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Thursday 21 November 2013

Gospel in the names: Adam to Noah‏




Adam is related to the Hebrew term Adama which means earth (ground, soil, dirt) specifically of red color since the Hebrew word for Red is Adom. Edom came from Esau which was called such since he was covered with hair and possibly red hair. So, Adam means taken from the red earth and possibly had a red tone to his skin. The meaning of the name Adam can also mean Red Man. The Hebrew word for blood is “dam” which is again red in color.

The name Eve is actually “Havah” which comes from the Hebrew word “Khay” which means living… and “Khay” means alive. So, to say “Jesus is Alive”, you would say “Yeshua khay”.

Their son Cain is more appropriately pronounced as “Khain” which means to get, acquire or to gain. Eve said (Gen 4:1) that she had “Khanad” a man through Yahweh. Cain’s little brother is “havel” and comes from the Hebrew word “haval” meaning to breathe out and means something vain or vanity or waste like a breathe which is expelled from your mouth and has very little weight. Perhaps they gave this name cause of what they were experiencing after their disconnect from the Creator… maybe they were realizing that after the fall, all they had was vanity, in vain… something in waste. Seth or Sheth in Hebrew which comes from the Hebrew word “Shethath” meaning to set, put, place or appoint. We read Gen 4:25. The entire sentence is seeming to be a conversation in Hebrew.

Next is Enosh in Hebrew “Anash” which means to be sick, ill or incurable.

Next is Kanan in Hebrew which is from the same root as Khain.

Next is Mahallel which means Praising El or Praising Elohim

Next is Jared or Yared which comes from the Hebrew word Yarad which actually means to go down or to descend. This has the same root as the name of the river Jordan which in Hebrew is called Yardin.

Next is Enoch in Hebrew “Khanoch” which comes from the Hebrew word “Khanach” which means to dedicate, consecrate, train or teach. The root is the same as the festival of “Khanukkah” which relates to the Macabees a couple of hundred years before Jesus Christ when they drove the Greeks out of Israel and they rededicated (“Khanack”) the altar.

Methuselah in Hebrew is “Methusalakh”. This is a contraction of 3 hebrew words which is Met meaning death or to die, then we have a one letter word “u” meaning “and” then the word “Shalakh” meaning to “Set”. In short it means “Death and Set”. Exactly one year after his death, the Noah’s flood was Set.

Next is Lamech in Hebrew “Lamach” meaning to hit or to strike.

Next is Noah in Hebrew “Noakh” meaning ‘Rest’ or ‘Comfort’. Why the name, we see in Gen 5:29.

Let’s string the names together and get the synonyms.
Adam – Man
Cain – Has acquired
Abel – Vanity, waste
Seth – Appointed
Enosh – Illness, stuck in mortality
But to His praise, God (Mehalleh), will descend to rededicate, to train man and to teach (Enoch) that through His death, he will send to the stricken and wounded (Lamech), comfort and rest (Noah).

Monday 18 November 2013

Why Christians need not be circumcised



To understand whether Christians require circumcision, we need to check out what exactly the Old Testament says. Moses was the greatest prophet who has been face to face with God, not receiving messages by visions and dreams but directly in front of God. He himself says at the time before his departure to the Israelite in the plain of Moab in the form of directives that how they will live their lives into the promised lands in which they are going to possess. He is explaining here the curses and blessings. And in Deuteronomy 30:6, “And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.” In Deuteronomy, he informs that after going through all the curses, because of disobedience, when they will come back to the Lord, then the Lord will circumcise their hearts. This indicates a framework of ethics, NOT OF RITUALS. This also indicates how the coming prophets will take the lead to give a clear message as to what is important and what God requires from them. 

Moses says in Deuteronomy 10:12, which is the essence of the law, tell us what the God requires: “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. “ Likewise Micah 6:8, "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” This is an ethical response. In the same way Jeremiah 4:4 says, "Circumcise yourself to the Lord and takeaway your foreskins of Your Hearts." Now both Moses and other prophets are bringing the message that the ETHICS are more important than RITUAL and this is pleasing to the Lord. 

Paul says in Romans, while he was preaching on this subject, “and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, in Romans 3:24”. It is true that Christ says, “I have not come to destroy the Law but to fulfil it.” Christ has corrected the interpretation of the Law and brought the right spirit for spiritual life. That’s why he gave His message and Agenda of His work in Luke 4:18 giving the right understanding of the Gospel which is related with spiritual life and physical life. 

Jesus has nowhere at all directed to have the circumcision of the flesh. He Himself says He is the Lord of Sabbath. So Paul, following Jesus brought the message in Galatians 3:2, where he says " Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith?" He further gives the example in Galatians 2:3 where he says, "But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek." If we read Deuteronomy 18:15-18, ““The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen— just as you desired of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’ And the LORD said to me, ‘They are right in what they have spoken. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.” 

So from these examples and the preaching of Moses, Jeremiah, Micah, Jesus and Paul, we understand that circumcision of the flesh has no value and is not profitable. The only thing that is profitable is the circumcision of the heart.  In alignment with Moses and Jesus, and also that Paul was given an incitement that he was an apostle, not a prophet. The knowledge and revelation he has received was from Jesus Christ. 

To conclude, John 5:45-47 says, “Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”” 
Many people ask about circumcision, specifically with those from Islamic background, that since Circumcision was mentioned in the book of Law, why Christians don’t follow the law which ends up with an argument where majority of them blame Paul for changing the law. Well, looking above, we see that there is no contradiction in the teachings of Jesus, and Paul was a true apostle of God. Also, Christians do not require a circumcision. I hope this article helps you. God Bless!

Monday 4 November 2013

Can women be senior pastors?



If a denomination wants to hold to a “traditionalists” view of Kinder, Küche und Kirche for women, they need to know that it is not ancient tradition, and is actually not anywhere near the early church model, nor even up until the industrial revolution; this all comes from a Victorian era idea of what an ideal family life should look like. This, unfortunately, is the outcome of Aldous Huxley’s preaching of Darwin’s model of evolution; in which he taught that women are not as evolved as men, and that they need to be protected from the rough and tumble business life; their constitutions are not up to life outside the home. 

