Justification by Faith and Justification by Works

First, let’s provide a simple definition of justification. Webster’s defines justify as "to prove or show to be just, right, or reasonable, to judge, regard, or treat as righteous and worthy of salvation." The Greek word is dikaioo which means to show to be righteous, to declare righteous.

The Apostle Paul wrote primarily about being justified by faith, but also about being justified by works in the letter to the Romans.

Romans 3:28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.
Romans 4:2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about; but not before God.

James, the Lord’s brother, on the other hand, wrote exclusively about justification by works.
James 2:21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?
James 2:24 You see that a man is justified by works, and not by faith alone.
James 2:25 And in the same way was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works, when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?

Let me say, that I believe in the inerrancy of the Scriptures, that is they are without error and handed down faithfully by God to us through apostles and prophets, being the very breath of God (2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:21). Therefore, it is impossible for the words of Paul (man is justified by faith apart from works) and James (man is justified by works, and not by faith alone) to contradict each other. They must both be completely true. Through the remainder of this writing, I think you will see that there are actually two types of justification, one before God by faith and the other before men by works.


First, let's look at what Paul had to say about justification by faith before God.

Please read Romans 3:21-4:6.

Clearly in this passage, Paul teaches that a man is justified by faith, meaning a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ apart from works. Faith is mentioned 9 times in this passage as well as the synonym believe(s) mentioned twice. Romans 4:4-5 clearly contrasts works yielding something due with believing and not working yielding something undeserved, namely righteousness. Paul also shows that two of the most prominent Jewish men of all-time, Father Abraham and King David, were both justified by faith. Jesus is the propitiation (satisfactory payment) for sin and all who believe in Him have eternal life. By faith in Christ, we are born again, make alive spiritually and adopted/born into the family of God. It is not the quality of faith in Christ that saves, but rather the fact that our faith is in Christ. I could have a genuine faith in Buddha to save me, but will never be saved because Buddha is not a savior. It is faith in Christ that has the power for salvation, because Jesus is the Savior!

On May 24, 1738, John Wesley wrote the following in his journal, "In the evening I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther's preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warned. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death." It was at this point that either Wesley first believed in Christ for eternal life, or more likely that Wesley finally had the assurance of his salvation in Christ. Notice the fact that he says that he trusted in Christ and Christ alone for salvation and had the assurance that Christ had taken away his sins and saved him.

Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Again, Paul taught that man is justified before God by faith alone in Christ alone. There is no room for boasting in ourselves regarding salvation, because our salvation is all Jesus and we can do nothing other than believe in Christ for salvation.


Now, let's look at what James wrote about justification by works.

Please read James 2.

Clearly, James is written to believers (called brethren in verses 1,5,14). James is much like the New Testament version of Proverbs, providing practical applications for Christians and imploring them to live out their faith in Christ.

In this chapter, James starts by first discussing the hypocrisy of showing favoritism and partiality toward the rich while neglecting the poor. Acting in this manner is a poor exercise of faith toward others, failing to demonstrate faith in Christ among men. While these believers were professing their love to others, they were not showing it through their actions. Anyone else guilty of this?

James states that rather than judging others we should love one another (v8). Showing partiality is sin and will result in conviction and later judgment (v9).

James provides a better way to live toward others. If we would like to be shown mercy in judgment, we should show mercy to others. “So speak and so act, as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.” (James 2:12-13). Just as grace triumphs over sin (Romans 5:12-21), mercy triumphs over judgment. We must show love, mercy and grace toward all people, for there is no partiality with God (Romans 2:11). If we fail to show mercy and are quick to judge others prematurely, we should not expect to receive mercy at our Bema seat judgment (2 Corinthians 5:10). We all want mercy, so we should show mercy to all.

James continues this thought pattern into verse 14. Now he raises the larger issue of the believer who gives no evidence of his faith in the way he lives. If we as believers do not live out our faith in Christ in the form of good works, should we expect God to show mercy to us, should we expect faith alone to save us from His judgment when we stand before Him and give an account of our lives? Clearly the answer to these questions is no.

From this passage, we see that works are a condition for some type of salvation. We know from Paul, that works are not a condition for receiving the gift of eternal life. As such, James is not talking about salvation from hell, but rather salvation from the judgment of God. James is imploring believers to live out their faith by engaging in good works, which interestingly enough God prepared beforehand for us to do (Ephesians 2:10).

James also made mention of this type of salvation in the first chapter, “Therefore putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does.” (James 1:21-25)

Let me provide a restatement of James 2:14-17 as provided by Zane Hodges, former Greek scholar and seminary professor from Dallas Theological Seminary (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zane_C._Hodges). "What good does it do, my Christian brothers, if someone among you says he has faith and yet does not act on that faith? Faith certainly cannot preserve his life, can it? It would be the same thing as if one of you spoke to some Christian brother or sister who was destitute of the necessities of life and you said, 'Go home peacefully and get warmed and filled.' But if you did not give them the very things they needed for bodily life, what good would it do? Would their lives be saved by your confident words? In the same way when faith stands all by itself, because you fail to act on it, your inactive faith is as dead as your useless words to your destitute Christian brother. It has no life-preserving power at all!"

James then discusses the importance of showing our faith by our works before men. He states a hypothetical, “But someone may well say, "You have faith, and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works." (James 2:18) Can someone show they have faith in Christ without works? Surely, you can say you do (and you may really be saved), but James is exhorting us to show our faith by our works. James point is that faith is shown before men by works. A person may indeed have eternal life, having believed in Christ, but without showing it through works, no one outside of God will necessarily know it.

Having a monotheistic belief is commendable but not unique in and of itself. Even the demons know that God is one (v19). They shutter at the reality that God is their judge and not their Savior. Our monotheistic belief in our Savior and future judge should prod us on to godly living rather than neglecting our faith in God.

James turns to the worthlessness of an inactive faith. “But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?” (James 2:20) Useless here means inactive and idol. People that don't exercise their faith are lazy. Faith that is inactive atrophies over time and loses its effectiveness to combat sin and death. Rather than useless, the faith of Christians should be useful in fighting the good fight.

