Tag Archives: Mark 16:16

Christian

The Gift

What is the gift of eternal salvation? Romans 6:23 KJV, tells us, For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 2 Corinthians 9:15 KJV calls it the … unspeakable gift.

Is it free? Romans 5:18 KJV says, Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

So what is the free gift? Jesus left his Heavenly throne in Heaven to come down to the Earth to live as a man. He showed us how to walk in the light and to live sinless before the Lord. He went to death on the cross showing us how to live our own lives. He became the sinless sacrifice for our sins when he died, the Lamb of God slain for our salvation. His resurrection further demonstrated who he truly was. It became the example to us of regeneration to a new man after water baptism and being born again.

It was indeed a free gift. Jesus completed his offering to the Lord God Almighty, Jehovah, and to us. He died to show us the way.

How do I accept the gift? You accept the gift by believing Jesus was the only begotten Son of God who died as our sacrificial atonement before the LORD. John 3:16 The Gift is complete when you believe  and are baptized. Mark 16:16.

You have accepted the gift. Upon acceptance, the gift is complete. What now? Like any other gift you can cherish the gift, you can despise the gift, you can even throw it away. The purpose of God’s great gift is to cause us to conform our life to mirror Jesus’ life. Honor Jesus’s sacrifice by not sinning. God will help you walk in the light. Where there is temptation God will provide a way of escape. 1 Corinthians 10:13 KJV says, There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

After water baptism God gave us a way to receive forgiveness for our sins. 1 John 1:9 KJV If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Proverbs 28:13 KJV tells us, He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

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Christian, Inspirational

Heard

There are two words in the Bible in two key verses that encompass the heart of the entire Christian faith.

The word believe in John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

And the word call in Romans 10:13 KJV For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Both of these words incorporate the sum of all scripture in their definitions. If you call upon the Lord you want to be heard. In order to be heard your call should be in accord with God’s word, the Holy Bible.

You must know Jehovah. You must know Jesus. Jeremiah 29:12-13 KJV says, Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. [13] And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

After discovering Jesus as Lord, we seek to please him by keeping his word. One of the first things we must do is be baptized by immersion in water. Mark 16:16 KJV He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

To keep his word we must know it. The Ten Commandments can be found in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. They are still in effect under the New Testament Covenant. 2 John 1:6 KJV says,  And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.

Walk in the light, remembering after baptism 1 John 1:9 (confession) exists for the remission of sins and Hebrews 10:26-27 exists to warn us against further wilful sin.

Ultimately it’s up to God to respond to your call. It is my personal opinion that you should continue to call upon the Lord even if you are currently stuck in sin. The Lord delivered me from cigarettes and porn. For me it wasn’t instantaneous. It took years of desiring to quit, reading the Holy Bible, and asking the Lord for help, but I can now say I’m finally living righteously and trying daily to walk in the light.

Don’t give up! Call upon the Lord. Call upon him out of need or fear. Call upon him out of love! Your salvation depends upon it!

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Christian

Being Born Again

In past posts I have attempted to boil being born again down to the moment of water baptism. I think being born again is more complex than just baptism, but as we see in Mark 16:16 it plays a crucial part.

Mark 16:16 tells us, He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

What must we believe?

We must believe Jesus is the Messiah. We must believe he laid down his life for us. We must learn and follow his word.

Why must we be baptized?

See Acts 2:37-39 KJV – . . . Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call

Jesus sets the core of being born again as repentance. In Luke 13:3 KJV he said, I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

In Luke 15:7 KJV he added, I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

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Christian, Inspirational

Sons and Daughters

In 2 Kings 19:3 KJV … Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and blasphemy: for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth.

I am convinced that many people do not know how to be born again. Jesus said in John 3:3 KJV … Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

What must I do?

Believe in Jesus, that he is the Son of God who died on the cross for our sins, that he is the promised Christ and our Messiah. John 3:16-18.

Acknowledge and repent of your sins. Matthew 3:2,6.

Be baptized by immersion in water by another in the name of Jesus or in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost for the forgivess of your sins. Mark 16:16, Acts 22:16.

