|
(And When Will I Gain Entrance?)
|
|
Short Answer Version The word ''heaven'' today suggests hope for eternal life. Jesus was the first to introduce this this use of the word, according to history. You can read about it in the New Testament. Jesus urged people to turn to God because the kingdom of heaven was in their midst. When He first started teaching this, I don't think any human but Jesus had a clue what that phrase meant. As time went on, He unwrapped this concept in great detail. We'll cover that more below, but I'd like to give you the short version here. Heaven was in their midst because Jesus was in their midst. Jesus is the King of Heaven. When the King is in our midst, heaven is also present. Long Answer Version The teaching that God inhabits heaven was not new with Jesus. Jesus prayed, ''Our Father who are in heaven.'' Later in the prayer He taught us to pray ''Let your kingdom come, let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.'' That was a very new concept to the people. Roughly 2,000 years before Jesus, Moses told the people God had said, ''You have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.'' About 1,000 years later, King Solomon repeatedly used the phrase ''Hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and forgive.'' Most people do not need to be convinced that heaven is thought of as the best place to go when we die. Jesus first taught that. But He also taught us heaven is down here, in our midst. We apprehended it. Modern culture often leaves that part out. It has a tendency to skip over the teaching that God does not only live in heaven. Instead, some people intentionally picture God as aloof, distant, and uncaring about the everyday affairs of humankind. When Jesus said ''the kingdom of heaven is in your midst'', it was contrary to the mental picture that heaven is ''up there'', and we are ''down here''. It flew in the face of God being far away and unconcerned. Nothing could be further from the truth. ''Kingdom of heaven'' is used as a way of saying the ''kingdom of God'', which carries the idea that a kingdom includes the rule and reign of a king. Heaven can be thought of as a place as well as the presence of a person, the king, God. The place conveys the Person and the Person conveys the place. You can't order heaven with a ''side of God''. They come together. When God does something wonderful in our current locale and time, the kingdom of God is extended to earth. It is an answer to ''Let your kingdom come.'' Jesus gave new insight when He said ''if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.'' This was an interesting choice of words -''come upon you''. The presence and power of God's Spirit are involved with the kingdom of heaven coming upon people. This takes place by the action of Jesus to set a person free. But in this statement by Jesus, it is not only the demonized person that the kingdom comes upon. He clearly said it comes upon ''you'', the people who were listening to Him teach this. Similarly, ''Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a person is born again, he or she cannot see the kingdom of God.'' That is another quote from Jesus. He meant that in order to go to heaven, we must be ''born again'', born of the Holy Spirit. When we are reborn in this way, God gives us a new start. He gives a new awareness that He is in the center of the picture, and heaven is the hope for our eternal well being. How does a person become born again? By believing in Jesus as their Savior. Jesus is the One who died on the cross to make entrance to heaven free for anyone who would let God give it to them. Heaven includes living in a much better state of mind, in a much better place, and with a much clearer understanding and appreciation of our loving God. The phrase "kingdom of God" appears about 70 times in the New Testament. In addition, "Kingdom of Heaven" appears about 36 times. I mention this because, it helps illustrate how prominent and recurring the concepts of heaven and God as its king are. They were at the front of Jesus' mind, and those of His apostles. For believers, it is presented as our calling and destiny. Heaven is widely thought of as a place of inexpressible beauty, peace, love, purpose, and meaning. It reflects the glory of God. Jesus said from the cross, to a thief being crucified ''you shall be with me in paradise''. Jesus gave us this picture of heaven being a paradise. God's loving presence fills heaven in a way that is very tangible and enjoyable, or so I am told by Scripture. A Slight Twist To The Story I'm about to tell you something out of the ordinary to most people. This includes those who don't read the Bible, and even many who do, but have not yet put the pieces together. What most people don't understand is that technically our ''entrance'' to heaven does not take place when we die, or sometime later. It takes place when we are born again - when we first become saved by believing in Jesus as our Savior. I will show you how this is true. We obtain entry when we believe. That concept might bewilder you, but it is right in the Bible - in several places. In human logic we ask, ''How can that be?'' But, hopefully you will see how based on the following examination. The apostle John gave relevant insight about this to his readers, telling these believers that