire, remember that we have this promise,
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness..." (1 John 1:9)

If you are a Mason and you are ready to get your life back on track with Jesus, Pray this prayer right now:

"Father in Heaven, in the name of the Lord Jesus, I confess that I have sinned. I confess that I have allowed myself to fall under the power and authority of Lucifer, the god of Masonry. I confess it as sin, and ask that you forgive me. I reject it and cast it from me and will immediately remove my name from its rolls. Jesus, I call you Lord and Savior and ask that you come into my heart and fill me with your love and Holy Spirit. Let no unclean thing remain! I am yours and yours alone! I am set free, in Jesus' name, Amen!"

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A Letter to Seventh Day Adventists With Questions

Are we to live under the Old Covenant
or the New?

Are we to live under the law or under Grace?

I try to read through the New Testament at least twice a year. Recently, while doing so, the Lord lead me to uncover some precious gems, while digging around in one of the apostle Paul's treasure troves. As I was studying through 2 Corinthians chapter three I came to that passage of scripture beginning about verse four in which Paul reminds the Church at Corinth that our sufficiency is from God and it was He who made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant. I began to quietly rejoice in my spirit and soul!

As I read on through verse 18, I realized that I had uncovered some spiritual pearls. And I'm almost embarrassed and ashamed to say this, it was as if this was my first time to truly understand what the Holy Spirit through Paul was saying.

Then, as I began to ruminate on this passage, a dear friend came to mind. Oh, how I wished at that moment that he could have been there with me so that I could share with him the riches of God's Word that was filling my heart. I almost picked up the phone to call him in hopes that I could convey, even if in just a small way, what I was gleaning anew from this passage.

I thought to myself, if he was here, surely he might somehow get an inkling of the tremendous blessings that belong to believers in Jesus Christ through faith by God's grace. But alas, I could not will myself to call him, because, you see, my friend and I have had a lot of discussions about where each one of us are spiritually, but that was well over a year ago. It was about eighteen months ago, when my friend put a stop to our dialogue via email. He thinks I am some kind of weird, radical, off the wall, unorthodox Christian. At least, I think he feels this way, because his usual response to the biblical explanations I give for what I believe, is for him to say, "Tom, you have a most interesting thought process." And he used other words that I want repeat about my theology.

The truth is, to some, I am a weird, radical, off the wall, unorthodox Christian, who believes that a person is saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone and once saved, they are always saved, period, paragraph. In addition to that weirdness, I am an evangelical living under the New Covenant in the dispensation of grace. While my friend (whom I love as I love my own flesh and blood and have for over forty five years), lives under the old covenant and he is not even Jewish.

As I said, he and I had spent months emailing back and forth. I would send scripture passages to support my convictions of New Testament theology. He would email back comments about my most interesting thought process and denying the real truth of scripture. Another reason that I presented lots of scripture and not just my opinion was that I wanted him to see what God had to say on the subject of law versus grace. I was trying to help him see that we are living under a New Covenant of grace and not the Law in any shape, form or fashion. I wanted him to see and experience life in this age of grace in which we are living.

What I have really wanted all along is for my friend to understand that there are an infinite number of super blessings for those who live under the New Covenant of grace, that cannot be experienced by those who continue to live under the old covenant of the law. Because, after Christ was crucified on the cross, those who still insist on living under the old covenant, can not receive or comprehend even a smidgen of the blessings and scriptural truths found in an unfettered relationship with Jesus Christ.
One of the realities of being born again is that the Holy Spirit takes up residence in a believer the moment the person believes. The Holy Spirit first baptizes in the Lord Jesus and then comes in that believer to dwell for the purpose of leading that child of God into all truth and through that revealed truth to shape and mold that Christian into the image of Christ. Therefore, since: 1). the Spirit is given only to those who believe; and 2.) spiritual understanding is made to depend exclusively on the presence of the Holy Spirit of God in the heart, anyone who believes that faith in Christ alone is insufficient for salvation, can never themselves receive salvation. Because, if faith in Christ alone is not enough to save a person, then adding the whole world would accomplish nothing.

When I began reading in 1 Corinthians I came to verse 20, chapter one, "Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? I'm not sure why, but I started agonizing over why my friend seemed to refuse to believe the truths of God's word that are so evident to most believers. It was then and there the Holy Spirit gave me an epiphany. Or, as Mr. Webster says, a moment of sudden intuitive understanding. It was something like, a light coming on and me visualizing this huge, back lighted, marquee with these verses of scripture printed on it. "But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them" (2 Corinthians 4:3 & 4). There it was! Actually, it wasn't all that dramatic. However, it gave me understanding as to why some people just can't see the truth. It also was a simple demonstration of how the Holy Spirit leads believers into all truth. You seek His truths and He will reveal His truths.

