He who endures to the end will be saved!

[graceandglory]

That is not what my Lord has taught;

He did say through Paul that “He began a good work and will complete it till the day of the Lord”. I believe Him. The one who can’t endure has never received Christ and the promise is not for that person.

there you go again…picking and choosing which scriptures to believe.
you cannot deny one scripture and hold fast to another.

 

[Rocket_Man]

When a person is baptized, he becomes a Christian/disciple. Baptism reconciles us with God. Baptism removes Original Sin and also all the personal sins that are on our souls at the time of our Baptisms and then the Holy Spirit makes us His temples.

The blood, the water, and the Spirit agree as one and are the three witnesses. The hyssop was dipped in the blood and in the purification water and sprinkled on the people. Both the blood and the water that flowed from the side of Christ are also sprinkled by the Spirit inwardly on the heart of the believer at the moment of justification giving the believer a new heart. He can’t just sprinkle blood without sprinkling the water as they are united. It is the Spirit who baptizes inwardly and wholly. The water applied externally in water baptism is a celebration, and a external witness of the inward union of the believer to the body of Christ.

Having been born again and fully justified Holy through which we are at peace with God, we are called to live a life pleasing to Him, where we should continually sow to the Spirit and not our old nature, else we will reap the rewards.

.

 

[Carlan]

Carlan, you have confirmed everything I have said: Justification is blended with sanctifiction. Grace making something good within the sinner through his cooperation as a process. Justification is not a one time event where the righteousness of Christ is imputed to the believer declaring the sinner innocent.

God does not justify whom He does not sanctify, and He does not sanctify whom He does not justify.

Rock,The reformers saw justification as a mere legal act by which God declares the sinner to be meriting heaven even tho he remains in fact unjust and sinful. It is not a real eradication of sin, but a covering or non-imputation. It is not an inner renewal and a real sanctification,only an external application of Christ’s justice.

  The Catholic Church understands justification  differently. It is a true eradication of sin and true sanctification and renewal of the inner man.

The soul really becomes objectively pleasing to God and so merits heaven.

Scripture concieves of forgiveness of sins as a real and complete removal of them. The
words used are “wiped out”, “blot out”, “take away”, “remove”, and “cleanse” P,5o;3;,
isa,43:25,Jn 1;29,Ps.102:12.

On the positive side, Scripture shows justification as a rebirth, as a generation of a supernatural life in a former sinner (John 3:5, Titus 3:5), as a thorough inner renewal(Eph. 4:23) and as a sanctification.(1 Cor:11),The soul itself becomes beautiful and holy.
It is not just and ugly soul hidden under a beautiful cloak.Carlan

 

[Rocket_Man]

Rock,The reformers saw justification as a mere legal act by which God declares the sinner to be meriting heaven even tho he remains in fact unjust and sinful. It is not a real eradication of sin, but a covering or non-imputation. It is not an inner renewal and a real sanctification,only an external application of Christ’s justice.

  The Catholic Church understands justification  differently. It is a true eradication of sin and true sanctification and renewal of the inner man.

The soul really becomes objectively pleasing to God and so merits heaven.

Scripture concieves of forgiveness of sins as a real and complete removal of them. The
words used are “wiped out”, “blot out”, “take away”, “remove”, and “cleanse” P,5o;3;,
isa,43:25,Jn 1;29,Ps.102:12.

On the positive side, Scripture shows justification as a rebirth, as a generation of a supernatural life in a former sinner (John 3:5, Titus 3:5), as a thorough inner renewal(Eph. 4:23) and as a sanctification.(1 Cor:11),The soul itself becomes beautiful and holy.
It is not just and ugly soul hidden under a beautiful cloak.Carlan

Yes, at the moment of being justified nothing in me has changed. I’m declared innocent through Christ’s righteousness and all my sin is “wiped out” and “taken away”. Although it is understood in a legal sense to picture the event in the human mind, it is real in substance to our standings before God. I am no longer a child of wrath because Christ has mediated my case through His death. Yet, He lives and now that I am one of His adopted children, how much more should He regenerate me as He changes me into His likeness. The soul is this case becomes objectively pleasing to God through Christ alone. Justification and Sanctification are separate but neither one stands alone in the life of a believer. God never sanctifies whom he hasn’t justified or in whom He has justified He also sanctifies.

