Eternal Life Blog | As we follow the Lord Jesus (who is ETERNAL LIFE), we also teach about immortality, everlasting life, salvation, eternal life, living forever, etc.

Four Common Errors among Conditional Salvation Proponents

Posted on January 7, 2019 by Eternal Life Blog

In our day of rampant destructive false teachings, among the top of the list in bible-believing circles is the demonic teaching of eternal security also called Once saved always saved.

It is vitally important that Christians vigorously contend against the many dangerous grace changers who have slithered their way into spiritual leadership. If you have been battling for the real gospel with its conditional security for the believer in Christ (1 Cor. 15:2; Col. 1:23), please keep it up, but avoid the following errors.

Again, several grievous errors have crept into our own camp who correctly know that we must endure to the end for salvation (Mt. 10:22; Heb. 3:14; Rev. 2:10,11; Rom. 11:20-22; Gal. 6:8,9) and that a righteous person can indeed die spiritually (Ezek. 33:18; Rom. 6:16; 8:12,13; James 1:14-16; 5:19,20; etc.). For your own sake and for the sake of others, be aware of the following errors and adjust your beliefs if need be:

(Error 1) If Salvation Becomes Lost Then The Backslider Can Never Return to Salvation Again

That errant view is also called sometimes “twice lost always lost” and is another demonic teaching. Sadly, far too many backsliders have been needlessly tortured in their mind thinking God will never forgive them and take them back even with heart-felt repentance. Hence, such backsliders are in deep despair wrongly thinking they are irreconcilably doomed to be thrown into the lake of fire in the end! Oh, how the devil (the father of lies) loves to torture people with that.

The primary passage misunderstood for that is Hebrews 6:4-6, which only refers to those who committed eternal sin and couldn’t be renewed again through repentance. In other words, all other sins can be forgiven upon repentance (Mark 3:28,29), including sexual sins, drunkenness, witchcraft, idolatry, lying, theft, murder, etc. (1 Cor. 6:11).

When one focuses upon King David’s sins, it becomes apparent that those who embrace “once lost always lost” are teaching a license to sin! How? Because they believe David is in heaven now and therefore must say King David retained his salvation even when in adultery and murder and before he repented. In other words, they are really saying there are Christian adulterers, Christian murderers, Christian drunks, Christian thieves, Christian liars, etc. That is essentially the same license to sin that the eternal security teachers spread to the devil’s delight.

(Error 2) To Lose Salvation, One Must Practice Sin

In other words, that is the belief that one sin (or occasional sin) will not cause spiritual death. That too is a license to sin which has crept in among us who reject the poison of eternal security. Such advocates believe it takes a practice, lifestyle or habitual sin in order to lose salvation. Hence, such people think occasional acts of adultery, drunkenness, theft, homosexuality, murder, etc. will not cause loss of salvation! Imagine that! That is refuted by scripture which shows it only takes one act of adultery to be a bible-defined adulterer (Lev. 20:10), one act of murder to be a bible-defined murderer (Num. 35:16-18), one act of theft to be a bible-defined thief (Ex. 22:7,8), etc. That fact connected with the following passage is the deathblow to the “one must practice sin to become lost”.

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God ( 1Cor. 6:9-11, NASB).

Clearly, Christian grace teaching states people in such sin, also identified as unrighteous, will not inherit God’s kingdom – meaning that they are lost at that point.

Furthermore, disowning the Lord Jesus will cause Jesus to disown you (Mt. 10:33; 2 Tim. 2:12b), the very thing that Peter did three times (Mt. 26:69-75). [Peter afterwards repented and returned to salvation – Lk. 22:32b.] Moreover, all who take the mark of the beast, because of that single act of disobedience, will be eternally lost forever (Rev. 14:9-12).

Believing certain false doctrines and or preaching a false gospel will also condemn one (Gal. 1:8,9 cf. 1 Cor. 15:2; 2 Pet. 2:1; 2 Tim. 2:18; 1 John 2:24-26), which can happen to people who were previously saved (Gal. 5:2-4; 1 Tim. 1:5,6; 2 Tim. 2:18). Sinning therefore isn’t the only way to lose your salvation. One can fall away quickly (Mark 4:17).

(Error 3) We Are Saved by Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ PLUS Our Own Good Works

The basis of this error comes from a lack of understanding about saving faith in Jesus Christ. Scripture shows that a saving and living faith in the Lord Jesus Christ follows him and obeys God, that is, it has good works attached to it. On the other hand, if someone has a dead faith (also called the faith of demons) in Jesus, good works might be lacking (James 2:14-20). However, the islanders on Malta were very kind to Paul when he was shipwrecked (Acts 28:2) and Cornelius was devout, God-fearing, a generous giver to the poor and prayed to God regularly even though both examples were lost! Some evil doers confess Jesus as “Lord,” prophesy in Jesus’ name, drive out demons and perform miracles (Mt. 7:21-23). Even demons can confess Jesus as the son of God (Mk. 3:11,12), the holy one of God (Lk. 4:33,34) and the son of the Most High God (Lk. 8:28).

Jesus must be the focus of our OBEDIENT faith for salvation. That is what it means to “believe” on Jesus for salvation (Jn. 3:16-18; Acts 16:30,31; etc.) – we trust Jesus with our faith to the point of following and obeying him (Jn. 3:36; etc.). Those truths must all be considered when examining James 2:24 and the following passages:

To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life (Rom. 2:7).

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 (Gal. 6:8,9).

We must persist and continue to the end with our obedient faith in Jesus to reap eternal life. Remember also this comparison: in Jn. 3:18, the Lord only mentioned faith in Jesus or unbelief as the basis of salvation or not, but in Jn. 5:29 the Lord only mentioned doing good or evil as the basis of the type of resurrection awaiting one:

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son (John 3:18).

Those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned (John 5:29).

Jn. 3:18 and Jn. 5:29 supplement each other and again show that a saving faith in Jesus does good works.

Folks, please understand if your submissive faith in the Lord Jesus and his blood can’t cleanse and save you, forget it! Your puny good works, regardless how great and abundant, will not save you or add to what Jesus has already done. A saving and living faith in the Lord Jesus obeys God, producing holy living. We must continue with that type of submissive faith in Jesus in order to reap eternal life.

(Error 4) No One Is Saved Now

To believe no one is saved now (but only on probation) is demolished by the various scriptures, which show a Christian has (present tense) salvation now – this side of the grave. When one becomes ‘born again’ by turning to God in repentance and having faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, he instantly has, at that point, eternal life and becomes a child of God:

He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life (1 John 5:12,13).

I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life (John 6:47).

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is (1 John 3:1,2).

