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“To Sin Or Not To Sin, That Is The Question”

This booklet takes a biblical look at the question of sinning “Christians.” This is a newly published book that clearly shows the will of God, as far as sin, and the believer is concerned. This book is filled with five hundred and twenty nine Scripture verses, that completely go against the Devil doctrine of “Once saved always saved,” or, “You can’t lose your salvation.” This book points out some of the Scriptures that clearly show that a practice of sin is not all right with God! The interesting, or unusual thing about this book is the fact that from page two to page twenty four, of this forty page book, you will not find even one word from the author, no, not even a small comment, this section contains nothing but the Holy Scriptures.

The Greatest Deception

The Devil has spent about two thousand years trying his best to defeat the truth written in the Bible, he has done a very good job of it. More people are deceived about what salvation is and how to receive it than those that know the truth. This book is an effort to dispel the deception of the devil,

Do you understand that Matthew 24:24 is meant to be a warning for all of us?

Matthew 24:24. "For false Christ's and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. And 1 Timothy: 4:1. But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons. Let us take warning, many false doctrines and practices are in the Church now. Things that God never intended to be taught, are being taught.

Many preachers, preach, and teach the Devil doctrine, this doctrine of the Devil teaches that you can continue in a practice of sin, and still call yourself a Christian. If it really is all right with God for us to remain in our sin, sinning daily, in word, thought, and deed, then we should be able to find many Scriptures that say that very thing in the Bible.

I have for many years, challenged people with this question, “Where, in all sixty six books of the Bible, do you find ONE Scripture that says that it is all right for a Christian to have a practice of sin? NO ONE has ever called me back, to show me where such a thing is written in the Bible! If they succeeded, they would have found a contradiction in the Bible, because 1 John 3:9 says, “No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.”
In this little booklet I am presenting five hundred and twenty-nine Scriptures that go directly against such a Devil teaching.
If a person can read the Bible and not come away with the knowledge that God doesn’t want us to practice sin, then I would say that he, or she, has missed the main point of this Holy Book. John the Baptist and Jesus both started their ministries with these words, REPENT, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." The meaning of the word repent, in the Greek is, “Turn from sin!” In the Aramaic it meant “Stop Sinning!” All four Gospels were originally written in Aramaic.

This booklet is divided into three parts.

The first part is called “Five Hundred And Twenty Nine Scriptures that demonstrate that a practice of sin is not all right with God!”

The second part is called, “Twisting the truth”

The third part is called, “How to become a real Christian”

Part One

“Five Hundred And Twenty Nine
Scriptures that demonstrate that a practice of sin is not all right with God!”

Mat 5:48. "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Mat 7:21-23 "Not everyone who says to Me, `Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. "Many will say to Me on that day, `Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' "And then I will declare to them, `I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.'

Mat 10: 22. "And you will be hated by all on account of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.
Mat 16:24-25. Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. "For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it.

Mat 11-13. "And many false prophets will arise, and will mislead many. "And because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold. "But the one who endures to the end, he shall be saved. (Jesus said this many times)

1 John 2: 1-6. My little children, I am writing these things to you that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, "I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.

1 John 2: 29. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him.

1 John 3: 2-10. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. And you know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. Little children, let no one deceive you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil. No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.

1 John 5: 18. We know that no one who is born of God sins; but He who was born of God keeps him and the evil one does not touch him.

3 John 11. Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.

Jude 5-8. Now I desire to remind you, though you know all things once for all, that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe. And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day. Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example, in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire. Yet in the same manner these men, also by dreaming, defile the flesh, and reject authority, and revile angelic majesties.

Jude 24-25. Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

Revelation 21: 27. and nothing unclean and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.

Revelation 22: 11-17. "Let the one who does wrong, still do wrong; and let the one who is filthy, still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness; and let the one who is holy, still keep himself holy." "Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end." Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying. "I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright morning star." And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come." And let the one who hears say, "Come." And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.

Hebrews 10: 26-31. For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain terrifying expectation of judgment, and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay." And again, "The Lord will judge His people." It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Hebrews 6: 3-9. And this we shall do, if God permits. For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God, and put Him to open shame. For ground that drinks the rain which often falls upon it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned. But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way.

Mat 8-9. "And if your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the eternal fire. "And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out, and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than having two eyes, to be cast into the fiery hell.

Mar 13: 13. "And you will be hated by all on account of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he shall be saved.

Luke 13: 23-28. And someone said to Him, "Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?" And He said to them, "Strive to enter by the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. "Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, `Lord, open up to us!' then He will answer and say to you, `I do not know where you are from.' "Then you will begin to say, `We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets'; and He will say, `I tell you, I do not know where you are from; depart from Me, all you evildoers.' "There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth there when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being cast out.
John 15: 14. "You are My friends, if you do what I command you.
Romans 6: 6. knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin;
Romans 6: 1-2. What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?
Romans 6: 12-18. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
Romans 6: 20-23. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8: 5-14. For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so; and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. And if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you. So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

John 8: 10-11. And straightening up, Jesus said to her, "Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?" And she said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you; go your way. From now on sin no more."

John 14: 21-24. "He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and will disclose Myself to him." Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us, and not to the world?" Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our abode with him. "He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me.

Romans 11: 17-23. But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in." Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear; for if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will He spare you. Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God's kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off. And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in; for God is able to graft them in again.

John 15: 2-6. "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bear more fruit. "You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me. "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing. "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch, and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

Romans 12: 1. I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

Romans 13: 11-14. And this do, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is at hand. Let us therefore lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.

1 Corinthians 6: 9-11. Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God.

1 Corinthians 10: 1-14. For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and all ate the same spiritual food; and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness. Now these things happened as examples for us, that we should not crave evil things, as they also craved. And do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink, and stood up to play." Nor let us act immorally, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day. Nor let us try the Lord, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the serpents. Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer.. Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.