So as to the teaching of the Bible, someone who has done their homework, studying the history, context, archaeological finds, and has done the research, can take all of this scripture and with “proper handling” (see 2 Tim as well) use it for “teaching, reproof, for correction and training in righteousness.” But because we are faulty, fallen human beings, we want it to support our own thesis, or agenda, or denominational stance; because “we’ve always done it that way” more often than not.

Now that I’ve laid that ground work (stick with me here) on 19th and 20th century traditionalism (and we could go back to the 13th century, but I don’t want to write a whole book here!) let’s talk a bit about the late Roman empire of Paul’s day.

Christianity (or earlier just called “The Way”) was actually a splinter faction of an approved religion in the Roman Empire. Jews were protected from things that Roman citizens had to do i.e. sacrifice to the emperor, or serve in the army. This bunch of followers of “The Christ” were ignored by official Rome (see Acts 18:12ff) as beneath the dignity of the court as Gallio said (in 51 AD) “since it involves questions about words and names in your own law—settle the matter yourselves. I will not be a judge of such things.” So Rome at the beginning had no care for this Jewish question. They were only concerned with the Pax Romana.

Within the late Roman Empire, there were strict protocols in a “shame-honor” culture, and weighing heavily on that were a man’s social standing and the behavior of his wife. He could lose his benefactors if his wife “misbehaved” and brought shame to him. When you consider some of the senatorial “rants” against uppity women, who dared to walk around without a head-scarf (a senator divorced his wife for this infraction), and very few women had any protection for being accused of adultery, or if they did not produce an heir, their husband could get another wife, and let’s not even talk about the institutionalized slavery; women had a rough road.

Now, here’s this “new” religion, which says, in Paul’s earliest recorded letter “there is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28, written in 57 AD), well these new converts were astounded by those words, and like kids at recess with no teacher, went predictably nuts. If you read both 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, and the long lecture Paul gave to Timothy in Ephesus (1 Tim) slaves and women needed to be settled down, owners of slaves needed to see their recently converted persons as brothers and sisters and not property, because this religion was so different than anything anyone had heard of before.

Now the teaching in Ephesians about wives submitting to their husbands, is one of those instances of “cherry picking.” That verse needs to be put into its context, you cannot pull it out by itself, although that has been done since the “church fathers” from around 200 AD on.

That teaching actually starts in 4:18 with the teaching against a Dionysian debauchery (drunken celebrations to contact spirits) but to be filled with the Spirit of God. But even further we are to be submitted to each other, (5:21) [as] a wife to her husband. (5:22) There is no second Greek verb there. You are looking at a traditional break. The whole teaching is an analogy to teach how submitted we are to be to Christ: as dependent as a young bride (12 to 14 yrs old) to her 30 + year old husband would be in that day. We need to consider Jesus as our source and supply with the same type of dependence. Then Paul goes further to the larger picture of the whole church…and yes, the next line (v 24 b) states there “…so wives should submit to their husbands in everything” because women had no rights, voice or legal protection. But the next line is the most earth-shaking: “Husbands love (!) Your wives…” A Roman citizen, and new Christian has to LOVE his wife? Husbands didn’t love their wives, that was completely and utterly counter cultural as to be seen as crazy.

Next: the most hotly debated set of verses used to shut-up and shut down more women from ministry since after Paul’s death: “A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority (authentine) over a man…”
First, background of the set of house churches in Ephesus: Ephesus was the home of one of the “wonders of the world”, the Temple of Artemis. These young house churches converted many of the priestesses of Artemis. These women had been taught that only women lead, and men submit. So these women were trying to teach what they thought Christianity was, before they had even been fully trained. The Greek word used here (and the only time in the New Testament) is Authentine, which at that time meant to usurp authority, or even to be the mastermind of a crime; it was a marker word for something really wrong. If Paul had meant any teaching authority, he would have used the general word exousa which is also “authority” but what we would take to be normal leadership. These women as well, would still pray to Artemis for safe childbirth, rather than look to God for their help. If you read the whole book of 1Timothy, you will see, rather than some “fatherly advice” (the Pastoral letters…hmm) it is a supervisor explaining on no-uncertain-terms that Timothy has an out-of-control situation on his hands and to straighten out this mess. 

Now, if these churches were up-ending the cultural norms, by the behavior of their members, this would draw attention to them: which it eventually did under Nero, and after Nero had his moderate advisors killed was when the first persecution of Christians began, and when both Paul and Peter were executed (67-68AD.) After that Christianity was outlawed in the Roman Empire, but it wasn’t until later under other emperors that feeding the Christians to the lions came in vogue.


Article By: Alice E. Guinther. To Know more about Alice, click here.
Image Source: Newlife


Tuesday 21 May 2013

Why do we worship on Sunday instead of Saturday?

In the Old Testament, God stated,
"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you," (Exodus 20:8-10, NASB).
It was the custom of the Jews to come together on the Sabbath, which is Saturday, cease work, and worship God. Jesus went to the synagogue on Saturday to teach (Matt. 12:9, John 18:20) as did the apostle Paul (Acts 17:2; 18:4; ). So, if in the Old Testament we are commanded to keep the Sabbath and in the New Testament we see Jews, Jesus, and the apostles doing the same thing, then why do we worship on Sunday?
First of all, of the 10 commandments listed in Exodus 20:1-17, only 9 of them were reinstituted in the New Testament: (six in Matt. 19:18, murder, adultery, stealing, false witness, honor parents, and worshiping God; Rom. 13:9, coveting. Worshiping God properly covers the first three commandments) The one that was not reaffirmed was the one about the Sabbath. Instead, Jesus said that He is the Lord of the Sabbath (Matt. 12:8).
Upon the completion of Creation God rested... on the seventh day. But, since God is all powerful, He doesn’t get tired. He doesn’t need to take a break and rest. So, why did does it say that He rested? The reason is simple: Mark 2:27 says, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath." In other words, God established the Sabbath as a rest for His people, not because He needed a break, but because we are mortal and need a time of rest, a time to focus on God. In this, our spirits and bodies are both renewed.
The Old Testament system of Law required keeping the Sabbath as part of the overall moral, legal, and sacrificial system by which the Jewish people satisfied God’s requirements for behavior, government, and forgiveness of sins. The Sabbath was part of the Law in that sense. In order to "remain" in favor with God, you had to also keep the Sabbath. If it was not kept, then the person was in sin and would often be punished (Ezekiel 18:4; Rom. 6:23; Deut. 13:1-9; Num. 35:31; Lev. 20:2, etc.).
But with Jesus’ atonement, we are no longer required to keep the Law. We are not under Law, but grace (Rom. 6:14-15). The Sabbath is fulfilled in Jesus. He is our rest. We are not under obligation, by Law, to keep it and this goes for the Sabbath as well. It is not a requirement that we keep the Sabbath. If it were, then we would still be under the Law. But, we are not.

