What Is Death?

 What Is Death?

It's important to know.

 

 

Death on its most basic level means separation.

It is not an end, as some suppose.

The Bible teaches that we are triune, like God. We are made in His image.

We have a body, a soul and a spirit.

When God created everything He created it good. Evil was contained elsewhere, and there was no death. Everything ate plants. Fruits, veggies and nuts.

We were created to live forever.

God loves us and wants us to love Him freely, so He gave us free will and a choice.

Adam was given dominion of the Earth to take care of it. He was free to eat of anything he wanted except for the tree in the midst of the Garden.

“But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”—Gen 2:17

We do not know how long Adam and Eve were in the Garden together. But, Satan came and got them to do the one thing they were not supposed to do. Eat of that tree.

The moment they ate it, something happened.

“And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.”— Gen. 3:7

Their eyes were opened.

They were previously living in innocence like little kids, running around the woods naked. But, when they ate it they became aware of both good and evil. They previously only knew good. Now evil came flooding upon them, and into them. Their innocent nature became corrupted. They tried to fix the problem themselves, but only God can fix it.

This is where our corrupted nature comes from. That thing inside of us that leads us to commit sin and causes us to be unclean, and in league with Satan.

Now, notice Adam and Eve did not die.

This shows us that they died spiritually. Their spirits died. That living soul, that God breathed into them; left them. (Gen.2:7)

But we also know that Adam lived 900 years before he died in the flesh. That is one day for God. (2 Peter 3:8)

Because Adam had dominion he was in charge, and his failure opened the door for evil to flood into him and all humans after him. It also caused death to come into this world, and upon everything in this world. The entire creation groans waiting for this to end. (Romans 8:16-25)

Since he chose to follow Satan instead of God, the dominion was handed over to Satan, who has become the god of the world. (2 Cor. 4:4)

This is why death came. It is a separation. We are separated from our loved ones and from God, by spiritual death, physical death and eternal death.

God is a holy God. Paradise is a good, holy place. The corruption that plagues humans cannot be allowed to enter heaven. It cannot be allowed to enter eternity, or else the eternal will become ruined the same as this world. Imagine an eternity full of the suffering we have in this world.

God destroyed the Earth with a Flood, to wash away the evil. But, it rose back up. He knew it would. Now, the world waits to be purged with fire and burned up, before God creates a new heaven and earth. (2 Peter 2:3)

God Himself, in the form of Jesus Christ came to Earth and died on the cross to restore that which was lost. (Matt. 18:11)

When a person hears Gods call and turns to Him, confessing Jesus is the Lord, they are saved. They are filled with the Holy Spirit and they are brought from death (separation) unto life. Their spirit comes alive again.

Like Adam, when we commit our first sin, our spirit dies within us. Until it is resurrected into new life in Christ.

Understand that our spiritual separation makes us blind toward God. But, He still sees us clearly. There is no where we can hide from God.

When we die physically we become separated from this world and our loved ones. If we are saved and washed in the Blood of Jesus we are clean from the evil that plagues us and we go to be with the Lord in Paradise. (Luke 23:43, 2 Corinthians 5:1-8)

BUT…

If we die physically and are not washed in the Blood. We are full of the corruption which plagues all humanity. We cannot go to Paradise to be with the Lord, because we are plagued. Evil is like a plague that spreads. Our sins are a symptom of this plague. We sin because of what is in us. We are plagued and unclean. (Rom 7:7-25)

So, we have to go to Hell and eventually The Lake of Fire, where Satan and His Angels, Demons and Unclean spirits will be. It is a place of containment. It is a garbage dump for all things evil and foul and unclean.

It is eternal death. Or eternal separation. A quarantine.

All humans are raised from the dead and given new bodies. But, some go to live forever in Paradise, while others go to live forever separated in Hell/Lake of Fire. The second death. The second separation. (John 5:28-29, Rev. 20:5=6, Rev. 20:12-13)

We often look at this subject in legal terms. Laws, Sin, Judges, Punishment. These are the terms used for Satan and his rebellion. For all those who knowingly reject God.

But, the reality is that God loves us and seeks to save us from a plague that corrupts us and keeps us from knowing Him.

Jesus did not come preaching law. He came healing people. Healing the blind and setting people free from Satan and his demons.

That is what God is doing.

He is saving us, setting us free and opening our eyes, if we turn to Him.

Death for the saint is not separation. It is a homecoming.

We once were blind, but now we see. We were once dead, but now we live eternally.

When we give ourselves to God, He saves us and holds us forever. We are washed in the Blood, forever clean and able to enter His presence.

