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PLEASING GOD is God’s will for every Christian!
Now, these are not the only things that are the WILL of God but they are the two most important things.
It should be the deepest desire of all Christians to want and seek to walk pleasing before God.
So what is it that PLEASES God or brings Him PLEASURE?
Colossians 1:10 tells us to be filled with the knowledge of God’s WILL in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.
But why? Let us find out why we must walk WORTHY before God.
Colossians 1:10.
“That you may walk WORTHY of the Lord unto all PLEASING, (How?) being fruitful in every GOOD WORK, and increasing in the knowledge of God.”
Let us take a moment and look at the word “worthy”. If something is worthless it is of no use, it has no value.
Something that is worthless is cast out and discarded. However, if something or someone is worthy, then they are useful and valued.
They are treasured and protected. They are given a place of honor.
One of the meanings of the word “worthy” is deserving.
In Revelation 3:4,5 Jesus says this about being found WORTHY.
Revelation 3:4,5.
“You have a few names in Sardis which have NOT defiled their garments; (Or you have a FEW Christians in Sardis who have NOT SINNED) and they (Speaking of only those Christians whose garments are NOT defiled.
That is to say, ONLY those Christiana who have NOT returned to living in SIN, ONLY THEY) shall walk with me in white: (Why?) for they are WORTHY.
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.”
Please understand the difference between Christians that sin and then repent and confess their sins from Christians who return to live in a lifestyle of sinning without repenting and confessing their sins.
The word of God teaches us that we must keep our garments from being defiled in order that we may be accounted WORTHY to walk in white with Jesus.
Only the faithful Christians who OVERCOME will be clothed in white raiment. Jesus tells us in Matthew 24:14 that only those of us who ENDURE unto the END shall be saved.
Jesus said that iniquity or sin shall abound or be great and that the love of many Christians will grow cold and give into sin.
Jesus gives us a strong warning that only those of us who ENDURE unto the END shall be saved.
In other words, we must prove that we believe by our actions or good works. And ONLY by overcoming sin shall we be accounted worthy to walk in white with Jesus.
Therefore, obeying God’s commands is what is PLEASING to God because God takes no PLEASURE in the death of the sinners, according to Ezekiel 18:31,23 and Ezekiel 33:11-20.
And God also has no PLEASURE in wickedness which is disobedience to what God requires us to do.
But always keep in mind that we, as Christians, are under the New Covenant written in the New Testament.
Psalm 5:4 says.
“For you are NOT a God that has PLEASURE in wickedness: neither shall evil DWELL with You.”
God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. God is HOLY and it is His WILL for us to be HOLY as well.
God has no PLEASURE in wickedness and consequently will not allow evil in His presence.
God has set before us life and death, blessing and cursing, and it is His good pleasure that we CHOOSE life and blessing, but ultimately the CHOICE is up to us.
If we choose life, blessing, and righteousness, then God will reward us with abundant life, blessings, and then in the end or in the world to come, eternal life, if we remain faithful and endure unto the end.
But if we turn away from righteousness and return to the lifestyle of sin, then the wages of sin will be death, unless we REPENT and return to walking in righteousness.
God’s PLEASURE resides in uprightness or righteousness.
Look at 1 Chronicle 29:17a.
“I know also, my God that you try the heart and have PLEASURE in uprightness...”
Our FAITH and what we believe is put to the test and tried in order to see if we truly believe.
Jesus gave to us the parable of the sower sowing seed and also gave us the interpretation and said if you don't understand THIS PARABLE, then how can you understand any other parable.
In this parable of the sower, Jesus tells us that the word of God is sown in our hearts.
And then the ENEMY comes and tries to steal the seed or word of God from us by TRYING us to see if we truly believe the word of God.
I know the Old Testament says that God tries the heart, but the light of the New Testament reveals to us that it is Satan who tempts and tries our heart, because he is after the word of God.
You see the WORD of God is where the power resides and Satan does not want us to know or to have this power.
Romans 1:16 says this about the word of God.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the POWER of God unto salvation to everyone that BELIEVES; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
Then in 1 Corinthians 1:21b, we read.
“...it PLEASED God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that BELIEVE.”
But you see, it is not in just the PREACHING alone whereby salvation is attained.
One must BELIEVE and ENDURE to the END in order to obtain eternal life, or whatever else he or she may be believing and trusting in God to receive.
Here is what Hebrews 4:2 says about believing the gospel of God’s word.
Hebrews 4:2.
