Can We Lose Our Salvation?

 Can We Lose Our Salvation?

It's an important lesson. 

 

The answer is No. You either have it or you don’t. And You can always turn to God and ask to be saved. That is His grace.

But, there are folks who think you can lose it. This is written for them.

Hebrews 6:4 KJV

“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.”

A lot of people use this verse to claim that a person can lose their salvation.

That is not true. I will explain why.

First, if you read the entire chapter context of the verse starting in verse 6:1 and going to verse 6:10 you will see the writer says that as we mature as believers we move away from doctrines regarding salvation, baptisms, etc. Because we rest in the fact that we are saved and can grow in Christ. We know that God’s grace and Christ’s Blood washes us of all sin, so we do not need to keep going around and around bickering on these subjects.

It doesn’t help us to grow and serve in Christ. As mentioned in previous Chapter 5, It’s milk not meat. We should be past these things, and be teachers who understand.

Next in verses, 4-6 he explains what happens to a person who “falls away”.

The first thing to notice is the word “impossible”. That should send up a red flag. Because Jesus said “with God ALL things are possible.” (Matt. 19:26)

This is a direct contradiction. Or is it? If you know your stuff, then you know God’s Word doesn’t contradict itself. Any apparent contradiction is an invitation to pray, listen to the Holy Spirit and dive deeper.

 Remember this because it’s important. We will come back to it.

Next, the writer tells us a list of things that God gives us freely or allows us to experience.

“…who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come“

If you think you experienced these things and then fell away unto a loss of salvation. Then, you probably never really experienced the full measure of these things from God. You experienced something else. You were just going to church.

Once you really know Christ, you cannot speak ill of Him or turn from Him. (1 Cor. 12:3)

I am not talking about committing sin. We are dead to sin. It does not impact our salvation. God holds our salvation.

Like Jesus said, “All that the father gives me shall come to me; and him that comes to me I will in no wise cast out.” —John 6:37

The person described in this verse in Hebrews is someone who has been exposed to Christ and still rejects or tries to climb up some other way. This person was never saved. They never really turned to Him. They had every chance but rejected. They even saw the truth. But rejected. That’s what the verse is saying. (These people will most likely join the Apostate Church of the last days, persecuting the Saints. They tasted spirituality but never really accepted Christ.)

Next the verse says to “restore them to repentance”.

Understand that “Repent” means to turn. It means to turn to God for salvation. It does not mean “to turn from sin”. That belief is false. They can’t be restored to repentance because they never had it. They never knew Him. They were never in a relationship with Christ, or they are heading to chastisement. God chastens His children. He does not cast them aside. (Heb. 12:6)

I want you to consider what Jesus said in Matthew 12:43-45

That when a man is clean. The demon goes to desert places, then returns with 7 others and the last State of this man was worse than the first.

This verse says the same thing as the Hebrews verse. If Jesus sets you free, and you turn back to the world, you will be worse off than before. The enemy will have more access to you and will work on you.

But neither verse says Jesus casts you aside and rejects you. Neither verse says you are condemned. If you think you walk a perfect life after salvation, then you really need to talk with God. If you think you have no sin, you deceive yourself and the truth (Jesus) is not in you. (1 John 1:8)

If you are saved and “Fall Away”, you basically open the doors for demonic activity to harass you. Consider a drug addict who is set free from drugs. But starts using again. The addiction is worse and the person believes they are a failure and everyone else tells them they are a failure. It becomes “impossible” to get back to that state of feeling free in Christ. It’s harder to quit the drugs or sinful behavior next time. It’s talking about a battle with Satan, not a loss of salvation.

BUT…keep reading and remember, we are not saved by works.

Notice it speaks of putting Christ to shame. This person the verse is speaking of never knew Jesus. They were never saved. When God shows you the heavenly gifts, and the truth of the Word, and the Holy Spirit convicts you and draws you. If you then reject Him. You are not saved and you put Christ to an open shame. That’s what the verse is saying, in context. You or this person was never saved. They did not lose it. The thorns and thistles choked out the Word.

Next the writer speaks of God pouring out blessings as rain.  Jesus said “He let’s the rain fall on the just and unjust. ”  That means that God let’s the unsaved see and feel His blessings because He hopes they will turn to Him. But if not, then they reject Christ and put Him to open shame. When God calls us, He let’s us see the Truth. We can choose to reject. And that’s what Hebrews is saying. God revealed truth, and a person rejected. (Matt 5:45)

The verse in Hebrews seems to be referring to a great Saint in Christ, but it’s not. It’s referring to someone who is not saved or has let the enemy back into their life. It’s not a loss of salvation.

Next the writer speaks of the water and says this rain from God waters the ground and brings forth good fruits or thorns and thistles. Is the Holy Spirit working in their life? Are they developing the fruits of the Spirit? If not, then they were never saved. They don’t lose it.

This matches what Jesus said in the parable of the sower. (Matthew Chapter 13)

God sows His truth into the world, and some lands on good soil, While others do not. Some soil receives the word but thorns and thistles grow up choking it out. Again, it never says they lost salvation. We are not saved by works, nor do we maintain our salvation. A person who hears the Word, and let’s thorns and thistles choke out the Word. Never actually got saved. They might have obeyed some rules and went to church for a while but they never knew Him. They turn from Christ, because they never knew Him. A saved person, will cling to Jesus, even in the midst of terrible sin and failure. They will stay with Jesus, because He is their only hope. They become broken and grow in Him.

This again refers to a struggle with this world, the flesh and the demons who fight us.

The bottom line is real simple. A person is either saved or not. They either saw the blessings of God and rejected. Or they saw the blessings of God, received Christ and are saved, but have fallen away, and are having a tough time. They are walking in the flesh, not the Spirit.

Either way the answer is to turn to God. With God all things are possible. Turn to Him. If a person “loses salvation” they were never really saved. They experienced the Word, and saw the kingdom but rejected Christ anyway. Whether unsaved, or a fallen saint or faithful saint, the answer is always to turn to God. (Repent) We confess him as Lord. We confess our sins and He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. Confessing our sins is Walking in the Spirit.

At the end of our earthly life, Jesus will say either “well done thy good and faithful servant” or “depart from me I NEVER knew you.”