Remember also the repentant thief (Lk. 23:42,43), Cornelius (Acts 10:43-48), Zacchaeus (Lk. 19:9), the unnamed sinful woman (Lk. 7:50) and others who were all saved instantly as shown by being qualified for Paradise, being filled with the Holy Spirit, declared saved, etc. A primary scripture stumbling some about this truth, besides Gal. 6:8,9, is:

All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved (Mt. 10:22).

The words “will be saved” in that verse refer to final salvation, that is, an actual entrance into God’s Paradise kingdom after death, also referred to in Lk. 13:23,24. The truth is: Christians have salvation now, but must endure the persecutions of living godly to the very end for final salvation (Mt. 10:22 cf. 2 Tim. 3:12), that is, to actually enter God’s paradise kingdom. We must die with a PURE HEART to see God (Mt. 5:8; Rev. 21:27 cf. 1 Tim. 5:22).

Eternal life is much more than just the gift of God (Rom. 6:23) and a present tense possession (Jn. 6:47; 1 Jn. 5:11-13). Eternal life is also a hope (Titus 3:7) yet to be reaped (Gal. 6:8,9), in the age to come (Mk. 10:30) for only the ones who persist in doing good (Rom. 2:7) and who don’t grow weary and give up sowing to please the Spirit (Gal. 6:9)! Eternal life is also a promise for the Christians who hold on to the gospel truth they heard from the beginning to remain in Christ and the Father (1 Jn. 2:24-26).

Without question the heresy of eternal security is a demonic teaching and has no connection with saving grace, the gospel or the infinite work of Christ. A true Christian after initial salvation and being set free from his sin addictions (Rom. 6:22; Jn. 8:34-36; etc.) must continue in the faith (Rom. 11:21,22) and physically die with a pure heart to enter Paradise, which doesn’t always happen. Sadly, some have turned away from God and die lost! You are battling for E-T-E-R-N-I-T-Y. KEEP FIGHTING – the devil surely is!

The Most Dangerous Man Loose in Society

Posted on November 13, 2018 by Eternal Life Blog

Who is the most dangerous person freely walking about in society – the one who can cause many the greatest harm? Usually people think, it’s the:

terrorist
drunk driver
drug dealer
a cop turned criminal
serial killer
serial rapist
people who control nuclear weapons
people on the FBI’s ten most wanted list
quack medical doctor
a killer nurse
etc.

In our day, the list can be very long and extensive, but the most dangerous person freely walking about in society is none of them! In fact, the most dangerous man in society is much more dangerous than all of them put together, yet very much unrecognized and sometimes lavishly treated by the same ones who have been victimized!

The Spiritual False Teacher

The most dangerous person in society is the false religious teacher whose harm to his victims will stretch into eternity. Anyone who opposes the eternal life-giving truths of God’s written word (the bible) is dangerous, but if that type of person is in a position of “Christian” leadership he is surely of the absolute most dangerous type alive. The Lord Jesus described such people as ferocious wolves in sheep’s clothing:

Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves (Mat 7:15).

That same type of spiritual danger is referred to by Paul and John:

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

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 (1 Tim 6:20,21).

Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have wandered away from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some (2 Tim 2:17,18).

See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he promised us–even eternal life. I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray (1 John 2:24-26).

The only true faith is the tried and proven Christian faith, that is, solidly bible based. Any opposing doctrine to God’s written word is the devil’s lie and doctrines of demons designed to destroy souls. In other words, the most dangerous people in the world can look holy and harmless, even like innocent sheep (Christians), but are very far from it as they oppose biblical truth.

Globally, the most dangerous people include the:

A ferocious wolf in the disguise of a Christian guide and leader is the most dangerous predator type to the sheep. Don’t be misled by their self-exalting title of apostle, prophet, etc. Too often, he will aggressively seek out Christians to prey upon, that is, to spiritually devour.

Furthermore, the most dangerous man loose in society will somehow distort how to enter God’s Paradise kingdom after death. In our day, filled with religious deceit and trickery, right in the midst of God’s children are the dangerous blind guides known as the eternal security teachers.

Similarly, there is a yet a different type of ferocious wolf in sheep’s clothing who rejects eternal security, while essentially teaches the same lethal way! He’s the person who teaches a license for sin, but does it in a concealed manner – trying to reach a wider audience with his counterfeit message. Be assured such people can cite scripture, even as fluently as the devil, but teach sins unto death are not spiritually lethal.

Sin Unto Death

The true understanding of sin unto death is any unforgiven sin that will exclude anyone, including a Christian, from God’s kingdom such as listed in 1 Cor. 6:9,10; Eph. 5:5-7; Rev. 14:9-12; 21:8; 22:19; Mt. 10:33; etc. Furthermore, to just preach a false gospel (false way to be saved) will damn the preacher (Gal. 1:8,9 cf. 1 Cor. 15:2; 2 Pet. 2:1).

Spiritual death for the righteous who turn to sin is taught from Gen. 2:17 through Rev. 22:19 and those warnings begin and end with that possibility of that happening over one sin. That is not to say that one sin can always do that, because it can’t.

Three Dangerous Types Who Reject Eternal Security

In Christian circles some of the most dangerous people loose in society, who correctly reject eternal security come in three types:

deny that one sin, such as disowning Jesus, can possibly result in spiritual death
deny a backslider can return to salvation
teach salvation comes from faith in Jesus and our good works.

Scriptural truth is:

certain sins committed one time can cause loss of salvation
a backslider can always return to salvation, except for eternal sin (Heb. 6:4-6)
a person is saved by a submissive faith in Jesus Christ (which produces good works)

The ferocious wolves in sheep’s clothing who teach one must practice sin to lose salvation and occasional sins are salvation-safe, will never tell you when you cross over from occasional to practice sin! Like the others, their poison is sweet, but also deadly. Be alert! There are:

NO Christian adulterers
NO Christian drunks
NO Christian thieves
NO Christian idolaters
NO Christian slanderers
NO Christian murderers
etc.

Now you know who the most dangerous people walking about freely in our society. They are the ones who hurt another’s soul. They are teaching contrary to the bible about how to be initially forgiven or how to get into God’s paradise kingdom to be with God after death. It will be to your great spiritual advantage to avoid them (Rom. 16:17,18) and to warn others, which will not always be well received.

Be assured you can yet go to hell, even if you are currently saved by the Lord Jesus Christ. You must endure to the end to be saved (Mt. 10:22; Heb. 3:14; Rev. 2:10,11; Gal. 6:8,9). You must die with a pure heart to enter Paradise (Mt. 5:8; 1 Tim. 5:22; Rev. 21:27). You are battling for ETERNITY. FIGHT HARD AND BE FAITHFUL TO GOD.