“For unto us was the gospel PREACHED, as well as unto them: BUT the word preached did NOT profit them, (Why?) NOT being mixed with FAITH in them that heard it.”
The context of this passage of Scripture is speaking of the children of Israel in the wilderness who were overthrown or OVERCOME by the enemy.
Now is God PLEASED that His children are overthrown? Absolutely NOT!
Look at 1 Corinthians 10:5.
“But many of them God was NOT well PLEASED: (Why?) FOR (Or because) they were OVERTHROWN in the wilderness.”
God is NOT pleased when we are overcome by the enemy and deceived into being disobedient to the word of God and give in to the temptation to sin.
God’s WILL is for us to OVERCOME the enemy in every area of our life. God’s WILL is for us NOT to SIN!
Hebrews 3:17a says.
“But with WHOM was He (God) GRIEVED forty years? Was it not with them that SINNED,...?”
God gives us PROMISES through His word, but it is up to us to CHOOSE to BELIEVE these TRUTHS in His word.
And consequently, if we do not choose to believe these truths, then it is automatically accounted to us as unbelief or rejection.
What is the opposite of “Well I don't know if I agree with that”?
Obviously, it is DOUBT and unbelief. Verse 19 goes on to say that the Jews could not enter BECAUSE of their UNBELIEF.
Hebrews 3:19.
“So we see that they could not enter in (that is to say, they could not enter into the PROMISED land) [WHY?] because of their UNBELIEF.”
You see, God is NOT PLEASED in unbelief, but is well pleased in FAITH.
In fact, the Bible teaches us that it is IMPOSSIBLE to PLEASE God without FAITH.
Hebrews 11:6 says.
“But WITHOUT FAITH it is IMPOSSIBLE to PLEASE Him: for he that comes to God MUST BELIEVE that He is and that He is the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.”
And the number one thing that we must believe in order to be saved is to BELIEVE in God’s SON, Jesus, as our Lord and Savior.
There are those that teach that salvation is by faith ALONE which, in part, is true but this is NOT the WHOLE gospel of Jesus Christ.
We are saved, that is to say, SET FREE from the bondage of sin but we are not set free from sin to live according to the lusts of the flesh.
However, we are set free for the sole purpose that we are empowered to LIVE righteously before God without sin THROUGH the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us.
This is where the well-quoted Scripture comes into play that the “just shall LIVE by FAITH”.
In other words, this is HOW we are going to be able to LIVE without sin.
It is by FAITH ALONE that EMPOWERS the BELIEVER to OVERCOME the enemy, and NOT as some teach which say, “I believe in Jesus, therefore now I am saved and can never be lost.”
Please read Ephesians 2:8,9 in its context ALONG with verse 10 and you will see the REASON why or for the very PURPOSE for which we are saved.
That is to say, the purpose that we have been placed back into right relationship with Almighty God and SET FREE from the bondage of sin.
We have been made a NEW creature in Christ Jesus (why?) in order to live by faith continually BELIEVING that we are in fact a NEW creation.
And that means that the old sin nature of man is passed away and that sin has no more DOMINION over us.
We are SET FREE from sin and sin has no more power or dominion over us to keep us slaves to sin.
Ephesians 2:10 tell us that we are CREATED in Christ or a new creation for the purpose of doing GOOD WORKS.
And 1 John 5:3,4 tells us one way of HOW we overcome the enemy.
1 John 5:3,4.
“For THIS is the LOVE of God, that we KEEP his COMMANDMENTS: and his commandments are not grievous. (The commandments under the New Covenant written in the New Testament are NOT grievous.
But, according to Acts 15: 10,24, the commandments contained in ordinances that were abolished at the cross were too hard to bear which none of the fathers of Israel were able to bear)
1 John 5:4. For whatsoever is born of God OVERCOMES the world: and THIS is the VICTORY that OVERCOMES the world, EVEN OUR FAITH.”
Are you a Christian? Are you “born again”? Are you born of God? Does God abide in you? Do you abide in God? Do you “know” God? Does God “know” you?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you need to read the WHOLE gospel of Jesus Christ, and not simply pick out isolated verses that when used alone contradict the whole word of God.
No, it takes more than just saying a sinner's prayer and being born again to receive eternal life.
We must ENDURE to KEEP all God’s commandments under the New Covenant written in the New Testament unto the END in order to be accounted worthy to obtain eternal life.
Jesus said that if we LOVE him then we will KEEP his commandments and commandments are not an option.
