Chastening and Rewards

The following helpful information is taken from Pastor A. Ray Stanford's (1916-2012) excellent book, "Personal Evangelism Handbook."

CHAPTER III - Chastening and Rewards

Yes! Eternal life is guaranteed to all believers, but never make the mistake of thinking Christians can live as they please. They cannot. They can try, but God will not allow it. This should be made very clear as you witness. This is very important because failure to make this clear can keep a person from wanting to trust Christ as his Saviour.

When you are saved, you become God's son, and while you have certain privileges as God's child, remember that God is now your Father and has the responsibility of taking care of you. If a person thinks a Christian could live in sin and not be punished for it, he doesn't know much of the Bible, nor does he understand the working of the Holy Spirit in the life of a Christian.

History attests to the fact that when evil is allowed to go unpunished, it multiplies and causes heartbreaking damage. Confucius created a social situation that amazed the world: Under his system there was no crime problem. Why? He punished evil and rewarded good. Confucius followed the same plan God uses in dealing with His children.

God deals with His children mainly in two ways: ( 1 ) When you respond to and obey the Lord's leading in your life, God's discipline for you will be mainly one of guidance, encouragement, and further instruction; (2) When you rebel against God's leading, He will deal with you in however strong a measure it takes for you to obey Him. People are motivated mainly by two things: love and fear. God uses each in a perfect blend that is just right for each Christian.

Proverbs 3:11, 12, “My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of His correction: For whom the Lord LOVETH He correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.” This is quoted in Heb. 12:6. Notice, when God corrects you, is it because He hates you? No, but because He loves you and knows what is best for you.

Job 5:17, “Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty.”

When a Christian disobeys God, he should confess it right away. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to for give us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9). Every time you sin, you should confess it. Every time you confess your sin, you will be forgiven.

Please notice two other things about I John 1:9: 

(1) God does not guarantee restoration of fellowship on the basis of confession of sin. Fellowship with the Lord comes when a Christian disciplines his life so that he has “things in common” with the Lord.

(2) God does not guarantee restoration of damage resulting from sin on the basis of confession of sin. For instance, perhaps a Christian has gone away from things of the Lord and starts to drink, and he ruins his kidneys. If he confesses his sin, yes, the Lord will forgive him . . . but that forgiveness doesn't heal his damaged kidneys.

There is a natural result of sin as well as God's personal chastisement in your life. Galatians 6:7 says, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Notice that God does NOT add, “EXCEPT if he confesses it.”

A Christian can do wrong things, but he cannot escape the CONSEQUENCES of doing wrong things. A person can put his hand into the fire if he wants to, but he cannot escape getting his hand burned. Some Christians want to sow wild oats all week long and then pray for CROP FAILURE at the end of the week!

One could not say how often you could commit the same sin before God would severely chasten you for it. The Lord uses His discretion in every instance. You will receive “personalized” attention. People often want to know “what God will do to them” if they do “thus and so.” Hebrews 12:11 says when God chastens you it will not be pleasant: “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.”

A disobedient child is never happy. Continued sin often brings weakness and sickness into your life. If you refuse to respond to God's dealings with you, if you refuse to discipline your life, God can even take you home earlier than He would have otherwise

(I Cor. 11:30-32).

An example of a Christian taken home by God before his time because of sin is found in I Cor. 5:1-5. This person was committing adultery with his mother (or stepmother). Verse five says this person's body was destroyed-he was taken home-but please notice that he did not lose his salvation. In I Cor. 3:15 we read, “If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved. . . .” Sin in the life of a Christian will result in a loss of his joy, power, testimony, fellowship, and reward.

The passage of Scripture, I Cor. 3:11-15, should be clearly understood by the soulwinner because it gives a good picture of what happens at the Judgment Seat of Christ for believers, and understanding this subject thoroughly will better enable you to answer questions that the lost often ask, such as: “How could God be just and fair if He lets both good people and bad people into heaven?”

Even though everyone is a sinner, and even though Christ has given complete forgiveness of all sin to all those who receive Him as Saviour, yet God still has many ways of seeing that those who truly serve Him are rewarded, and those who do not serve Him suffer loss of reward both on earth and later in heaven.

Notice, in I Cor. 3 :11, that the only foundation God recognizes is the foundation of Jesus Christ. Then, in v. 12, the Christian may build either good or bad works in his life once he is saved. In v. 13 we find that God will judge every person's work to see what was good and what was bad. Verse 14 says that those who have done good work will receive reward, but v. 15 clearly teaches that those who have not done good works will suffer loss of reward even though they will not lose their salvation.

Ephesians 2:8, 9 tells us we are saved by grace through faith, but verse ten says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” God wants His children to live a life of service to Him-not to be saved, but because they are saved.

After a person trusts Christ for salvation he should heed Romans 12:1, 2 for service, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.”

A life of service for the Lord will be richly rewarded both now and later. When you obey God's Word and let the Lord run your life, you will have love, joy, and peace in your life (Gal. 5:22). God promises, “If they obey and serve Him they shall spend their days in prosperity and their years in pleasures” (Job 36:11 ) . Jesus said, “. . . I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

If you want God to honor your life, you must serve Him. And if you DO serve the Lord, God is BOUND to honor your life. “. . . If any man serve Me, him will My Father honor” (John 12:26). The “secret” of “Christian Victory” is no more or less than obeying God. You might sometimes think disciplining your life to serve the Lord is difficult. What you want to do will often be the opposite of what God wants you to do, but the reward is great . . . and have you considered what it will cost you if you do not serve the Lord?

Job exhorts, “. . . who hath hardened himself against Him, and hath prospered?” (Job 9.4) Listen to the warning in Deut. 28:47, 48, “Because thou servedest not the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things; therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the Lord shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and IN WANT OF ALL THINGS: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck until he have destroyed thee.”

In Isaiah 30:1 God says those Christians who rebel against Him will have trouble . . . those who refuse the counsel of God in the Scriptures so that they can live their own lives of sin can expect trouble. “Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not of Me; and that cover with a covering, but not of My spirit, that they may add sin to sin.”

Satan will always give you the best excuses why you shouldn't obey God. But the decision as to what you will do with your life is completely up to you. As we have mentioned before, salvation is voluntary, and service is voluntary. If you do not serve the Lord, you will have no one to blame but yourself.

Perhaps you may feel you have no particular “talent” to give to the Lord. God says the greatest ABILITY in Christian work is DEPENDability. “. . . It is required in stewards that a man be found FAITHFUL” (I Cor. 4:2). It is not required that you are (1) popular, (2) wealthy,(3) successful, (4) educated, or (5) influential. God honors the believer who faithfully does his best for the Lord each day.

Notice in I Tim. 1:12 the reason that God put Paul into the ministry. It wasn't that God just “chose” him for some intangible, vague reason. Paul had proven to be a faithful servant already, and God put him into the ministry because he could be counted upon to continue being FAITHFUL.

An interesting insight God has given us into the real reasons why many people do wrong and think they can actually get away with it, even in the sight of God, is found in Ecclesiastes 8:11, “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.” People forget that there is usually a TIME LAPSE between planting and reaping. The result of what we do is often not produced until later. (But then, when we realize the harm that has been done, it is too late to remedy the damage.) Deut. 32:35 says, “To Me belongeth vengeance, and recompense; their foot shall slide in DUE TIME....”