The soul is this case becomes objectively pleasing to God through Christ alone.

 

[Dancelittleewok]

Reading through the thread, it seems three issues here are being discussed: Grace/assurance, baptism, and the papacy.

I can see how baptism is somewhat relevant since the Church views the sacraments as means of grace and these sacraments are instituted by Christ and Christ Himself created the Church to give these sacraments to His members. This doesn’t “add” (as I’ve heard some Protestant preachers say) to Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross, but are instituted by God Himself for His children. Not to mention, I think the Reformed (I use this term intentionally generally for I cannot to speak to every denomination) and Catholic differ with how one becomes a child of God and one can disinherit their themselves through an act of free will.

The issue of papacy stems from authority and if one doesn’t accept that Christ founded a Church, then it’s unlikely one will accept the papacy or any doctrine either, including the one of grace. That being said, the discussion of anti-popes and etc. should be put in another thread.

I think it might be helpful to continue our discussion within the parameters of the OP. After many discussion threads about this topic which quickly derailed into a discussion about everything and nothing, I have a low tolerance for such tactics.

MacDaddy and RocketMan pop quiz: Can you tell me what the Catholic position on grace? Bonus points for using Scripture and other Catholic sources together and not in a compare/contrast sense, but rather how you could possibly see them supporting one another.

 

[Rocket_Man]

Reading through the thread, it seems three issues here are being discussed: Grace/assurance, baptism, and the papacy.

I can see how baptism is somewhat relevant since the Church views the sacraments as means of grace and these sacraments are instituted by Christ and Christ Himself created the Church to give these sacraments to His members. This doesn’t “add” (as I’ve heard some Protestant preachers say) to Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross, but are instituted by God Himself for His children. Not to mention, I think the Reformed (I use this term intentionally generally for I cannot to speak to every denomination) and Catholic differ with how one becomes a child of God and one can disinherit their themselves through an act of free will.

The issue of papacy stems from authority and if one doesn’t accept that Christ founded a Church, then it’s unlikely one will accept the papacy or any doctrine either, including the one of grace. That being said, the discussion of anti-popes and etc. should be put in another thread.

I think it might be helpful to continue our discussion within the parameters of the OP. After many discussion threads about this topic which quickly derailed into a discussion about everything and nothing, I have a low tolerance for such tactics.

MacDaddy and RocketMan pop quiz: Can you tell me what the Catholic position on grace? Bonus points for using Scripture and other Catholic sources together and not in a compare/contrast sense, but rather how you could possibly see them supporting one another.

The OP was a somewhat of a continuance of an earlier thread where a poster had provided several verses from scripture regarding “enduring to the end”. His position was if a believer does not endure to the end He cannot be saved. What was being presented by the poster was that the believer through his mortal sin floated in and out of salvation and coupled those acts with having endurance.

I think it was established early on that it was grace that provided the source for one to endure. I also wrote that only through the ultimate sin of turning away and thereby the unbelief in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ was acceptable or neither pleasing to God for the atonement of all of one’s sin, was in itself, the final fall from grace that forever ends endurance.

It did take a while for me to get to this point and I could be wrong. So your reponses are welcomed.

 

[Dancelittleewok]

The OP was a somewhat of a continuance of an earlier thread where a poster had provided several verses from scripture regarding “enduring to the end”. His position was if a believer does not endure to the end He cannot be saved.

I think it was established early on that it was grace that provided the source for one to endure. I also wrote that only through the ultimate sin of turning away and thereby the unbelief in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ was acceptable or neither pleasing to God for the atonement of all of one’s sin, was in itself, the final fall from grace that forever ends endurance.

