- This topic has 1,122 replies, 10 voices, and was last updated 1 month ago by
.
- Posts
@pseudo
E.G.White was a little light that directed his readers/listeners to THE GREAT LIGHT: THE HOLY BIBLE.
HAVE YOU READ HIS BOOKS?
🙏
No I have not read her books.
Why should we search for someone to follow?
Folks get led into ditches that way.
Hi to all
Here is the Daily Devotional
FALSE SANCTIFICATION
He who says, I have known Him, and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But he who keeps His Word, the love of God is truly perfect in him: by this we know that we are in Him. (1 John 2:4, 5)
The sanctification currently in vogue in the religious world is imbued with a spirit of infatuation and a forgetfulness of the law of God which makes it foreign to the religion of the Scriptures. The propagators of this sanctification teach that it is instantaneous, that it leads immediately, by faith alone, to perfect holiness. “Only believe, they say, and this grace is yours”. They imply that no further effort is required. At the same time, they deny the authority of God’s law, and claim that we are released from the obligation to keep the commandments. As if it were possible to be holy, in full accordance with the will and character of God, without being subject to the principles which are the expression of His will, and which reveal what is pleasing to Him!
What makes the fortune of the doctrine of faith and of faith alone is the desire for a religion which requires neither strife, nor renunciation, nor separation from the world and its frivolities. But what does the Word of God say? Let us listen to the apostle James: “My brothers, what good is it for someone to say that he has faith, if he does not have works? Can faith save him?… Do you want to know, O vain man, that faith without works is useless? (Jas. 2:14, 20)… The testimony of the Word of God is opposed to this enticing doctrine of faith without works. Claiming favors from heaven without complying with the conditions of grace is not faith, it is presumption, since genuine faith is based on the promises contained in the Scriptures. Let no one be deceived by the thought that sanctification is compatible with the voluntary violation of God’s commands. To sin willfully is to silence the voice of the Spirit and separate oneself from God. “Sin is the transgression of the law”… The apostle John who, in his epistles, insists a lot on love, does not hesitate however to reveal mercilessly those who claim to be saints even though they transgress the law of God. “He who says; I have known Him, and whoever does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His Word, the love of God is truly perfect in him” (1 Jn 2:4, 5).
God bless
Surely salvation cannot be that easy. Surely my striving would help God save me.
Freedom is a scary concept so perhaps I can find more rules and regulations to help me.
I praise you Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for hiding these things from the wise and clever, and revealing them to mere children.
mt 13
Hi to all
Here is the Daily Devotional
PROPHECIES FULFILLED
The Old Testament contains more than 300 references to the Messiah, covering many details concerning His birth, life, and death. It has been estimated that the odds of Jesus fulfilling even eight of these prophecies (if He were not the Messiah) is 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000.
When Peter sees the mob grab Jesus, his adrenaline kicks in. He whisks out his sword and begins to use it. The impulsive fisherman is ready to take on the whole mob, but Jesus stops him. “Don’t you know I can call on My Father, Peter? At any moment, He will send over 12 legions of angels if I ask Him.” Peter’s sword pales in comparison. Sheepishly he tucks away the weapon.
Jesus asks Peter another question: “If I call for an angel rescue, how can the Scriptures be fulfilled? The Scriptures that say it has to happen this way.” If Peter had been really listening, if he had understood the message about fulfilling prophecy, maybe he wouldn’t have been so confused, bewildered, and scared in the hours that followed.
We have the advantage of hindsight that the disciples didn’t have at that time. We can read the prophecies and understand why things had to happen the way they did in the life of Christ. Through these fulfilled prophecies, we have overwhelming evidence that Jesus is the Messiah.
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus and took him. Matthew 26:50ÂFrom Amazing facts
God bless
Hi to all
Here is the Daily Devotional
DOES MATTHEW TEACH THAT SOME COMMANDMENT BREAKERS WILL BE IN HEAVEN?
Some understand this passage to mean that a person called the “least” will still be in the kingdom of heaven. But reading the next verse gives us more perspective. Jesus goes on to say, “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (v. 20).
The scribes and Pharisees loved the appearance of keeping God’s law, but they did not keep it. They often set aside some laws for their own selfish purposes. “For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers” (Matthew 23:4).
In one Sabbath incident, Jesus said to them, “If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath?” (John 7:23)
Jesus was called a lawbreaker, but His teachings actually show that He was stricter in keeping the moral law than the so-called experts in the law. He explained, “For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men” (Mark 7:8). In this passage they were quick to ignore the needs of their own parents and break the fifth commandment for their own profit, “making the word of God of no effect” (v. 13).