What you plant in your life will always come up. If you sow to the flesh, you will have nothing but heartache. Worldly p1easures are (1) trouble to get, (2) they don't satisfy when you do get them, and (3) there is great sorrow when they are lost. It has been said that the life of the world is the “life of the constantly bursting bubble.”

A disciplined life for the Lord will cost you work, time, and effort. But an undisciplined life costs much more. Usually you will find it is not so much a question of KNOWING God's will for your life as being willing to DO it.

Determine that your life is going to amount to something for the Lord, and then discipline your life to that end. Every successful business has a time-table . . . a plan of progress . . . a projection for the future. There is no room in today's world for the mediocre person. AIM FOR THE HIGHEST. Don't settle for being an “average Christian.” After all, “average” is just as close to the bottom as it is to the top. Don't be ordinary. STAND UP for the Lord Jesus Christ, and serve Him with all that is within you.

Remember that happiness is not found in pleasure, money, laughter, fame, or getting what you think you want . . . but is a by-product of a Spirit-controlled, useful life for the Lord Jesus Christ. Your future is being determined by what you do TODAY. If you want to accomplish great things for the Lord in the future, you must accomplish something for the Lord today.

Even unsaved ministers, doctors, and psychiatrists know the best advice they could give a depressed and unhappy person is to help someone else-to go and be of service. This brings joy. The Lord, our Great Physician, knows that serving Him brings the highest joy possible. Instead of trying to “buck” God's plan, why not follow His advice and share in all the good things God wants to bring into your life?

God is looking all over this earth for those who are singlemindedly, sincerely wanting to serve Him, that He might exercise His mighty power in their lives. “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him . . .” (II Chron. 16:9). God WANTS to do things for His children . . . but He cannot reward EVIL. When you serve Him, He will do all things for you.

Besides the contentment you will have now, as you live your life for the Lord, knowing you are truly experiencing the fullest life possible on this earth - that of being in the service of our King-our wonderful God also promises that the person who is a faithful servant here will be greatly rewarded in the kingdom of God.

While it would be wrong for the Christian to serve the Lord ONLY because he will be rewarded for it, there is nothing wrong with realizing that God has set such a HIGH VALUE upon serving Him that He does promise to reward His servants . . . and with living our lives in accordance with the standards of value that He has placed upon things.

In Hebrews 11:24-26 we find that Moses did just this. “By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ GREATER RICHES than the treasures in Egypt; for he had respect unto the recompense OF THE REWARD.?' Moses served the Lord, motivated by the knowledge of future reward.

“For the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He shall reward every man according to his works.” (Matt. 16:27). “His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (Matt. 25:21).

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad” (II Cor. 5:10).

Make it very clear that this person is not in a judgment to determine if he will go to heaven or hell. That was determined while the person was still living on earth, on the basis of whether or not he had received Christ as his Saviour. But this is a judgment for believers only, to determine whether or not they will have rewards during the thousand-year reign of Christ on earth.

A person must build upon the foundation of the Lord Jesus Christ (I Cor. 3:11). Even the best works a person could build outside of Christ are only ''filthy rags” and could never amount to the righteousness needed for eternal life in heaven (with or without rewards).

This must constantly be emphasized to people, and especially to an audience. If you are in the position of teaching a group on this subject, you must not only make the gospel clear in their minds, but clear enough in their minds so that they know how to make it clear to someone else; and not only so, but clear enough in the minds of your group so that they not only CAN make it clear to someone else, but that they will see the IMPORTANCE of staying with the gospel to others, until it is clear to them also.

Paul was expressing this in II Timothy 2:2 when he said, “And the things that thou has heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.”

We should serve the Lord for the praise of God and not for the praise of men. It is the Lord who will reward you. Certainly men will not. “Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive OF THE LORD, whether he be bond or free” (Eph. 6:8).

Situations are bound to occur in your Christian service in which you have done something for the Lord but another Christian seems to be receiving all the credit. Don't let it bother you. The Lord is keeping the books. YOU will be rewarded for what YOU do regardless of how people look at it on earth. “Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his OWN reward ACCORDING TO HIS OWN LABOUR” (I Cor. 3:8). “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (I Cor. 15:58).

Instructions for a New Christian

Study Your Bible

“As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby” (I Peter 2:2).

A person has faith that Christ will save him when he hears the plan of salvation from the Word of God and believes it (John 5:24) . . . and a person strengthens his faith that the Lord will lead him in his Christian life as he studies God's Word, believes God's Word, and obeys God's Word. “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Rom. 10:17).

The only way really to understand the Bible is to study it, and every Christian who studies his Bible will tell of the great enjoyment he has in doing so, as well as gaining much knowledge. God's Word is power! KNOWLEDGE of God's Word and HOW TO PRESENT His Word will give you the power necessary to be an effective soulwinner.

The Bible tells us to “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth” (II Timothy 2:15).

Another reason why we should study the Bible is also found in II Timothy, chapter 3, v. 16, 17, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is PROFITABLE for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” Encourage the new believer to read his Bible, perhaps beginning with the Gospel of St. John.

Pray

Prayer is not some stilted, memorized speech that you make to God but conversation with your heavenly Father, who loves you very much. It should be just as natural for a Christian to talk to the Lord as it is for a little boy to talk to his Daddy. In fact, in Romans 8:15 the word “Abba,” referring to our heavenly Father, is actually a very close, personal term, just like our word “Daddy” is today. Children of God can know Him intimately. There is no reason why a Christian should approach God in prayer with formal speeches. It does not show disrespect for God to address Him personally, but rather, it shows Him that we love Him deeply. Galatians 4:6 says that God Himself has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, so that we would call our Father “Abba.” God really wants us to “feel at home” when we talk things over with Him.

God invites us to talk to Him, “Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not” (Jer. 3:3 ).

One of the wonderful things about prayer is that the Lord will never turn a deaf ear to you: He is always interested in what affects you. I Peter 5:7, “Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.” Encourage the new believer to pray often every day.

Meet Together With Other Christians

Your love for the Lord, for Christians, and for the unsaved will be greatly increased as you meet with believers and have fellowship with them. The New Testament believers gathered together often for prayer, Bible study, and to encourage one another in their witnessing and comfort one another in their testings.

“And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them . . .” (Acts 14:27).

“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching” (Heb.10:25).

Also see Acts 15 :4; Acts 20:7; Acts 21:18-20; and Galatians 6:1, 2.

It is the rare person who can withstand the pressures of his friends. If your friends are not those who know the Lord and take a stand in serving Him, they will constantly pull you down. It is of utmost importance to make your friends the kind of Christian you aspire to be.

Some of the most precious times in the lives of Christians have been spent in the prayer meetings of churches where believers gathered together to share their needs and help one another through the encouragement of testimonies and the power of earnest, intercessory prayer. Encourage the new believer to attend a good, Bible-believing and teaching church.

Tell Others How To Be Saved

A person who has just trusted Christ is often radiantly happy about experiencing the love of God. This glowing “first love” is best nurtured by telling others that God also loves them, and explaining how they, too, can be saved. A newly-saved person usually will readily see the need for his friends to trust Christ as their Saviour and will be eager to witness.

While endless preparation can go into learning how to witness most effectively, never leave a new Christian thinking witnessing should be done only by pastors and Bible college graduates. It is the responsibility of every Christian.

“But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts” (I Thess. 2:4).