When Jesus died, the veil in the temple was rent from top to bottom (Matt. 27:51)

God Himself ripped that wall of separation apart so He could bring his kids home.

And when He returns, He will restore what was lost, and defeat death. (Rev. 21:4)

And we will be with the Lord forever.

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Cover photo by pexels/Pixabay

As If By Fire

 As If By Fire

Will you have rewards? 

 

 

 

“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.”—1 Cor. 3:13-15 (Chapter 3)

When God saves us. He saves us forever. I do not believe we can lose our salvation, and the scriptures do not teach that, despite any man made argument to the contrary.

If you know Him. If you are His. If you have turned to Him and asked Him to save you and confessed Him as your Lord. Then, He will not cast you away. He chastens us. He grows us. He breaks us and molds us. He refines us.

He does not cast us aside, because we broke one too many rules. Even if we reject Him. Still He is faithful and continues to keep His Word and do His work. (Romans 8:37-39. 1 Thess. 5: 20-24, 2 Thess. 3:3)

If we really know Him. If we have really given ourselves to Him. If we really confess Him as Lord. He accepts us and saves us forever. (Romans 10:9-10)

He saves us and starts working in us and through us. The law and any other rule becomes a guide for growth and confession. We are washed. We are clean. But, sometimes our feet get dirty in this world. The laws help us to know what to clean and pray about for growth and healing. The Law shows us our sin, and we know what to confess to the Lord.

As we live in Christ, we are to be Spirit led. We are to turn to the Lord (repent) and let Him save us and grow us. We are to acknowledge Him in ALL our ways and He shall direct our paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6, Romans chapter 8)

This means that we are to listen to His Spirit, and when we do this He works in us and through us. So, our work and our life, and our following Him; is done by His power, not ours. It’s Him doing it, not us. If we allow it.

Our works of righteousness are as filthy rags. (Isa. Chapter 64, Romans Chapter 1)

We cannot please Him in our own flesh. We are fallen. We have a corrupted nature. Even when we are saved, we still fail and sin. We cannot please Him in our own obedience or desire. No matter how great it is. If He didn’t do it, or call for it, or lead us in it. Then, it’s flesh. It’s hay, wheat and stubble. You can build a million orphanages and ministries but if He’s not in it or led you to do it, then it’s nothing.

When He returns, all of our work and all of our life will be tried in the all consuming fire of who He is. (Hebrews Chapter 12, Deut. 4:24, Deut 9:3, Matthew Chapter 25, 2 Peter Chapter 3)

Like in the days of Noah, the water fell and broke up from below swallowing the world and destroying it. Only 8 souls saved on the Ark.

Likewise, when He returns the Earth will be burned up in fire, and those in Christ will be saved as if by fire, receiving the rewards. He shall judge the quick (saved, living) and the dead (unsaved) at His appearing. (2 Tim. 4:1)

All that will remain will be that which can survive the fire. Gold, silver, and precious stones through God’s work in us.

But, all flesh. All hay, wheat and stubble will be burned up. Those things that were not from God, by God or commanded by God, will perish. All things not of your relationship with God. Burned.

We will be left with what God has done. Not what we did in our flesh. No matter how good. No matter how much we obey the Bible in our flesh.

Did we know Him and follow His Spirit? Did we abide? (John Chapter 15)

But, we ourselves shall be saved as if by fire. Only having the things God has done. And we shall cast them at His feet. Because He has done it all, not us. (1 Cor 3:10-15, 1 Cor Chapter 3, Rev. 4:10-11,)

He is worthy.

And there shall be a new Heaven and new Earth, where He dwells with us. A new Creation where there is no death, corruption, curse or sin.(Isa 66:22-24, Isa Chapter 66, Isa Chapter 65, 2 Peter Chapter 3, Rev. Chapter 21)

Now, several points need to be made. There seems to be different judgements. The Judgement of the Believers which is where our rewards are decided. The Great White Throne judgement, which refers to the lost, and the judgement of nations. We do not know exactly how these things will happen and when or in what order.

When He comes there will be Judgement. When He comes there will be rewards. We know there will be a fire judgement. We know there will be a millennium, and a thousand year kingdom. But, exactly how this works we are not told. (2 Peter 3)

But, if you are a believer then we are called to serve the Kingdom. We are called to abide in Him and endure the attacks of the enemy.

When Jesus returns, our works as saints will be judged. And the work that God has done in us and through us will remain as a reward.

But, Paul warns us that if we are saved and we have done nothing. If we have not let the Holy Spirit work in us, on us and through us. If we have lived as Carnal Christians. We will face that fire, and will have nothing to show for it. God, will keep His Word and save you. But, you will go into eternity with nothing. Like a man who ran out of his burning house naked in the middle of the night. Everything burned up.