1 Corinthians 10: 21. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.

1 Corinthians 15: 33-34. Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals.". Become sober-minded as you ought, and stop sinning; for some have no knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.

Galatians 5: 19-25. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

Galatians 6: 7-8. Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life.

Ephesians 2: 1-10. And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus, in order that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 4: 17-32. This I say therefore, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality, for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth, each one of you, with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity. Let him who steals steal no longer; but rather let him labor, performing with his own hands what is good, in order that he may have something to share with him who has need. Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

Ephesians 5: 1-17. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. But do not let immorality or any impurity or greed even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them; for you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. And do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. For this reason it says, "Awake, sleeper, Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Colossians 9-13. For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,

Colossians 1: 21-23. And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.

Colossians 3: 1-10. If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is on account of these things that the wrath of God will come, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him

2 Thessalonians 1: 8-9. dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. And these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,
2 Thessalonians 2: 7-12. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. And then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. And for this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they might believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.

1 Timothy 5: 20-22. Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also may be fearful of sinning. I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality. Do not lay hands upon anyone too hastily and thus share responsibility for the sins of others; keep yourself free from sin.

2 Timothy 2: 19. Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, "The Lord knows those who are His," and, "Let everyone who names the name of the Lord abstain from wickedness."

Titus 3: 3-9. For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that being justified by His grace we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God may be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for men. But shun foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the Law; for they are unprofitable and worthless.

Hebrews 2: 1-3. For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard,

Hebrews 3: 12-19. Take care, brethren, lest there should be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart, in falling away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end; while it is said, "while it is said: "Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.'' For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they should not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? And so we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.

Hebrews 12: 14-17. Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. 15. See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.

James 1:21-25. Therefore putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does.

Titus 1: 15-16. To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled. They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient, and worthless for any good deed.

Titus 2: 11-14. For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus; who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you.

1 Peter 2: 21-25. For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.
1 Peter 4: 1-5. Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousals, drinking parties and abominable idolatries. And in all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excess of dissipation, and they malign you; but they shall give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.

1 Peter 1: 13-19. Therefore, gird your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." And if you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each man's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay upon earth; knowing that you were not redeemed 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.

2 Peter 2: 1-22. But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly thereafter; and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day with their lawless deeds), then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority. Daring, self-willed, they do not tremble when they revile angelic majesties, whereas angels who are greater in might and power do not bring a reviling judgment against them before the Lord. But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, reviling where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed, suffering wrong as the wages of doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you, having eyes full of adultery and that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children; forsaking the right way they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, but he received a rebuke for his own transgression; for a dumb donkey, speaking with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet. These are springs without water, and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved. For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved. For if after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment delivered to them. It has happened to them according to the true proverb, "A dog returns to its own vomit," and, "A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire."

Matthew 1:21. "And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins."

Matthew 3:7-8. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? "Therefore bring forth fruit in keeping with repentance;

Matthew 5:20. "For I say to you, that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:29-30. "And if your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out, and throw it from you; for it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. "And if your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off, and throw it from you; for it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish, than for your whole body to go into hell.

Matthew 7:13-14. "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. "For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it.

Matthew 7: 17-20. "Even so, every good tree bears good fruit; but the bad tree bears bad fruit. "A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. "So then, you will know them by their fruits.

Matthew 8: 11-12. "And I say to you, that many shall come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven; but the sons of the kingdom shall be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Matthew 12: 32. "And whoever shall speak a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age, or in the age to come.

Matthew 12: 50. "For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother."

Matthew 13:19-21 "When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road.. "And the one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word, and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away.

Matthew 13: 40-43. "Therefore just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. "The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. "Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

Matthew 47-50. "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down, and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. "So it will be at the end of the age; the angels shall come forth, and take out the wicked from among the righteous, and will cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 18-19. Now in the morning, when He returned to the city, He became hungry. And seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He came to it, and found nothing on it except leaves only; and He said to it, "No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you." And at once the fig tree withered.

Matthew 25: 31-46. "But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. "And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. "Then the King will say to those on His right, `Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. `For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.' "Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, `Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You drink? `And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? `And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' "And the King will answer and say to them, `Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.' "Then He will also say to those on His left, `Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.' "Then they themselves also will answer, saying, `Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?' "Then He will answer them, saying, `Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' "And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

Mark 4:14-20. "The sower sows the word. "And these are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them. "And in a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away. "And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, and the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. "And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it, and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold."

Mark 4:25. "For whoever has, to him shall more be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him."

Mark 6:12. And they went out and preached that men should repent.

Mark 9:43-50. "And if your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire, [where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.] "And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than having your two feet, to be cast into hell, [where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.] "And if your eye causes you to stumble, cast it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes, to be cast into hell, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. "For everyone will be salted with fire. "Salt is good; but if the salt becomes un-salty, with what will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another."

Mark 10:17-25. And as He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and began asking Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. "You know the commandments, `Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.'" And he said to Him, "Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up." And looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him, and said to him, "One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." But at these words his face fell, and he went away grieved, for he was one who owned much property. And Jesus, looking around, said to His disciples, "How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!" And the disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

Mark 12: 28. And one of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, "What commandment is the foremost of all?" Jesus answered, "The foremost is, `Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' "The second is this, `You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

Luke 6: 46-49. "And why do you call Me, `Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? "Everyone who comes to Me, and hears My words, and acts upon them, I will show you whom he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation upon the rock; and when a flood rose, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. "But the one who has heard, and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house upon the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great."

Luke 8: 17. "For nothing is hidden that shall not become evident, nor anything secret that shall not be known and come to light. "Therefore take care how you listen; for whoever has, to him shall more be given; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him."

Luke 9:23. And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. "For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. "For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself?

Luke 9: 61. And another also said, "I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home." But Jesus said to him, "No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

Luke 12: 40-46. "You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect." And Peter said, "Lord, are You addressing this parable to us, or to everyone else as well?" And the Lord said, "Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time?. "Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. "Truly I say to you, that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. "But if that slave says in his heart, `My master will be a long time in coming,' and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him, and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers.