It is such a privilege for us . . . that God would actually put US in trust with His wonderful gospel message! It is not only a privilege in the sense that we can exercise it or not at our own choosing, but once we have the Holy Spirit living in us (as all Christians do), He works in us and gives us a desire to witness for Him that is all but impossible to ignore.

“Then I said, I will not make mention of Him, not speak any more in His Name. But His Word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I COULD NOT STAY” (Jeremiah 20:9).

God says that all those who have been reconciled to Him -those who have been given a righteousness through trusting Christ as their Saviour-are His AMBASSADORS.

“And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to US the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto US the word of reconciliation. Now then WE ARE AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God” (II Cor. 5:18-20).

Any person who understands enough of the plan of salvation to receive Christ as his Saviour knows enough to tell others what happened to him and how they also may be saved. Often, even after you know the Bible very well, the most effective witness you could give would be your own testimony with a few, simple, salvation verses. Encourage the new believer to be a witness for the Lord.

Give the new Christian some literature that is clear on salvation. Chapter 22 of this book recommends literature of interest to the soulwinner and to the new Christian as well. A very effective tract, which has a distribution of over three million, “Am I Going to Heaven?” is pictured in Chapter Five. This tract is about salvation and is very good to leave with a new Christian.

The Holy Spirit indwells every believer and will guide the Christian in all facets of his life in Christ. Your example and testimony before the new Christian, as the one who led him to the Lord, will no doubt influence him very greatly, especially at first. As you pray for him, pray also for your self, that you will always be the proper influence.

As you see your child in the faith endeavoring to serve the Lord, you should encourage him to be water baptized as a testimony to others that not only is he saved, but also he now wants the Lord to use his life for His glory (Romans 6:4). (See Chapter Nine for coverage of the false teaching that man must be water baptized for salvation.)

MEMORY VERSES FOR CHAPTER THREE

Proverbs 3:11, 12

* 1 John 1: 9

* I Corinthians 5:5

* I Corinthians 3:15

* I Corinthians 11:30

* Ephesians 2:10

* Romans 12:1, 2

* Galatians 5:22, 23

Job 36:11

* I Corinthians 4:2

* II Corinthians 5:10

* I Corinthians 3:11

I Corinthians 15:58

I Corinthians 3:8

I Peter 2:2

* Romans 10:17

I Peter 5:7

Hebrews 10:25

* Hebrews 12:6, 11

* I Thessalonians 2:4

END OF CHAPTER

Wow, what great Bible teaching. I thank God for Pastor Stanford. I just read a great quote from Pastor Jack Hyles, another great soulwinning pastor:

“Redemption is a work of God the Son. Regeneration is the work of God the Holy Spirit. Justification is the work of God the Father as He declares the sinner righteous in the Son. Conversion then becomes the work of the church as we change the use and purpose of a life.” ―Pastor Jack Hyles, “Conversion And Salvation” (chapter 3) from his book: “Salvation Is More Than Being Saved”

Thank God for Pastor Ray Stanford's testimony and legacy as a fervent soulwinner!

Beware Of Baptist Cults Preaching Another Gospel

Proverbs 14:12, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Galatians 3:1-3, “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?”

There is a deadly poison afflicting more than half of all Baptist churches today known as “CALVINISM.” These deadly doctrinal beliefs are named after an unsaved religious infidel of the faith named, John Calvin (1509-1564). In essence, Calvinism teaches that a lost sinner cannot merely accept Jesus as their Savior and KNOW that they are saved. In addition, that person must faithfully persevere to live a life of holiness and service to Christ, to prove the reality of the genuineness of their faith. Effectively, faith is errantly redefined to mean works, so if you don't do good works as a professed Christian, you are not really saved because it is said that your faith is not real. Don't take my word for it, read for yourself what Pastor Chuck Phelps preaches. Read for yourself what Dr. Steve Pettit preaches. These men are dirty Calvinists who preach another gospel (2nd Corinthians 11:3-4; Galatians 1:6-8).

Now, I have been an independent fundamental Baptist since age 13 when I got gloriously saved. But I have come to learn that not all Baptists believe the same. In fact, many Baptist churches are not even born-again believers!!! Anyone who adheres to Calvinism is not saved, because they are trusting in their own works to prove that their faith is real. This is exactly what the Seventh-Day Adventist cult believes and preaches. 

There was a disturbing article in Christianity Today for September 2006 which highlighted the sad fact that Calvinism is making a big comeback...

Young, Restless, Reformed

Calvinism is making a comeback—and shaking up the church.

The report cites John Piper, R.C. Sproul, R. Albert Mohler, Louie Giglio, Joshua Harris, J.I. Packer, and the Puritans as among the chief influences responsible for the upsurge in Calvinism. Piper’s book “Desiring God” has sold more than 275,000 copies.

The trend toward the acceptance of Calvinism is evident at leading evangelical seminaries such as Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

SOURCE: Young, Restless, Reformed; Christianity Today

The issue is bigger than most Baptists realize (or sadly care to know)...

About 30 percent of Southern Baptist pastors consider their churches Calvinist, according to a poll last year by SBC-affiliated LifeWay Research, but a much larger number — 60 percent — are concerned “about the impact of Calvinism in our convention.”

Calvinism is already shaping the next generation of Southern Baptist pastors through the influence of R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of the SBC’s flagship seminary in Louisville, Ky., and popular charismatic speakers like Minneapolis author John Piper and Seattle’s Mark Driscoll.

How Calvinism Is Dividing The Southern Baptist Convention

Calvinism is very dangerous because it complicates God's simple plan of salvation. Read for yourself what Pastor John MacArthur (a proud 5-point Calvinist) says about getting saved:

“Don’t believe anyone who says it’s easy to become a Christian. Salvation for sinners cost God His own Son; it cost God’s Son His life, and it’ll cost you the same thing...” —Dr. John MacArthur, Grace To You, an updated quote from his book 'Hard To Believe', page 93.

Whoa! Dr. John MacArthur is full of LIES! Where does the Word of God teach that salvation is not easy? It doesn't. Where does the Holy Bible say that salvation will cost us something? It doesn't. I don't hate Mr. MacArthur, quite the contrary, I admire many things about him; but his theology is corrupt regarding how to get to Heaven. Pastor MacArthur even titled his heretical book: “HARD TO BELIEVE.” No Sir, it is not hard to believe, it is as easy as going through a door, and Jesus is that Door (John 10:9). Getting saved is as easy as drinking some water, and Jesus is the Water of Life (John 4:13-14). Jesus said that getting saved is as easy as eating a piece of bread, and Jesus is the Bread of Life (John 6:48-51).

One of my favorite Bible preachers is Pastor Ralph “Yankee” Arnold, who said this:

“Being saved is not something that you perform, it is something that He performs.” —Pastor Ralph Yankee Arnold, “Raised For Our Justification.”

Amen and amen! Pastor Arnold is absolutely correct! Another one of my favorite Bible preachers, Pastor harry A. Ironside (1876-1951) said this:

"When anyone comes promising salvation to those ‘who make full surrender' of all that they have to God, and who 'pay the price of full salvation' he is preaching another gospel, for the price was paid on Calvary's cross and the work that saves is finished. It was Christ Jesus who made the full surrender when He yielded His life on Calvary that saves us, not our surrender in any way to Him." —Dr. Harry A. Ironside, from the Gospel tract, “Another Gospel”

In sharp contrast to Harry Ironside, here are some of MacArthur's foolish unbiblical teachings from his book, “The Gospel According To Jesus” (Zondervan 1988):

Saving faith is "unconditional surrender, a complete resignation of self and absolute submission" (page 153).