There are a couple of examples of believers who were not exercising and maturing in their faith. Notice in the verses below that while the Corinthians were not exercising their faith, the genuineness of their justification was never cast into doubt. In fact, Paul calls them “brethren” as well as the unpleasant labels "men of flesh," "babes in Christ," "still fleshly" and "walking like mere men." Ouch! Paul was indeed accustomed to believers not growing and progressing on in their sanctification.

“And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to babes in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?” (1 Corinthians 3:1-3)

The same was true of the believers written about in the book of Hebrews.
“Concerning him [Melchizedek] we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.” (Hebrews 5:11-14)

Clearly, these believers needed to be sanctified and discipled in their faith. They could not yet handle the meat of the word nor where they living fruitful lives for Christ. New believers are born as infants into the faith and need to be trained and equipped in the faith in order to leave infancy and progress toward maturity in Christ. Sanctification is not automatic and requires time, sacrifice, effort and a yieldness to the work and power of the Holy Spirit who sanctifies.

James then sites Abraham as an example of someone who was justified by works. His sacrifice of Isaac demonstrated his faith in God before mankind. We justify Abraham today and acknowledge his faith in God for being willing to trust God enough to sacrifice Isaac. Paul also mentioned the sacrifice of Isaac as an example where Abraham was justified by works. “For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about; but not before God.” (Romans 4:2) Notice that the boasting here is not before God, but rather before men. Abraham could not boast in the righteousness he was gifted in Genesis 15:6 by God and received approximately 25 years earlier, but he could boast in the righteous exercise of his faith in his willingness to offer up his son to God for sacrifice. Interestingly enough, God offered up His only Son in sacrifice for us!

James states that this act of obedience proved to the world that Abraham had an active, useful and living faith in God. His coupling of works with faith perfected his faith, taking it to the degree God desires. This is how a man is justified by works and not by faith alone (v24). Without this demonstration of his faith by works, no man would necessary know that Abraham was right with God.

James then sites Rahab, who many may have judged in her day as unrighteous because she was a harlot. However, James declares that she was justified by works when she saved the messengers from certain death. Rahab demonstrated and exercised her faith in God by her works before men (Hebrews 11:31).

James concludes the chapter with an analogy. “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.” (James 2:26) When the spirit leaves the body, the body is dead, inactive and useless. However, there is still a body. In the same way, when faith is without works, faith is dead, inactive and useless, but there is still faith. Here is another present day analogy, when we go out to crank our car, turn the key and nothing happens, we don't say, I must not have a battery. No, rather we say, my battery is dead! May we be batteries who are alive in Christ and not dead in the flesh. May we heed James advice and exercise a living faith and thus be justified by works before mankind.

Barclay wrote "We are not saved by deeds; we are saved for deeds; these are the twin truths of the Christian life. And Paul's whole emphasis is on the first truth, and James's whole emphasis is on the second truth."

Here is what Paul and James might say:
(Paul) If you say you believe in Jesus Christ for eternal life and actually do, then you are justified before God. (James) But if you don't actually apply that belief through living out your faith in Christ in front of others, then your faith is useless and others will not be able to see or know that you are indeed justified before God.

Here is another way to see it.
There are two great exchanges in Christianity:
First, Christ gave up His life to give humanity life.
Second, the believer gives us his life so that Christ can life His life through the believer.

The first exchange is a gift from Christ to the believer while the second is a gift from the believer to Christ. Both cost the giver, but are free to the recipient. From a believer's perspective, the first is justification while the second is sanctification. Paul wrote about justification in Romans 3-4 and sanctification in Romans 5-8. James is exhorting Christians to be sanctified and maintain a useful faith in James 2.

So, let’s get practical. Assume that I see someone not living a Christian life. They have not been justified by works in my sight. My thought should be that they need to hear the gospel and believe in Christ to receive the gift of eternal life and be justified by faith. Now that person could already be a believer, but happened to be living in the flesh when I saw them. The only way I might know for sure whether someone has been justified by faith is if the person tells me that they have already believed in Christ for eternal life. God already knows whether someone is justified or not, but other people can only know based upon what someone tells them and/or what they see. James is saying to believers, “Live out your faith before people so that your faith is useful, productive and beneficial to not only you, but more importantly to those in the world to whom you are called to be ambassador for Christ.”

Regarding assurance of justification, it is unproductive to teach people to look to their changed lifestyle or good works as a proof of their justification because there will never be assurance when we look within ourselves and are honest with ourselves. We are all riddled with sin and so easily fall into it. If Paul called himself the chief of sinners and a wretched man (1 Timothy 1:15, Romans 7:24), where would that put us on the holiness scale? Rather, the focus for the assurance of our justification must be in Christ, His word and His promise that all who believe in Him have eternal life (John 3:16, 5:24, 1 John 5:13). However, looking to one’s works is useful as a determination of how well the Christian is being sanctified, that is progressing as a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ, namely the evidence or lack thereof of the fruit of the Spirit in our life (Galatians 5:22-23).

So are you looking for victory and how to live the Christian life by faith? I recommend reading Romans 6-8. These chapters discuss victory in the Christian life which involves the presentation of our bodies to God as instruments of righteousness. God invites us to respond to His love by willing coming under his authority as a servant and in obedience to His good and perfect will for our lives (Romans 12:1-2).

Martin Luther had this to write about Romans 6: "In chapter 6, St. Paul takes up the special work of faith, the struggle which the spirit wages against the flesh to kill off those sins and desires that remain after a person has been made just. He teaches us that faith doesn't so free us from sin that we can be idle, lazy and self-assured, as though there were no more sin in us. Sin is there, but, because of faith that struggles against it, God does not reckon sin as deserving damnation. Therefore we have in our own selves a lifetime of work cut out for us: we have to tame our body, kill its lusts, force its members to obey the Spirit and not the lusts. We must do this so that we may conform to the death and resurrection of Christ and complete our baptism, which signifies a death to sin and a new life of grace. Our aim is to be completely clean from sin and then to rise bodily with Christ and live forever."