This lead to another truth: The Glorious Riches of God's Grace are New Covenant blessings of which God will not allow those living under the old covenant to partake. It is a vicious circle. They refuse to believe in Christ alone for salvation and God allows the god of this age to blind them to the truth because they refuse to believe.

As I began to study and meditate on 1 Corinthians, the Holy Spirit began to reveal to me a number of His truths from His word that I want to share right now with anyone who is struggling with any aspect of legalism. These are truths that only Christians can come to understand through the ministry of the indwelling Spirit. If upon reading this material you find that: 1.) You are confused and asking, "What in the world is he talking about?"; or 2.) You are filled with anger toward what I have said; or 3.) You have contemptuous thoughts such as, "That is a bunch of bovine scatology!" If any of these conditions result, then perhaps you have been reading and trying to understand scripture as a natural man or woman.

The first truth concerns the things of the Spirit of God. Note that the natural (lost) man or woman does not receive them and nor can they know them for they are foolishness to him or her. The things of the Spirit of God are spiritually discerned. Meaning truths are revealed through God's Holy Spirit to the spirit of a believer. "But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Cor 2:14).

The next truth is that only those who are born again can see the kingdom of God. Thus the natural, or unsaved, man will never see the kingdom of God. "Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God"" (John 3:3).
The truth revealed here is that the world cannot receive the Holy Spirit of God, the Spirit of truth, nor can the world know Him or see Him. However, Christians know Him because He dwells with and in them. "..the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you[those who will believe in Christ] know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you[upon believing in Christ]" (John 14:17).

This next truth is that the gospel is veiled to those who are perishing (those who do not believe in Jesus Christ as Savior). In fact, their minds are blinded by the god of this world, Satan, who desires that they not believe in and on the Lord Jesus Christ unto salvation. "But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them" (2 Cor. 4:3-4).

The truth here is that God is pleased that it is through the foolishness of the message of the gospel that those who believe are saved. "For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe" (1 Cor 1:21).

This next verse says those who are spiritual beings through the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit judges all things, but he or she is judged by no one. "But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one" (1 Cor 2:15). Here is another truth, based upon this same scripture, that every believer needs to write upon the tablet of their heart and mind: Believers are never judged or condemned in the spiritual realm. The Lord Jesus has been judged in our place and has received the punishment for all our sins.

Because Christians have received the Holy Spirit of God we have access to the following truth. We can know all things that have been freely given to us by God. "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God" (1 Cor 2:12).

The moment the Holy Spirit indwells a person at salvation, He begins to guide them into all truth. He does not speak from His own authority, but whatever He hears from the Lord Jesus He will speak. He will glorify the Son of God and will declare the things of God that also belong to the Lord Jesus to those who believe in the Lord Jesus unto salvation. "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you" (John 16:13-15).

The Holy Spirit by whom believers were baptized into Christ Jesus at salvation, they received from Christ Jesus, and they do not need anyone to teach them the truths of God for the Holy Spirit teaches them all things. He teaches believers the truths of God, not lies, therefore believers are to abide in His teachings and also in Him. "But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as He has taught you, you will abide in Him" (1 John 2:27).

Remember, the wisdom of God is hidden from the world, therefore the wisdom we speak in the presence of unbelievers will appear to be a mystery to them. Or perhaps it will seem that we have an interesting thought process. This truth comes from the apostle Paul. "But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him" (1 Cor 2:7-9}

Therefore, by their sustaining faith and the presence of the Holy Spirit abiding in them and leading them unto all truth, Christians understand the very things of God. However, the most that the world can only see and understand are the things they see with their eyes or have awareness of through their other senses. They cannot see or comprehend the unseen things of God as we do. "By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible" (Heb 11:3).

We have seen through these verses that anything related to the Father, anything related to the Son, anything related to the Holy Spirit, anything related to "things" to come, and anything related to the kingdom of God, will be declared to the believer, but the unbeliever can not have knowledge of, understand or comprehend any of these things.

Since the natural man: 1).does not receive the things of the Spirit of God; 2). can not receive the Holy Spirit; 3). Has the gospel veiled to them; 4). whose minds the god of this age has blinded; 5). who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them, how can they not but masquerade as something they are not? Their god is the god of this world, the lord of all liars, who has not the truth in him.

This is the truth and I pray that the truth will set free those who are bound up in the lies of Satan. I hope and pray that there are some who truly have believed in Jesus Christ according to Eph. 2:8&9, "It is by grace through faith that you are saved, not a result of works of any kind [or anything else], otherwise you will boast." Yet, after having believed, they somehow have been lead astray by false prophets and teachers. If this is the case, until they forsake these false prophets and their teachings, it will be impossible for them to be lead by the Holy Spirit into all truth.