You never stored treasures in heaven. You stored them all on Earth, and when its burned. It’s burned.

But, you yourself will be saved as if by fire.

Smelling of smoke. By the skin of your teeth, so to speak.

God keeps His Word.

Learn to listen to His voice and serve the Kingdom. There is no better place to be, than with Him.

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Photo by pexels/edited by author 

What Is Jesus Worth?

 What Is Jesus Worth?

The Workers are worthy 

 

I have been in church and heard a lot of sermons. I’ve listened to preachers on the radio and TV for decades, and I can say that I have heard many sermons about how the employee needs to work harder.

“Work as unto the Lord! Work as though Jesus is watching you!”

Is the basic flavor of all these sermons.

“Don’t complain about your job. Be thankful you have one. Some people have nothing.”

Or

“The Bible teaches you that you should obey authority. That includes your boss…”

That’s the gist of thousands of sermons.

But I have never heard a sermon telling employers how to treat workers.

Are there no Christian employers?

We know there are because they let us know.

They have a fish symbol on their business cards. They let employees have Sunday off…etc.

But let’s flip the script.

What if Jesus was your employee?  How much is Jesus Worth?

Minimum wage?  One sick day with a doctor’s excuse? 

Would you complain that no one wants to work if Jesus showed up every day?

Consider where Jesus said “What you’ve done unto the least of these my brethren you’ve done unto me”.

Could it refer to your employees? Are they not poor? Are they not “The least of these”?”

What about that big house and new car? All bought by the cheap labor of Jesus at your store, or construction site.

How much money should we horde off the whip scarred back of Jesus?

Jesus+profits= new bass boat.

How much is Jesus Worth?  

Minimum wage? Unpaid sick days?  Can Jesus take his sick kid to the doctor? Can Jesus spend time with his wife and new born baby? Can Jesus not get sexually harassed today? Can Jesus get a mental health day? Can Jesus get insurance or maybe a vision plan? Can Jesus get stuck in traffic and show up late today? Should Jesus get ripped off on overtime? Should Jesus get fired for no real reason?

Just asking.

And I’m referring to Jesus the Lord. Not Jesus from Mexico City who cuts your massive lawn.

What is Jesus worth?

But, let’s go further because this is actually a very important subject.

Why do you think that sermons on how employers should treat employees are rare?

I think it’s because most churches employ people. The pastors are not going to preach about how they should treat their own employees.

Likewise, churches are full of business owners who pay tithes and don’t want to hear sermons that hit them in the wallet. 

So basically its the love of money. It’s choosing to serve Mammon over God. 

Too harsh?

Consider the book of Philemon.

Philemon was a rich Christian who owned slaves. One of his slaves named Onesimus escaped, and ran into Paul. Who led him to know Christ.

Paul writes  the church where Philemon attends and tells Philemon about it.

Paul talks Onesimus into returning home. And he tells Philemon “If thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself. If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on mine account;”

He took all of the burden upon Himself. He stood in intercession for Onesimus, against an employer or slave master.

Now consider Christ. Consider that Paul did this in obedience to Christ, and as a picture of what Jesus does for us. Do bosses consider that Jesus died for the employee too and they should be forgiven and treated with love?  Treated like they would treat Jesus or a friend?

So, let’s look at what the future holds for all this greed. James tells us, 

“Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.

Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.

 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.

Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.

Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.”— James 5:1-6

I consider that James is speaking of two events. 

One is in relation to the last days, when money will become worthless in response to the Black Horse of Revelation, which I think will be a global economic collapse.  (Revelation Chapter 6) 

The other is much more terrifying, because it relates to the return of Christ. When he says “What you’ve done to the least of these you’ve done to me.” and sends the goats off into hell.  (Matt. 25: 31-46)

If you are a Christian employer or boss and you do not bless your employees and treat them properly, you might want to check your salvation papers.

There will be huge amounts of “Christians” who find out they were never really saved on Judgement day. 

No oil in their lamp. Talents buried in the sand. Goats heading into darkness.

Works do not save us. But when we know Christ we begin to do things differently.

“But, I’ll go broke!” You might say.

Pray about it.

Jesus says,

 “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”—Luke 6:38

You cannot out give God. You can give more to your employees, and there will be a return.

Jesus said,

 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”— Matt. 6:33

When we put God first, He will take care of us.

Trust God. Love and bless your employees. Treat them better and watch what happens. You are free to do better than what the norm is. You can do better than what the law requires. 

God sees what you do, and He hears their cries for justice. 

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Cover photo by author.

