The Work of God

I Thessalonians 1:3 – “Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love…”

Today I wish to expound upon three aspects of the work of God. The theme of Paul’s first epistle to the Thessalonians is the work of God. Much is written in this epistle regarding Paul’s work among them; their work in the kingdom of God; and most importantly, God’s work in His people.

One of my favorite verses of scripture is as follows:

Psalm 118:23 – “This is the LORD’S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.”

This verse deals with Jesus Christ, the chief cornerstone, being rejected by the Jews. Jesus quoted this verse in Matthew 21:42 and Mark 12:11. In each instance, He was showing the Jews how they would be rejected by God and how that God would turn to the Gentiles. Can you imagine how hard it was for the Jews to conceive of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to take the chief cornerstone away from them, and use it to build a Gentile church? How is something of this magnitude going to be done? “This is the Lord’s doing!” God is going to do it! Whether Israel approves of it or not, God is going to do it! Whether Israel supports it or not, Jesus told them, “God is going to do it!”

Let’s get something straight! There are some things that will happen just because God is going to do it! I know for a fact that man-made global warming will NOT destroy our planet! It is predestined that God Almighty is going to burn this mess to a pile of ashes! For all you “green” people out there who think you’re saving the planet by riding around in a bullet shell, I’ve got news for you! Your efforts to save the planet are all in vain! God is going to destroy this planet and no legislation will stop Him! God’s going to shut the liberals down and shut the atheists up, and there’s not one thing that any world leader will do about it! “This is the Lord’s doing,” and it cannot be stopped!

I would like to look now at three aspects of the work of God.

God’s Work FOR Us – Grace

First, I would like to look at what God did FOR us. When we speak of what God did for us, we are speaking of grace. Man is lost hopelessly – so hopelessly that no effort on His part can save Himself. I am still amazed how people who have been in church for years testify that they are going to heaven because they have been faithful. Friend, no amount of faithfulness on your part will take care of your sin, or of the penalty of death that results from it.

God sent His only begotten Son into the world. Jesus Christ, God’s Son, took my sins upon Himself as though they were His sins. He was whipped, beaten, mocked, spit upon, crucified, and separated from His Father for my sins. The only way I could have ever paid off my sin debt is to die forever in a lake of fire! But Jesus took my sins and yours upon Himself. He did this so we need never to die the second death. Calvary is God’s work FOR us. Christ did upon the cross what no man could do for himself. Christ satisfied the wrath and justice of God completely. Grace is God doing for us what we could not do for ourselves. Calvary is the grace of God.

God’s Work IN Us – Faith

I am amazed at how many ministers in various denominations have no clue concerning Bible salvation. Some think that getting sprinkled as an infant contributes to the salvation of the soul. Some think that being saved from sin is the result of a person’s willful cessation of sin. While I believe strongly that God’s people are called to holy living, I believe just as strongly that salvation is not “cessation from sin.” You can cease from all your bad habits and start doing good and righteous things and be as lost as any man has ever been. Some think erroneously that salvation is the product of being baptized “in Jesus’ name.” Some think that salvation is composed of repentance, baptism in Jesus' name, and being filled with the Holy Ghost evidenced by speaking in tongues. None of these things are correct.

I discussed the subject of salvation with a man recently. This man was of the opinion that we are saved by keeping the moral law of God. He describes salvation as “trusting Jesus” AND “ceasing from sin.” I asked the man this question: “If you were in the Philippian jail and the jailer came to you and asked, ‘What must I do to be saved?’ what would your response be?” I never got an answer. Because in the word of God, Paul and Silas WERE in the Philippian jail. And the jailer DID ask, “What must I do to be saved?” Paul and Silas gave a clear, concise response. Their response was not, “Get down on your knees for an hour and if you feel better, thou shalt be saved.” They did not say, “Quit your sinning, and thou shalt be saved.” Neither did they say, “Be baptized,” or “Be baptized in Jesus’ name and thou shalt be saved.” What Paul and Silas answered is echoed throughout the New Testament – “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.”

Believing, or having faith, is the work of God. Believing is not your own work of any kind. When you believe on Jesus Christ to be saved, you are not DOING anything; you are rather trusting fully what Christ HAS ALREADY DONE! Believing on the Lord Jesus Christ is not merely believing that God exists; or believing that Christ died on the cross. Devils believe these things, and tremble at the thought of them! Yet no devil is saved. Believing is fully trusting Christ to save you based upon HIS WORK upon the cross. We have faith because God gives it to us. The man who has faith cannot boast of his faith; for he has no faith, unless God graciously bestows it to him. Notice:

Ephesians 2:8, 9 – “For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Notice how Paul words this – “For by grace are ye saved through faith, and THAT…” What is “that”? The context teaches us that the word, “that” refers to faith. We are saved “through FAITH, and THAT not of yourselves.” Paul is teaching plainly that the faith to be saved does not dwell within us. It is given to us by God! Paul goes on to say, “It is the gift of God!” Romans 12:3 teaches us that God has dealt to every man “the measure of faith!” Trusting Christ fully to save you is not your work; it is the work of God! You are simply trusting what Christ has already accomplished FOR us!

John 6:29 – “Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.”

God’s Work THROUGH Us – Good Works

We previously looked at Ephesians 2:8 & 9, that salvation is by grace (God’s work for us – sending Christ to die upon the cross) through faith (God’s work in us – trusting Christ’s work upon the cross). Now, I wish to examine these verses once more, but this time let us look at them along with verse 10:

Ephesians 2:8-10 – “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

After we are saved by grace, through faith, we are then created in Christ Jesus UNTO good works. The best evidence of genuine salvation is a change in one’s living!

Make no mistake about it – we are justified in the sight of God by faith, apart from works altogether.

Romans 3:21 – “But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets.”

Romans 3:28 – “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.”

Galatians 2:16 – “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.”

Galatians 3:11 – “But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.”

Clearly, the Bible teaches that we are justified, or declared innocent, completely by faith, and completely apart from works. But, let us look at some verses in James 2:

James 2:14 – “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Can faith save him?”

James 2:17 – “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.”

James 2:24 – “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.”

Now, let us notice a couple of things. Galatians 3:11 states that NO MAN is justified by works of the law in the sight of God. James 2:24, just as clearly, states that by works a man IS JUSTIFIED, and not by faith only. There is a simple, clear, Biblical explanation for this.

The passages I gave you in Romans and Galatians deal with us being justified in THE SIGHT OF GOD (Galatians 3:11). James 2, however, deals with us being justified in the SIGHT OF MAN (James 2:15, 16, 18). When a man places his faith in Jesus Christ, he justified in the sight of God instantly, even before God sees the first good work. God does not need to see a good work before He knows we have faith, for He can see our heart! Our fellow man, on the other hand, cannot see our faith; he can only see our works! Therefore, to be justified in man’s sight, we must prove our faith by having good works! Make no mistake about it – the passages in Romans and Galatians deal with justification in the sight of God, and we are justified in His sight without any works whatsoever.

Galatians 3:11 – “But that no man is justified by the law IN THE SIGHT OF GOD, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.”

James 2, on the other hand, is not about us showing God our faith; it is rather about us showing MAN our faith:

James 2:15, 16 – “If A BROTHER OR SISTER be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?”

In these verses, James clearly states that claiming to have faith without works will in no way profit A BROTHER OR SISTER!

James 2:18 – “Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: SHEW ME THY FAITH without thy works, and I will SHEW THEE my faith by my works.”

Again, it is clear here that the subject is not about showing God our faith; it is about being justified in the sight of man. “Shew me thy faith without thy works,” Paul says, “and I will show thee my faith by my works.” When James 2 is put in context, there is not a single contradiction with Romans and Galatians whatsoever.