The Gospel of Christianity

The word gospel means “good news” and God has some good news for the entire world. But there is also some bad news that we must consider first…

According to Romans 3:23, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

A sin is when we miss the mark of God’s standard - perfection.

According to Romans 6:23, the wages of sin is death.

Sin separates us from God.

That’s bad news, but let’s look at the good news…

According to Romans 5:8, God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

The Bible says that Jesus Christ took the penalty that we deserved for sin, death.

Jesus died in our place.
Three days later, rose from the dead.
Jesus is alive today!

Based on the words of Jesus in John 3:16 and John 6:47, a person can spend eternity with God in heaven by believing in Jesus Christ as Savior for eternal life. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life…Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.”

According to Ephesians 2:8-9, eternal life is a gift to be received by faith, not an award to be earned by works. "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast."

Conclusion
What does God ultimately required of us to get to heaven? Belief in Jesus Christ for eternal life
Who must we trust to get us to heaven? Jesus Christ
Who promises eternal life to those who believe? Jesus Christ

Is Curiosity Sin?

Curiosity has been branded with a negative light in our day. We all know the proverb, “Curiosity killed the cat.” After all, curiosity for Sodom was a major factor which contributed to the death of Lot’s wife (Genesis 19:26, Luke 17:32). So one begs the question, is all curiosity bad? Perhaps a definition of curiosity may provide some guidance. The first three definitions provided by Merriam-Webster define curiosity as (1) the desire to know, (2) inquisitive interest in others’ concerns, and (3) interest leading to inquiry. Based upon these simple definitions, I will provide three Scripture passages supporting how curiosity can indeed be godly. Paul wrote about his intense desire to know Christ, “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” (Philippians 3:7-11, emphasis added) Paul had a burning curiosity and desire to know Christ to the point of identifying with physical suffering and death by resting in the power and promise of resurrection. Paul also wrote about the importance of taking an interest in the interest of others and displaying humility rather than selfishness, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:3-5, emphasis added) Finally Peter wrote about the curiosity of the prophets seeking to know all about the prophesied Christ, “As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful search and inquiry, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven-- things into which angels long to look.” (1 Peter 1:10-12, emphasis added)

As one can see curiosity in and of itself is not sinful. Curiosity is a God-given emotion that derives benefit when properly exercised within our relationship with God. In my opinion, curiosity is synonymous with zealousness and often provides the energy and motivation for discovery in our life with God. In the secular world, curiosity has been the driving force behind many of the discoveries and innovations seen throughout the history of the world. For instance, I think of Benjamin Franklin and his workings with electricity. His curiosity with electricity led to amazing changes for all of mankind.

When exercising curiosity, the attitude, the motivation and the object are important for determining whether or not the exercise is sinful. So what are we curious about? Is it the things of God or the things of this world? Why are we curious about something? Is it to satisfy the lusts of our flesh or to know more fully the things of God and life in His Spirit? Who are we curious about? A celebrity sinner or the Savior of all mankind?

Obviously curiosity directed toward Jesus Christ (i.e. wanting to know Him) is indeed a godly exercise of the emotion. Luke testified about the believers in Berea as having an attitude exhibiting eagerness for the truths of God, as those who carefully searched the Scriptures, “And the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea; and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so. Many of them therefore believed, along with a number of prominent Greek women and men.” (Acts 17:10-12) The Berean people were eager to know Christ. Another man who exhibited curiosity for Christ was a blind man from Jericho, “And it came about that as He was approaching Jericho, a certain blind man was sitting by the road, begging. Now hearing a multitude going by, he began to inquire what this might be. And they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. And he called out, saying, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" And those who led the way were sternly telling him to be quiet; but he kept crying out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" And Jesus stopped and commanded that he be brought to Him; and when he had come near, He questioned him, "What do you want Me to do for you?" And he said, "Lord, I want to regain my sight!" And Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has made you well." And immediately he regained his sight, and began following Him, glorifying God; and when all the people saw it, they gave praise to God.” (Luke 18:35-43) The blind man inquired about the multitude passing and had the vision to know the power of Christ was the power to heal him.

However, curiosity can also be used for sin, especially when it is directed toward the wrong object such the things of this world. John warned against loving the world and its things which appeal to our fleshly lusts, “Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.” (1 John 2:15-16) In our media crazed cultural, the temptations available to satisfy the curiosity is at an all-time high. There are plenty of worldly options to satisfy the lusts of our curiosity. Instantaneously with the click of a button by mouse or remote, we can get all the trash this world has to offer. Reality television is constantly pushing the limits and using the folly of man as entertainment appealing to natural curiosity of the flesh. Too often we are tempted to satisfy our appetite for curiosity with the things of this fallen world rather than the things of God. Curiosity can be a slippery slope when investing in the things of this world and will surely lead one to disappointment and death. We must use this God-given emotion for good and godliness rather than sinfulness. As James wrote even using the world in moderation to satisfy the cravings of our curiosity leaves one in a state of hostility with God (James 4:4). I found an interesting blog posting entitled “When Curiosity Becomes Sin” while researching your question that you might also find helpful on the subject: http://theconstructivecurmudgeon.blogspot.com/2005/09/when-curiosity-becomes-sin.html.

Let me also say that I agree with you that being too curious can also be a hindrance to faith. The sons of Korah said it best, “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." (Psalm 46:10) Often times in life there are unanswered questions that the Scriptures may not explicitly address. After careful search and genuine inquiry with the Scripture, there is a place for resting and trusting the Lord, meeting the gap between our understanding and our trust in God with faith. However, our tendency may be to look to logic or reason or the things of this world to find an answer. The Scriptures warn against false teaching and the futility of endless speculations (2 Timothy 2:23-24). We must be careful to distinguish false teaching and strange doctrines, “As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus, in order that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith.” (1 Timothy 1:3-4) Paul reminded Timothy of his instruction to not pay any attention to other deceptive world views that only distract and detract one from the furtherance of God’s administration. Paul also stressed the importance of maintaining a healthy thought life, “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5) “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.” (Philippians 4:8)

In conclusion, the curiosity is an important emotion of the mind. If our mind is set on the Spirit, the use of one’s curiosity is productive and healthy in the Christian life, motivating the believer to pursue God with zeal and passion. However, when the mind is set on the flesh, the use of curiosity will ultimately yield sin and death and lead one to satisfy this emotion with the things offered by the fallen world. Curiosity is not evil, but must be properly exercised in the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:6), while abiding in Christ (John 15:5), to have any eternal benefit to the glory of God.