Because you were NEVER saved. You never had a relationship with Him, because if you had you would not reject Him.  I’m not talking about sin. We all sin. We are dead to sin. Our sins are cast from us. We confess our sins and are cleansed.

I’m saying you NEVER confessed Him as Lord and trusted Him to save you. You try to save yourself and try to obey rules, that is not salvation.

As the writer of Hebrews says in verse 10. “God knows what you’ve done.” But your salvation has nothing to do with that. Jesus said I NEVER knew you. A person cannot lose salvation. They NEVER had it.

It’s all about Christ. Turn to Him. Nothing is impossible with God. We are not saved by works. If we are fallen away or trapped by Satan, God will break us and correct us. He does not cast us out. If we walk away, we never really knew Him.

Just always turn to God. Confess to Him. Pray to Him. Know Him. That is Walking in the Spirit. Letting the Holy Spirit work on you and through you.

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Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger.

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Fear Not

 Fear Not

God is with us 

 

“Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” –Luke 12:32

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”— 2 Tim. 1:7

“So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”— Heb. 13:6

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”— 1 John 4:18

“Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.”— Rev. 2:10

When we read these verses we can see that we are not supposed to fear anything. God is with us.

If we believe that God is right beside us, and even in us through His Holy Spirit, then why do we have fear? Our God is bigger than anything in this world, and anything the devil can throw at us.

These verses above indicate that there is a spirit of fear. A demonic entity which harasses us. It says in First John that we are tormented by fear.

Therefore battling fear is Spiritual Warfare. It’s something we can overcome.

The first thing needs to be faith and trust in God, His goodness and His Word.

Nothing else matters.

I harp on this idea of a relationship with God. When we know Him, we know where to turn. We can trust Him. Even when everything around us is terrible and we are in our darkest days we can trust Him. Even though the devil tries to get us to turn from God, and curse God, and doubt Him. We can trust Him. And that is power. For in our weakness we are strong when we turn to Him.

 God is not against us. It is His good pleasure to give us the Kingdom. He is for us.

Say it out loud. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

“God is with me! He wants to give me the kingdom, He is not out to get me. He is my helper, I will not fear.”

Believe it.

We can overcome fear in His Power, His Love and His Wisdom.

We can pray and know He hears. He promises that if we ask anything in His name He will do it. —John 14:14

No doubts. Trust Him. He hears and is moving.

Fear be gone! God is with me!

Love casts out fear. Confront the fear in love.

Do the loving thing.

When faced with fear, love others. Do unto others as you would have done to you. Loving others takes your mind off of self, and onto other people. Use the fear to fuel love. Overcome evil with good.

Remember that God loves you. If we are saved, then we are perfect in God’s Love. Remember this. He loves through us. Let Him love you and love others through you.

The devil threw some of them into prison. They were told to fear not. So, what did they do? How did they overcome fear?

They loved. They prayed for the guards and other inmates. They preached the Gospel and spoke faith to the other prisoners. They comforted the sick in prison. They helped each other. They loved, in the midst of fear and hate, and temptations for anger. They turned prison into purpose. That is how you cast out fear.

Love casts out fear.

Praise God. Loving Him and praising Him casts out fear. You cannot hold fear in your mind, while praising God at the same time.

We also overcome fear through a sound mind. We have a sound mind by knowing God’s Word. By seeking Him for wisdom and understanding and truth. By having faith in His Word. By prayer and His guidance.

We can look at how God has brought us through things in the past, and trust that He will again. We can go and seek out the truth. Study, ask, learn, seek answers. Fear thrives in the unknown.

We can ask ourselves, “What is the worst case scenario? Has God let the worst things happen to me? What if He does? He will be with me through it.”

Overcome and drive out fear through Power, Love and a Sound mind. We can drive it out through Him, and His Word, and Faith in Him and His Word. We trust that He is good and He is with us.

 Spirit of Fear be gone in Jesus name.

Say it out loud. Cast the spirit out.

Remember times when God was with you and saw you through. Trust Him.

Dark times are coming, according to prophecy.

We need to be able to wage spiritual warfare and cast out fear.

Remember during Covid, when the virus was everywhere and fear was running with it? Remember when the vaccine came out and they were forcing people to take it or lose their jobs?

That was a picture of what is coming.

They will say, take the Mark of the Beast or lose your job.

When you see saints being rounded up, and your own pastors turning you in for refusing to bow to the Anti-Christ.

Fear not.

Love not your life unto death. —Rev. 12:11

Fear keeps us down, and keeps us from acting in faith.

Drive out the fear, in Jesus name.

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Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger

Follow Him on Medium: https://chris-bunton.medium.com/

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False Teachers In The Last Days

 False Teachers In The Last Days

How can we know them? 

 

As we move further into these last days we need to make sure we are not following after false doctrines. We want our faith to be grounded in Jesus Christ and Him alone for salvation. We want to have a relationship with the Lord through the Holy Spirit. We want to be taught by the Spirit and Walk in the Spirit. Not led into deception.

Peter tells us.

“But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not” —2 Peter 2

Paul also tells us that there will be false teachers in these last days. (1 Tim. 1: 1-15, 2 Tim 4:2-4, 2 Timothy 3:1-9)

Jesus says the deception will be so bad that even the elect (Saved) would be deceived if it was possible. (Matt. 24:24)

So, it’s important for us to have tools in our pocket to help us.

1. The Holy Spirit will teach us and lead us into all truth. If you are saved and listen to the Holy Spirit. He will impress upon you that something isn’t right. (John 16:13)

This doesn’t mean the teacher who speaks false things is not saved. A person can be saved and be in error on a subject. Just because we are saved doesn’t mean we have it all straight in our minds. 

Pray and ask the Lord to show us what’s up. (1 John 2:27, James 1:5) We want to judge rightly and respond rightly. We want to be Spirit led, but we need to learn what that means. It takes time and a relationship with God to hear His voice. “My sheep know my voice” Do you know Him? (John 10:1-19)

 Make sure your belief is right. Sometimes we get bent out of shape because of a teaching, but it’s our flesh not the Holy Spirit. If you cannot prove your point from the Word, using two or three verses of clear scripture, then you might be wrong.

Remember that not everything is a salvation issue. Some disagreements are not that important.

But, there are many things that do matter. You must learn to listen to the Holy Spirit, and know the Word. We do not know what we will face. But, when we know the truth, we can see the lie.