We are completely justified in the sight of God by faith, apart from works of any kind. But it is the will of God for God to work THROUGH us! He wants us to submit to His work so that we might show the world our faith. Genuine faith in Christ makes a person a new creature (II Corinthians 5:17). Genuine faith in Christ will make a change in the life, mind, and heart of an individual. The best way to show your faith by your works is to let Jesus Christ do the living in your life. When this is done, Christ will work the work of God THROUGH you!

Galatians 2:20 – “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

This is the key – “…nevertheless I live; yet NOT I, but CHRIST LIVETH IN ME!” When we let Him live, there will be an abundance of good works in our life – not to show God our faith; but rather to show man our faith, that they might see our good works, and glorify our Father which is in heaven!

Is Salvation Difficult?

II Corinthians 11:3 – “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”

Introduction

In my previous post, I examined by the word of God the unscriptural teaching of “tarrying” for salvation. It would benefit the reader to read that article (“Tarrying” for Salvation) before reading this one.

Those who believe that a person is saved only after begging, crying, and spending a great deal time praying usually have an overall mindset concerning salvation that salvation is very difficult to obtain. As a matter of fact, they describe salvation in such a way that they seem to imply that, short of a miracle, salvation is impossible to gain. To these people, being saved is no big deal. It doesn’t mean much, probably because those who have been saved probably will not be able to maintain their salvation. If you hear them tell it, those who have salvation at this moment will probably not be saved in the end anyway.

People with this mindset love to emphasize how hard it is to be saved. It is, without a doubt, a source of pride for them. Salvation, in their mind, is so difficult to obtain and nearly impossible to maintain; but they, dear friend, are among the choice few who have held out through the difficulties of salvation, and they are “still saved.” You can hear the bragging in their voices as they remind you that So-and-so could not hold on to this difficult salvation; this preacher and that one lost their salvation in the overwhelming difficulties that accompany salvation; but alas! They have held on! They have, where others have fallen, stood true in spite of the difficulties that have brought down their brethren. “Not just anybody is going to heaven,” they say. But keep listening. Not everyone is going to heaven, BUT THEY ARE! Oh how superior they are to others!

Those who believe that salvation is extremely difficult to attain almost always believe in a salvation that is gained by works. Oh, they say they don’t believe in such; but the reason that salvation is so difficult to either attain or maintain is because the works necessary to maintain it are so exhaustive. “Salvation is not by works,” they assure us, “but if you do not tilt your head at a certain angle and hold your mouth a certain way, you’re going to hell!” Salvation is not by works, they claim, but if your prayer life does not measure up to their standard, you will lose your salvation. Salvation is not by works, they affirm, but if you do not “fast twice in the week,” (Luke 18:12) like they do, then you will forfeit your salvation. So it is plain to see that those who believe that the way of salvation is difficult often believe in a works-based salvation.

But is salvation difficult to obtain? The clear, concise answer is no. Is salvation difficult to find? In our world of many religions, sects, and creeds, yes! But once the Biblical way of salvation is found, it is not difficult to obtain. Is the way of salvation preceded by obstacles that present difficulties to the seeker? Yes! That is precisely why there are lost people who, after hearing the simple gospel, yet remain lost. Every saved individual overcame obstacles to be saved; but salvation itself is not the obstacle! While there are difficulties that hinder people from coming to Christ, Christ is not the difficulty! I believe that an elementary study of scripture will prove these statements to be true.

A Look at Our Text

The text marking the beginning of this post, II Corinthians 11:3, states, first, that being “in Christ” is simple; and second, that the removal from this simplicity is defined as “corruption.” It is not commendable to make the matter of salvation complicated; it is utter corruption to do so.

In the verse following our text, II Corinthians 11:4, Paul refers to those who complicate the gospel as “preaching another Jesus,” “receiving another spirit,” and “receiving another gospel.” The Jesus of a complicated gospel is not the Jesus of the Bible.

Though the Bible is plain that there is simplicity in Christ, those who promote the “complicated gospel” have scriptures that they use. Let us examine a few of them.

Strait is the Gate and Narrow is the Way

The first passage used to promote a complicated gospel is found in the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 7:13-14 – “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

Notice first, in verse 13, the word “many.” Speaking of the broad way that leads to destruction, “MANY there be which go in thereat.” Notice then in verse 14 the word “few.” Speaking of the narrow way that leads to life, “FEW there be that find it.”

The primary message of Christ’s exposition of the two roads is to show how many are on the broad way in contrast to how few are on the narrow way. Notice again the last words of verse 13, which speak of the broad way – “Many there be which go in thereat.” Here, a question is raised. Why do so many walk the broad way? In the next verse, Jesus answers that question clearly – “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life.” The way that leads to life is strait and narrow.

Now, please stay with me. The word “strait” in the King James Bible is not synonymous with the modern word “straight.” The modern word “straight” means “not curved” or “level.” The Greek word translated “strait” in the King James Bible means “narrow, from obstacles standing close about.” Noah Webster defines “strait” as “narrow; close.” He further defines “strait” as “difficult; distressful.”

So, there it is. The gate that opens the way of life is said to be “strait,” defined by Webster as “difficult.” Listen to me carefully. Jesus plainly teaches here that there is difficulty associated with the gate that opens the way to eternal life. But where does the difficulty lie? Is the gate said to be “strait,” or difficult, because the way that leads to life is a hard road? That’s not what Christ said. Christ says nothing in these verses about the narrow way being a hard way to walk. Show me where Christ stated that the narrow way is difficult to walk. It is not there. That’s not what Christ said, yet that is what people teach.

Look again at the last words of verse 14 – “Few be there that find it.” Did you get that? Jesus, speaking of the strait gate and narrow way, is not talking about that way being hard to walk, but rather hard to find. There is great difficulty in the “strait” gate and narrow way; but that difficulty lies in finding it, not walking  in it. Once this is understood, there is no contradiction with Paul’s words in II Corinthians 11, when he speaks of the simplicity that is in Christ.

How true I have found Christ’s words! The strait gate is hard to find! Many of you reading this have had no difficulty finding the strait gate, but you were raised around the strait gate. But I have dealt with lost people who expressed a desire to be saved. The Jehovah’s Witnesses told them that the way to the gate was their way. The oneness movement pointed them another direction to the strait gate. The Methodists assured them that the way to eternal life was yet another direction. The Christian Science movement, the Seventh-Day Adventists, the Church of Christ, and a myriad of other movements insist that their creeds point to the strait gate. Yes, there is a great difficulty associated with the gate that the opens the way of life. The difficulty lies in finding the way, not walking  in it.

Strive to Enter In

In Luke’s gospel, Christ spoke similar words to those words written by Matthew.

Luke 13:24 – “Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.

This is a very popular verse used by those who believe in a difficult salvation. In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus spoke of both a strait gate and a narrow way. Here, in Luke’s gospel, Jesus speaks nothing about the narrow way. He speaks only of the strait gate.

Look at the opening words of this verse. Christ says, “Strive to enter in at the strait gate.” Just like Matthew’s gospel, we have the word “strait” describing the gate. We see again that there is difficulty associated with the gate that opens the way of life. In Matthew’s gospel, we saw that the difficulty associated with the gate lies with finding the gate – “Few be there that find it.” Here, in Luke’s gospel, Christ does not emphasize that the gate is hard to find. But there is a difficulty associated with the gate. Christ even enforces the difficulty associated with the gate by commanding his hearers to strive to enter in. Webster defines “strive” as “to make efforts; to use exertions; to endeavor with earnestness; to labor hard.” But please notice that we are not told to strive because the way of salvation is hard; as a matter of fact, the “way” is not even mentioned in Luke’s gospel. So, if you conclude from this verse that the way of salvation is hard, there is something about this passage you are not understanding.