I also want my friend and every person on earth who believes that they are saved by faith in Jesus Christ plus something else, be it baptism, keeping the Sabbath, foot washing, going to church, ad infinitum, to understand that to believe in Christ unto salvation you can not add one jot or tittle to grace through faith. The moment you try to add anything to grace through faith in attaining to salvation, God may very well allow the god of this age to blind your mind and heart that you may not see and understand the truth.
I want everyone to also see that the total Mosaic Law, which includes the Ten Commandments, was never given to gentiles. Nowhere in scripture will we find God giving the Law to or demanding and expecting the law to be kept by any nation or people other than Israel.

God's plan had been to so exceedingly bless Israel through her keeping of the law that the gentile nations of the world would become jealous of Israel and desirous of God's blessings for themselves. Thus the whole world would turn to God because of Israel's obedience and resulting blessings. But Israel and Judah failed to keep God's Law as the Old Covenant required, so God had to send His Son to die in the place of sinful men, thereby ushering in the New Covenant of Grace through the blood of His Son.

My dear friend is a Legalist. He believes in salvation by good works or keeping a portion of the law of Moses. He staunchly believes that ultimately God will decide who spends eternity in heaven based upon whether they keep the fourth commandment or not. Here is the fourth commandment as given to Moses for Israel. "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy...... Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it" 9Ex 20:8 & 11b).

My friend maintains that this Sabbath Commandment is the most important commandment ever given to mortal man. However, I cannot find, nor has he or anyone else shown me, where God or His Son has said, anywhere in scripture, that the fourth commandment is the supreme commandment. Yet, because I have known him over forty years, even lived with him when we were bachelors, went to church with him and had discussions about his faith (even though I considered myself an atheist at the time), I learned a lot from him about the faith he professes. I know that their religion has a prophetess and a lot of their beliefs are based upon her writings. At least it was according to literature being published as recently as February 2006.

The leaders of this religion have written and taught and I have read from their pens and heard from their mouths that God in the distant past spoke to their prophetess while she was in the spirit in heaven having been transported there by angels or some sort of astral travel. In fact, here for you to read in her own words, taken from the official archives of her writings, is this prophetess's account of that experience. As I have read them, and as you read them, we can see where this Sabbath doctrine, that members of this religion believe and teach, had its beginning.

She writes: "We felt an unusual spirit of prayer. And as we prayed the Holy Ghost fell upon us. We were very happy. Soon I was lost to earthly things and was wrapped in a vision of God's glory. I saw an angel flying swiftly to me. He quickly carried me from the earth to the Holy City [in heaven]. In the city I saw a temple, which I entered. I passed through a door before I came to the first veil. This veil was raised, and I passed into the holy place. Here I saw the altar of incense, the candlestick with seven lamps, and the table on which was the shewbread. After viewing the glory of the holy, Jesus raised the second veil and I passed into the holy of holies.

"In the holiest I saw an ark; on the top and sides of it was purest gold. On each end of the ark was a lovely cherub, with its wings spread out over it. Their faces were turned toward each other, and they looked downward. Between the angels was a golden censer. Above the ark, where the angels stood, was an exceeding bright glory, that appeared like a throne where God dwelt. Jesus stood by the ark, and as the saints' prayers came up to Him, the incense in the censer would smoke, and He would offer up their prayers with the smoke of the incense to His Father. In the ark was the golden pot of manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of stone which folded together like a book. Jesus opened them, and I saw the ten commandments written on them with the finger of God. On one table were four, and on the other six. The four on the first table shone brighter than the other six. But the fourth, the Sabbath commandment, shone above them all; for the Sabbath was set apart to be kept in honor of God's holy name. The holy Sabbath looked glorious -- a halo of glory was all around it. I saw that the Sabbath commandment was not nailed to the cross. If it was, the other nine commandments were; and we are at liberty to break them all, as well as to break the fourth. I saw that God had not changed the Sabbath, for He never changes. But the pope had changed it from the seventh to the first day of the week; for he was to change times and laws ....
I saw that the holy Sabbath is, and will be, the separating wall between the true Israel of God and unbelievers; and that the Sabbath is the great question to unite the hearts of God's dear, waiting saints" (Early Writings, 1963, pp. 32,33).