2. What does the teacher do with Jesus? We are talking about spiritual teachers here. Not the guy teaching you math.

The scriptures give us an easy way to determine false teachers.

They will not say that Jesus is THE Lord. They might admit he is God, but not confess Him as Lord.

It says that “No one  can say Jesus is the Lord without the Holy Spirit and no believer will say anything bad about Jesus. (1 Cor 12:3)

If they do not have the Holy Spirit, then they are not saved.

It also says to test the spirits to see if they are of God. The test is whether they claim that Jesus came in the flesh. Basically, do they teach that Jesus is God, became human and died to save us, and rose from the dead. (1 John 4:1-6)

If they can’t say that Jesus is the Lord, they probably aren’t saved. If they do not know or accept that Jesus is God in the Flesh they are false.

So, you should pray to the Lord to lead you to a teacher He wants you to hear from.

Realize that the demons of hell know who Jesus is. But, they will not confess Him as Lord. They are in rebellion.

Realize that there are false teachers who aren’t saved, and false teachings or doctrines that can come from saved people.

They might teach 90% truth. But in this one area. They are a little off. Is it a salvation issue?

Rejecting Jesus as Lord is major. Believing in infant baptism, or a pre-trib rapture or some other doctrines is not. Understand the difference between salvation issues, and doctrinal differences. Rejecting Christ, is a salvation issue. Going trick or treating is not.

3. A works based doctrine.

Every religion on earth teaches some kind of works based doctrine. That humans need to do this or that in order to reach God and be saved.

But, in Christianity God Himself came down and did it all for us. It is finished.  All we have to do is accept Him, then have a relationship with the Him; which He also does through sanctification and His Spirit.

Paul fought the works based doctrine his whole ministry. People want to add some work to salvation. To either obtain it or maintain it. This is false. Either Christ does it all or He has done none of it. It’s either totally grace or it’s not grace at all.

The demons of hell will gladly keep us struggling with worrying about our sin. Trying to do better while attacking others who disobey. They love nothing more than a bunch of pharisees who burn people at the stake of judgment.

You are saved by grace through faith. Let the Holy Spirit guide and work on you. Give others love, grace and mercy as well. 

We are not saved by Works. (Eph. 2:8-10)

Our sin is forgiven, if we are saved. The works we do are for Kingdom building.

4.  No tough times.

This one is difficult. Jesus said that in this world we will have tribulation. We will have times of trouble. 

He promises to be with us through it. And there are things we can do to make those times better like prayer, faith, spiritual warfare, praise, thanks, abiding, dying to self, giving and serving.

 There are things we can do to make it worse, like running from God, turning to fleshly remedies like booze, drugs and sex, turning to false beliefs, bitterness and anger, among other things.

In Jeremiah, God told Jeremiah that He was going to judge Israel His people.

Now let’s not focus on what they did. Let’s focus on the fact that God let tribulation fall on His people, and that it worked to cleanse the body and drive out those who did not know God.

Jeremiah taught that God was going to let the King of Babylon take over Israel. And if the people trusted Him, God would be with them.

The false teachers taught that God would not let them suffer tribulation. They taught that they were not going to face wrath. That God would deliver them, OUT OF TROUBLE. They stood in the pulpit and taught that God would deliver them from Great Tribulation.

Now, understand that this is a picture of the Last days. The king of Babylon is the Anti-Christ and Satan who will make war with the saints and overcome them. (Rev. 13:7, Daniel 7:25)

This is done to weed out the saved and unsaved. To cleanse the temple or body. He allows tribulation to come on His people. Even if it’s great tribulation, to weed out the tares. Remember Lot’s Wife.

Realize, that yes God delivers us from trouble. But, sometimes He allows trouble for a higher purpose.

Our response to both, is the same. Realize He is with us, trust Him, and draw closer to Him.

Realize that tribulation, even great tribulation is not God’s Wrath.  God’s wrath is Hell and the Lake of Fire. God’s wrath is poured out in one day.

Understand that I am not saying that God kills babies or gives us cancer to teach us a lesson. Those things exist because of death, the fall, a corrupted world, and Satan. The enemy wants us to blame God for these things. That gets us to be angry at God and turn away from Him. It keeps us from praying and drawing close to God if we think he did it to us. That is Satan’s plan. To keep us away from God.

The solution is always the same, turn to God and draw closer to Him. We will learn from the trouble, and we can use it to help others.

5. Not building the kingdom.

Satan won’t build God’s Kingdom. A teacher of the Lord, should be teaching, preparing and sending the saints out to preach the Gospel, serve others and God, building the Kingdom. That’s our purpose as believers. To build the kingdom.

False teachers, will keep you in your pew singing pretty songs and scratching your itching ears with some new teaching.  For what? 

A true teacher teaches what the Holy Spirit leads them to teach. He readies the saints for the battle and growing the kingdom. We all have our part, in different ways, but we will be led to go and build the kingdom.

A church sitting in pews doing nothing is not a threat to the enemy.

In Matthew chapter 25, the Lord gives three parables on what it will look like when He returns. He doesn’t ask about their sins. He asks if they helped others. He asks if they used the talents He gave them. Christians are saved and forgiven, and are supposed to be kingdom building. If they are really saved.

Pray the Lord will help you to escape this deadness in your church. And show you what to do and where to go.

A teacher should confess Jesus is the Lord. They should teach the Gospel; that Jesus came in the Flesh. They should teach that salvation is through Christ alone, not works. They should also teach and lead the saints to build the Kingdom.

 Always, turn to the Lord and He will direct you. When you notice a problem ask Him and be willing to step out in faith, to make changes or do things He calls us to do.

With technology we are surrounded by false teachings and teachers. It can travel the world. Fake pictures and videos edited. Media services telling us propaganda. Governments lying, corporations lying, preachers lying, and its everywhere.

Turn to God, and listen to Him. He is Truth. He is the way. Trust Him no matter what our flesh says. The enemy is everywhere, going about seeking whom he may devour.

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Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger.

Follow Him on Medium: https://chris-bunton.medium.com/

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Church Charity

 Church Charity

Is it real love? 

 

 

The scriptures tell us to love.

It uses the word charity, which can be described as love in action. (1 Cor. chapter 13)

But there is a charity, that is condescending. A charity that places one party in a position of superiority over another. This is not real charity or love.