Is there difficulty associated with the gate? Yes. It is called the “strait” gate. If we get to the gate, we will do so by striving. In this verse, Jesus is dealing with one of the greatest difficulties presented to the sinner – the difficulty of procrastination. When a sinner hears the gospel, his greatest temptation is not to resist the gospel; but rather to put it off. “Don’t reject the Lord,” the devil tells him. “Just don’t respond today.” This temptation should be resisted with every fiber of the sinner’s being. The sinner should strive against this great temptation. Hell is full of people who meant to be saved someday, but they did not strive against the temptation and now they are lost eternally. Though they seek to enter in, they shall not be able.

How do I know that this is the difficulty to which Christ is referring? Let’s look at our verse once more. “Strive to enter in at the strait gate,” Christ says. Why strive? “For many shall seek to enter in, and shall not be able.” This arouses a question in the heart of the careful reader. When will people seek to enter in, and find themselves unable to do so? Christ answers that question clearly in the next verse:

Luke 13:25 – “When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are.”

When will people seek to enter in and not be able? “When the master of the house shuts the door and you stand without and knock.” There is a great difficulty associated with the gate. But the gate itself is not the difficulty. Salvation is not the difficulty. Procrastination is the difficulty. And if it is not striven against at all costs, the sinner will soon find that the gate that he delayed to enter will be shut forever.

Salvation, like Paul said in II Corinthians 11, is simple. The act of putting off salvation is a great difficulty and a great temptation that must be resisted. Failure to overcome this difficulty has landed many souls in a burning hell. The gate is open now, but not always. That’s the difficulty. Salvation is not the difficulty; salvation is the solution to the difficulty.

The Righteous Are Scarcely Saved

Perhaps the scripture that is misused the most to prove that salvation is difficult is found in I Peter 4:

I Peter 4:18 – “And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?”

This verse is often misused by, in the first place, changing the word “scarcely” to “barely.” Those who believe that salvation is difficult often quote this verse by saying, “Salvation is so hard to attain that if the righteous are saved, they will barely be saved.” This is a gross mutilation of a blessed verse. James Strong defines the Greek word translated “scarcely” as “with difficulty.” Noah Webster defines the word “scarcely” as “hardly; with difficulty.” Both men define this word to mean “with difficulty.”

This verse does not mean that salvation is so complicated and hard to obtain that those who live perfect in every way will just “barely” obtain it. Then what does this verse mean?

First, we have seen that the word “scarcely” means “with difficulty.” So, look again at the first part of this verse – “If the righteous scarcely be saved,” or we could say, “If the righteous be saved with difficulty.” Those who are righteous are saved with difficulty. Everyone who is saved has been saved with difficulty. Keep this in mind; I will come back to it later.

Now, let us examine the latter part of the verse. We have the question, “Where shall the ungodly appear?” Peter is speaking of the Day of Judgment. How do we know? The verse prior to this one makes it clear. In I Peter 4:17 – “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God. And if it begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” Peter is talking about the end of those who do not obey the gospel. Their end is the lake of fire, into which they will be cast at the final judgment.

At the Great White Throne Judgment, the lost will try to negotiate with God, but it will be of no avail (Matthew 7:22). In the midst of the negotiations, the lost will no doubt use their difficulties – whatever obstacles hindered them from being saved – as excuses. We see this in Luke 14, where Jesus tells of a man who made a supper. The man began to invite people to the supper. One by one, those invited began to make excuse. One said that he could not come because he bought a piece of land and had to go see it. Another said that he had just purchased five yoke of oxen, and needed to go prove them. Another said that he had married a wife, and therefore could not come. Notice very carefully – there was no difficulty with the supper itself. There was no difficulty with the invitation to the supper. The difficulties lied in the events in the lives of those men who received the invitation. The men who were invited used their difficulties as excuses. The piece of land became the hindrance. The oxen became the obstacle. The newlywed wife became the difficulty. The supper was not the difficulty! Salvation is not the difficulty! The invitation to salvation is not the difficulty. However, some people use difficulties of life as excuses for not being saved. When lost people stand before God, will these excuses be valid?

Perhaps you can envision the scene of the final judgment. A man stands before God. He is lost, but tries to assure the Lord that, had he been raised in a Christian home, he would have been saved. Will that excuse hold up? Absolutely not! A witness will rise up, and say, “Lord, I wasn’t raised in a Christian home either, but I was saved!” And the excuse will be thrown out.

You see, the righteous are “scarcely saved.” The righteous are saved “with difficulty.” Everyone who is saved had difficulties to overcome. You say that the reason you’re not saved is because you had to bury one of your babies? There are some people who had to bury their children, and yet they are saved. You say that the reason you are not saved is because you’ve had a hard life? A hard life is a difficulty for sure, but there are saved people who were saved in spite of the difficulty of having a hard life. To put it as gently as possible, these difficulties are not valid excuses for rejecting salvation. Everyone who has been saved could have used some difficulty as an excuse to remain lost. But they didn’t. They overcame those difficulties. They strove to enter in at the strait gate. They overcame their difficulties and were saved.

That’s the meaning of the verse – “If the righteous scarcely be saved,” – and the righteous truly are saved with difficulty – “where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?” – where shall the lost, who try to use their difficulties as excuses, appear? Since every saved person overcame difficulties to be saved, every difficulty that the lost man tries to use as an excuse on Judgment Day will be overthrown on that fateful day.

This verse is not about salvation being difficult. It is about lost people using their difficulties as excuses. They’ll have no excuse, because righteous people were saved having to overcome the very same difficulties. No wonder John said in I John 5:5, “Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus Christ is the Son of God?” The believer is an overcomer because he overcame difficulties to be saved!