Evidence of the Change of Days can be Seen in the NT

The New Testament has ample evidence that the seventh day Sabbath is no longer a requirement.
  • Rom. 14:5-6, "One man regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Let each man be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God."
The entire section of Rom. 14:1-12 is worth careful study. Nevertheless, the instructions here are that individuals must be convinced in their own minds about which day they observe for the Lord. If the seventh day Sabbath were a requirement, then the choice would not be man's, but God’s.
  • Col. 2:16-17, "Therefore let no one act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day— 17 things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ."
Notice here that time sequence mentioned. A festival is yearly. A new moon is monthly. A Sabbath is weekly. No one is to judge in regard to this. The Sabbath is defined as a shadow, the reality is Jesus. Jesus is our Sabbath.
  • Acts 20:7, "And on the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to depart the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight."
The first day of the week is Sunday and this is the day the people gathered. This passage can easily be seen as the church meeting on Sunday. It has two important church functions within it: breaking bread (communion) and a message (preaching). Additionally, Luke did not use the Jewish system of counting days: sundown to sundown. He used the Roman system: midnight to midnight. This is a subtle point that shows the Jewish Sabbath system was not the one utilized by Luke.
  • 1 Cor. 16:1-2, "Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also. 2 On the first day of every week let each one of you put aside and save, as he may prosper, that no collections be made when I come."
Notice here that Paul is directing the churches to meet on the first day of each week and put money aside. It would seem that this is tithing. So, the instructed time for the church to meet is Sunday. Is this an official worship day set up by the church? You decide.
  • Rev. 1:10-11, "I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, 11saying, "Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea."
The New Bible Dictionary says regarding the term, ‘The Lord’s Day’ in Revelation 1:10: "This is the first extant occurrence in Christian literature of τῇ κυριακῇ ἡμέρᾳ, "ta kuriaka hamera". The adjectival construction suggests that it was a formal designation of the church’s worship day. As such it certainly appears early in the 2nd century (Ignatius, Epistle to the Magnesians, 1. 67).
In many churches today, the term "The Lord’s Day" is used to designate Sunday, the same as it was in the second century.
I hope this is evidence enough to show you that the Bible does not require that we worship on Saturday. If anything, we have the freedom (Rom. 14:1-12) to worship on the day that we believe we should. And, no one should judge us in regard to the day we keep. We are free in Christ, not under law (Rom. 6:14).

Source: CARM
Article by: Matt Slick

Sunday 21 April 2013

RESPONSE: Scriptures that does not support OSAS


"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." 1 John 1:7.

Many a times, I ask my friends who object on the statement “OSAS”, that do they keep commandments to be saved, on which most of them respond by saying they strive, infact they try. Does this mean they are not saved?
Believers are born again when they believe:
1-    John 3:3, Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
2-    Titus 3:5, “he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.”
For a Christian to lose his salvation, he would have to be un-born again. The Bible gives no evidence that the new birth can be taken away.

Now for the same case, if we take the story of Rahab, she lied to save the spies, yet she was saved, isn’t this a contradiction that though she broke the commandment, and yet was saved? When Bible commands, not to lie, we should not lie, though she was saved because of her faith. Also, saying once saved can lose salvation doesn’t means one has to keep on doing works to be saved. Doesn’t it makes a salvation a work based salvation?




“Romans 11:19-22
19 Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.”


Let me give you a very good example. I have a 2 year old nephew. Sometimes he loves to play in the kitchen. In order to get his willing cooperation, I may tell him to stay away from a knife, when all the time I have no intention of ever letting him go into a position where he would be injured. Romans 11:20-21 is a warning passage, not a threatening passage. If you read Jeremiah 32:40, Psalms 34:7, Romans 14:4, and 2 Corinthians 4:8- 9, and 14, then it helps to clear up the confusion. In the light of these verses, if we see Romans 11:22, standing firm is not a requirement in the sense that nobody will be finally saved on the last day unless I stand firm. Of course, that doesn't compromise grace, for it is God's grace that enables us to stand firm, that keeps us from falling. So God enables us to meet His own requirement, as He always does with His elect.



“"If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father." 1 John 2:24.”

We need to read this in context starting from verse 18 till 24. One of the important verse in here is verse 19, “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us."
There's no doubt that, when God saves a person, God keeps that person. And by the way, from verses 18-24, John writes about the antichrist and those who deny the Son. A quick question to you, do Calvinist deny the son?



“"If any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him." Hebrews 10:38.”

Hebrews 10:38-39 is speaking to saved Jews. Verse "But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul." (Hebrews 10:39) Those that "turned back into perdition were the Jew who professed Jesus Christ as Savior, but who were never saved. The Book of Hebrews was written to "Hebrews" as its title states. Many who had professed faith in Jesus Christ were looking for the Messiah to come and liberate them from the Romans and the persecution they were enduring. They had a false concept of who Jesus is and what He came to do. He did not come a political leader, but as the Savior who died for the sins of the world. He came to redeem men from sin. Yes, in time He will fulfill the promises God has made to Israel, but only those who will be a part of that Kingdom (Millennial Kingdom) are those who are spiritually reborn in Jesus Christ. Saved people do not draw back into perdition. Hebrews 12:6-11 explains that the true child of God who turns from the truth and goes into sin will be chastened by the Lord. God says He chasten "every" child of His who goes into sin and refuses to repent. Never, does God say He will withdraw their salvation. In 1 Corinthians 11:29-30 explains that God chasten with sickness and death those who do not "discern" the body of Christ. That means those who live sinful lives not mindful that Jesus had to suffer for our every sin. 1 John 5:16-18 explains there is a sin unto death. God will take the life of a believer who refuses to repent and turn from their sin. 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 explains that a believer is saved, but if he does not live a godly life can lose any reward. He gets into heaven "as by fire" meaning by the skin of his teeth in a modern expression. This passage does not teach a saved person can be lost.