they had already ''passed out of death and into life''. Notice John was speaking about something that happened in the readers' past. We can easily deduce, based on other scriptures, that the past occurrence was when the believers were born of God. It could not possibly be about the end of their physical lives, which had not yet occurred. We can make this statement because of the many other scriptures attesting to this profound claim. The apostle Paul had many things to say about this. In his letter to the Colossians, he wrote that God ''has delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.'' Again, notice the past tense. Paul wrote many things that showed how he assumed eternal life began at the point of believing in Jesus. For example, he said about believers in Jesus living at the time, ''For our citizenship is in heaven''. Citizenship in heaven, is good. Even better is ''inheriting heaven'', or ''our inheritance with the saints in light.'' Paul taught us that we inherit the kingdom, not just become citizens. We inherit because when we are born again, we are experiencing the ''spirit of adoption, by which we call out Abba, Father''. Abba means ''Daddy''. Paul talks about this spiritual adoption by using the word-picture of a branch being grafted into a tree. Jesus earlier had said ''I am the vine and you are the branches''. Grafting is a similar word-picture for our adoption, our new birth, and our relationship with God. We stand to inherit all the goodies of heaven. Paul also wrote: ''after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; . . . having believed (in Jesus), you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance''. We were sealed into heaven when we first believed. This ''guarantee of our inheritance'' is another way of saying believers will receive their inheritance as adopted sons and daughters. In Paul's time, the word translated ''guarantee'' was also used in a way similar to our concept of an engagement ring. In the same chapter of his letter to the Ephesians, Paul elaborated: ''Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ'', and ''the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power'' By the way, ''saints'' in the above passage, means everyday believing Christians. You might have noticed that none of these amazing promises to believers were in the future tense. John also said that whoever is born of God overcomes the world. Ultimately, overcoming the world is belonging to heaven. John associated this with being born of God. John was also referring to the way God brings His kingdom rule and reign to overcome the turmoil in our lives as believers. Even on a daily basis, our heavenly citizenship leads to heavenly help through the struggles and challenges we face. Earlier I used the word ''technically'' when referring to how we enter heaven when we are born again. Please allow me to give examples that might help. If you walk into the embassy of your home country, situated within a foreign land, you are technically on your own country's soil. Similarly, if you walk into a foreign country's embassy in your own land, you are technically no longer in your own country. The word ''technically'' means ''according to fact''. When you are in a nearby foreign embassy, it is a fact that you are on the ground of a far-away foreign country. Citizenship in heaven while physically living on earth is a fact than can be real to us now, though the full experience awaits us. Another example is dual citizenship. If your parents are from a foreign country, and they gave birth to you in this country, both countries can consider you to have dual citizenship based on your birthplace, and your parents' nationality. This is the law in many nations. You may have never been to your parents' home country. But you are a citizen there. When you travel there, you will be accepted with all the rights of a natural born citizen. When you are born again, you are given another citizenship. You have citizenship on earth and in heaven. When we are done with the earthly citizenship, we can enjoy all the privileges of heavenly citizenship. Jesus told His disciples ''you are not of this world.'' He understood that His disciples were ''of heaven'' in eternal fact, and no longer of their earthly locale. When we know our primary citizenship is of heaven, we start to develop a heart to seek heaven. Jesus said, ''Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.'' The letter to the Hebrews touches on this when it says about believers: ''But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country.'' God can confirm to our hearts that He is real, heaven is real, and we are really adopted for citizenship, and inheritance, from God our Father. We often get hung up on the issue of seeing time as a line, a timeline. Eternal life is far more dynamic, in my opinion. God created time, and lines, and nearly everything else. He knows more about it all than we do. He knows what the facts really are. It might be useful to think, ''Because I am saved, I am positionally in heaven, while experientially I am on earth until my body dies.'' If that doctrinal explanation does it for you, then fine. We can start our experience of heaven here on earth, not just positionally, but experientally. We do this by seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Paul