Saved?

Christians: Are They Saved?

If you're surprised by my question; don't be. Keep reading and you'll see why.

An "expert witness" can be defined as: A witness, who by virtue of education, training, skill, or experience, is believed to have knowledge in a particular subject beyond that of the average person, sufficient that others may officially (and legally) rely upon the witness's specialized (scientific, technical or other) opinion about an evidence or fact issue within the scope of their expertise, referred to as the expert opinion, as an assistance to the fact-finder.

According to the Bible God's testimony as an expert witness in all matters pertaining to His son, people believing themselves to be saved Christians, while not possessing eternal life, do not have His son; viz: they are quite Christless no matter where they go to church; whether Catholic or Protestant makes no difference.

§. 1John 5:11-12 . . And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the life, does not have God's son.

Christless Christians are in a very serious condition.

§. Rom 8:9 . . If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.

According to Christ's testimony as an expert witness in all matters pertaining to eternal life, people believing themselves to be saved Christians, while not in the right-now possession of eternal life, are 1) not his sheep, 2) not heeding his voice, 3) not following Christ, 4) not trusting God, 5) in grave danger of perishing, and 6) existing in a state of Death.

§. John 10:27-28 . . My sheep heed my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish

§. John 5:24 . . I assure you, those who heed my message. and trust in God who sent me, have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already transferred from Death into Life.

According to the apostle John's testimony, people believing themselves to be saved Christians while not possessing eternal life, are not only disbelievers; but also marked for the wrath of God.

§. John 3:36 . . All who believe in God's son have eternal life. Those who disbelieve the Son will never experience eternal life, but the wrath of God remains upon them.

FAQ: What is a Christless Christian?

A Christless Christian is a person believing themselves to be a Christian while not possessing eternal life. According to God's testimony as an expert witness in all matters pertaining to His son, the possession of Christ, and the possession of eternal life, are inseparable; viz: you can't have the one without the other— they're joined at the hip.

§. 1John 5:11-12 . . And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the life, does not have God's son.

According to Jesus, the sheep to whom he gives eternal life will never perish.

§.§. John 10:27-28 . . My sheep heed my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish

So then, since the Christians in the passage below are going to Hell, it means they do not have eternal life; subsequently, they don't have Christ either.

§. Matt 7:22-23 . . Many will say to me in that day; Lord, Master, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name exorcised devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them; I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity.

That passage doesn't target Atheists, nor Hindus, nor Muslims. No, it targets people professing to have done many wonderful works in Christ's name; viz: it targets Christians— and not just your average rank and file pew warmers, no, but rather, it targets outstanding Christians like Mother Teresa, Padre Pio, Jeanne Jugan, Jozef Damian de Veuster, archbishop Zygmunt Szczesny Felinski, Francisco Coll y Guitart, Rafael Arnaiz Baron, Father Arcangelo Tadini, Sister Caterina Volpicelli, theologian Bernardo Tolomei, Gertrude Caterina Comensoli, Carmelite monk Nuno de Santa Maria Alvares Pereira, Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, Billy Graham, Luis Palau, and a host of Sunday school teachers, Pastors, Deacons and church elders— the cream of the crop; the celebrities of the Christian world; renowned for their accomplishments, their piety, their perseverance, their love, and their dedication.

It is to many of those very kinds of Christians that Jesus will say "I never knew you." Why? Because many of those kinds of Christians were distant from Christ and his Father their whole time on earth.

FAQ: Why is Billy Graham's name in that list of Christless Christians?

Mr. Graham is listed as an example of outstanding Christians; not as an example of Christless Christians.

I'd like to comment on a previous excerpt from the Bible.

§. Rom 8:9 . . If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.

FAQ: Does the Spirit of Christ differ somewhat from the Spirit of God?

Yes, in a very significant way.

Christ's spirit is that of a child in the home.

Born-again Christians are adoptees in God's own home.

§. Rom 8:15 . . For you have not received a spirit of bondage again to fear; but you have received a spirit of adoption, whereby we call out: Abba! Father.

The word abba is an Aramaic word. And it's not really translated; but rather, it's transliterated. The word means: father, dad, daddy, papa, pop, or whatever's your favorite; and it never means mom or mamma as if the spirit of God's son would ever compel God's kin to address their father as a female. The Bible's God is a king, not a queen.