Simple Truths Regarding Salvation

1. Man is lost because of his sin. Sin is the transgression, or breaking, of God’s law (I John 3:4). Even before a person commits a sin on his own, every person is a sinner from the time of his birth (Psalm 58:3). Although all have sinned (Romans 3:23), you did not become a sinner when you sinned; you became a sinner when Adam (the first created man) sinned (Romans 5:19).
2. Man, on his own and at his best, is completely lost and unable to save himself. His best works, the sum of all his righteousnesses, are as filthy rags in the sight of God (Isaiah 64:6). Man, without having to do anything, is by nature a child of God’s wrath (Ephesians 2:3).
3. Because of his lost condition, man is on his way to a literal, burning, eternal hell. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), and the Bible teaches that the lake of fire is called the second death (Revelation 20:14).
4. Because man is completely incapable of saving himself, man must depend upon an outside source to save him. Consequently, God, in his love for mankind (John 3:16), provided a plan to save mankind from the penalty, practice, and presence of sin. We call this plan “salvation.”
5. God’s loving act of providing salvation for mankind is called grace. Man has broken God’s laws, and the penalty of death and hell is just and fair. God could have provided no salvation whatsoever for mankind, and His righteousness would not have been diminished in the least. However, God provided salvation for mankind. When God provided a plan of salvation, every lost individual was “without strength,” or “unable to save himself” (Romans 5:6); every lost individual was a sinner (Romans 5:8); and every lost individual was an enemy of God (Romans 5:10). Hence, man did absolutely nothing to earn salvation. The only thing we earned as lost individuals was a place in hell. When God devised a plan to save man, this plan was not provided because of what man had done; it was provided rather in spite of what man had done. Grace, defined as “the unmerited, or unearned favor of God toward man,” was shown to mankind when God presented a salvation plan to fallen man.
6. God’s plan of salvation is in His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. In order to save man, God sent His only begotten Son into the world (John 3:16-17). Jesus Christ lived as a man, yet he lived without sin (Hebrews 4:15). He never broke a single law of God. Christ never sinned in word, in thought, or in deed. This point is of absolute importance. If Jesus Christ were to save mankind from sin, it was necessary that Christ have no sin whatsoever. And though he was tempted in all points as we are, yet he was proven to be absolutely sinless.
7. Because Jesus Christ, as a man, never committed a single sin, God the Father laid upon Jesus every sin you and I ever committed or ever will commit (Isaiah 53:6). Jesus then paid the penalty of sin, which is death. Jesus died a horrific death upon an old, rugged cross. At the moment of His death, Christ declared “It is finished,” indicating that the penalty of our sins had been completely paid in full (John 19:30). It was very important that Christ be sinless upon the earth. Had Christ committed any sin of His own, He would not have been able to pay for my sins; He would have rather died for His own sins. But since He had no sins of His own for which to die, He could rightfully die for my sins and yours. And He did just that. Christ’s death is sufficient to save the whole world from sin. Absolutely nothing else needs to be done to pay for our sins. To prove that Christ's death was indeed a sacrifice that was holy, without blemish, and accepted by the Father, God the Father raised Jesus Christ from the dead (Romans 1:3).
8. Although God showed grace by sending His Son to save us from sin, and although the blood of Jesus Christ is sufficient to save the entire world (I John 2:2), not everyone will be saved. This is because God’s salvation is not “by grace alone.” In other words, just because God showed grace to you by sending Jesus to die for your sins does not mean that you are saved. Titus 2:11 tells us that God’s grace that brings salvation has appeared to everyone. But everyone will not be saved. Even though Christ died on the cross, some men are yet lost (II Corinthians 4:3). If salvation were “by grace alone,” then the whole world would be saved because God’s grace appeared to whole world when Christ died for all (II Corinthians 5:14-15).
9. The salvation that God provided is “by grace,” but it is also “through faith” (Ephesians 2:8). “By grace” speaks of what God did when He sent Jesus to die upon the cross. But you are not saved until you place your faith in Jesus Christ to save you. When you realize that you are hopelessly and helplessly lost, and you understand that Christ’s death upon the cross is completely sufficient to pay for your every sin, you must then place your faith in Christ and in Him alone to save you. Jesus repeatedly stated and the scriptures continually declare that all you must do to have everlasting life is to “believe” on Jesus Christ (John 1:12; John 3:14-18; John 3:36; John 5:24; John 6:28-29; John 6:35; John 6:40; John 6:47; John 7:38; John 8:24; John 11:25-26; John 12:44-46; John 20:31; Acts 10:43; Acts 13:39; Acts 16:30-31; Romans 1:16; Romans 3:21-22; Romans 10:9-13; I Corinthians 1:21; Galatians 3:22; I Timothy 4:10; Hebrews 10:39; I John 3:23; I John 5:1; I John 5:4-5). When the Bible says to “believe” on Him, it is not talking about believing in God’s existence, or even believing that Jesus died on the cross. “Believing on Jesus Christ” means that your faith is in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:25). You trust nothing and no one except Jesus Christ to save you.
10. To have your faith in Christ means that your faith is in absolutely nothing else outside of Christ to save you. If you think you are saved because you have been baptized, then your faith is in baptism, not in Christ, and consequently, you are lost. If you believe you are saved because you have spoken in tongues, then your faith is not in Christ. If you are trusting sacraments to save you, then you are not believing on Jesus Christ. If you think you are saved because you keep certain standards of dress or standards of separation, then your faith is not in Christ. When Jesus said “No man cometh to the Father but by me” (John 14:6), that’s exactly what He meant.
11. The salvation that God provided is not only “by grace” and “through faith,” but it is also completely “apart from works” (Romans 3:20-21; Romans 4:6; Ephesians 2:8-9). There is not a single work you can do to save yourself, and there is not a single work you can do that will keep you saved. Many admit that salvation is by grace, through faith, and apart from works initially, but “in order to keep your salvation,” they claim, “you must do this, do that, or do the other…” Romans 11:6, however, completely contradicts this. According to Romans 11:6, if a man is saved by grace, then his salvation is no more of works. And if a man is saved by works, then his salvation is no more of grace. You are not granted the privilege to claim to be saved by grace, and then demand certain works to be done to keep your salvation. You are saved either by grace and completely apart from works, or else you are saved by works and completely apart from grace. You cannot mix grace and works into salvation.
12. The act of believing on Jesus Christ for salvation is not a work of the man doing the believing; it is rather the work of God (John 6:29). God has given to every man the measure of faith (Romans 12:3). Thus, the faith to believe on Jesus Christ is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8).
13. Through prayer, a lost man desiring to be saved may express to God that his faith is in Christ. Romans 10:13 states, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Please note that a person’s prayer does not save him; he places his faith in Christ, and Christ saves him. If a man is not fully trusting Christ for salvation, then he may pray all day long, and yet be lost. There is no “sinner’s prayer” recorded in the Bible. There are no certain words to say. You simply must express to the Lord in some way that all of your faith is in Christ and Christ alone. The thief who died upon a cross beside our Lord’s cross said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into Thy kingdom.” The Lord promised him, “Today shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:42-43). A tax collector simply prayed, “God, be merciful to me a sinner.” And the Bible said he went home justified (Luke 18:13-14). Saul of Tarsus simply prayed, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” He was saved immediately (Acts 9:6). Salvation is not wrapped in certain words; it is rather received by faith. When you simply express to the Lord in prayer that you are trusting Him completely to save you, placing yourself only at His mercy, He will save you the very instant you believe on Him.

Tearing Down One Bible Doctrine to Preach Another

To the Bible teacher who rightly divides the word of truth, there is no contradiction between any two Bible doctrines. To the Pharisee, however, the promotion of one Bible doctrine means the demotion of another. This, however, is a tremendous fallacy. If you feel the need to tear down one Bible truth in order to exalt another, then you are not teaching Biblical truth. Look what Christ said regarding the Pharisees:

Matthew 23:23 – “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.”

The Pharisees emphasized the paying of tithes, even down to the spice! In their opinion, you could not rigidly pay tithes AND promote judgment, mercy, and faith. So, their promotion of one teaching (tithes) demoted another teaching (judgment, mercy, and faith). Christ, however, makes it plain, that they need not tear down one doctrine in order to promote another. “These ought ye to have done,” Christ said, “and not to leave the other undone.” A minister can promote tithes AND mercy at the same time.

The reader should beware of these trends. They are everywhere. If you hear a teacher or preacher tear down one Bible doctrine so that he may promote another, steer clear! No Bible doctrine should ever preached at the sacrifice of another. Let me give you some examples of teachers today who tear down a Bible doctrine in order to exalt another.

Tearing Down Fellowship to Exalt Prayer

I recently read an article in the Miracles & Missions Digest written by Jack Skinner entitled “The Love of Christ ‘Constraineth’ Me.”* In the article, it is clear that Jack Skinner is an advocate of prayer. He believes that Christians and preachers should be men and women of prayer. I, too, believe this. There is no disagreement here. However, multiple times in the article, Mr. Skinner presented two options to the reader. Either the reader can have fellowship with man, or the reader can have fellowship with God in prayer. For some reason, these two options cannot co-exist with Mr. Skinner. Let his own words be quoted:

“Many have forsaken the prayer meeting before service and a lingering altar service in exchange for fellowship with man before and after their services.” (Skinner, p. 2)

Someone may state that, in this quote, Mr. Skinner does not condemn fellowship with man. It may be said that Mr. Skinner is only against exchanging times of prayer for fellowship with man. But Mr. Skinner does not stop here.

“While many seek fellowship of men and look for God to send in people (numbers), a true shepherd seeks the fellowship of God.” (Skinner, p. 3)

In this quote, it becomes quite apparent that some seek fellowship of men, but true shepherds seek fellowship with God. For some reason, a true shepherd, in the opinion of Mr. Skinner, cannot have fellowship with both God and man. Perhaps his most compelling quote on this subject is his advice to the new convert:

“After making peace with God, stay on your knees in prayer and find you a man of God who has paid the price to learn the importance of prayer, who will tell you the truth and not tickle your ears. If you cannot find one, pray and support some mission which is out seeking and searching for lost souls instead of building a kingdom here on earth for fellowship with one another.”

