Many people believe in heaven, but not hell.
Many folks don’t want to believe the alternative to God's glorious Heaven is a place called hell. Many refuse to accept the Bible fact that people will actually end up in an eternal lake of fire.
Athiests say we’re born, we live, we die, and rot. End of story. Agnostics aren’t all that sure; "prove it" they say. Different religions believe in hell but have sure ways in which to escape it after death takes place. Some say you can “baptize a proxy”, to get them out. Others think you can pray them out. Still others believe when you die, God will put your sins on a scale and if your good deeds weigh more than your sins, then you get to come on into the place with no more sorrow, no more pain, no more night. You get to live eternally with the Most High and Holy God.
We must be honest, the urgency with which most Christians share the Get-Out-Of-Hell-Free card, you’d think they believe that, too. However, the Bible speaks emphatically about a real place, an eternal fire, an eternal punishment. Like you, I don’t like it. I don’t like the idea that someone can live life doing so much good for others, and because they refuse to accept the gift of God’s grace through Jesus, that they will end up separated from God forever. I don’t like the idea that Satan took all the beauty, glory, and God-created brilliance he possessed and decided to elevate himself above God, either.
With his God given free will, satan misused everything God gave him to reject God and lead others to do the same.
Few people, I have found, have no problem with Satan ending up chained in the burning pit, unable to bring harm on God's creation anymore. Many can see the justice in Satan going to hell for his rebellion against God…for his rejection of The Great I AM, Jehovah God Himself. They even accept that all his demons belong right there next to him for causing such problems and chaos in our world.
But it’s beyond comprehension, for some, even impossible, to wrap their minds around the idea that a human, created in God’s image, could possibly end up in Satan’s lap for all eternity.
Yet, Jesus says that is exactly what is going to happen when He returns and separates the goats from the sheep; The tares from the wheat; The unrighteous from the righteous; The ones with lights in their oil lamps from those without light.
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” Matthew 25:41
You don’t have to believe it; but it doesn’t change anything. It is what it is, and will be what God says, anyway. The Lord desires all mankind to come to His saving grace. He wants that so much He came to earth to show us Himself, to live among us and show us how to talk to Him, how to live as He lived, and how to get into Christ. He came to die and become the perfect and holy sacrifice for our sins. He took our sin on Himself (2 Cor. 5:21f) so we wouldn’t have to spend an eternity with Satan. God doesn’t want a single soul to spend eternity away from Him. He loved us first before we loved Him. He wants us to come to Him by His plan in His Word.
I would encourage each one who reads this devotional, get into The Holy Word of God. Learn what it means to be saved and the joy of knowing heaven is your home. Begin in the book of Acts just following Christ's Resurrection into heaven.
The happiness we get, the comfort, the joy on this earth is nothing–nothing compared to what He has prepared for those of us who trust Him and believe every word He has spoken.
God bless...
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Baptism From I Peter 3:21
Today, God through His Son has provided a means by which we may avail ourselves of His salvation, and where we may meet the blood of Christ. He has provided it in His mercy, kindness, and love, but we must accept what He has provided. And though we may be accused of "water salvation," the Holy Spirit has said, "baptism now saves you."
How could something be unessential ("optional") that God has said ‘"saves" you? Consider some parallels with regard to other passages where something or someone is said to "save:"
1) "But the one who endures to the end, he shall be saved" (Matt. 24:13, cf. 10:22).
2) "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned" (Mark 16:16).
3) "...so that they may not believe and be saved" (Luke 8:12).
4) "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him" (John 3: 17).
5) "I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture" (John 10:9).
6) "'AND IT SHALL BE, THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED'" (Acts 2:21).
7) " . . And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved" (Acts 2:47).
8) "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).
9) "and he [Peter] shall speak words to you by which you will be saved, you and all your household" (Acts 11: 14).
10) "But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus . ." (Acts 15:11).
11) "and they said, Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household" (Acts 16:3 1).
12) "Much more than, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him" (Rom. 5:9. See also v. 10).
13) "For in hope we have been saved . . ." (Rom. 8:24).
14) "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved" (Rom. 10:9).
15) "For 'WHOEVER WILL CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED'" (Rom. 10:13).
16) "For the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God" (I Cor. 1:18).
17) "[the gospel] by which you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain" (I Cor. 15:2).
18) "[God] made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)" (Eph. 2:5).
19) "For by grace you have been saved through faith . ." (Eph. 2:8).
20) "...for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved" (II Thess. 2:10).
Most interpreters would agree that whatever element or action is specified in the above passages as necessary for being "saved" should not be omitted from the teaching of salvation. To omit any item that "saves" us would be to leave out hope, belief, grace, the blood of Jesus, confessing Christ, and Jesus Himself!
When therefore the Scriptures also tell us baptism "now saves you", one is hard pressed to shrug it off as "nonessential" to salvation.
Believe and accept ALL of what God has spoken in HIS WORD!!!