Somebody might ask: Why put two "father" words together?

Abba is a vocative— a vocal expression for getting somebody's attention —like the words children might use to get their parents' attention. When my son is out in the kitchen talking about me with my wife, my filial name Dad is just simply who I am to them. But when he calls out to me in the back room to get my attention (Dad! where are you!?) then dad becomes a vocative.

The second father word is from the Greek: pater. It's another noun that means father. But in a much broader way. It can imply a parent, an ancestor; or a relative. So when you put abba and pater together, it comes out something like this:

If I were to meet President Barack Hussein Obama, I would have to make an appointment first; and then stand back and address him as Sir or Mister President. But his two daughters Sasha and Malia can run right up uninvited and cling to his arm because he's their father; and they call him daddy. Now if the Obama's should adopt a little boy some day, he will have all the very same rights and privileges as the Obama's natural born daughters; including a right to inherit. Their new son would have every right to run up uninvited to Mr. Obama yelling: Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! and cling to his other arm.

The spirit of Christ imparts to God's legitimate children the heartfelt bond that enables adopted children to feel the love, and the friendship, and the security feelings that normal boys and girls feel with their birth parents.

Some professing Christians think it's disrespectful to speak to God like a dad. But that kind of thinking isn't the mentality of a child in the home; it's not Christ's mentality; no, that is the mentality of hired hands, subjects, vassals, and slaves. I am none of those; no, I am kin to The King and the spirit of Christ makes that real to me in a way that I can only describe as very comforting.

§. Gal 4:4-7 . . And because you are sons, God has sent forth the spirit of His son into your hearts calling out: Dad! Father. Therefore you are no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

§. Rom 8:16 . . The Spirit itself testifies to our spirit, that we are God's kin.

FAQ: Those who believe in Christ for their salvation while not believing they have eternal life right now; aren't saved?

Believing one's self to be in the right-now possession of eternal life does nothing to rescue men's souls from the wrath of God. What that particular belief does is provide the believer with a degree of confidence, assurance, anticipation, and comfort.

Here's what rescues people.

In John 3:14-18, Jesus relates his crucifixion to the necessity of the fiery viper that Moses constructed in Num 21:5-9.

People bitten by deadly snakes, that God himself sent among them, were doomed to die. The venom was 100% fatal, no exceptions. And in point of fact, numbers of Yhvh's people did die before Moses finished the effigy in time to start rescuing people from imminent death.

The doomed people only had to "look to" the effigy to be cured. Neither love, nor synagogue, nor charity, nor fasting, commandments, nor sacrifices, nor self denial, nor tithing, nor morality, nor piety, nor good works, nor anything else one might associate with salvation would work; not even their religious affiliation. They couldn't even pray; no, the only prescription that God set up for them was that fiery-looking snake. It was their one and only God-given option; and the God-given default was certain death.

Apply the details of that event to Jesus' crucifixion and you'll have a pretty good idea of just how desperate things really are for mankind. Man is already condemned to Hell, poisoned to death by his own sins (Rom 1:32, Rom 6:23) no exceptions (Rom 3:23) and no waiting period (John 3:18).

Mankind's only chance of escape is the crucifixion; there are no other God-given options. Not church attendance, not sacraments, not love, not charity, not the Eucharist, not rosaries, not scapulars, not candles, not confession, not piety, not morality, not tithing, not commandments, not holy days of obligation, not fasting, not the Beatitudes, not the golden rule, not the Sermon On the Mount, not self denial, not even one's religious affiliation nor anything else one might associate with salvation will do, not even prayers, because until one fully accepts Jesus' crucifixion as their one and only chance to escape the wrath of God, they are a dead man walking. The God-given default is Hell and eternal suffering; no exceptions (Heb 10:26-28).

For those looking in for whom this may be breaking news: here's how to take advantage of the one God-given remedy for your own dead-man-walking status.

Find a private spot— a restroom, out in the garage, in your bedroom —any place that works for you. Put your face in the palms of your hands and agree with God that you fully deserve to go to Hell. Then ask Him if you can take advantage of His son's crucifixion to ransom your soul from the wrath of God.