To be called “least” in the kingdom of heaven doesn’t mean you are the last in line and will somehow squeeze through the pearly gates. The word is not a noun, but an adjective that means to be unfit or unworthy to be there. Christ assures us that those who belittle His law will be like the scribes and Pharisees who “will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
“Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 5:19From Amazing facts
God bless
Hi to all
Here is the Daily Devotional
NO REASON TO BRAG
So I say: Woe to me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, I dwell among a people whose lips are unclean, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. (Isaiah 6:5)
Those who experience sanctification according to the Word of God manifest a spirit of humility. Like Moses, they had a dreadful vision; they saw the majesty of God and discovered their unworthiness in contrast to the purity and perfection of the infinite Being.
By his long life entirely devoted to the service of the Master, the prophet Daniel is an example of true sanctification. He was a “beloved” man (Dan. 10:11) in heaven. And yet, far from considering himself pure and holy, this venerable prophet, pleading before God the cause of his people, identifies himself with guilty Israel: it is because of Your great mercies… We have sinned, we have committed iniquity” (Dan. 9:18, 15)…
When Job heard God’s voice out of the storm, he cried out, “I condemn myself and repent on dust and ashes” (Job 42:6). When Isaiah had glimpsed the glory of God and heard the cherubim repeating, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts! he exclaimed, “Woe to me!” I am lost” (Isa. 6:5). Paul, although he had been caught up into the third heaven where he heard “ineffable words which it is not lawful for a man to speak”, considered himself “the least of all saints” (2 Cor. 12:2-4; Eph. 3:8). John, the beloved disciple, who rested in the bosom of the Lord, and beheld His glory, fell as dead at the feet of an angel (Rev. 1:17).
Those who walk in the shadow of Calvary’s cross can never be puffed up or claim freedom from sin. They know that their transgressions have hurt the Son of God, that they have broken His heart, and this thought keeps them humbled. Those who live closest to Jesus see most clearly the frailty and sinfulness of our human nature. Their only hope is in the merits of a crucified and risen Saviour. (TS 511, 512).
God bless
Yes Jesus was sent to the Jewish people who are under the Law to teach them about the Law.
It would be wrong to apply his teachings to the Gentiles.
It is important to discern who was the target audience for Jesus’s  teachings. Just because he quoted the Law does not imply that he was putting all men under the OT Law. Purveyors of false religion offer heavier burdens than we can bear in the hope of salvation by our own efforts.
As gentiles we were never under that Law but we are invited to come into the Kingdom by being joined with him through baptism in his Name and being anointed with the Spirit,
Rev.14
[1] And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.
[2] And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:
[3] And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.
[4] These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.
[5] And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.
[6] And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
[7] Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
[8] And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
[9] And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
[10] The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
[11] And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
[12] Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.Yes the whole of Israel will eventually be saved. God is eternally faithful to His chosen people
The lost sheep that the Good Shepherd had come to rescue will be.But we are gentiles and only added to that plan by God’s mercy. Our only hope is being joined to the Son and our striving cannot improve what he has done. He perfectly obeyed and fulfilled the Law for us who find that gifted mercy in him.
We must not miss entering His REST
Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His Rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. For indeed we have had the good news preached to us, just as they also, but the Word heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard. For we who have believed enter that rest just as He has said.
” As I swore in My  wrath. They shall not enter My Rest.”
Heb 4 1f
Yes the whole of Israel will eventually be saved. God is eternally faithful to His chosen people.
Me
Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: [7] Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
[8] That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.Rom.9:6-8
28] For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
[29] But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.Rom. 2:28,29
………..  ……….  …………
Two New Testament Passages which Identify the Church with Israel
The following quote is from the introduction of From Adam and Israel to the Church by Benjamin L Gladd…to give God’s people confidence that they are part of the restored people of God–true Israel. This may seem like an academic inquiry, but such is not the case.
In 2 Corinthians 6:16-18, for example, the apostle Paul has in mind a number of prominent Old Testament passages as he warns the gentile Christians:
What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,
“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,
and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.
Therefore go out from their midst,
and be separate from them, says the Lord,
and touch no unclean thing;
then 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.”