Love does not think evil of someone. We take those thoughts captive and bring them under control and force ourselves to love.(1 Cor. 13:5, 2 Cor. 10:5)

This is not easy. It’s part of our battle between flesh and spirit. We fail, and we confess, and we move on. Praying for help and trying to do better next time.

But, what if we do not even realize we are doing wrong? 

We give and we love, but we don’t see that we act like we are better than other people.

Do we think, “I’m able to help you because I obey the rules and you don’t. That’s why you’re in a sorry state.” when we help someone? Do we think they are poor or needy because God is punishing them? But, we are wealthy because we are good?

I can tell you from experience, that when I joined a church, I was given charity. People helped me and I felt that they loved me. I appreciate the help.

But, it quickly dissolved into the charity I described above. I was not a well churched person. I had a lot of faults.

“Well churched” is a term used for people who have gone to church enough to know all the little rules that the Bible says nothing about.”  Things like manners, and etiquette and all of that.

I wasn’t knowledgeable of the little intricacies of church decorum. I was rough. I laughed at inappropriate things. I talked about inappropriate things. And the word spread that I was not a good enough Christian because of some sin I knew nothing about. 

I had a background that was not Christian. I was not forgiven for it, by many.

So, people who had shone me charity and love started to back off. The people who always ran to shake my hand and pretend to be my friend quit.

You can tell when you no longer get invited to anything. When you become a second class citizen. When you’re not part of the “in” crowd and you’re never asked or nominated to serve or be a part of anything.

You’re not really one of them. And you have to wonder if you ever really was.

I’m not talking about Salvation. God calls us and accepts us and loves us and works on us and with us. He calls us friend.

But, sometimes his servants do not. They shake your hand, then betray you. They ask you about your views, then twist them and use them to destroy you later. Because being superior to you is more important to them, than actually loving you.

James speaks of this when he says ” My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?”—(Jas. 2:1-4)

How many people have been driven away from God, because of this fake charity in church? How many people have been treated like they don’t belong when they got saved and joined a church?

I know it has impacted my life.

To hear sermons on love, and then be treated like an outsider.

And there’s always excuses as to why it happens, or blame is laid on all kinds of things. But when this treatment happens over and over again, and not only to you, but to lots of other people. It becomes obvious that they do not really love you. You are not imagining it. They have placed you under their footstool to serve them. They have made you to be another number on Sunday morning, so they can think they are growing.

As believers, we are called to “judge ourselves lest we be judged with the world.” Not make excuses for feeling superior to other sinners. We are just saved. Not better. 

So, what’s our answer to this?

Our answer is to overcome evil with good. Sometimes things happen to us so we can do better and change things. We see fake Christians so we can understand what it looks like and avoid becoming one.

That sort of condescending charity is not from Jesus. It’s not from the Spirit. It’s fleshly. It’s man-made works. Anyone can do it.

If you decide to be a friend, then be a friend, or don’t even start. We are not required to be friends with everyone. But we ARE called to love them. If you choose to be friends, then don’t be backstabbing once you see the ugly in a person. Because YOU, have ugly too, and Jesus died for you anyway. God calls you friend despite your sin, if you really know Him.

These last days are moving along, and judgement is coming. Turn to God. Ask Him to show you your sin so you can confess it, and work on it. Do not find yourself as a virgin, without oil in their lamp because they never really knew Christ, and did not grow in faith with Him.

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Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger

Follow Him on Medium: https://chris-bunton.medium.com/

Follow Him on Free Life Blog: https://myfreelifeblog.com/

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Do You Really Know Him?

 Do You Really Know Him?

 Are you relying on your works?

 

“And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”—Luke 18:9-14

This is an important subject. The Lord calls us to examine ourselves, so that we are not lost. We are to judge ourselves so that we are not judged with the world. We turn to Him and confess Jesus as our Lord. We humble ourselves and stop relying on ourselves. We give it to Him. (1 Corinthians 11:31-32, Rom. 10:9-10, Rom. 14:11)

But, if we live under a deception of self-righteousness, like the pharisee in the parable, it makes it hard to see that we have never really known Him. We are not saved.

We are called by Him. And if we are willing, we turn to Him and confess Jesus as our Lord. We are saved forever, we are a new creation, and the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us and mold us into the likeness of Christ.

But, the scriptures are clear that there will be tons of church going people who think they are saved, and are not. They never knew Him. They went to church every Sunday. They wore the pretty clothes. They gave tithes. They sang songs. They obeyed all the rules. They feared that God might get them. But, they never really knew Him. They were never broken.

Churches full of people who have never read the Word. They listen to the pastor and everything he says, and go to Sunday school, but do not know Christ. They believe in Churchianity, not Christianity.

 They are taught that they are the bride of Christ and that they will be raptured out before anything bad happens.

But, when you read about the churches in Revelation it is clear that God judges His churches. He removes the lamp stand. Especially if they never really knew Him. (Rev. Chapters 1-3)

We see the Elder Brother in the parable of the prodigal son. He spews hate, because the Father (God) gives grace and love to his brother who has fallen.

“And he (the elder brother) answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.”— Luke 15;29-32

Notice, the elder son relies on his works.

But, he did not know the father’s heart. He thought it was about obedience, not love and grace. He was bitter.

In Matthew Chapter 25 we have three descriptions of what will happen when the Lord returns.

In all of these parables, it is obvious that the Lord is speaking to “Servants” who thought they knew the Lord.

In the first one, 10 virgins have lamps, and wicks in the lamps. But, when the Lord returns 5 of the virgins have no oil (faith) in their lamps. They heard the Gospel, as in the parable of the sower, but did not really confess Him as Lord. the seed fell on stony ground, or was choked out by thorns. They never grew in Him, and had no oil or faith for their light to shine. They buried it under a bushel. (Matthew 5, Matt. 13)

In the second one, the Lord goes away and leaves talents with His servants. But, when He returns, He finds one servant who buried His talents in the ground. The servant believes the Lord is a hard man and doesn’t want to upset Him. So, he did nothing. Again, this servant clearly does not know the Lord or trust Him. It’s not about works, it’s about knowing the master. The servant did not know the master because he did not care about the things the master cared about. If he had, he would have tried to do something to grow the Kingdom.