Again, Jesus is referring to the commandments under the New Covenant written in the New Testament and NOT the law of commandment CONTAINED in ORDINANCES that were abolished and nailed to the cross, according to Ephesians 1:8-15 and Colossians 2:8-17.
Look at 1 John 2:3-6.
“And hereby we do know that we know him if we KEEP his COMMANDMENTS.
1 John 2:4. He that says, I know him, and keeps NOT his commandments, is a liar, and the TRUTH is not in him.
1 John 2:5. But whoso KEEPS his WORD, in him is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
1 John 2:6. He that says he abides in him OUGHT himself ALSO so to walk EVEN as he (Jesus) walked.”
The word “OUGHT” here is NOT just a SUGGESTION, but rather, the Greek word that is translated as “OUGHT” means must, without fail, and obligated.
So this verse is saying that we are obligated and MUST, without fail, walk even as Jesus walked WITHOUT SIN. These are the COMMANDMENTS of God and not merely suggestions or guidelines to casually try and follow.
We as Christians do not have any other option but to OBEY the COMMANDMENTS of God, apart from which there can and will be no salvation, or eternal life.
And again, the commandments are speaking of the commandments under the New Covenant written in the New Testament and NOT the Law of Moses written in the Old Testament.
Please read the studies under the heading **Dd-0. WHAT IS THE TRUE SABBATH?** to learn why the seventh day of the week Sabbath-keeping Christians are in error.
Think of it this way and seriously consider what I am saying. Being saved is a continuous process that BEGINS the moment we accept Jesus as our Savior.
At this moment all our sins which we have committed are canceled and washed away no longer to be remembered against us.
Now at this moment we become plugged into God, so to speak like a light switch is to electricity.
This light switch represents our obedience and disobedience, when we are in obedience to God’s commandments then the switch is in the “on” position and our light is lit or is shining, we are walking in the light.
And when we are in disobedience, then the switch is in the “off” position and our light is off or extinguished and we are walking in darkness.
Now, it is we who are in control of the operation of this switch, so to speak, that is to say, we are in control of either CHOOSING to OBEY God’s commandments or making the CHOICE to DISOBEY God’s word and give in to that which tempts us.
Keep in mind that we are NOT yet “ETERNALLY SAVED” as some WRONGLY teach because we have NOT yet OBTAIN eternal life. This is our HOPE set before us.
And thus, we are in the WAY or we are on the path of salvation headed toward that goal of obtaining eternal life.
You see you can be on a path or journey somewhere and get sidetracked, distracted, or enticed to take another direction.
It may be that you find that old trip or journey more pleasing to you and forget about your new destination toward eternal life.
The pleasures of sin could deceive some to go back to their old WAY.
The same is true on the “road” to destruction. A sinner may find that the CONSEQUENCES of living in sin are NOT pleasurable and they want a new life.
And the WAY to the Father is Jesus. But our way toward obtaining eternal life can be distracted by the pleasures of sin and get lost, so to speak, from the focus of our destination of eternal life.
Now if at any time during our journey through life that we should happen to die or Jesus would return, then the determining factor of whether or not we are SAVED at that moment we die or Jesus returns and will receive eternal life is if we are in obedience to God and our switch is in the on position and our light is SHINING at this time.
In other words, no one is truly saved unless they are in OBEDIENCE to God’s WORD and their light is on and shining.
We must be abiding in Christ when we die or Jesus returns and if we are in sin then we are NOT in him. You cannot be on both sides of the fence at the same time.
Throughout our life, we are in a process where we undergo temptation from the enemy and sometimes are deceived into being disobedient to God.
And at that disobedient point in time even though we are God’s children we make the CHOICE to be disobedient children.
And consequently, therefore, that disobedient Christian removes themself from the presence and protection of God.
And thus, they place themself back into the dominion of the enemy, Satan.
Know you not that whom you choose to serve his servants you are, whether righteousness UNTO eternal life or sin unto death.
The wages of sin is death. And the REWARD of righteousness is eternal life.
Now if any Christian were to die while they are in living in that state of disobedience or Jesus would return while their light is turned off, then Jesus would reject them, just as he rejects the five foolish virgins whose lights went out because they had no oil in their lamps.
DO NOT BE DECEIVED!
The actual receiving the END of our salvation is CONDITIONAL.
We cannot ignore the REST of the word of God and just look at a few isolated verses of Scripture, that are taken out of context, to try and show that once you accept Jesus as your Savior, then you are eternally saved and no man can pluck you out of the Father’s hand.
