BIBLICAL THEOLOGY: SCRIPTURE INTERPRETING SCRIPTURE


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You Must Be Born Again!

10/11/2023

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Article #25 on Salvation 

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

If you don’t experience it for yourself, then you will never know what is on the other side. We are all born sinners! A radical change must take place. Not the betterment of your current life. A new life! Not the improvement of sinners. Morality will only mask the problem. Religious programs of rehabilitation or reeducation will not work. 
“Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.”  - John 3:7
This is not something that we can do for God. This is something that God does for us (Eph. 2:8-10). We cannot save ourselves! We cannot change ourselves! Sin is a hereditary problem that has infected the entire human race. We inherited a sinful nature from Adam & Eve (Rom. 5:12-14). The whole family tree of mankind is fallen! A divine intervention must take place (2 Pet. 1:2-4). God, the Creator, is the only one who has the power to make all things become new.
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”  - 2 Cor. 5:17
The sin problem at conception can be remedied by the new creation. God can remake and reform those who have been “shapen in iniquity” (Ps. 51:5). The Potter has power over the clay (Jer. 18:1-6). Those who are born in sin can be reborn in righteousness! The generations of men can be regenerated (Titus 3:3-7). Hereby, the Children of the Devil become Children of God (1 Jn. 3:7-10). The miraculous difference will be felt “as soon as they be born” (Ps. 58:3, Rom. 5:21). Can you believe it? Believe in the Gospel. This is true freedom (Jn. 8:31-36)! Not freedom to sin. Freedom from sin! 
“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?”  - Rom. 6:1-2
You will never know what I am talking about unless you are born again. You can’t peer into the other side to investigate. Only God can open blind eyes (Acts 26:18)! The miraculous change is permanent. You must come to terms with the message of salvation contained in the Gospel. Your adoption into the family of God isn’t temporary (Rom. 8:9-17). If you sincerely give up your old life, without reservation, then God will graciously give you a new life. This is liberally granted to sinners as a free gift from God! However, this is only possible because it was bought and paid for by the precious blood of Jesus Christ (Rom. 6:22-23)! The Cross bears witness. You must repent & believe on the Lord Jesus Christ! 
“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”  - John 1:12-13
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The Greatest Deception that God Warns Men about in the New Testament

4/19/2023

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Article #1 on Salvation 

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The Greatest Deception that God Warns
​Men about in the New Testament

“Let no man deceive you...” – Eph. 5:3-7

“Little children, let no man deceive you…” – 1 Jn. 3:7-10

“Be not deceived…” – 1 Cor. 6:9-10
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“Be not deceived…” – Gal. 6:7-8
Someone is trying to deceive you. Are you a Christian? Chances are that you have already been deceived! Most modern Churches ignore these warnings from God in the New Testament. What about you? The God of the Bible is lovingly trying to get your attention! A dangerous deception is causing men to think that they are saved, and that they are going to heaven when they die, when in fact they are condemned before God according to Holy Scripture.
“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.” – 1 Cor. 6:9-10

“But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them.” – Eph. 5:3-7

“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.” – 1 John 3:7-10

“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.” – Gal. 5:19-21

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” – Gal. 6:7-8
Did you find yourself in any one of these passages? God is talking to you. There are no exaggerations in Scripture. God will not apologize to anyone on Judgment Day! If even one verse of the Bible condemns you, then you are infinitely condemned. Think about that! Not one word of Scripture can ever be broken. Therefore, if one or more of the aforementioned sins does characterize you, and you still think that you are a Christian, then you have been deceived.

Now you have a choice to make. Are you going to religiously do what you have always done as a professing Christian, while surrounding yourself with people that do the same, or will you now humble yourself to the truth of the word of God?
“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” - James 1:22
​Willingness to attend Church and hear preaching is all a part of the deception these days (Matt. 23:3). Sadly, many deceivers occupy the pulpits of modern Churches (Jer. 50:6, Isa. 56:11). They say that you can’t certainly know who is or isn’t a true Christian in the Church. However, according to the Bible, we are called to know the difference between who is righteous and unrighteous, and in doing so, we are discerning who is or isn’t a true Christian (Mt. 7:13-27, 12:33-37, 1 Jn. 4:5-6, 1 Cor. 5:9-13, Rom. 16:17-18).
"Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not." - Mal. 3:18​
These deceivers say that you can’t know who is going to heaven and hell among professing Christians. However, Jesus Christ said, “Ye shall know them by their fruits.” (Matt. 7:16, 20). To live in denial of these plainly stated truths of Scripture is to put your trust in a titanic deception. Be sure of this! The coming storm of divine wrath will make all things manifest.
“Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.” – Matt. 7:24-27
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Sorrow is Not the Same Thing as Repentance

4/19/2023

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Article #2 on Salvation 

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“Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about.” – Ps. 32:10

Most people think that if you are sorry for your sins and you confess them to God, then you have certainly repented of your sins. However, according to the Bible, confession is not the same thing as repentance. Neither is sorrow the same thing as repentance! Why? Sinners are plagued with many sorrows in life, and many more in the afterlife.

​Praying, Seeking, Crying, & Weeping is Not the Same Thing as Repentance

Once upon a time, Esau committed a very serious sin in the sight of God – the same for which he tried to repent (Gen. 25:29-34; Prov. 13:15). A remarkable effort was given, but the man failed miserably.
“Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.” – Heb. 12:16-17
​Not everyone who tries to repent can repent! Not even this beloved son of the patriarch, Isaac, was capable of repenting whenever he wanted to in the flesh (Rom. 8:7-8). Esau was exceedingly sorrowful in his pursuit of repentance! Maybe you are too? According to Scripture, “he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry” as he tried to get a blessing from God (Gen. 27:34). Such anguish over the blessings and curses of God would require a significant amount of faith in the LORD (Deut. 28:1-62). Nevertheless, Esau’s faith was perverted, and therefore his sorrow was void of repentance.
“And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.” - Gen. 27:38
This serves as a lesson to us all (Mal. 1:2-3, Rom. 9:12-13). However, not many people are paying attention to the testimony of Holy Scripture these days. If your local Pastor ever heard the great cries of such an exceedingly sorrowful man, he would quickly deem him to be a sinner who is soundly repenting of his sins. Have you ever heard anyone praying like this? This would be an impressive display of repentance in your average Church. Nevertheless, Scripture emphatically declares that Esau “found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears” (Heb. 12:16-17).

​Baptism is Not the Same Thing as Repentance

One fine day, John the Baptist appeared in the countryside of Jordan preaching “the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins” (Lk. 3:3). In the process of time, the preaching had an impact upon society. It wasn’t long before a “multitude” came out to be baptized by John in a great show of public repentance (so it seemed). How do you think John responded to this great crowd of people (Lk. 3:7)?

The famous Evangelists of today would have rejoiced at the sight! With a welcoming smile they would have proceeded to baptize all who came to the waters. Instead, John withstood the multitude at the waters, and solemnly refused to baptize them! Why? Because even though the people were coming with remorseful countenances in a seemingly pious demonstration of faith, John the Baptist discerned that their sorrow was void of repentance.
“Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.” – Lk. 3:7-9
A repentance is known by its fruits. The Baptist didn’t baptize because the people were unqualified for baptism. A benevolent God put this good man at the waters to stand guard! The fruits were bearing witness that the people lacked a genuine repentance (Matt. 7:13-23, 12:33-37; Acts 26:20; 2 Cor. 7:10-11). However, sadly, most people in this condition don’t have John the Baptist stopping them from getting baptized. Innumerable people to date have gone into the waters, and they came out the same person they were before! No difference. Now the Churches of today are filled with impenitent sinners who think they are Christians because they got baptized.