"Salvation is for those who are willing to forsake everything" (page 78).

"Saving faith is a commitment to leave sin and follow Jesus Christ at all costs. Jesus takes no one unwilling to come on those terms" (page 87).

"Eternal life brings immediate death to self" (page 140).

Is this true? Absolutely not! John MacArthur is of the Devil and his doctrines are demonic!!! There is no way possible to reconcile the beliefs of Harry Ironside with those of John MacArthur and only a wicked person would try. MacArthur clearly teaches that no one can be saved unless they are willing to UNCONDITIONALLY SURRENDER and FORSAKE EVERYTHING. This is not what the Word of God teaches. Please Read: Dr. John R. Rice Refutes Lordship Salvation.

Now let me quote to you again the great man of God, Dr. Ironside...

"Nor is the Gospel a demand that you give up the world, that you give up your sins, that you break off bad habits, and try to cultivate good ones. You may do all these things, and yet never believe the Gospel and consequently never be saved at all." —Harry A. Ironside, from the sermon: What Is The Gospel?

Salvation is a gift, paid for by Jesus' literal, physical, precious blood (1st Peter 1:18,19; 1st John 1:7; Hebrews 9:12; Revelation 1:5). We are saved by HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS (Matthew 6:33; Romans 10:3,4; 1st Corinthians 5:21); and not our own willingness to do better (Isaiah 64:6; Ephesians 2:8,9; Titus 3:5; Romans 4:5,6,22).

Many unsaved people are deceitfully declaring themselves Christians, therefore they are in their own feeble minds. They DENY THE POWER THEREOF as 2nd Timothy 3:5 warns. They're ok with any type of manmade salvation which doesn't involve a literal and miraculous God. Salvation is a miracle! Only God can save a person (John 1:12-13). Salvation is not wrought by men, not by might, nor by power, nor by the will of man; but by God alone. Salvation is 100% totally and completely of God!!!

This is why king David in the Bible continually referred to “THY SALVATION.” Our part as admitted sinners is simply to BELIEVE on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (that He died, was buried and raised up three days later). Everything else concerning salvation is God's department. We are the SINNERS and Jesus is the SAVIOR! 

“More people will die and burn in Hell, because they're trusting too much!” —Pastor Jack Hyles, “Yea, Yea, And Nay, Nay!”

“Everything that's hard and complicated about salvation is God's side of it!” —Pastor Jack Hyles, “Yea, Yea, And Nay, Nay!”

Salvation is not doing your best, it is having Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith. Dear reader, please do not allow the Devil to lure you in with deceit. Calvinism is of the Devil. Any plan of salvation that complicates God's simple plan of salvation is of the Devil. As Pastor Jack Hyles rightly said, everything that is hard and complicated about getting saved is God's side of it, not ours. Our only part is to just BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST (Acts 16:30-31). It is man's inherent sinful nature that compels unsaved religious men to make God's plan of salvation much more difficult and complicated. Men by nature feel the urge to earn their way to Heaven. Humans feel that we must pay a price, give up our sinful ways, and prove our sincerity in order to get to Heaven. That is why most people go to Hell. Jesus said that Himself in Matthew 7:13-15 and Luke 13:23-24.

Is your Baptist church a religious cult? It is if your church believes you must “repent and turn away from sinful ways” to be saved, which is exactly what Bob Jones University teaches. BJU is a deadly cult. Steve Pettit, Marty Herron and Chuck Phelps are dangerous cult leaders! All of these ungodly reprobate infidels falsely preach that to get to Heaven, people are required to faithfully live the Christian life to prove that your faith is real in God's sight. Satan's greatest weapon is to con people into living the Christian life without ever being born-again. Michael P. Bowen teaches this wonderful truth in his helpful book titled: “I NEVER KNEW YOU.”

When I handed them hardcopies of Michael Bowen's classic book, I NEVER KNEW YOU, Pastor Marty Herron wickedly called me the church's “enemy.” No, Marty Herron is the enemy of the Lord Jesus Christ, who preaches an accursed false Calvinist plan of damnation!!! I am the friend of God, because I speak THE TRUTH. It is Herron and his damnable heresies that is God's enemy. I am teaching people that it is simple, free and easy to be saved, and nothing else is required or permitted to get to Heaven. The shameful Bob Jones University camp are errantly preaching that to get to Heaven, you must persevere in holy living to prove that your faith is genuine. That is a 100% works-based plan of salvation!!! I am not the enemy, Marty Herron is THE ENEMY of Jesus Christ!

Sadly, Pastor Jeff Redlin of Campus Church at Pensacola Christian College (PCC) wickedly bids Godspeed to the Bob Jones University cult, for which they have much blood on their hands!!! BJU is sending out thousands of indoctrinated students, who have been sinfully taught CALVINISM instead of a free grace Gospel. THEY ARE GOD'S ENEMY!!!

I plead with you dear reader to avoid any Baptist church that teaches you must turn from sin to be saved. If you dig deeper and ask more questions to their pastor(s), you will discover that they don't believe that a new convert can KNOW 100% that you are saved. They believe that a person's life must be watched and monitored to see if their life changes. If it doesn't, then that person is accused of having never repented of their sins, and so they are said to be lost. Dear friend, that is NOT the simplicity that is in Christ (2nd Corinthians 11:3-4).

I am sick and tired of the Satanic philosophy which has crept into many Bible colleges and churches today, which says that it is a Christlike spirit to go along with heretics, and refrain from being unkind to them by calling them "false teachers," and we should just promote goodwill and God's love to everyone. No Sir, that is NOT what the inspired Word of God teaches. Titus 1:13, “This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith; Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.” The Bible commands us to REBUKE THEM SHARPLY!!!

When I mentioned that “Bob Jones University is promoting corruptible seed,” that statement made Pastor Sean Quinlan (at the Lighthouse Baptist Church on Guam) upset at me. I wasn't even talking to him. He was eavesdropping on my private conversations with other people, playing God. So he rebuked me sharply for exposing the Devil's Bibles which BJU sells, uses and promotes! Quinan was offended that I called out Bob Jones University for being the cult that they are today. Quinlan is part of the Pensacola Christian College (PCC) camp. PCC are in bed with the devil at BJU and you never expose the devil that you're sleeping with!!! I am sick and tired of being called the “enemy” (Galatians 4:16)  by ungodly Baptist pastors who are okay with Calvinism, counterfeit Bible revisions and wrong repentance in our churches. Sean Quinlan needs to GET RIGHT WITH GOD!!!

Sadly, the same shameful thing can be said about Pastor Jeff Redlin of Campus Church at PCC. Redlin horribly rebuked my website ministry, false accusing me of finding the “weaknesses” of other preachers. What a coward! No, the truth is that I am exposing false teachers who preach damnable heresies which lead people into the Lake of Fire!!! I am doing what God commands me to do (REBUKING THEM SHARPLY) who preach heresy! These are not mere “weaknesses” in Steve Pettit, Marty Herron, Gary Walton, Sam Horn, Chuck Phelps and John MacArthur, these are damnable heresies!