For a deeper understanding of what it TRULY means to be saved, there are several studies you should read such as:
E-20. I AM THE WAY: WHAT DID JESUS MEAN?
E-23. WHAT IS THE TRUE MEANING OF GRACE?
F-2. IS ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED BIBLICAL?
Please read all the studies under the heading **F-0. CAN WE LOSE ETERNAL LIFE?**
AGAIN, DO NOT BE DECEIVED!
READ EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THESE STUDIES AND WEIGH THE EVIDENCE OF THE WHOLE WORD OF GOD!
Ecclesiastes 12:9-14 says this about the WHOLE MATTER.
Ecclesiastes 12:9-14.
“And moreover, because the preacher was WISE, he still taught the people knowledge: yea, he gave GOOD HEED, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs,
Ecclesiastes 12:10. The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even the words of TRUTH.
Ecclesiastes 12:11. The words of the WISE are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from ONE shepherd. (Speaking of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ) And further, by these, (Referring back to the WORDS of TRUTH) my son, be ADMONISHED: of making many books there is no end: and such study is a weariness of the flesh.
Ecclesiastes 12:12. Let us HEAR the CONCLUSION of the WHOLE MATTER: (Which is as follows)
Ecclesiastes 12:13. FEAR God and KEEP his COMMANDMENTS: for this is the WHOLE DUTY of man.
Ecclesiastes 12:14. For (Or BECAUSE) God shall bring EVERY work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be GOOD, or whether it be EVIL.”
IT IS YOUR CHOICE!
OBEY GOD’S COMMANDMENT THAT HE GAVE TO JESUS TO GIVE TO US AND RECEIVE ETERNAL LIFE IN THE WORLD TO COME!
OR
BE A DISOBEDIENT CHILD OF GOD AND SUFFER THE WRATH OF GOD BY DISOBEYING THE COMMANDMENTS OF JESUS UNDER THE NEW COVENANT TAUGHT IN THE NEW TESTAMENT!
Take a close look at Ephesians 4:6.
“Let no man DECEIVE you (Speaking to true born-again Christians saying let no man deceive YOU) with vain words: for because of these things comes the WRATH of God upon the children of DISOBEDIENCE.”
I implore you to read the entire context of where this verse is found and you will see that it is a warning to take heed and be not deceived for that you may slip from the truth and go back into disobedience and sin.
For you see, Jesus will grant eternal life ONLY to those who OBEY his words under the New Covenant written in the New Testament.
The WORKS that do NOT save us are the works of the Law of Moses contained in ORDINANCES that were abolished at the cross, according to Ephesians 2:15.
Please read Ephesians 2:15 before we read the CONTEXT in Ephesians 2:8,9 followed by Hebrews 5:9.
Ephesians 2:15.
“Having ABOLISHED in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;”
This is the very CONTEXT of the famous Ephesians 2:8-9, saved by grace ALONE Scripture used by the Grace Alone, once saved always saved believers.
But Jesus said that we who LOVE him will OBEY his words and keep his commandments.
You see, almost every Christian uses Ephesians 2:8,9 out of its context to teach that we are saved by grace through faith and NOT of WORKS lest any man BOASTS which is absolutely the truth.
HOWEVER, they define the word WORKS to mean literally everything that THEY define as being works.
In other words, according to some Calvinistic, Reformed Theology, and Grace Alone Christians, even OBEYING the commandments of God is WORKS to them.
And the writer of Hebrews warns us that only those of us who OBEY his words will receive eternal life in the world to come.
Please read Hebrews 5:9.
“And being made perfect, he became the author of ETERNAL salvation unto all THEM that OBEY him;”
The truth of the matter is that no one is truly ETERNALLY saved so that the second death will have no POWER over us until we draw our last breath being in Jesus without a spot or blemish.
As in, without sin, or Jesus returns and we are FOUND to be FAITHFUL at that precise moment in time being alive at the second coming of Jesus.
So to me, if you profess to be a child of God BUT your light is OFF when Jesus returns or you suddenly die in the state of disobedience living in a lifestyle of sin, then you consequently will be rejected by Jesus and He will say to you: Depart from me you worker of iniquity, I never knew you.
There are consequences to sin. Don't be deceived. The wages of SIN is death, speaking of the second death in the lake of fire on the final Day of Judgment.
So repent speedily if you fall into sin. Repent means to TURN AWAY from sin and to follow after righteousness.
To repent does NOT mean to say that you are sorry and then turn right around and commit the same sin.