Luke 14:27. "Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.

Luke 14: 33. "So therefore, no one of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.

Luke 14: 34-35. "Therefore, salt is good; but if even salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned? "It is useless either for the soil or for the manure pile; it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

Luke 21: 16-19. "But you will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death, and you will be hated by all on account of My name. "Yet not a hair of your head will perish. "By your endurance you will gain your lives.

Luke 21: 36. "But keep on the alert at all times, praying in order that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."

John 3: 19-21. "And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their deeds were evil. "For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. "But he who practices the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God."
John 4: 24. "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

John 8: 29-30. "And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him." As He spoke these things, many came to believe in Him. (More than a hundred)

John 8: 31-36. Jesus therefore was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." They answered Him, "We are Abraham's offspring, and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, `You shall become free'?" Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. "And the slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. "If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.

John 12: 24-26. "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. "He who loves his life loses it; and he who hates his life in this world shall keep it to life eternal. "If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall My servant also be; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.

John 15: 10-11. "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love. "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.

Romans 1: 5. through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles, for His name's sake,

Romans 2: 4-6. Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to every man according to his deeds:

Romans 14: 11-12. For it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, So then each one of us shall give account of himself to God.

Romans 16: 19. For the report of your obedience has reached to all; therefore I am rejoicing over you, but I want you to be wise in what is good, and innocent in what is evil.

1 Corinthians 1:2. to the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:

1 Corinthians 5: 9-13. I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters; for then you would have to go out of the world. But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he should be an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.

1 Corinthians 9: 24-27. Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. And everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.

2 Corinthians 5: 17. Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

2 Corinthians 7: 1. Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Ephesians 4: 1-3. I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Ephesians 6: 13-14. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

Philippians 1: 6. For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

Philippians 1: 9-11. And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Philippians 1: 27. Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ; so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;
Philippians 2: 1-8. If therefore there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Philippians 2: 11-15. and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing; that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world.

Philippians 4: 13. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

1 Thessalonians 3:5. For this reason, when I could endure it no longer, I also sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter might have tempted you, and our labor should be in vain.

1 Thessalonians 3: 8. for now we really live, if you stand firm in the Lord.

1 Timothy 1: 18-19. This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.

1 Timothy 4: 1-2. But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron.

1 Timothy 4: 14-16. Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed upon you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery. Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress may be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things; for as you do this you will insure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.

2 Timothy 3: 1-7. But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; and avoid such men as these. For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

2 Timothy 3: 12-13. And indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

Hebrews 10: 36-39. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come and will not tarry. But My righteous one shall live by faith; But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.

Hebrews 12: 1-3. Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart.

James 2: 14-26. What use is it, my brethren, if a man says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and be filled," and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, "You have faith, and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works." You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness," and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works, and not by faith alone. And in the same way was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works, when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

1 Peter 2: 9. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

1 Peter 4: 15-18. By no means let any of you suffer as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not feel ashamed, but in that name let him glorify God. For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner?

2 Peter 1: 3-11. seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge; and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness; and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.

2 Peter 3: 10-11. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness.

2 Peter 3: 17-18. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard lest, being carried away by the error of unprincipled men, you fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

1 John 1: 5-7. And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

1 John 1: 9. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 2: 9. The one who says he is in the light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now.

1 John 2: 15-17. Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever.

1 John 3: 14-15. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

1 John 3: 17-18. But whoever has the world's goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.

1 John 4: 7-8. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

1 John 4: 17. By this, love is perfected with us, that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.

1 John 4: 20. If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.

1 John 5: 1-5. Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God; and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world our faith. And who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Revelation 2: 1-5. "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lamp stands, says this: `I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot endure evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name's sake, and have not grown weary. `But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. `Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you, and will remove your lamp stand out of its place unless you repent.

Revelation 2: 13-16. `I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith, even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. `But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit acts of immorality. `Thus you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. `Repent therefore; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth.

Revelation 3: 1-6. "And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars, says this: `I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. `Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. `Remember therefore what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. If therefore you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come upon you. `But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white; for they are worthy. `He who overcomes shall thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels. `He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'

Revelation 3: 14-16. "And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this: `I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I would that you were cold or hot. `So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.

Revelation 21: 7-8. "He who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. "But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."

An interesting Scripture

Luke 23:39-43. And one of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, "Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!" But the other answered, and rebuking him said, "Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? "And we indeed justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong." And he was saying, "Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!" And He said to him, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise."

Do not take it for granted that you will recognize your last opportunity to repent and be forgiven. One of the thieves recognized the hour, and the other didn’t, and remember, both knew that they were in the very process of dying!

Part Two

“Twisting the truth”

A few examples of distortion of the Scriptures.

Romans Seven

Romans chapter seven is one of the most misunderstood portions of Scripture in the entire Bible. This chapter is a demonstration of the ability of the law of God to bring us to conversion. Let me say at the outset, the law can’t save us, its purpose is solely to show us that “sin indwells us,” Romans 7:17

Take note of the fact that Romans 7:14 clearly tells us that we are “sold into bondage to sin.” This is interesting in light of Romans 6:14, which tells us “For sin shall not be master over you,” When we operate under the grace of God we are set free from the bondage of sin, Jesus said, “Whom the Son sets free is free indeed!”

In chapter seven of Romans, Paul goes back in time and demonstrates the process that leads us to Christ. Until we find out that we have been sold into bondage to sin, we think that we can stop sinning anytime we set our mind to do it. Notice Romans 7:14-19, For we know that the Law is spiritual; but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For that which I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But, if I do the very thing I do not wish to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that it is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which indwells me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the wishing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I wish, I do not do; but I practice the very evil that I do not wish. This is true bondage!