Dr. John MacArthur is helping Satan lead souls into Hell by preaching another gospel of “Lordship” salvation. The truth is that Pastor Jeff Redlin is not doing his job as a preacher. Redlin is sucking down a 6-digit much undeserved salary at Campus Church for coddling thousands of PCC students, preaching lame sugar-stick sermonettes, sitting on the premises instead of standing on the promises, A.W.O.L. from the battles of the ages!!! SHAME ON PASTOR JEFF REDLIN!!! SHAME on the PCC camp for being idle!!! Those shameful pastors refuse to do what God commands them to do, and then they add insult to injury by criticizing faithful preachers like me for getting the job done for God!!! If those rotten lazy pastors won't REBUKE THEM SHARPLY (Titus 1:10-13), well bless God, I WILL!!! God is proud of me for standing against the evildoers and the workers of iniquity (Psalms 94:16). Sean Quinlan and Jeff Redlin make God vomit (Revelation 3:15-16). Humbly said, the Lord is proud of me.

In God's true plan of salvation, you simply come as a guilty, needy, sinner to God and trust in His only begotten Son Who was crucified on the cross for your sins. He was buried and three days later physically resurrected from the dead. This is THE GOSPEL, or GOOD NEWS, by which we are saved if we believe it (1st Corinthians 15:1-4). The very moment that you place your faith in Jesus you are saved! You CAN write down you name, date and place where you got born-again, and forever look back to it!!! Evangelist Paul Washer says you cannot do this, because he errantly says you cannot know you're saved until you've proved it by the life you live! That is the heresy of Calvinism!!! More than half of all Baptist churches today are preaching this garbage, telling people that they cannot KNOW they are saved. These are dangerous religious cults, NOT New Testament churches!!! Run, avoid and expose them!!!

I beg you in Christ's stead, as an ambassador (2nd Corinthians 5:18-21), that you would run, avoid and expose any heretical Baptist church that befriends Bob Jones University!!! If I find out that a Baptist church is okay with Bob Jones University today, I will immediately expose that church as a DANGEROUS CULT, because it is!!!

Hated As An Enemy For Telling The Truth

Every Believer SHOULD (Not WILL or MUST) Live For Christ

2nd Corinthians 5:14-19, “For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.”

There is much debate in the churches today over how works relate to salvation. Some groups (like Roman Catholics) errantly teach that you MUST do good works to be saved. Other corrupt religious groups (like the Bob Jones University and Faith Baptist Bible College And Theological Seminary camps) teach that you WILL do good works if you are saved. Neither of those mindsets are Biblical. The Bible teaches that the Christian believer (such as myself) SHOULD do good works to serve Christ. 

The world is full of false religiousites who do many wonderful works (Matthew 7:21-23). You cannot impress God with you works, not before or after you are saved. If you are trying to prove to God that your faith is genuine by the works that you do, then you truly HAVE NO FAITH!!! The evidence that you are saved is the gift of the blessed indwelling Holy Spirit (1st John 3:24). You cannot prove that your faith is real by doing works!!! IT IS IMPOSSIBLE!!! Faith is faith and works is works.

That is why the Apostle Paul said in Galatians 3:2-3, “This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” You don't get saved by faith and then prove your faith by works!!! That is exactly the type of thinking which the Apostle is refuting in the Epistle of Galatians!!! The Galatian churches had bought into the Devil's mindset that you get saved by faith, but then keep the law to prove that your faith is real. That is the same bastardized false gospel being preached by Bob Jones University and their corrupt graduates today!!! Paul scolded the Galatian churches for having this perverse mindset, because it is another gospel which cannot produce the new birth in Jesus Christ!

If you are saved, then you SHOULD live for Christ; not MUST (that is works); not WILL (that is Calvinism, still a form of works). One day many religious people (like the accursed Bob Jones University camp) will hear the horrific words from Christ in Matthew 7:23, “And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” How could these devoted followers of Christ be denied by the Lord Himself? It is because you don't get saved by living to please Jesus, you get saved by obeying God the Father. Matthew 7:21, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”

Pastor Marty Herron (an infidel who milks a salary at the Faith Baptist Bible College & Theological Seminary in Ankeny, Iowa) hasn't done God's will. He is one of the bewitched fools that Paul rebuked in Galatians 3:1-3 who is trying to be made perfect by the flesh. Also, Dr. Steve Pettit is trying to be made perfect in the flesh. Pettit errantly preaches that you cannot be saved by faith in an instant; but rather, you must live a sanctified life (keeping the law) faithfully until the end to know that you're going to Heaven. What do you think KEEPING THE LAW means? It refers to doing works to prove that your faith is real.

Every false prophet runs to James 2:18-21 in a lame attempt to justify their heresy. Friend, James plainly said that he was speaking about being justified in the sight of man, not God. Paul speaks of justification in the sight of God in Romans 4:1-6. The Apostle James said you “shew me” your faith without works, and I'll “shew ye” my faith by works. Since mankind cannot see our heart's faith, they must examine our works. Of course, just because a man has good works doesn't necessarily mean that he is a Christian, but it's a good place to start.

Have you ever met someone who did something kind or generous and you suspected that they might be a Christian? I sure have, oftentimes, and usually they turn out to be either saved or religious but lost. Cornelius in Acts chapter ten was a good man, but lost. Cornelius prayer, fasted, feared God and gave alms to the poor. Cornelius was a lost good man. Thankfully, God arranged for Cornelius to hear the Gospel and in Acts 10:43-44 he got saved. Praise God! The only sure way to KNOW if someone else is saved is by a direct testimony from their own mouth concerning Jesus Christ.

I love this precious quote from Pilgrim's Progress author, John Bunyan:

“If you do not put a difference between justification wrought by the man Christ without and sanctification wrought by the Spirit of Christ within, you are not able to divide the Word aright; but contrariwise, you corrupt the Word of God, and cast stumbling blocks before the people.” —John Bunyan (1628-1688)

Getting saved (born-again) is a one time event. Nothing more is required or permitted. The life that we SHOULD live proves how much we love Jesus. The dear Savior said if we love Him we will keep His commandments (John 14:15). “Oh, how I love Jesus!” Remember that song we used to sing as children in Sunday School? ...

Oh, how I love Jesus,
Oh, how I love Jesus,
Oh, how I love Jesus,
Because He first loved me.

The manner of life that we choose to live shows others how much we love Jesus, not whether or not we have faith in Him as our personal Savior. Please beware of the deadly false religion of Calvinism, which says that you WILL persevere in holiness if you are really saved. That is not what the Bible teaches. What saith the Scripture? ...

Titus 2:11-14, “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”

There again we find the words “WE SHOULD” live for Christ; not WILL, not MUST, but SHOULD. If you are saved YOU SHOULD do right. WE SHOULD obey Christ and fulfill the law out of love, even though we are no longer under the power or curse of the law (Romans 3:31). What a great truth! If you keep this truth in mind dear reader you will be wise. Always keep discipleship separate from sonship. Always keep sanctification separate from justification. Always keep service separate from salvation. Always keep Christ's Lordship separate from Him being our Savior. This is THE TRUTH!

Charles Spurgeon Speaks Against Lordship Salvation

1st Thessalonians 4:14, “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.”

There is considerable debate in religious circles over whether Pastor Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) was a true born-again Christian. Much of the criticisms hurled against Pastor Spurgeon regard sermon statements he made as a 20 year old youth. At just 19 years of age Charles Spurgeon became the pastor of the New Park Street Chapel (later renamed to the Metropolitan Tabernacle). Spurgeon preached in that tabernacle for the next 38 years!!!