Yes, I realize that we all struggle in certain areas from time to time but if you are ever to overcome this bondage then you must RESIST the temptation to keep committing sin.
We are saved or more correctly translated SET FREE from sin in order to be empowered by FAITH to live righteously without sin.
And if and ONLY if we endure unto the end in this righteous and godly living, THEN and ONLY THEN will we OBTAIN eternal life. FAITH says that if you RESIST the devil, then he will flee from you.
So do not give into sin. Use your FAITH to overcome sin. BELIEVE the word of God and RESIST the devil and God will confirm or perform his word and the devil will flee from you.
Please read the study F-12. HOW TO LIVE YOUR LIFE FREE FROM SIN! for a greater understanding of HOW to overcome sin.
Stay on the road to salvation. Jesus is the WAY or the “road” to the Father. Jesus PLEASED the Father. Jesus CHOSE to please his God and Father and not himself.
Romans 15:3a.
“For even Christ PLEASED NOT himself...”
Isaiah 47:21 says.
“The Lord is WELL PLEASED for his righteousness sake; (Or for the sake of his RIGHTEOUSNESS) he (Jesus) will magnify the law, and make it (The commandments of God) HONORABLE.”
What happens when you hold a magnifying glass over words on a sheet of paper? Only certain words are magnified and brought into focus.
Jesus magnified the CORE MORAL commandments of Almighty God that are kept by walking in the one commandment of LOVE to love one another.
One of the definitions of the word “honorable” here means creditable.
Now, the word “creditable” means capable of being credited or assigned. The word “credit” means the belief or confidence in the truth of something, to trust.
And the word “assign” means to set apart for a particular purpose or to select for a duty or task.
Jesus FULFILLED or ACCOMPLISHED the law that he was born under.
And, thereby, made the MORAL commandments of God HONORABLE or CREDIBLE for us to ALSO follow his steps and KEEP ourselves from sin.
We are BORN, as in, we are BORN-AGAIN under the New Covenant written in the New Testament.
We have been CALLED or have been ASSIGNED to perform this task of KEEPING the moral commandments of God repeated in the New Testament so that we may be found worthy to receive eternal life.
Well done my GOOD and FAITHFUL servant are the words I am set firm or PERSEVERING to hear!
In other words, you have been faithful to KEEP my commandments under the New Covenant written in the New Testament,
THEREFORE, or for THIS REASON, you may enter into the rest of your Lord.
Mark, you have been found worthy to receive the END of your salvation to become a partaker of the divine nature of immortality.
That is when we receive ETERNAL salvation which is CONDITIONAL. Do NOT be deceived and let your love grow cold.
There are many benefits or rewards now in this present world for those that BELIEVE and KEEP the commandments of God.
Remember in Hebrews when we talked about it is impossible to PLEASE God without faith, and that God is the REWARDER of them that diligently seek him.
Look at Ecclesiastes 8:5a which says.
“Whoso KEEPS the commandment shall feel no EVIL thing,...”
Proverbs 16:7 says.
“WHEN a man's way PLEASES the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.”
And 1 John 5:18 teaches us that if we keep OURSELVES then the evil one can NOT touch us.
1 John 5:18.
“We know that whosoever is born of God sins not, but he that is begotten of God keeps himself, and that wicked one touches him not.”
So, what is the WAY of man that PLEASES God? Remember in Isaiah that God was WELL PLEASED with His Son Jesus for his RIGHTEOUSNESS.
God is well pleased when we walk in righteousness. But God is not pleased when we boast in our OWN righteousness we do in our OWN strength. So how can we please God?
THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH
We are justified or made JUST by FAITH and we who are now, after being made JUST, the JUST that shall LIVE justly or righteously also by FAITH.
We are no longer sinners. We are NEW creatures created by God in Christ Jesus.
The old sin nature is passed away, as in, we do not have to obey the outer-man of our flesh any longer.
Sin has no more dominion over us. We are now debtors to live this NEW life of walking in righteousness by FAITH.
And true sound Biblical faith is believing and trusting in God’s word, that God will NOT ALLOW us to be tempted above that which we are able to bear.
We must first BELIEVE God’s word that we are able to live free from sin and that sin has no more dominion over us before we can live free from sin.
We are more than conquerors THROUGH Christ Jesus who strengthens us. But it is up to each one of us to make the CHOICE to stand in the strength of the Lord and the power of his might and RESIST any and all temptations to sin.
We must do our part to RESIST the devil and God will honor His word and the temptation WILL FLEE from us. God is always faithful to perform His word.