It did take a while for me to get to this point and I could be wrong. So your reponses are welcomed.

I noticed you didn’t take the pop quiz. Mind taking up my challenge?

Let me get this straight. Catholics and Reformed (but correct me if I misunderstood you) believe that grace is needed in order to continue to work out our salvation. (The differing view being salvation is a process, one time event or both). Both theologies believe that endurance is predicated on our free wills. If not, then why does unbelief or backsliding negate an eternal assurance?

I think both Catholics and Reformed are circling between free will and grace in this debate.

 

[elvisman]

The previous post you pronounced judgment on her. If fruit is the indication, which it is, then I see no concerned about Tweety. It is one thing to disagree with someone and another to try to insult and demoralize them; to my knowledge, Jesus nor the Apostles nor any of His true disciples ever taught such things. Seems to me that you would just dust off your shoes and move on instead of behaving with rants that are meant to hurt. You must do as the Lord leads you.

WRONG.
I wasn’t judging her - I was flushing her out into the open.
**She misrepresents the Church and may have an affect on those who are trying earnestly to learn about the faith. She preaches a false message when she represents the Catholic Church. **

**I will not sit by idly and watch somebody lead people away from the truth by preaching a counterfeit version of Catholic Doctrine. **It would be sinful for me to sit back and do nothing. There is nothing I can do about the damage she might be doing to the Catechumens she teaches, short of calling the Sacramento Archdiocese. But, I can expose her here where she continues to do harm.

 

[elvisman]

Who were those people? The Jews and they, the Apostles, were baptizing, not Jesus. Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit according to my Bible and to some with He will or has Baptized with fire. Christian baptism by water was not established until the birth of the church on the day of Pentecost and the first 3000 were Baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ. What you see is prophecy being fulfilled that John must decrease and He must increase; this is a transition from the Old Covenant into the New Covenant.

John 4:1-3
1 Therefore when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2 (although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were), 3 He left Judea and went away again into Galilee.

Jesus indeed baptized as is made clear in John 3:22.
However, many scholars believe that it was only in the early part of his ministry that he baptized. The point I was making was to answer your post that said:
“People are not reborn because of a water baptism. Christian water baptism was not in existence when Jesus had his conversation with nicedemus.”

---

**People are indeed reborn because of water baptism. Ezekiel 36:25 clearly prophesies this:
"Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols."

---

Jesus was telling Nicodemus about the things that were coming – just as he spoke of the Eucharist in John 6. It had not yet been established at that point either – until the Last Supper – but it was no less important, no o less crucial.

---

The Bible clearly tells us that unless you believe in Jesus you can’t be saved. Does this mean that everybody who died before Jesus did is in hell? That is preposterous. Moses and the prophets benefited from Jesus’ finished work on the cross that was applied to them.

 

[tweetymom]

WRONG.
**I wasn’t **judging her - I was flushing her out into the open.
She misrepresents the Church and may have an affect on those who are trying earnestly to learn about the faith. She preaches a false message when she represents the Catholic Church.

I will not sit by idly and watch somebody lead people away from the truth by preaching a counterfeit version of Catholic Doctrine. It would be sinful for me to sit back and do nothing. There is nothing I can do about the damage she might be doing to the Catechumens she teaches, short of calling the Sacramento Archdiocese. But, I can expose her here where she continues to do harm.

Matthew 12:36 But i say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement.

Luke6:22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall seperate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.

Luke :623 Rejoice in that day,and leap for joy: for behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.

 

[adrift]

Matthew 18:6

Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea

 

[tweetymom]

Matthew 18:6

Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea

 

[SHW]

Why do people die? Because of original sin nature passed through Adam. Therefore, the infant who is baptized cannot die until they reach the age of accountability and commit another sin. That is the implication of your theology; however what is the reality and what does that do to your theology? …

A Christian by his very “New Nature”, dead to sin and alive in Christ, cannot lose a salvation that was a gift from God. Just read the end of Romans 8 and Paul will set you straight on this account.

Death is one of the consequences of Adam’s Sin.