Posted in False Teachers, Most Dangerous Man in Society | Tagged dangerous man, dangerous people, False Teachers, most dangerous person, wolves in sheep's clothing | Comments Off

The Real Jesus of the Bible

Posted on October 19, 2018 by Eternal Life Blog

Revelation chapters 2 and 3 are very important as to the revealing of what the real Lord Jesus is like and what he considers and wants from the Christians. He’s the judge of the living and the dead (2 Tim. 4:1) and the same Jesus revealed in these scriptures will judge us. It is wise now to take the following truths to heart and repent, adjust, etc., if need be. Remember: the timing of Jesus’ message to the seven churches in Asia is after the cross and during our present day of grace to the churches.

Jesus Focused On:

(1) Our first love being God, as in the days of being a new convert. That type of love is to be maintained (Rev. 2:4), which is also the first and greatest commandment (Mt. 22:37,38). The new convert is the example of what kind of love for God Jesus wants from us, even long after we have been saved.

Usually the new convert is demoted and down graded with lacking of knowledge and wisdom, but here Jesus exalts the new converts to the example and way we are to love God. All Christians experience the same wonderful joy and exuberance in the Lord after being cleansed of their defilements and become God’s temple. That genuine heart-felt love for God can be forsaken, but also regained again and is vital.

Even though the Ephesians in Rev. 2 had all their commendable godly virtues (2:2,3) that fact did not cancel out that they had forsaken their first love. They had to repent of that sin in order to prevent Jesus from removing their lampstand. That ultimatum was spoken to those sealed by the Spirit and saved by grace – the same church group the book of Ephesians was written to.

[Catholics note: Mary is not mentioned and isn’t there to assist or mediate for the saints or to restrain Jesus!]

(2) There being no false teachings in the congregation (2:14,15; 2:20). They had to repent of allowing it.

(3) The spiritually sleeping and weak to wake up, strengthen and obey (3:2,3). They too were told to repent of their current spiritual situation.

(4) Not being afraid of what they were about to suffer with persecution and to be faithful to the point of death to avoid being hurt by the lake of fire (2:10,11). That was spoken to a spiritually rich congregation! Jesus also mentioned enduring patiently (3:10); persevering and enduring hardships for his name; not growing weary (2:3); remaining true to Jesus’ name and not renounce their faith in Jesus (2:13).

(5) Being boiling hot with Christian zeal (3:15-19). They had to repent of lukewarmness or get spued out of the body of Christ, that is, lose their salvation.

Godly Intolerance

Jesus commends intolerance towards the wicked (Rev. 2:2; 2:6) and condemns tolerance to false teachers (Rev. 2:20)! What a shock to the liberals and the ecumenical crowds.

Commends Testing And Not Being Gullible

…you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. (Rev 2:2)

Folks, don’t just accept titles and authority people speak of themselves or others. Jezebel called herself a prophetess (Rev. 2:20)! TEST with the scriptures. BE CAREFUL. We are living in days of GREAT DECEPTION and imposters (2 Tim. 3:13). See also 1 John 4:1.

Our Works

Over and over again Jesus told the church groups I know your deeds (works). Here is one example:

I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first (Rev 2:19).

Our works or deeds are magnified, not the opposite! Jesus describes himself as:

I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds (Rev 2:23).

Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done (Rev 22:12).

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad (2 Cor 5:10).

God will give to each person according to what he has done. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism (Rom 2:6-11).

The church crowds have been horribly betrayed by the established church leaders on TV, radio, internet and in books, tracts and magazines. It’s time to DRAIN THE FLOODED CHURCH SWAMP!

To the Faithful

Of the 7 churches in Asia only 2 (Smyrna and Philadelphia) were not told to repent. To those faithful Christians Jesus said:

You are going to suffer. Be faithful to the point of death to avoid the second death (lake of fire) and get the crown of life (Rev. 2:10,11).
Endure patiently… hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. (Rev. 3:10,11)

To those at Thyatira who were not deceived by Jezebel, they heard:

Hold on to what you have (Rev. 2:25).

That is the real Jesus, who died for us. Remember these truths and you’ll better understand the heart of the precious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and what God wants from you now.

BTW, none of the church groups heard Well done good and faithful servant at that point because their test was still ongoing. So, if you are walking in accord with God’s will, endure hardships patiently to the end for your sake and for the sake of others.

Posted in The Real Jesus of the Bible, Uncategorized | Tagged 7 church of asia, False Teachers, intolerance, real Jesus, real Jesus of the bible | Comments Off

Which Is the True Religion to Follow and Why

Posted on October 9, 2018 by Eternal Life Blog

In short, the true religion or best religion is the one that is based on God’s truth and that brings about salvation. So how do we find that out?

In the quest for truth, one needs to examine the religious leaders and “holy books” associated with the various beliefs.

In other words, are their claims valid? By examining Jesus of Nazareth compared to all other religious leaders, one discovers that Jesus of Nazareth alone:

fulfilled numerous prophecies about where, when and how the Messiah would die (Psa. 22; Isa. 53; Micah 5:2; etc.)
live a perfectly sinless life (2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:22; etc.)
resurrected bodily (Lk. 24:39; Phil 3:21; Rom. 6:9; etc.)
claimed and proved to be God (Jn. 8:51; 14:14; Isa. 40:3 cf. Mt. 3:1-3; Heb. 1:6,8; etc.)

No other world religious leader has such exceptional credentials. Hence, the findings, even at this point, exclude Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc. – all non-Christian faiths.

But there is something else to notice, that is, what did the proven Lord and Savior Jesus Christ teach about the scriptures themselves? The Lord Jesus:

affirmed the entire Old Testament (Mt. 5:18; 22:29; 24:35; Jn. 10:35; 17:17; etc.) and
promised the New Testament (Jn. 16:13; 14:26)

So the one and only proven Messiah, by his own unparalleled credentials, endorsed what we call the bible, a compilation of 66 Holy Spirit inspired books. That means the true religion centers around the Lord Jesus Christ, his teachings and the bible. It is Christianity.

Salvation Quiz

Which Branch of Christianity?

Unfortunately, because there are so many factions and divisions within what is considered to be Christianity, our search to get precise must continue. Each of the various hundreds of groups (or more) claiming to be Christian-based asserts itself to be the truest. Ultimately, one will have to earnestly seek the truth of the bible, especially the New Testament, in order to learn what the Lord Jesus and his disciples taught about salvation and God.

To learn the truth from the bible will require humility and a heart to receive what it says, but first you must turn to the Lord to have your spiritual blockage to understanding scripture removed (2 Cor. 3:16). It is much easier to turn to the Lord, when you realize your sins are dragging you to eternal fire:

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. ( 1Cor. 6:9-11, NASB)

The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Mat 13:41,42).