But in some things, we must BELIEVE and hold fast to the confidence of our faith to receive what God has already provided. It is through our FAITH and trust in God’s word that we will overcome the enemy.
The just shall LIVE by, or through FAITH. Faith is the means by which we shall LIVE righteously.
And if we fall we must have FAITH to believe that God is always faithful and just to FORGIVE us of all our sins and cleanse us from all our unrighteousness to be made PERFECT once again in the eyes of Almighty God.
Jesus said, be you PERFECT even as your Father in heaven is PERFECT.
This is what pleases God. Without FAITH it is impossible to please God.
And LIVING uprightly and in RIGHTEOUSNESS is WHAT PLEASES Almighty God.
Can you not see my dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, that without faith we will not be able to live righteously without boasting or pride?
He desires us to be holy EVEN as He is holy, and He is the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.
Be you perfect EVEN as He is perfect. Now the whole word of God is filled with God’s PROMISES that if we do a certain thing, THEN God will HONOR His WORD and do something in return for our OBEDIENCE and FAITH.
Please read 2 Peter 1:3-12 prayerfully and carefully.
“ACCORDING, as His divine power has GIVEN unto us, ALL THINGS that PERTAIN unto LIFE and GODLINESS THROUGH the KNOWLEDGE of him that CALLED us to glory and virtue:
2 Peter 1:4. WHEREBY, (Speaking of the KNOWLEDGE or UNDERSTANDING and BELIEF in BOTH Almighty God the Father and His Son Jesus, whom He sent to be the ATONEMENT for all our past sins, by THIS, we who BELIEVE) are GIVEN unto us exceeding great and precious PROMISES: that (Or so that or in order that) by THESE (Speaking of the PROMISES in the WORD of Almighty God) you might be partakers of the divine nature (Speaking of OBTAINING or PARTAKING of ETERNAL LIFE in the world to come to rule and reign with Jesus. But HOW?) having ESCAPED the corruption that is in the world through lust. (Speaking of the lust of our old man of the flesh.
This passage of Scripture is teaching us HOW to ESCAPE the corruption of this world that the old man of our flesh lusts after.
And if we do these things we will never sin again)
2 Peter 1:5. And beside THIS (Speaking of standing on or BELIEVING in the PROMISES in God’s word, doing even more than this, or BESIDES this) giving all DILIGENCE, ADD to your FAITH virtue; and to virtue (Add) knowledge;
2 Peter 1:6. And to knowledge (Add) temperance; and to temperance (Add) patience; and to patience (Add) godliness;
2 Peter 1:7. And to godliness (Add) brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness. (Add) charity (Or love)
2 Peter 1:8. For if THESE THINGS be in you and ABOUND, THEY (Referring to ALL THESE THINGS mentioned above, THEY shall) make you that you shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (In other words, to him that has shall MORE be GIVEN)
2 Peter 1:9. BUT he that LACKS these things is BLIND, and cannot see afar off, and has FORGOTTEN that he was PURGED from his OLD SINS.
2 Peter 1:10. WHEREFORE (Or for this reason) the rather, brethren, give the DILIGENCE to MAKE your CALLING and election sure: FOR if you do THESE THINGS, you shall NEVER FALL. (And the opposite of this is equally true that if a Christian is NOT diligent to obey the leading of the Holy Spirit it is possible that they could become deceived to depart from God)
2 Peter 1:11. For so (Or more precisely, for so by DOING ALL THESE THINGS) an ENTRANCE shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the EVERLASTING KINGDOM of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1:12. WHEREFORE, (Or for this REASON) I will NOT be negligent to put you always in remembrance of THESE THINGS, though you know them, and be established in the PRESENT TRUTH.”
And that is why I have written all the studies under the heading **F-0. CAN WE LOSE ETERNAL LIFE?**
I do not want my readers or any other Christians to fall from grace.
We must endure unto the end to be saved, as in, to actually receive the END of our salvation which is eternal life in the world to come.
Now, these words, “NEVER FALL” literally means the following.
I looked up the meanings of the words “never fall” and put them in the place of “never fall” in the verse of Scripture.
“For if you do THESE THINGS you shall NEVER by no MEANS in no CASE in ANY WAY at ANY TIME no NOT at all any more NEVER AGAIN err or fail of salvation stumble or offend in ANY MANNER!”
In other words, if Christians ADD to their FAITH to do all the things taught to us in 2 Peter 1:5-12 then we shall NEVER SIN again.