Some people may scoff at my recommendation as just another silly sinner's prayer. But I am not recommending that anybody pray until first accepting Jesus' application of the serpentary effigy that Moses constructed in Num 21:5-9; otherwise their prayer will result in a ping.

First off; it is essential to be fully convinced you are already condemned to Hell, no waiting period. Secondly; it is essential to be fully convinced Jesus' crucifixion will remedy your status just as effectively as the serpentary effigy remedied the Jews' dead-man-walking status. Do not pray if you don't meet those two conditions. And don't be afraid to pray about this. Jesus already testified that he will turn no one away (John 6:37-40).

The personal confidence that you are now in possession of eternal life will come eventually. But for now, the priority is that you pull yourself out of the fire.

I want to comment on something Jesus said before we get too far ahead.

In the 12th chapter of Exodus, God instructed Yhvh's people to paint the blood of a lamb on their doorposts so that when the Destroyer came through Egypt that night he would skip the homes of those who complied.

In one home (this is just a story with a moral) the family was happy and cheerful and chatting it up as they dined upon the lamb and packed their bags in readiness to exit Egypt.

Their next-door neighbors were not so optimistic. They were all sitting around, and nervously pacing the floor, biting their fingernails; anxious about the Destroyer. They all had a bad conscience and knew in themselves they were a naughty family, a dysfunctional family, and were known up and down the block for their fights, their obnoxiousness, and their cruelty to animals. They were the classic family from Hell. And subsequently, they were truly worried that the Destroyer would not be stopped by the blood on their doorposts because they were so bad.

Which of those two families was safe? The happy family who had confidence in the blood, or the dysfunctional family that didn't trust the blood? They were both safe because when the Destroyer arrived and went through the land of Egypt, he didn't look for confidence; no, he looked for that blood; and only for that blood. If it was in the right spot, nobody was harmed inside that home and it didn't matter if the firstborn son in that home was Pol Pot, Kim Jong-Il, or Robert Mugabe— nobody got hurt. The moral of the story is:

§. 2Tim 2:13 . . If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: He cannot deny himself.

I posted this blurb for the sake of new and/or weak believers. If you were moved by the principles of John 3:14-18 and Num 21:5-9, and requested God to let you take advantage of Christ's crucifixion to ransom your soul from the wrath of God: I assure you that you have eternal life right now even though you cannot bring yourself to believe it. God is no longer looking at the sinful being that you are; no, He is now looking at His son's blood.

§. 1Pet 1:18-20 . . knowing that you were not ransomed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless: the blood of Christ.

FAQ: How do you fit Mat 24:13 into your idea: "But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved."

(As we get into this; you'll see that a better word than "saved" in that location would be spared.)

Before I answer that question, let me reassure everyone that the Bible's Christ is a man of impeccable integrity who is not in the habit of spreading lies; nor of making things up as he goes along.

§. John 3:31-36 . . He has come from above and is greater than anyone else . . He tells what he has seen and heard, but how few believe what he tells them! Those who believe him discover that God is real. For he is sent by God. He speaks God's words, for God's Spirit is upon him without measure or limit

§. John 8:26 . . He that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of Him.

§. John 12:48-50 . . He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.

With that in mind, here's a reprint of a couple of his promises.

§. John 10:27-28 . . My sheep heed my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish

§. John 5:24 . . I assure you, those who heed my message, and trust in God who sent me, have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already transferred from Death into Life.

Eternal life is a kind of life that cannot die because it is the life of God, who never had a beginning nor ever will have an ending. From the vanishing point in the past to the vanishing point in the future; God always was, and God always will be.

Since eternal life is a kind of life that cannot die, then it is impervious to the wages of sin.

§. Rom 6:23 . . For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

§. Rom 8:1-2 . .There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of The Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and of death.

The 24th chapter of Matthew is predicated with these words:

§. Matt 24:3 . . Tell us; they said; when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?

There's the first clue that Matt 24:13 has no application in this age, but rather, in a future age.

The age in view has particular application to Yhvh's people; viz: to Jews rather than to Gentiles; and begins with the seven-year Tribulation that commences with the rapture of the "my" church Jesus spoke of in Matt 16:18. Jesus gave his word that the gates of the netherworld would not prevail against the "my" church; ergo: nobody, not one single individual soul in the "my" church is going to Hell; either in this age or the next.

