Posted on 12/04/2022 1:16:23 PM PST by metmom
“‘To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven’” (Matthew 13:11).
In the Lord’s Prayer (Matt. 6:10) we see two aspects of the kingdom of heaven. “On earth” refers to the present kingdom, mediated through God’s servants, and “in heaven” refers to God’s universal, direct reign.
Through the centuries the present kingdom has attracted both true and false citizens. Only God can infallibly distinguish true citizens (the redeemed) from false ones. Jesus shows that many branches that seem to belong to the vine actually do not. The spurious ones will be pruned away and thrown into the fire (John 15:2, 6). Such people only superficially identify with Christ but are never really citizens of the kingdom of heaven or part of the body of Christ. They appear to be true citizens only from an imperfect human perspective.
Paradoxically, Scripture uses terms such as Israel, God’s people, and disciples that can include both nominal and genuine believers. Paul does make it clear, however, that “he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart” (Rom. 2:29; cf. 9:6–7). Only at the very end of the age, when the eternal kingdom begins, will those who are true citizens of God’s kingdom be clear to everyone. (Even during the Millennium, when Christ directly rules on earth, there will be disloyal citizens; cf. Rev. 20:7–8.)
The only way now to ensure your kingdom citizenship is to repent, trust in Jesus Christ, and pursue the sanctification that new life in Him brings (cf. Mark 1:15).
Ask Yourself
What should churches do to discern and encourage those who are Christians in name only to put their faith in Christ wholeheartedly? Why do we tend to avoid dealing in touchy matters like these? And what is the result of our reticence?
From Daily Readings from the Life of Christ, Vol. 1, John MacArthur. Copyright © 2008. Used by permission of Moody Publishers, Chicago, IL 60610, www.moodypublishers.com.
Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.
So sorry, Elsie, that does not address the pertinent issue of spirit sinning. The soul sins, the spirit does not. That you are blind to that reality is kind of astonishing.
"Where are your accusers?"
Hebrew 4:12, your smarmy and disrespectful to Jesus and The Apostles post not withstanding.
I'm sure glad that the word of God is going to be doing the judging.
Can't have any of that smarmy stuff here!
Matthew 15:16
"Are you still so dull?" Jesus asked them.
Matthew 231. Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:
2. "The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat.
3. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.
4. They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
5. "Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long;
6. they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues;
7. they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them `Rabbi.'
8. "But you are not to be called `Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers.
9. And do not call anyone on earth `father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.
10. Nor are you to be called `teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ.
11. The greatest among you will be your servant.
12. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
13. "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.
14. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
15. "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.
16. "Woe to you, blind guides! You say, `If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.'
17. You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred?
18. You also say, `If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.'
19. You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
20. Therefore, he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.
21. And he who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it.
22. And he who swears by heaven swears by God's throne and by the one who sits on it.
23. "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.
24. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
25. "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
26. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
27. "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean.
28. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
29. "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous.
30. And you say, `If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.'
31. So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets.
32. Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your forefathers!
33. "You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?
34. Therefore I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town.
35. And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.
36. I tell you the truth, all this will come upon this generation.
37. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.
38. Look, your house is left to you desolate.
39. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, `Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.' "
Mark 7:26-27
26. The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.
27. "First let the children eat all they want," he told her, "for it is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs."
And St. Paul chimes in...
Galatians 5:12
As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!
Oh look! Elsie has done another drag and paste! ... with only marginal understanding of the texts.
And he only used Scripture - AMAZING!!
How many times have you posted your lengthy post quoting Jesus from John chapter six, yet apparently do not comprehend that the ONLY work GOD requires is Believe, yet you add to that as if God is not able to save to the uttermost once the sin of unbelief ends.
I wonder if you can even comprehend how deeply your belief is authored by the catholicism memes? Do you even believe you are a body, a soul, and a spirit? Have you not read from Paul that there is a Spirit Body? With God's Spirit abiding therein it is not possible for the Spirit of the born again to sin. THAT is the great mystery of godliness, the core power of God's Grace to you and me.
Have yoy ever read the three tenses of salvation?
Why is it so hard to ACCEPT the fact that UNBELIEF can return?
Are those found together somewhere in the Bible?
You ask why is it so hard to 'accept' that unbelief can return. To accept that farcical assertion is to not believe It Is GOD Who does the saving of the spirit. It is God Wo births the humnan spirit into salvation. If I accepted your lie that unbelief 'can' return to the spirit I would be actually doing 'unbelief' in the Promises of God, that He has come to abide in my born again spirit. Where GOD IS there cannot be sin. Do you believe you are more powerful spiritually than a Promise of God to abide IN your spirit?