wrote: ''If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.'' (Colossians 3) That passage is part of a much larger discussion, but you can see it appears to say an earth-based believer's life is hidden (present tense) in heaven Christ, and believers living on earth have already died, and been raised from the dead. In his letter to the Romans, Paul explained how physical baptism symbolizes spiritual baptism in which the Holy Spirit indwells us. It involves God spiritually merging the power of the death and resurrection of Jesus into the believer. Paul graphically depicted this: ''Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life''.It seems logical that Paul was explaining to the readers in Rome the concept we just saw in Colossians, when he wrote, ''you died, and your life is hid with Christ.'' I can interpret this as meaning, God sees you right here, right now, and simultaneously sees you as who you will be long into the future in heaven. Everything about that is good. About heaven, the Bible says things like: ''Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.'' The apostle Peter wrote, ''Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been in heaviness because of various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls. When Peter wrote about the genuineness of his readers' faith, he was being very positive. He was telling us that genuine faith is cause for great rejoicing. The testing by fire is referring to physical gold as an object lesson. It is an analogy associated with the experience of heaviness and pain during the trials we encounter living on earth. The promise is that each believer will be seen as one who praises, honors, and glories at seeing Jesus revealed. He was in a sense telling us to cheer up because the trials that seemed fiery did not, and will not, succeed in bringing us down. Paul writing from a more ''here and now'' perspective said: For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God''. Perseverance through suffering leads to the blessings of heaven, thereby validating to everyone that we are adopted by God. Earthly suffering by believers is a faint downside compared to the magnificent upside of heaven forever. Once Jesus saves a person, they have been rescued from death and into life. Glory will someday be revealed in the sons and daughters of God. This revelation is expected and eagerly awaited. When we who are alive on earth today talk about heaven, we tend to look forward to it as if it is a picture of something beautiful. We call everything that will happen in eternity heaven, as if we are looking at one canvas of art. From what we read in the Bible, our life in eternity appears much more dynamic and changing. Our life on earth is that way, so we can guess heaven won't be boring! It is best to look at eternity as an ongoing adventure, rather than a painting. We see glimpses in the Bible translated into limited human terms, but still seeming mysterious to most readers. The apostle Paul said, we now see through a glass darkly (dimly), but after this life, we will see face to face. I like to think that means we will have clarity. Things we wondered about will fit into place. We will see Jesus face to face. And then the awesome adventure takes off from there. Heaven will be filled with righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. It is a place of God's power manifested to people. Seeing that believers already have citizenship there, we have access to many blessings from heaven as we each grow in our relationship with Jesus. |
 |
||||
 |
 |
|||
 |
 |
|||
 |
||||
|
Here is a menu with lots of great information that might help you decide to become a follower of Jesus.
| ||
| ||
| ||
|
We put the page of scenic Photos in this site for the enjoyment of viewers who see the majesty of God in creation. When it is completed loading, you might want to view it in horizontal mode. If, as a result of viewing this website, you decided to believe in Jesus as your Savior, please click here for next steps. |
End of Page
|
|
|
What is Eternal Life? |
 |
|
Short Answer Version There are two meanings for “eternal life” of which you should be aware. One pertains to longevity, and the other to quality of life. Jesus offers life that is not only everlasting, but also full of what the Bible calls “spiritual riches”. When you receive Jesus into your heart and trust Him for your salvation, you obtain the QUALITY of life that is eternal. The quality of eternal life is not measured based on duration. It is measured in characteristics, such as beauty, positive feelings, spirituality, and hope. We could also note that the quality improves when we experience heaven, and taste things positive beyond our imagination, and other things such as being pain free, worry free, and anxiety free. When it comes to life on earth, by faith we can experience these things more and more by drawing near to God, exercising our faith, and using the tools proclaimed in scriputure for applying abundant life. We also receive the QUANTITY - forever life, with a beginning and no end. For God it also means having no beginning, if you prefer a dictionary definition. For God it also means having no beginning, if you prefer a dictionary definition. Long Answer Version When you ask Jesus into our life, His Holy Spirit ''regenerates'' you from within. That means He makes you spiritually born anew. At that moment you begin to have the quality of eternal life inside your being. It is a better quality of life than before being born again. You might feel something at that time, or you might not feel any different. But, eternal life has begun. Jesus said that unless you are born again, by the Spirit, you cannot see the kingdom of God. Conversely, by comparing the thought with similar scriptures, you'll see that if we are born again, we can see the kingdom. Jesus also said ''I am the way, the truth, and the life''. To find Jesus is to find life in its highest form and let that life be planted within us. If you have a chance to read the book of Ephesians, in the New Testament, it will give you a deeper understanding of the details. Among other striking statements, Ephesians says, ''He has given us [believers] all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ.'' That is a powerful promise, straight from the Bible! Sometimes the quality aspect is experienced as a ''foretaste'' of heaven. The Bible describes being enlightened, tasting the heavenly gift, sharing in the Holy Spirit, and tasting the goodness of the word of God and of the powers of the age to come. These kinds of verses speak to the quality of eternal life we can experience. The heavenly quality of life is like a seed that starts small when you first believe in Jesus, and then grows getting better and better. We need to water and nourish the ''seed'', for it to grow and become a beautiful thing to enjoy in our lives. Before long, we see it is not merely a seed, but a new nature blooming within us. That is the result of being born again. It is up to us to allow Jesus to enlighten our lives more and more as time goes on and let Him rub off on us as we spend time with Him. This allows the new nature to grow and mature within us. Having ''the quality of life that is eternal'' in us stems from having the Holy Spirit in us. It comes from the Holy Spirit growing a new nature within us that exudes His eternal quality of life. This not only brings riches that are spiritual, but many emotional, physical, and relational riches we can enjoy. God gives us the gift of faith if we ask Him. That way we can talk to Him like a friend, get to know Him, grow in Him, and see His resources open up to us. Ask for faith to believe these things about eternal life, and see what happens over time. Eternal life, is also continuation and growth of that spiritual quality of life after our bodies die, yet without the encumbrances of the body. In the next life, all the faith we have built remains, along with our consciousness, and good character instilled in us by the Holy Spirit since new birth. We will leave our physical bodies behind. The apostle Paul, said these things demonstrating the process: ''For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.'' and ''We (believers) are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.'' These things echo an assurance that even though, we stand before Jesus, at ''the judgment seat of Christ'', we will receive good. It will be based on the things we have done on earth, such as believing in Jesus and living in relationship with Him. We will have built on Jesus as the foundation of our lives. Therefore, we will become victorious and purified like gold, silver, and costly precious gems. The New Testament says more in many places about eternal life in God's kingdom. For example, it is our ''blessed hope'', and it is ''an inheritance that is incorruptible and undefiled. It will not fade away. It is reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.'' Having the quality of life that is eternal does not make believers immune from the negative things happening in the world. Those aspects of life remain. But, the lives of believers contrast with those unbelievers who are in darkness. Those without God in their hearts do not have the assurance of hope. They have no loving Father, Savior, or Comforter to bring well-being to their hearts and minds. They do not have the practical promises in scripture. Examples include, experiencing perfect peace by keeping our minds stayed on God, receiving wisdom from above when we ask God for it, being cleansed from all unrighteousness when we confess our sins to God, and receiving supernatural abilities, giftings, and all the blessings of the heavenly places in Christ. The concept of everlasting life was first introduced in the Bible by King David in the 23rd Psalm when he said, ''Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.'' This was not just about David, but written for others as well. Isaiah first used the word ''everlasting'' pertaining to God's people, in chapter 35: ''And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads.'' Perhaps the most famous scripture is found in John 3. I'm quoting from verses 14 to 16 to illustrate the connection between ''everlasting'' and ''eternal'': ''So must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.'' Believers ransomed by the Lord, will have eternal life in quantity that is everlasting, as we dwell in the ''house of the Lord'' forever. |
|
 |
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
||||
|
Here is a menu with lots of great information that might help you decide to become a follower of Jesus.