Could he be clearer? Mr. Skinner is convinced that the minister who has fellowship with man is not engaged in fellowship with God. Make no mistake about it. Our churches spend much more time in fellowship with one another than in fellowship with God. I have no desire to scrap the altar call and replace it with fellowship with one another. I have no desire to do away with our time of prayer in the mid-week service so that we may have more fellowship with one another. But what does the Bible say? The Bible certainly exalts prayer. But, in exalting prayer, does the Bible tear down the idea of Christians having fellowship with one another? Not one bit! As a matter of fact, the Bible emphasizes heavily the doctrine of fellowship with one another. In I John 1:3, John shows us a definite connection between fellowship with God and fellowship with God’s people! We can, and should, have them both! You do not have to sacrifice fellowship with God’s people in order to have fellowship with God. I John 1:7 tells us that if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another! There is nothing wrong with Christians getting together to enjoy each other’s company! Of course, it can be overdone. It should also be noted that not all socializing is fellowship. But when done properly, having fellowship with one another will enhance our fellowship with God. Christians are commanded to exhort one another (Hebrews 10:25), to pray for one another (James 5:16), to encourage one another (Hebrews 12:12), to love one another (John 15:17), to edify one another (Romans 14:19), to receive one another (Romans 15:7), to admonish one another (Romans 15:14), to serve one another (Galatians 5:13), to bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2), to forbear one another (Ephesians 4:2), to be kind to one another (Ephesians 4:32), and to comfort one another (I Thessalonians 4:18). Not one of these things can be done if we do not get up off our knees and have fellowship with one another! It is not God’s will to neglect these things in order to “stay on our knees” all the time. I am definitely in support of prayer; but I am just as supportive of Biblical fellowship. One should not be practiced at the expense of the other. We need them both!

Tearing Down the Resurrection to Promote “the Cross”

There is a movement today that preaches “the cross,” they claim. Their idea of preaching the cross is to say the words, “the message of the cross” every other sentence. Jimmy Swaggart and his circles of fellowship have promoted this type of teaching. When you first hear Jimmy Swaggart, or a minister like him, speak of “preaching the cross,” it sounds right and biblical. Certainly, I believe that Christ’s work upon the cross completely pays for the sins of mankind. When, while upon the cross, our Lord cried out, “It is finished,” that’s exactly what He meant! Nothing needs to be added for the payment of our sin.

Those who preach this so-called “message of the cross,” however, go further than this. They think that it is wrong to emphasize any other doctrine at all other than the cross. Although the Bible plainly states that Christ rose again for our justification (Romans 4:25), this is omitted from the theology of these teachers. Friend, listen carefully. Some will try to convince you that if a man preaches the resurrection, then that man is not preaching “the cross.” Peter, on the day of Pentecost, preached BOTH the cross (death of Christ) and the resurrection of Christ. Paul preached repeatedly the resurrection and stated plainly in I Corinthians that had not Christ resurrected, we would be yet in our sins (I Corinthians 15:17). Remember, genuine men of God see no contradiction in preaching BOTH the death AND the resurrection of Christ. Only Pharisees see a problem with preaching the doctrines of both tithes AND mercy.

Tearing Down Grace to Preach Holy Living

This is perhaps the most popular modern example of promoting one Biblical doctrine at the expense of another. Both grace and holiness are Bible doctrines. Both should be preached. One does not need to be minimized so that the other can be promoted. Yet, this occurs often in many types of churches.

I have noticed that some preach the need for holy living so strongly that they almost hate the word “grace.” Others seem to preach grace so strongly that they despise the word “holiness.” Both, however, are Bible doctrines, and neither should be promoted at the expense of the other.

Salvation is by grace. This means that our salvation is solely achieved because God had favor upon us, a favor that we could never earn. Our salvation is by grace (Ephesians 2:8), through faith (Ephesians 2:8), and completely apart from works (Romans 4:6). Some say that they believe that all this is true INITIALLY, but after we are saved, we must then maintain our salvation by works. However, this is a complete contradiction to Romans 11:6, a verse dealing exclusively with our election:

Romans 11:6 – “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.”

This verse is plain – our salvation is either solely by grace and solely apart from works, or else it is solely by works and solely apart from grace. There is no mixing grace and works when it comes to salvation.

However, after we are saved, the grace that saves us then teaches us to live holy before God and man.

Titus 2:11-12 – “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.”

After God’s grace brings His salvation to you, you are then taught by the same grace to live pleasing unto the Lord. Hence, there is no contradiction between grace and holiness. True grace teaches holiness, and true holiness is first a partaker of God’s grace completely apart from works. There is no need to embrace one Bible doctrine while rejecting another. We can have both grace and holiness.

Let us beware of any teacher or preacher who emphasizes one Bible doctrine while tearing down another.

*Skinner, Jack. Miracles & Missions Digest. Volume 57, Number 4. June-July 2013. “The Love of Christ ‘Constraineth’ Me.”

Eternal Redemption

Hebrews 9:12 – “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.”

Redemption! What a word! While I am sure that my understanding of such a word is insufficient for exposition, I yet intend to speak of it briefly. The word “redemption” is amazing enough; and to place the word “eternal” before it makes it infinitely more amazing still. Attempts have been made to describe its wonder. Fanny Crosby, overwhelmed by the truth of having been redeemed, writes:

Redeemed – how I love to proclaim it!
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed through His infinite mercy –
His child, and forever, I am.

Redeemed, Redeemed,
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed, Redeemed,
His child, and forever, I am.

The Wonder of Redemption

What makes the subject of redemption so breath-taking? What is it about this subject that leaves the observer in awe? The word “redeem” means, according to Noah Webster, “to purchase back; to ransom; to liberate or rescue from captivity or bondage.” Notice the first two words – “to purchase.”

I have a message that I preach entitled, “The Carpenter.” In this message, Christ is the carpenter. What is He building? He is building a church. However, He is not building just any church; but He is building a magnificent church; a church that, when He is finished, will be perfect, without blemish; a church that is completely holy.

Now, think with me momentarily. If you set out to build a building, and that building was to measure up to absolute perfection, what kind of building material would you purchase? No doubt, you would settle for none other than the best!

But it is not so with Christ. When He builds a church, He finds lost souls – building material that is twisted and good for nothing. He uses scraps. He finds material that the other carpenters have thrown out! The outcasts, the down and out, and the leftovers! The ones that no other carpenter will use. As for this type of material, most carpenters wouldn’t use it if you donated it to them! But listen – Christ bought it! Not only did He buy it, but He paid a dear price for it! He poured out His blood to purchase this good-for-nothing material that no other carpenter would use. This is redemption! What a thought, that Christ would purchase lost souls like you and me! But on the cross, that is exactly what He did!

Eternal Redemption was Obtained for Us

Notice the last words of our text – “having obtained eternal redemption for us.” It was obtained FOR US, because we could not obtain it for ourselves. Many are the ministers and churches who do not understand this. “Do this,” they say, “and you will obtain redemption.” “Change your ways,” they preach, “and you will obtain redemption.” “Quit sinning,” they insist, “and redemption will be yours.” Ministers like these place such a low price on our redemption! The price of “changing your ways” is too low – redemption costs much more than that! “Quitting your sinning” will not purchase your redemption – it is far more costly than that! Peter insists in I Peter 1:18-19 that we were not redeemed with corruptible things such as silver and gold – but with the precious blood of Christ!

Christ is the Redeemer! Good works cannot redeem. Cessation of sin is incapable of redemption. Reformation of one’s ways will come short of the price for the redemption of the soul. Only the precious blood of Christ can redeem – it is the only payment that the Father will accept.