Knowledge, belief, and strength are all required for salvation. A prayer of salvation is insufficient to save you if you don’t continue in faith to be born again. Persevere, believe, and be baptized.

Baptism is not only a public declaration of faith it is the birthing process. Arise from the water a new man or woman in Christ, Born Again!

2 Corinthians 6:17-18 KJV says, Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing ; and I will receive you, [18] And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

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Doer

I just heard on Three Cosmic Messages Earth’s Final Conflict, “We do not follow God’s Commandments in order to be saved, but because we are saved.” I have heard a similar message before: “We are not saved by our best efforts”, “Jesus finished the work on the cross.”

To be frank, these statements are misleading. In fact they aren’t far from the false doctrine “once saved, always saved”. They imply there is nothing we have to do on our part.

I’m not convinced Jesus is finished working. If he were finished, why do we yet pray?

Jesus dying on the cross is an offer of salvation. What must we do? Accept by believing in accordance with John 3:16, be baptized by immersion in water in the name of Jesus or in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Mark 16:16.

What else must we do to be saved? What does the Bible say?

Ecclesiastes 12:13 KJV Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

Romans 2:13 KJV (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.

And let’s not forget 1 John 1:9 and Proverbs 28:13. If we err and sin these verses instruct us on how to be free.

Finally, with belief, we are saved by our best efforts in Christ who gives us both strength and guidance that we may walk in the Light. And when we need help with our efforts, we call upon the Lord. Roman’s 10:13.

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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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Christian, Inspirational

Conditions Too

Some claim the love of God is unconditional. They do not know God nor the scriptures.

In an earlier post we discovered the first condition of Christianity in John 3:16. It is belief.

What are some other conditions? Mark 16:16 tells us that in addition to belief in Christ we must be baptized to be saved!

Let’s look at some other verses to see if we can spot the condition:

2 Corinthians 6:17-18 KJV Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing ; and I will receive you, [18] And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

If we want to be a son or daughter of God Almighty, what must we do? The condition is clear. Be separate and touch not the unclean thing.

John 14:21 KJV He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

If we want the Father and son’s love we keep his commandments.

Learning to spot conditions in scripture will help teach you proper discernment and help you in rightly dividing the Word of God.

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Christian, Inspirational

Malpractice

The Bible says in Luke 11:52 KJV
Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.

Who are the lawyers? Any teacher or preacher of the Word of God is a lawyer. It is impossible to teach or preach the Word without practicing law. Unfortunately, Christianity is rampant with malpractice.

How do they prevent others from entering into the Kingdom of Heaven: misinformation and incorrect doctrine. They bring people to the door. They teach a “Prayer of Salvation” and do not usher the people through the door.

Baptism is crucial to salvation. Mark 16:16. It is being born again. Only after baptism do you enter into the Kingdom of God.

Be careful to not place anyone between yourself and the door of Heaven. Study on your own to show yourself approved. 2 Timothy 2:15. Remember James 1:5 KJV,
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

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Alter Calls are Nice

Alter Calls are nice.

Prayers of Salvation have pretty words.

But, why won’t you be baptized by immersion in the name of God into his family?

Mark 16:16 KJV says, He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

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The Talk

Long before a parent needs to have “the talk” with their child they need to discuss God with them.

A father should tell his son(s) and daughter(s), we have one Father, even God in Heaven, and ask the children to call himself by his first name, rather than father or dad. Matthew 23:9 KJV.

As soon as a child can comprehend who God is, tell him or her about Jesus, the only begotten Son of God who died on the cross for our sins and lived to show us how to live by following his Holy Father, our Father.

Conversations with children should include informing them of the Ten Commandments and the statutes and precepts of the Lord. I don’t necessarily think you need to go into detail about what adultery is, but a careful conversation on adultery might make “the talk” easier at a later date.

Keep in mind “the talk” probably needs to take place earlier than you think. Kids pick up a lot from what’s on television and at school.

When your child is ready, let them repent of their sins and be baptized in the name of Jesus. Mark 16:16

Only by frequent conversations with your children will they be able to make it to Heaven. Remember that children key off what they see. If you live righteously you can teach your children to live likewise!

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