​Going to Church is Not the Same Thing as Repentance

In such circumstances the superstitions abound. These same people proceed to religiously attend Church and partake of the communion bread of the Lord’s Supper. Through faithfully observing this ritual they reassure themselves that they are believers in Christ. However, if the prophet Jeremiah were present, he would stand in the gate of the Church and loudly rebuke the people for a lifestyle void of repentance (Jer. 7:1-4)! Why? Real communion with God produces repentance.
“The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, Stand in the gate of the LORD'S house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD, all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the LORD. Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, are these.” – Jer. 7:1-4
God does not see as man sees. God looks to the heart! Things are different from a divine vantage point. Everyone in Church on Sunday may very well be praying to God for mercy, but the mercy that they seek isn’t for repentance. Herein lies the problem. Chances are that they don’t even know what repentance is according to the Bible! Consequentially, you will not find them praying to God that He would “give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth” (2 Tim. 2:24-26). Perhaps not even one man in the whole Church is praying for repentance.

The statistics are probably worse than the Ten Lepers of Luke 17:11-19. Literally, nine out of ten people are praying for mercy only because of something earthly, physical, and worldly that they want from God! Naturally, sinners want earthly gifts more than the Giver (Ps. 10:3). The Ten Lepers cried out to Jesus, saying, “Master, have mercy on us.” (Lk. 17:13), because they wanted physical healing from Jesus, but only one of them repented and came to a place of subjection to Jesus Christ as the Lord (Lk. 17:11-19; Jn. 9:38).

Accordingly, the goats flock to the Churches these days because they desire health and happiness rather than holiness. The people covet earthly riches rather than righteousness. They seek earthly success rather than salvation. Nevertheless, Church-ianity is not the same thing as biblical Christianity! Sadly, the rich man who was rejected by Jesus would feel very comfortable in these modern Churches (Mk. 10:17-27; Lk. 8:14).

Reading the Bible is Not the Same Thing as Repentance

These same people begin to religiously read the Bible, and in doing so they come to believe that they are authentically Christian simply because they read the Bible. Nevertheless, Jeremiah and Jesus had some harsh words for such people (Jer. 8:8-11, Jn. 5:39-40)! Why? Real contact with the Living God through reading the Bible produces repentance.
​“How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain. The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the LORD; and what wisdom is in them?” – Jer. 8:8-9

“Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me. And ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life.” – Jn. 5:39-40
Most people are sorry for their sins in their own way. They are sorry that they are wrong, or they are sorry that they got caught, and they mourn about whatever punishment must be borne as a consequence for their sins. This is no different than the sorrow of Cain, who lamented to the LORD, “My punishment greater than I can bear.” (Gen. 4:13; 1 Jn. 3:12, Jude 1:11), but the only difference is that these people are welcomed into modern Churches as soundly saved Christians who have resorted there for refuge.

​Fear, Observation, & Gladness to Hear Preaching isn’t the Same Thing as Repentance

​The deception is strong in adulterous generations. Multitudes attend Church every Sunday to hear preaching with a remarkable degree of fear with regards to the Scripture in their own way ("…their fear toward Me is taught by the precept of men” – Isa. 29:13). The situation is eerily similar to the superstition of Israel when “they feared the LORD, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations…” (2 Kings. 17:33, 41). Marvelously, the same could be said about a very notorious ruler in the New Testament, King Herod, who reigned in the days of John the Baptist. Sadly, in every case, this “fear” for Scripture and gladness to listen to sermons doesn’t produce repentance.
“For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.” - Mark 6:20
​Herod’s gladness was mixed with exceedingly great sorrow as he habitually felt obligated to commit wickedness in the sight of God - the same which eventually brought about the martyrdom of John the Baptist (Mk. 6:26; 1 Jn. 3:7-10). A scorpion in the sheepfold shouldn’t be mistaken for a sheep. Thus and thus was the spiritual identity of the Jews who were taken captive to Babylon because they too stubbornly refused to repent (Ezek. 2:6). However, you couldn’t tell by looking at them! Even they somehow took pleasure in the fiery preaching of Ezekiel. Church attendance to them was like going to hear a very lovely song played by skillful musicians.
“And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not. And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it will come,) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them.” – Ezek. 33:31-33
​The dispersed Jews of Babylon were motivated to attend Church to hear from Ezekiel because of the sorrow they felt in being sorely punished by God in the captivity. The people in hell are sorrowful too for the exact same reasons, and neither are they repenting of their sins. The Rich Man of Luke 16:19-31 was sorry that he was being punished for his sins, but he wasn’t sorrowful that he had sinned for a personal hatred of wickedness, and he wasn’t joyful in righteousness for a personal delight in obedience to God.

Regret is not the same thing as repentance. The Rich Man regretted the life that he lived! Nevertheless, his focus was intensely selfish as he burned in hellfire. He wished that his punishment would be diminished, even slightly, and he lamented at the thought of his other family members coming to this place of torment. As a matter of fact, millions of people come to Church every Sunday with the same wishful thinking in their own earthly circumstances. Our doctrine on repentance is bad if the sorrow that we experience is no better than those who are in hell.

​Godly Sorrow Works Repentance to Salvation

“For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” – 2 Cor. 7:10
Categorically, there are two different kinds of sorrow: godly sorrow & worldly sorrow. One enables repentance while the other prevents it. One leads to life while the other leads to death (Acts 11:18).

This is the single most important part of the sorrow that works repentance to salvation: GOD. Literally, if God is in the sorrow, then it is godly sorrow. If God isn’t in the sorrow, then it is an ungodly sorrow that is of the world. The sorrow must be of God, as something directly empowered by God, through the very presence of God, without which it is impossible to repent (Zech. 12:10).
“For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.” – Rom. 8:5-8
​Repentance is a miraculous change of heart and mind! It is nearly impossible to overstate the radical nature of this change (2 Cor. 5:17). It is comparable to a spiritual heart transplant by the surgical hands of the Great Physician (Ezek. 11:19-20, 36:26-27, Jer. 31:33, 32:38-40). No one can just decide to repent in the flesh.  Christianity is more than mere decisionism. Christ must come and take up residence in the human soul so that the body itself becomes the Temple of God (Jn. 14:23, Gal. 2:20).
​“But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” – Rom. 8:9

“What? know ye not that your body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.” – 1 Cor. 6:19-20
​The single most important ingredient to Christianity is Christ. Without Christ personally being present in real time, sinners cannot do anything at all (Jn. 15:4)! Salvation is of the LORD. Sinners can neither seek God, nor find Him, unless the LORD draws them to Himself (Rom. 3:10-12; Jn. 6:44; Jer. 29:13; Isa. 45:15). The sincere conviction of sin and the godly sorrow that is needed to repent comes directly from being brought into the presence of God (Jn. 16:8). Even just one glimpse of the Living God would break the hardest of hearts in the vilest sinners! At once, it would prostrate them in godly sorrow before the Throne of God in Heaven! This is Isaiah’s personal testimony.
“In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a Throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the Temple…Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.” – Isa. 6:1-5
Godly sorrow speaks thus because the punishment for our sin is less important than the Person against whom we have sinned. This kind of repentance – a biblical repentance – is one that is inspired by faith in God. By faith the thoughts, emotions, and desires of the heart are supernaturally fixated on God. This is why David said to God, “Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Thy sight...” (Psalm 51:4), even though he had committed great sins against men on this occasion. David’s mind and heart were painfully aware of how these sins were chiefly against God! This is a “repentance toward God” (Acts 20:21).
“Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.” – Jer. 23:23-24
​God is the one and only being in the universe who is supremely offended with sin. It angers the holy heart of God! Therefore, sinners are in desperate need of peace with God. To repent one must turn to God, and in turning to God, you are made to care more about what the LORD is thinking and feeling than your own thoughts and feelings in the flesh. Without turning to God, it is literally impossible to turn away from sin (Ezek. 18:23, 27-28, 30, 32; Prov. 16:6).