Sheep and Goats Judgment - - Who are Brothers of the King?

This section in Matthew is incredible as Christ provides prophetic insight into the end of the age with this Olivet discourse. We have to go all the way back to Matthew 24:3 to get the context for the answer Jesus provides from Matthew 24:4-25:46 to a question posed by His disciples, “And as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" As such, Jesus provides prophecy concerning the sign of His second coming and the end of the age.

Jesus warns them about many misleading anti-Christ's, wars and rumored wars among nations and kingdoms, famines and earthquakes, tribulations for Israel, persecution and death for the sake of Christ and increased lawlessness (Matthew 24:4-14). Jesus warns of the literal antichrist prophesied by Daniel who will desecrate the temple and bring a great tribulation upon the nation of Israel which is unprecedented (Matthew 24:15-22). Finally, Christ warns of false teachers who will deceive the nations, but reminds them that no one will miss His magnificent return after the tribulation (Matthew 24:23-31).

Jesus then uses parables and historical events to help them better understand the setting and time of His return including the example of the fig tree (Matthew 24:32-36), the days of Noah (Matthew 24:37-44), the relationship between a slave and his master (Matthew 24:45-51), 10 virgins (Matthew 25:1-13), and talents entrusted to slaves (Matthew 25:14-30).

Now, let's look at the sheep and goats judgment, "But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.' Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' And the King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.' Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.' Then they themselves also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?' Then He will answer them, saying, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." (Matthew 25:31-46)

Jesus describes the ushering in of His millennial kingdom in more detail. Coming in glory and with all His angels, Jesus will sit on His throne as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The nations will all be gathered together and the Great Shepherd will separate His sheep from the goats. Clearly there is a distinction between the brothers, the sheep and the goats in this passage. It appears from the context that the nations gathered making up the sheep and the goats are the Gentile survivors of the great tribulation on earth while the brothers of Christ are the surviving Israelites. The sheep on the right will inherit the kingdom prepared for them because they believed in Christ and helped the Lord's brothers during the tribulation, meeting their needs such as providing food, drink, shelter, clothing, and fellowship for sick and imprisoned Israelites. By serving the King's brothers they were also serving the King. The goats on the left are accursed because they did not believe in Christ and joined in the persecution of the Israelites during the tribulation. Their final destination is eternal separation from God in lake of fire.

To be sure Matthew 25:40 has been interpreted in many different ways to advocate among other things helping of the poor and needy of our world. However, in the context, the passage seems to refer to the future end times with Christ’s return and that the Lord's brothers are specifically the believing Israelites who survive the great tribulation prior to Christ's millennial kingdom. While we may want to reconsider using this verse to support a cause to help the poor and needy, Jesus clearly taught his followers to love and serve the underdogs of this world (i.e. the poor, the widow, the orphan, the sick). Paul was eager to help the poor (Galatians 2:10). James wrote, "This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father, to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world." (James 1:27)

Finally, Paul wrote about doing good to all, but especially to believers among the body of Christ, "And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith." (Galatians 6:9-10) As Paul wrote in Titus 3:8, “This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God may be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for men.”

Seperate Paths

The Scriptures regarding separation focus primarily on avoiding sin rather than not associating with sinners. Because of the weakness of the flesh and our susceptibility to fall in the midst of temptation, there is a tendency to believe that complete separation from sinners would result in holiness. However, we see the opposite with Jesus and His disciples, “And it happened that as He was reclining at the table in the house, behold many tax-gatherers and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, "Why is your Teacher eating with the tax-gatherers and sinners?" But when He heard this, He said, "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means, 'I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,' for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Matthew 9:10-13) Believers must associate with unbelievers (i.e the sick) of the world in order to share the gospel of the Great Physician, Jesus Christ, and fulfill the great commission. (Matthew 28:18-20) In fact, we are called to be “the sweet aroma” of Christ in this world, “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in His triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things?” (2 Corinthians 2:14-16) Believers have been entrusted with the message of reconciliation, namely that Christ died and rose again on behalf of all mankind and all may receive eternal life and forgiveness of sins by faith in Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:18-21)

In all honesty, association with unbelievers can easily become a slippery slope because we often either compromise and fall into sin with them or at least give that appearance to others. John warned about the world and its pulls toward sin, “Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever.” (1 John 2:15-17) Our only salvation is to be controlled by the Holy Spirit. Rather than being conformed to the world, we must be transformed by the power of Christ and of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 12:1-2) We must be a firmly rooted tree as referred to in the first Psalm, “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season, And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.”

To be certain, the Scriptures teach to avoid sinning with sinners. Solomon warned his son about the enticement of sinners eager to commit sin, “My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent. If they say, "Come with us, Let us lie in wait for blood, Let us ambush the innocent without cause; Let us swallow them alive like Sheol, Even whole, as those who go down to the pit; We shall find all kinds of precious wealth, We shall fill our houses with spoil; Throw in your lot with us, We shall all have one purse," My son, do not walk in the way with them. Keep your feet from their path, For their feet run to evil, And they hasten to shed blood. Indeed, it is useless to spread the net In the eyes of any bird; But they lie in wait for their own blood; They ambush their own lives. So are the ways of everyone who gains by violence; It takes away the life of its possessors.” (Proverbs 1:10-19) Solomon instructed his son in the ways of righteousness and urged him to seek these paths for the preservation of life, “Hear, my son, and accept my sayings, And the years of your life will be many. I have directed you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in upright paths. When you walk, your steps will not be impeded; And if you run, you will not stumble. Take hold of instruction; do not let go. Guard her, for she is your life. Do not enter the path of the wicked, And do not proceed in the way of evil men. Avoid it, do not pass by it; Turn away from it and pass on. For they cannot sleep unless they do evil; And they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble. For they eat the bread of wickedness, And drink the wine of violence. But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, That shines brighter and brighter until the full day. The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know over what they stumble.” (Proverbs 4:10-19)

Paul also instructed the Corinthians regarding associations. While they should associate with unbelievers with the purpose of sharing Christ with them, they should not associate with those inside the church who are wicked and not trying to work out their salvation. “I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters; for then you would have to go out of the world. But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he should be an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler-- not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.” (1 Corinthians 5:9-13) Paul wrote the Thessalonians a similar exhortation, “And if anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of that man and do not associate with him, so that he may be put to shame. And yet do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.” (2 Thessalonians 3:14-15) The purpose of this separation was to admonish the believer and help him realize his sin.

