Tag Archives: judgment

Christian

By Works

The Bible says in Ephesians 2:8-9, For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: [9] Not of works, lest any man should boast.

This has been interpreted to mean various things: There is nothing you can do for your salvation other than believe in Jesus the Messiah, his crucifixion, and resurrection. Jesus did it all, there is nothing we have to do. There is nothing you can do to make God love you any more or any less. We are saved by grace alone or we have no righteousness of our own.

The fact is we will be judged on how we lived our lives. Romans 2:6-10, Revelation 20:12-13

We often hear the phrase salvation does not come by works alone. Too many forget to add the alone qualifier. Salvation is a result of the combination of belief in Christ and following his law. Ecclesiastes 12:13. We can also look at it from an opposing view – not salvation by works, but damnation by works.

If we continue in sin, Hebrews 10:26-27 KJV tells us, For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, [27] But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.

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Christian

Never Give Up

How many chances does God give?

I don’t know the answer to that.

What I do know is that only 3 individuals have their final judgment written in the Holy Bible. The beast, the False Prophet, and the devil will be thrown into the lake of fire. Revelation 19:20, Revelation 20:10.

Therefore if you are man, angel, or beast don’t give up. Strive against sin and muster your strength and heart to follow the Lord Jesus Christ.

I’ve been told baptism isn’t available to angels and that the gospel was only given to men. I don’t think that’s true. The Bible tells us to preach the gospel to every creature. Mark 16:15

I believe in God’s mercy. I believe that angels have the opportunity to ask the Lord about baptism and for forgiveness. I believe he will answer the plea of all that call upon him, Acts 2:21.

1 Peter 4:8 KJV says, And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

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Christian

Discernment Part 1

Can you learn discernment between right and wrong, between good and evil? I believe the answer is yes.

One easy way to learn and/or teach discernment is with a game of what’s worse? It’s a game we’ve been playing since the time of creation. What’s worse, lying or murder? What’s worse, murder or stealing? Societies have developed their moral codes over the centuries. If you’re wondering what the correct answer is, which is worse, Google the average sentence for murder in the US, the average sentence for theft in the US, the average sentence for perjury in the US. The general consensus or public idea of justice and judgment are reflected in the sentences of convicted offenders. To see what other societies think, google the offense in the country in question.

I think God is the ultimate judge, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t develop our own sense of justice and judgment.

Here’s one example of what’s worse: not understanding baptism or believing that people go to Heaven immediately when they die. I believe the answer is not understanding baptism. Understanding and being baptized properly are critical to ones salvation. Mark 16:16. Beliefs of what happen to people when they die, whether they sleep awaiting judgment or go immediately to be judged, are not in my opinion necessarily critical to a person’s salvation.

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