Some people try and fail to repent of their sins only because they aren’t repenting toward God. This is the problem. Judas Iscariot perfectly exemplifies the misery of it. In worldly sorrow Judas “repented” and even made a public confession of sin, saying, “I have sinned…” (Matt. 27:3, 4). He even tried to make restitution for his sin by casting the blood money into the courts of the Temple (Matt. 27:5)! Nevertheless, Judas’ repentance turned out to be one of worldly sorrow instead of godly sorrow. You can call this a faithless repentance towards man instead of a faith-filled repentance towards God. Therefore, instead of this sorrow producing a genuine repentance in Judas, it compelled him to commit suicide (Matt. 27:5). “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” (2 Cor. 7:10). Even so, Judas’ faulty repentance is perfectly contrasted by Peter’s biblical repentance.
“And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.”  - Lk. 22:61-62
J-U-S-T O-N-E L-O-O-K. The infinite power of God suddenly struck Peter’s heart with a shattering sense of conviction when Jesus looked upon him. Divine providence arranged this moment to illustrate the most vital part of true repentance. The dark souls of sinners must be engaged by the shining Face of the Living God! Otherwise, there is no hope. This is the clear teaching of Holy Scripture, even in the New Testament (2 Cor. 3:17-18, 4:4-6).
“Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is My Throne, and the earth is My footstool: where is the house that ye build unto Me? and where is the place of My rest? For all those things hath Mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My word.”  - Isa. 66:1-2
​This too is an illustration of biblical repentance. When godly sorrow is at work in the human heart, the soul is made aware of God in a staggering experience of spiritual illumination: consequentially, those who are rich in spirit become poor and needy (Matt. 5:3), and those who are hard-hearted become broken and contrite in spirit (Isa. 66:2), while at the same time those who are proud and defiant are stricken with a sense of trembling before the Word of God (Prov. 14:16, 16:6; Heb. 12:28-29). If you have personally experienced it, then you know what I am talking about (Heb. 6:4-5). Even so, if sinners desire salvation, then let them seek a living encounter with the Savior.
​“For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.”  - Isa. 57:15

“The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”  - Ps. 34:18
David repeatedly spoke of his relationship with God with the very same language. Therefore, when he was in sin, he refrained himself from making any animal sacrifices in the courts of the Tabernacle (in a seemingly pious display of repentance when God wasn’t in it!), knowing that God would only be pleased with such things if he had a sincere heart of repentance before the LORD (Ps. 51:16). Emphasizing this, David said, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” (Ps. 51:17). Even so it is with us in the New Testament.

In repenting true believers are seeking for mercy from God, and in seeking mercy, they desire an atonement, and in having faith in the atonement they are seeking reconciliation with God. God Himself is the goal. Literally, the atonement exists to accomplish this reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18-21). Clearly, David understood this simple truth. David knew that only GOD could move him with godly sorrow in the cultivation of a broken & contrite heart over his sins.
“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Thy presence; and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation; and uphold me with Thy free Spirit.”  - Ps. 51:10-12
​David could have gone directly to the Priesthood of the Tabernacle, and they would have given him the washing, cleansing, and purging that was necessary according to the laws of animal sacrifice in the Old Testament. However, instead, David was asking God to supernaturally do the washing, cleansing, and purging that was needed (Ps. 51:2, 7). Salvation is of the LORD! David was preoccupied with desperation for the Living God, that the LORD would continue the work of the Holy Spirit in his heart and hereby grant him repentance unto salvation! Otherwise, if the Holy Spirit were to be taken away from him, it would make it impossible for him to repent (Heb. 12:16-17). Literally, David watched this happen to his predecessor, King Saul (1 Sam. 16:13-15; Ps. 119:8, 120).

Now the tale of these two men is a lesson to us all. Therefore, let us compare the faulty repentance of Saul to the genuine biblical repentance of David. Marvelously, as an impenitent sinner, Saul still appeared very spiritual to those around him (Jn. 7:24). He even “prophesied” by the power of an evil spirit (1 Sam. 18:10-12)! Obviously, Saul was ready to speak with all boldness and authority on his own behalf in self-defense, but David was humbly and quietly longing to hear from God without making any excuses for his sin (Ps. 51:6, 8).

Saul still uttered gracious and faith-filled words of encouragement, like when he said to David, “only be thou valiant for me, and fight the LORD’s battles” (1 Sam. 18:17), but in speaking thus he had “seven abominations in his heart” (Prov. 26:24-25). However, the multitudes who followed Saul didn’t want to believe that things were that bad. Nevertheless, what was wrong with Saul was glaringly obvious to true believers. True faith aligns a man to the purposes of God with a whole-hearted dependency upon God, with an unwillingness to do anything without the direct leadership of God. Even so, while Saul was busy plotting, David was constantly praying (Ps. 51:3-6).

Saul’s definition of sincerity and honesty was twisted with self-interest. Saul loved himself – and he believed that God did too! – and therefore he accused everyone else of being insincere and dishonest if they ever crossed him (1 Sam. 19:17). Or, if circumstances appeared to be in his favor, he would take the name of the LORD in vain by commending himself to God (1 Sam. 23:7). Also, if others helped him, Saul would take the name of the LORD in vain by commending these people for their blessedness, despite the fact that they were committing great wickedness in the sight of God (1 Sam. 23:21).

Saul made himself out to be a victim by soliciting the compassion of others, while accusing David of being treacherous. Very boldly, Saul said to his servants, “there is none of you that is sorry for me” (1 Sam. 22:8)! Whatever episodes of repentance that Saul ever seemed to experience (“And Saul lifted up his voice, and wept.” – 1 Sam. 24:16), they all proved to be faulty because they were temporary and man-centered. Saul broke the vows of obedience that he uttered and continued to presumptuously walk contrary to the Word of God (Faulty Repentance #1: 1 Sam. 24:16-22; Faulty Repentance #2: 1 Sam. 26:17-25).

Contrastingly, David was only interested in getting compassion from God, and he was gracious and forgiving to those who sought to kill him. David humbly acknowledged his sins with an intense awareness of the sinful nature that he inherited through the fall of Adam (Ps. 51:5, Jer. 17:9), and therefore he prayed that God would put the “truth” into his “inward parts” by the Holy Spirit (Ps. 51:6). Only then would David be freed from the deceit of his own depraved human heart (Jer. 17:9)! Thus would David be empowered to deal sincerely and honestly with the affairs of the Kingdom of God, the same which he described in this vow: “Then will I teach transgressors Thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto Thee.” (Ps. 51:13). Still today David is teaching. Even so, let Psalm 51 be your guide to a biblical repentance.
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Confession is Not the Same Thing as Repentance

4/19/2023

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Article #3 on Salvation 

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“I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” – Luke 13:3, 5

Most people think that if you have confessed your sins to God, then you have certainly repented of your sins. However, according to the Bible, confession is not the same thing as repentance. Never coming to understand this has led to millions of confessions that are void of repentance.

Many sinners find it very difficult to repent. Pharoah did too! Pharoah tried to repent and failed a total of seven times. Now his life is a lesson to us all. Those who find it very easy to repent have been deceived to think that repentance is merely confessing your sins and apologizing to God (Lk. 13:23-24, Mk. 10:26-27). Fearfully, most people don’t even know what repentance is according to the Bible.

Faulty Repentance #1

“Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, Intreat the LORD, that he may take away the frogs from me, and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may do sacrifice unto the LORD.” – Ex. 8:8
Pharoah called for a Man of God and complied with the demands of the LORD (so it seemed), while asking for prayer, saying, “Intreat the LORD…” (Ex. 8:8). This alone was a significant act of humility on the part of a ruler of Egypt. However, as soon as Pharoah saw that there was respite from the plague of frogs his heart was hardened (Ex. 8:15).

Faulty Repentance #2

"And Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said, Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land…And Pharaoh said, I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only ye shall not go very far away: intreat for me.” - Ex. 8:25, 28
Yet again the Pharoah humbled himself and asked for prayer, saying, “Intreat for me.” (Ex. 8:28), and a vow of obedience was given. Nevertheless, as soon as the plague of flies was lifted, Pharaoh broke the vows he uttered to the LORD and proved himself to be a liar (Ex. 8:25, 28-32). God will not save liars (Isa. 63:8)! In other words, God will not countenance the prayers of sinners who are void of true repentance (Ps. 66:18, Prov. 28:9). A momentary compliance is not biblical repentance.