Paul also taught that while we should associate with unbelievers to shine the light of Christ in their lives, we should not be bound together with them. While the unbelievers remain in darkeness, a true deep intimate fellowship must not occur. This type of fellowship should only occur among fellow believers. "Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, "I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people. "Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate," says the Lord. "And do not touch what is unclean; And I will welcome you. And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me," Says the Lord Almighty. Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” (2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1)

The Ministry of the Holy Spirit

The guidance provided by the Holy Spirit to a believer while studying the Bible is often referred to as the illumination of the Spirit. The gospel of John records Jesus telling His disciples about this future ministry of the Holy Spirit, saying He will teach, testify, guide and disclose the truth concerning Christ: "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you…When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness of Me…I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He shall glorify Me; for He shall take of Mine, and shall disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said, that He takes of Mine, and will disclose it to you.” (John 14:26,15:26,16:12-15)

Another excellent passage discussing the illuminating ministry of the Holy Spirit is found in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, “For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man, which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no man. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:10-16, emphasis added) The natural man cannot understand the supernatural and spiritual things of God. As the Bible is a spiritual book inspired by the very Spirit of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21), it requires the Spirit of God for interpretation. Only believers in Jesus Christ as indwelled by the Holy Spirit can fully comprehend the truth contained in the Word of God.

The Holy Spirit ministers in the lives of humanity before, during and after salvation. Before salvation, God the Father draws humanity to Himself (John 6:44) through the conviction of the Holy Spirit regarding sin, righteousness and judgment (John 16:8-11). Those who believe in Jesus Christ for eternal life escape condemnation and are justified by their faith in Christ (John 3:16-18, Romans 3:21-28,4:4-5,8:1). The moment a person places their faith in Christ, they are born again, regenerated and renewed by the Holy Spirit (John 3: 5-8,Titus 3:5) as well as being securely sealed in their salvation (Ephesians 1:13-14), permanently indwelt (John 14:16, Romans 5:5, 1 Corinthians 3:16,6:19, 2 Timothy 1:14), baptized into the body of Christ (Romans 6:3-5, 1 Corinthians 12:3) and given spiritual gifts for ministry in glorifying God (Romans 12:3-8, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4:7-16, 1 Peter 4:10-11). After salvation, the Holy Spirit provides the power for the believer to live in righteousness resulting in sanctification (Romans 6:19-22, 2 Corinthians 3:18, 2 Thessalonians 2:13). Other ministries of the Holy Spirit after salvation include illumination of the Scriptures (as discussed earlier), conviction of sin (Hebrews 12:4-11), intercession on behalf of the believer (Romans 8:26), testifying to the assurance of salvation (Romans 8:15-16), filling and controlling the believer to walk in the power of the Spirit (Romans 8:4-11, Galatians 5:16-17, Ephesians 5:18) and ultimately using the believer to bear the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Thank you Jesus for giving us the Helper who will be with us forever!

The Heart of Worship

The first mention of the word worship in Scripture is found in Genesis 22:5, “And Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go yonder; and we will worship and return to you." Abraham makes this statement of faith concerning his son Isaac whom God has asked him to sacrifice as a burnt offering (Hebrews 11:17-19). Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son was an act of worship before the Lord and a testing his allegiance and the breadth of commitment to God (Genesis 22:1-19).

The commandments given to the people of Israel discussed worship, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” (Exodus 20:2-6) From this commandment it is clear that the Lord alone is to be worshipped and the He alone is worthy of worship. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to worship (literally pay homage) to a golden image set up by king Nebuchadnezzar having accepted their fate of the fiery furnace. (Daniel 3) The Apostle John was told twice to worship God alone when he fell before an angel in worship having received the Revelation (Revelation 19:10,22:9)

The most common word used for worship in the Old Testament literally means “to bow down,” which suggests allegiance and humble subjection. As the Lord passed by Moses, he “made haste to bow low toward the earth and worship.” (Exodus 34:6-8) David wrote in the Psalms, “Worship the Lord with reverence, And rejoice with trembling…Come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker…Worship the Lord in holy attire; Tremble before Him, all the earth.” (Psalm 2:11, 95:6, 96:9) These Scriptures acknowledge a physical posture of submission before the Lord, but more importantly an attitude of submission and awful reverence to the Lordship of Almighty God.

Another word used for worship in Scripture carries the idea of work or service. Deuteronomy 6:13 says, “You shall fear only the Lord your God; and you shall worship Him, and swear by His name.” A believer who serves the Lord is actually worshiping the Lord in that service. As such, worship and service are closely intertwined.

The first mention of worship in the New Testament is shown toward the Christ, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east, and have come to worship Him…And they came into the house and saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell down and worshiped Him; and opening their treasures they presented to Him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh." (Matthew 2:2,11) The magi from the east came to pay reverence to the King of the Jews. Their act of worship was coming from afar to acknowledge Christ as the Promised King. The Scriptures do not tell us what the magi were wearing or whether or not they raised their hands or shouted upon seeing the Child. These details were not important because the focus and object of their worship was Jesus and nothing else mattered.

Jesus spoke of worship to a Samaritan woman after she said, “Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship." Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, shall you worship the Father. You worship that which you do not know; we worship that which we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:20-24) Worship is not concerned with the place but rather the Person. We must worship the Father in spirit and truth through the power of the Holy Spirit and the name of the Way, the Truth and the Life, Jesus Christ.