Now, I concede that Pastor Spurgeon in his youth DID preach the Calvinist heresy of “Lordship” salvation at times. But I have also noticed that most critics just cherry-pick Spurgeon's sermons, only taking enough to slander him. 

From the research I have done, it seems that Pastor Spurgeon honed his theology over the decades and had a clearer view of a free grace Gospel, than he did in his ignorant youth. I mean, how theologically perfect can a 20 year old be? I think we need to have wisdom as believers to discern between the ignorant statements made by a young naïve preacher, versus from his teachings 30 years later. Most of Spurgeon's heresies were preached in his early twenties.

The following sermon excerpt is from Charles Spurgeon's sermon titled: “A Sermon For The Worst Man On Earth” (based on Luke 18:13). [Sermon #1949]

Looking to Christ and Not to Self

Then, dear Friends, remember, if we begin to preach to sinners that they must have a certain sense of sin and a certain measure of conviction, such teaching would turn the sinner away from God in Christ to himself. The man begins at once to say, “Have I a broken heart? Do I feel the burden of sin?” This is only another form of looking to self. Man must not look to himself to find reasons for God’s Grace. 

The remedy does not lie in the seat of the disease—it lies in the Physician’s hands. A sense of sin is not a claim, but a gift of that blessed Savior who is exalted on high to give repentance and remission of sins. Beware of any teaching which makes you look to yourself for help! You must, rather, cling to that doctrine which makes you look only to Christ! Whether you know it or not, you are a lost, ruined sinner, only fit to be cast into the flames of Hell forever. Confess this, but do not ask to be driven mad by a sense of it. Come to Jesus just as you are and do not wait for a preparation made out of your own miseries. Look to Jesus and to Him alone.

If we fall into the notion that a certain sense of sin has a claim upon God, we shall be putting salvation upon other grounds than that of faith—and that would be false ground. Now, the ground of salvation is—“God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” A simple faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the way of salvation! But to say, “I shall be saved because I am horribly convicted of sin and driven to desperation,” is not to speak like the Gospel, but to rave out of the pride of an unbelieving heart. The Gospel is that you believe in Christ Jesus; that you get right out of yourself and depend alone on Him! Do you say, “I feel so guilty”?

You are certainly guilty, whether you feel it or not! And you are far more guilty than you have any idea of. Come to Christ because you are guilty, not because you have been prepared to come by looking at your guilt! Trust nothing of your own, not even your sense of need. A man may have a sense of disease a long time before he will get healing out of it. The looking-glass of conviction reveals the spots on our face, but it cannot wash them away.

You cannot fill your hands by putting them into your empty pocket and feeling how empty it is! It would be far wiser to hold them out and receive the gold which your friend so freely gives you. “God be merciful to me a sinner” is the right way to put it, but not, “God be merciful to me because I sufficiently feel my sinnership, and most fittingly bewail it.” 

The preceding wonderful words from Pastor Spurgeon were preached when he was 52 years old. This is 33 years later than all of the teachings he is brought into question for by the free grace Gospel crowd. I have criticized Charles Spurgeon for preaching heresy, and we should! But at the same time I am not going to write him off as an unsaved infidel on the basis of statements he made in his youth. It is clear to me (because I have done it oftentimes myself), that Spurgeon improved his theology and preaching over the decades. I heard Pastor Jack Hyles admit to us in preacher's class one evening that he was guilty of preaching heresy at times in his youth. That proves my point. Preachers aren't perfect! Behind every pulpit is a human being. I am not justifying Spurgeon's heresies from his youth. We should refute any heresy when we find it (Titus 1:10-13). But at the same time, we should be fair. I am convinced that Charles Spurgeon is in Heaven today. I think he just learned as the years passed.

The personal testimony of Spurgeon is in complete agreement with most of his teaching elsewhere. I also encourage you dear friend to read Spurgeon's great work titled: 'ALL OF GRACE.' Specifically, please read chapter three titled: 'GOD JUSTIFIETH THE UNGODLY.' I am not fully endorsing Spurgeon's preaching. He was a Calvinist to some limited degree. Spurgeon believed in the Calvinist false teaching of Limited Atonement (that Christ only died for the redeemed, not everyone). So I am leery of being a big supporter of Spurgeon's preaching. Albeit, I do from time to time use some of Mr. Spurgeon's awesome quotes, like this one:

“Repentance will not make you see Christ; but to see Christ will give you repentance. You may not make a Christ out of your repentance, but you must look for repentance to Christ. The Holy Ghost, by turning us to Christ, turns us from sin. Look away, then, from the effect to the cause, from your own repenting to the Lord Jesus, who is exalted on high to give repentance.” [emphasis added] —Pastor Charles Spurgeon; “All Of Grace,” Chapter 11 - “Alas! I Can Do Nothing”

What a great quote! That quote is helpful, because it explains the Holy Spirit's work in turning a believer away from sin, and not turning from sin as a requirement to be saved, which is false. That doesn't mean that a believer who chooses to continue living in sin is not saved, God forbid. It just means that once a person is in Christ, the indwelling Holy Spirit begins His work of sanctifying each child of God through the Word of God (John 17:17). God saves us and then the Holy Spirit changes us.

This is what it means in 2nd Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” Some Bible students error in interpreting this Scripture, thinking it to mean that a Christian will turn from sin, follow Christ and live a changed life. That is WRONG! Getting saved doesn't guarantee that one's life will improve, overcome addictions or turn away from sinful behavior. 

All the Bible is saying in 2nd Corinthians 5:17 is that when you get saved, a whole new world is opened to you. When I got saved at age 13, the Holy Spirit immediately came to live inside my body and soul (1st Corinthians 3:16-17; Romans 8:9; 1st John 3:24). I had a new found hunger to read and study the Holy Bible, that I never had before. I was like a hungry baby for the milk of God's Word (1st Peter 2:2). For the first time in my life I felt the Holy Spirit convicting me about the sins in my life. That was something new.

I remember sassing my mother, as I often did, and the Holy Spirit's voice silently saying in my soul: “David, I don't want you talking to your mother that way any more.” I did change. That had nothing to do with being saved, it was a fruit of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-25). I remember one evening that my mother said to me: “You've changed!” In hindsight, my mother's words mean a lot to me. These were signs of my salvation, but not proof that I was saved. The only proof that I am saved is my faith in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:30-31). Charles Spurgeon is absolutely right, it is the Spirit of Christ within that sanctifies a believer, and not the man Christ without Who justified us by faith alone.

Please Don't Miss All The Wonderful Blessings Ahead

Romans 8:32-33, “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.” Romans 8:17-18, “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” 1st Corinthians 2:9, “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”

I went out for dinner this afternoon and bought my favorite meal from my favorite restaurant in Pensacola. It is The Shrimp Basket restaurant, founded in 1993. My favorite meal is The Seafood Basket. It comes with a half dozen pieces of jumbo shrimp, a couple fillets of white fish, a few oysters, one delicious stuffed crab and some French fries. It is all deep fried. The white fish are battered with cornmeal. The stuffed crabs are my absolute favorite! I crave them!!! I thank God while eating each and every bite, enjoying my humble meal. I always buy two extra stuffed crabs, giving me three to eat. I sure thank God for those stuffed crabs. They take a literal small crab, cut a big hole in it and then remove all the insides. They cook it into a wonderful crab filling and then re-stuff it into the crab. Heaven came down!!!