Our Dirty Feet

 Our Dirty Feet

 We get dirty walking in this world

 

As followers of Christ, we live and walk in this filthy world. We see things, we feel things, we think things, and we do things that are sinful. It’s a fact. It says in 1 John 1:10 ” If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” So, if you cannot admit that you sin, then you do not know Christ.

Jesus is the Word. “The Word is not in you.” if you cannot admit your sinfulness, you have never known Christ or been saved.

We still sin as saved people but we are not viewed by God as sinners. He sees Christ, not us. Our sins are never brought back up. That’s what “we do not sin” means. Our sins are not imputed on us. We are righteous. (1 John 3:9)

In the Gospel of John, when Jesus began to wash the disciples feet. Peter was appalled. He could not let the God of the universe. The Holy One of Israel, do this for him. We often feel that way. We cannot bring ourselves to let God take care of us. It’s a pride issue. We think we can do it ourselves. This leads to false religions and false teachings of works based doctrines. Pride comes before a fall. (John 13)

Jesus said (to Peter) “if I do not wash you. Then you can have no part with me.” (John 13: 8-9)

Jesus is referring to the washing away of sin. He is talking about being washed in His blood and getting saved. When we are saved; our sins, past, present and future are gone. If we are not washed, we are not with Him.

Peter sort of understood, and told Jesus to wash ALL of him. Peter wanted to make sure he was with Christ. He wanted to show that he was all in.

But Jesus knew that Peter was already washed. He knew Peter was already saved. 

Peter had been called, and accepted the call. Peter believed, and had already confessed Jesus as God, and his Lord. He had turned to God. Salvation was not the issue. When Jesus asked “Who do you say that I am?” Peter said, “Thou art the Christ the son of the living God.” This is the foundation of salvation. Confessing Jesus as The Lord, or God. (Matt. 16: 13-19, Rom. 10:9-10 )

Next Jesus says (to Peter), “all you need is for me to wash your feet.” (Verse 10)

 As we walk in this world we get dirty, and we need to be washed. Not for salvation if we are already saved, but as a means of removing the filth of this world, so we don’t spread it every where. So, we don’t carry it with us. So, it doesn’t begin to impact our lives. So, we can feel better. Often talking about something with God or another person can help us.

So, how does this happen?

In 1st John it says to confess our sins and He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness. We pray and confess our sins to God, and He forgives. As we do this, we find that He works to help us overcome, more and more. Sometimes, it doesn’t feel like He hears us. But, we must believe that He does. Sometimes, prayers of confession can be a struggle. (1 John 1:9)

This is not just a spiritual activity. When we pray to the Lord, and ask Him to forgive us our sins, we need to try to be specific. When we do, we can see Him moving to not only cleanse us in the spirit but to remove things that are against us in our lives as well. He cleanses us of ALL unrighteousness. Not just some spiritual thing.

When we are saved, the Holy Spirit works in our lives. We often struggle with things. The Holy Spirit teaches us and brings us into ALL truth. So, lets say that we confess to the Lord that we lied. He forgives us. But, He also starts working to help us over come that thing in our lives. He might show us that we lie quite a bit. So, we start confessing that specific sin more often. Then He shows that we lie at certain times or toward certain people. So, we start being more aware, and seeing our sin more, and confessing more. He might reveal that we lie because of fear. So, it’s actually a lack of trust in God that is the problem. So, He starts working on that. And on and on. This is the renewing of our mind. This is how deep change occurs. (Romans 12:1-3)

It could be any sinful behavior in our lives. Confess it and watch God forgive you and work in you and around you. This part of the relationship. It builds faith. It grows us and changes us.

It all starts with confessing it to Him. When we confess to Him in prayer we are showing that we need Him. We are seeking the relationship with Him. The Holy Spirit shows us what to confess, but we must do it. We destroy our pride and submit to the Lord. Every thought of our being is filled with sin, we are totally depraved. The fall of Adam corrupted us so entirely that we do not even see how bad we are. When we refuse to submit to God and let Him do it, we are in a very bad place. That is why pride is the worst sin.

When we submit and turn to God, confessing to Him. He saves us, forgives us and starts working to change us. This depravity is why our minds must be renewed. Renewed to what God originally created, and desired.

In James, it says to confess our sins one to another, and pray for each other. This can be very difficult when you have no one you can trust or you fear repercussions. This is why it’s fine to simply confess to the Lord. There are some churches where gossip will destroy you. The purpose of confessing, is to heal and get cleansed. It is not to allow humans the chance to destroy your life. (James 5:16)

Find people you trust, and who understand the truth of confessing. Churches are full of all kinds of people. Many of the folks there are not saved. They have never really accepted the Lord, or have a relationship with Him. Just because they are a pastor doesn’t mean they are saved or love you.