| ||
| ||
| ||
|
. We put the page of scenic Photos in this site for the enjoyment of viewers who see the majesty of God in creation. When it is completed loading, you might want to view it in horizontal mode. If, as a result of viewing this website, you decided to believe in Jesus as your Savior, please click here for next steps. |
End of Page
|
|
|
What Does It Mean to Follow Jesus?
|
  |
|
Short Answer Version The phrase to ''Follow Jesus'' means a few different things put together. It means to learn from Him and to follow the instructions He gave. It also means to keep your heart focused on Him each day, hoping to sense His guidance, wisdom, ideas, or direction for your life. During the earthly ministry of Jesus, we see people physically following Jesus around, listening to Him teach, watching how he lived, and doing what He told them. Some of them did what He did, even in working God's miracles. When I was a child, I did not understand what people were saying when they talked about following Jesus. I had a small Bible with a picture of a child walking closely behind Jesus, and stepping in the footsteps His feet had left. I didn’t understand the symbolism. Long Answer Version The difference between a believer and a follower is that those who are believers are saved for eternity, with no strings attached, while a follower is a believer who determines to be more like Jesus, by learning about Him, and walking in His ways, knowing heaven awaits him or her. A life of following Jesus is rewarding and beneficial and should not be downplayed. Being a follower of Jesus means you choose to make him the primary person around whom you shape your life. He becomes your role model. Following Jesus is not exactly the same as being His disciple. The difference between being a disciple and not just a follower of Jesus, is that disciples are followers who have moved on to the next level. Jesus told a story indicating that if He asked a follower to do something, He would rather the person said 'No', but do it anyway, than say 'Yes', and not do it. Have you ever heard the phrase 'a Yes Man'? Although that label can mean something fairly negative in the world, being a 'Yes Man' to Jesus is very positive. A disciple is a person who says 'Yes' to Jesus and does what Jesus wants on a regular basis. In His earthly ministry, Jesus understood the human heart and gave people a chance to respond to Him with time. Being a disciple comes with time. It does not come with a title. Nobody can tell if we are disciples rather than just followers, especially ourselves. I am a follower who is contented to consider himself a disciple wannabe. Perhaps when I get to eternity, God will tell me I was a disciple meant to be! A disciple is happy to try and liv like a disciple as the opportunity arises, rather than to be called a disciple. A disciple develops his or her talents, skills, and giftings, to use in serving God. Disciples become more and more effective at being like Jesus. A disciple fulfills God's callings and commissions. A famous passage of scripture is called 'the Great Commission'. It is when Jesus told His eleven remaining disciples to go and make disciples of all nations. You will find that disciples tend to produce other disciples because they model discipleship and train people into it. A disciple both obeys and yields to the presence of the Holy Spirit. A disciple persistently studies and serves God. Discipleship exclusively to Jesus is an honor. Others might be mentors, leaders, or good examples of Christ-likeness. With complete respect to noble people of that kind, a disciple reports directly to Jesus first and foremost. This website is calling people to become rescued, saved, and born again. When we become saved, it is possible that sometime later, God might indicate to a believer or follower to prepare themself for discipleship, starting with counting the cost. All the human bravado, in the world could not accomplish acts of discipleship. It takes God's power and leading. Jesus said, “whoever does not bear their cross and follow after Me cannot be My disciple. For who among you, when intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, to see whether he has enough to finish it; Lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him.” Jesus wanted people to count the cost of being a disciple so they would not be surprised when it is difficult, dangerous, or even fatal in respect to martyrdom. That is why He spoke of taking up the cross and following Him, because He wanted disciples to know, what they were getting themselves into before, taking that step. It might seem like a fairly small percentage of believers in Jesus are taking the Great Commission seriously. God is patient with those who are believers yet not disciples, and He loves them for who they are at any time in their faith journey. Neither becoming a follower nor a disciple, is required for salvation. However, both are good things to pursue. Jesus had disciples who trained under Him to go out into the world and make more disciples. Jesus would ultimately like us all to do the same. Jesus won’t feel let down or disappointed in you if you fall short of becoming an all-out disciple. On the other hand, believing in Jesus for salvation could be the first step toward a fruitful life leading to discipleship. If you feel the urge to move in that direction, it would be in line with what Jesus would like for each of us. He doesn’t pressure us into that level of commitment. He equips us when we are ready and willing. Not everybody who becomes saved moves from a believer to a follower and then to a disciple. The most important step is the first one, to believe in Jesus. Do that alone, and it is better than 'winning the lottery'. The rest is up to you. When you are ready, you can move on to taste the abundant life believers are promised. |
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
||||
|
Here is a menu with lots of great information that might help you decide to become a follower of Jesus.