Finally, the Apostle Paul writes of worship in Romans 12:1, “I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” Our worship is our service, willingly giving up our life in service to God. In presenting our bodies to God, this is an acceptable form of spiritual worship and is at the heart of the type of worship Jesus was talking about to the Samaritan woman. While singing praises to the Lord is an important part of worship, a life of worship through service in the power of the Holy Spirit is our key form of worship and praise toward God that is most pleasing to Him. Believers “worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh.” (Philippians 3:3) As long as God is at center and heart of our worship, it matters not whether we stand or sit, remain silent or shout, raise our hands or bow the knee. Worship toward God is more about an inward attitude than an outward appearance.

Who Sits on the Throne of Heaven?

The Scriptures clearly describe heaven itself as the throne of God of the Father. The Lord speaks through the prophet Isaiah saying, “Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool. Where then is a house you could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest?” (Isaiah 66:1) Jesus told His disciples, “And he who swears by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.” (Matthew 23:22) From this passage, it appears that Jesus is referring to His Father as the one who sits upon the throne of God in heaven. Prior to His crucifixion, Jesus told the council of elders in Luke 22:69, “But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God." The triune God, (Father - Ephesians 1:20, Son - John 10:18 and Spirit - Romans 1:4) raised Jesus from the dead and “seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places.” Countless other places describe Jesus being presently at the right hand of God the Father. (Mark 16:19, Luke 20:42, Acts 2:33-34, Acts 5:31, Colossians 3:1, Hebrews 8:1, 1 Peter 3:22) Jesus says in Revelation 3:21, “He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” This passage suggests that there are two thrones, the throne of God and the throne of Christ. The passage also suggests that Jesus sat down with His Father on His throne following His death and resurrection. As such, God the Father currently sits upon the throne of heaven with Jesus sharing His throne and sitting at His right hand.

The Psalmist David spoke the relationship between God the Father and the Son, his Lord, “The Lord says to my Lord: "Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet." (Psalm 110:1) At a time designated and known only by God the Father (Matthew 24:36), Jesus will return to earth to establish His millennial kingdom and assume the throne of his father David as the King of the Jews (Revelation 20) taking final authority over Satan and his throne on earth (John 14:30, 16:11, Ephesians 2:2, Revelation 2:13). This was foretold by the Lord through Nathan the prophet and confirmed by the angel Gabriel at the time of Jesus’ birth, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom will have no end." (Luke 1:30-33, 2 Samuel 7:11-16) Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 19:28, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

During His millennial reign, Jesus will be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and all of creation will bow the knee to Christ and be accountable to Him (Romans 14:11-12). He will put all things on earth in subjection to His Father, including Himself. Paul wrote concerning this in his letter to the Corinthians, “But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming, then comes the end, when He delivers up the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death. For He has put all things in subjection under His feet. But when He says, "All things are put in subjection," it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him. And when all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, that God may be all in all.” (1 Corinthians 15:20-28) What a beautiful picture of the workings of the Father and Son to abolish all enemies including death! We also clearly see that Jesus is always submissive and subjective to the will of His Father just as He was during His initial earthly ministry (Philippians 2:5-11).

The book of Revelation describes the throne of God in 35 different passages! (1:4, 2:13, 3:21, 4:2-6,9-10, 5:1,6-7,11,13, 6:16, 7:9-11,15,17, 8:3, 12:5, 13:2, 14:3, 16:10,17, 19:4-5, 20:11-12, 21:3,5, 22:1,3) Revelation 20:11-12 speaks of the great white throne judgment of humanity. Revelation 21:1-8 discusses the new heavens and new earth and includes a statement from “He who sits on the throne…"Behold, I am making all things new."” Revelation 22:1-4 includes the final mention of the throne of God, “And he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. And on either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His bond-servants shall serve Him; and they shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.” This passage suggests that this throne belongs to both God the Father and the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. Also included is the Spirit, “And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come." And let the one who hears say, "Come." And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.” (Revelation 22:17) As such, seated upon the throne of God in the new heavens and new earth is the triune God! Amen.

Beware of False Teachers

The Scriptures are full of warnings against false teaching. False teachers are exposed most often through listening to their message. Christians are clearly instructed to beware of false teachers who disguise themselves as angels of light (2 Corinthians 11:13-15). Peter wrote concerning false teachers in 2 Peter 2:1-3 saying, “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.” Peter warns of the certainty of false teachers infiltrating the church and distorting the truth of Christ for their own gain while exploiting and denying Jesus Christ. Believers must test teachings against the Word of God, the standard of truth concerning God. What does the teacher communicate concerning Jesus Christ, salvation and the Bible? Does his ministry appear to give glory to God alone or does he seek for his own glory and fame? Does he personally take the credit for winning lost souls to Christ? Salvation is the work of God through the conviction of the Holy Spirit (John 16:8). Humanity is at best a messenger of God sent out to clearly present the gospel message of salvation through Jesus Christ -- that He died on the cross for the sins of all humanity, rose again on the third day, and offers eternal life to all who simply believe in Him (1 Corinthians 15:3-4, John 3:16). No credit or glory belongs to man because as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 3:7, “So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.” Jesus saves souls, not a preacher.

To determine the truth, believers must know the truth. Knowing the truth is knowing the Scriptures and rightly dividing them to know truth from falsehood (2 Timothy 2:15). The Apostle John also wrote of false teachers in 1 John 4:1-3, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; and this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.” John exhorts believers to test the spirits and listen closely to their message concerning Jesus Christ.

Finally, Jesus provided clear teaching on false teachers in Matthew 7:15-20, “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit; but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits.” The fruit is the message and a message that does not align with Scripture and glorify Jesus Christ will reveal to the hearer that the messenger is false and suggest that the messenger is a false teacher either intentionally or out of ignorance of the truth.