But, you must do as the Holy Spirit leads you. If you feel that you need to publicly confess, or confess to others, then do it. But, you must weigh the amount of damage you might cause, and do it in a way that does not hurt others. We are called to Love. Learn to be led by the Spirit and he will guide you.

When we hear of someone struggling we must pray for them. Do it immediately, either silently or with them. If you wait, Satan will make sure you forget. Do it now. Don’t gossip about it. Don’t use it to destroy someone. We all have sins. We all have pasts. Pray for them and follow the Lord. Let God do the chastening. Follow the Spirit. (Proverbs 3:11-12)

This is Foot Washing, as it pertains to spiritual matters. Of course, there’s the act of washing others feet in reality. This is a very humbling experience, the Lord can use it to grow us.

Turn to God. He is with us.

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Cover photo by pexels/Nishant Aneja

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Checkout The Bait of Satan

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Born Again

 Born Again

You must be born again 

 

“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John Chapter 3)

We must be born again, because our natural self has a corrupted nature which comes from Adam’s fall in the Garden.

We sin, because of this corrupted nature. (Book of Romans)

We are subject to Death because of this corrupted nature. (Book of Romans)

When we commit that first sin, like Adam. When we are tempted by Satan and fall, we also become slaves of the Enemy and destined for Hell.

This is why Jesus was subject to death, but not a slave to Satan or destined for Hell. Because He never sinned. His fleshly body was subject to death, like us, but His soul and Spirit was not corrupted by His own sin, because He never sinned. He was God in the flesh.

What is Hell?

Hell was created for Satan and His Angels, it is a holding place for evil; and all things filthy and corrupted.

God cannot allow that corruption into Paradise or eternity. Or else it will spread again and all of eternity will be as bad as this world, and this life. So, it must be washed, redeemed or saved to be allowed to make it in.

Remember

God destroyed the Earth with a Flood, and 8 souls survived.

And that Plague of Sin survived in them, and corrupted the Earth again.

It will be destroyed with fire next time.

And this is why we must be born again.

It washes our souls and spirits in the Blood of Jesus, to make us white as snow.

We still sin. We still have a corrupted nature in the flesh.

But, we have a living spirit.

We have a soul that is being renewed.

We have become a clean vessel where the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us.

Like Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”

We are saved by Grace through faith. (Eph. 2)

We confess Jesus is our Lord. (Romans 10:9-10)

We ask God to save us and the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us, and we get baptized as our first act of faith. (Acts 2:38)

Baptism is a picture of us dying to our old corrupted self, and rising again with Christ. We die to the flesh. We die to this world and the corruption. We die with Christ.

We are then made alive again in Him. (Rom. 6:11)

He is the living water. Whosoever shall drink of Him shall never thirst again. (John 4)

Our born again experience mirrors new birth.

A woman having a baby is in travail. She is hurting. She is having contractions. They get closer and closer together.

Likewise, we see our lives going out of control. Trouble here, trouble there, nothing seems to go right. We cannot fix it. Everything is wrong.

We are beaten down. Life just won’t work any more.

We don’t know what to do.

But, we hear His voice in the darkness. We know He calls us, and we turn to Him.

We ask Him to save us, and He does.

He will save you if you ask Him. He will bring you through your troubles and safely to the other side.

When we turn to Him, He saves us and we are born again. A new creature. No longer subject to Hell. No longer a slave of Lucifer. Clean forever in Christ.

The angels rejoice. Our family waiting for us in Paradise; those generations of the saved, rejoice also. ( Luke 15:10)

This is the process for all new life.

Likewise, the new creation of the heavens and the earth at His return must go through the birthing process in these last days.

Like a woman in travail, the troubles will get closer and closer together. It will get worse and worse. (1 Thess. 5:3)

Till the Lord bursts through the sky with his saints, at His glorious appearing.

We must be born again, to enter Paradise.

Just turn to Him and ask.

Like the thief on the cross. (Luke 23:40-43)

We are broken, corrupted and dangling above death and hell.

We cannot do right.

We need Him.

He is there suffering with you.

Just ask Him. (Acts 2:21)

Lord, please save me.

And let Him, do the work.

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

Cover photo by pexels/Craig Adderley, Edited by the author

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Work Out Your Own Salvation

 Work Out Your Own Salvation

What does it mean? 

 

“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”—Phil. 2:12-13

There are those who enjoy using this verse as a tool to push a works based doctrine. They claim that works are required in our salvation. Works, are a sign of our faith, between you and God. Works do not save us. This can clearly be seen in the very next verse. It is God who does the work.