First of all, **Adam’s Sin made all of us God’s enemies. **We all inherit this “stain” of alienation (loss of grace/fellowship) on our souls when we are conceived. This means that we cannot enter into eternal life when we die.

Romans 5:10
For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

Baptism removes this stain of Original Sin from our souls so Baptism now gives us the hope of eternal life. Baptism sanctifies us because the Holy Spirit (who is the Spirit of Grace) makes us His temple. The removal of Original Sin justifies/saves us/sanctifies us (we become members of God’s elect).

Baptism:

1 Corinthians 6:11
And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

Washing of water by the Word is Baptism. Ephesians 5:26

Matthew 28:19
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them (washing of water) in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (by the Word)

We are made Christ’s disciples through Baptism. This is why infants are baptized. They are baptized to remove Original Sin and reconcile them with God in order to give them hope of eternal life. If an infant dies shortly after Baptism, he will go directly to heaven because he has no personal sins on his soul. He will enter eternal life immediately.

After Baptism, children are taught to serve the Lord.

Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not depart from it.

Matthew 28:18-20
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe (to do) all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen

Salvation Process:

We are called.
We are justified through Baptism (become His elect).
We follow Christ’s example to the best of our ability until death.

1 Peter 2:21-22
For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example**, that you should follow His steps:
22 “ Who committed no sin,
Nor was deceit found in His mouth**”

We are glorified after death.
**
But, what happens if this Salvation Process is interrupted by mortal sin?**

to be continued…

 

[SHW]

What happens if this Salvation Process is interrupted by mortal sin?

Ez 33:12-20
“Therefore you, O son of man, say to the children of your people: ‘The righteousness of the righteous man shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression; as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall because of it in the day that he turns from his wickedness; nor shall the righteous be able to live because of his righteousness in the day that he sins.’ 13 When I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, but he trusts in his own righteousness and commits iniquity, none of his righteous works shall be remembered; but because of the iniquity that he has committed, he shall die. 14 Again, when I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ if he turns from his sin and does what is lawful and right, 15 if the wicked restores the pledge, gives back what he has stolen, and walks in the statutes of life without committing iniquity, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 16 None of his sins which he has committed shall be remembered against him; he has done what is lawful and right; he shall surely live.
17 “Yet the children of your people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ But it is their way which is not fair! 18 When the righteous turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he shall die because of it. 19 But when the wicked turns from his wickedness and does what is lawful and right, he shall live because of it. 20 Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ O house of Israel, I will judge every one of you according to his own ways.”

If we commit mortal sin, then we “die” spiritually. If we die spiritually, then we cannot enter eternal life. At Baptism, the Holy Spirit “graces” our souls with His presence. The Holy Spirit cannot live in a temple/soul defiled by mortal sin and it is only His presence within our souls at the time of our deaths which guarantees our salvation. If, after Baptism, we sin mortal sins (those that cause the death of spiritual life in the soul like adultery, fornication, etc.), then we insult the Spirit of Grace and He will destroy us if we do not repent before death. Hebrews 10:26-30, 1 Cor 3:16-18, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Revelation 21:6-8

Gal 5:19-21
Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

We must maintain our call and our election/justification firm to the end of our lives in order to enter into eternal life. The Holy Spirit must be present in our souls at the time of our deaths in order for us to inherit eternal life. He cannot live in soul defiled by mortal sin.

2 Pet 1:2-11
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; 11 for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Heb 3:6
but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.

The elect (justified/saved) who commit mortal sins and who do not repent of them before death will not enter eternal life. These “elect” were never predestined to eternal life.

Only the elect/baptized who are still found faithful to Christ’s commandments at the time of their deaths were predestined by God before the foundation of the world. He used His foreknowledge to determine who would be predestined to eternal life. In His foreknowledge, He saw who would still be faithful to His commandments at the time of their deaths. All those whom He predestined, He also called. All those whom He predestined and called, He also justified. All those whom He predestined, called, and justified, these He also glorified in eternal life.