§. John 10:27-30 . . My sheep heed 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.

When people insist that Jesus' sheep are at risk of going to Hell for lack of "endurance" what they are really doing is casting a vote of no-confidence in Jesus' and his Father's shepherding skills; and they are keeping the responsibility for their safety in their own hands rather than putting it in Jesus' and his Father's hands.

If your shepherd cannot guarantee you a fail-safe, sin-proof, commandment-proof, God-proof rescue from the wrath of God, plus full time protection from retribution and safe passage to the other side; then you need to dump the shepherd you have now and shop around for another one.

§. Ps 61:1-4 . . Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings.

According to the 24th chapter of Matthew, there's a storm coming. God pity the poor misfortunate who don't make it to the Rock in time before that storm makes landfall.

Ramifications For Thought

People believing themselves to have Christ, while not believing themselves to be in possession of eternal life, are actively insulting God by insinuating He's a person of low moral integrity who cannot be trusted to tell the truth.

§. 1John 5:9-13 . .We accept human testimony, but God's testimony carries more weight because it is the testimony of God, which He has given about His son . . Anyone who does not believe God has made Him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about His son.

. . And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His son. Whoever has The Son has the life; whoever who does not have the life, does not have God's son. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

I find it both ironic and humorous that there are actually people believing themselves to be saved Christians while at the same harboring areas of disbelief in their "faith" that make the Bible's God out to be a liar.

FAQ: Are you saying that if one does not believe in eternal security then they don't really trust God and are trusting in themselves and so aren't really saved?

It is not only very possible, but also very common, for Jesus' sheep to be perfectly safe in his and his Father's hands and not be confident it is so.

Back in the early 1970's I was in that very state of mind till a Pastor in Vista California shamed me into trusting Jesus' words by pointing out that failure to do so was not only insulting, but also insinuating that Christ is dishonest. It took the Pastor about ten minutes of persistent persuasion before I finally started feeling pretty stupid and admitted I owed The Lord an apology; but after that, I was bullet proof. Never again since that episode have I doubted my safety.

The passage of scripture the Pastor used is this one:

§. Rev 3:20 . . Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

That pastor was pretty savvy. He didn't take my word for it that I had already prayed a sort of "sinner's prayer". He had me kneel right there in front of him in his living room and audibly confess to God that I'm a sinner and then had me ask Jesus to come in. Then he said; Cliff, I know you're saved even though you don't believe it because I just saw you ask Jesus to come in. Did he come in? I said I didn't know if he came in. Then he said; So you think Jesus is a liar? I said; No I don't think he's a liar. Then he said; Did he come in?

Well, after a few rounds of that back and forth something happened, not inside my head, but, inside another part of me that I really don't know how to label; and I suddenly realized I was not only painted into a corner, but also had made a pretty dumb mistake.

You know what had been preventing me from feeling 100% confident that I was perfectly safe in Jesus' and his Father's hands? It was fear of humiliation. What if I were to profess I was going to Heaven only to have Christ ridicule and belittle me at the Great White Throne of Rev 20:11-15 for being overconfident and saying things that aren't true? Well, my fear was totally ungrounded.

§. Rom 10:11 . . For the scripture testifies: Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

Hell's Pop Clock

I regard the sphere of Christianity as a mission field consisting of not only tares and wheat, but also consisting of the four soils in the parable of the sower of Matt 13:3-9. Only 25% percent of the soils in that parable were suitable for farming. The other 75% represent poor soil upon which perfectly good seed fell and did not do well. Jesus ended that parable by saying: Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Objection: You might want to rethink your proportions. My granddad had a farm in Michigan. He had all 4 types of soil, but the ground he prepared for seed was way more than 90% of the available ground. The other types added up to a very small amount.

I was not speaking of acreage. I was speaking of mathematical percentages. One out of four is 25%. With all due respect to the grandpa's acreage, the Christianity's Christ said that the majority of the human race has not had much luck in making it to safety.

§. Matt 7:13-14 . . Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

§. Matt 22:14 . . For many are invited, but few are chosen.