As I was enjoying my wonderful meal today, I was thinking about all the wonderful things that we have to look forward to as God's children. Dear friend, do you have any idea of all the promises of God for Christians? The Lord promises each child of God a home in Heaven (John 14:1-3). I assure you that there won't be any apartment buildings in Heaven. Apartments are for people who cannot afford to purchase a home. God never intended for ANYONE to live in an apartment! Jesus said He went to Heaven to prepare a place for us, and said that there are not just a few, BUT MANY mansions!!! 1st Corinthians 2:15-16 says we have the mind of Christ as believers, “But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.” I have been saved for 41 years since age 13.

If I know anything about the mind of Christ, I can guarantee you that there are no apartments in Heaven. Everyone needs to live in their own home, even the worst of Christians. If the Lord puts me in charge of a city during the Millennium, I will tear down all apartment buildings. The reason why millions of people are herding into the cities is because that is where the jobs are at. During the Millennium when the Lord reigns, there won't be the fraudulent Federal Reserve System anymore! The Devil will be bound in chains, confined in The Bottomless Pit for 1,000 wonderful years!!! The righteous Lord will rule with “A ROD OF IRON” the Bible says (Revelation 2:27; 12:5; 19:15). Political corruption will be a crime of the past! Rigged elections will be a crime of the past! The Bible says we will live in peace during the Millennium, such a time of tranquility as the world has never known.

Dear reader, the Bible promises every believer a brand new glorified body in eternity, fashioned like unto the Lord's resurrected immortal body (Philippians 3:21). Amen and amen! I was saddened as I did research for an article years ago, learning about a new science called cryonics! Literally, several companies today offer a service where when you die they decapitate your head (or use your entire body), and freeze your body upside down in liquid nitrogen, hoping that someday in man's future that technology will advance enough to reinsert one's frozen brain into a new cloned body. Folks, that is insanity!!! Why don't those fools simply BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST (Acts 16:30-31), and then they will have everlasting life per God's solemn promise (John 3:16).

I would rather have God's promise of everlasting life (John 6:47), than to rely and trust upon mad scientists to perform some Frankenstein type of maneuver in the future! John 6:47, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” God is so beautiful and wonderful to freely offer eternal life to anyone who wants it, just for the taking. All that God requires is that you come THROUGH FAITH IN HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, JESUS. Philippians 3:9, “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:” You CAN live forever dear reader, by simply receiving Christ's sacrifice on the cross as payment for your sins and believing that CHRIST IS RISEN from the dead!!! Christ died, that's history; Christ died for me, that's salvation!

Our future as saints of God is so bright and precious. And for those who share the Gospel and lead many souls to Christ there is a special promise in Daniel 12:3, “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.” Amen! I believe such saints will shine because of all the people in Heaven who will love and admire them for witnessing to them, without which they would have spent eternity burning in the Lake of Fire without hope (Revelation 14:11; 20:11-15; 21:8). The greatest thing you can ever do for another human being is to share the GOOD NEWS of Christ crucified, buried and risen with them!!!

Please don't miss out on all the future and present blessings friend of being a child of God. If you are not saved, you are a creation of God, but you are NOT God's redeemed child. Jesus sternly warned in John 3:3b, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” You MUST be born-again. If you're born once, you die twice; but if you're born twice, you only die once! Think about that, because it is very true. YE MUST BE BORN-AGAIN! You get born for the second time by trusting in Christ as your personal Savior, ceasing from all human effort (works). That means you DON'T have to turn away from sinful living to be saved. If you choose to live in open sin as a Christian, then God will deal with you. God is not an absent parent. God WILL chastise and scourge His children (Hebrews 12:6-8). Living in sin always brings consequences, but Hell is not one of them for the redeemed child of God. ONCE SAVED, ALWAYS SAVED!!!

The ultimate PROOF that a person is saved is their faith alone in Jesus Christ, nothing else! Anything that a lost person can imitate cannot be used as “proof” of salvation. Can a lost person love? Yes. Can a lost person do good works? Yes. Can a lost person live the Christian life? Yes. So none of those things can be used as evidence that someone is saved. 1st John 3:24, “And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.” The Bible says that the indwelling Holy Spirit is the evidence that I am saved, and no one except ME and GOD can see that! There is absolutely no way for you or me to determine if another person is a born-again child of God, apart from a direct testimony from their own mouth concerning Jesus Christ.

Heaven is going to be so awesome! I can't wait until the Rapture, when every saint's body will be changed from mortal to immortal in the twinkling of an eye (just a fraction of a second), and we will ascend up into the air to meet Christ in the clouds (1st Corinthians 15:52-58; 1st Thessalonians 4:13-18). 

What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see,
And I look upon His face,
The One who saved me by His grace;
When He takes me by the hand,
And leads me through the Promised Land,
What a day, glorious day that will be!

What A Glorious Day That Will Be!

Dear friend, this temporary earthly world will be over before we know it. I am ready to meet my Maker, are you? Amos 4:12, “Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.” Friend, you need GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS to be ready to meet your Maker! You see, neither you or I have any righteousness to offer God (Isaiah 64:6). You could spend your entire life doing good deeds, helping old ladies cross the street, tithe all that you own to the church, and perform every form of charity and goodness known to mankind; yet you will still split Hell wide open when you die. 

The sincere unsaved religious people in Matthew 7:21-23 learned this horrifying lesson the hard way. They spent their lives preaching in Jesus' name. They spent their lives doing MANY WONDERFUL WORKS in Jesus' name. They cast our devils in Jesus' name. Yet the Lord told them to get out of His sight, disgusted with them. The Savior denied knowing them!!! Those sincere souls were all cast into the fires of Hell. Where did they go wrong? How could such sincere people who spent their lives serving Christ, and faithfully following Him as their “Lord,” still end up burning in Hell for all eternity without end or rest?

They made the common fatal error of living the Christian life without being born-again! Matthew 7:21, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” John 6:40, “And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” The only way to get to Heaven is by RESTING in Jesus Christ. John 14:6, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Why then do so many corrupt pastors, perverted preachers and ignoramus Bible professors falsely teach that to be saved you must “repent and turn away from your sinful ways”? No such thing is taught in the Word of God. Please make sure you only use the inspired King James Bible, because all of the modern Bible revisions are horribly corrupted by Satan. Nowhere does the Bible say to repent “OF YOUR SINS” to get to Heaven. Corrupt preachers who require you to forsake your sinning to be saved are putting the cart before the horse!

It is Christ's indwelling Holy Spirit Who turns saints away from their sins, and not men turning from their own sins to satisfy the wrath of an angry God to merit salvation! Any preaching that pressures sinners to give up their sinning to be saved, or to prove that they are saved, or to prove that their faith is genuine, is a perversion of God's grace!!! What you do with your sins has absolutely NO PART in God's salvation of your soul. Christ died on the cross to pay for your sins (and mine). JESUS PAID OUR DEBT, SO THERE IS NO DEBT FOR US TO PAY, NOR BURDEN FOR US TO CARRY! Beware of perverse preachers who place the heavy burden of dealing with sin upon your shoulders oh sinner, for it is Jesus Christ Who bore the total weight of our sins!!! Salvation is about totally relying upon Christ and what He did through Calvary's cross to pay our debt of sin. Jesus paid for everyone's sins with His precious blood (1st Peter 1:18-19). 