You must repent of your sins or you will perish (Lk. 13:3,5; 2 Pet. 3:9; 2 Cor. 7:10; etc.).

Foundational to the Earliest Christian Beliefs

Foundational to the earliest Christian beliefs is: God’s written word is to be the basis of all Christian teaching, correction, etc. and the man of God is thoroughly equipped with scripture alone:

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Tim 3:16,17).

That truth excludes papal decrees, Marian apparitions, what canonized saints and the so-called church fathers taught, thereby excluding Catholicism, the bulk (nearly 59%) of what is considered Christianity in our day!

All liberal forms of Christianity are also excluded because their focus is not a heart-felt humble commitment to Jesus and turning from wickedness to serve God (1 Thess. 1:9b; Luke 9:23; Mt. 10:38; Gal. 5:24; etc.) results in holy living and a radical new creation in Christ change. They tend to focus on mere religious acts like water baptism and communion instead.

Moreover, examining the prophecies of various religious founders will identify them as false prophets, i.e., Joseph Smith Jr. of Mormonism and Charles Taze Russell of the Jehovah’s Witnesses just to mention two. There are many false teachers.

The False Grace of Eternal Security

How to Get Forgiven of Sins

The true religion results in salvation because it points to Jesus Christ, who is eternal life (1 Jn. 1:2). When one learns the truth of God and receives it, he will be miraculously and radically changed. God’s truth, if acted upon, results in forgiveness and freedom from sin’s addictions (Rom. 6:22), that is, heart purity (Acts 15:9 cf. Mt. 5:8; Heb. 12:14; Rev. 21:27).

That is known as getting born again, which occurs before and without water baptism as was the case with Cornelius and others (Acts 10:43-48; Lk. 18:13,14; 23:42,43; etc.). After being spiritually cleansed initially, the battle continues. Now a main part of the Christian life is to keep yourself pure (1 Tim. 5:22), hold on to what you have (Rev. 3:11) and bringing forth good fruit (Jn. 15:1-6). To actually enter God’s Paradise kingdom after death, we must endure to the end (Mt. 10:22; Heb. 3:14; Gal. 6:8,9; Rev. 2:10,11), which many do not. There is no once saved always saved. We are told to be afraid of being cut off and to continue (Rom. 11:20-22).

Your enemy the devil, will surely try to destroy you spiritually. Resist his deceptions and temptations (James 4:7; 1 Pet. 5:9) and patiently endure hardships (Rev. 3:10; 2 Tim. 2:3), sticking to scripture and following Jesus, which sadly doesn’t always happen:

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 command that was passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud” (2 Pet 2:20-22).

for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls (1 Pet 1:9).

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. (Gal 6:8,9)

So now you know the truest and best religion is the one centered on Jesus Christ and is bible based for all teachings. Also, Christianity is a religion (1 Tim. 5:4; James 1:26,27). The truth of God demands repentance and a heart-felt submissive faith in Jesus Christ to serve him — the one who shed his blood and died on the cross for our sins.

That type of faith will: result in eternal life; set one free from their sin addictions (Rom. 6:22; Tit. 3:3; Jn. 8:34-36); grant rest for their soul (Mt. 11:29); produce real love for bible-defined Christians (1 Jn. 3:14) and give you the Holy Spirit to guide and teach (Jn. 16:13; 1 Jn. 2:27; etc.). The Christian is ashamed of his past sinful life (Rom. 6:21) and walking in holy obedience to Jesus NOW (Heb. 5:9; 1 Jn. 2:3,4; Jn. 14:21; Lk. 8:21; Eph. 5:5-7; etc.).

We know that we have come to know him (Jesus) if we OBEY his commands. The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him (1 John 2:3,4).

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The Unnamed and Unknown Soldiers of Jesus Christ

Posted on June 13, 2018 by Eternal Life Blog

Since the vast majority of us Christians are unnamed and unknown soldiers of Jesus Christ, this teaching should be a blessing and encouragement to know that there have been many others, like us, whom God used mightily.

Writing to Timothy, Paul used the term good soldier of Christ Jesus for the Christian:

Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. (2 Tim 2:3)

Christian, did you know you are at war? Christians are called to endure hardship like a good soldier of Jesus Christ in our battle for God’s truth and souls. Be assured hardships come to all as we battle on as soldiers, but also be encouraged they are all temporary and fleeting.

The Unknown and Unnamed Who Went To Antioch

After the martyrdom of Stephen, all the Christians, except the apostles left Jerusalem (Acts 8:1):

Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. (Acts 8:4)

Those scattered Christians, women included, witnessed for Jesus and were not ashamed of the gospel as they preached the word wherever they went (Acts 8:4). Besides these Christians, there were, however, some unknown and unnamed men who were exceptionally used by God. They went to Antioch:

Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. (Acts 11:20-22)

Many came to salvation by them telling the good news about the Lord Jesus Christ. That is wonderful, but there is even more. The church at Antioch turned out to be the second most important congregation back then, after the Jerusalem church. Again, it was a large church that was founded by the unknown and unnamed soldiers of Jesus Christ, who verbally spoke out the good news about the Lord Jesus. Among other things:

It was in that city where the disciples were first called Christians (Acts 11:26).
It was also from the Antioch congregation that Paul’s three missionary journeys started and ended.
It was also at the Antioch congregation where false teachers came, which eventually led to the important Jerusalem church council in Acts 15.

Since there are two cities named Antioch in Acts, please know the one in Acts 11:20-22 was in Syria. The other Antioch is in Pisidia, where we first read of it in Acts 13:14,15.

The Unnamed Examples of The Faith

These unnamed and unknown examples of the faith were not known for their mighty miracles or miraculous blessings they themselves received, but for their endurance through adverse painful circumstances. The world hated and persecuted the following unnamed examples of faith, but the truth is the world was not worthy of them:

Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated– the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. (Heb 11:35-39)

Imagine living your earthly life like that. Those men and women endured sufferings and hardships we can’t begin to know. They persevered through incredible adversity, including torture and refused to be released. Imagine that.

These examples of the faith were cited to encourage the Hebrew Christians and to warn them not to revert back to Judaism. To be saved Christians, must hold firm to the end:

We have come to share in Christ IF we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. (Heb 3:14)

The Hebrew Christians started strong, but were weakening and were encouraged what to do and what not to do:

Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. Make level paths for your feet, so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. (Heb 12:12-14)

You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to PERSEVERE so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. (Heb 10:34-36)

These unnamed and unknown examples of the faith, cited in Heb. 11:35-39, though they never received what had been promised and even though they suffered greatly in order to persevere to the end to be saved, they were cited as the great examples and models of the faith for the Hebrew Christians to follow.