He called some, but they were not justified/saved through Baptism, so He did not predestine them to enter eternal life.
.
He justified some through Baptism and so they became His elect, but they did not follow Christ’s example of obedience to His Father until death, so these He also did not predestine to enter eternal life.

Salvation is a life-long process. It is not a one-time event.

 

[Rocket_Man]

Baptism removes this stain of Original Sin from our souls so Baptism now gives us the hope of eternal life.

When I read your comments above, maybe it’s me, but I sense all the emphasis placed in the water rather than the One who truely sprinkles the soul with His blood. Not only was Adam’s sin atoned for, but all of our sin and in your case all of your venial and mortal that you will ever commit in this life. And I sense from your writing that Jesus Christ and His sacrifice is not the source of your hope to endure. But your endurance is based upon the false hope that one day you may be found worthy enough through your deeds to tip the balancing scale in your favor to inherit the promise.

Jesus Christ, Him alone, and what He has accomplished on God’s alter is the source of all your hope. If you are unwilling to come to Him with a broken and contrite heart, and thrust yourself completely at his feet, wipe His feet with your hair, and annoint Him with costly perfume, then you will have no part with Him.

 

[SHW]

You quote much scripture, but without the foundation of hope laid by Christ Jesus in the heart of the believer, you are building your synopsis on flesh. One can remain in Christ, believe in the merits of the cross, and the hope of eternal life provided by the cross and still fall into sin. He remains in Christ and Christ remains in him because faith in Christ still remains. Even in His glorious wisdom and goodness, God uses the sin He hates for our advantage. For when we return, our hearts are ever more dependent on Him and on His righteousness and mercy.

Rather. it is the unbelieving heart, the ultimate sin, the one that does not think Christ’s sacrifice was worthy enough to purge all his sin on the alter that is in danger of hell fire. It is these that have seen God’s goodness provided in Christ Jesus, and walked away to participate in their own righteousness to make them acceptable to God.

An unbelieving heart is a heart that does not obey God’s commandments. If you believe God, then you obey Him. This is a command. It is not a suggestion. Romans 1:5, Romans 16:26, 2 Corinthians 10:5

Romans 6:16
Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?
**
Hope of eternal life is not a guarantee of eternal life.**

The Holy Spirit is our only guarantee of eternal life. 2 Corinthians 5:5 Through Baptism, He sanctifies our souls/temples by His presence. He is now our guarantee that we will enter eternal life when we die.

If we sin mortal sins after Baptism, then we insult this Spirit of Grace, and so He no longer abides in us giving us saving (sanctifying) grace Hebrews 10:26-30. He cannot abide in a temple/soul defiled by mortal sin. 1 Corinthians 3:17 If we have committed mortal sins and have not repented of them, then we know that He is no longer living in us. If we die in this state, then we are destroyed. We are not saved and we do not enter into eternal life.

1 John 3:24
Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

We know that He abides in us because we are keeping His commandments. When we keep His commandments, then we know that He is abiding in us.

1 John 2:4
He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

What happens to all liars?

Revelation 21:8
But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

 

[graceandglory]

When I read your comments above, maybe it’s me, but I sense all the emphasis placed in the water rather than the One who truely sprinkles the soul with His blood. Not only was Adam’s sin atoned for, but all of our sin and in your case all of your venial and mortal that you will ever commit in this life. And I sense from your writing that Jesus Christ and His sacrifice is not the source of your hope to endure. But your endurance is based upon the false hope that one day you may be found worthy enough through your deeds to tip the balancing scale in your favor to inherit the promise.

Jesus Christ, Him alone, and what He has accomplished on God’s alter is the source of all your hope. If you are unwilling to come to Him with a broken and contrite heart, and thrust yourself completely at his feet, wipe His feet with your hair, and annoint Him with costly perfume, then you will have no part with Him.