How could something be unessential ("optional") that God has said ‘"saves" you? Consider some parallels with regard to other passages where something or someone is said to "save:"
1) "But the one who endures to the end, he shall be saved" (Matt. 24:13, cf. 10:22).
2) "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned" (Mark 16:16).
3) "...so that they may not believe and be saved" (Luke 8:12).
4) "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him" (John 3: 17).
5) "I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture" (John 10:9).
6) "'AND IT SHALL BE, THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED'" (Acts 2:21).
7) " . . And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved" (Acts 2:47).
8) "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).
9) "and he [Peter] shall speak words to you by which you will be saved, you and all your household" (Acts 11: 14).
10) "But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus . ." (Acts 15:11).
11) "and they said, Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household" (Acts 16:3 1).
12) "Much more than, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him" (Rom. 5:9. See also v. 10).
13) "For in hope we have been saved . . ." (Rom. 8:24).
14) "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved" (Rom. 10:9).
15) "For 'WHOEVER WILL CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED'" (Rom. 10:13).
16) "For the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God" (I Cor. 1:18).
17) "[the gospel] by which you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain" (I Cor. 15:2).
18) "[God] made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)" (Eph. 2:5).
19) "For by grace you have been saved through faith . ." (Eph. 2:8).
20) "...for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved" (II Thess. 2:10).
Most interpreters would agree that whatever element or action is specified in the above passages as necessary for being "saved" should not be omitted from the teaching of salvation. To omit any item that "saves" us would be to leave out hope, belief, grace, the blood of Jesus, confessing Christ, and Jesus Himself!
When therefore the Scriptures also tell us baptism "now saves you", one is hard pressed to shrug it off as "nonessential" to salvation.
Believe and accept ALL of what God has spoken in HIS WORD!!!
Friday, May 25, 2012
"Some Protest The Need"
We live in a very religious world, yet far from God's intent for us. However, some protest the need for baptism saying…
'I believe baptism is commanded by God but not essential for salvation. It is merely an "outward sign of a work that has already taken place within."'
According to Romans 6:3-10 and Colossians 2:12 we are dead and unified with Jesus through baptism into His death, His burial and His resurrection:
Biblical baptism
"He who believes and is baptized shall be saved." –Mark 16:16
According to this erroneous teaching, which states: We are saved when we believe and are resurrected at that point and are then baptized as a sign of "what has already taken place," we get another and completely different picture, which looks like this:
Denominational baptism
"He who believes and is saved shall be baptized." – Denominational tradition
We don't bury live people. On the contrary; We bury dead ones! This teaching, when looked at closely, is NOT what the Word of God teaches about baptism in Romans 6 and Colossians 2:12.
This is not a Biblical baptism. Romans 6:9-10 states Christ died ONCE and cannot die again! We are unified with Him in death, buried with Him and also raised with Him through baptism. How does all this take place? By faith.
If we are "saved" before we are baptized, then baptism has no meaning and is contradictory to itself in scripture.
Furthermore, Ephesians 4:4-5 states that there is only ONE baptism, not two! A person must choose which baptism is the one that is taught in scripture. And there is only ONE Gospel.
If we deny baptism is when we are reborn, we are denying not only our own resurrection (and rebirth) but also Christ's resurrection.
To further clarify and reinforce this point see 1Corinthians 10:1-4, and remember the following illustration from the Old Testament as an illustration for us today:
God brought Israel:
1. out of Egypt (the land of slavery--i.e. sin)
2. through the sea (water -i.e. baptism)
3. and into the promised land (Israel—i.e. salvation, redemption)
God did NOT bring Israel:
1. out of Egypt (the land of slavery--i.e. sin)
3. into the promised land (Israel--i.e. salvation, redemption)
2. then through the sea (water -i.e. baptism)
Baptism is nothing new in God's salvation plan. It is something He has always used to illustrate the separating of sin from mankind. God has always saved people through water. It was foreshadowed long ago in the Old Testament scriptures.
Consider Nadab and Abihu and their strange fire in Leviticus 10:1-3 and King Saul and his own way of doing things in 1 Samuel 13 & 15. Remember also, the story of Naaman the Leper. Was it the water of the Jordan that cured Naaman of his leprosy? No! It was God who removed his leprosy when Naaman demonstrated his faith by obeying God and doing just what God told him to do—in the exact manner God instructed him.
Likewise, when we go down into the water in similar obedience, God forgives our sin. It is God who does the removing of sin, not the water. If God had told us that we have to pat our head and rub our belly to be forgiven, then that is what we would have to do to be forgiven. But God has not told us we have to pat our head and rub our belly. Instead, He has told us we have to be baptized for the forgiveness of our sins.
1 Corinthians 10:6,11
"Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did..."
"These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come."
Romans 10:2-3
"For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness."
Romans 15:4
"For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."
Consider also this passage:
Mark 16:15-16
"And he said unto them, Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believes and is baptized shall be saved, and he that does not believe shall be condemned."
Notice Jesus said, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved."
Notice also what Jesus did NOT say. He did NOT say, "He that believeth and is saved shall be baptized."
