Posted on 12/12/2013 12:59:05 PM PST by DouglasKC
How do you know you're saved?
Imagine you arrive at a most important banquet that's hosted by Christ Himself. After all--you're a Christian. Picture coming to His home and walking right up to the door. Perhaps you're a little surprised that the door is closed and you're shut outside. But not to be deterred, you knock and knock. No response, no reaction. So you call out, "Jesus open the door, Lord it's me." Still, no response, no reaction. At long last, you hear Jesus' voice and He says, "I never knew you!" What a devastating and shocking situation in which to find yourself.
(Excerpt) Read more at ucg.org ...
Mat 24:8-16
(8) All these are the beginning of sorrows.
(9) Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.
(10) And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
(11) And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
(12) And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
(13) But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
(14) And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
(15) When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
(16) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
Mark 13:10-16
(10) And the gospel must first be published among all nations.
(11) But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.
(12) Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death.
(13) And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
(14) But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:
(15) And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house:
(16) And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment.
>> “Whom did He NOT ‘come to save’?” <<
Those that were not ‘known’ from the foundation of creation.
He came only for “those that the Father had given.”
Kind of tough from a human standpoint, but perfectly just from the standpoint of Yehova.
You’re wrestling against Yehova’s word.
Arguing with one of us is feckless; we cannot change that with which you strain.
>> “What are His commandments again?” <<
Torah. (the written Torah delivered to Moshe, not man’s contrivances)
>> “Those are explicit quotes regarding the time of the abomination that makes desolate.” <<
Yes, the Great Tribulation, through which all who are living must pass according to Yeshua, who knows!
There is no other context to be imagined.
Seems very straight forward to me.
The issue isn’t sin, but resisting temptation and the wisdom available in these 2 passages emphasizes the reward available in that day for those who persevere.
Mat 24:3 Now as He sat 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?"
Everything listed by Christ in his response is a sign of his second coming at the end of the age.
He came only for “those that the Father had given.”
Them damned 'interpreters'!!!
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
You given me a LABEL to chase down.
I want to SEE exactly what you mean.
I never have understood how anybody, who understands the Gospel message, becomes so preoccupied with sin, unless they are still a slave to some type of sin, such that their perspective of God isn’t from fellowship, but from a guilty conscience.
We are to resist temptation, but that is a natural consequence of loving Christ. As soon as we set our aim on avoiding sin, instead on faith in Christ, we immediately become prey for any distraction to set us away from faith in Him.
Matthew 7:
[14] Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."
Is he the interpreter you were talking about?
True, but in any day, one must persevere ‘to the end,’ whatever that end may be.
I find it much better to simply place faith in Him and not worry about it so much.
Rom 7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, "YOU SHALL NOT COVET."
And I guess Jesus and none of those pesky first Christian really understood the gospel because they really seem preoccupied with sin:
Mat_5:29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
Joh_5:14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."
Joh_8:34 Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.
Rom_3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Rom_6:12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.
Jas_1:15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
1Pe 4:1 Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,
1Pe 4:2 that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.
1Jn_1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
The bible is obsessed with sin. The instructions of our Lord Jesus Christ and the first Christians are to overcome sin. That requires, as he scripture says, KNOWING what sin is so we're not deceived and don't fall into sin.
I know you don't mean it that way, but to blithely pretend that we don't sin and to make no effort at all to find, recognize and blot out that sin guarantees deception and sin.
When I study the thinking involved when I sin, I doscover it nearly always is associated with first struggling not to sin, then instead of placing faith in Christ, concentrating only upon not sinning, which results in my relying on my avoidance of sin for righteousness, instead of relying on His Providence in handling temptation.
Likewise, when I observe Christians demanding we persevere otherwise we really aren’t saved, I also see them rejecting what Christ provided in the Cross to instead favor their volition and perseverance to avoid sin, instead of faith in Christ. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy of falling out of fellowship.
Whatever works, but some here truly believe that ‘grace’ will save them from deliberate disregard of his commandments.
That doesn't exactly characterize the process I see in scripture. It's more of a self examination process:
2Co_13:5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.
Heb 3:12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God;
Heb 3:13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called "TODAY," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
Beware means to take heed, to pay attention.
The approach I see in scripture and use is to ask the Lord to show me my sins. Psa 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties;
Psa 139:24 And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.
To make sure I'm not being deceived by another spirit or practicing self deception verify it against God's written laws.
Rom_7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, "YOU SHALL NOT COVET."
Repent of it and ask the Lord Jesus Christ to remove the sin and help us overcome it.
Heb 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
Heb 4:15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
>> “Are you making the point that you don’t believe the Lord asks us to be baptized...” <<
.
Wrong question anyway.
Baptize in the Bible, and Baptize as it is practiced in just about all churches these days are two completely different things.
Baptize in the Bible is the Mikva; a process of confession, repentance and life walk-out, but in church they seem to think they can ‘save’ you by dunking or sprinkling you the first chance they get.
We’re not talking about Olympia beer here, it’s NOT the water!
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