For this reason I preach that Christ is the only Redeemer. Christ, because He shed His precious blood, is able to pay the price of redemption. This is why I preach that faith in Christ is the only way to be saved. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” That is my message for salvation. It is a great irony that those who preach another method of salvation – good works, cessation of sin, or something else – accuse me of preaching a “cheap gospel.” Their gospel is actually the cheap gospel. The reason I preach Christ is because your “cessation of sin” is not enough! The price for our salvation is higher than that! I preach Christ because your good works and self-reformation will cause you to “come short!” It is simply not enough! It will take far more than that to redeem your soul! The blood of Jesus was accepted by the Father, and anything short of it will not redeem. If you preach any other way to be redeemed, then you are the one preaching a “cheap gospel!”

The Implication of Redemption

What does redemption imply? When you say, “I have been redeemed,” what are you saying exactly? What does that mean to you?

It means that you have been purchased! You have been bought! It means that you are not your own!

I Corinthians 6:20 – “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

Women who are pro-abortion proudly proclaim, “It’s my body!” First of all, the body inside your body is not your body. The body in the womb is another human body with his or her own heart beat. That’s not your body! Furthermore, if you are a Christian, you cannot be pro-abortion for the simple reason that the body that your spirit dwells in is not YOUR body; it is HIS body – Christ bought it with His own blood. I belong to Him! I am His and He is mine.

In a sense, I am not free. I am a slave to Christ. I do not have the freedom to do as I please; I must do as He pleases, for I belong to Him! I have no right to decide where I will preach, where I will serve as pastor, or how long I will serve there. I belong to Him, and He must make those decisions. He redeemed me! He bought me! I am His servant.

“What about freedom?” you ask. “Did not Christ die to make us free?” Absolutely, for this is what Christ Himself declares in John 8:36 – “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” There is no contradiction with this verse and others that declare that we are servants of Christ – servants of righteousness. Romans 6:18 explains it all:

Romans 6:18 – “Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.”

There is no real freedom until you are the servant of Christ. If you are not His servant, bought by His blood, His possession, then you are in severe bondage of sin. Romans 6:20 tells us that while we are the servants of sin, we are free from righteousness. You may be free from righteousness, but that is not freedom; that is bondage! Christ paid the price to redeem you, to make you His own! Come to Him, for He gives the only existing freedom in this world.

The Three Appearings of Christ

Hebrews 9:24-28 – “For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, NOW TO APPEAR in the presence of God for us: Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world HATH HE APPEARED to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him SHALL HE APPEAR the second time without sin unto salvation.”

The Importance of Spiritual Vision

All spiritual senses are important. In the pages of scripture, we are told, “He that hath an ear, let him hear.” Hearing is important. Furthermore, we are instructed concerning those who are “past feeling.” Feeling should never be the most significant of the senses, but its importance cannot be denied. Even the sense of taste is necessary, for if every Christ-rejecting sinner would only “taste and see” that the Lord is good, there would be few unbelievers in this wicked world.

In this post, it is the sense of sight that has my attention. Through faith, we can see what others cannot see. Because of what God said, we can see a picture in contrast to the one that the doctor paints! The prophet of God sees the event before it happens! The man of God who is wise in the scripture can see what ought to be done in the most difficult of situations! The prayer warrior can see what is coming before it arrives, and he can therefore be a watchman, sending forth a warning! Oh, that we might see!

Peter knew the importance of seeing “afar off.” In his second epistle, Peter admonishes the believer to add various traits to his experience. “Add to your faith virtue,” he says. “And to virtue knowledge.” He continues the list. Why have these traits in our lives?

II Peter 1:8, 9 – “For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and CANNOT SEE AFAR OFF, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.”

CANNOT SEE AFAR OFF! That’s why we need these things! We need to be able to see afar off! We need to see tragic events before they get to us! Peter learned this from experience. You will remember that the night of our Lord’s arrest, it was told Peter by our Lord Himself, “Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice.” Jesus told Peter that before the break of day, he would deny the Lord three times.

Peter, along with James and John, go with Christ into the Garden of Gethsemane. The command of our Lord is one appealing to the vision – “WATCH!” It was the Lord’s desire that Peter, James, and John pray with Him in death’s dark hour. But finding his disciples in that dismal hour, He found them asleep. Peter slept when he should have been watching in prayer. After the conclusion of the prayer meeting, Christ dismissed Peter, James, and John to go out into the night. It was in that dark night that Peter denied the Lord three times. He did it without even trying! He never saw it coming! He wept bitterly! In those bitter tears was the bitter cry, “If only I had watched!” I am convinced that, had he been WATCHING in the garden, he would have seen the enemy coming, and would not have bitterly WEPT that night.

Spiritual Vision in Light of our Text

Having seen the importance of our vision, let us now look at our text at the beginning of this post. In Hebrews 9:24-28, three times we have Christ “appearing.” The word, “appear” means “to make visible.” In our text, it is clear that Christ HAS APPEARED (past tense); Christ DOES APPEAR (present tense); and Christ SHALL APPEAR (future tense). The single reason Christ “has appeared,” “does appear,” and “shall appear” is simple – He wants each of us to see Him! Oh, that we might see Him today! Many will be the hindrances, but may our prayer be “Lord, open our eyes that we might see!”

Christ “Hath Appeared”

Hebrews 9:26 – “For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world HATH HE APPEARED to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.”

It is clear here that Christ hath appeared for the purpose of putting away sin. John makes it equally clear.

I John 3:5 – “And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.”

It is Christ’s past appearing that puts away our sins! Christ calls to every sinner to SEE HIM; Christ beckons us to look to Him to be saved from our sins! Look at the grand and glorious verse regarding seeing Him for salvation:

John 6:40 – “And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which SEETH THE SON, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Jesus gives this truth to Nicodemus in a very real way. Christ makes an analogy, referring to an Old Testament story.

John 3:14, 15 – “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

In the story to which Christ is referring, many Israelites had been bitten by serpents. Moses asked the Lord to give the Israelites help. The Lord made provision. He commanded Moses to make a brazen serpent and put it high upon a pole. Everyone who simply LOOKED at the brazen serpent was healed. The infected individual did not have to understand how the healing worked; he just had to look on the brazen serpent for healing! Just look! That is all! Their faith in the brazen serpent provided the healing apart from everything else.

Jesus, using this illustration, tells Nicodemus that Christ would be lifted up in the same way. This lifting up of Christ refers to His death upon the cross. Upon the cross, Jesus Christ was lifted up from the earth! There, He appeared to take away our sins! He was made visible to the entire world! All one has to do is look at the cross for salvation. Trust Jesus to save you, and you are saved!

As simple as Bible salvation is, many complicate it, attempting to block our vision. Many churches are leading people to hell by compelling them to look at something other than the work of Jesus Christ on the cross for salvation. Some churches will lift up baptism, and command you to look unto baptism and be saved. Some are trusting, not merely baptism, but baptism in Jesus’ name to be saved. Others compel you to “live right” to be saved. Others preach that law-keeping and commandment-keeping are the saviors. But the gospel of Jesus Christ is still the same – “Every one which SEETH THE SON, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life!” He appeared at Calvary to take away our sins! See Him! Trust only His work on the cross, and you’ll be saved!

He “Does Appear”

Hebrews 9:24 – “For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, NOW TO APPEAR in the presence of God for us.”

Christ not only APPEARED at Calvary’s cross to put away sin, but He also presently APPEARS in the presence of God for us.

Jesus Christ, forty days after His resurrection, ascended to the Father. There, He sits on the right hand of the Father. Christ is not sitting on the right hand of the Father twiddling His thumbs. He is there, praying for every believer, making intercession for us.

Hebrews 7:25 – “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.”

The devil tries everything in his power to cause believers to forget this blessed truth. When trials come, the devil lies to us, telling us that Jesus doesn’t see where we are, and that He does not care. However, if you could open your eyes, you would see right now that Christ is praying for you in your times of despair! Don’t lose courage; Jesus is praying for you.