Webster's defines many as: consisting of, or amounting to, a large but indefinite number

few is defined as: consisting of, or amounting to, only a small number; viz: not many; i.e. some, but indeterminately small in number

According to Webster's then; few means a small percentage, and many means a large percentage; viz: most.

Just to give a rough idea of how that plays out in real life: one person, on average, dies every 12 seconds in America, adding up to 7,200 deaths on any given day.

Say 1/3 of those deaths are underage children. Then that would leave 4,800 adult-age people crossing over to the other side in one 24-hour day. Using 51% as the factor for the "many" would yield about 2,448 people transferring to the ovens of Hell every day of the week. I gave those 2,448 the benefit of the doubt with 51% because The Lord didn't really specify an exact percentage for the many so I went with a simple majority. The percentage could easily be much higher.

Dividing 2,448 by twenty-four hours comes out to about 102 people per hour, or 51 people per thirty minutes. Just think, by the time Charlie Gibson completes his half-hour evening report, 51 people in America transferred to the Bible's hell to begin their stint of eternal suffering. And that's not the worst of their troubles.

They have yet to face the Great White Throne of Rev 20:11-15 where they will receive corporeal punishment for each and every individual sin they ever committed in their lifetimes, including, but not limited to, even every idle word they ever spoke. By the time some of the accused are carried out to begin an eternal stint in the reservoir of liquid flame, they will look like they were dragged through a field of concertina razor wire and then dropped into a cotton gin. Many of them will have broken bones, flayed flesh, and missing teeth and eyes too because the scales of justice have to balance, and some sins deserve far more than just a whipping.

FAQ: Are you aware that Rev. 3:20 was Jesus speaking to His own church of believers, not a bunch of lost sinners?

§. Rev 3:20 . . Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

The church at Laodicea was not a collection of believers: it serves as an example of a dead Christian church. Jesus was excluded; he wasn't even welcome. The Lord was outside knocking on the door trying to get someone's attention to let him in.

The invitation of Rev 3:20 is not exclusive. It is offered to "any man".

There are other "any man" invitations The Lord offers.

§. John 7:37 . . If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.

§. Rev 21:6 . . And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

§. Rev 22:17 . . And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever wishes, let him take the water of life freely.

FAQ: You were shamed into believing in the concept of "once saved, always saved"?

For me, it was a trust issue rather than a "once saved, always saved" issue.

It is very easy to give one's consent to the truthfulness of Christ's words; but it's an entirely different matter to trust them.

FAQ: Do you agree that anyone who "gives one's consent to the truthfulness of Christ's words" but does not "trust them" is not a saved Christian?

If that were the only information that I had about the individual? Then my answer is YES; I fully agree, because Bible faith is all about trust.

The common New Testament Greek word for "believe" is pisteuo (pist-yoo'-o) which means: to have faith (in, upon, or with respect to, a person or thing), i.e. credit; by implication, to entrust.

Pisteuo is the kind of faith a women puts in a man when she agrees to marry him. She is literally putting her life in that man's hands. A woman has to be really convinced in her own mind that the man she chooses to marry can be trusted to stand by her in thick and thin; especially after the babies start coming.

Pisteuo is the kind of faith sky divers and bungi jumpers put in their equipment when they hurl their bodies into the air from altitude.

Consent to the truthfulness of facts and/or statements does not qualify as faith in those facts and statements when the elements of confidence and assurance are absent from one's consent. Here's a simple self exam that anyone can take in the privacy of their own home to determine whether ones' degree of belief qualifies as faith, or just consent.

1• Have you correctly partaken of Jesus' flesh and blood?

According to Jesus' testimony as an expert witness in matters related to his own body, anyone who has correctly dined upon his flesh, and correctly imbibed his blood, is now in possession of eternal life.

§. John 6:54 . . Whoso eats my flesh, and drinks my blood, has eternal life.

Note the grammatical tense of Jesus' "have" verb; it's present tense rather than future. So then, if you have correctly dined upon his flesh, and correctly imbibed his blood, you should be able to confidently attest that you are in the right-now possession of eternal life. If you cannot do that, then though you may be consenting to the truthfulness of Jesus' statement at John 6:54; you do not have faith in it.

2• Do you consider yourself a believer?