A few weeks after we began our dialogue, my friend told me that we would have to stop if I did not quit criticizing their prophetesses writings. I promised my friend that I would not make her writings the central issue in our discussions, but when I realized that we could not have a discussion about his beliefs apart from the prophetesses writings, I went back on my word. I realized that for me to understand anyone's beliefs, that are based on extra biblical teachings or information, I had to know what that extra biblical information entailed. That is why as I began researching the history of his religion, I would show my friend from her volumes of writings that this prophetess made statements that could not be supported from scripture. She stated on several occasions that God revealed to her that the Fourth Commandment was the most important commandment of all. And although this is what my friend believes, he seemed to get angry for my pointing out where their prophetess was in error. However, because what she declared was from God's own mouth to her ear and because it is not backed up by scripture, but in fact, contradicts scripture, I felt compelled to denounce it. I pointed out to my friend that according to the Lord Jesus, Who is God Himself, when He was asked which was the greatest commandment, the fourth was not even in contention. Here in this passage of scripture is what the Lord Jesus said was the greatest, thus most important, commandment of all. "Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 'This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets"" (Matt 22:35-40).

I tried to help my friend see that that this prophetess, failed the Biblical Test for Prophets, because only a very small percentage of the things she prophesied came true and the Bible demands that every prophecy that a prophet or prophetess utters must come true. Not 9 out of ten, not 99 out of a hundred, but everything that is prophesied must come true 100 percent of the time.

Here is what Deuteronomy 18:22 says: "When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing [he speaks] does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously;.....".

He finally emailed me and told me that we had to stop our email discussions because it was going to destroy our friendship. I was and am convicted that God does not want me to ever stop exposing any self proclaimed prophets or prophetess' misstatements, untruths and failures. I'm sure that from my friend's point of view, through my quoting her and then showing from scripture how she was not being truthful or where her prophecies failed to come true, I was attacking, denigrating and ridiculing their long held beliefs. While I believed that I was exposing her for what she was, a false prophetess, I should have used more tact and spoken the truth with greater love. At any rate, my observations of the prophetess' work and comments on the same, was never meant as an attack on him.

Over that six months period, I shared with this dear friend truths from God's word that emphatically teach that the old covenant as given to Moses was for the nation of Israel exclusively. I've shown him from scripture that the old covenant (keeping of the law, the sacrifices, the festivals etc., etc.) passed away with the death, burial and resurrection of God's Son and that we are living under the New Covenant of Grace instituted through the shed blood of our Lord and Savior. Read what the Lord Himself said in Matthew 26:28: "For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."

During those months that we were emailing, I sent email after email filled with passages of scriptures teaching about grace, salvation through faith alone, how the old covenant has been replaced with the new, including the words of the Lord Jesus Himself, though mainly, it was through the words of the Holy Spirit as given to Paul in his epistles. Yet, it seems my friend has not believed anything that I have shared with him.

I want to share with anyone who is reading this letter a passage in 2 Corinthians chapter 3 and hopefully convey some of the excitement and joy that should engulf believers every time they meditate on these verses. And if my friend or anyone else who believes in salvation by works is reading this, you may not be able to comprehend the truths of God's word, regardless how much I might want you to be able to comprehend. The fact is, as we have seen plainly stated in the scripture that we have read, it is the Holy Spirit living in a believer that reveals the truths of God's Word to that believer. However, anyone can resolve this issue of not understanding the truth of God's Word in a matter of seconds. All one has to do is demonstrate that they believe that salvation is by grace through faith alone by believing in the Son of God and the work He has accomplished on behalf of all mankind through His death on that cross. Anyone reading these words can do that right now, this minute. If you truly believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died for you and you sincerely want to become part of God's forever family, then tell God that right now. He is listening. He wants you to believe and be saved for all eternity. Jesus said in John 3 verse 18, that he who believes in Him is not condemned and has eternal life, but he who does not believe in Him is condemned already, because of their unbelief.

If you have prayed, this moment, to receive Christ, the Holy Spirit has just come into your person, where He will dwell for evermore. Starting this moment, He has promised to begin revealing the truth of God's Word to you. I pray that your new spiritual eyes can see and your spirit receive His truths, to your heart and spiri, that are found in these passages of scripture. Look at verse five of 2 Cor. Chapter three:

"And we have such trust through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God..."

Paul is saying there is nothing in and of ourselves that can equip us, supply us, prepare us or empower us to do God's will. Our sufficiency is from God through the Holy Spirit that lives in those who have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. To put it most accurately and succinctly: it is Christ in us living out His life through us. Verse six: "who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant." It should be considered the great joy and privilege of every believer to be a minister of this New Covenant established with and through the blood of Jesus Christ. Under the New Covenant everyone born again is a minister. Look for a moment at 2 Cor. 5:18: "Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation." The moment a person is born again through faith in Jesus Christ, God reconciles that person to Himself through the blood of His Son. But something else happens according to the last part of the sentence. Notice it! Accept it! And thank God that He has given you the ministry of reconciliation if you have believed in His Son as Savior.