Suicide - The Unforgivable Sin?

a. Is the sin of suicide unforgivable?
The only “unforgivable” sin mentioned in the Bible is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Jesus says in Matthew 12:31-32, “Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. And whoever shall speak a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age, or in the age to come.” Jesus says that any sin, including taking your own life, is forgivable. When Jesus died on the cross, He paid the penalty for all sin of all people for all time – past, present and future sins. The Bible instructs us in 1 John 1:9 to confess our sins, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” However, failing to confess sins does not mean we are not forgiven. Those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ as Savior from sin, trusting His death and resurrection as the payment for our sins, are given eternal life freely. No sin, in type or quantity, will negate the fact that we are justified by the substitutionary death of Christ. Suicide, while a very serious offense, will not keep the believer in Christ from their heavenly home because eternal life is a gift from God received by faith and not dependent upon our deeds whether good or bad. 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 speaks of our status upon death , "Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord--for we walk by faith, not by sight--we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord." Remember too that all humanity will be held accountable for their deeds and all will be judged by Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10). However, this judgment is not to determine entrance into heaven or hell, but rather a reckoning to all persons by their Creator.

b. How can you say you are sorry when you are dead from suicide?
Obviously you cannot say you are sorry after committing the sin of suicide. However, saying you are sorry for sin is not what John 1:9 asks of us. Rather confession, that is, telling on ourselves, brings forgiveness. In other words, we admit to God that we sinned and fell short of the mark. Those who commit suicide will give an account before Christ for this sin, just as all persons will give an account of their lives before Christ. An example of a believer in Messiah who committed suicide is King Saul who intentionally fell on his own sword to end his life (1 Chronicles 10:4). Another example is Judas (Matthew 27:3-5), although it is difficult to determine whether or not he became a believer in Christ because he repented of his betrayal of Christ prior to having hung himself in guilt.

Understanding Grace

Grace is very hard to grasp because there is really nothing else like it in the world today. Everything seems to have a catch and require the person to contribute something in some way to get the “free” thing. You get this great free gift if you just spend $19.95. But there is no “if” with the grace of God. The grace of God is one of the primary ways God demonstrates the depths of His love for humanity. Unfortunately, even most of the universal church has a hard time grasping the grace of God. Grace by its definition is unmerited favor and a gift from one party to another without condition. It is clear that all humanity is guilty of sin and all deserve eternal separation from God (Romans 3:23). All persons have things in their past and present that often produce guilt and shame. However, these feelings, when not dealt with timely, often produce selfishness and paralyze a person from freedom in Christ. The grace of God is humbling and takes us to a place where we are uncomfortable and spiritually naked before God. We must realize that we have nothing to offer God and are completely unworthy and dependent upon Him. Only at this point can we realize and appreciate the freeness of the grace of God. He loves and sent Jesus to die on the cross for our sins to take away the shame, reproach and guilt that our sin bought us. Jesus bore our guilt, shame, inadequacy, etc. in His body on the cross and offers us unconditional forgiveness (1 Peter 2:24). We are to accept this salvation and forgiveness of sins by faith in Him. Jesus takes us as we are and all can receive salvation through Him regardless of our past. Paul wrote in Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” As such, those who have been forgiven must no longer dwell in a pit of self condemnation, but rather willingly present our bodies to God for His bidding and service (Romans 12:1-2).

Cheap Grace?

Is grace cheap?

First, I see grace as cheap to us – in fact it is free so that’s pretty cheap! However, it was not cheap for God though, ultimately costing Him the blood of the Son of God! The greatest sacrifice of all time done in love for the world. As such, we should not take the free grace of God lightly.

Hebrews 10:26-31 (written to Hebrew believers) warns of this, “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain terrifying expectation of judgment, and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay." And again, "The Lord will judge His people." It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” There was not a sacrifice for willful sins under the law, but rather an expectation of judgment. That’s what made David’s sin with Bathsheba so bad – it could not even be covered by a sacrifice because it was premeditated! Was David afraid of losing his salvation or having never been saved in the first place? Of course not. Now the church is under grace, a far superior system. Do we think we can escape the judgment of God under grace for a willful sin? Of course not. We are at His mercy and should expect judgment. While we are forgiven, we must still face the consequences of our sin. The author of Hebrews is not talking about hell here but rather judgment due to God’s people for their open rebellion (“The Lord will judge His people.”) (v30)

Let me also say that my position on free grace does not promote license. After five chapters of Romans with the conclusion that justification is by faith and not by works, the next logical question is this in Romans 6:1-2, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” Paul knew that since justification was by faith and not works, they next logical question would be, “Does it matter how we live then?” While lifestyle has no bearing on justification as justification is a gift, God sent Jesus to redeem us from sin! Why would we continue to live in sin when that is the very thing that God sent Jesus to eradicate? Justification is salvation from the penalty of sin. Sanctification is salvation from the power of sin. Glorification is salvation from the presence of sin. Paul clearly leaves no room for license after justification using here the strongest Greek idiom to indicate repudiation and outraged indignation (“May it never be!”). Thus, while a believer could take the gift of eternal life (the non-fire assurance) and continue to live in the flesh (or else why would Paul even raise the question in the first place), he will most certainly be living contrary to his new birth nature, be in rebellion against God’s will, face the discipline God, continue to suffer the consequences of sin and living in the flesh, and ultimately reap what he has sown at the judgment seat of Christ. He will get to heaven as we all do, by the grace of God through faith in Jesus, but will be ashamed before His Savior for a live wasted.

1 Corinthians 3:10-15 lays out the framework, “According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it. But let each man be careful how he builds upon it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds upon the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man's work will become evident; for the day will show it, because it is to be revealed with fire; and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work. If any man's work which he has built upon it remains, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work is burned up, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved, yet so as through fire.” Some believers will have the foundation of Christ, but will build a whole house comprised mostly of wood, hay and straw (i.e. the deeds of the flesh). Notice that our deeds are tested by fire and the deeds of the flesh will be consumed while the deeds of the Spirit will be refined and remain as a reward, but ultimately the man “shall be saved, yet so as through fire.”

Assurance of Salvation

Can someone have assurance of salvation if they never have any change in their life?