Furthermore, whatever subjection to the LORD was achieved was against Pharoah’s will. The man was there to bargain, and in so doing he would keep whatever he can and surrender as little as possible to the LORD. This is the bane of the Self Life! Self is hostile to the Kingdom of God (Matt. 16:24, Mk. 8:34, Lk. 9:23; Gal. 2:20). Specifically speaking, Pharoah wanted to decide where the Israelites were allowed to go. He welcomed them to make their sacrifices “in the land” of Egypt (Ex. 8:25). Of course, this this didn’t work. Then Pharoah said that Israel could go and make their sacrifices “in the wilderness”, only if they wouldn’t “go very far away” (Ex. 8:28). This is a pathetic and futile grasping after the Self Life.

​Faulty Repentance #3

"And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time: the LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. Intreat the LORD (for it is enough) that there be no more mighty thunderings and hail; and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer.” – Ex. 9:27-28
​Pharoah humbled himself still more, in confessing that he had “sinned”, and that both he and his people are “wicked”, saying, “I have sinned this time: the LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked.” (Ex. 9:27). Nevertheless, as soon as the hail ceased Pharoah hardened his heart (Ex. 9:32-35). This confession is remarkably similar to the ideal confession of Job 33:27. However, it turned out to be something else, something much worse than even Rehoboam’s confession, who also said, “The LORD is righteous.” (2 Chron. 12:6). These were right words spoken from an impenitent heart. Therefore, both Pharaoh and Rehoboam died in their sins.

Faulty Repentance #4​

"And Moses and Aaron were brought again unto Pharaoh: and he said unto them, Go, serve the LORD your God: but who are they that shall go?...And he said unto them, Let the LORD be so with you, as I will let you go, and your little ones: look to it; for evil is before you. Not so: go now ye that are men, and serve the LORD; for that ye did desire. And they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence.” - Ex. 10:8, 10-11
Pharoah was not ever pleased to humble himself (Ps. 10:4). The call to repentance was always burdensome to him (1 Jn. 5:3). All compliance and cooperation came with intense displeasure (Prov. 29:27).
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After having lost the debate on where the Israelites would go, this time Pharoah wanted to decide “who” of the Israelites would go. However, at the same time, Pharaoh wanted to maintain an appearance of absolute surrender to the LORD, even though he required that only the “men” would go and no one else. The proposition was made with a compelling display of insincerity and force, as Pharoah said, “Let the LORD be so with you, as I will let you go…go now ye that are men, and serve the LORD” (Ex. 10:8-11). Then Moses and Aaron were abruptly “driven out from Pharaoh’s presence” (Ex. 10:8-11). Even so it is today: all fair speeches from the mouths of hypocrites in your average Church are a grief to God (Isa. 29:13).

​Faulty Repentance #5

“Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste; and he said, I have sinned against the LORD your God, and against you. Now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and intreat the LORD your God, that he may take away from me this death only.” – Ex. 10:16-17
​Slowness to repent is a sign of compulsory behavior. Heartless obedience is still disobedience. This certainly characterizes Pharoah throughout this ordeal.

A true sense of the fear of the LORD would inspire urgency! This is true. However, this is not to be confused with distress and anxiety. For, as the judgments of God increase upon sinners, the physical distress can inspire them to act “in haste” while still being void of a genuine biblical repentance in the sight of God (Ex. 10:16). This is exactly what Pharaoh did. He had the appearance of repentance more than ever before. Nevertheless, Jesus said, “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” (John 7:24).

Distress is not the same thing as the fear of the LORD. Though distress can often guide men into a true sense of fearing God (Ps. 107:23-31), sadly, this is not always the case. Even so, someone can have all the right words and a wrong heart, like Pharaoh, when he said, “I have sinned against the LORD your God, and against you. Now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and intreat the LORD your God...” (Ex. 10:16-17). Panicking sinners are capable of saying almost anything while in distress, if they think it would benefit them in their situation; meanwhile, God knows that they don’t mean what they say from the heart.

Repentance is a miraculous change of heart! It is nearly impossible to overstate the radical nature of this change (Rom. 8:5-8). It is comparable to a spiritual heart transplant by the surgical hands of the Great Physician (Ezek. 36:26-7). Forthcoming from the lips of these people is the confession, “I have sinned…” (Job 33:27-30, 34:31-32), but it is more than just words (1 Cor. 4:19-20). Take Judas as a chief example of this phenomena. He too said, “I have sinned…” (Matt. 27:4), but he was overcome with worldly sorrow and committed suicide (2 Cor. 7:10). Even so, we can say, “I have sinned”, and be no different than “the son of perdition” who died in his sins (Jn. 17:12).
“For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” – 2 Cor. 7:10
​Sometimes truly impenitent people can say the same things as truly repentant people, but there is a world of difference between the two. This is why the apostle Paul demanded that sinners would “repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance” (Acts 26:20). Evidently, the fruits of true repentance are both visible and verifiable according to the Bible. “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” (Matt. 7:13-23; Lk. 3:8). This is a call to introspection.
“My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.” – 1 Jn. 3:18-19
​The Israelites said, “We have sinned…” (Num. 21:7), and were truly repentant in their confession, and thus God forgave them for their sins (Jn. 3:14-15; Num. 22:12, 23:7-10, 21). Nevertheless, Balaam also said, “I have sinned…” (Num. 22:34), and we know what happened to him (Josh. 13:22)! Maybe you have never heard about “the way of Balaam” & “the error of Balaam” according to the New Testament (2 Pet. 2:15-16, Jude 1:11)? We are bound to do the same thing if we don’t learn from the mistakes of history.

Balaam was no different than Pharaoh. When Balaam said, “I have sinned…” (Num. 22:34), he had already “forsaken the right way” in his heart (2 Pet. 2:15), and thus he stubbornly persisted in rebellion against the LORD, howbeit he too was deceived to think that he was acting in obedience to the LORD (Num. 22:19-22; Ezek. 14:1-11). This is a pharisaical delusion (Matt. 5:20). Our “doctrine” is bad if we are no better than Balaam in respect to confessing and repenting of our sins (Rev. 2:14).

​Faulty Repentance #6

“And Pharaoh called unto Moses, and said, Go ye, serve the LORD; only let your flocks and your herds be stayed: let your little ones also go with you.” – Ex. 10:24
​The debate continues! This serves as a lesson to us all (Rom. 2:8-11). Of course, Pharaoh had yet another proposition to make. Sinners are pained at every loss of earthly fortune. First Pharoah wanted to control where the sacrifices would be made, and then he wanted to control who of the Israelites would go to make the sacrifices, and now he wants to control what shall be sacrificed to the LORD. Ah! Not even three days of darkness could bring Pharoah to the light of true repentance (Ex. 10:21-23).

Unhappy sinners will do almost anything to regain a little happiness, even if they have to go through the motions of what is religiously required by men as repentance to get what they want (Isa. 29:13). This is when the followers of the Lord only do religious things for the food (Jn. 6:25-27). This is when those who call upon the Lord in prayer do it for the corn and wine (Hos. 7:13-16). Other people have different priorities while employing the same methods. Religion is a means to an end for most people.

King Saul had his own priorities, and he religiously followed his own faith to the very end. He repeatedly said, “I have sinned…” (1 Sam. 15:24, 30), and at times his behavior changed significantly (1 Sam. 26:21), but everyone came to find out that he was a reprobate King who couldn’t repent (1 Sam. 16:13-15). Saul’s faith in the latter end wasn’t any different than Pharoah’s faith. Both men died in their sins. Even the Devils “believe” in God, but as rebels against the LORD it is obvious to everyone that they are not saved (James 2:19)! Men should be held to the same standard.

​Faulty Repentance #7

“And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead. And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as ye have said. Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also.” – Ex. 12:30-32

Shameless sinners will act repentant with urgency if they have no other perceivable recourse of survival, but instead of looking to God, their eyes are only for their own personal blessing. Their goal isn’t God Himself, but rather what they can get from God! Thus was Pharoah’s heart on the fateful night of liberation, when he said, “…and bless me also” (Ex. 12:30-33), as he grudgingly released the Israelites from slavery.