Below are some Bible passages that relate belief to eternal life. Be sure to note the grammatical tense of the verb "have" because it will be in the present tense rather than future.

§. John 3:36 . . He who believes in the Son has eternal life

§. John 5:24 . . I assure you, those who heed my message, and believe in God who sent me, have eternal life.

§. John 6:47 . .Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.

§. 1John 5:13 . . I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

According to John the Baptist (John 3:36) according to God's son (John 5:24 and 6:47) and according to John the apostle (1John 5:13) if you confidently consider yourself to be a believer; then you should also confidently consider yourself to be in the right-now possession of eternal life, no delay and no waiting period; because their statements are in the present tense rather than the future.

If you cannot confidently attest that you are in the right-now possession of eternal life, then although you may be consenting to the truthfulness of the statements made at John 3:36, John 5:24, John 6:47, and 1John 5:13; you do not have faith in them.

3• Do you heed Jesus and trust in his God?

According to Jesus' testimony as an expert witness in matters related to perdition, anyone who truly heeds his message, and relies upon his God, is no longer in any danger of eternal suffering.

If you cannot confidently attest that it is now absolutely impossible for you to ever be condemned for your sins; then you may be consenting to the truthfulness of Jesus' statement at John 5:24; but in reality, you are neither heeding his message nor relying upon his God. The truth is; you are a blow-hard who's not yet convinced that the New testament's Jesus knows what he's talking about.

§. John 3:31 . . He has come from heaven. He tells what he has seen and heard, but how few trust what he tells them!

4• Do you believe in Jesus' miracles?

The two verses below are from the gospel and epistle that bear the apostle John's name: same man. This is sure to knock your socks off.

§. John 20:30-31 . . Many other signs therefore Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God; and that believing you may have life in his name.

§. 1John 5:13 . . I write these things to you who believe in the name of the son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

According to the apostle John, belief in Jesus' miracles is synonymous with believing in his name; and results in the right-now possession of eternal life. So then, people who consent to the validity of Jesus' miracles, while not believing themselves to be in the right-now possession eternal life; not only don't believe in the name of the son of God, but they haven't even so much as believed in his miracles yet either. How is that possible? Because the Bible God's criteria for assessing faith is different than a religious man's criteria.

It's ironic that some of Jesus' statements are so unbelievable that even people professing themselves to be believers can't help but regard them as false; and by doing so, are already cursed; no waiting period.

§. John 3:18 . .There is no judgment awaiting those who trust him. But those who do not trust him have already been condemned

§. John 3:36 . . He that disbelieves the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abides on him.

The faithless are destined for immersion in a reservoir of flaming liquid.

§. Rev 21:8 . .The unbelieving . . their place will be in the fiery lake of molten sulfur.

He that has ears to hear, let him hear what The Spirit says to the churches.

FAQ: Might there be such a thing as over-confidence in some situations?

It was the fear of presumption that was preventing me from trusting in The Lord's testimony back in the early 1970's.

Faith is oftentimes mistaken for presumption, and the fear of appearing presumptuous actually prevents a good number of people professing themselves to be believers from fully relying upon the truthfulness of Jesus' and his Father's statements.

Faith is the unwavering confidence that what you believe to be true, really is.

§. Heb 11:1 . .What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we anticipate is going to happen.

Note the author's use of the words "confident assurance". People lacking in confidence and assurance in regards to Jesus' message; have got a serious trust issue that needs to faced up to, and action taken to resolve it; because without confidence, it is very difficult to move ahead with God.

§. Heb 11:6 . .Without faith it is impossible to please God,

A person without confidence, is a person walking in doubt, and out of fellowship with the Bible's God.

§. John 15:6 . . If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers— such branches are gathered; thrown into the fire and incinerated.

§. 1 John 1:5-7 . .This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.

One of the most gut-wrenching prayers of desperation in the whole New Testament is this one:

§. Mark 9:24 . . And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears: Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief!

There are people believing themselves to be saved Christians who seriously need to pray that prayer for themselves right now.

The Loadicean church started out fundamental in the faith, but over time, it became infected with liberalism, so much so that by the time of Jesus' critique; there was no longer any saved people left in that church; no, not one, not even its Pastor. The liberals no doubt voted the fundamental Pastor out long before The Lord's critique.