Sadly, some of the Hebrew Christians had given up and returned to the synagogues. To do so they had to commit eternal sin and, therefore, couldn’t come back to God through repentance (Heb. 6:4-6), while all other backsliders can return to God through repentance. Obviously, that was a concern of the Holy Spirit inspired unnamed writer of Hebrews. He didn’t want other Christians to make that same fatal mistake.

The Unnamed and Unknown Loyal Yokefellow

In contrast to the apostates just referred to, we have loyal yokefellow. In this case, the term yokefollow means a companion in the work of the Lord.

Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. (Phil 4:3)

Who could that loyal yokefellow have been? The bible doesn’t cite a name, but that person was genuine and faithful to the cause. That is quite an endorsement from the Holy Spirit. If we are going to amount to anything for God, we must be loyal to the cause, like loyal yokefellow was.

The request was for loyal yokefellow to help these women who have contended at Paul’s side in the cause of the gospel…. Even those women are unknown and unnamed before man, but not unknown before God.

The Unknown and Unnamed Who Were An Honor To Christ

As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you; as for our brothers, they are representatives of the churches and an honor to Christ. (2 Cor 8:23)

To be an honor to Christ is one of the greatest accomplishments any Christian could ever achieve. We don’t know who those brothers were, but they surely were walking holy and obediently doing the will of God. They were standing for and with the truth of God, as written in the scriptures. Our world desperately needs people like those unnamed and unknown Christians, who were an honor to Christ.

On the other hand, because they were an honor to Christ, they were the smell of death to the lost (2 Cor. 2:15,16). They were unjustly hated by the world (Jn. 15:19), but were the beloved of God (Rom. 1:7). So, what does it really matter if the world hates us, if we have the Lord Jesus Christ. JESUS is the victory and our eternal future, even if we remain a hated, unnamed and unknown soldier of Jesus Christ. Such would be included in the righteous sufferings of a Christian (Phil. 1:29,30; Rom. 8:18; etc.).

These Unnamed and Unknown Who Were Once Christians

Sadly, these unnamed and unknown are an exception to this list. They were once soldiers of Jesus Christ too. Paul wrote:

The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk. They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm. (1 Tim 1:5-7)

The marks of true regeneration are cited as a:

pure heart
good conscience
sincere faith

Those backsliders once had what Paul stated he had, as he wrote 1 Timothy. In other words, they were once living holy with a pure heart, good conscience and sincere faith. They once had salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ. What a tragedy to lose that. Folks, spiritual growth is not guaranteed, as we see with them and others. Furthermore, those previous Christians became false teachers and a danger to other Christians.

Paul didn’t name those apostates, as he did Hymenaeus and Philetus, who had also wandered away from the truth (2 Tim 2:17,18). Since horrible spiritual tragedies happened in the days of the apostles, when the bible was being written, they surely are happening now. Christians, carefully guard your heart. Hold on to what you have so no man will take your crown (Rev. 3:11; 2:25; 1 Cor. 15:2; Heb. 3:14; 3:6; etc.). That is all under grace.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged apostates, backsliders, good soldier of Jesus Christ, honor to Christ, sufferings, unknown hero, unknown soldier | Comments Off

Guru Asaram Bapu and Other Sexual Predators

Posted on May 5, 2018 by Eternal Life Blog

Guru Asaram Bapu, was supposed to be an informed teacher and spiritual guide. Too bad that didn’t prove to be the case for him and his many followers, but such is the case with all gurus in Hinduism and Buddhism. Furthermore, all gurus are nothing more that blind guides of the spiritually blind.

The mere fact that Hindus think bathing in the Gange River will wash away their sins is enough evidence to show how misled spiritually they really are, but with Asaram Bapu there is more convincing evidence:

Bapu was arrested in 2013 following a complaint from two of his followers, who claimed the guru raped their 16-year-old daughter when she visited his retreat in Jodhpur. The couple, who claimed they have been followers of Bapu for more than a decade, said they brought their daughter to the guru because she was “under the influence of some supernatural ghostly powers” and they believed he could “cure” her.

On Aug. 14, 2013, the guru called the girl into his room, where he forced her to perform sexual acts on him and threatened to kill her family if she said anything about the incident. Her parents were outside the room chanting his prayers at the time, police said. The girl told her parents a day later about the incident. (http://www.foxnews.com/world)

What a wicked abomination that is. God’s word comments about such an empty religion devoid of power to live holy:

These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence. (Col 2:22,23)

Note the last part of that passage. It says, “they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence,” which seems to be a key verse to remember to identify a false religion and powerless gospel.

If the teaching in one’s religion doesn’t set him free from his sin addictions, especially sensual indulgence (based on Col. 2:23), you can be sure they are not the true teachings of God. Of course, with Hinduism it is easy to identify it as a counterfeit, because like many others it doesn’t recognize the Lord Jesus as the Christ (1 John 2:22,23; etc.). Among faiths that do acknowledge Jesus as the Christ, it becomes harder to spot a counterfeit until we note another pivotal verse – Romans 6:22:

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. (Rom 6:22)

That verse describes all the Christians in the church at Rome, in Paul’s day. They had been set free from sin — all of them! Religious people who are not set free from sin, if they be Hindus, Mormons, Catholics, Universalists, Jehovah’s Witnesses or any other, can be sure they have something different and much less than we read of in the New Testament.

When a person truly and humbly repents of his sin to serve God (1 Thess 1:9; Acts 20:21; etc.), he becomes a new creation in Christ and gets set free from his sin addictions. Before salvation the Christian was a slave to sin, but now he is set free by Jesus’ holy blood:

Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:34-36)

Eternal Security is a Lie From Hell

South Africa Has 500,000 Rapes Per Year

Astoundingly, it is estimated that 1 out 4 males in South Africa is a rapist. Also, nearly 80% of the population there are so-called Christians, revealing how the biblical message of our day has been reduced to powerless gibberish and placed on a par with what guru Asaram Bapu believed and taught. How South African teachings are far from the real gospel, is shown in scripture. Notice verse 11 in context:

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. (1 Cor 6:9-11, NASB)

Were in v. 11 is past tense. Those unrighteous slaves of sin were changed and set free by the blood of Jesus Christ. They became a new creature and were changed by the power of God. That is part of the good news, which centers around the Lord Jesus Christ and what his cleansing blood can do. [QUESTION: Dear reader, Can YOU identify with that (1 John 2:3,4)?] BTW, Guru Asaram Bapu is not the only religious person addicted to sexual sin:

LDS Bishop Luis Gonzales

LDS Bishop Luis Gonzales has been charged with 20 counts of child molestation, battery, rape, bigamy, stalking, and fraud. The victim, alias Tammy Doe alleges, “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has been fully aware of this man’s illegal activities since 1998 and failed to do anything until the child molestation became public.” (http://www.freerepublic.com)

Jehovah’s Witnesses 1,000+ Members

Over the course of about six decades, more than 1,000 members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses were accused of sexually abusing Australian children, according to a new report. Victims were ordered to keep quiet. Not one of the alleged perpetrators were reported to the police. (https://www.washingtonpost.com)

Cultists should not be too much of a shock, nor the multitudinous Catholic priests guilty of child molestation, such as Gerald Francis Ridsdale, but there have also been many Protestant churches guilty of the same. Why? Again, the power of the gospel and a new life in Christ with freedom from the slavery of sin is missing. Many never truly get saved (for various reasons) and some of the those who really do, get overcome by sin again afterwards (2 Pet 2:20-22). We must carefully guard our hearts from defilements.