Once we learn that we are truly in bondage to sin, we start to struggle against sin, only to find that in the end, we are deeper in the bondage of sin, than when we started our holy quest. At some part of this journey we finally see the wretched state that we are in, it is at this point and never, never before, that we will truly call out in earnest, “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?” (Romans 7:24)

At this point we see our need for a Savior, and not until. When we call to God, having discovered our total depravity in this way, we will soon see the salvation of our God. We will understand Paul’s statement in Ephesians 2:8-9. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast.
This is why Chapter seven of Romans is so very important, it demonstrates the path from un-regenerate, to regenerate, from lost, to found, from slavery, to freedom in Christ.

Look at how contradictory it would be to think that Paul was describing his Christian life after being born of God’s Spirit.
Romans 6: 12. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lusts. Here we are commanded, by God, through Paul, to not let sin rule in our mortal bodies, in chapter seven we were told that we were in bondage to sin!

Romans 6: 17-18 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

Romans 6: 22. But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.

Again, these Scriptures make it clear that we can, and must, live above a practice of sin! There truly is a difference, when we have actually been born again.

Romans chapter seven is a digression on Paul’s part, to show clearly our need for Christ, to demonstrate that which every one will find out for themselves, that trying to obey God, without regeneration, always ends in failure, we will only discover that we are truly wretched, before the grace of God re-news our minds, and sets us free from the bondage to sin!

Sealed For The Day Of Redemption
We often hear of people using Ephesians 4:30 as a proof that one cannot lose their salvation, they will say you can sin, any sin, every day of your life, and you can’t lose your salvation because “You were sealed for the day of redemption.” The interesting thing about using this Scripture to forward that conclusion is that the whole verse is saying something entirely different. “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Let me put this verse in the context in which the Apostle Paul wrote it.

Ephesians 4: 17-32. This I say therefore, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality, for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth, each one of you, with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity. Let him who steals, steal no longer; but rather let him labor, performing with his own hands what is good, in order that he may have something to share with him who has need. Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God, in Christ, also has forgiven you.

I believe that anyone who is honest, and searching for truth, will have to admit that the Apostle Paul did not have such a thing in mind when he told us that we were sealed for the day of redemption.

Beyond the contextual meaning of what Paul was teaching, let’s look at the purpose of a “seal,” when we seal something - a letter, a can of beans, or carrots, or for that matter just about anything, we are not thinking that the seal is a lock, or that it can prevent the item we are sealing from being opened. In bygone years, people would put a wax seal on the back of letters, this would assure the reader that no one read the letter before he received it, it would not prevent the letter from being opened, nor was this the intended purpose. Hence, the Apostle says, And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, THEN he continues by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

1 John 1:8 Here again many people try to use a Scripture out of context, so that they can continue in sin, they say, “See, the Apostle John said that “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

I find it interesting that they do not try to intertwine verse 9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” What is meant by “Cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” It is clear to me, that when we rightly divide the word of God, that 1 John 1:8 is telling us basically, the same thing that verse 10 is saying, “If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” He is simply saying it in a different way, we are all sinners, before we are born again! We all fall short of the glory of God! There is none righteous, no, not one! This can be said in many different ways, and the Holy Scripture also tells us in many different ways, that we must be regenerated, born again, have our minds renewed.

Let us assume for a moment, that the teachers of the Devil doctrine are right, and John is telling us that we will always sin, and be in the bondage to sin, in this life. Now if this is truly what John is trying to tell us, I have a few questions, the rest of his letter seems to contradict this interpretation of 1 John 1:8.

Question # 1 - If we will always sin in this life, why is the Apostle commanding us, in chapter 2 verse 1, not to sin “My little children, I am writing these things to you that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” He is saying here, just three verses later, that he doesn’t want us to sin, in fact, he is saying that this letter (All of it, yes, even 1 John 1:8) was written so that we may not sin!

Question # 2 - Again in chapter 2 verse 3 we are told, And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. Keeping God’s commandments is the opposite of breaking them, sin is breaking the commandments of God. Here we are told that our assurance of knowing God is found in the fact that we have stopped sinning, and are now keeping the commandments of God. And in verses 4,5, and 6, it only gets worse for the Devil doctrine interpretation. “The one who says, "I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.” I’ll be kind and not make anymore comments here.

Question # 3 – In 1 John chapter 2 verse 29, we have another problem, “If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him.” We cannot practice sin and righteousness at the same time! When we are practicing sin, we are not practicing righteousness! Again, it appears that John is saying we must not sin.

Question # 4 - 1 John chapter 3 verse 6 says, “No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him” Who, having read the Bible does not know that we are commanded to abide in Him? (John 15:5)

Question # 5 - Things are about to get really difficult for the Devil doctrine, in 1 John 3:7-10 we are told in no uncertain words that we had better not have a practice of sin, “Little children, let no one deceive you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil. No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.” I don’t honestly believe it necessary to make any more comments, or ask any more questions, do you?

A Discovery

It is simple to put to shame every excuse for continuing in sin, after we are born of the Spirit of God, and endued with the very power of God, but one thing prevents my success, Jesus said "He has blinded their eyes, and He hardened their heart; lest they see with their eyes, and perceive with their heart, and be converted, and I heal them." Only those who truly hunger and thirst will understand the Holy Scriptures. To argue with someone who does not have eyes or ears for eternal things, is ridiculous.
That is the reason I always ask people to show me ONE Scripture that says it is all right with God, for a Christian to have a practice of sin in their life, and go on sinning. This always stops arguments, the Scripture simply does not teach this, in fact, it teaches this, “No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” 1 John 3:9

"Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:48

Part Three

How to become a real Christian

Nothing we do, short of repenting and placing our faith in Jesus to save us, will restore our fellowship with God. After trusting Jesus Christ as our Savior, we must obey Him, for He has the awesome task of saving us. He Himself said, “If we love Him we will keep His commandments.” On the other hand, if we choose to allow the “old man” to rule again, instead of Jesus, we will find that sin will once again be our master. Let me quote 2 Peter 2:20 to 2:22. “For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known [it], to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire. And now a quote from the writer of Hebrews. Hebrews 10:26 to 10:31 For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know Him that hath said, Vengeance [belongeth] unto Me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge His people. [It is] a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Many people believe that sin will always be their master while on earth, this is a lie of the devil! As the above Scripture shows, we must be living a life of victory over sin. It was for this very purpose that Jesus Christ came, not only to die for our sin, but also to set us free from the very bondage of sin! Matthew 1:21 "And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins." One of the biggest deceptions of the devil is his teaching that we must always sin as long as we are alive. This is another way of contradicting God’s Word, which says we can be set free from sin!