FAQ: Did you notice in the story of the sower; each soil type can be transformed into good soil?

I wouldn't get your hopes up. The sower in that parable didn't bother with repairing the bad soils. He went on his way and let nature take its course.

I'm sometimes asked why Jesus didn't return to Jerusalem after his resurrection and show everybody that he was back from death. That would have gone a long ways towards convincing the religious leaders that he was their long-awaited Messiah.

No, it was too late for that. They had their chance, and blew it.

§. John 12:35-40 . .Then Jesus told them; You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going. Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light. When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.

The Lord isn't seeking votes as if he were campaigning for public office; nor is he on a quota.

§. Matt 12:19-20 . . He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.

The moment of truth is NOW— today is the day; not later.

§. Heb 3:7-8 . . So, as the Holy Spirit says: Today, [while it is called today] if you hear His voice, do not stiffen your resolve.

FAQ: If nobody in the Laodicean church was saved, then why would God bother disciplining them?

No discipline took place. What you are witnessing in Rev 3:14-18 is a critique. Had the critique been accompanied by a chastening, then the objector might have a case; but in truth, that church was too far gone to bother with discipline; when what it really needed was the services of an evangelist.

No, none of The Lord's people were in that church. Had one been; then He would have been on the inside rather than the outside banging on the door trying to get in.

Objection: But to say they were unsaved to the last man, woman and child?

How many children were taken aboard Noah's ark? Not one. How many were taken to safety from Sodom and Gomorrah? Not one. How many of Egypt's first-born were spared on the night of the Passover in Exodus? Not one.

I watched a movie recently on DVD titled: Left Behind. It's premised on the rapture. In the movie, every child was taken. But that's a pipe dream. In reality, millions of children will be left behind to die in the Tribulation just as children were left behind to drown in the Flood, and just as children were left behind to be incinerated in Sodom and Gomorrah, and just as children were left behind to be slaughtered in the State of Israel when Yhvh's people were conquered by foreign powers. Preemies were cut out of their mother's tummies like gutting a fish, and pre-schoolers and infants were held by the heels and swung like baseball bats to smash open their frail little skulls against rocks and bricks like ripe pomegranates. The judgment of God is both terrifying and awesome to behold.

There is no doubt in my mind that there are liberal Christian churches in America that will not be missing even one single member on the day after the rapture.

There is a scene in the book of Revelation where the cities of the world collapse. Over 2,000 people alone died in the World Trade Center, and that's after a good number of the occupants were evacuated. Just think how many will be crushed to death when all of Manhattan collapses of a sudden, all at once, with no warning, instead of just those two sky scrapers. Now multiply that by every major city in the world and you have an idea of how many children are going to be killed when their cities suddenly collapse on top of them with multiplied millions of tons of concrete, steel, and glass.

§. Rev 16:18-19 . . And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell

What John saw in that scene is not a prediction; no, it was a something akin to a live video feed from the future. I am confident that the world's cities are going to collapse someday because John saw them collapse already with his own eyes.

The critique of the Laodicean church is a caution and warning to other churches that might still be in fairly good fundamental shape lest they become careless and thus inadvertently add themselves to the ever-growing roster of Christless Christian churches.

§. Rev 3:22 . . He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

FAQ: I wasn't aware God was in the business of giving up on people.

I really have to wonder whether or not that questioner has ever read the Bible from cover to cover. The reason I wonder is because their comment suggests to me that they are uninfromed about the Flood, about the Exodus, about Sodom and Gomorrah, and about the numerous times in the Prophets where Yhvh has not only given up on whole nations; but even given up on His own people.

The Bible's God isn't in the "business" of giving up on people. They bring it on themselves.

My very favorite "giving up" passage is the one below.

§. 2Thss 2:8-12 . .And then shall that wicked on be exposed, whom The Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be spared. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Just think of that! The very God about whom rank and file pew warmers constantly bleat is love, love, love, is going to deliberately make sure disbelievers go to Hell with no chance of repentance. Let that be a lesson to you. There is a line one can cross over; a sort of point of no return. That's when the Bible's God becomes ugly, and turns from kindness to mockery.