Many serious sin problems continue to exist and the true gospel of Jesus Christ is the ONLY remedy, while all the counterfeits “lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence” (Col 2:23). That is factual from Catholicism to Jehovah’s Witnesses to the Siberian FALSE Christ– Vissarion to Hinduism, etc. Guru Asaram Bapu is far from the only religious lost man in the world, who needs the Lord Jesus Christ to find true peace with God.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged blind guides, blood of Jesus Christ, catholic priests, Guru Asaram Bapu, mormon bishop, powerless gospel, slave to sin, spiritually blind | Comments Off

Who Is Michael The Archangel

Posted on February 4, 2018 by Eternal Life Blog

To learn who the real Michael the archangel is, is very important to millions of people! Why? Because both the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Seven Day Adventist both believe Michael the archangel is Jesus Christ! While the Seven Day Adventist believe Michael is deity, the Jehovah’s Witnesses adamantly oppose that concept, even to the point of denying Jesus was ever prayed to or worshiped! SHOCKING and sad, but true! So, is Jesus Michael the archangel, based on scripture or not? If Jesus isn’t Michael the archangel, why do some teach that he is and how can Christians help them with this serious error?

There Are Only Five Biblical References to Michael

Michael the archangel is only referred to on five different occasions throughout the entire Bible. They are:

But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. (Dan 10:13)

but first I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. (No one supports me against them except Michael, your prince. (Dan 10:21)

“At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people–everyone whose name is found written in the book –will be delivered. (Dan 12:1)

But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” (Jude 1:9)

And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. (Rev 12:7)

NOTE: Michael is NOT the only archangel (Dan 10:13)! Michael is only one of the chief princes! That truth automatically refutes the Jehovah’s Witness belief that Jesus is Michael the archangel and Jehovah’s greatest creation. How does it do that? Because there are other archangels and not just one, even though Michael is the only specifically named. The other archangels are equal to Michael and Michael can’t, therefore, be the greatest.

Michael the archangel was the protecting archangel over Israel in Daniel’s time. Michael is always shown as a warring angel. Those are the details from those five passages, but NONE can be correctly connected to the Lord Jesus Christ as you can see.

Jude 9 shows how differently Michael the archangel dealt with the devil, saying “The Lord rebuke you” to how the Lord Jesus dealt with him quoting scripture and commanding him to leave. (Mt. 4:3-11).

ONLY Two Times Archangel Is Found in the Bible

The only times archangel are used are here:

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. (1 Th 4:16)

But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” (Jude 1:9)

Similarly, in neither of those two verses is the Lord Jesus shown to be Michael the archangel! While those verses have been used to teach that fallacious interpretation, it has been done wrongly to the detriment of others.

1 Thess. 4:16 states the Lord (Jesus) will come from heaven WITH the voice of the archangel. Which archangel will be coming with Jesus when he returns? We don’t know, since there are more than one (Dan 10:13). NOTE: Jesus will return with angels (Mt. 24:30,31), but we don’t know if Michael will be there at all! Also, Jesus is also coming WITH the trumpet call of God (1 Thess. 4:16). If Jesus coming WITH the voice of an archangel (1 Thess. 4:16) makes him an archangel, then he is also a TRUMPET, because he is also coming with the trumpet call of God! Can you see how baseless and inconsistent such augmentations from the Jehovah’s Witnesses and or the Seven Day Adventist are? That is all they have! There are no other verses citing Michael or the word archangel! Those scriptures are being misused and read into to teach Jesus is Michael the archangel to the harm of SOULS. Only a preconceived indoctrination of such a belief could possibly interpret any of the aforementioned that way. Jesus is not identified as Michael in any of those verses (or in any other way). For anyone to teach Jesus is Michael is to do so without any backing, even though non-related scripture references may be cited and read into for such a faulty conclusion! Remember, even the devil can misapply scripture (Lk. 4:10,11)!

Who was Jesus BEFORE coming to Earth?

The answer to that question is important, because if Jesus was not Michael before coming to earth, then millions of people have a dangerous view of the Savior! The apostle John told us Jesus was the “Word” before he came to earth (John 1:1). John didn’t say he was “Michael.” John also told us the “Word” is God (John 1:1). Since the Word is “God” (John 1:1) and God is not an archangel, then Jesus (the Word) can’t be Michael the archangel. That is basic reasoning from the scriptures. Again, NEVER is Jesus shown to be Michael, before (or after) coming to earth! In fact, Jesus created everything visible and invisible (that is all archangels) in heaven and earth. The archangels were created by Jesus and for Jesus (Col. 1:16).

Who Was Jesus AFTER His Ascension into Heaven?

Jesus identifies himself as Jesus, (and other names and titles) but NEVER Michael. Notice what Jesus wanted us to believe about himself:

“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” (Acts 9:5,6)

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” (Rev 22:16)

Furthermore, various New Testament writers identified the ascended Lord by many different names and titles, but NEVER as Michael. Jesus’ many names and titles reflecting his vital significance in all spiritual matters, but of the one hundred plus, NONE are ever Michael!

What Is The Real Gospel Of Jesus Christ

It is IMPOSSIBLE For Jesus to Be Michael The Archangel

Besides lacking clear evidence for the Jesus Michael doctrine, Hebrews chapter 1 categorically shows Jesus as someone superior and better than any of the angels in eight different ways! That forever clinches it! It is impossible for Jesus to be Michael the archangel, according to God’s word. The Jesus Michael belief is not only baseless it is a direct strike against Hebrews chapter 1 to teach like that. It also conflicts with many other verses revealing Jesus’ deity. [The humanity of Jesus Christ does NOT cancel out his deity anymore than him being the good shepherd cancels out him being the Lamb of God. See ]

Who Is Jesus Christ Really?

To answer the question who is Jesus Christ, we must consider the whole bible and especially Jesus’ voluminous names and titles, with none mentioning him as Michael or an archangel.