God has so much in store for His redeemed children. I hope you will be there with me! Dear reader, the war has already been won! Jesus Christ has already been declared the victor. Bible prophecy is HISTORY WRITTEN IN ADVANCE!!! We already know who will win at the end of time. The book of Revelation already reveals that Satan will be the ultimate loser (Revelation 12:12). The Devil and his Antichrist and False Prophet will all be cast into the Lake of Fire (Revelation 14:11; 20:6). We are ALREADY on the winning side in Jesus Christ (Romans 8:37).

I am so glad that as a Christian I don't have to worry, fret or pray to be a winner! I AM ALREADY ON THE WINNING SIDE!!! Dear friend, once you become a born-again child of God you are forever on the winning side!!! Satan no longer can claim you as his child. Every unsaved person has the Devil as their spiritual father, whether they realize it and acknowledge him or not (Ephesians 2:1-2; John 8:44). The moment that a person receives Jesus as their Savior, they are now and forever God's child (John 1:12-13; Romans 8:15).

As a frail human being made from the dust of the earth, I sometimes get discouraged here on earth. My body gets weary and sick. My mind gets confused and frustrated. But when I get back into the Holy Bible and read the many wonderful promises of God, my heart burns with joy as I am reminded that I am already on the winning side in my blessed eternal God and Savior!!! And how wonderful it is that anytime I want I can read about it in the blessed book of Revelation. I encourage you to read a helpful book authored by Pastor Max D. Younce titled, 'REVELATION: GOD'S FINAL WORD TO MAN.'

If you are saved friend, you have a brand new immortal body coming. You don't need to pay $140,000 for some cryonics company to freeze your body, hoping that science may one day be able to offer you eternal life? Oh brother! Who would you rather trust, man or God? I'm trusting God. When I was 13 years old I put all my trust in Jesus as my Savior, Who is the Christ, the only begotten Son of God (John 20:31). That is how I KNOW 100% that I am saved and going to Heaven, because I have God's written promise on it!!! I KNOW because God does all the saving, not me. My only part in salvation is to get out of the way and REST entirely in Jesus Christ, because of what He did through Calvary's cross to pay for my sins.

Please don't miss the coming eternal party dear reader!!! Every Christian will someday attend The Marriage Supper Of The Lamb. We will eat and enjoy food and drinks in Heaven, just as the angels do. When the two angels met with Lot, they ate a feast the Bible says. Genesis 19:3, “And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.” I love that! The angels came to warn and rescue Lot before God destroyed Sodom with fire and brimstone, but first they had to enjoy eating a big feast! Those are my kind of angels!!! Yes Sir, we will enjoy eating in Heaven with the angels, and I can't wait. What fun it will be!!! 

Jesus also ate and drank with His disciples in His resurrected body. Jesus prepared fish for His disciples while they were coming in from fishing. We will all eat in Heaven in our new immortal bodies!!! I wonder if we will get fat if we eat too much? That is the $64,000 question. I think not, because our resurrected bodies will be perfect and incapable of suffering disease, pain or human weaknesses. To be honest I am not sure how it will all work, but I know our God is more than amazing. If God could speak the universe into existence, with its 200,000,000,000,000,000,000 known stars so far, then I am confident that He knows what He is doing.

Someday in eternity every believer can look forward to having a new perfect body which doesn't get tired, weary or feel pain. We will be young again and in perfect health. Going bald is a form of sickness. I started losing my hair at age 25 and by 35 it was all gone! Needing to wear glasses is a form of sickness. I have needed to wear glasses for the past 10 years, because I am nearsighted (I cannot see details far away). I can see people at a distance, but I do not know who they are. My eyesight is gradually getting worse each year. I just had a new pair of glasses made and the eye doctor said I have 20/40 vision. That means I have to stand at 20 feet away to see what normal people with 20/20 vision can see at 40 feet away. Lately my body feels more tired, at age 54, and my stomach gurgles more with noise. Of course, I have an old neck injury which causes me chronic pain day and night. But God is good!!!

I will be glad when this life is over, and I am completely in God's merciful and loving hands. I feel so vulnerable and weak in this earthly body. 2nd Corinthians 5:8 promises that when this earthly life is over, and we are absent from the body as believers, we will be present with the Lord. What a glorious day that will be, when my Jesus I shall see!!! 

Have you ever had someone ruin your day? I sure have, more times than I can remember. John 16:22, “And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.” In eternity no one will ever rob us of our joy again!!! The Lord will protect our feelings. The world is a jungle down here on earth!!! But in Heaven, the Bible teaches that its inhabitants are like little children. Matthew 19:14, “But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” I read that over the past 50 years that approximately 2,000,000,000 (TWO BILLION) human lives have been murdered in the womb by abortion worldwide!!! How sad and horrific!!! That is Satan folks. But the good thing is that ALL of those precious infants all went to Heaven. I do not understand how this works. Since they didn't accept Jesus as their Savior, those infants must be in a different category than the saints. We know God is just and would never send anyone to Hell unless they chose to go there by wilfully rejecting Christ as Savior. We will find out, won't we?

The Bible says there will be no marriage in Heaven. That actually saddens me. There is nothing as special to me as sharing one's life together with one person. I wish I could be married in Heaven to some special woman. But from my understanding we won't be male or female in Heaven, which to me is confusing and I cannot even grasp it. In these speculative areas we are wise to keep silent where the Scripture is silent. Someone has said that B.I.B.L.E. can be expressed as an acronym meaning, BASIC INSTRUCTIONS BFORE LEAVING EARTH. That is so true! God doesn't tell us more than He wanted us to know, what we need to know for now, to get us through this troublesome life on earth. I often wish that the Bible were twice as thick as it is, but then it would just boggle us down. I am very thankful that God has authored a helpful Book to guide us through this life.

I know one thing, Heaven will be BETTER than earth. I will be glad just to have my neck pain taken away. I will be glad to have my natural hair back. I will be glad to get rid of these annoying glasses. I will be glad to have a perfect body that doesn't require watching the scale all the time to maintain my weight. Sometimes I have difficulty hearing people. I am certain that in the years to come I will need a hearing aid. Getting older is no fun physically! Albeit, every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before!!! 

The Bible teaches that in fact, now we cannot understand all things. 1st Corinthians 13:12, “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” That encourages me, to read that the Bible acknowledges our limited understanding of things in the present. But we have God's promise that someday we WILL UNDERSTAND all things, just as we are known by God (which means unlimited understanding when we finally arrive in Heaven). God will finally open our eyes to grasp all things.

I am 100% confident that at that time we will fully understand why God seemed to ignore our many prayer requests. If we could see what God sees, we would never question why He responds to our prayers the way that He does. God is omniscient (knows all), but we have a very limited understanding. God can see into the minds and hearts of all estimated 8,000,000,000 human beings alive on the earth, but we can only see into our own soul. Think about that! I cannot even start to fathom God's power and greatness!!! Thankfully we don't have to understand God to please Him, we just need to have faith in Him.

I feel like I have utterly failed in this blog in my attempt to describe how wonderful the future will be for every child of God. There are no words to describe the indescribable!!! But dear reader, the $64,000 question is will you be there? Have you received your ticket? I have mine. That ticket is Jesus! Jesus is the Door into Heaven and that Door is wide open (John 10:1, 9). If your faith is in Jesus alone, believing that He died in your place on the cross, was buried, and resurrected three days later form the dead for your justification, then you have your ticket and are ready to meet your Maker. John 6:47, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.”