Back to 2 Corinthians chapter three, continuing with verses six - ten: "Not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.7 But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? 9 For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. 10 For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels." Keep in mind that the word ‘letter' in verse 6 is referring to the whole Mosaic law, as we will see later. In these verses the gospel of grace, as energized by the Holy Spirit, is contrasted with the whole law of Moses, part of which is the Ten Commandments written on stone. The power of the ministry of the new covenant does not come from the letter of the law or obedience to same. Under the old covenant, The Law, could only convict people of sin and served only to manifest death. But, under the New Covenant of Grace, the Spirit of God grants us eternal life through the blood of Jesus Christ. The old legal covenant, as these and other verses state, kills and is thus 'the ministry that brought death, (verse 7). It is also the ministry 'that condemns men,' (verse 9). By contrast, the New Covenant of the Spirit 'gives life,'(verse 6). The giving of grace and life is a 'ministry of the Holy Spirit, (verse 8).

The ministry of the Spirit is also a 'ministry that brings righteousness,' since it also provides for the removal of our sin, (verse 9). The commandments of the first covenant are etched into stones, (verse 7), The commandments of the New Covenant are from the lips of Jesus Christ Himself or through His Spirit speaking to and through the writers of the Epistles in the New Testament.
God established the New Covenant in Christ's blood with the Jew first. Then beginning with the family of Cornelius, a centurion of Caesarea, who was converted to Christ under the preaching of the Apostle Peter, God extended the power of the gospel to every one who would believe including we gentiles. See John 1:12 and Acts 10.

Now continuing in 2 Cor. Chapter Three: The giving of the old covenant came with glory,(verse 7); however the New Covenant is much more glorious, (verse 10). In other words, because Moses was present on Mt. Sinai when God gave the Ten Commandments to the nation of Israel, he was allowed to bask in the brilliance of God's glory. When Moses came down off that mountain to Israel, his face was covered for fear of what impact it's glow, though fading, might have on those who beheld it. Even though veiled, people did behold the glory on his face though it finally faded away. Not so with the glory of the New Covenant. The glory of the New Covenant is much greater and will never fade away because this new covenant is experienced and lived out through the interactions between the Holy Spirit, who lives in the believer, and the spirit of the believer who is living in obedience to the known, revealed will of God! My friends, that is glory to glory and it does not fade away. This wonder should compel us to be always living in fellowship with our Lord!

No part of the New Covenant is lived out or experienced by keeping any portion of the Mosaic Law. Under the New Covenant we are freed from the Law because the law has been fulfilled by the Lord Jesus. This means that we are free in Christ to worship God when, where and how we are moved by the Holy Spirit to do so. How can that be? See what the apostle Paul says in verse 11: "For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious."

Question? What is Paul referring to when he says, "....what is passing away..."? He is referring to the Law of Moses, as a ministry that brought death. In Hebrews 8:13 the writer of that book says,
"In that He says, "A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away." Folks that means the whole Law of Moses, not just The Ten Commanments.

Back to 2 Cor. 3. Why is it important for believers to have a good understanding of the passing away of the old covenant and the reality of the new? The answer is because of the hope that the New Covenant gives to both unbelievers and believers. First we will look at the hope of believers beginning with verse 12: Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech- Verse 13 unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away.

As believers experience the glory of God in their lives continually, through living in obedience to God's revealed will and purpose, we have hope upon hope. It is not so for any Jewish or gentile unbeliever. How can that be? Read on starting with verse 14: "Because- their minds are blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, the veil that was is taken away in Christ."

Do you understand what the Holy Spirit is saying through Paul? Jewish unbelievers who choose to stay under the old covenant [not believe in Christ alone for salvation] are blinded to the glory that is to be experienced under the New Covenant. But it is even worse. Read on:

15 "But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart." Even to this day because they choose to follow Moses and the old covenant a veil lies over the hearts of Jews and the same applies to anyone else who places themselves under the Law. The moment that the Lord Jesus gave up His Spirit on that cross, the veil of covering was ripped away from the fading glory of the old covenant revealing that there was no glory left in the old covenant. And for those who turn their eyes away from the old covenant and look at the Savior of man hanging on that cross they will see the beginning rays of the super glory of the New Covenant in Christ' blood. And perhaps more importantly, they will hear the veil in the temple between the holy place and the holy of holies being ripped asunder, giving anyone who will place their faith in Jesus Christ, immediate, intimate access to the throne room of God. Glory Hallelujah! The ramifications of what Paul is saying in these verses is that anyone who continues to practice the keeping of the old covenant will remain blind to the truths of the New.