“"If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch." John 15:6”


If there is no vital union with Christ there is no spiritual life.  The term translated “dries up” is the exact same term found in the parable of the soils in Mark 4:5-6:
(Mark 4:5-6)  “Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil. And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.”
In the parable in Mark this term is used by the Lord of the growth found in the “rocky soil.”  Jesus’ own interpretation of His words is, “and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away.”  Hence, the Lord indicates two things about these people: they have no “root” and they do not “abide in the vine.”  These, therefore, have not been “pruned” by the Father, they bear no fruit, and are hence those described by John in 1 John 2:19:
(1 John 2:19)  They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.
The doom of the false professors, while not in any way supporting the idea that salvation is contingent upon what we do rather than upon what Christ has done, is not by this consideration lessened in the slightest.  It is vital that we examine ourselves and not ever engage in haughty pride, but in humility of mind serve the Lord Christ.




“"If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death." John 8:51.”


If "perseverance of the saints" is wrong, then why can't you see that you cannot lose your salvation? There is no such thing as "probation." Jesus, who is our Messiah, WON our freedom from spiritual death and sin. Once you cross over from spiritual death to spiritual life, you are SAVED. Saved from death, and to eternal life. Period. I wish so much people would stop reading anything except for the bible.




“Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.2 Peter 1:10”
Here Peter isn't using the term "make" as a synonym for "cause". Instead, he is using the term "make" as a synonym for "identify." To make our calling "sure" in this case is to provide evidence for it, to show by one's behavior that the calling is real.
Jesus uses the same word in Matthew 12:33 in which he appeals to his hearers that they use good judgment when evaluating his miracles. The scribes and Pharisees accused Jesus of doing his miracles by Beelzebub. Jesus is asking, "does that make sense in light of what we know about the devil? Where is it said that the devil goes around healing people and giving glory to God?"
"Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit.
To "make" the tree good is to evaluate each tree according to the fruit you find and declare (or "make") the good trees to be good and the bad trees to be bad. That is, make an evaluation of a tree based on the fruit it produces. We know a tree to be bad if it produces bad fruit. And we know a tree to be a good tree if the tree produces good fruit. So, in this case, Jesus is using the term "make" to mean "make an evaluation of the tree and draw a conclusion about the tree based on your findings." So, I would add to your dictionary
In 2Peter 1:10, Peter is asking his readers to examine their calling based on the criteria he listed to see if, in fact, they have been called.
I don't think 2Peter 1:10 supports the corporate view of election. With regard to the corporation, it would be understood that the group would have such qualities as Peter describes. But Peter wants his readers individually to evaluate whether or not God has called them personally, checking themselves against the list of criteria.




“"For we are made partakers of Christ, If we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end." Hebrews 3:14.”

If we read Hebrews 3:5-6 along with the verses 14, "And Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant for a testimony for those things which would be spoken afterward, but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end."
The word most of the non-calvinists point to in these verses is "if." They interpret the verses as teaching that people become members of the House of Christ and partakers of Him and then only remain in this state IF they "hold fast".
But is this a correct interpretation of these verses? Is the writer teaching what a person must do to remain in the House and in Christ; or is he declaring what the mark of a genuine believer is? Reread the verses slowly and carefully.
Following the latter interpretation, if the recipients return to Judaism as they are considering, it will demonstrate they were never really in the House and in Christ to begin with. So a mark of one who has been genuinely saved is perseverance to the end. 1John 2:19 says, "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us."




“"If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: If we deny him, he also will deny us." 2 Timothy 2:12.”

If we endure, we will also reign with him. If we deny him, he will also deny us. If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, since he cannot deny himself
Notice that Paul says that we deny Christ, Christ will also deny us. Does it mean that we can loose our salvation?
Second verse seems to imply that God cannot be unfaithful to us if we are unfaithful. Also, Peter denied Christ, yet, Jesus did not deny him.




“"For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins." Hebrews 10:26”


Jesus has told us in John 10:27-28 that all to whom He has given eternal life will never perish.  Also, 1 John 2:19 says that those who leave the faith were never believers to begin with.  So again, Hebrews 10:26 is most probably discussing the issue of the Hebrews who knew full well who Christ was, as well as His work and sacrifice, and yet continued to walk in their sinful and rebellious ways by rejecting the sacrifice that God had provided.
So, can a Christian commit such willful sin that he no longer has a sacrifice for sins?  The answer is no.




“"If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." 1 John 2:15.”

As I mentioned earlier, you need to read this in context. I though have already answered you this, still. The context is as follows.
In 1:1-4, John speaks about the manifestation of Christ in the world.
In 1:5-10 he speaks about God being light and the forgiveness of our sins.
In 2:1-6 John says he writes so that we will not sin, that Christ is the propitiation for our sins, and that we are to keep his commandments so as to demonstrate that we are walking in him.
2:7-11 is where John writes about a new commandment about loving your brother and walking in the light rather than darkness.
In 2:12-14 tells us that our sins are forgiven, that we have overcome the evil one.
In 2:15-17 John tells us not to love the world and that the world is passing away with its lusts.
In 2:18-24 he writes about the Antichrist and those who deny the Son.
In 2:25 he speaks of the promise of eternal life, of loving one another, etc.

So, 2:18 is the immediate context of John telling us that many antichrists have arisen and then in v. 19 he says that they were not from us.  Now, some people say that this verse does not prove eternal security because the people who left were antichrists and that they naturally would not have stayed.  But, John is not telling us that if the antichrist's had been of them they would have stayed with him. That would make no sense.  The reason the antichrists left was to show that they were not of us; that is, of God.  But John declares that if these people had been "of us, they would have remained."  Antichrists aren't going to remain; only the true believers will.