| ||
| ||
| ||
|
We put the page of scenic Photos in this site for the enjoyment of viewers who see the majesty of God in creation. When it is completed loading, you might want to view it in horizontal mode. If, as a result of viewing this website, you decided to believe in Jesus as your Savior, please click here for next steps. |
End of Page
|
|
|
Do I Need to Do Something Extra To Be Saved?
|
 |
|
Short Answer Version The good news is that believing in Jesus will get you saved all by itself. Remember that the work Jesus did on the cross is the thing that saves you, and faith (believing) is the only thing necessary on your part. It is a common occurrence for an organized group of well-intentioned Jesus followers to add something else to the good news. Don’t get too confused or upset if you are exposed to people like that. Obviously, if someone tells you that you must believe in Jesus and then do something wacky, like jump up in the air three times, you can probably tell that they are adding something to the free offer Jesus gives. Sometimes it is not so easy to tell whether to do the extra thing or not. But it IS easy to know that the extra thing someone tells you is not something you must do to become saved. Long Answer Version According to the apostle Paul, salvation is a gift we cannot earn, that we access only by faith, and even faith is not from our own ''steam'', it is a also gift from God. An old quote that was eventually turned into a hymn put it this way: Jesus paid a debt He did not owe, because we owed a debt we could not pay. As simple as this message is, many believers find it difficult to accept, because our societies are so full of messages to the contrary. They present religious messages of following Jesus that violate this principle of salvation by grace through faith alone. There are also counterfeit messages of salvation based on fear and works used by groups such as cults. Even certain well-accepted Christian denominations de-emphacise grace through faith, and emphacise long hard work to get into heaven, or to keep from losing one's standing in God's eyes. These teachings are not what God wants people to believe. Sometimes people who stress works salvation cite scriptures that they fail to interpret correctly. For example, one scripture passage says we will be saved if we believe in Jesus and also confess with our mouths that He is Lord. But the first part of that statement, involving believing, is the one and only requirement for being saved. The rest is just what saved people do. It is not a second requirement for getting into heaven. When people tell you that in order to be saved, you must do certain good works, it can be an honest mistake. It can be caused by misunderstanding the Bible passage, as well as ignorance of the best ways to know how to interpret Bible passages. While it might not be a condition of being saved, it is likely something that is still good for you to do if it supports believing in Jesus. When you see a scripture verse that seems to add something to believing in Jesus, you might not know that at least ten other verses say that believing is the only thing is necessary. So the verse should be interpreted in light of the other verses. The best interpretation of a passage is usually the one that does not conflict with other scriptures. In another section, we cover things in the Bible that appear to be contradictions. But avoiding poor interpretation is a very powerful way to rule out many of the seeming contradictions. The example of seeing believing and confessing Jesus as two conditions is not merely poor interpretation. It is also illogical. In fact it is called an ''association fallacy'' in the field of logic. The mistaken interpretation is illogical, and therefore contrary to the reasonable understanding of the passage. Common sense enters into the picture too. It cannot be true that saying something out loud is an extra thing we must do to be saved. Surely, a person without speech ability is not disqualified from salvation because they cannot confess with their mouth. Anyone who gets saved is more than likely to inform other people about Jesus as Lord out of sheer enthusiasm. Just keep in mind that if a person believes, they are saved by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross alone. “Grace” is like giving love or a gift to someone who doesn’t deserve it. God has grace so we receive his love and gifts when we don't deserve them. In the original New Testament language, "grace" and "gift" have the same root word. A further definition of grace, is ''undeserved love'' or ''unmerited favor.'' None of us deserve His gift of salvation. That is what makes it so special. With God, faith is enough. Even faith is not an action that earns our salvation. It is an act of receiving. God gave us as a gift, the ability to receive Him. Let's say I handed you a check for my life savings, which I earned through decades of hard work, and you