Pharaoh is being restrained from accomplishing his purpose, but he hasn’t repented of it. He is selfishly remorseful at his own circumstances like a caged lion who doesn’t kill because it can’t. The Jews who fled to Egypt for refuge in Jeremiah’s day were no different (Jer. 42:1-6). Sinners are always sour when their freedom to sin is crossed by God. They think that they can trick God into blessing them while they go about this world seeking their own glory. Even so, a disgruntled Pharaoh watched for any sign of regaining what was lost that he might immediately pounce upon any given opportunity. That opportunity came and Pharoah seized upon it in a beastly display of wickedness to his own demise (Ex. 14:1-10).

​The True Repentance of a Prince of Egypt

Not all the royalty of Egypt went to hell. At least one Prince of Egypt truly repented by grace through faith in the LORD. This elect man’s name is Moses. Now this is a worthy comparison: Moses' biblical repentance compared to Pharaoh’s faulty repentances.

Biblical Repentance

“By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment. By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.” – Heb. 11:23-27
This is a miraculous change! The biblical characteristics of repentance are hereby exemplified in a personal testimony of conversion (2 Cor. 5:17). A Prince of Egypt was so stricken with conviction over his sins that he felt as though his freedom in the palaces of Egypt was bondage compared to the glorious liberty of the Israelite slaves. The comforts of Egyptian royalty were thus despised, while the suffering of Israelite slavery was esteemed. This radical change of heart definitively exhibits the power of true conversion (Rom. 1:16).

Everything changes when a soul is brought into the very presence of the Living God! Therefore, Moses was gladly forfeiting the pleasure of sin for the joy of righteousness in God, and thus he departed from the Egyptians to join the Israelites. He genuinely felt that the Egyptians were poor and the Israelites were rich. Why? Moses saw Jehovah in the midst of Israel (“seeing Him who is invisible” – Heb. 12:27)! In leaving Egypt, he joined the mighty chorus of the redeemed, saying, “The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance” (Ps. 16:5)! Even so, neither did Moses cower in fear of the Pharoah of Egypt, only because the dread sovereign of all the earth was clearly in view before him! Just one glimpse of the Living God changes everything. “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” (Matt. 5:8).
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The False Jesus of the Modern Church

9/20/2022

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Article #4 on Salvation 

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“For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.”– 2 Cor. 11:4
The real Jesus is the one that matches the description of the Bible. Real Christianity is the one whose faith and practice is aligned with Holy Scripture. Nevertheless, there is “another Jesus” that is deceiving backslidden or unconverted professing Christians. Therefore, Paul was compelled to expose this false Jesus in 2 Corinthians 11:4. For, a spirit is ministered by the false Jesus, but it isn’t the Holy Spirit. A gospel is ministered by the false Jesus, but is isn’t the true Gospel that saves the soul.

Clearly, not every Jesus preached under the sun is the real one. The Muslims have their Jesus. The Mormons have their Jesus. The Catholics have their Jesus. The Jews have their Jesus. The New Agers have their Jesus. The list could go on. Nevertheless, what about your brand of so-called Christianity? Most Christian Churches are so far from God and contrary to Holy Scripture that they fit into the same category. The Modern Churches have their Jesus! But he isn’t the real one for the most part. Christians in general are so sinful that their Jesus isn’t the real one either. 
“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” - 2 Cor. 13:5
Examine yourselves! Do you have the real Jesus? Or is it another Jesus that was made up by the preacher down the street? This is idolatry! When people make up a god in their own mind that suits themselves, and then they call that god, Jesus, this is the false Jesus of the Modern Church. It is our responsibility to discern the true Jesus from the false Jesus. It is our responsibility to discern true Christians from false Christians. To do so we must look beyond the “Christian” veneer that is put on display outwardly. 
“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” – Matt. 7:15-20
Last century Christianity is largely no better than 1st century Judaism. Through the many multitudes of falsely converted Jews, the devil was essentially occupying all the synagogues of the land of Israel. The devil was ready and waiting for Jesus when he came to the Jews. This was his plan all along. So, when Jesus came to Judaism, all the denominations of Judaism united against their own Messiah and crucified Him!

Even so, the same could be said about Modern Christianity. The devil is now occupying the pulpits of the Modern Church of the Gentiles! The devil is ready and waiting to deceive true Christians when and if they darken the door of the Modern Church by inundating them with false doctrines. Nevertheless, now, as in the 1st century, it is our responsibility to discern and identify ourselves with the one and only Jesus Christ of the Bible! It is our responsibility to openly confess the true Jesus in distinction from the false Jesus, and to promote the true One publicly without shame. 
“Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in Heaven. But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is in Heaven. Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after Me, is not worthy of Me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for My sake shall find it.” – Matt. 10:32-39
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The Shocking Conversion of a Famous Religious Figure

9/19/2022

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Article #28 on Salvation 

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“But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.” – Matt. 23:13
It was foretold long ago that hypocrisy would plague the Church in the Last Days (2 Tim. 3:1-5, Jude 1:1-25). The most famous religious figures of Christianity in Africa and America are no different than the Pharisees (2 Tim. 4:3-4). They have a beautiful outward form of spirituality that deceives the masses, while the things that they are saying and doing in the name of God are without the love of the Father (2 Tim. 3:5; Lk. 18:9; 1 Jn. 2:15-17). 
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.” – Matt. 23:25-28
God looks to the heart while the common man looks on the outward appearance (1 Sam. 16:7). Herein lies the problem. For, with a great show of confidence, especially in public preaching and prayer, the Pharisees were obviously a lot different than the average sinner in town, but according to the Scriptures they were still condemned before God (Lk. 18:9-14).
“Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.” - Mat 15:12-14
Saul of Tarsus was a famous religious figure of his day. As a highly educated Pharisee whom the people trusted (Acts 22:3, 23:6; Acts 7:54-60), it appeared outwardly that he was a very righteous man. The average person would have believed that he was a prayerful man because he lived a lifestyle of fasting and prayer, even praying long prayers (Lk. 18:12, Matt. 23:14). The average person would have believed he was a man of the Bible because he occupied the pulpits of the Churches of Judaism, called Moses’ seat, and preached directly from the word of God to the people (Matt. 23:2-4; John 5:39-47). He even traveled long distances to preach to sinners for the making of one disciple, thus giving the appearance that he loved the souls of men (Matt. 23:15). 
“But all their works they do for to be seen of men…” – Matt. 23:5 
According to the traditional understanding of the people concerning the righteousness and godliness of true religion, Saul of Tarsus was widely regarded as blameless (Php. 3:6, Isa. 29:13). He faithfully tithed of all that he possessed (Lk. 18:12, Matt. 23:23). He dressed right, acted the part, and sat in the seats of honor (Matt. 23:5-6). Then, suddenly, the man was knocked off his high horse of pride by the blinding light of Jesus Christ (Acts 9:1-18, 22:1-24, 26:1-32)! In one moment of time, this famous religious figure realized that he was a lost sinner, and a hypocrite, and then he fasted and prayed for three days with great mourning over his sins (Acts 9:9). Thereafter, upon being gloriously converted to Christ in truth, he arose and proclaimed the experience of salvation to others by the power of the Gospel! As a result, he suffered great persecution. Nevertheless, the beauty of Christ in salvation was so glorious, he regarded anything and everything else as dung in comparison to having a real relationship with God through Christ. 
“But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;” – Php. 3:7-10
Sadly, most people are so ignorant of the Bible, they don’t know they are following a religious hypocrite. They don’t know they are following a blind leader of the blind on the broad way to hell (Matt. 7:12-14). They are still just going through the motions without any true love for God! Things in this generation might change if men and women pick up the Bible and read it for themselves with trembling, humbling themselves to God in truth (Isa. 66:1-2; Isa. 57:15). 
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The Salvation Testimony of a Former Witch

9/16/2022

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Article #20 on Salvation 

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The Salvation Testimony of
​Lindsay (Middleton) Klingbeil

I desire to share my testimony of conversion with you, and give glory to God for saving my soul. Thanks be to Christ for His incredible mercy! May the Lord open your eyes to the fearful and wonderful realities of eternity that each one of us will face. I do hope you will take the time to read this testimony in full.