This declares clearly that those who really are of God will remain in those who are not will leave.  It does not say that Christians become antichrists or that Christians lose their salvation.  It differentiates between those who are true and false and states that the false will leave and the true will stay.




“"Ye are my friends, If ye do whatsoever I command you." John 15:14”

We are not expected to walk perfectly. Our savior knows that is impossible. What he does expect is that we will make “every effort” – see 2 Peter 1:5 – to grow in Christ and obey him first of all no matter what the cost. It is important to stay within the circle of God’s grace and do the things that identify us as His children.




“"John 15:6 - If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast [them] into the fire, and they are burned.If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die." Romans 8:13.”
I believe we have already answered John 15:6 above. In regards to Romans 8:13, which says, “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” The answer is found in the very next verse, which says, "Those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." So, those who are living according to the sinful nature are not sons of God at all, but unbelievers. The verse does not refer to believers. Elsewhere, Paul makes it clear that there are "so-called brothers" who are really unbelievers, practicing evil within the church body. Paul says to kick them out of the congregation.




“Exodus 32:33 And the Lord said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of the book of life”

You can’t relate Exodus 32:30-33 to OSAS because the promise of Eternal Security was given only to the Church.  No group before or after the church has been or will be promised such a blessing.   Also, the Book of Life spoken of in Exodus contains the name of everyone ever born (Psalm 139:16).  Your name is also written in the Lamb’s Book of Life which contains only the names of those in the Church (Rev. 21:27).
As part of the Church, all the sins of your life were forgiven at the cross (Colossians 2:13-14) and your salvation was guaranteed from the moment you believed (Ephesians 1:13-14).  In fact God Himself will make you stand firm in Christ.  He set His seal of ownership on you, and put His spirit in your heart to make sure of it (2 Cor. 1:21-22).   Your name can never be blotted out of the Book of Life (Rev. 3:5).




“James 5: 19 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;”

Since the Bible is clear in saying that as soon as we believe our inheritance is guaranteed (Ephes. 1:13-14) then the person James was referring to could not have been really saved. He might have been part of the fellowship but had wandered off before becoming born again.  There are many around us who attend church regularly and appear to be part of us but are not really born again.  Bringing such people back to complete their salvation saves them from death and covers all their sins.
Remember, Jesus said that whoever believes in Him will not perish but will have everlasting life (John 3:16). He also said even if a believer experiences physical death, he or she will live (John 11:25) referring to eternal life.  James could not have said anything to contradict this.




“Galatians 5:19-23 "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."”
Galatians 5:16-26 concerns the ongoing conflict between the indwelling Holy Spirit and our sin nature, and needs to be viewed as a whole.
Following the overview in verses 16-18, verses 19-21 contain a partial list of behavior Paul called acts of the sinful nature. The key to this portion is the phrase “those who live like this” in verse 21. In effect, it means that while everyone manifests one or more of these characteristics on occasion, people whose lives are characterized by this kind of behavior are giving evidence that they’re not saved and therefore won’t inherit the Kingdom.
Then in verses 22-23 he offered a partial list of behavior he called the fruit of the spirit. Again, everyone manifests this kind of behavior occasionally, but those whose lives are characterized by it are giving evidence that their behavior is being governed by the Holy Spirit who comes to dwell within us at the moment of salvation.
Here’s the point of the passage. The New Testament makes it very clear that we’re saved because of what we believe, not because of how we behave. (John 3:16) The indwelling Holy Spirit is a result of our belief and manifesting His fruit is evidence of that result.
But evidence is not the same as proof, and we’re admonished to not make judgments about others (1 Cor. 4:5). In his summary, verses 25-26, Paul said that we should observe our own behavior to determine how faithfully we’re following the Holy Spirit’s counsel, not compare ourselves to, or be critical of, others.




“1 Corinthians 9: 27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”

Paul also wrote that when we first believed, we received the seal of the Holy Spirit as a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance (Ephes. 1:13-14), and that God has taken ownership of us and it’s He who makes us stand, (2 Cor. 1:21-22).
The Greek word translated castaway means not standing the test, or being disqualified. The only test for salvation is belief (John 3:16, John 6:28-29. John 6:40) and the only way to be disqualified is to refuse to believe (John 3:18, 2 Thes. 2:9-10).
In the context of 1 Cor. 9:25-27 Paul compared a believer’s life to an athlete’s attempts to achieve victory in a race.  Both involve bringing one’s body into subjection.  This is not a precondition for salvation, but a way to achieve victory over the flesh after we’ve been saved. Therefore this verse is not about salvation, but about living a victorious Christian life.
In 1 Cor. 3:15 Paul wrote that even if all our human works are burned up in the fire we’ll still be saved. In other words, even if all our attempts to put our body under subjection result in defeat rather than victory our salvation will not be affected.




“Philippians 3 : 11  If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.”
 

(Please refer to Phil 3:12 below)