simply reached out your hand and took it. Would that act of accepting the gift be the work that earned the money? Obviously not. Some people, even whole religions, believe we get into heaven by doing good works, thereby earning our way. The great news is we don’t do good works to get saved, but we do them because we ARE saved. We are so thankful for His salvation that good works just naturally flow out of us. It is a privilege to do good works. If someone says, ''unless you do good works, along with believing, you won’t be saved.'' Don’t listen to them. But do lots of good works anyway because it makes God happy when we do. (And, by the way, it does not make God unhappy when we don't do good works.) So, when we have opportunities to do good works, we should do so with delight. If we really understand the free gift of faith, we will see that with it comes the free gift of wanting to do good works out of love in this world. If you can’t get to Heaven by working, neither can you prevent yourself from getting to Heaven by not working. This is a sensible concept. There is nothing extra we must do to be saved. Thereby failing to do something extra cannot disqualify us from salvation once we believe. Some well-intentioned believers will tell you it is not enough to believe in Jesus as your Savior to receive entrance to heaven, you must also believe in Him as your Lord. Those people are a little off base. But they are telling you to do something that is very worthwhile. When you make Jesus the Lord of your life, it means you let Him be the pilot of the ''airplane'' you call your life. You admit He is higher than you, and you trust Him to lead you. It is in every way good to accept Jesus as not only your Savior, but also your Lord. Everyone would benefit from it. There is never a downside to doing it. Believing in and treating Him as your Lord, is the appropriate thing to do and will bring much blessing to you. So, do it even if making Him your Lord is not required. It is not a good work that saves you. The good work of Jesus your Lord saves you. He is called ''the author and finisher'' of our faith and salvation. He starts your salvation by giving you new birth spiritually. Then He finishes it throughout your life by developing a rich friendship with you making you a better, more spiritually in-tune person. The more you recognize Him as your Lord, the better your life will be. There are many other variations of the error that adds something to the good news. Some are pretty wild, more so than jumping up and down, which is not really a thing. It was a joke. You are excused from all kinds of weird gyrations people say will make you saved. Just believe in Jesus and don’t accept any counterfeits. For new believers, it is common to wonder if they could disqualify themselves from salvation by sinning too much, avoiding good works, lacking faith, being angry at God, or even turning their backs on Him. My response is always ''Why would you want to?'' I went through this fear when I was a new believer. I didn't know all the reassuring scriptures that would have calmed my worries. If you believe in Jesus for salvation, understand that a part of the package is His ability to save us from our own unwise or self-destructive thinking. He is always there working in us who believe in Him, even if we are trying to work out our own salvation and seemingly failing to do so. Jesus gave us the Parable of the Sower. In it He compares three types of people that hear the good news of salvation in Jesus. He does this with the illustration of a ''sower'' (a person trying to grow crops by scattering seeds). Three types of ground represent the three types of people who hear the gospel. The seeds on hard, rocky ground do not grow because the ground is bad. The seeds that fell among thorns and thistles grew quickly, but the plants were choked out by the weeds right away. The weeds represented the cares, riches, and pleasures of this life. But the seeds that fell into fertile ''good ground'' grew and fluorished producing a harvest. The point is it is not the works we do, but the kind of ground we are that determines our reception to the good news. I think Jesus was getting people to want to be ''good ground'' for the seed of the gospel, so the seed would take root, grow deep, and provide much abundance in our lives. It is very wise to apply our hard work before we are saved, by preparing our ground to be fertile and nourishing to the seed of the gospel. Even that is not work that earns our salvation, but if there is any most important work to be done, it is the work of wanting and preparing ourselves to become good ground. A person preparing themself to be good ground for the seed of the gospel, should try to be a willing follower. Jesus said we must first count the cost. A person who exemplifies good ground may someday experience suffering, loss, or death for their faith. It is best to be willing from the beginning to face