In the third, the Lord divides the nations into goats and sheep.

“Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

³⁵ For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

³⁶ Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

³⁷ Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

³⁸ When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

³⁹ Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

⁴⁰ And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

⁴¹ Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

⁴² For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

⁴³ I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

⁴⁴ Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

⁴⁵ Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

⁴⁶ And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”

There is not one mention of going to church. He doesn’t talk about porn, or fornication. He says nothing about homosexuality or abortion. He never mentions drug use or addiction. 

 Why?

Because if you know Him, your sins are forgiven. Never to be brought back up, and thrown in your face. BUT… if you know Him you would care about the things He cares about. He forgave all their debt. But, they still did not forgive others and cared nothing about helping those in need. (Matt. 18:23-35)

Again, we see the Lord say,

“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”—(Matt. 7:21-23)

Again, notice that when they stand in judgement, they rely on the works they have done, not in the fact that they know Him. They were never saved. They never accepted the Grace of God. They never confessed Jesus as Lord. They have relied on being an obedient servant instead of relying on the finished work of Christ, and having a relationship with Him. They took the broad road of works, and not the narrow path of faith in Christ alone.

The worst thing to be is a religious self-righteous person. They think they are saved, because they do all the churchy things, and believe all the churchy rules. They never miss a sermon. They’ve got their favorite pew, and their favorite Bible. They don’t cuss. They don’t watch bad movies, unless it’s approved.

But, they wouldn’t go sit with the stinky homeless. They wouldn’t write letters to inmates. They think the stranger in the church might be a felon or a molester or publican. When they see a family with no clothes they judge that the dad won’t work three jobs, or it’s a single mother with no husband. They don’t help them. They might be sinners. They might be trying to con the good church people in order to get a tank of gas, or get a bill paid.

Who cares if they con us? It’s about love and grace not merit. Jesus died for us, and we are not worthy. We take advantage of his grace, whether we want to admit it or not. We are conning Him. Truth be told.

The worst thing, would be to go to church your whole life, obeying the rules; thinking you’re saved, only to discover that you never really knew Him.

Do not be like the virgins with no oil, when He comes.

Turn to Him and know Him. Taste and see that He is good.

It’s about a relationship, not religion.

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Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger.

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What Is Hell?

 What Is Hell?

What do the scriptures say?

 

 

 

When we study the scriptures on a subject, we go by what the entire Word says, based upon the guiding of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will lead us into ALL truth. That’s how it works. (John 16:13, Jas 1:5)

We are surrounded by lots of false teachings, and it is going to get worse as the last days move forward. This is why being taught by the Holy Spirit is most important. (1 John 2:27)

Hell and/or the Lake of Fire according to scripture seems to be two different places. There is a current holding place called Hell, and a final destination which is the Lake of Fire.

Why two? Because after all is said and done there will be a final judgement, and at some point God will create a new Heaven and new Earth. Hell seems to be the containment for this current creation, and the Lake of Fire is the containment for eternity, after the last judgement and new creation.

The current containment of Hell along with death will be cast into the Lake of Fire, so nothing escapes. (Rev. 20:14)

This containment system seems to have been created for Satan and his angels.

At some point in the distant past, when Satan fell and led a rebellion against God, which included angels and all sort of spiritual beings, God created or “prepared” it for them. (Matt. 25:41)

According to scripture, Satan and his angels are not currently bound in Hell. We have verses showing Satan visiting God’s throne room in Heaven and the angels battling each other. We also have verses speaking of the demonic forces ruling and influencing things on Earth. (The book of Job, The book of Zechariah, 2 Cor. 4:4, Eph. 2:2, Rev. 20:1-3, Dan. 10 )

There are also scriptures that show that some fallen angels or beings are bound in other places. We see that there is a place called the Bottomless Pit. So, it seems that the true spiritual cosmology, involves more than Heaven, Hell and Earth. The Bible doesn’t give us a lot of info on these places and on the cosmology. I have my beliefs on them, but let’s stick to Hell. (Rev. 20:1-3, Rev. 9:14)

 Hell is eternal death. Death is separation, not an end as we suppose. Hell/Lake of Fire is a place that is separated from God for all eternity. It is a holding place for all that is filthy, corrupt and wicked. It is a place for those who refuse to be washed clean of Sin and Evil in the Blood of Jesus. Hell exists as a containment for Sin. It is like a plague that corrupts us. God cannot let Sin into Heaven or Paradise, or else death and pain and suffering would contaminate all of eternity. (Rev. 1:5, Rev. 7:14, 1 John 1:7, Eph 2:13, Heb. 10:19)

Hell is best viewed as the garbage dump outside of an ancient walled city. This image gives the best picture.

Hell/The Lake of Fire is the garbage dump outside the City of God. Outside of Paradise.

When you read in the Old Testament about lepers. This is a picture of the unsaved in Hell. They were living corpses rotting away and stinking. They were contagious, and had to stay away from others. They were forced to cover their face and yell “Unclean!” any time an uninfected person approached. (Lev. 13:45) Separation.

They were poor, and no one helped them much. They dwelt in the garbage dump because they could get scraps, and scavenge things thrown away, and people would leave stuff for them.

The dump stinks. It is where the dogs dwelt eating scraps and fighting lepers. It’s the same in Hell/Lake of Fire (Revelation 22:15) (Dogs in the ancient world were vermin and tormentors. They were scavengers and thieves, who roamed in packs and might even attack a child, or solitary person. It is not the view we have of family pets. Course those family pets can turn feral.)

Jesus described Hell as a place where “the fire is not quenched and the worm dieth not.” He was quoting Isaiah. (Isa 66:22-24, Mark 9)

The fires of trash burning with filthy smoke, choking the lungs and blocking the light. A place of darkness and misery, without the love and joy and peace of God. A place where the worms live forever eating the flesh, filth and corruption. (Matt. 25:30)

This is the basic picture of Hell. A garbage dump separated from God and all that is clean.

Jesus gives us a parable of the torment of Hell. He speaks of the poor man Lazarus who basically was a homeless man who lived outside a nameless rich man’s gate. The rich man ignored Lazarus. He could have loved Him and helped Him. If the rich man really knew God, he would have done what He could do to help the homeless man. But, He did not. (Luke 16)

Both of them die.