As James said, “Faith without works is dead.” Our works show that we believe. Show who? Are we trained apes that perform for people? No. It shows God and ourselves that we believe. It helps build our faith as we actively follow the Holy Spirit and do the things God calls us to do. Our faith grows and is alive as we see ourselves following God. (Jas. 2:24)

The fact is that we are saved by GRACE, not by faith or works. This is very important to understand. It is nothing we do. Even faith is a work, when compared to grace. Any work on our part rejects God’s Grace. If we think we are helping God or paying God back, or obeying Him because of grace, we are rejecting His grace. If I give you something, and you do something or pay for it, you have ruined my free gift. See? When you try to do something nice for someone and they demand that you let them pay you back, this is what we try to do with God and His Grace. When we do it, we are rejecting His free gift, and trying to save ourselves through our own righteousness.(Eph. 2:8-10, Rom. 11:6)

So what does it mean to work out our own salvation?

Well, first it means that it is each person’s responsibility to hear God’s call and turn to Him for salvation. It is also each persons responsibility to make sure they are really saved. Hence, the fear and trembling. (Romans 10:9-10)

We must realize that each of us are born with certain problems in our DNA. This is our corrupted nature from Adam. You can often see it in family traits. Things that are in our flesh and we struggle with. Sometimes, these are mixed with our environment as kids. I don’t want to call it sin, because it doesn’t start out as sin, until you sin in it, or because of it.

 Take anger as an example. Some people are born, with quick tempers. But, it’s not a sin, until it causes you to sin. Then, you must deal with the consequences. Addiction is another example; people are born with a proclivity to addiction. They become addicts faster or easier. This is something that leads to more sin and struggle.

These are just a couple of examples. The point is that we are all born with these failings in our DNA, and we are raised in families or environments which impact us. These things lead us to grow up a certain way. It opens doors for the devil to influence our life. It creates who we are.

This is a product of our fallen world, our sin, and the demons who rule it. God does not make junk. But, this world does impact us. (2 Cor. 4:4)

Then, we meet Jesus.

We hear a sermon or a tract, or a friend tells us about Christ.

We are saved. The Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us. We are set free. Our sins are forever gone.

Then comes Monday morning and the world attacks us, along with the devil. We discover that we have power over some things in our lives, that we never had before. But, we also learn that there are still fleshly things we must struggle with.

As we walk with God in the Spirit we have things that will tempt our flesh. We have spiritual enemies seeking to devour us. We will fail. But, we are overcomers through Him. We will sin. But, we are forgiven and confess them to the Lord.

This walk is working out our own salvation, with God. We are saved by His grace. But, we walk in this world.

Let’s take two people. One is born into a nice Christian family. They have everything going for them and they get saved. Now take another person born in poverty, addicted to drugs, prison and all kinds of sin, and they get saved.

Both are saved. Both are equal. Both have problems. But, both did not start out in the same place.

Their journey with God is different. Not better or worse, but different. They have different struggles. They have different sins that they are impacted by. They have different demons.

They work out their own salvation on their own journey with God. They walk through different valleys and over different mountains with Him.

An addict who gets saved, struggles with that issue, while another believer might struggle with anger. Another might struggle with gossip, while another battles anxiety.

The devil attacks our flesh and tempts us any way he can to get our focus off of God, and serving Him. It’s a war. The devil wins by keeping us from sharing the Gospel, building the Kingdom, and bringing light into darkness.

All of this is working out our own salvation, within God’s Grace, as we walk with Him. It’s our sanctification through our relationship with Him.

Do not let the works based doctrines of some beat you down. Just turn to God and keep turning to Him. That is relationship, as we rely totally on Him. Not ourselves.

Praise Jesus.

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

Cover photo by Pexels/Kampus Productions

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Who Is A Liar?

 Who Is A Liar?

It's not what you think. 

 

“He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”—Rev. 21:7-8

This is a haunting verse at the very end of the Bible.

Let’s rightly divide the word. (2 Tim. 2:15)

First, we must look at the first verse because it basically cancels out the rest. If you really turn to God because you hear His call and Confess Jesus as your Lord. You are saved.

“Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?”—1 John 5:5

That’s what it says.

After salvation, God will work in our lives to change us and sanctify us if we have really turned to Him. Our faith will grow, if we are really with Him.

But, “the fearful and unbelieving” in the verse are those who have been too afraid to give up their life and turn to Christ. People who are too afraid of what people might think. Afraid to lose business and friends or family.

The unbelieving are those who refuse to put their faith in the Lord. They hear the call and refused.

Next we see a list of sinful actions, all of which God warns us about in the Word. But, all of which are sins that keep us from turning to God.

“abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters,”

All these can be saved if they turn to God and confess Jesus as Lord. But, these sins make it extra hard for a person to break free.

An abominable lifestyle is hard to stop.

A murderer has refused to forgive. And instead chose to kill. Remember Jesus said, “ For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”—Matt. 6:14-15

This is talking about actual murder and murder in the heart. What we would call 1st degree murder. It’s also talking about people who have absolutely no regard for the lives of others at all.

A whoremonger is a pimp. A person who is a sex trafficker and exploits other people to survive, and for profit. It’s difficult to get out of this life. Like the Abominable there is a demonic presence in this type of thing.

The Sorcerer and Idolater have basically turned to other Gods for help and salvation. They have not turned to Christ. They have never had a relationship with Him.

That brings us to “Liars”.

This terrifies us because we have all lied. We have all told lies in our lives. Whether we want to admit it or not. We try to justify it. We try to make it “White Lies”. We lie because of fear. We lie to save ourselves and others. We share things we have not seen or proven.

We lie.

But, God clarifies in His Word who is a liar.

“Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.”—1 John 2:22

So again, God tells us that the only people who are liars are those who have rejected Christ.

Why?

Because if you have accepted Christ, then your sin is washed away and you are hid in Him.

You do not sin because your sins are no longer held to your account. It’s not about what you do, it’s about your position in Christ.

“Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.”— 1 John 3:9

In chapter one, John tells us to confess our sins. (1 John 1:8-10)

In chapter three, he tells us that those in Christ do not sin. These two ideas do not work together, unless he is talking about something else.

Clearly he is saying “We do not sin in the eyes of God. Because we are saved.” He is not saying we do not commit sins. That wouldn’t go with the need to confess our sins to God.

We are saved. We confess our sins to wash our feet.

John wrote Revelation and First John. When he says “All Liars” in Revelation 21:7-8 he is speaking of those who have rejected Christ. The Holy Spirit ties these together.

The only reason anyone is condemned is because they reject Christ. They have never been cleansed of Sin.

That’s it.

Jesus said, “ Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.” —Matt. 10:32-33

Do you know Him? Have you confessed Him?

Turn to the Lord and let Him save you and grow you.

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Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois

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All Things Work Together

 All Things Work Together

 He is with us in all of it.

 

 

I got “saved” when I was young.

I had no idea what that actually meant. But, God did. And that’s all that matters. I turned to Him and He came running.

No one who gets saved, knows the Bible. They do not know anything. We cannot say “I won’t sin anymore”, because we do not even know what that is.

We just hear His call and turn to Him.

That’s it, and that’s all that’s needed. If we really heard and turned.

It’s all on Him. He takes care of it.

According to some people, when you get saved you instantly become this person who never sins. That was not my experience.

I turned into a violent drunk who destroyed everyone and everything.

But, God was with me. I know He was.

And as I sowed evil into my life and into the world, all of it worked together to break me.

Because God and His promises are not based upon my ability but on His.

I’m a failure. He is not.

When we read in Deuteronomy Chapter 28, we see the blessings that come when we obey God, and the curses that come when we don’t.

This is not about eternal salvation. That’s settled when you turn to Christ.

This is about reaping what we sow in this world. It’s is about being blessed or corrected. It is about being broken.

God designed His creation to respond to reaping and sowing and harvest. Whether physically or spiritually. (Galatians 6:7-9)

He created it this way when we were still in the Garden, before the Fall. So, we were not doing evil. We were not corrupted. We sowed and reaped goodness. But, when we fell, evil came and now we sow and reap evil.

 So as I lived my evil life. The harvest of my evil actions was growing, and God was merciful. He gave me grace and protected me. But, eventually that harvest came upon me.

I was cursed and destroyed in every way. I lost everything.

Just like it says in Deuteronomy Chapter 28. That is “Rock Bottom”. That is reaping what we sow.

Now, I had a choice. I could have gotten mad at God and rejected Him. I could have become bitter. And I would continued to face “Rock Bottom” and correction, in various ways.

Or I could let it break me, and turn to Him, and learn from Him and grow in Him.

I chose Him, because He chose me. (1 John 4:19)

People forget brokenness as a spiritual discipline. The act of utter destruction in order to be rebuilt by God.

So many churches are built on a false belief of perfect obedience, because they have never been broken. They have never experienced God destroying their life, in order to rebuild it. They grew up in church and never left. They have never been corrected, because they have never really known Him. They just obey the rules.

But, ALL things work together for our good, when He calls us, and we love Him. (Romans 8:28)

I can look back at my life and see His movements and know that He was with me in my destruction. His hand was on the temperature gauge of my burning. And it’s ok. I trust Him. I trust Him because He has brought me through.