Unbelief is SPIRITUALLY impossible once GOD is abiding in the born again spirit. Satan however can manipulate your mind of the soul and get that aspect of you to doubt. Doubting with your mind is not spirit doubting, it is sin in the already under curse soul. Your you cannot sin after you die. Why? Because the behavior mechanism ceases to have any form of life in it. BUT THE SPIRIT, whether saved or not, does not cease to exist upon death.
I hear Elsie asking 'what must I do to remain saved'. THAT is the wrong question, friend, because it presumes God needs anything from you to birth your SPIRIT into a new family identity. The saved are POSITIONALLY in Christ, a new creation, with God's Spirit abiding in the newborn spirit. Satan can't touch that. If he could then god would be depending upon you to prevent satan killing your newborn self. At the Rapture -which satan hates- it is GOD WHO gives your newborn spirit a new glorified body and new behavior mechanism, for your eternally alive spirit toinhabit, forever.
Meant to include you folks in the ping to number 53.
Meant to include you in the ping to #53
Thank you for the ping to this excellent discourse.
Yes. Since God’s Holy Spirit resides within the believer, it is impossible to commit the sin that keeps one from eternal life with God Almigty: unbelief.
Please remember, Elsie, it’s not sin that keeps a person out of Heaven. It is his rejection of the One God sent for his salvation that keeps him from it.
Blessings & Peace
—>> Why is it so hard to ACCEPT the fact that UNBELIEF can return?
1. Believers are sealed unto the day of their complete redemption
2. We are held by His power and salvation is based entirely on His righteousness and nothing we did or can ever do or not do
Blessings to you bro
👍
✝️🙏🛐
Why is it so hard for some professor of "belief" accept the fact that he/she has never wholly abandoned their unbelief, but still is not convinced that Jesus does ALL the saving and never abandons the person who has placed themselvef totally in His care, knowing that any work they can do on earth will never, ever save them?
Do you think that you can prove from Scripture that your proposal of a reversing of repentance applies to a person who has committed his/her self into Jesus' ownership completely, reserving nothing, even if Jehovah in His Plan is determined that one's physical life be taken away before one's expectations, as did Job and Abraham, contemporary "believers," even without the indwelling Spirit of God?
Job spoke his saving words:
Job 13:14-16 (AV; bolding added for emphasis):Moses and David and Paul spoke of Abraham's irreversible, unreserved complete reliance on Jehovah thus:
14Wherefore do I take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in mine hand? 15Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him. 16He also shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite shall not come before him.
Job 42:5-6 (AV; bolding added for emphasis):
5I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. 6Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.
Gen 15:5-6 (AV):By virtue of our salvation and justification by His Death and resurrection, and our unalloyed total confidence in His Living Person that each regenerated person is imputed by the Father as being as Righteous as His Son, but in the sanctification into spiritual maturity continuing, each of us is fulfilling that standing with the Heavenly Father as being His never-to-be-rescinded-adoption as His children, subservient only to His Son as servants.
5And heJehovah brought himAbram forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and heJehovah said unto himAbram, So shall thy seed be. 6And heAbram believed in the LORD; and heJehovah counted it to himAbram for righteousnesswith no future withdrawal possible at all, total commitment to reliance on Jehovah that had spoken and shown His Presence to Abram/Abraham.
Psalm 32:1-2 (AV):
1A Psalm of David, Maschil. Blessed is heincluding both Job, Abram. David, and any having saving confidence in Jehovah whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.
Romans 4:3,6,20-25 (AV):
3For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
6Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, . . .
20He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 21And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. 22And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. 23Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; 24 on himJehovah that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 25Who was delivered for our offencessins, and was raised again for our justificationjudicially declared "Not Guilty" (blameless) thenceforth forever imputed by Jehovah as being as Righteous as His Son.
This doctrine is quite contrary to that unfounded doctrine of the Arminians, who in their approach think they can be "saved" but can fail in their belief, go back to depravity, and be judged at the Great White Throne for their supposed salvatory works.
How do I know that?
By experience being born as the son of a Methodist Episcopal ordained elder, and nover really "hearing" what a complete total trust in the Savior Jesus as the Way to Heaven through the Truth in a faithfully preserved and accurately translated version of the Holy Scriptures, which in my opinion the NIV is not.
With devotionally quoting verses from the Crown-Authorized Version of the true Majority/Byzantine Holy Scripture Translation.
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