The rich man is in Hell. Again, not because he could earn His way into heaven by doing good deeds, but because He never knew God. He never had a relationship with God. If He had, then He would have had compassion. He would have felt conviction to help Lazarus.

The rich man is thirsty in Hell and and says “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.”

There is no water in Hell, it’s hot. He sees Lazarus in Heaven/Paradise leaning against Abraham’s chest, and makes this request. (There are teachings about Abraham’s Bosom and all of that, which the Bible doesn’t really teach. In this parable it is clear that Lazarus is leaning against Abraham the person, because Abraham speaks. It is not a place. Locations do not speak. Any doctrines on a place called Abraham’s Bosom are actually referring to Paradise or Heaven. The place of the the righteous dead, where the saints go to be with the Lord, and the other members of their family and saints who were saved as well. Abraham and all the saints are there. The phrase “Abraham’s Bosom” is actually poetic language for Heaven/Paradise.)

Abraham tells the rich man that Lazarus cannot give him a drink because there is a gulf between Hell and Paradise. They can see each other, but cannot go there. Again separation and containment. Many ancient cultures had a similar cosmology, because it is true. God told Adam, and the truth went to Noah, and was taught to the people. Then it was confused at the Tower of Babel, when people scattered globally with different languages and different names for past events. But, the basic idea remains. Because it’s true.

 The rich man begs Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his family, so they won’t go to Hell. But, Abraham says “They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”

Abraham basically says, “They have God’s Word.” But, the rich man knows his family won’t read it or learn of it. He assumes his family would be shocked into turning to God if Lazarus rose from the dead.

But, Abraham says, “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”

Basically, if they won’t believe the Word, they won’t believe anything, even if someone rose from the dead.

In case you missed it, this is a reference to Jesus rising from the dead; and people still refuse to believe. Just to be clear, a man named Lazarus also rose from the dead, and people still refused to believe. (John 11, John 20)

So, that is Hell. But, what about the Lake of Fire?

In my best understanding, Hell is a current spiritual place in the cosmology. It rests separated by a gulf from Heaven/Paradise. (Luke 23:43, 2 Cor. 12:4, Rev. 2:7)

It is Spiritual. It is out there beyond the veil that separates us from spiritual things.

But, the Lake of Fire is material. It exists in the material world forever.

It seems that at some point, God creates a new heaven and new earth. The city of God, and Paradise itself seems to come to Earth and joins with Earth. There is no more Separation. Sin has been contained. Death has been defeated. Everything is created new and seems to go back to how it was before the fall of man and the rebellion of Satan. (Heb. 11;16, Isa 65:17, Isa 66, Rev. 21, Rev. 22 )

The Lake of Fire is a place on Earth at this future time. A material location, not a spiritual one. It rests outside the City of God. It is the garbage dump, and containment place for everything and everyone who refused to washed in the Blood and be cleansed and healed of the Plague of Sin. Understand that sometime before the final judgement everyone who is dead will be raised into bodies that can never die. The dead currently have spiritual bodies. These future bodies will allow us to either live forever in Paradise, or live forever in Hell/Lake of Fire. (Rev. 20:12)

Why do I say this? Because it’s what God says, “ For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord. And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.” (Isa 66:22-24)

After God creates a new heaven and new earth. When His city comes to Earth and Paradise is here. The saints who the Lord has saved, will gather together on a regular basis to worship God. And part of that celebration, or after the worship service; people will be able to go out and look at the Lake of Fire and see Satan, His angels, and those who followed them in the Lake of Fire.

Now, a Lake of Fire implies liquid fire. So, I personally believe that it is like a volcano or magma. The City of God and Paradise Earth is near enough to see it, but there is a separation or gulf. People will come from all over the new Earth to worship, and see it.

So, let me tell you that our words and current understanding cannot really explain this. There are gaps in what the scriptures say and our ability to explain it. We have tried to give a time line. But, from what I can tell, no timeline or explanation of the events to come is totally perfect. 

 We are not supposed to “Intrude into things we have not seen.” (Col. 2:18)

That means that as humans who have never traveled to spiritual realms, or seen glimpses of the future new creation, we can only give limited knowledge and understanding.

I’ve tried to connect some dots. and clear things up in order to get people to understand and get saved or have a hope of the future. I am not going to say I have it all figured out in such a way that I can teach it or prove it. I don’t.

This is a simple explanation of what I have learned so far. I hope it helps you in your studies.

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Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger.

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Trust God's Goodness

 Trust God's Goodness

He wants us saved and growing in Him. 

 

We can trust God’s goodness in this fallen world which seeks to destroy us. Everything around us might scream that God has abandoned us or that He doesn’t care. But He is there. He will never leave us nor forsake us.

Even in the Garden. In the midst of Paradise, Satan was able to get the first couple to stop trusting God. He got them to doubt His promises and His goodness. The same thing happens to us.

They were in a perfect place with all of their needs met and no troubles at all, and the enemy was still able to drop a little nugget of doubt into their mind. Just enough to get them to do the one thing God told them not to do.

God’s rules are not to keep us down or to hide things from us. They are designed to protect us, from things we do not understand and the dangers of this world.

We can trust His promises. We can trust His Word. We can trust His goodness.

We no longer live in a Paradise. We live in a fallen world and bad things happen to us. Trouble comes into our lives, whether it’s by our own making or not; we face difficulties. We see the evil around us, and we are again tempted by the devil to say “Where is God?” “Where is His Goodness?”

Like Job. Satan attacked him in order to get Him to doubt and curse God. But, Job said, “Though He slay me, still will I trust in Him.” (Job 13:15a)

He trusted God and refused to be pulled away from the Lord, or caused to doubt Him. Job questioned. But, he never doubted God’s goodness or curse Him.

When we face trouble in life, we are also tempted to reject God. We are tempted to go do things that set us up for failure and more trouble.

Remember, the enemy seeks to steal, kill and destroy. He will use everything to rob us of finances and joy and life and health, he will work to kill us and ruin us.

That’s His plan. It starts with getting us to doubt God’s Word, His promises and His goodness.

If He can get us to ignore God, or doubt Him, He can lead us down dark paths and slay us.

When we look at the terrible things in this world it’s hard to imagine that God is good. We even hear things like “A good God would not allow such and such.” That is the devil. He cause the terrible things, then he points at it and says “Look! God did that!”