Look at John’s thoughts on sin, 1 John 2:3-6. And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, "I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His Word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked. John makes this very clear; keeping His commandments is the opposite of sinning. John says simply that anyone, who claims to know the Lord, and yet does not keep His commandments, is a liar.

Again in 1 John 2:29 he says, If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him. This is the only true test of whether we are born again or not! The practice of righteousness is the opposite of a practice of sin.

Once more let’s listen to John, 1 John 3:4-10. Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. And you know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. Little children, let no one deceive you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil. No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother. John is very clear on this subject, each verse is crystalline. “No one who is born of God practices sin” With what can we argue?

After we are born again, if we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us, He will lead us into all righteousness, Titus 2:14 Who gave himself for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. You see He will “Redeem us from all iniquity!”

Please take to heart what the Holy Scriptures have clearly demonstrated, remember this, God never meant for us to think of His grace as a license to sin! But rather as a license to be FREE FROM SIN!

How to Live in Constant Victory

Romans 6:12. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lusts

What is God trying to tell us with this Scripture?

It is commonly taught that a believer, even after being born again, will continue in sin and not be able to always obey God! Sin, we are told, is a fact of life, "as long as you are living, you will be sinning!" Where in God’s Word does it say this? And if what people say is true, then what did the apostle mean by "Do not let sin reign in your mortal body?" I believe the answer can be found in Romans chapter 6. God starts this chapter off with a question from the apostle Paul, Romans 6:1 “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?” This is a rhetorical question, Paul often uses this approach in his writings.

In Romans chapter five, God went to great lengths to advance the fact that our salvation cannot be earned or granted by our effort at obeying the law! Paul had said in Romans 5:20. And the Law came in that the transgression might increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more. After writing this, the Apostle Paul didn’t want anyone to think that he was saying that sin was normal, or that God didn’t mind sin now! So in order to let everyone that reads his letter to the Romans know that the grace of God was not a license to sin, the apostle asks a rhetorical question,

"Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?"

Let’s look at his answer to this very important question. Romans 6:2 "God forbid, How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" This is preposterous! How is it possible for anyone born of God’s Spirit to even consider continuing on in sin? Is not "REPENTANCE" the very thing that God demands from us in order to forgive our sins, what is repentance? A sorrow about sin? NO! Repentance is turning from sin. Remember, in the Aramaic; the word repentance means simply "Stop sinning."

The Apostle John has something interesting to say about sin and the believer, let's listen to John. 1 John 3:4-10. Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. And you know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. John is very definite about sin, he tells us that Jesus appeared to take away our sin, and if we abide in Him we won't sin! Little children, let no one deceive you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil. It appears that John was not told about imputed righteousness, for it is obvious that he did not believe in it, and my friend you must not believe in imputed righteousness either. This Scripture is teaching us just the opposite, "The one who practices righteousness is righteous" If you have a practice of sin in your life, you are not “practicing righteousness”. Take note of John's warning, "Little children, let no one deceive you." This deception is rampant today, but please listen to God's Word, and not to preachers who teach against God's Word. Now to the point, “No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” Did you read this, do you understand what God's Word has just said? " No one who is born of God practices sin." This is true, I know this goes against modern preaching. It might be that your pastor does not believe this, but, mark me well on this point; it is the Word of God! If you have a practice of sin in your life you need to be saved! You need to be born of God! If you have been told that you are born again, this Scripture is telling you that someone has lied to you! For it is obvious when someone is truly born of God's Spirit. And this last verse is what makes it obvious (1 John 3:10.) By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother. Remember, you can't have a practice of sin and a practice of righteousness at the same time! Now to repeat John's test of our knowing the Lord and truly being born again. 1 John 2:3-6 And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, "I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His Word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked. And again in 1 John 2:29. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him. John says that the proof of our being born of God is a practice of righteousness, born in our lives!

The challenge

I have seen preachers skirt around 1 John chapter three many times, but again, this is the challenge I like to put this to them;
Where, in all of the Bible, all sixty-six books of the Bible, do you find ONE Scripture that says that it is all right with God, for a Christian to have a practice of sin? No one in all of the years that I have been making this challenge has ever found even one!
Preachers take clear Bible statements like 1 John 3:9 No one who is born of God practices sin" and they skew it, and twist it, until they have turned it 180 degrees from its meaning. That is why I give my challenge, to emphatically show that the Bible owns no such teachings, such as the Devil doctrine of a sinning religion. The Devil has always tried to get people to sin, God wants us all to stop sinning, that is why the Bible says that Jesus came to save us from sin. (Matthew 1:21)

Do you practice righteousness or sin?

When we are born again, we are set free from the bondage of sin. No one would want to go back into bondage. Romans 6:3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?

When we follow the Lord Jesus Christ into baptism, we are giving testimony to the world that we have died to self and to sin (self-will). We are saying to the world, "our old man will not rule us anymore; Jesus is the Lord of our life now! Jesus will now rule us! We will only be led of God’s Spirit!”

Why are we buried with Jesus? Romans 6:4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.. God expects us to walk in newness of life, not continue in sin! If we follow Jesus in dying to ourselves (not letting our “old man” rule us anymore) we will walk in newness of life. Here is the promise: Romans 6:5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection, Now remember, I didn't say this, God did. When God promises something, He will do it! No longer do we need to be in bondage to sin or anything, "Whom the Son sets free, is free in deed!"