And now comes the hope for unbelievers and further good news for all living under the old covenant beginning with verse 16 and continuing through 18: "Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." It saddens me and moves me to pray for Israel when I see God's chosen people still practicing their rituals under the old covenant. But what hurts me more, in fact it breaks my heart and causes me to weep, is when I see people who claim to believe in the grace of God and saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ who are still living under the old covenant. And tragedy upon tragedy, they are not just living under the fourth commandment. God says that if you are going to keep even just one of the laws for any reason, you must keep all of the laws perfectly or you suffer the consequences.

Please, those of you who are living under the old covenant, those who are still trying to be righteous by keeping any portion of the law. Listen to these words from the heart of the Savior of the world.

There is no salvation through keeping the law.
There is no sanctification through keeping the law.
There is no forgiveness of sin through keeping the law.
There is no justification through keeping the law.
There is no acceptance by God through keeping the law.
There is no righteousness through keeping the law.
There is no daily fellowship with the Father through keeping the law.

But thanks be to God on the other hand we have all these blessings and more through Christ Jesus under the New Covenant.

There is salvation in nothing else or none other but Christ Jesus. "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12
There is acceptance by God through His Son. " .......to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved Son." Eph 1:6

There is redemption in His Son. "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace." Eph 1:7

There is forgiveness of our sins. "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace." Eph 1:7

We are the righteousness of God through His Son. "For He made Him who knew no sin to become sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." 2 Cor 5:21

As for as righteousness, the law has ended. "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." Romans 10:4

We are justified in the eyes of God the moment we believe in Christ. "...to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." Romans 3:26;

We have peace with God through faith in Jesus Christ. "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." Romans 5:1-2;

We are released from the demands of the Law. "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." Romans 10:4; "But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor [the law]." Gal 3:23-25

The righteous requirements of the Law are fulfilled in those who live by faith - Meaning: The new 'law of the Spirit of life,' is the Holy Spirit operating in the sphere of the believer's new position. Romans 8:3d-4 says: "For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."

Jesus condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. In Christ is a higher principle, counteracting and overcoming the lower ‘law of sin and death,' producing righteousness and life. What the law of Moses, or any legal principle, was unable to do because of human sin, God accomplished through the incarnation of His Son. Jesus, through His sinless humanity, condemned sin as a master criminal and secured a judicial sentence against it. Accordingly, God has met the righteous requirements of the law in us." -Unger's Bible Dictionary

My prayer is that you who are still living under the old covenant will have the veil lifted and you will soon come into true, sweet fellowship with our Father and will begin to experience and treasure the infinite blessings that are ours through Jesus Christ our Lord. I pray that You will soon come to realize that the old covenant is passed away and that Jesus Christ is our Sabbath rest. There is no reason for you are anyone to try to keep the commandments because they have been fulfilled in Christ through his perfect life, shed blood and resurrection. Remember, if you are saved, it is Christ in you, the hope of glory! Let the Lord Jesus live His life through you and the commandments of God will be met and kept through Him. I pray fervently that God will open the eyes of every soul that continues to live under the old covenant and that they might be convicted of sin, of righteousness and of judgment by the Holy Spirit and before too long begin to hunger for His New Covenant truths.

The old covenant has passed away and the New Covenant of grace, through the blood of Jesus Christ, has nothing to do with keeping any of the Jewish laws, nothing to do with baptisms, nothing to do with the length of your hair or the size or your feet. It has to do with God's grace period. And, if there is anyone living in the age of grace who dos not comprehend this truth, then Satan, the god of this world, has blinded their eyes.

Addendum Number One.
When I finished my reading and studying in 2 Corinthians, I went right in to Galatians. Again I have been compelled to rejoice upon reading some of Paul's comments to the Churches of Galatia. Still, he is having to confront the same sin in the churches of Galatia as he had to deal with in the churches at Corinth and elsewhere - the sin of believing that one had to keep certain elements of the Law to be saved, to be sanctified, to be justified and accepted by God. In the churches in Galatia the problem was requiring gentile believers to be circumcised. However, it doesn't matter how small a portion of the Law and it doesn't have to be the keeping of one or all of the ten commandments for believers to fall into heresy. For the Holy Spirit through Paul says in Gal. chapter two, verse 16: "A man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified."

It seems that the Galatians were teaching that one is saved by faith in Christ but after receiving the Holy Spirit they had to be circumcised to be justified before God and to be able to fellowship with other believers. To confront this heretical teaching, Paul asks some very succinct questions in Gal. 3:2 -5: "This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? Have you suffered so many things in vain--if indeed it was in vain? Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?"