That may sound impossible to some of you at this time but God promises us that ALL things are POSSIBLE to those of us who BELIEVE.
I expound on the definition of these words in the study entitled F-12. HOW TO LIVE YOUR LIFE FREE FROM SIN! which I highly recommend for every believer to read.
But for now, let us continue this study in God’s word and look at another verse that teaches us of a BENEFIT that comes from KEEPING ourselves from SIN.
Please read 1 John 5:18 which says.
“We know that whosoever is born of God sins NOT, but he that is begotten of God KEEPS himself; (From sin. It is we who must PUT OFF the old man through the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us.
And if we KEEP ourselves) and that wicked one (Satan, the devil) TOUCHES him NOT.”
The Devil goes about SEEKING WHOM he MAY devour. And if a Christian lives in sin they open the door to ALLOW Satan to oppress them or to TOUCH them.
But if we keep ourselves from sin then the Devil is NOT ALLOWED to devour us or even TOUCH us.
When we are born of God or born again, God places in us a NEW heart that no longer desires to sin.
But rather, as a new creature created in Jesus Christ our new heart desires to seek to please and obey God.
The heart of the man or the spirit of man which is the real you, so to speak, becomes a new creation and the old desires to sin pass away, as in, the INNER-man no longer wants to sin.
Now there is still the desire of the outer man of the flesh that wars against the heart or spirit. But we do not have to obey this lower nature.
Paul says that he crucified the flesh daily, meaning that he RESISTED or DENIED his fleshly desires to SIN.
Paul says that we are to follow him as he follows Christ. It is no longer we that live, but Christ in us who strengthens us to do all things.
We are HIS workmanship, but we still have to BELIEVE that we can OVERCOME the enemy.
1 John 5:4 says.
“For whosoever is BORN of God (Speaking of being born again) OVERCOMES the world; (It does not say has already overcome the world and there is nothing we must do. God created us in Jesus Christ for the very purpose to do good works of righteousness, according to Ephesians 2:10 that grace alone Christians conveniently leave out) and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our FAITH.”
Again, it does not say our faith to simply confess Jesus as our Savior and NOT as our Lord.
You see, 1 John 5:5 does NOT say he that OVERCAME the world by believing that Jesus is the Son of God.
Rather, it says, the one overcoming the world, as in, a continual overcoming throughout the Christian’s life.
Please read the LITERAL translation of 1 John 5:5.
“Any (?) is the one CONQUERING the world if no the one believing that Jesus is the Son of God.”
In other words, the ONLY ones who ARE CONQUERING the world are us who do believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
And if we TRULY believe in Jesus we will OBEY his words which are Yahweh’s words that the Father put in the mouth of His prophet Jesus to teach to us to OBEY.
And the words of Jesus are written in the New Testament under the New Covenant.
So again, to all seventh day of the week Sabbath keeping Christians, I implore you to read all the studies under the heading **Dd-0. WHAT IS THE TRUE SABBATH?**
The truth of the matter is that we are BEING saved by enduring unto the end to receive the end of our salvation. It is impossible to PLEASE God without FAITH.
The just shall live RIGHTEOUSLY by or through FAITH.
You CANNOT do this in your OWN strength or willpower without pride and boasting which is sin.
Romans 8:8 says.
“So then, they that are in the FLESH CANNOT PLEASE God.”
But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwells in you.
And the Holy Spirit dwells in every Christians the very moment they first BELIEVE.
So if you are saved by faith to CONFESS that Jesus is the Son of God then God DWELLS in you according to 1 John 4:15.
Some Christians wrongly teach that if a Christian does not speak in other tongues then they do not have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them.
Please read the study I-5. MUST CHRISTIANS SPEAK IN OTHER TONGUES?
But for now, let us finish this study on the WILL of God.
Romans 8:9 says.
“But you are NOT in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”
Jesus said in Revelation 22:12.
“Behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me to give to every man ACCORDING to his WORK shall be.”
We will be judged according to our WORKS. Jesus goes on to say in verse 14.
Revelation 22:14.
“Blessed are they that do the COMMANDMENTS, (Again, speaking of the commandments given to Jesus by the Father to give to us under the New Covenant written in the New Testament.
So WHY must all Christians OBEY the TWO commandments of Jesus) that (Or so that, or in order that) they may have RIGHT to the tree of life and may enter in through the gates of the city.”
One of the definitions of the word “right” is to have a legal or just claim to something.
We only have the RIGHT to inherit eternal life if so be we walk in obedience to the Spirit of God to OBEY the two commandments of Jesus under the New Covenant written in the New Testament.