Romans 6:6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin. Read this carefully, do you know this about yourself? Is your old man crucified with Christ? If so, you no longer have to be slaves to sin. Look at what the Lord wants us to do instead; we are to "walk in newness of life." Are you "walking in newness of life?" Romans 6:7. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Have you died to self? Is self-will and stubbornness absent from your life? Romans 6:8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him.
It is important that you do not miss this very important experience. Have you died with Christ? (Meaning "to self") Romans 6:9-11 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin, once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

This word "consider" is important, it means to reckon it done. We are talking faith here; you must believe God and "consider" yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin. When you do, you allow God to perform a mighty miracle in you! Let me add this comment: for many years I searched for a way to be "dead indeed unto sin" only to find that I was very much alive to sin the next day! Self-will was alive and well in me, the one who wished to be "dead indeed unto sin."

The answer to this dilemma is for you to see the folly of man, to find out for yourself that all of your effort of trying to be a "Christian" will always end in failure! That in order to live the Christian life you must have a birthing of the meek and lowly Lamb of God, in your life! In other words, Christ must truly be alive in you! He must be leading your life; He must be your life! All of the above statements seem simple, and they are. You must discover that your best efforts at obeying God and living a right life will always fail, (All you will have is a Romans chapter seven experience.,) You must learn that nothing good dwells in you until Christ dwells in you, that being born again is nothing else but the life of Jesus Christ being formed in you!

Here is a good place to allow Bro. William Law (1686-1761) to say something on the subject of "self." "Our memory is the faithful repository of all the fine things that self has ever done; and lest anything should be lost or forgotten, "self" is continually setting them before our eyes. Our will, though it has the entire world before it, yet it goes after nothing, unless self-sends it. Self's understanding is ever looking for new projects to enlarge the dominions of self; and if this fails, imagination comes in, as the last and truest support of self, she makes him a King and mighty lord of castles in the air. This is the great ME, MY, MINE, AND I, the natural man without God, that must be pulled out of the heart, and totally denied, or we cannot be a disciple; of Christ. Which is only saying this plain truth, that the apostate self-idolatrous nature of man must be put off, or there can be no new Creature in Christ." Bro. William Law has a way of saying things that really can put the point across, don’t you agree?

Until you are born again of the Spirit of God, you only have self to draw from; you will yield only to self-will. You must see yourself as not just needing a little help from God, but needing the grave, so that you can be born again. You must give up trying to be a Christian with your Flesh or "old man". Only when you realize that your best effort is a stench in the nostrils of God, will you cry out as Paul demonstrated in Romans 7 "Oh wretched man that I am, Who will deliver me from this body of death!"

Only when you have come to know yourself, will you be willing, nay in wholehearted agreement with Christ being the Master of your life, with a strong desire of allowing the Holy Spirit to guide you in everything!

After you have submitted yourself to God, you are ready for God’s next commandment. Don’t forget, when God commands you to do something He will move heaven and earth to help you do it! Who can stop God? NO ONE! Here is the commandment, Romans 6:12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lusts. Here it is, God has commanded us to "Not allow sin to rule our lives", and we can do just that.

God said it, I believe it, and that settles it.

Romans 6:13 And do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. Now that God has set you free, stand in the freedom wherewith God has made you free! Do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness. What is meant by members? Your EYES: don’t look at anything that is filthy. Your EARS: don’t listen to anything that is filthy or wrong. Your HANDS: don’t do anything wrong, steal, or hit people, etc. Your FEET: don’t walk into a wrong place. Remember that God never commands us to do something that we cannot do! The fact that God commanded it is the proof that we can do it!

Romans 6:14. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law, but under grace.

Many people say that this verse means our sin is not counted against us because we are under grace. But, this line of reasoning is ridiculous! Listen to the Apostle Paul as he explains what he meant by this verse. Paul begins in the next verse with another rhetorical question: Romans 6:15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! The King James Version says, “God forbid.” God never meant for us to think of grace as a "license to sin" but rather as a "license to be FREE FROM SIN"! Romans 6:16. Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? Now listen to God carefully here, if you yield to sin (self-will) you will die. But if you yield to God you will gain righteousness. Look at the choice that the people at Rome made. Romans 6:17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed. Romans 6: “and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.” Notice that the Bible doesn’t even hint at us continuing in sin, but rather becoming servants of righteousness. Romans 6:19 “I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.” Romans 6:20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. Romans 6:21 Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. Do you see what the Apostle is saying here, the outcome of being a slave of sin is DEATH! Romans 6:22 But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. This verse is telling us plainly that we can be free from sin, NOW! Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Do not be deceived if you go on in sin you will die, not gain eternal life.

The Victory!