Angels are NOT Prayed To or Worshiped

Moreover, if Jesus was Michael the archangel, he should NOT be worshiped and prayed to, but he was! That is a double edged sword showing indirectly he couldn’t be Michael the archangel, but instead someone much more important who is worshiped and prayed to. Jesus was also trusted in exclusively for salvation by early Christians (Mt. 11:28-30; Acts 16:30,31; 7:59; John 3:16; etc.), he is the one they followed (John 10:27) and they got eternal life because they personally had him (1 John 5:12). In fact, Jesus is eternal life (1 John 1:2)!

Jesus Was PRAYED TO

While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” (Acts 7:59)

(NOTE: Stephen, was in the truth, and clearly prayed TO Jesus, as Jesus taught in John 14:14 for his disciples to pray to him.)

Jesus Was WORSHIPED

And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.” (Heb 1:6)

The Greek word for “worship” in Heb. 1:6 is also found in Luke 4:8 and is what is given to God! Jesus is worshiped by God’s angels and Christians.

The conclusion is clear and overwhelming. Though Jesus is taught as being Michael the archangel by the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Seven Day Adventist, they have done so in violation and neglect of the scriptural evidence. So, who is Michael the archangel? He is a warring angel, a chief angel and one of the angelic princes. Michael the archangel was created by and for Jesus Christ (Col. 1:16). Michael the archangel is not Jesus Christ, based on scripture. To teach Jesus Christ is Michael the archangel is to downgrade the Lord Jesus as well as be in dangerous error.

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Paul The Apostle

Posted on January 22, 2016 by Eternal Life Blog

Many praiseworthy things can be stated about Paul the apostle, but his uncompromised and exemplary stand for God’s truth at Antioch is among the most noteworthy! There is a quick mention of an historic event that Paul the apostle had with the apostle Peter, which is very important and stirring in our day of great religious compromise. Carefully note the following from Gal. 2:11-16:

When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. (Gal 2:11) Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. (Gal 2:12) The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray. (Gal 2:13) When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs? (Gal 2:14) We who are Jews by birth and not ‘Gentile sinners’ (Gal 2:15) know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.” (Gal 2:16)

Paul the Apostle Was An Exemplary Preacher

Paul the Apostle stood like a rock for God’s truth. That is totally unlike our day where it is so commonplace to disregard God’s truths for the sake of human friendship and speaking engagements! The multitude of preachers who do that exalt their friends over their own fidelity to God! They would rather maintain a friendship with someone they know in ministry and risk offending God, than the reverse! Paul the apostle was not like that. He was a true spiritual leader — a champion for truth and exemplary – one whom we should imitate in our day.

An event took place earlier in Paul the apostle’s life with Peter which is important. Unless one reads all of the Bible, he will miss precious truths like that connecting one. Paul the apostle stayed with Peter for fifteen days. That was at least fourteen years before the Gal. 2:11-16 event:

Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter and stayed with him fifteen days. (Gal 1:18)

Cogent Proof That Peter Was NEVER a Pope

Paul and Peter knew each other pretty well! In fifteen days, one can get pretty chummy, especially if they both share the same residence. They also held the same high church office as apostle. (Apostle is the highest office in the church, 1 Cor. 12:28. There is no office as Pope.) We can assume Paul the apostle and Peter (the apostle) had plenty enough time to fellowship and discuss various points of doctrine, but that closeness never stood in the way of Paul’s faithfulness to God! Paul the apostle actually opposed Peter publicly over his actions involving a raging controversy of that day – the significance of the law to be justified. It was an indirect message, which Peter was projecting from his non-verbal behavior, which caused the problem. It involved him not eating with Gentile believers when the circumcision group was present! By his example, Peter even adversely influenced the apostle Barnabas to act the same way. Paul the apostle stood ALONE against his fellow co-workers and apostles! Paul’s actions reflected how he valued truth over anyone he knew. Such loyalty to God, and his truth, is almost unknown in our day of ecumenical compromise where the word of life has been thrown to the ground and stomped on!

Today’s Preachers Are Unlike Paul The Apostle

Unlike Paul the apostle, some of the most popular preachers of our day, with staggering influences, have flagrantly chosen to be an open friend of the world (Catholicism) over God’s eternal truths. Just the putrid examples of Billy Graham, Rick Warren and Kenneth Copeland alone are enough to distress anyone in our day who knows that Catholicism is antithetical to Christianity. Surely multitudes have been misled by them. Could Ulf Ekman, a former word-faith preacher who became a Roman Catholic, have been stumbled by Kenneth Copeland’s example? It certainly seems that way.

Those preachers and multitudes like them are not spiritually qualified to lead. They might have singing abilities, personal charisma and the like, but they terribly FAIL to have the needed qualifications cited in 1 Tim. 3, Titus 1 and 1 Pet. 5 for spiritual leadership, unlike Paul the apostle. If spiritual leaders won’t stand for truth, which may jeopardize a friendship, how can they stand for God’s truth which will divide their own natural family (Mt. 10:34-39)? I personally know two disgusting examples of people who communicated God’s word and maintained their pitiful friendship with men (adulterers), who broke up marriages to get their wives! This is disgraceful! Such people aren’t in the ball park with the Paul the apostle, who stood against Peter.

More Points About Paul The Apostle

Catholics have been wrongly taught that Peter was the first pope and papal infallibility exists. Certainly Peter was not infallible, because he was in the wrong. That is why Paul the apostle opposed him. Neither was Peter uniquely the chief apostle! We know that because Paul the apostle was at least equal to the chief apostle, whoever that would be.
Peter had a definite weakness – the fear of man. The first time is when he disowned Jesus three times to avoid persecution (Mt. 26:69-74). This time it was among powerful religious leaders who might frown upon him eating with Gentiles.
The power of example is GREAT! This is glaringly obvious as Peter’s bad example adversely affected Barnabas to act the same way!
Peter was a Jew, who was living like a Gentile (Gal. 2:14). It wasn’t just Paul the apostle who was like that. That powerfully refutes the Messianic Jews of our day, who exalt keeping the Jewish feast days, Sabbath, etc. and their own Jewish lineage. There is neither Jew nor Gentile in Christ Jesus (Gal. 3:28).
We are justified by faith in Jesus. JESUS must be the object of our faith. Our reliance must be in the Lord Jesus, the only Savior (Acts 4:11,12). Though Paul’s life was filled with good works and fruitful deeds, his faith was in JESUS for his salvation, where ours better be too.
There was no compromise with Paul. He taught the importance of unity, but Gal. 2:11-16 shows when there is a clash between God’s truth and unity, God’s truth must prevail. Friendships come afterwards and if it has to end, it has to end.
In Peter’s last epistle, he endorsed Paul the apostle’s writings as scripture (2 Pet. 3:16) – the same ones which mention Peter being in the wrong.
Eating with others (Acts 11:3) as well as what was eaten was an important issue in first century Christianity. In our day, we are a thousand miles in the wrong direction from their conscientiousness over our actions and associations.