 If we do not know God, or trust Him we can be deceived by it.

In these last days it is going to get harder and harder, as deception grows.

But, we can trust Him. He is good. Learn of Him. Study the Word. Confess Jesus as your Lord, and believe that He is THE Lord.

Confessing ‘Jesus is The Lord” is the only thing that separates the Christian from every other belief system on Earth. Remember that.

God is good, He came to Earth to die for us and set us free. He saves us. Do not be pulled away by the deceptions of the enemy.

Trust God

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Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger.

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How Do We Pray?

 How Do We Pray?

It’s simpler than we think

 

Prayer, is a conversation with God.

For me, I just talk to the Lord. Jesus says that God is our father. The Apostles tell us that God is our father as well, if we know Him.

When we believe Him, He calls us friend.

Abraham believed what God told him, and it was counted to him for righteousness, and he was called the friend of God. (Romans 4:3)

So I just talk to God. And when I pour my true self into prayer with God, I know He hears.

I go for a walk and talk with him alone. I rant and rave around my home or where ever, when things are crazy. I give Him my real self. Just like a friend or father.

When you give your real self to God, you are showing belief. You believe the Word, which says he is our friend. He is our father. He is our physician. You trust Him.

Pray the Word to God.

Such as,

“Dearest heavenly father, You are not willing that any should perish so I pray for my child who is far from you. They are addicted to drugs and living a life that is harmful to them. By your stripes we are healed and I pray you will heal them of this addiction and trauma. We have power over demons and I pray in Jesus name that the you’ll drive the demons out of them. They are bound and cast out in Jesus name. Thank you, Lord. For it’s in Jesus name I pray, Amen.”

Praying the Word to God, is not a commanding of God, Although I don’t think God is offended by it. He is love. He does not respond with prideful rage. Praying the Word is more like an attorney quoting laws in court, to make a case. Does the human judge get offended by a passionate attorney who brings up cases and laws of the past?

 But you have to know the Word, and believe the Word to pray the Word.

Why do we pray in Jesus name?

Because the Lord told us to. When we do it we are exercising belief in His Word, and faith that He is able. We show that it is not by our authority but by His. We are weak, but He is strong. (John 14:13)

The disciples asked Jesus how to pray, and He gave them the Lord’s prayer. (Luke 11, Matt. 6)

“Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”

You can pray this prayer, word for word. There is power in it. You are praying the Word. You are believing and following the directions of Jesus, and the prayer covers everything.

It praises God. It acknowledges Him as Lord. It places trust in Him and His decisions. It covers our daily needs. It covers forgiveness for our sins, as we forgive others. It covers protection and guidance.

When you read Matthew 6, Jesus speaks a lot about prayer before He gets to the Lord’s Prayer. All of it matters. Our repetitions do not move God. Praying in front of people to be seen by them or ‘As a good witness” to them, is wrong.

We should seek alone time with God. Not that corporate prayer is wrong. We should pray with others who also believe. But we need alone time with God.

Now, look at how simple the Lord’s prayer is.

Why?

Because God is omnipresent. He is omniscient and eternal. He can read your heart and mind. Past, present and future.

When you consider this, it brings some of our notions about prayer into question.

He already knows what you are going to pray. He already knows what you need. He has probably already put the wheels into motion to bring about what you need.

That’s why our prayer time is really more about spending time in His presence. Our words and desires are about coming into alignment with His character and will.

We are finite. We are not omnipresent. Which means, present everywhere at all times in all times.

But, we can be present with Him right now.

And when we are present with Him we can pray the things He brings to our heart. We can be aligned with His will, asking for good things for people. Praying for protections. Praying against the enemy. Praying for peace, love, joy and salvation. Forgiving others. Praying for healing.

Often our faith in prayer and speaking the Word, will move mountains and drive out the enemy who opposes us. The one who seeks to deceive and to steal, kill and destroy everything in our lives.

God uses our faith. He recognizes it because it is based in Him. All humans have natural faith. But, not all humans have faith in God and His Word.

The most powerful prayer you can pray, is simply praising and thanking the Lord.

Every morning, when I wake up, I try to let my first words and thoughts be, “Praise Jesus, thank you Lord for all you’ve done, and are doing.”

 I trust Him. He’s got me. He knows what I need, and want. Like Job said, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him.” (Job 13)

We agonize over our lives. We feel that we should get more. I do it too.

But, this life is but a breath. It is a moment in eternity. Our desire should be to know Him and spend time with Him. The relationship is all important.

Our prayer is time with God.

“Dearest heavenly Father, please forgive me for my sins and help me to overcome. I thank you for everything you have done and are doing in my life. I praise you and ask you to help me with the things I need. Please help me to serve in the manner you desire. I ask that you will drive out the enemy, from my life. I trust in you, for it’s in Jesus name I pray, thank you Lord, amen”

The words, do not have power. The power rests in Faith, the relationship and the Lord who is over all.

Paul says that the Holy Spirit can take even our groaning and translate it into a faith filled message that God receives. He knows our heart. He hears us. Our weaknesses is not a hindrance to His ability to know us. (Rom.8:26-28)

Again, after all is said and done. Just talk to God. Let Him teach you and guide you. Be real with Him. Not putting on airs. Not trying to be more than you are.

Spend time with Him and get to know Him.

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Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger.

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Evil Is With Me

 Evil Is With Me

 We have a corrupted nature

 

“I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.”—Rom. 7:21

Romans chapter 7 explains to us the purpose of God’s Law.

It’s purpose is to reveal sin in us, so that it can be dealt with.

Paul describes the struggle between law and flesh. He says that when he saw the law “Though shalt not covet” it was revealed that he had covetousness in his life.

He sinfully wanted what others had. The law revealed this and since he realized he had broken the law, he was slain by it. The law killed him, because the punishment for sin is death. He died in God’s eyes the moment he knew He had sinned. That’s the law.

But, he did not want to commit the sin. You can plug any sin into this box. Paul used covetousness, but it could apply to any sin. It was revealed to him that he sinned, and he was slain by it. He agreed with the law, because it is good. So, he did not want this sin in his life any more.

But, he discovered that he could not quit. The evil thoughts continued. The lusting or fear or doubt or whatever sins continued in his mind and heart; even though he did not want it anymore because he saw it was wrong in the Word of God.