“1 John 3:6-10 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 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. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.”
This is an “n o n   s e q u i t o r” cross-verse. Anyways, let’s apply some simple logic here. Consider these two points.
1. If the believer’s security is not eternal, how can God guarantee our inheritance from the moment we first believed in places like Ephesians 1:13-14, and claim that it’s He who makes us stand firm in 2 Cor. 1:21 and then repeat the promise of Ephesians 1 in the very next verse? And how can he claim that once He has his hands on us then no one can snatch us away from Him? (John 10:27-29)
2. Almost everyone agrees that John wrote his letters to believers, in other words people who are already saved. How can John tell believers in 1 John 1:8-10 that if we claim we haven’t sinned then we’re liars and make Jesus out to be a liar too, then promise us that if we’ll just confess our sins, God is faithful and will purify us from all unrighteousness, and then 2 chapters later say that no one born of God continues to sin?
And how can John teach that believers will no longer sin, when Paul spent most of a chapter lamenting the fact that no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t stop sinning, in fact the harder he tried, the worse he became? (Romans 7:7-25) and then tell us that because of Jesus, man is no longer condemned for his sins, that we’ve been set free from the law of sin and death, and nothing can separate us from God’s love? (Romans 8:1, 38-39) Was John implying that Paul wasn’t saved?
And where is the man or woman from any period in history who having become a believer never sinned again? Have we all been forced to forfeit our salvation? Because we’re all sinners. Everyone of us.
Simple logic tells us that John had to be talking about a particular sin, not sin in general. And that’s exactly the case. His letters were written as a warning against Gnosticism, one of the most dangerous heresies in the early church. It held that salvation didn’t come from faith but from the acquisition of secret knowledge. It also argued that if Jesus was God, he couldn’t have been a man, and if He was a man then He couldn’t have been God. 1 John 1:1, 2:22, & 4:2-3 address this issue specifically. Colossians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, and 2 Peter also speak against this early heresy. And it’s still here. Freemasonry, the New Age and Scientology are all re-packaged forms of 1st Century Gnosticism.
You have rightly called the denial of Eternal Security a form of bondage. What it takes for us to break this bondage is to use our powers of reason and logic to see the contradiction it presents. We have to ask ourselves if we really believe that God endured the most horrible death ever devised only to present us with a new set of even more impossible conditions for attaining eternal life. The Old Testament condemned men for their deeds, but the New Testament condemns us for our thoughts.
The proponents of conditional security have either had to surrender their own salvation or somehow exempt themselves from its conditions. Because if 1 John 3:9 has general application here’s what’s required to obey it . No anger, ever. No lust, ever. No envy, ever. No idolatry, ever. No favoritism or discrimination, ever. No impure thoughts or deeds of any kind, ever. (Matt.5, James 2) As John said, the man who claims he’s never done any of these things is a liar. But it gets worse. Slip up once and you’re out forever. (James 2:10) Is this the Good News, the incomparable riches of His Grace? I can’t believe so.




“1st John 3:15 says that "if you hate your 'brother' you're a murderer   and no murderer hath eternal life"”

This is again out of context. In 1 John 3:15, John is writing to the church about abiding in the love of Christ.  In fact, in 1 John, the word "abide" occurs 16 times in the NASB and the apostle continually refers to abiding in Christ (1 John 2:4,24,28; 3:6,24, etc.). Therefore, we see that a true Christian will love the Lord Jesus supremely and in so doing he will not abide in hatred towards his brother. Or will he?




“Phil 3:12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already   perfect: but I follow after”
This is again the next verse to what you have asked earlier. Well, how could Paul tell the Philippians they have to work to maintain their salvation when he had already told the Ephesians (Ephes 1:13-14) and the Corinthians (2 Cor. 1:21-22) that their salvation was guaranteed from the moment they believed.  Earlier in the Philippian letter he said that God is faithful to carry to completion the good work he began in us (Phil. 1:6). We didn’t begin the work, He did.  We don’t carry it to completion, He does. What Paul was saying there is right now salvation is a promise God has given us.  We can trust Him because He’s faithful to turn the promise into reality.
Phil 2:12 is part of a passage where the context is imitating the Lord’s humility. In Phil 2:5-11 He said Jesus was God in the flesh, but made himself as humble as a servant, even forfeiting His own life because His Father asked Him to.  In that context Phil 2:12 is saying that if He who had everything could do that, how much more should we who have nothing come to Him in deep humility, with fear and trembling, because we know we don’t deserve what we’re asking for.  Phil. 2:13 tells us even the act of asking for salvation is due to God working in us to act according to His purpose.  We can’t take credit for anything.  In that context, how could Paul have possibly been saying that we have to work to finish the job God only began? If that was the case we’d be able to take credit for our own salvation.




“Matthew 10:22 All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.”

Matthew 10 contains a set of instructions the Lord gave to His disciples before sending them out on their first missionary journey. But as sometimes happens, He included some tips that obviously are meant for the time after His crucifixion and others that are for the end of the age, after the rapture.
We know this because the Book of Acts confirms the circumstances of Matt. 10:17-20 as being post resurrection, and the phrase “he who stands firm until the end will be saved” from Matt. 10:21-23 appears again in Matt. 24:9-14 where the context is clearly the end of the age after the Church is gone.
More importantly the admonition to stand firm until the end in order to be saved violates several clear promises made to the Church.  Both Jesus and Paul said for the church, salvation is guaranteed from the moment of belief.  John 10:27-30, Ephes. 1:13-14, 2 Cor. 1:21-22 and others attest to this.  Promises like these gave rise to the hymn “Blessed Assurance.”




“1 Corinthians 15:2
By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.”


Paul explained his point in 1 Cor. 15:3-4 by reminding them of the word he preached to them.
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,  that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.
This is the gospel to which we must hold firm.  We must believe that Jesus died for all our sins and rose again on the 3rd day.  The reason this is so important is that Jesus took all our sins upon Himself (According to 2 Cor. 5:21 He was made sin for us) and then rose again to be seated at the right hand of God. Nothing sinful can exist in the presence of God, so if any of our sins still remained on Jesus, He couldn’t be seated at God’s right hand.  His resurrection is our proof that every one of our sins was paid for at the cross.  If we don’t believe that we’ve believed in vain, because there is no other remedy for our sins.  Either we believe they were all paid for at the cross or else we’re not saved.




“Galatians 6:8-9
The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”


The Bible, being the word of God, cannot contradict itself, so when it appears to be doing so we know it must be either a translation problem or an interpretation problem.  With so many very clear passages confirming OSAS, many of them written by Paul, we have to interpret questionable ones like the ones you’ve cited in light of them.
For example, in Ephesians 1:13-14 Paul said our salvation was granted at the moment we first believed and at that time we were marked with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance.   Then in Ephesians 2:8-9 he said we are saved by grace through faith, and not by works.  It doesn’t make sense that this same writer would tell the Galatians that their salvation would ultimately depend on continuing to do good and could be taken away.
We can determine the context of a given passage by reading several verses either side of it.  All of  Galatians 5 consists of an admonition not to fall back under the law and Gal 6:11-16 are a final warning against it.  Claiming to be saved by grace and then going back under the law is what Paul meant by mocking God in Gal. 6:7.  In verse 8 he said doing so is an effort to satisfy their sinful nature and will bring them to ruin.
Since a person who is saved cannot fall back under the law, the implication is that those who do so aren’t really saved.   This interpretation is consistent with Paul’s other statements on the subject.  So the phrase “doing good” in verse 9 has to apply to living by faith not by works. Finally in Gal. 6:12 Paul warned the Galatians that those who want to make a good impression outwardly were trying to compel them to be circumcised. Obeying the Law can make a person appear “good” to others but only God can determine the motives of his heart.   This confirms that the issue bracketing Gal. 6:7-9 is grace vs. law.
The word, “if”, appears 292 times in the New Testament, Galatians 6:9 is not one of them.  The translators implied it to make the sentence read better in English.  I’m not enough of a Greek scholar to know whether the use of “if” is appropriate or not, but I do know that it’s often used when something is generally assumed to be the case.  Some scholars have used the word “since” in it’s place.