Find Out Now If The Apostle Paul Was Genuine or Not

Those who portray Paul the apostle as the worst of sinners are not only smearing Paul’s holy character, they are also contorting the holy image of Christianity itself, but that type of attack is typical for the eternal security proponents. Paul the apostle was a mighty man of God, a courageous example and nothing less! Remember these truths about the real Paul the apostle.

Posted in Christian, Paul The Apostle | Tagged apostle paul, paul the apostle, paul the apostle facts, Paul's example | Comments Off

What Is Confidence In The Flesh

Posted on January 16, 2016 by Eternal Life Blog

Much confusion centers around the phrase, confidence in the flesh. Having confidence in the flesh is condemned in scripture. This teaching will clarify and focus upon that term from Phil.3:2-6. As to all those who try to connect confidence in the flesh to obedience to God, their fallacy will be revealed by the following verse by verse examination. Paul wrote:

Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. (Phil 3:2)

Certain men, called dogs, heavily stressed circumcision and the related to the place that it was taught as the means of salvation (Acts 15:1). They were known as the circumcision group (Gal. 2:12). Titus 1:10,11 reveal more about those same religious enemies of the gospel of grace:

For there are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group. They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach–and that for the sake of dishonest gain.

They are also the same dogs mentioned in the following verse showing they will be excluded from New Jerusalem (and will go to the lake of fire):

Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. (Rev 22:15)

The ongoing battle in Paul’s day on that topic was intense.

For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh– (Phil 3:3)

Find Out Who God’s Chosen People Are

Phil. 3:3 is a concise explanation of a Christian on three points. We Christians:

worship by the Spirit of God
glory in Christ Jesus
put no confidence in the flesh

The mention of putting no confidence in the flesh is obvious, but the meaning is not yet clear. However, the next couple of verses will explain it for us.

though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: (Phil 3:4)

Paul stated that he himself has reasons to have confidence in the flesh, if that was a good thing, which it isn’t (and Paul didn’t). Now he reveals the meaning of having confidence in the flesh from his own background:

The Meaning Of Confidence In The Flesh

circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. (Phil 3:5,6)

Paul In Galatians Elaborates More On This False Theology

To have confidence in the flesh is, therefore, strictly related to confidence in religious Jewish practices and being of the Hebrew descent, which is not relevant at all in our day. For Paul to have confidence in the flesh would mean he had confidence in being:

circumcised on the eighth day
of the people of Israel
of the tribe of Benjamin
a Hebrew of Hebrews
a Pharisee
persecuting the church
with legalistic righteousness

That has nothing to do with simple obedience to God. Obeying Jesus and doing good, as followers of Jesus do, are not opposed by Paul or any other follower of Jesus anywhere – just the opposite (1 Cor. 7:19; Titus 3:8,14; etc.). In fact, Jesus gives eternal salvation only to those who obey him (Heb. 5:9). Again, that has no connection at all to having confidence in the flesh. Confidence in the flesh is related to trying to be justified by the law, which would cause Christians to fall from grace and lose their salvation (Gal. 5:2-4).

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Three People Named Ananias

Posted on January 8, 2016 by Eternal Life Blog

If someone asked you, “Who was Ananias?” would you answer, which one — for there were three people named Ananias? As in our day today, back in bible times, some totally different people had the same name. There were various people named Mary, various people named Simon and various people named Ananias. We must consider the context to know who is who.

Ananias, the Lying Husband of Sapphira

The first person in this study named Ananias went down in the history of the church as being a liar, who was struck dead by God! Ananias adversely influenced his wife Sapphira and both endeavored to deceive about the price they got for a land sale. The were both struck dead, a few hours apart, for their lie. Great fear came over the whole church as a consequence of God killing them. Heretics in our day (gotquestion.org and many others) teach Ananias and Sapphira were an example of the sin unto death. Eternal security teachers usually claim that such people whom God kills are taken “home to heaven” after God kills them in his wrath, just like Dave Hunt did! The truth is, the real sin unto death has nothing to do with that. The distorted version of the sin unto death we are presented with is a glaring example of a license to sin and is taught under the doctrine of eternal security, the devil’s masterpiece lie to mankind. Here is the whole event:

Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet. Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God.” When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. Then the young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him. About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?” “Yes,” she said, “that is the price.” Peter said to her, “How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.” At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events. (Acts 5:1-11)

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Ananias, Sent To Restore Paul’s Eyesight

Ananias, from Damascus, was a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. To better understand him, you have to consider what was happening in Paul’s life before he became a Christian. At that point, Paul was commonly known as Saul. He was viciously persecuting the Christians to their death – both men and women! He was headed for Damascus and one of his targets would have probably been Ananias, who speaks to the Lord:

“Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.” (Acts 9:13,14)

Saul was struck blind on the Damascus road and saved before he arrived in Damascus. The Lord Jesus told Ananias in a vision to go to Saul and place hands on him:

Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord–Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here–has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized. (Acts 9:17,18)

Soon afterwards, Paul started preaching! Ananias was used in a mighty way in Paul’s life. [NOTE: Acts 9:14 describes the early Christians as those who “call on” Jesus’ name, that is, pray TO Jesus. See Acts 7:59,60. That too is indirect evidence of the deity of Christ, for it would be a form of idolatry to pray to anyone other than God.]

Ananias, the High Priest

The mighty apostle Paul spent years in prison because he was faithful to preach and defend the gospel. Once when he was on trial, he was standing before the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem and wicked Ananias, the high priest:

Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, “My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day.” At this the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth. (Acts 23:1,2)

It was the high priest Caiaphas who falsely accused Jesus of blasphemy (Mt. 26:62-68) and was central in plotting the arrest and death of Jesus in the first place (Mt. 26:3,4). Shockingly, wicked Caiaphas also gave a TRUE PROPHECY (John 11:49-52), thereby proving that unsaved people can give a true prophecy! Ananias (the high priest), succeeded Caiaphas at a later time, and was now opposing the Lord’s chief apostle, Paul. Like Caiaphas, Ananias was highly religious, but as spiritually dead and lost as they come! He thought he was important in serving God and held a central and influential position, but he was actually serving the DEVIL. After Paul’s first clash with Ananias in Jerusalem, Ananias traveled to Caesarea to falsely charge Paul before governor Felix, with trying to desecrate the temple (Acts 24:1). Paul was afterwards unjustly incarcerated.

Learn About Various Forms of Religious Deception Here

There were three significant people named Ananias in the New Testament. It appears that only one died with his name, Ananias, in the book of life. The other two people named Ananias, though very religious, were FAR from pleasing to God!

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