Hi Rocket Man,

Here is Catholic teaching on what final perseverance is:

This will give you something to chew on.
**
catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=4677**

That we can never in this life be certain of our final perseverance is defined by the Council of Trent (Sess. VI, can. xvi): “Si quis magnum illud usque in finem perseverantiae donum se certo habiturum, absoluta et infallibili certitudine dixerit, nisi hoc ex speciali revelatione dedicerit, anathema sit”. What places it beyond our meriting power is the obvious fact that revelation nowhere offers final perseverance, with it retinue of efficacious graces and its crown of a good death, as a reward for our actions, but, on the contrary, constantly reminds us that, as the Council of Trent puts it, “the gift of perseverance can come only from Him who has the power to confirm the standing and to raise the fallen”.

 

[graceandglory]

. And I sense from your writing that Jesus Christ and His sacrifice is not the source of your hope to endure. But your endurance is based upon the false hope that one day you may be found worthy enough through your deeds to tip the balancing scale in your favor to inherit the promise.

Rocket_Man,
That would be heretical. SHW isn’t saying that, it would not be scriptural. The Bible doesn’t contradict itself. We have to come to our understanding of scripture using ALL of the scriptures. We are saved through hope.

How does salvation look? Using ALL of scriptures together? Then you will come up with not just a few verses to hang your hat on but a complete THEOLOGY OF SALVATION.

This is a good one.

**SPE SALVI : In Hope are We Saved

vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20071130_spe-salvi_en.html**

1. “SPE SALVI facti sumus”—in hope we were saved, says Saint Paul to the Romans, and likewise to us (Rom 8:24). According to the Christian faith, “redemption”—salvation—is not simply a given. Redemption is offered to us in the sense that we have been given hope, trustworthy hope, by virtue of which we can face our present: the present, even if it is arduous, can be lived and accepted if it leads towards a goal, if we can be sure of this goal, and if this goal is great enough to justify the effort of the journey.

 

[SHW]

What is the Father’s will?

And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of Him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

**
There is no belief in God without obedience to God.** If you truly believe Him, then you will do what He tells you to do. If you say that you believe/know God, but you do not also obey Him, then you are a liar.

1 John 2:4
He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

**
The Father’s Will:**

Matthew 21:28-31
A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’ 29 He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. 30 Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said to Him, “The first.”

The son who actually obeyed in the end was the one who did His Father’s Will.

We must obedient until death.

Philippians 2:8
And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

1 Peter 1:13-16
Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; 15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

This is not a suggestion. It is a command.

Christ gives eternal life only to those who have obeyed Him until their deaths.

Hebrews 5:9
And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him

Matthew 24:12-13
Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13but he who stands firm (in obedience to God’s commandments) to the end will be saved.
**
What happens to those who do not OBEY His gospel?**

2 Thessalonians 1:7-9
when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, 8** in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ**. 9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,

 

[SHW]

The blood, the water, and the Spirit agree as one and are the three witnesses. The hyssop was dipped in the blood and in the purification water and sprinkled on the people. Both the blood and the water that flowed from the side of Christ are also sprinkled by the Spirit inwardly on the heart of the believer at the moment of justification giving the believer a new heart. He can’t just sprinkle blood without sprinkling the water as they are united. It is the Spirit who baptizes inwardly and wholly. The water applied externally in water baptism is a celebration, and a external witness of the inward union of the believer to the body of Christ.

Having been born again and fully justified Holy through which we are at peace with God, we are called to live a life pleasing to Him, where we should continually sow to the Spirit and not our old nature, else we will reap the rewards.

The OT rites are precursors to the NT rites. The OT rites are merely a shadow of what is to come in the NT Covenant. Their fulfillment is found in the NT Covenant rites.

Colossians 2:16-17
So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.

1 John 5:6
This is He who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth.

This is describing Baptism. Jesus Christ comes to us by both water and blood. The water applies the merits of His blood Sacrifice to our souls and this is what makes them clean/purified. The Spirit bears witness to this purification because He now abides in us/souls/hearts and so He has become the guarantee of our Salvation. We have been born again with water and the Spirit.

John 3:3-7
Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’