There was a godly preacher who was preaching the gospel. In his preaching, he made the crowd angry – so angry that they began to throw stones at him. The man’s name was Stephen. As the stones were hurled his direction, he looked up! As he looked up, he caught a glimpse. Someone APPEARED! Who appeared to Stephen?

Acts 7:56 – “And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.”

Dear friend, if you can look beyond your circumstance, I am sure that you will see Jesus Christ at the Father’s right hand, praying for you!

Christ “Shall Appear”

Hebrews 9:28 – “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him SHALL HE APPEAR the second time without sin unto salvation.”

I do not know of a more blessed doctrine than that of the second coming of Jesus Christ. Just as sure as He did appear at Calvary to take away sins; and just as sure as He presently appears in the heavens to pray for His own; He is sure to appear unto them that LOOK FOR HIM!

This great doctrine regarding the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ is not without its opposition. Atheists declare, “I do not believe Christ is coming.” However, stupid beliefs as such won’t change it! Ready or not; like it or not; believe it or not; accept it or not – Jesus Christ is coming again! Even in churches, doctrines of devils have gained prominence. The verse we are currently discussing, Hebrews 9:28, admonishes us to LOOK FOR HIM! Yet, there are many doctrines that try to get to look for the Great Tribulation. There are yet a number of other doctrines that try to turn our eyes toward the Antichrist. I know of preachers who have had sleepless nights because they felt that the Lord showed them who the Antichrist was. What a tragedy. If these same preachers would get a vision of THE CHRIST, and get as shook up about that as they do the Antichrist, what a revival they would see in their own lives. It is a trick of the devil to get us to look and expect the Antichrist instead of the Christ. What subtlety of the devil to get us more concerned about the coming of events instead of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. While some are preaching, “Look for the Antichrist’s appearing,” or “Look for the appearing of the Great Tribulation,” may solid, gospel preachers rise up and point to the coming Saviour, who is soon to appear to them who look for Him!

The Millennium - Part 2A

Why a Millennium?

After clearly understanding that the Millennium is a literal, 1000-year period where Jesus Christ reigns literally upon this earth, the student of this subject is, in most cases, questioning the purpose of such a time. WHY? Why have a literal Millennium where we, the saints of God, reign with Jesus Christ for 1,000 years, and then have a little time when Satan is again released, and then have the judgment of the doomed and the damned, and then reign with Christ for ever? Why don’t we just reign with Christ for ever starting at the second coming of Christ?

In studying the following points, I hope the reader considers my efforts to answer this question a success. I feel like there are good reasons why the literal reign of Jesus Christ upon this present earth will come to pass.

It would do the reader good to understand, first and foremost, that when dealing with subjects such as the Millennium, we are dealing with items relating to the plan of God. We must always remember, especially when attempting to answer “why this…” and “why that…” that God’s ways are higher than our ways. I will never be able to answer fully why God does this or that. I do not understand everything about God; and, if I ever do, I would do good to seek a better concept of God. There are, however, answers in the Bible to some of our questions concerning the Millennium. A look at a few scriptures may enable us to understand the purposes of a literal Millennium upon this present earth.

Some Upcoming Events

Before looking at the Millennium exclusively, it is necessary to examine a few events that will happen to us all; some events occurring sooner than others.

DEATH

The first event that is certain to happen to all of us who are not alive at the coming of Christ is death. Let us look at what happens at the death of the Christian, then at the death of the sinner.

When a Christian dies, his body becomes lifeless; his soul goes to be with Jesus Christ immediately. There is no soul sleep. Notice:

II Corinthians 5:8 – “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”

When an unsaved man dies, the moment he closes his eyes in this world, he opens them in hell. Listen to the account of Jesus Christ of a rich man who died and what happened to him immediately:

Luke 16:22, 23 – “…the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.”

It is clear that the moment he died, the rich man found himself within the regions of the doomed and the damned.

I understand that there are gospel tracts that seem to indicate that as soon as an unsaved person dies, they are immediately before God in judgment. The Bible does not teach this. The Bible does teach that judgment comes after death. Notice:

Hebrews 9:27 – “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this the judgment.”

It is Bible truth that judgment occurs after death, but the scripture does not say that judgment occurs immediately after death. Actually, Revelation 20 tells us that there will be a resurrection of the unsaved dead after the Millennium, and they will stand before God at that time. Hell, we are told, will deliver up the dead that is in it. Those who are in hell will come forth out of hell and be judged after the Millennium at the Great White Throne Judgment. The unsaved man does not go to a judgment immediately at the time of death. He immediately goes to a literal, burning hell.

THE RAPTURE

The rapture means nothing to the man who dies without Jesus Christ. At the time of the rapture, the man who died lost will be yet in hell. The rapture will not change that fact.

The word “rapture” is one of those words that does not appear in the King James Bible. Like the word “millennium,” though the actual word is not in the Bible, its meaning certainly is. By the word “rapture,” we mean “caught up.” Notice:

I Thessalonians 4:16, 17 – “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

There are two things that happen in this verse. First, the dead in Christ will rise to meet the Lord in the air. Secondly, we who are alive and remain will join them. The “dead in Christ” refer to Christians who will have already died when Jesus comes for the church. As for these Christians who have already died, the “dead in Christ,” what are they doing when Jesus comes for them? Are they sleeping in a grave? NO! Absolutely not! Their bodies are in graves, but their souls are with the Lord. As a matter of fact, when Christ comes for the church, the souls of these Christians will come with Him. Notice:

I Thessalonians 4:13 – “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.”

So, it is clear that when a Christian dies, he goes immediately to be with the Lord. Then, when Jesus comes for the church, his soul will come with Christ to be reunited with his body. His body will come forth from the grave, being changed into a glorious body, “like unto His glorious body!” Those who are saved and yet alive when Jesus comes for His church will immediately be changed, receiving at once a glorious body like Christ’s, and will meet Christ in the air.

We will receive a “glorified body,” as we call it, at the rapture. Once we receive this glorified body, it is impossible for us to be lost at that point. The Bible says concerning us who receive a glorified body – “…so shall we ever be with the Lord.” When I rise to meet Jesus in the air, I will receive a glorified body, and never again will I be separated from Christ.

THE JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST

This is another event that is meaningless to the one who has died as an unbeliever. I personally believe that the judgment of the believer will take place at the rapture. The Bible says in Romans 14:10 and II Corinthians 5:10, “We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.” I believe that the best picture of the judgment seat of Christ is found in I Corinthians chapter 3:

I Corinthians 3:10-15 – “According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”

There are a couple of things to note concerning this passage. First, nothing is said in the passage regarding sins. God is not judging sins in this passage. God the Father already judged my sins. The judgment of my sins took place nearly 2,000 years ago. Look at it:

Isaiah 53:6 – “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

Christ was judged at the cross of Calvary for my sins. I will not have to stand in judgment for my sins; Christ stood in Pilate’s judgment hall for my sins! When a believer stands at the judgment seat of Christ, he is not standing there to find out if he’s saved or not – the glorified body he received at the rapture tells him he’s saved! He is not standing there to show the Lord whether he’s saved or not, for “the Lord knoweth them that are His.”

So, it is clear that sins are not dealt with at this judgment. Four times in the above passage, we read the word “work.” The judgment seat of Christ is about our works. In the aforementioned passage, Paul gives us a picture of a building. The apostles and prophets laid the foundation for this building. Paul gives us the warning – “But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.” What we do for Christ will be examined at this judgment. At this judgment, our works for the kingdom of God will be added to the foundation. After everyone’s works have been added to the building, the fire will be set to it. Everything we did for show, for selfish motives, for self-benefit, out of hypocrisy, or anything else that brought glory to self will be burned to a crisp. Those works will be gone. They will go up in smoke, and no reward will be given for those works. But the works that truly promoted the work of God out of a pure heart will remain. When the smoke clears, here is what we will have –

Ephesians 5:27 – “That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”

This judgment of the believers’ works will take place, I believe, shortly after the rapture.

THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST

After the tribulation, the scripture makes it clear that Christ will return to the earth. He will come with the saints who met him in the air at the event we call the rapture. It is at this time that the Millennium will begin. Christ, when he comes to the earth again, will come to set up His kingdom upon this earth. At this time, the beast (antichrist) and false prophet will be cast into the lake of fire. The devil will not be cast into the lake of fire at this time. I will elaborate more on the second coming of Christ shortly.

THE MILLENNIUM

This is the 1,000 year reign of Christ. It immediately begins when Christ returns to earth with His saints. During this time, the devil will be bound. He will no longer deceive the nations.

SATAN LOOSED

After the Millennium, Satan will be loosed out of his prison for a short time. He will then be able to deceive the nations again. Those of us who were in the rapture will NOT IN ANY CASE BE DECEIVED. As I stated earlier, the Bible says that when we meet Jesus in the air, “so shall we ever be with the Lord.” We will never be separated from Christ. So, when the devil is loosed for a short season after the Millennium, there is no way he will deceive us who were with Christ in the rapture. There is no way for us to be lost at that point.

SATAN DESTROYED

After the short time when Satan is loosed, those whom he deceives will fight one final battle with Satan as their leader. Fire from heaven will destroy them, and Satan will be cast into the lake of fire, where the beast and the false prophet are.

THE FINAL JUDGMENT

After the destruction of Satan, the unsaved dead will be resurrected. They will stand before God at the great white throne. The books will be opened. They will see that God is just in allowing them to go to hell. They will see that their name is not in the Lamb’s book of Life. Then, “death and hell” will be cast into the lake of fire.

THE NEW HEAVEN AND THE NEW EARTH

After the final judgment, Satan and unbelievers are gone for good. At this time, God destroys the heaven and earth that are in existence now, and He creates a new heaven and a new earth. The New Jerusalem will come down from God out of heaven and will settle upon this earth. In the new heaven and new earth, we will reign with Christ for ever and ever.

STAY TUNED...

His Son Not Sparing

Romans 8:32 – “He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”

Some time ago, while in prayer, this verse was placed upon my heart in a very real way. Though I could quote it, it never became so real to me as it did the day the Spirit of God spoke it to me in my season of prayer. This verse, along with the truth that it bears, showed me the great heart of the Father, who desires to answer our every prayer that will bring about His divine will.

The subject of the above verse is prayer. Make no mistake about that. This is a good verse to remember before falling upon your knees. Its words made such an impression upon my heart that I considered printing this verse out and framing it, placing it just above my altar. Let us break this verse down, examining each part briefly.

“He That Spared Not His Own Son…”

The first phrase of this verse is an attention-getter. Notice – “He that spared not His own Son…” What does the word, “spare” mean? Webster defines the word as meaning “to use mercy.” God spared His children often in the scriptures. He spared Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Although they were not spared from being thrown into the fiery furnace, they WERE spared from the flames. God Almighty showed mercy in shielding them from the devouring fire. Daniel, though he was not spared from the lions’ den, he WAS spared from the lions’ mouths. Not one lion attempted to attack Daniel in any way. God, through His infinite mercy, spared Daniel. I am a living testimony of God’s mercy in sparing my life. More than once, when I could have most certainly exited this life and entered the next, God spared me. There are many who are reading this post who can testify that God, through great grace and mercy, SPARED them!

But God SPARED NOT His own Son. God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, was innocent of any sin, iniquity, blemish, spot, or wrinkle of any kind. He never broke one law of His Father. He never sinned with His mind, thinking gross sins; He never sinned with His mouth, speaking gross sins; and He never sinned with hands, performing gross sins. Christ was completely innocent, completely sinless, and completely perfect, in every sense of the word. Yet, when Jesus went to the cross, the Father showed no mercy whatsoever to His only begotten Son.

“…But Delivered Him up for us All…”

We are told that the Father spared not His own Son, but rather, “delivered Him up for us all.” This is undoubtedly speaking of Christ’s death on the cross. Notice that it is the Father who “spared not His own Son;” and it is the Father who “delivered Him up for us all.” I have heard discussions and debates over whether the Romans killed Jesus because He was beaten by Roman soldiers; or whether the Jews killed Jesus because they cried out “Let Him be crucified.” Others have opted out of these possibilities, claiming that you and I killed Jesus because of our sins. That is certainly closer to the truth, but that is not the whole truth. The truth is, it was the Father who SPARED NOT HIS OWN SON. It was the Father who DELIVERED HIM UP FOR US ALL. Look at the scripture:

Isaiah 53:10 – “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.”

“It pleased THE LORD to bruise Him.” The Father bruised His own Son upon the cross. The Father did not just allow Christ to die; the Father slaughtered His own Son! The Father did not pity His Son; the Father did not lighten the punishment for His Son; the Father did not show one ounce of mercy toward His Son. And yes, His Son was innocent!

You may wonder why the incident of Calvary happened. It is true that you and I are guilty of sin, and God hates sin! God utterly despises sin. In our generation, there is little talk about the justice of God, the holiness of God, or the righteousness of God. It seems that all the talk is concerning the love of God. While I rejoice in the love of God, I cannot overlook the holiness of God. Sin is hated by God Almighty. If the Bible calls it a sin, a trespass, an iniquity, or an abomination, God hates it. Hebrews 1:9 declares that the Son, Jesus Christ, HATES INIQUITY. Let me say it again – If the Bible calls it a sin, a trespass, an iniquity, or an abomination, JESUS CHRIST, as well as God the Father, HATES IT! Sin will not be overlooked by God Almighty. Sin will be dealt with by God. He will not wink at it; He will not overlook it; He will not ignore it; and He will not excuse it! It most certainly will be dealt with!

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, knowing that the Father would punish you and me with eternal death for our sins, offered willingly to let the Father pour out His indignant wrath upon Himself rather than upon us. Oh, what love! Jesus loved us so much that He was willing to have His Father, whom He always pleased, to treat Him as a filthy sinner! And that is exactly what the Father did. The Father unleashed His full wrath upon His own, innocent Son, treating His Son as being guilty. The Son of God had no sins of His own; it was rather my sins and yours that were laid upon Him. When we realize that nothing we do could pay off our sins, and trust Christ’s payment of them in full, the Father then can declare us “not guilty” because of Christ’s payment of our sins. He treats us as though we never sinned, but only because He first treated Christ as the worst of all sinners.

On that dreadful day, Christ walks up Calvary’s rugged hill, bearing an old, rugged cross. He deserved no cross. It was my cross. It was your cross. Yet He bore it willingly. If God the Father did not spare His own Son, but freely gave His Son to die in my place and yours, then the next question the apostle raises is

“…How Shall He Not With Him Also Freely Give us All Things?”

This is the conclusion of our verse. Look at the connection. I told you that the verse of our examination was a verse concerning prayer. Paul the apostle asks us this question – “If the Father did not withhold His Son from us, but gave Him to the death of the cross that we might be saved, why do you think He would withhold anything else you need?” We approach God in prayer as though we do not know if He is going give us what is best for us or not. Listen friend – the Father already gave us His best! He already gave us His Son! The Son gave His all! He gave His back to the smiters; He gave His face to them who would pull out the hair; He gave His hands and feet to the nails; He gave His head to thorns! What do you need from our great Saviour today? He already gave His best. And I’m sure that whatever you need, He is ready to supply in His time and in His will.

And when I think that God, His Son not sparing,

Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in,

That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,

He bled and died to take away my sin!*

*Stuart Wesley Keene Hine