Now, God revealed to Him a massive truth that opened his eyes. A truth that many people miss.

If he did not want to do it any more, then it was not really him doing it. He hated the sin, but yet still did it. He still thought the thoughts and did the deeds. He could not escape.

This showed him that there was something wrong with him. That he had a corrupted nature, beyond his control. Something in himself that he did not want or desire. He hated the sin, but still did it anyway. Therefore it was not him, but SIN in him.

This is important because when we think about obeying God’s law and put burdens on ourselves and others; we ignore the truth that we cannot obey it ourselves because of our corrupted nature. We are fallen. We are plagued with sin from Adam.

Our sins we commit are like symptoms of a deeper plague in us.

We don’t see how wicked we are until the light of God’s Word reveals it to us. Our flesh is totally corrupt and we are incapable of stopping it, in such a way that is true. If we stop one thing, we sin somewhere else. Trying to quit sinning is a torturous never ending hell, full of fear that God is watching and wants to destroy you.

When we have a works based doctrine, that’s where we are. We believe we must quit sinning, but we cannot. We want to please God, but fail constantly.

But, the law actually is supposed to reveal that you cannot quit and that it is not even really you committing the sins, it is something in you. The corrupted nature.

God’s law is far more than just the ten commandments. We can’t even obey the ten, let alone the rest. And don’t even start on the sins of thoughts. The sins of omission. or sins of Pride, Doubt, Fear, and other things we do, that we do not even realize we are doing.

The law reveals it. This is why the law is good, as Paul says.

It is like a mirror.

But, our response is to change. We cannot. It won’t work. A sinful being cannot change his sinful nature, he needs God to do it.

Now, ask yourself, why would God provide a means to have your sins covered through the sacrificial system?

Because He knows we cannot obey. He wants it. He demands it. But we cannot, because of the corrupted nature in us from Adam. He knows this.

God is not ignorant of our sins and failures. We try to hide these things and try to quit or deal with it ourselves but it doesn’t work. It gets worse.

Have you ever seen a child who plays with magic markers? They color themselves, they color the walls, they color everything. But, there often comes a point where they realize they messed up. Sometimes they realize it on their own (Spirit or Conscience), or sometimes it’s when the parent reveals it to them (law).

The child tries to fix it and might get a wet rag to wash it with. But it just smears it on themselves and the wall. They cannot fix it, and it’s there before them all the time. They need an adult to help them.

That is what happens with us. Even if a person doesn’t believe in God or has some other belief system, it doesn’t matter. God created us and this is what happens. This is what ALL religions deal with. This is why people go to therapy or drink to escape.

This thing in us torments us, because we know we are wrong and cannot get right. We try to fix it by fleshly means because that is all we know. But, it won’t work for eternity. It is a fleshly band aid at best, or makes things worse.

Look at Adam and Eve. When they fell from God, they saw they were naked and tried to cover themselves with fig leaves. That is religion, and every other thing we do to fix our problem in us. It’s nothing but fig leaves.

But, God showed up and revealed the sin in them and fixed it Himself. That’s Jesus.

We cannot fix it ourselves.

Paul says “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”—Rom. 7:24.

In the very next verse He thanks God.

“I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”

He thanks God that the law has revealed to him that there is something wrong, and it is not him doing it. He serves God, but there is also the corrupted nature and he realizes that it is not him that does it but sin in him.

 The very next verse is Romans 8:1, a new chapter and he reveals why he is thankful.

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

He reveals the solution. God came in the flesh to die for us, because of our sins and corrupted nature. He washes us clean in the Blood of Jesus when we turn to Him.

Our eyes are opened to the truth and we believe it. We turn to God, and ask Him to save us, confessing Jesus is the Lord, and we make Him our Lord.

God washes us clean of all sin. Past, present and future. He fills us with His Holy Spirit, and we grow in relationship with Him. We are no longer condemned. We are friends of God. We are righteous. Not because of what we do or don’t do. But, because of what Jesus did for us.

Our growth in Christ works to reveal and purge the things that we do in the flesh, as we confess our sins to Him. But, it is Him that does the work in us, not us. Even in our saved state, if we get in the habit of living a life trying to not sin, we are not really living in faith that Jesus has washed us. We think we must obey and do it ourselves. We forget that we cannot. This is why Paul says there is power in weakness. We admit our failure and give it to God and let Him do it.

If we go a few verses more in Romans chapter 8 we see this struggle continues in us even though we are saved. The flesh battles with the Spirit. We walk in the Spirit, by abiding in Christ, growing the relationship, turning to Him and confessing our sins, being in prayer, loving God and others. We realize that the sinful nature is not us anymore. We are dead to it. We died with Christ and rose with Him to new life. Those fleshly things no longer impact our spirit or salvation. They can cause trouble in this world, by opening the doors for demonic forces to attack us, but not our souls. Not our eternal spirits.

Here’s the verses

“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”

It’s about knowing Him, and He works to heal us and change us.

Walking in the Spirit is walking with Him. It is letting Him take care of it. because if we try to do it ourselves, or ignore it, we are walking in the flesh, and that leads to death.

What is death? Death is separation. It is not an end, as we suppose. When someone dies, they do not end, they are separated from us and from this fleshly world, and that body of flesh stays behind.

Eternal death is also separation. Nothing really dies or ends. it just changes form and continues on. We will all get a spiritual body that can never die. A vessel for our souls and spirits to dwell forever.

But, if we are not washed, that spiritual body will become corrupted by the corrupted soul, and dead spirit. It must then be separated to another place where nothing good dwells, because all good things are wrapped up in God. God is love. There is no love in separation. There is not love in that quarantine place of separation called Hell and the Lake of Fire. It is darkness and no light. It is separation from God.

If God allowed the corrupted nature into Paradise or Heaven, then all of eternity would be full of pain and evil just like this world. Separation occurs to protect God’s eternal kingdom and creation.

If we know Him we shall be with Him forever in Paradise. That’s the promise. Just like He told the thief on the cross.

All we have to do is turn to Him and ask, and believe. He will take care of the rest. We cannot change ourselves, He will do it, if we trust Him. And that is the difficulty of walking in the Spirit. Trusting and believing He’s got you. It builds patience. It builds meekness. We submit to Him and grow. Not by works, lest any should boast.

 We can trust Him.

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Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger.

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