This is my testimony. It is between Him and me. By our testimony we shall over come the enemy. Because we can see and say the great things God has done for us. (Rev. 12:11, Luke 8:39)

I no longer care about peoples religion or their dead beliefs. I know the Lord. I have a relationship with Him.

It came because of my failure and my brokenness. All things work together. His grace is sufficient for me.

When we sin we turn to Him, and confess to Him and He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we pretend like we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and Jesus is not in us. When we say we don’t sin, we make God out to be a liar. Because He came to die for our sins, not our failures. Not our mistakes. Not our misunderstandings. But, for our sin. (1 John 1)

All things in this life work together for our goodness when we are with Him. Good or bad. If we do good we get blessed. We reap goodness because we sow goodness.

And when we sow evil we reap correction into our lives. We reap destruction and brokenness into our lives. And it works to grow us. It changes us, if we turn to Him. The trouble and brokenness works as fertilizer for growth.

And as we confess our sin and turn to Him, and grow. As we are broken and corrected through our life. As we face tribulation, and sin and failure, and turn to Him over and over and over again.

We change. We grow. We bear fruit.

I have changed.

My mind has been renewed to what God created it to be before it was ruined by my corrupted nature and my own sinful deeds. (Romans 12:2)

Not by my works or efforts but by Him, breaking me and saving me.

That is how the Holy Spirit develops the Fruit in us. Patience comes by a life time of trusting and waiting upon the Lord, as He molds you and shapes you. Love comes by facing the unlovable. Peace comes by facing chaos. Joy comes by misery. Self-control comes through correction and brokenness. That is meekness. All of it comes by constantly turning to Him, confessing, praying, and letting Him work.

 That is the relationship.

I no longer struggle to obey God.

I just obey, or get corrected and both are fine. Because I trust Him.

He fixes it. He changes me.

I find myself, sinning less.

I’m not perfect in myself. In my flesh.

But, I am perfect in Him. He no longer sees my sin. According to Him, I am in Christ and do not sin at all. (1 John)

I am washed in the Blood. I am clean. I am white as snow. My sins are as far from me as the East is from the West. They are in the deepest sea, and I am hid in the cleft of the Rock of Christ. I am on the Ark. I might be a termite on the Ark. But, I’m there because of what Jesus did, not what I do.

When you hear Him call and turn to Him. His Holy Spirit comes into you and teaches you to love Him and know Him. And you realize that God is with you and will never leave you, nor forsake you. (Heb. 13:5)

And you will see that ALL things work together for your good.

Because of Him and His promises. Not you and your obedience or failure.

He does it because of who He is, not because of who you are, or what you do.

Turn to Him and trust Him.

 (Cover photo by pexels/Gary Barnes)

He Is With Me

 He Is With Me

Do You Know Him? 

 

“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”— Heb. 13:5-6

When you turn to the Lord, He saves you and is with you always. His Holy Spirit is in you.

“Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”— 1 John 4:4

We do not need to be concerned with living to gather riches, or desiring to what others have or to be as they are. That is our flesh talking. That is demons whispering.

We can be happy with the things the Lord has provided us, because He is with us and will take care of us. There is nothing anyone can do to us. God will find a way. He will make a way where none exists.

God’s way is perfect, and He has perfect timing. Trust Him.

It’s not about looking good for mankind, with the silly notions of what is valuable.

The streets of Paradise are paved with gold. The true wealth are those things of the spirit. The people you lead to the Lord. The love you show. The people you help. The Kingdom you build, and the time spent with the Lord, learning of His ways.

The rest is chaff, useless waste, burned up in the fire.

God is with us. we have a relationship with Him and have no need to fear. Just “ask, and it shall be given unto you. Seek, and ye shall find. Knock and it shall be opened unto you.”— Matt. 7:7-11

James said “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”

God is with us and will never forsake us. He will not help us destroy ourselves. But, we can trust that He hears and will help us with whatever we need.

I have seen God answer so many prayers. He has taken care of me. When I remember the great things He has done in the past it reminds me that He is with me and will take care of me again. It builds faith.

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”— Phil.4:6-7

We thank God in our prayers because our faith leads us to believe He is with us and hears us and is moving. We trust His Word.

He is with me. We have a relationship.

And I am with Him.

I died with Him, and was buried to self, and the flesh, and this world. To be raised into new life with Him. Born again. (Rom. 6:4, John 3)

And I walk with Him in the Spirit, which is the relationship.

To hear on that last day, “Well done thy good and faithful servant.”— Matt. 25

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

Cover photo by pexels/Pixabay

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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