If we look to our life change as a determination for whether or not we are truly saved, could anyone honestly ever say that they were saved? Despite the fact that I am born again, I am riddled with sin and in need of confession of sin and the cleansing by the blood of Christ on a daily basis. By that definition, I’m guilty of being a habitual sinner. I am just as guilty as anyone else of impure thoughts, jealousy, outbursts of anger, idolatry, etc. The point of contention for me is where do we draw the line for a changed life? What’s the standard for proof of salvation? A little change such as regular church attendance, reading one’s Bible frequently, occasional prayer, etc or more drastic changes. Can one say, “Well based on my track record so far, I guess I must be saved.”? Then what if someone really blew it and committed adultery or murder (i.e. David)? Did that make David unsaved after all? Of course not. David was saved by faith in the coming Messiah, but his sinful works (fruits) surely did not support that reality.

Looking to our works for evidence of salvation will never truly bring assurance of salvation because unfortunately the saved still sin and are capable of any sin while living in the flesh as opposed to living in the Spirit. True assurance is found in looking to the One we trusted to save us in the first place – Jesus Christ. If we aren’t saved by works then why would we look to works for assurance of salvation? Inward looking can lead to selfishness, pride and defecting the glory from where it is supremely due – our Savior Jesus Christ. God wants His children to know they are saved. He wants us to serve Him in love, as a response to our salvation as opposed to serving Him in fear or out of obligation to prove or maintain salvation.

Here is a good 1 John verse for assurance of salvation.

1 John 5:13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life.

So to know if you have eternal life, you must ask yourself, “Have you believed in Jesus Christ for eternal life?” If you have the Son, you have life. Scripture declares that you receive the Son when you believe in Him (John 3:16, 5:24).

Here is another good passage for assurance of salvation.

John 10:27-29 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand."

This passage tells me that Jesus gives eternal life to His sheep and they will never perish or be taken out of His hand. In other words, rather than me holding on to Him, He is holding on to me and nothing (not even me) can remove me from His hand. That is a strong hand grasp!

Believers do, however, need to look to their works/deeds to determine whether or not they are living in the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul wrote in Galatians 5:16-23, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

Paul also exhorted the Corinthians to look to their own experience as evidence of whether or not they were experiencing the abundant life in Christ with its blessings (such as answered prayer, spiritual blessings, fruitfulness). 2 Corinthians 13:5-6, “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you-- unless indeed you fail the test? But I trust that you will realize that we ourselves do not fail the test.” Paul himself also examined his works and enslaved the flesh as he states in 1 Corinthians 9:27, “but I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.” The same Greek word for “disqualified” used by Paul is used for the Corinthians in “fail the test.”

In summary assurance of salvation comes from believing the words of our Savior and knowing that He is our security not us. Looking to works for assurance of regeneration will only cause doubt in the heart of a believer as we all are ultimately guilty of the grossest of sins even after salvation having the capacity to still live in the flesh. In addition, looking to Jesus alone for assurance of regeneration cannot result in any boasting of our own in regards to salvation and compel us to lovingly serve our Savior. Examining one’s works is essential to determine whether or not the believer is living in the power of the Holy Spirit and within the will of God.

The Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln

President Abraham Lincoln from his first inaugural address on March 4, 1861

“By the frame of the government under which we live, this same people have wisely given their public servants but little power for mischief; and have, with equal wisdom, provided for the return of that little to their own hands at very short intervals. While the people retain their virtue and vigilance, no administration, by any extreme of wickedness or folly, can very seriously injure the government in the short space of four years.”

• We have given a government designed to have “little power for mischief” with nearly unlimited power for mischief.
• We the people must be of virtue while remaining vigilant to prevent those in our government from causing serious injury to our nation within a four year span.
• This is not a Republican vs. Democrat issue, but rather an American issue.
  
• It is the responsibility of every American citizen to hold their elected officials accountable for their service to our Nation.

Love Not the World

James 4:4 - You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

• you adulteresses – James doesn’t beat around the bush here, does he? he associates these believers with those who cheat on God, we are so often unfaithful to our Christ, while He continually remains faithful to us
• friendship with the world is hostility toward God – when we love the world more than God we commit adultery, we cheat on God, we mock His Son who laid down His life to save us from sin, we grieve the Holy Spirit within us

-Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Odds are we all know of friends and families that have been destroyed by sexual immorality, maybe even within our own family. We all know the pain and hurt this causes. God can sympathize with us and comfort us because He feels that pain too when we cheat on Him. He loves us so much that it grieves Him when we chose to trust the world over Him, when we seek the things of this world that are fleeting and will pass away.

So I ask you...Are you comfortable with this world? Do you love what the world has to offer you? If you do and answered “yes” then you are not alone, but you are at odds with God.

-1 John 2:15-17 Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever.

-Matthew 6:20-21 "But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

We can choose to lay up treasures here on earth through expanding our influence, power, money, possessions, popularity which we can’t take with us when we die or we can lay up treasures in heaven though sowing spiritual seeds in this life that will reap a harvest for all eternity. Where is your heart? Who has your heart, the world or God?

-Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

While we are in this world, we must not be of this world. We must not be conformed to this world, that is letting it mold and shape our behavior. The world is the current dwelling of Satan. Our citizenship is in heaven. The philosophies and goals of the world are contrary to the philosophies and goals of God. You can not do both, having one foot in the world and one with God.

Jesus said in Luke 16:13 "No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other, or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and riches."

the world says - people are good, do your own thing, look out for yourself, get even, grab all you can because you just live once

the Bible says - people are sinful, seek God’s will for our life, look out for the interest of other, vengeance belongs to God, don’t love the world, we are accountable to God and there is a judgment for how we lived our life

• friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God – While believers in Christ are no longer enemies of God based upon the righteousness of Christ freely given, when we as believers live our life as a friend of the world, we create conflict in our relationship with God and are in direct opposition with Him. Living in the flesh is inconsistent with who He has made us. He has made us alive in Christ and crucified our flesh. When we choose to sin we are living contrary to the new creature we are in Christ.

-Galatians 5:24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Paul declared of himself in Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me.

What say you?