Paul audaciously quotes and alludes to a host of Old Testament texts here — Leviticus 26, Ezekiel 37, Isaiah 52, Ezekiel 20, and 2 Samuel 7, to name a few.  What’s remarkable is that many of these Old Testament texts refer to Israel. Indeed, the passage from 2 Samuel 7 is a reference to King David!. Why would Paul cite texts that appear to be confined to Israel (and David) and apply them to a group of Gentiles at Corinth?  His words in the next verse (2 Corinthians 7:1) are even more pointed when he claims that “we have these promises.” The Corinthian congregation, a church filled primarily with Gentile Christians, is aligned with Israel, so much so that Paul includes the Corinthians in the lineage of Israel when he tells them the first generation of Israelites are “our ancestors” (1 Corinthians 10:1). Though the Corinthians are not ethnically part of Israel, they enjoy complete identification with Israel through their position in Christ, the embodiment of true Israel. The Corinthians must embrace their identity as true Israel and the true temple of God by not morally compromising. Christian living flows naturally from our identification as Israel.The following quote is from the introduction an article written by John Hendryx
An Observation about the Church & Israel in Ephesians 2:11-21 & 3:5, 6
The following passage really makes up the heart of Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians. Here he reveals a great mystery which was hidden in previous ages:“Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ … So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord…3:6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” (emphasis mine)
Notice in this passage that Paul speaks to Gentiles as having been previously separate and alienated from Israel and the covenants of promise, but in Christ, Gentiles have also become citizens of Israel. The phrase “brought near” was their modern day parlance for Jewish proselytes. According to this passage we Gentiles now partake of the “same promise” and are no longer strangers to the commonwealth of Israel, but citizens of it. Notice the clear reference to Jesus Christ as the true Israel, and this includes are all who are joined to His body. Let’s have a closer look: Verse 12 “alienated from the commonwealth of Israel” Paul now joins Gentiles to (vr. 19) “you are no longer strangers and aliens”. No longer aliens to what? No longer aliens to the commonwealth of Israel. That means that Gentiles who are in Christ are now “citizens” (v. 19) of Israel built as a house with Christ as the chief cornerstone. In other words, Jesus Christ is the True Israel of God (its fulfillment and foundation) as are all who are joined in union to Him. To say it another way, both OT and NT saints who are in union with Christ are now citizens of Israel. Likewise According to Ephesians 3: 4-6, God made known a mystery to Paul “…the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.”
Partakers of what promise? The promises given to Israel to Abraham of course. Did not God promise to Abraham that through him all the nations would be blessed? And since the Paul elsewhere asserts that the gospel was preached to Abraham beforehand (Gal 3:8). and “that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham.” (Gal 3:7), the OT and NT saints were both saved by the same grace in Christ and are members of the same body …. partakers of the same covenant promises. The difference is simply (if you think about it organically) that one was a mere seedling or immature branch and the other a fully mature fruit-bearing tree, but both are part of the same tree. Some natural but others ingrafted (Rom. 11:17) The OT saints saw Christ from a distance in promises and shadows, yet in God’s economy those regenerate were, even then, united to Christ, part of the same body and saved by the same blood … the blood which the signposts of the temple sacrifices pointed to.
“And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.” (Heb 11: 39, 40)
Just as we can never separate the law from the lawgiver, we likewise cannot separate the benefits from the benefactor. Many in modern day evangelicalism have wrongly divided the people of God, even while Paul here was at pains to show them both in union with Christ. Since Paul stressed the importance of this lets look afresh at the Scripture beyond our traditions and errors regarding this issue. The Text of Scripture is not Israelocentric but Christocentric. Jesus himself bore witness to this: “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.” (John 5:39)
God bless
Hi to all
Here is the Daily Devotional
SALVATION, A DAILY EXPERIENCE
Therefore, whoever thinks he is standing, beware of falling! (1 Corinthians 10:12)
Peter’s fall was not instantaneous, but gradual. His presumption led him to believe he was saved and, little by little, to deny his Master. We should never trust ourselves or think that we are safe from temptation while we are here. Those who accept the Savior, however sincere their conversion, should never learn to say or believe that they are saved. This is a misleading statement. Everyone should strive to cultivate hope and faith; but even when we give ourselves to Jesus and have the assurance of being accepted by Him, we are not yet safe from temptation… Only he who will overcome the test will receive the crown of life. Those who are converted and who say in their first surge of faith: “I am saved”, run the risk of putting their trust in themselves… Here is the warning addressed to us: beware of falling! (1 Cor. 10:12). To defy ourselves and to depend only on Christ is our only security. (The Parables of Jesus, p. 128, 129).
Many who profess Christianity never come to Christian maturity. They admit that man has fallen, that his faculties are weakened, that he has become incapable of moral perfection, but they affirm that Christ has borne all the burden of suffering and self-denial, and they do not ask better than letting Him carry it. They say all they have to do is believe, when Christ said, “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and ‘he follows Me’ (Mat. 16:24)…
We must never declare ourselves satisfied with our condition, stop progressing and say, “I am saved.” When such an idea is cultivated, the motives for vigilance, for prayer, for persevering efforts to ascend higher cease to exist. No sanctified tongue will speak these words until the coming of Christ, when we enter the gates of the city of God. Then it will be right to give glory to God and the Lamb for eternal deliverance…
It is not at the moment of putting on the armor that one can claim victory, because one must first fight and win the battle. Only he who perseveres to the end will be saved. (1MC 368, 369).
God bless
”Accepting Jesus as saviour “ never saved anyone and striving has never improved your relationship with God. Religious claptrap.
Back to basics.“Repent and each one of you be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” is what God said through Peter at Pentecost.
Nick……Lots of truth in your last post, it’s to bad most don’t understand that.  They think Jesus did it all for them, and just believing in him saves them.  They don’t understand we must live as Jesus lived by the anointing Spirit of God. That is what Jesus meant when he said we must eat (take to ourselves) his flesh and drink (take to ourselves) his blood (life).
peace and love to you and yours Nick………gene
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