As a child I had some awareness of God, as my mom would occasionally take us to church, and some of our family friends were religious. The things of God were never spoken about much in my home, and we didn't own a bible, until a religious family friend gave me one. My concept of God was never deepened, as the things of this world captivated my heart and I saw much hypocrisy in the church-goers around me.

At the age of eighteen I shamefully began to indulge in all the sinful desires of my heart. I threw away my (shallow) belief in God and instead, began reading the Bible just to disprove it and deter others away from Christianity. I began to drink almost every weekend, and do various drugs, along with practicing witchcraft. At first, I truly enjoyed myself… but as I fell deeper and deeper into these sins, my life became a living nightmare. And so, the scripture is true: "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." (Galatians 6:7).

All of my relationships were vain and selfish. I was pretending to be happy, and only living for the next time I could get high. Joy and peace were nowhere to be found. "There is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked." (Isaiah 48:22). 

My infatuation with witchcraft grew, so much so that the desire of my heart was to become a psychic-medium. Generally, a day wouldn't pass without reading my tarot cards. Very specific and shocking predictions I made would come to pass. I also shamefully preformed many satanic rituals in hopes to gain more wisdom and power.

​Through various online resources, my eyes began to open regarding the nature of these evil practices. There was true darkness surrounding me every day because of my lifestyle and fear began gripping my very soul. I could no longer sleep in the dark, and oftentimes I resorted to staying at my mother’s house for comfort and some sense of security. I did not understand what was happening, but now I know that I was possessed with demonic spirits because of my sins of witchcraft and sorcery. 
"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." - Ephesians 6:12 

"And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us." - Acts 16:16a
In my overwhelming desperation, I sought for the Bible I was gifted as a child that my mother had in her basement. Upon reading, I found great peace that surpassed anything I had experienced prior. All of my previous witchcraft, rituals, drinking and drugs could not give me this peace. The words of this Holy book were powerful. There was truth among these pages, and truth is what I wanted all my life. This was the drawing presence of the Holy Spirit speaking to me through the word of God (John 6:44). And so, I began to question all my beliefs, as I was a shameless and expressive hater of God prior to that time. Yet now, I could not resist the truth of God’s existence. I decided to devote myself wholly to Him all my days. I denounced all of my ties to witchcraft and reformed my life to the Bible the best I knew how.
O the countless hours I spent in prayer every day! O the ways in which I mustered up religious zeal to evangelize to strangers! Days without number I spent my time listening to sermons and reading the Bible. There was a great reformation of my lifestyle, but I had never been born of the Spirit of God (born again), though I didn't know this at the time.

​The Spirit of Christ is the only One who can empower a wretched, depraved sinner to walk as a Saint by freeing them from sin and bringing them into the presence of the living God by the blood of Christ! 
"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." - John 3:3

"Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the SPIRIT, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." – John 3:5

​"And this is life eternal, that they might KNOW thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." – John 17:3 
I found myself asking the Lord if I had ever been born again. One fateful night, He gave me my answer.

Upon the discovery of certain street preachers that I found online, I became utterly convicted that I did not have what they had. One of the them said in a video, "Salvation is not the strong belief of the atonement of Christ (factually). Salvation is not the strong belief in the doctrine of imputed righteousness (intellectually). It's the actual person of Jesus Christ with you (in the belief), and you're having communion! That's salvation and nothing less!"

I was heartbroken, for I knew that my "experience of salvation" was nothing like this. The Jesus Christ that these men preached was entirely different from who I thought was Jesus Christ. Religious yet unsaved people create a “Christ” to their own liking. One who is tolerant of sin, one who allows compromise with the world, one who is just like them. "Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself." (Psalm 50:21). It was the "religious" people of Christ’s day who crucified their own God without recognizing Him! "He is despised and rejected of men: a man of sorrows, and acquianted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not." (Isaiah 53:3). The scriptures warn about the very deception that was upon me, "For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him." (2 Corinthians 11:4). I saw the true Christ in these earthen vessels (2 Corinthians 4:7). He was despised of men, though loved all men desperately. He was HOLY! 
After listening to many of the videos that night, I found myself praying for the Lord’s mercy and salvation. Gradually, the smell of smoke started to enter the room while I was praying. Not understanding where the scent was coming from, I decided to open the back door for air. Still, it would not leave. In my concern, I left the house (that I was house-sitting) and returned to my own. In agony of soul over what I had heard from these men of God, I was praying beside my bed late into the night, when suddenly, I began feeling as though I was falling into hell. The smell of smoke in my nostrils was unavoidable, and the insides of my body began to feel as though they were burning. It truly felt as though I was losing consciousness and teetering between two worlds. I grabbed onto my surroundings with all strength, but nothing could keep me from the power of death and the terror of hellfire. "There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death." (Ecclesiastes 8:8a).

All my might, all my wisdom, and all my religious activity could not save me! All I knew to do was call upon the name of the Lord. Jesus Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords! After some time the experience ended, but being deeply distraught, I stayed in the same spot until around 7am, all too terrified to fall asleep lest I never woke up again!

The Lord had thoroughly convinced me of the lost state of my soul, and the reality of eternal torment. The days following were some of the most agonizing in my life. With tears, I sought the Lord for His saving grace, but could not find it. I tried repenting of my sins and believing the Gospel. Why wasn’t it working? It is because when a person gets saved it's the sheer mercy of a Sovereign God. He chooses who He will bestow the gift upon, and it is never guaranteed to anyone when and if they make a mere decision. "It is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8b)! "Salvation belongeth unto the Lord" (Psalm 3:8)! During this time, the sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" by Jonathan Edwards shook my soul to the very core and plunged me into utter desperation to flee from the wrath of God to come!

A false church I attended at this time told me that all I needed to do was believe on Jesus. As I tried to do this, I had a mirage of peace and joy for a time, but still felt uncertain about my standing before a just and holy God. I was greatly leavened by this false church (1 Cor. 5:6), and instead of crying out to God for His mercy, I stopped seeking first his kingdom, and even began to doubt the experience of hell I had. The Lord in His mercy gave me another chance. I had a dream one night, filled with all manner of abominable sins. At the very end of the dream there was a close-up almost cinematic image of a woman lounging on her side. The visual began to focus on her face. 

As I was beholding this woman, her very essence disturbed me greatly and gave me an overwhelming feeling of disgust. Suddenly I awoke from my sleep, and upon sitting up, an overwhelming sense that I was dying and going to everlasting destruction fell over me again. As this was happening, I knew that the woman in the dream represented me, and that I was an abomination in God’s sight because of my sin (Prov. 15:9, 26, 16:5). Frightened, I got to the ground to pray, and there was tangible darkness around me (Exodus 10:21).

Again, all I could do was cry to Jesus Christ for His saving hand, and eventually everything was back to normal, but I knew that I needed some help. I had been trying to seek the Lord for salvation, and felt I was getting nowhere, and the preacher from the online videos came immediately to my remembrance. "For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety." (Proverbs 24:6). In this day and age where true Christians are few and far between, and biblical churches are almost non-existent, all I knew to do was message these men whom I knew to walk with God! I took a flight to Texas, in a last chance effort to find salvation in Christ for my lost and dying soul. I had done everything I knew to do by myself at home, and salvation was still afar off. I cried to God for weeks, listened to the most fearful sermons, fasted from food in hopes that God would turn away His wrath, as He did towards the Ninevites in the Book of Jonah, but it was all to no avail. I believed that these truly converted Christians in Texas could help me, as they had Christ Himself living through them by the Holy Spirit.