§. Pro 1:24-33 . . Since you rejected me when I called, and gave no heed when I stretched out my hand, since you ignored all my advice and would not accept my rebuke; I in turn will laugh at your disaster; I will mock when calamity overtakes you— when calamity overtakes you like a hurricane, when disaster sweeps over you like a tornado, when distress and terror overwhelm you

. . Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me. Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear Yhvh, since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke, they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes. For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.

§. Zech 7:11-13 . . But they refused to pay heed. They pulled away the shoulder and turned a deaf ear. They hardened their hearts like adamant against heeding the instruction and admonition that Yhvh of Legions sent to them by His spirit through the earlier prophets; and a terrible wrath issued from Yhvh of legions. Even as He called and they would not listen, "So" testified Yhvh of Legions; "let them call and I will not listen."

§. 1John 5:16 . . If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and He shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he should pray for it.

The saddest "point of no return" case I can think of is Jacob's brother Esau.

§. Gen 27:34a . .When Esau heard his father's words, he burst into wild and bitter sobbing,

The word for sobbing is wayits`aq which is from tsa`aq (tsaw-ak') which means: to shriek.

At the first, Esau entered his dad's room with cheerful anticipation. Then quite bluntly, Isaac blurts out that someone beat him to the blessing. Watching his dad shivering, and seeing the look of fear wash over the patriarch's face, the awful truth became only too apparent and Esau gave vent to his disappointment with a dreadful scream.

I have a feeling the shriek that wrenched up out of Esau's lungs is the very same hysterical emotion that millions of unsaved Christians will feel at The Great White Throne judgment of Rev 20:11-15 when the grim reality of their fate finally sinks in that they have lost Heaven forever. It's too disturbing to even contemplate.

It must have been a strange sight to see such a virile, strong, athletic he-man screaming like a woman and bawling like a little girl. Agonizingly, he begged his dad for a blessing of some kind for himself, probably hoping that somehow God, through his father's intercession, could be persuaded to change His mind. The portion of the blessing, which no doubt appealed to Esau the most— that of political superiority and financial security— had been irrevocably given to Jacob; and all the blubbering in the world couldn't change the situation now.

Esau's fate went on to become a caution and warning to Laodicean-type Christians who, like Esau, fail to appreciate their advantages.

§. Heb 12:15-17 . . looking diligently lest anyone fall short of the grace of God . . lest there be any immoral or godless person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it earnestly with tears.

Objection: I have read the Bible from cover to cover many times, and have done so annually for some time. It's one way to be able to recognize when someone has a poor grasp of biblical teaching and cannot rightly divide the word

That's a bit naïve when one considers that the Bible's custodian is God's spirit rather than a human's IQ. Yes, there are certain details that the unaided mortal mind can obtain from reading the Bible like a novel or an encyclopedia; but the Bible's insights are closely guarded, and God's spirit reserves the sovereign right to pick and choose to whom He wishes to take into confidence on those matters.

§. Matt 11:27 . . No one really knows the Son except the Father, and no one really knows the Father except the Son; and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

§. 1Cor 2:10-13 . .The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.

§. 1Cor 2:14-16 . . The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are absurd to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are Spiritually discerned . . but we have the mind of Christ.

The above easily explains why there is so much disagreement among human beings as to the correct interpretations and applications of the Bible— most especially among people believing themselves to be saved Christians. The average pew warmer is flying blind and doesn't know it: "ears to hear" are a gift that cannot be wrested from God by either force nor will power. In the hands of a person lacking assistance from God's spirit, the Bible is little more than a 1-pound wood product.

Is it possible for a person indwelt by God's spirit to still not understand the Bible correctly? Yes, of course. You know, a candle gives no light when it's snuffed.

It's very possible for The Lord's people to become so self-willed, so self-reliant, so self-confident, and so head-strong, so obtuse, so stubborn, and so self-involved; that they become un-teachable; viz: they stifle God's spirit and He becomes of no use to them for recognizing and accepting the truth.

§. John 15:5-7 . . I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man abides in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and incinerated.

§. Eph 4:30 . . And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

§. 1Ths 5:19 . . Quench not the Spirit.

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Musicnot.wmf (1656 bytes) Without Faith, It is Impossible