Jesus ABOLISHED the law of commandments contained in ORDINANCES, according to Ephesians 2:8-15 and Colossians 2:8-17.
If you do not know what that means then please read the study G-6.MATTHEW 5:17-9 SABBATH TRUTH! that asks and answers the question “DID JESUS ABOLISH THE LAW?”
Romans 8:14 says that as many that are LED by the Spirit of God are the sons of God.
Therefore, if you do not follow the leading of the Holy Spirit then you remove yourself from your inheritance of eternal life.
And until you repent and walk in obedience to the Spirit of God you will remain disinherited and will not have the RIGHT to eternal life UNTIL you REPENT and confess your sins.
Romans 8:17 says we are heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him.
So how did Jesus suffer? Jesus suffered by NOT PLEASING himself.
Jesus suffered by being TEMPTED and NOT giving in to the temptation to sin.
And we are called to FOLLOW the steps of Jesus who did no SIN.
Romans 15:3a says.
“For Christ PLEASED NOT himself...”
Jesus did not want to suffer the cross, but he prayed and the Spirit of God strengthened him and he submitted to the will of his Father and OBEYED his Father's will above his own.
Nevertheless not My will but your Will be done. The next time you are tempted say to your heavenly Father, NOT my will but YOUR Will be done.
Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Whenever you feel weak and ready to give in to temptation PRAY to God your heavenly Father and he will strengthen you through his Holy Spirit.
Continue to feed DAILY upon POSITIVE FAITH filled teachings that clearly show to you that you are more than a conqueror THROUGH Christ Jesus.
To God be the glory for it is in Him that we live and move and have our being.
Thanks for reading, and may God bless you richly as you continue to seek the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of Almighty God.
And to me, the truth concerning who Jesus TRULY is, according to the Bible ITSELF, is the Biblical Unitarian view of Jesus.
Once Christians, Jews, Muslims, and even atheists understand the REASON that Yahweh CREATED the Son of MAN, Jesus, was to have DOMINION over the work of Yahweh’s hands.
And after you understand that the REASON that Yahweh did that is to STILL His ENEMIES, Satan and the fallen angels.
Then you can understand that God made His human Son to become “a” Lord, “a” King, and “a” God, under and subject to his God and Father in order to JUDGE Satan and the fallen angels.
For a deeper understanding of this WAR that Lucifer and one third of the angels waged against the throne of Almighty God, please read the studies under the subject category called ** Q-0 Why Are We Here? Is God at WAR? **.
More studies are coming in this SHORTER Biblical Unitarian view of who Jesus is according to the WHOLE word of God.
If you have a PARTICULAR verse of Scripture that you would like to know the sound Biblical Unitarian meaning, then please email me at MarkatAMatterOfTruth@Gmail.com and let me know.
For further and more in-depth studies on this subject of Jesus being created to STILL the enemies of Yahweh, please read the studies called D-25. A NEW LOOK at JOHN 1:1, In the BEGINNING!
And also read the study called D-28. The PRE-ADAMIC LUCIFERIAN FLOOD!
At the top of my homepage, there are subjects or categories which contain compiled lists of ** ALL Studies! ** I have written on that particular subject. So, if a link within a study is broken, then click on ** ALL Studies! ** to find the suggested study.
Or you can scroll down to the MORE dropdown menu list to find those studies as well.
Thanks again for reading, and may God bless you richly as you continue to seek the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of Almighty God.
And to me, the truth concerning who Jesus TRULY is, according to the Bible ITSELF, is the Biblical Unitarian view of Jesus.
And again, for ALL of the studies on the Biblical Unitarian view of Jesus, please click on the subject heading ** D-0 The BIBLICAL UNITARIAN VIEW of Jesus! **
And for the SUBJECT on the true foundation of the church, please click on the subject heading ** C-0 The TRUE FOUNDATION of the Church! **
This way you can just send ONE link to those who you want to share the TRUE sound Biblical FOUNDATIONAL teachings of the church that Jesus and his Apostles taught in the first century church.
Your brother in our Lord Jesus Christ,
Brother Mark.
My heartfelt prayer is that all Christians RETURN to the TRUE FOUNDATION of the church that is taught by the very Apostles of Jesus in the first century.
So let us all come into the UNITY of the faith and return to what Jesus and his Apostles taught us in SIMPLICITY in the New Testament.
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Always be faithful to share, to preach, and to teach the whole gospel of Jesus Christ!
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