Upon arrival, I was welcomed and almost every day someone came to preach the truth of God’s Word to me. During my time seeking the Lord in Texas, the Lord gave me a spiritual revelation of my own depravity. Beforehand, I had believed myself to be a great sinner, but it was merely an intellectual understanding. Now, the Lord was revealing my true nature to me by the word of God, on a heart level. I ​saw that there was truly no good thing in me; not one ounce of humility, absolutely no selflessness, and no true love.
"As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes." - Romans 3:10-18
Only when a person sees that THIS is his or her nature, can anyone truly see their need for Christ. "They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick" (Matthew 9:12). After exactly 4 weeks of seeking God and being humbled by the truth of Scripture, some brothers came to preach to me and the LORD poured His Spirit upon me through the hearing of faith! "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17)! By hearing the voice of the living God, I was saved (1 Thess. 1:4-5, 2:13)! 
“Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God. For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.” - 1 Thessalonians 1:4-5

​"It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe." – 1 Corinthians 1:21
I saw a distant vision of the cross of Christ, and in one moment of time the Lord made me an entirely new creature. I was born again! "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17). My heart was filled with joy unspeakable! I walked home that night gazing at the stars, and glorifying God with my whole heart. For the first time in my life, I knew and worshipped the living God in truth. The presence of the Lord was with me. Merciful art thou O God!

The morning after I was saved, I woke up from a dreamed filled with much sin. While this may have tempted me in the past, my heart's new desire was to pray, read the Bible and utterly glorify God. These are things that I never hungered for, on a heart level, when I was a lost false Christian. As a false Christian, I could clean up the outside, but could never escape the sins of the heart. "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thought, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceith, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these things come from within, and defile the man." (Mark 7:21-23). The Lord has graciously set me free from the inward sins that I was previously enslaved to! He has also put love in my heart, where in times past, I could not love in truth!

​This is truly a testimony of God’s own glory, in that He can change the vilest soul and wash it white as snow, by the blood of Jesus Christ! 
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ADULTERY

9/15/2022

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Article #8 on Salvation 

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A Heinous Crime that Warrants the Death Penalty 

“Thou shalt not commit adultery.” – Ex. 20:14
Have you ever committed adultery? Maybe not. Even if you haven’t, your friends and acquaintances likely have committed adultery. Everyone needs to know about this dangerous and deadly sin! For, marriage is a sacred bond that was legally authored by God, and therefore it is justly protected by Heaven. Those who secretly or openly interfere with other people’s marriages through the sin of adultery need to know that justice will be served. It is inescapable! Speaking of this, it was written, 
“Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.” – Heb. 13:4 
A reckless pursuit of sex in total disregard for marriage would make you a condemned whoremonger in the sight of God (whoremonger = one who practices lewdness). Even though adultery isn’t considered a crime in the democratic governments of the free world nowadays, adultery was lawfully punished by the death penalty in the Kingdom of God of the Old Testament. Why? Because it is a “heinous crime” in the sight of God (Job 31:11). 
“And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.” - Lev 20:10
Committing this sin even one time is a disastrous mistake. It was prohibited by law because it hurts the Person of God. It was punished by the death penalty because it simply cannot be tolerated. Herein, the Moral Law depicts the personality of the Moral One. Stop and think about this! Adultery pains the holy heart of God so much that such men and women were deemed unworthy of life itself! God, the Creator, who is pleased to give men life, is so appalled at this sin and remorseful over those who commit it, that He unapologetically demanded that they would be put to death. 
“Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” – Matt. 5:27-28 
Many religious people can honestly say that they would never commit adultery. You know who I am talking about. These people proudly affirm that they would never engage in sexual activity with another man or woman in physical presence outside of wedlock. Nevertheless, these noble people of society are not hereby justified. Much to their surprise, they may still end-up being condemned by God as an adulterer on Judgment Day! Why? Lust. The inward desire is all that it takes. According to Matthew 5:27-28, you can be an adulterer at heart without ever committing the heinous act outwardly. Are you guilty? Have you ever looked with lust upon a man or woman outside of marriage? Do you look with lust? This is a heart issue (Mark 7:20-23). Don’t take it lightly. Don’t be deceived! God will judge you as a serial adulterer for the lustful thoughts of your heart. 
“Be not deceived: neither fornicators…nor adulterers…shall inherit the Kingdom of God.” – 1 Cor. 6:9-10 
Fearfully, it is better to have no eyes at all, than to be lustful with your eyes. This is a cursed condition of heart and mind, to have “eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin…” (2 Pet. 2:14). Hell exists to rid the earth of such people! Emphasizing this, Jesus said, “And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the Kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:” (Mark 9:47). Think about it! God, the Creator of the eye, could wish that He had never given men eyes at all, if and when men impenitently choose to use their eyes for adultery. Even so, the next time you find yourself starring at the painted face of a promiscuous woman, you should feel like you are looking into the face of death itself! This is the shocking reality. 
“Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids. For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life.” - Pro 6:23-26

“She also lieth in wait as for a prey, and increaseth the transgressors among men.” – Prov. 23:28
This is God's honest truth. This should change your point of view (Prov. 6:32). Sexual predators are on the prowl everywhere! They are actively hunting, and you are the prey. This is your everyday environment in real life as you go about your day. Things are even worse in cyberspace! Shameless women who flaunt themselves immodestly, and regularly engage in fornication or adultery, are the sexual predators of society that the world praises. Meanwhile, modern-day harlots prostitute their bodies online in a multibillion dollar industry of adult entertainment called Pornography. Looking into or through the window of cyberspace is a quick path of secrecy to the virtual fornications and adulteries of internet whorehouses. 
“For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil: But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on Hell. Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them.” – Prov. 5:3-6

“So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him…I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt. I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves. For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey: He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed. With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him.” - Pro 7:13, 16-21
 
“For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her. Her house is the way to Hell, going down to the chambers of death.” – Prov. 7:26-27
The next time a woman’s mouth, lips, and eyelids attract your attention, you should feel that your soul is in grave danger. She will catch you if she can! Whether by the scent of her perfume or the flattery of her words, she hopes you will ignore your conscience and scorn the judgment of God in the Bible. This is an emergency situation! The Seductress is a ruthless serial killer who murders her houseguests and buries their bodies in the yard. The sharp point of a two-edged sword in the gut would get anyone’s attention! Right? Albeit, countless strong men have been slain by her because they disregarded the danger. Casual indifference in such circumstances will prove fatal. Come morning time, the Seductress will wipe her mouth as though she had done no evil. She will dress-up and go out again to allure someone else into another night of barbaric excitement. One after another her unsuspecting guests end-up populating Hell. 
“Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness.” – Prov. 30:20

“Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:” – Prov. 5:8

“For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead. None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life.” - Pro 2:16, 18-19

“But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of Hell.” - Prov 9:18
Now is the time to reconsider your choice of lifestyle if you are actively engaged in the sin of adultery, whether it be inwardly or outwardly, committed in physical presence or cyberspace. Adulterers and Adulteresses are dark creatures of the night that deserve to go to Hell (Job 24:15-17; Jn. 3:19-20)! There is another path (Matt. 7:13-14). However, few men and women ever heed the call from God to repent. They refuse to acknowledge the bitterness and destruction of their way of life. They blindly stagger onward. Why? Maybe it’s because holiness, modesty, chastity, purity, fidelity, and loyalty aren’t popular virtues among ladies (1 Jn. 2:15-16). Sadly, the men are even worse! For, we live in an “adulterous and sinful generation” that is ashamed of the Word of God (Mk. 8:38). Therefore, you are going to have to make a choice (Prov. 1:29). Choose life (Ezek. 33:11)! Otherwise, like all the rest, you will die without understanding.
“And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger? For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings. His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins. He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.” – Prov. 5:20-23
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The Prosperity Gospel

9/13/2022

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Article #15 on Salvation 

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Preachers for Hire are a Curse to Africa 

