Bible Studies
Jesus made it clear that to enter the Kingdom of God one MUST be born-again (1). One is born-again IF and WHEN one makes a conscious decision to BELIEVE when presented with the unadulterated Gospel Message.
One can be presented with the unadulterated Gospel Message at any time, in any location, and through whatever means, God chooses.
One can become “religious” at any time. This is seen in many individuals who experience a life-threatening experience for themselves or in other people, or in the elderly after a living a lifetime independently of God.
Fortunately for them, even on their death bed or life ending scenario (2), they may still have the opportunity to be born again and or receive assurance of eternal life.
But assuming one will be given such an opportunity could prove to be a spiritually deadly mistake (3).
Many people TODAY will be among the 150,000 souls who depart this world every day, whose death was the last thing on their minds when they went to bed last night, or got up this morning.
The circumstances of one’s departure may not offer them the opportunity to assess their relationship (if they have one) with God.
Just believing in the existence of God does not save anyone. One is saved by believing in the Person AND the atoning WORK of the Lord Jesus Christ.
If you have not been born again, and hear the inaudible voice of God calling, NOW is the time to believe in the Person and the atoning Work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
If you have been born again, but have not entered into or remained in post salvation discipleship, NOW is the time to do so, and fulfill the purpose for your presence here on Earth.
Being religious, but remaining spiritually dead, may make peace with parents and family members, but does not make peace with God.
An unbeliever can go to Church, go through (or be put through) religious rituals, read a Bible, do good deeds, and live in general compliance with general standards of morality for a lot of different reasons, and still be spiritually dead and headed for the lake of fire (4).
One can only be born again in response to the calling of God. God desires that all souls be saved, but no none knows when he or she has had his or her last opportunity.
Making the unadulterated Gospel Message understandable is the pre-salvation ministry of God the Holy Spirit.
Making Bible doctrine relating to discipleship understandable is the post (after) salvation ministry of God the Holy Spirit.
While making such things understandable, God does NOT make anyone believe or apply His Word. These are choices that we MUST make for ourselves.
Why can't one be saved on his own schedule independently of God?
“The person without the (ministry of) Spirit does NOT accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and CANNOT UNDERSTAND them because they are discerned ONLY through the (ministry of) Spirit (1Cor. 2: 14 NASB2020 parentheses mine).”
One cannot really believe (place trust and confidence) in information that he or she does not understand, or if he or she does not know how to apply the information one receives.
Jesus’ substitutionary spiritual death, while He was physically ALIVE, shedding His blood on the cross, atoned for the WHOLE world’s sin debt (5), but never-the-less, as Rev. 20: 15 makes clear, ALL UNBELIEVERS will be tossed into the lake of fire.
Jesus’ atoning Work made salvation possible for every human soul, but each soul must choose to believe in Him and His Work if he or she is going to individually benefit from it.
Those who choose not to believe die in their sins (6), and as a result, will remain spiritually dead (separated from God), and will spend all of eternity in what the Bible calls the lake of fire (7).
Those who are born again, but choose not to pursue the post salvation spiritual life of discipleship, remain saved (8), but will forfeit the heavenly reward (9) and privileges (10) that are reserved for the ones that do.
Every Christian will tell you that Jesus died on the cross. But to be doctrinally accurate, it is necessary to understand the TWO different forms of death that took place on the cross, and what each ONE accomplished.
There was His spiritual death during the atoning shedding of His blood while separated from God the Father in OUR place, providing for us the MEANS of salvation.
If the shedding of His blood at any time at all would have atoned for the worlds sin debt, then the period of His spiritual death (separated from God the Father) on the cross would not have been necessary.
Psalms 22, composed 1,000 years BEFORE the crucifixion, made it crystal clear that it would be on the cross that His atoning Work would take place.
If Jesus had leaped during the Matthew 4: 5, 6 temptation, He would have shed His blood, but mankind would not have been saved. Satan knew this. Satan wanted to destroy His humanity BEFORE He reached the cross!
Jesus shed His blood when He was scourged, and had a crown of thorns forced down onto His head. Jesus shed His blood when His hands and feet were nailed to the cross.
Yet, He had not yet atoned for the sins of Man.
He atoned for the sins of Man when He shed His blood ON THE CROSS during the last three of the six hours that He was ALIVE and on the cross (11). It was during these last three hours that He, in our place, was forsaken by God the Father. It was during these last three hours that He experienced spiritual death (separation from God the Father) in OUR PLACE, as the sins of all of Mankind was placed on His atoning humanity (12).
He was obviously still alive, when He spoke (13), announcing that His atoning Work was FINISHED (past tense), bringing His period of spiritual death to its end. AFTER accomplishing this, THEN He gave up the spirit and died physically, setting the stage for His upcoming resurrection.
Failure to acknowledge the significance of His spiritual death (in our place), and His FINISHED work on the cross is what opens the door to all the erroneous add-ons of Man-made religion, promoted as necessary in order to obtain, retain, or regain salvation.
If it were His physical death that He suffered in OUR place, then physical death would no longer be a part of the plan for all born-again believers, as it is (14).
As in His case, physical death remains to be the process through which we leave our physical bodies behind and enter into the eternal state.
He did in fact suffer great physical agony while making atonement, and did in fact physically die on the cross, but it is faith in His atoning work on the cross during His hours of spiritual death, BEFORE His physical death that saves us!
His (and our) physical death is what provides the means to leave our physical bodies behind, so that we can receive them back in resurrected form.
. . .
“For though by this time you ought to be teachers (participating in the Great Commission), you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the actual words of God, and you have come to need milk (elementary doctrine), and not (advanced doctrine) solid food (Heb. 5: 12 NASB2020 parentheses mine).”
One is not any more “saved” by advancing in discipleship, but having done so, he or she will have taken great strides along the road to spiritual maturity, and be in a position to be used by God to effectively participate in the Great Commission.
There are no rest areas along the road to spiritual maturity. One is either moving forward with measurable progress, or is going backwards at any given time.
Could this be the time for you to check your map and compass?
End of Part Two
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(1) John 3: 5, 7 (Luke 23: 43 (3) John 8: 24 (4) Rev. 20: 15 (5) 1John 2: 2 (6) John 8: 24 (7) Rev. 20: 15 (8) Rom. 8: 1 (9) 1Cor. 3: 15 (10) Rev. 2/Rev. 3 (11) Mark 15: 25/Matt.27: 46/Mark 15:33/John 19: 30 (12) 1John 2: 2 (13) John 19:30 (14) Heb. 9: 27
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