The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached righteousness by faith (just one of the elements of the future gospel of Jesus Christ) to Abraham beforehand. "For it was by faith that Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness" (Genesis 15:6). So then, those of us today who believe by faith are blessed with Abraham, the one old testament believer whom God Himself said was righteous by faith.

Understand this, keeping the Law does not involve faith. Look first at what Paul says in Gal. three verse 12 and then read verse 10. "Yet the law is not of faith, but "the man who practices them shall live by them."" Vs. 12. "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them."" Vs. 10.

Paul is saying emphatically, "If you are going to depend on keeping the law to receive any element of God's eternal blessings your are bringing a curse upon yourself. For God's eternal blessings, which are given only through faith in Christ will never come to anyone through keeping the law."
You see whether it is salvation, forgiveness of sin, sanctification, justification, acceptance by God through His Son or any of the other multitude of blessings that accrue to the person who by faith believes in Christ comes only through faith in Christ alone. For if these blessings come through any other means, then the Holy Spirit lied to Paul when He said: "I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain." Gal 2:21

For an understanding of the multitude of blessings that are bestowed on everyone who believes in Christ as the Son of God unto salvation, go to the Main Menu and click on The Riches of God's Grace.

As I was continuing the study in Galatians the Holy Spirit reminded me of some scripture that I was to share as an addendum to this letter. So, for those who insist on living under the whole law or any part of the law, God wants you to think on the following verses: "By the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, although it is by the law that we have the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe." (Romans 3:20 -22) TNT. "Therefore, sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. You have been delivered from the law, having died to what you were held by, so that you should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes" (Romans 6:14, 7:6, 10:4) TNT.

Now back to Galatians. "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made you free, and do not continue being entangled in this yoke of bondage that has been around the necks of so many for almost 2000 years. I say to everyone that if you continue to live in this bondage, Christ will profit you nothing. And I testify to every man who insists on keeping one iota of the law that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. You have become estranged from Christ, by attempting to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. Yet, we through the Spirit, by faith, eagerly pray for the eyes of your spirit to be opened so that you can see that in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision, or the keeping of any law means anything. However, faith working through love - that is God's will! Who or what is hindering you from obeying the truth? This persuasion that one must keep the Law does not come from Him who calls you. Remember, a little leaven leavens the whole lump. However, I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will desire to have no other mind but the mind of Christ. For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one truth, even in this: "You are to love your neighbor as yourself." I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. For if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as you have been told in times past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. He who the Spirit sets free, is free in deed" (Galatians Chapter 5) TNT.

I say it again, "Those who place themselves under the Law, can not experience the fullness of the riches of God's blessings which He wants to bestow on everyone who believes in His Son as Savior and Lord."

I welcome any comments or thoughts so long as they are in the spirit of Ephesians 4:29. Use my contact page if you desire to opine.

God bless each and everyone of you who have visited my website.
"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen"

Your servant in Christ,
Tom Hanson

This article was first updated with the following material 11-25-2010 on Thanksgiving Day. So as an act of my giving thanks continually to my God and Father, to my Savior and Lord, King Jesus and to the Holy Spirit who lives in me and is leading me into all truth, I say in all humility and with grateful heart, "Thank you Father for choosing me before the foundations of the world, thank You Lord Jesus for becoming sin on my behalf and dying in my place on that cross and thank you Holy Spirit for living in me and for the work you are doing in leading me into all truth and molding me into the image of the Lord Jesus Christ." Amen

Are Believers required to keep only the commandments of Christ?

You will find nowhere in the New Testament, Jesus requiring believers to keep any of the Law of Moses per se. The principles of nine of the Ten Commandments, absent the fourth, are articulated in Christ's teaching in the Gospels pertaining to the coming age of grace or in the epistles under the tutelage of the Holy Spirit.

In considering this crucial question, it should be noted that, when dealing with Jews as such, Jesus gave no "commandments" of His own relative to the rule of their lives. He recognized only the law of Moses for the Jews while He was here on earth when He spoke in reference to the Old Covenant. In matters of life-relationship to God He said to the Jews, "What readest thou in the law?" Moreover, Jesus spoke only of the law as it related to the coming millennial kingdom when He spoke to those who would live in that age. But when He began to instruct those who were to be saved by grace through His cross, He began to announce what He was pleased to term my commandments. This term is not found in all the Gospels until the record is given of His farewell words in the Upper Room on the night before His death (John, chapters 13-17). This is most significant; for it is evident that the Upper Room Discourse was addressed, not to Israelites, but to those who were "clean" through the word He had spoken to them. In this portion of the Scriptures, the Cross is treated as an accomplished fact (John 16:11. Cf. 12:31); the whole body of teaching is dated by Christ beyond the Cross by the words, "And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe" (14:29); and, finally, the only reference to the law in this great message of the Upper Room is so stated as to place those Jews to whom He was speaking outside its authority: "But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their [not your] law" (John 15:25).