The Old Testament Promise of the Gospel

Allow me to share the main Scripture that has always given me hope of what our God will do, when things seem to be going wrong. When we understand the depth of this promise given to us by the One who never lies, and never disappoints, our victory is assured! God will always give us victory in this life of self-denial. Ezekiel 36:25 - 27 "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. What a promise! God will cleanse us from all of our filthiness! That word filthiness means sin! Do you see that God has promised to remove all of the sin in your life! But that’s not all; God will remove all of the idols in our life! An idol is anything that you worship or love greater than the living God; we can't remove from our lives the thing we love the most and live for, but with our consent, God can and will! "Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” Then God will remove our heart of stone. The Bible uses the word "heart" to refer to man’s will, the place we make our decisions (the decision to obey God or our flesh.) Notice here that God refers to a stony heart; this means a stubborn, rebellious heart (our will). We won’t stop being rebellious and stubborn on our own, so the God of love removes this rebellious heart (will) from us and replaces it with a moldable (heart). "And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. And now after heart surgery, we are ready to receive the most precious gift anyone could possibly receive, God’s Spirit. (And I will put My Spirit within you.) But God knows that this is still not enough. Look at the next part of this promise. “And cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.” Now God has committed Himself to cause us to obey Him! What more need we ask of Him? This is the faith part, will you believe God? Will you take Him at His word? Will you place your faith in Him, now, today? Please take note of the fact that God is the one who does all of these things! This is important, I will repeat it. God is the one who does it! The New Testament version of this thought is this, Philippians 2:13. “For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” It is easy to see the difference between the saint and sinner. It is the same difference as between two people, one who always practices self-denial, and the other who practices selfishness! Compare this with the statement Jesus made when asked, “which is the greatest commandment.” Matthew 22:37- 40 And He said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' "This is the great and foremost commandment. "The second is like it, `You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' "On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets." Can you see, to love the Lord your God with all of your heart, and with all of your soul, and with your entire mind, you must be delivered from all selfishness? If you will serve the living God, you must be a man or woman of prayer. Remember, nothing of importance is accomplished in this world without prevailing prayer. No blessing on earth can be compared to communing with our heavenly Father in prayer.

We have a Gospel that cannot fail; the Gospel has not changed, we have been given only one Gospel. The problem is this, the Gospel that Jesus gave us is not being preached. What is being preached is a counterfeit Gospel; it is all take, with no self-denial. It is usually proffered with an appeal made to your selfishness (You will be happier, you won't end up in hell, so on and so forth.) This gospel never works!

Do not overlook this important fact, that all of the good that we may do in the course of our life, will be the result of our abiding in Christ. All of the fruit that we may bear during our life, is always the result, of our abiding in Christ. If we don't bear fruit, it is only because we are not abiding in Christ; John 15:4-5 "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing." Do you know this about yourself, that, apart from Jesus Christ you can do nothing? If you know this about yourself, then you can realize your need to abide in Jesus Christ.

A few more words from brother William Law (1686-1761)

"Every time we find ourselves not ready to do good of all kinds, to all that we can; every unwillingness to rejoice with them that rejoice, and to weep with those who weep, and love our neighbor as ourselves. Every aversion to be inwardly all love, and outwardly all meekness, gentleness, courtesy, and condescension in words and actions towards every creature for whom Christ died, makes us schismatic. Though we gather together daily into one and the same place, joining in one and the same form of creeds, prayers and praises offered to God, we are destroying the church unity, which makes us one with Christ, as our head, and unites us with men as the members of His body.”
"That this matter is true, that true church unity consists in our walking as Christ walked, fully appears from this Scripture, and many others like this one. The very words of our Lord Himself. "You are not of this world, as I am not of this world, but I have chosen you out of the world." Therefore to be contrary to the world, as was Christ, is the one necessary and full proof of our being His, of our belonging to Him, and being one with Him.

"No man can call Christ Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. Therefore nothing is, or can be a divine service in the Church, which has Christ for its Lord, but what has the Holy Spirit for its beginner, doer, and finisher. For if it be certain that no one can own Christ as his Lord, but by the Holy Spirit, then it must be equally certain, that no one can serve or worship God through Christ his Lord, in any other way, help, power, or means, but so far as it is done, in, and by the power of that same Holy Spirit. Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh; that is, whatever proceeds from, or is done by the natural powers of man, from his birth of flesh and blood, is merely human, earthly, and corrupt. And cannot do anything that is heavenly, nor perform a service or worship that is divine, than our present flesh and blood can enter into the kingdom of heaven.

This is what the apostle has said, "You are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be, the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if any man does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His." And consequently if not His, he can perform no divine service to Him. Nor can any worship cease to be carnal, or become divine, but by its being all that it is, and doing all that it does, by the power, and presence of Christ dwelling in our souls. Helping us by His Holy Spirit to cry in truth and reality, Abba Father.

I f it should here be asked, "How are we to become, and continue to be, worshippers of the Father in spirit and truth?" It is answered; "All consists in turning inwards, in attention to that, which is daily and hourly stirring, living, and working in our hearts." Now, though the Scripture nowhere gives this direction in these very words. Yet, since it is said in Scripture, that God does not dwell in temples made with hands, but in the temple of our hearts. Since the kingdom of God is said to be within us, and not to come with outward observation, but to be in us, as a secret, living seed of the incorruptible Word. Since our heart is our whole life, and we are said to live, and move, and have our being in God; it is directly telling us that we are to turn inwards, if we want to turn to, and find God. It is directly telling us, that in what manner we are within, as the worship is done there, so is God in such a manner within us. And that He is in no other way our God, our life, our rest and happiness, than so far as the working of our hearts, is a willing and choosing, a hungering and thirsting to find, feel and enjoy the life-giving power of His holy presence in our souls.

To be inwardly therefore very attentive to God, showing the good and the evil, distinguishing the light from the darkness in our own souls. To listen to the voice of His ever speaking Word, and to watch the moving of His ever sanctifying Spirit within us. Waiting and longing in the spirit of prayer, of faith and hope, of love and resignation. To be inwardly made alive and revived in the image, and according to the likeness of that Son, in whom He is well pleased, is the true worshipping of God with our whole heart and soul, in spirit and in truth.