“1 Timothy 1:18-19
Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith.”


Well, there is nothing in this particular verse. A ship that is wrecked does not reach its intended destination. But this also presumes that you were in fact IN THE SHIP.




“1 Timothy 6:20-21
Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith. Grace be with you.”


Again, 1 John 2:19 says that those who leave the faith were never believers to begin with. (1 John 2:19)  “They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.”



“Hebrews 6:4-6
It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.”


There are two facets to our relationship with God. There is union, which happens at the moment of salvation and guarantees our eternity with Him (Ephes. 1:13-14) and there is fellowship, the ability to dwell in His presence and communicate with Him in the here and now. Union is based on our belief and fellowship is based on our behavior.
The context of Hebrews 6 is interrupting our fellowship with God, not breaking our union. The key is the phrase “renew again to repentance.” Jewish believers were being pressured into keeping the law, especially where it concerned the daily sacrifice for sin. Those who relied on the daily sacrifice instead of invoking 1 John 1:9 (confessing directly to God) were in effect crucifying the Lord all over again, since He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The daily sacrifice was a foreshadowing of Him, and when He came the shadow gave way to the reality. The old way was no longer sufficient to restore them to fellowship.
Since 1 John 1:9 says that confession brings forgiveness and purification from all unrighteousness (renewal again to repentance), then by implication anything other than confessing our sins prevents forgiveness and purification and causes estrangement from God. It doesn’t revoke our salvation, but because God can’t be in the presence of sin, it does suspend our relationship, depriving us of blessings we could have otherwise had.
There are many clear verses that unequivocally promise eternal security. Since the Bible cannot contradict itself and still be the Word of God, interpreting Hebrews 6 as having anything to do with salvation is a violation of the rules of interpretation, which teaches that we’re to use clear verses to interpret obscure ones, not the other way around.
There are references in the Old Testament of having one’s name blotted out of the Book of Life (Exod. 32:33). This was a record God kept of the behavior of His people, the Jews. Every year they had 10 days, the time between Rosh Hashanna and Yom Kippur, to right all the wrongs committed during the previous year. On Yom Kippur the books were closed. If they had not made a legitimate attempt to right their wrongs, their name could be blotted out of the Book of Life and they would soon die.
The Lamb’s book of Life is a different book. Our names were written there before God created Earth (Rev. 13:8).  John 6:39-40 and Rev 3:5 teach us that once our names are written there, they can never be blotted out.



“2 Peter 2:20-21
If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred commandment that was passed on to them.”


Sir, the context of 2 Peter 2 is false teachers and their destruction. From other clear passages explaining the certainty of our salvation and the Lord’s commitment not to lose even one of us, we can conclude that those Peter refers to are not and never were saved. Knowing the Lord and knowing the way of righteousness  does not mean that a person has believed in his or her heart. The Greek words used there are all forms of gnosis, which means to know. The Greek word for believe is not related to the word for knowledge, and it doesn’t appear anywhere in the passage.
Those Peter is describing have learned enough to be teachers, but haven’t believed what they’ve learned and are actually leading their students astray. Peter said it would be better for them if they had remained ignorant. As Jesus said to the Pharisees, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin, but now that you claim to see your sin remains.” (John 9:41)
Speaking about false teachers John said, “They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us” (1 John 2:19).




“2 Peter 3:17
Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position.”


The Bible being the word of God cannot contradict itself.  God doesn’t say something in one place and then something different in another. Therefore you can’t take one verse whose meaning is not clear to you and use it to negate all the others whose meanings are. There are a dozen or so clear verses on Eternal Security.  Two of the clearest are Ephesians 1:13-14 and 2 Cor. 1:21-22.  I suggest you study them until you understand them fully and can repeat them from memory. Then when someone throws you a curve ball you can compare what they give you with what you know to be true.
Peter was speaking of false teachers who cause people to doubt their faith. They would sew confusion among the people by claiming to know things the people hadn’t heard before.  A couple of verses earlier Peter had said that he and Paul were in agreement on the matter of salvation and these teachers were distorting what they both taught.  In verse 17 Peter said in effect, “you already know the truth so don’t let the errors in this false teaching cause you to doubt your security in the Lord.”  In verse 18 he gave us the same advice I just gave you.  “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”  Knowledge is the best defense against error.




“1 John 2:3-4
And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,”


Please understand that eternal security is not a license to sin.  The Christian is regenerated.  He is changed from within, being made a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17).  Those who were indwelt by the Holy Spirit will war with their sin and not seek to abide in it.  Those who declare that they are eternally secure and then go out and sin on purpose in any manner they so choose are probably not saved to begin with since this is contradictory to what Scripture teaches.




“"Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy FIRST LOVE. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent." Revelation 2:4, 5, emphasis added.
For the Christian to leave his first love, is to backslide, to fall away, to leave the Lord and His service, and to go over to the service of sin, Satan and the world. The Lord calls upon all such to repent and do their first works (the fruits of love), or else - else what? "I will take thy candlestick out of his place." This is an ultimatum from the Lord. If the sinner responds, repents, returns to his first love, and does his first works, all is well and good - he will be saved. But it is his to choose. If he does not do this, his light is removed, goes out, and the backslider is l”


Rev 2 is addressed specifically to a literal church at Ephesus, whose lack of obedience may be a part of any literal church today.
Their problem was that they left their first love. That is, that they lost the passion and motivation to serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The ability to give light to a lost world will disappear if they do not repent and begin to act as if they have received the greatest gift in the world, which they have.
I say to you repent of your grotesque commitment to the unbiblical doctrine of works salvation. Notice what the Apostle Paul wrote to that same Ephesian church in Ephesians 2.8,9 "By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God so that no one can boast. You were created in Christ Jesus to do good works." Good works never saved a soul, but good works is what the new birth gives us the ability to do.