In great error, most denominations teach the latter. In other words, most denominations teach what Jesus did NOT say! This should send a chill up the spine of anyone who is truly seeking to follow the teachings of Christ.
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth shall set you free." John 8:31-32
Notice: holding to Christ's teaching = being His disciple.
Therefore NOT holding to Christ's teaching = NOT being His disciple!
This is a very simple test God gave us to determine who is and who is not a disciple of Christ.
Some (such as Baptists) may ask if what we believe about baptism at time of immersion matters. I.e., Is it important for us to believe that God is forgiving our sins in baptism when we are baptized? The answer is, yes, it is vital that we believe and understand what baptism is about, otherwise we are undergoing a different baptism, which is not the ONE baptism of Ephesians 4:4-5. The Colossians believed that God was working to make them a new creation in baptism. Notice the phrase “through faith in the working of God”:
Colossians 2:12, "and you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead."
Hebrews 11:6
"And without faith it is impossible to please God..."
'I believe baptism is commanded by God but not essential for salvation. It is merely an "outward sign of a work that has already taken place within."'
According to Romans 6:3-10 and Colossians 2:12 we are dead and unified with Jesus through baptism into His death, His burial and His resurrection:
Biblical baptism
"He who believes and is baptized shall be saved." –Mark 16:16
According to this erroneous teaching, which states: We are saved when we believe and are resurrected at that point and are then baptized as a sign of "what has already taken place," we get another and completely different picture, which looks like this:
Denominational baptism
"He who believes and is saved shall be baptized." – Denominational tradition
We don't bury live people. On the contrary; We bury dead ones! This teaching, when looked at closely, is NOT what the Word of God teaches about baptism in Romans 6 and Colossians 2:12.
This is not a Biblical baptism. Romans 6:9-10 states Christ died ONCE and cannot die again! We are unified with Him in death, buried with Him and also raised with Him through baptism. How does all this take place? By faith.
If we are "saved" before we are baptized, then baptism has no meaning and is contradictory to itself in scripture.
Furthermore, Ephesians 4:4-5 states that there is only ONE baptism, not two! A person must choose which baptism is the one that is taught in scripture. And there is only ONE Gospel.
If we deny baptism is when we are reborn, we are denying not only our own resurrection (and rebirth) but also Christ's resurrection.
To further clarify and reinforce this point see 1Corinthians 10:1-4, and remember the following illustration from the Old Testament as an illustration for us today:
God brought Israel:
1. out of Egypt (the land of slavery--i.e. sin)
2. through the sea (water -i.e. baptism)
3. and into the promised land (Israel—i.e. salvation, redemption)
God did NOT bring Israel:
1. out of Egypt (the land of slavery--i.e. sin)
3. into the promised land (Israel--i.e. salvation, redemption)
2. then through the sea (water -i.e. baptism)
Baptism is nothing new in God's salvation plan. It is something He has always used to illustrate the separating of sin from mankind. God has always saved people through water. It was foreshadowed long ago in the Old Testament scriptures.
Consider Nadab and Abihu and their strange fire in Leviticus 10:1-3 and King Saul and his own way of doing things in 1 Samuel 13 & 15. Remember also, the story of Naaman the Leper. Was it the water of the Jordan that cured Naaman of his leprosy? No! It was God who removed his leprosy when Naaman demonstrated his faith by obeying God and doing just what God told him to do—in the exact manner God instructed him.
Likewise, when we go down into the water in similar obedience, God forgives our sin. It is God who does the removing of sin, not the water. If God had told us that we have to pat our head and rub our belly to be forgiven, then that is what we would have to do to be forgiven. But God has not told us we have to pat our head and rub our belly. Instead, He has told us we have to be baptized for the forgiveness of our sins.
1 Corinthians 10:6,11
"Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did..."
"These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come."
Romans 10:2-3
"For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness."
Romans 15:4
"For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."
Consider also this passage:
Mark 16:15-16
"And he said unto them, Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believes and is baptized shall be saved, and he that does not believe shall be condemned."
Notice Jesus said, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved."
Notice also what Jesus did NOT say. He did NOT say, "He that believeth and is saved shall be baptized."
In great error, most denominations teach the latter. In other words, most denominations teach what Jesus did NOT say! This should send a chill up the spine of anyone who is truly seeking to follow the teachings of Christ.
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth shall set you free." John 8:31-32
Notice: holding to Christ's teaching = being His disciple.
Therefore NOT holding to Christ's teaching = NOT being His disciple!
This is a very simple test God gave us to determine who is and who is not a disciple of Christ.
Some (such as Baptists) may ask if what we believe about baptism at time of immersion matters. I.e., Is it important for us to believe that God is forgiving our sins in baptism when we are baptized? The answer is, yes, it is vital that we believe and understand what baptism is about, otherwise we are undergoing a different baptism, which is not the ONE baptism of Ephesians 4:4-5. The Colossians believed that God was working to make them a new creation in baptism. Notice the phrase “through faith in the working of God”:
Colossians 2:12, "and you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead."
Hebrews 11:6
"And without faith it is impossible to please God..."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)