Every Church distinction is more or less in the corrupt state of every selfish, carnal, self-willed, worldly-minded, partial man. And is what it is, and acts as it acts, for its own glory, its own interest and advancement, by the same spirit, which keeps the selfish, partial man solely attached to his own will, his own wisdom, self-regard, and self-seeking. All of this needs to be removed from every church, or Christian society, in order for it to be a part of the heavenly Jerusalem. All of this is that which may be called its own, human will, carnal wisdom, and self-seeking spirit; which must all be given up. How can this be given up? Only by turning the eyes and hearts of all its members, to an inward adoration, and total dependence upon the supernatural, omnipresent God. To the inward teachings of Christ, as the power, the wisdom, and the light of God, working within them every good, every blessing, and all purity, which they can ever receive, either on earth, or in heaven. Under this light, I am neither Protestant, nor Catholic; I am neither Baptist nor Pentecostal. I cannot consider myself as belonging only to one society of Christians, in separation and distinction from all others. God is always present, and always working towards the life of the soul, and its deliverance from captivity under flesh and blood. But this inward work of God, though never ceasing, or altering, is always, and only hindered by the activity of our own nature, and faculties. By bad men through their obedience to earthly passions, and by good men through their striving to be good in their own way, by their natural strength, and a multiplicity of seemingly holy labors and contrivances. Both of these sorts of people obstruct the work of God upon their souls. For we can co-operate with God in no other way, than by submitting to the work of God, and seeking, and leaving ourselves to it.
For the whole nature of the fallen soul, consists in its being fallen from God, into itself, into a self-government and activity, under its own powers, broken off from God. Therefore dying to self, as well to our reason, to our passions and desires, is the first and indispensable step in Christian redemption, and brings forth that conversion to God, by which Christ becomes formed and is revealed, in us. And nothing hinders this conversion from being fruitful, and gaining all that we want from God, but the retaining of something to dwell in as our own; whether it be earthly satisfactions, or a righteousness of human endeavors.
But, we can in no other way worship God in spirit and in truth, than as our spirit in truth and reality, seeks only to, depends only upon, and in all things adores, the life-giving power of His Holy Spirit. As the Creator, upholder, and doer of all that is or can be good, either in time or eternity. For nothing can be good, but that which is according to the will of God, and nothing can be according to the will of God, but that which is done by His own Spirit. This is unchangeable, whether in heaven, or on earth. And this is the one end of all the dispensations of God, towards fallen man, i.e. to bring man into union with God. Comply with all the outward modes and institutions of religion. Believe the letter; own the meaning of Scripture facts, symbols, figures, representations, and doctrines. But, if you stand in any other use of them, or seek to gain some other good from them, than that of being led out of your own self, from your own will, and own spirit, that the will of God, and the Spirit of God, may do all that is willed, and done by you, however fixed, and steadily you may adhere to such a religion, you will stand as fixed and steadily in your own fallen state. For the restoration of fallen man, is nothing else but the restoration of him to his first state, under the will and Spirit of God, in and for which he was created."

When Is A Believer Completely Saved?

We hear many people say, "I was saved 22 years ago." And oftentimes, they mean that they were completely saved back then, ready for Heaven! The Bible does not teach this. The only thing we can be saved from right now is SIN! Salvation, complete salvation, is ultimate. Let’s look prayerfully at the Scripture, and see what God's Word teaches. Mathew 10:22. And you shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endures to the end shall be saved.

Reference 1 - Hebrews 3:14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end.

Reference 2 - 1 john 2:24. Let that therefore abide in you, which you have heard from the beginning. If that which you have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, you also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.

Reference 3 - 1 Corinthians 15:1–2. Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also you have received, and wherein you stand; By which also you are saved, if you keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless you have believed in vain.

Reference 4 - John 5:29. And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

Reference 5 – 1 Peter 1:5. Who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Reference 6 - 1 peter 1:9 Receiving the end of your faith, [even] the salvation of [your] souls.

Reference 7 - Revelation 3:5 He that overcomes, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. No comments are needed about the above Scriptures.

Something of Importance

If you look backwards from the nineteenth century, all the way back to the beginning of the Church, you will find people saying, “He or she is entertaining a hope.” Now they say, “he or she was saved last night.” This is wrong! I believe the devil went to work overtime on this. The reason this is wrong is simple; the devil knew that if people thought that they were already saved, they would not see any reason to “Fight the good fight of faith,” to “Persevere to the end,” and so on and so forth. If we think it’s a done deal, we will stop denying ourselves. If we stop denying ourselves, we have lost.

Matthew 24:13 "But the one who endures to the end, he shall be saved.”

How To Get On Course with the Holy Spirit!

Many times people have called, or come to see me with a spiritual problem. Often times it will be someone who had been walking with the Lord, but something had gone wrong. After many years of counseling, I began to notice something, I almost always gave them the same advice, because it always works; it always gets us reconciled with the Lord.

Remember this, whenever we are not living holy, or when selfishness becomes very apparent in our lives, or when we do not “feel” like praying, or, when sin has us by the throat, it is always because we are not obeying Romans 8:13! For if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

The secret!

This is the instruction I always give, go into your prayer closet, (anywhere you can get alone with God) get on your knees. Sit there without beginning to pray, until you can speak truth, and only truth with God. Don’t start praying and telling God the things you know He wants to hear. Don’t lie to God; He will accept you in any state that you are in, if you are really repentant and speaking truth to Him! Psalms 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.
If you are having trouble believing one of His truths, tell Him so. He, and He alone, can change that. God already knows everything about you; He knows how much you trust or distrust Him. He knows what you are thinking! Nothing is hidden from God!

After truth and repentance is in your heart, in a very humble manner start to speak to God, never mind fancy words, SPEAK TRUTH, BELIEVING HIM, and the God of all love will fulfill Philippians 4:7 for you. “And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

You will know that everything is all right; you will again sense the presence of God in your life. Remember, no matter what the problem is, God and God alone is the answer; He can and will make you an overcomer!

This need not be a process of time, if you are having difficulty finding the words to speak to God; you simply are not being honest! Don’t try to impress or fool God, you can’t! Allow your heart to flow out to God, in truth. It works EVERY TIME!

The present time

We live in a time that I believe was best described when the Angel gave the Church of Laodicea its very solemn warning in Revelation Chapter 3 starting on verse 14.

Revelation 3:14-18 "And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this: I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I would that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. Because you say, I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing, and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire, that you may become rich, and white garments, that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed. And eye salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see.“

Remember God’s standard for your life!

"Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:48

Nothing less!

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