“1 John 3:2-15
Now lets look at the following verses from 1 John 3:2-15. These verses really go into depth regarding the born again person. Please look at the whole chapter from your Bible and read it.
2 "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him
as he is."
3 "And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure."
 
4 "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law."
5 "And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin."
6 "Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him."
7 "Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous."
8 "He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil."
9 "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."
10 "In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother."
15 "Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him."”


Please read the response for 1 John 3:6-10 above. I am surprised you have again posted the same set of verses. For your information again, the proponents of conditional security have either had to surrender their own salvation or somehow exempt themselves from its conditions. If 1 John 3:9 has general application here’s what’s required to obey it. No anger, ever. No lust, ever. No envy, ever. No idolatry, ever. No favoritism or discrimination, ever. No impure thoughts or deeds of any kind, ever. (Matt.5, James 2) As John said, the man who claims he’s never done any of these things is a liar. But it gets worse. Slip up once and you’re out forever. (James 2:10) Is this the Good News, the incomparable riches of His Grace? I can’t believe so.





Monday 18 March 2013

Just what is a Christian?



A Christian is not somebody who follows the ethical and moral structures of Jesus, because a person can do this and still deny that Jesus Christ is the eternal God in the living form. It’s done all the time. There are people all over the world following morality and ethics very close to Christianity who are not Christians. What we have to do is determine how to define words “Christian”. For that we must to go to the scriptures.

A “Christian” in the New Testament is somebody who believed that Jesus Christ was the Messiah of Israel and the savior of the World; that He died on the cross in the place of our sins; that His blood is atonement for our sins; that He rose bodily from the grave and ascended to heaven; and that He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

A great quote by Dr. Walter Martin, “A Christian is not defined by the life lived, but the beliefs believed. Therefore while a certain type of behaviour flows, from the Christian’s beliefs it is not the behaviour but the beliefs themselves that define what a Christian is.”

Source: Dr. Walter Martin, Martin Under Fire, Audio Tape #4

Where to look in the Bible?

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yX-2qkFVNN4/TwTtoxJkzII/AAAAAAAABJs/z3cjaDUqKpA/s1600/open-bible2.jpg

I wonder if God can forgive me:  Mark 2:1-12, 1 John 1:8, 1 John 2:2, Matthew 12:31
I am stressed out: Matthew 6:25-34, 1 Peter 5:7
I am afraid of devil: Mark 1:21-27, James 4:7
Am I a ‘real’ as a Christian: Mark 4:3-20, 1 John 2:4, 1 John 3:16-19
What is the cost to follow Jesus: Mark 8:34-38, Romans 12:1-2
Is being a Christian worth it: Mark 10:28:31, Romans 8:17
I want to give up: Hebrews 4:14-16, Hebrews 10:35-39
I am holding a grudge: Mark 11:25, Ephesians 4:26-27
I find hard to forgive: Matthew 18:21-35, Colossians 3:12-15
I wonder if I should I obey law: Mark 12:13-17, Romans 13:1-7
I want to do the most important thing in Life: Mark 12:28-34
I want to know about the end of the world: Matthew 24:36-51, Mark 13
I am tempted with sex/drugs: 1 Corinthians 6:12-20, 1 Corinthians 10:13
I need strength: Philippians 4:12-13
I am unable to handle church: Hebrews 10:25, Hebrews 13:17
I am being hassled being a Christian: John 15:18-21, 1 Peter 4:12-19
I am being tempted to do wrong: 1 Corinthians 10:13
What about being rich: James 5:1-6
Should I watch my language: Ephesians 4:29, James 3:2-12
I am having issues with my parents: Ephesians 6:1-4
I am having doubts about praying: Matthew 7:7-12, Luke 11:1-8
We will be adding more verses, but we would really appreciate if you can post your “Situation” in the comments section below, as we further plan to expand this article. God bless you!

Monday 11 March 2013

What is Trinity?





In the nature of God, there are three persons, Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.

In other words, all three persons are one God.  We can perceive 3 distinct persons and not 3 gods within the unity.

According to John 17:22, it says, “The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one.” We generally interpret the bible’s New Testament in the light of Old Testament.

If New Testaments says are 3 persons are God, then that means 3 persons are Jehovah or Yahweh or YHVH. If 3 persons are one Jehovah, the God is one and likewise 3 persons are one. The debate gets over here.



Now let us take few questions:


1- Is there any person “The Father” in the New Testament and is He called God?



2 Peter 1:17 says, For when he [Jesus] received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” If we further read John 8:54, it says, Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ From these two verses, we see that we have found two things, 1) there is a person, ‘The Father.’ 2) Father is God.

Now let us read from Mark 12:2, Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.”



2- Is there any person like “The Son” and is He identified as ‘YHVH’?



Let us read from the Gospel of John 8:57-58, So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham? Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” Here we see, that there is “Jesus, who is claiming Himself as YHVH. Another clear example according to revelation 1:8, it says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” In its cross reference, Revelation 22:12-13 says, “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” I think this is pretty clear since even according to Jehovah’s Witnesses, Alpha and Omega is the YHVH. Now, according to Revelation 1:17-18, it says “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last (Alfa and Omega), and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.” Now let us checkout an amazing verse from the Old Testament which further proves the same in Isaiah 44:6, Thus saith Jehovah, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, Jehovah of hosts: I am the first, and I am the last; and besides me there is no God.



Now let us compare these two questions as mentioned above in the light of Gospel. Let us read from the Gospel of John 10:30-33, it says, “I and the Father are one. The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.”


3- Is Holy Spirit YHVH?


Acts 5:3-4 says, But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” Now here we see, Peter is talking about Holy Spirit, also, Peter warns that you have lied to YHVH i.e. GOD.

Now what we conclude here is, if there is only one YHVH, which means there is only one God, where as in the 3 questions above, we see that these three persons are proved as one YHVH. In other words, the doctrine of TRINITY is true.



Image Source: http://dbmz6k5r32451.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/Trinity1.png