“For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.” – 2 Cor. 8:9
Do you pay your Preacher for God’s blessings? Then he is a hireling! Jesus Christ, the Messiah, never had anything good to say about hirelings (John 10:12-13). Why would you trust the judgment of a man you have to pay for prayers and prophecies (Prov. 17:23)? Naturally, with a little bribery he will give you a “good” prophecy (Micah 7:3). This is the way of the Witch Doctor. “Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?” (Gal. 4:16). Money can’t buy divine favor! That’s the truth. Jesus cursed the rich and blessed the poor (Luke 6:20, 24), while your neighborhood prosperity Preacher blesses the rich and curses the poor. “Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.” (James 5:1). 
Do you pay your Preacher to go to Church? The House of God shouldn’t operate like the marketplace. Jesus flipped the tables and chairs of the salesmen and moneychangers (Matt. 21:12-13). Money shouldn’t be on your mind at all when you go to the House of God. Nor should it be in your prayers (Matt. 6:5-34). You cannot serve God and money! It’s impossible. Jesus said, “for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other” (Matt. 6:19-24). 
Do you admire your Preacher because he is rich? Or does your Preacher teach you to admire others who are rich? Jesus solemnly declared to everyone, everywhere, that it is nearly impossible for a rich man to “enter into the Kingdom of God” (Luke 18:24-25)! Why would you want to be rich and famous? That which is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God (Lk. 16:15). It is very rare for a “wise” and “noble” man of the world to get truly converted to Christ (1 Cor. 1:26-29, Matt. 18:3). Rich men are to be pitied because most of them are void of true faith in God, and spiritually bankrupt, while God has chosen the poor to be rich in faith (James 2:5-6). 
Do you want to follow Jesus Christ? Then stop following your Preacher. Only follow him inasmuch as he follows Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 4:17). Face the facts of the Bible! Most modern-day Preachers are nothing like Jesus Christ. The Messiah shocked the public with the free grace of His healing touch (Luke 6:19). He never once asked for money! The Son of God was a foot-washer, and He taught His followers to be humble in following His example (John 13:13-17, Php. 2:5). The Apostles followed suit in obedience to the Word (1 Cor. 4:8-13). To avoid reproach they would refuse to charge people for anything at all, even when it came to tithes and offerings (Acts 20:34, 1 Thess. 2:9, 2 Thess. 3:8). Why? They didn’t want the message of the Gospel to be confounded by the presence of money (1 Cor. 9:12, 15-19), like Simon the Sorcerer was deceived to think that the gift of the Holy Spirit could be purchased with shillings (Acts 8:19-24). 
“But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” - 1Tim. 6:9-10 
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The Godlessness of the Good Man

9/13/2022

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Article #6 on Salvation 

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The Sin of Self-Righteousness 

“There is none that doeth good, no, not one.” – Rom. 3:12
Do you like to surround yourself with good people? Modern society teaches us that goodness comes with age and maturity. Ask your parents and they will tell you that life experiences have a way of causing people to outgrow the phase of brazen mischief and riotous behavior. Professionals tell us that education and intelligence can make good people even better. Nevertheless, God says the exact opposite. 
“There is none that doeth good, no, not one.” – Rom. 3:12

“…there is none good but one, that is, God.” – Mk. 10:18
Are you a good person? Sinners only get worse with time. Anyone claiming to be good is committing yet another act of rebellion, and it’s called the sin of self-righteousness. This is when people claim to be righteous while the LORD clearly says that they are sinful and justly condemned. 
“There is none righteous, no, not one:” – Rom. 3:10 
Now is the time to start questioning what you have been told your whole life. Few people will ever come to a knowledge of the truth because of their downright refusal to take a different path than the world (Ps. 10:4). 
“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” – Matt. 7:13-14
The unpopular path is the narrow way (Lk. 16:15). Rarely will the wise and noble men of this world ever take this path because they don’t want God to tell them what to do (1 Cor. 1:26-29). They are too busy caring for the things of this world to get right with God (Lk. 12:16-21). They feel they have more important things to do than to be religious (Luke 14:16-24). They are too wise in their own eyes to believe that their success in this world is “unprofitable”, without merit, and totally “vain” in the sight of God (Rom. 3:12, Isa. 5:21, Eccl. 1:2-3). 
“There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” – Rom. 3:11-12

“For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.” – 1 Cor. 1:19 
The best man of this world is totally blind (Eph. 4:17-19; John 3:3, Matt. 13:14-15, 15:14). The good man is godless! Literally, these people are living a life void of the presence of God (Rom. 8:7-8). That’s not to say that they aren’t trying to do “good things”. Many of them try to do what is right with the knowledge that they have of the Bible. Nevertheless, because they are attempting to keep the commandments of God in their own power, in the flesh, all of their righteous deeds are as filthy rags in the sight of God. 
“But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” – Isa. 64:6
The good man is still godless even if he is imitating the commandments of God in the flesh. This is nothing more than a pretty mask on an ugly face. The LORD doesn’t want mere imitators that proudly appear righteous outwardly while inwardly they are still sinners by nature (Matt. 23:27-28; 2 Pet. 1:4). It is impossible for people to characteristically copy the LORD in the flesh in an attempt to glorify God, and in this the Word of the LORD is fulfilled, “That no flesh should glory in His presence.” (1 Cor. 1:29). 
“For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.” – Rom. 8:5-8
Even the “good” things that wicked people are doing amount to more sin against God (Isa. 64:6). You can love your wife and kids, work hard, go to Church, and give to the poor, and you will still die and go to hell at the end of the day. Why? Because God didn’t create you to live a life independent from Him with an alien sense of your own righteousness and morality in the flesh (Rom. 10:3). Therefore, anything and everything you have ever done for every second of every minute of every hour of every day has been nothing but sin your entire lifetime. For this reason, Jesus said, “You must be born again” (John 3:3, 5). Only then will you come to live, move, and have your being in God (Rom. 8:1, 13, Gal. 5:16). You must be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ by the power of the Gospel (2 Cor. 5:17-21)! 
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    What is Salvation? 

    Article #1: ​The Greatest Deception that God Warns Men about in the New Testament 
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    Article #2: ​Sorrow is Not the Same Thing as Repentance 

    ​    Article #3: 
    Confession is Not the Same Thing as Repentance 

    Article #4: ​The False Jesus of the Modern Church 
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    Article #5: ​Hypocrisy 

    Article #6: ​Self-Righteousness 
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    Article #7: ​Covetousness 
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    Article #8: ​Adultery 

    Article #9: ​Fornication 
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    Article #10: ​Drunkenness 

    Article #11: ​Murder 

    Article #12: ​Anger 

    Article #13: ​Lying 

    Article #14: ​Homosexuality 

    Article #15: ​The Prosperity Gospel 
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    Article #16: ​The Godlessness of the Good Man 
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    Article #17: ​Conditions of Peace before a Lionlike King 
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    Article #18: ​A Personal Confession that Jesus Christ is the Lord 
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    Article #19: ​Putting Off the Day & Hour of Salvation 
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    Article #20: ​The Salvation Testimony of a Former Witch 

    Article #21: ​A Relationship with God
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    Article #22: "The Way of Salvation" - A.W. Pink 
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    Article #23: ​"Is Christ Your Lord?" - A.W. Pink 
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    Article #24: ​Lordship Salvation - Voices from Church History 

    ​    Article #25: You Must Be Born Again! 

    Article #26: The Sudden Death of a Blasphemer! 

    ​    Article #27: The Eternal Worms of Hell 

    ​    Article #28: The Shocking Conversion of a Famous Religious Figure 

    Roman Catholicism 

    Article #1: The Definition of Idolatry?
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    Article #2: The Eucharist of Life? 

    ​    Article #3: The Miracle of the Eucharist? 

    ​    Article #4: Eucharistic Adoration 

    ​    Article #5: Do You Still Believe in the Pope? 

    ​    Article #6: The Lady of Roman Catholicism 

    Atheism

    Article #1: The Existence of God is Weighing on Your Conscience 

    ​    Article #2: The Last Words of an Atheist

    ​    Article #3: The Sudden Death of a Blasphemer! 

    ​    Article #4: The Deathbed Recantation of Famous Atheists! 

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