Read and contemplate what He and the Holy Spirit say about His commandments.
"If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever-- the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you [at salvation]." John 14:15-17

"He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him." John 14:21

"If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love" John 15:10 Note in Jesus' thinking and reasoning there is a distinction between His and the Fathers commandments.

"Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked" 1 John 2:3-6. Here John is writing under the influence and inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

"And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment" 1 John 3:22-23 Again, John writing under the influence and inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

"By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments" 1 John 5:2. Same as above.

"Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded [and will command] you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" Matt 28:20. Jesus is speaking to those who had already come to faith in Him by God's grace, or would shortly after His ascension.
"Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city" Rev 22:14. John, again making reference to the commandments of Christ many years after they had begun circulating among the first century churches. Just from these verses alone it is quite clear that Jesus intended that His followers obey His commandments and not to be under the yoke of the law.

Does Christ require believers to keep any of the commandments as given by God to Jews?

The "commandments" of Christ are not the law, or any aspect of the law; they rather constitute "the law of love," and "the perfect law of liberty." They enter into the teachings of grace as those teachings are set forth by Christ, and by those to whom He gave authority and commandment (Matt. 28:18; Acts 1:3; Luke 24:46-48; Heb. 2:3-4).

Nowhere and at no time in the New Testament will you find Jesus teaching His twelve disciples or anyone else when speaking in reference to the coming age of grace that they were to add any of the Law of Moses to His commandment's. As has been stated elsewhere, Jesus in the Gospels and other New Testament writers in their epistles taught the principles of nine of the ten commandments in specific scriptures, but never as commandments of Moses.

This whole body of teaching is dated by Christ beyond the Cross by the words, "And now I have told you before it comes to pass, that, when it is comes to pass, you may believe" (John 14:29); and, finally, the only reference to the law in this great message of the Upper Room is so stated as to place those Jews to whom He was speaking outside its authority: "But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their [not your] law" (John 15:25).

The Upper Room Discourse is the genesis of the Epistles of the New Testament, for in it, in germ form, the great doctrines of grace are announced. The phrase my commandments is reserved until this grace-revelation, because this term refers to the teachings of grace, rather than to the law. Examples are found in John 13:34, 15:12; 1 John 3:23; 4:21; 5:3; 2 John 4-5:

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" John 13:34-35.

"This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you" John 15:12.

"And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment" 1 John 3:23.

"And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also" 1 John 4:21.

"For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome" 1 John 5:3.

"I rejoiced greatly that I have found some of your children walking in truth, as we received commandment from the Father. And now I plead with you, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment to you, but that which we have had from the beginning: that we love one another. This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it" 2 John 1:4-6.

Does the Bible teach that Christ gave commandments for believers today other than those recorded in the Gospels?

Yes, the Bible does teach that there are more commandments of Christ given through other New Testament writers. The apostle Paul has added his testimony concerning the commandments of the Lord. By this testimony of Paul, the whole teaching of grace, as set forth by him, is related to the commandments of the Lord. Here are three examples: 1 Cor. 14:37; 1 Thess. 4:2; Gal. 6:2).

"If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord" 1 Cor. 14:37.

"For you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus" 1 Thess. 4:2.

"Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ" Gal. 6:2.

The "commandments" of Christ, whether directly from Him are through a writer of any NT epistle, are not, therefore, of the Law, or any aspect of the Law; they rather constitute a new law, "the law of love," and "the perfect law of liberty." They enter into the teachings of grace as those teachings are set forth by Christ, and by those to whom He gave authority and commandment as set forth in Matt. 28:18; Acts 1:3; Luke 24:46-48; and Heb. 2:3-4 below:

"And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen" Matt. 28:18-20.

"To whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God" Acts 1:3.

"Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things" Luke 24:46-48.

"How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?" Heb 2:3-4.

The above is from notes I took from a study of Lewis Sperry Chafers dynamic book, Grace: An Exposition of God's Marvelous Gift, almost verbatim.

"Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out" John 12:31.

"And when He [the Holy Spirit] has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you" John 16:8-15.

It is my hope and prayer that the Holy Spirit will be allowed to use these truths in the lives of every reader.

There is forth coming other updates primarily from the writings of Lewis Sperry Chafers wonderful work, Grace: An Exposition of God's Marvelous Gifts which I stumbled upon after publishing the Article September. I encourage everyone who visits my site to get the book and study it along with all the passages of scripture upon which it is based. I am into my fourth reading. I am taking it one sentence at a time and feasting upon the truths taught there in.

Tom. January 25, 2011