these things for Jesus. None of us really know what we would do if such a time comes, but maybe we can be mentally prepared from the start. The apostle Peter said: ''brothers and sisters, give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if you do these things, you shall never stumble: for thus shall be richly supplied unto you the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.'' In a sense this means that even if we believe we were called and elected by God to be saved, we should do the work of making sure in our inner selves to walk in our calling and our new identities as saved believers. Similarly, the apostle Paul said, ''Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? With these things in mind, every believer should strive not to ''neglect so great a salvation''. This appreciation of their salvation is a healthy practice as believers. In the same passage, the point is made that we ''must give more earnest heed to the things we have heard.'' This is good advice, no matter what else happens. Two Covenants We should not be confused with the Old Testament passages that show believers as having to work their way into God's favor. Those messages were given to show that no matter how hard a person tries, they cannot fulfill the Old Testament laws. Prior to the first coming of Jesus, God stressed to His people in Israel that they were being held to a very high standard to live in righteous ways. This was part of the Old Covenant that God made with Moses and his followers. When Jesus came God initiated a new covenant with us, one of grace, not laws. Jesus brought light to this plan of God when He said, ''Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill them.'' That means He did the work to fulfill all the requirements of the Old Testament law, and He substituted His righteousness to replace our unrighteousness in the Father's eyes. In Ephesians 2:14-18 of the Bible, the apostle Paul attributes this to Jesus' work on the cross. In all these things and more Jesus fulfilled the predictions and teaching of the Old Testament prophets. The Old Covenant focused on overcoming in life by increasing in righteousness by devotion to following the Law of Moses. The New Covenant teaches salvation by grace, through faith. Before Jesus, the scriptures taught living holy lives and obeying the law. It was a different covenant that God had made with people long ago. It was true that dedication to living a life of good works produces blessing, love, good character, and happy lives on earth. But God knew people would repeatedly choose to reject the principle, and fail to remain faithful to Him. It was because the law pointed out their sin and they rebelled by sinning. The New Testament backs this up, in many passages. For instance Romans 3:20 says ''because by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight; for through the law comes the knowledge of sin. But now apart from the law a righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe''. It is amazing that faith in Jesus Christ results in God's righteousness being put inside us who believe. Jesus proclaimed at the Last Supper that the new covenant, was based on His blood (a word picture synonymous with His atoning death that earned our salvation). Jesus announced this new covenant just days before He died for our sins. After taking the step of believing in Jesus, if you notice you are not perfect in this area of loving others and wanting to good things for them, know it is a common experience, but ask God for His help by the Holy Spirit to give you more love and motivation to do good. Ask Him to energize you to grow into that kind of a person by His transforming new life in you. ''Blessed Assurance'' An old hymn says ''Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. Oh what a foretaste of glory divine.'' Some denominations believe in having what they call ''assurance'' from the Holy Spirit that you are saved. The Bible says ''The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God'' We can know by the assurance of the Holy Spirit that we are born again. But even if we don't feel anything, it is by faith, not feeling that we are saved. If you ever wonder if you are truly saved, just remember that you believe in Jesus, and that it is the only thing necessary. Believe in Jesus. Love Him and do things pleasing to Him. Jesus loves you too much to let you down. Just a reminder, even though you can tell Jesus every day that you believe in Him, you only have to make the decision once and then you are saved. You don't need to worry that you will lose your faith, or your belief is waning. You don't need to be concerned that you must exercise saving faith over and over. These are not healthy thought patterns. Jesus taught us not to fear about our salvation after we believe. The time when a person probably should be seriously afraid of missing salvation is in the beginning, before they decide to Believe in Jesus. But, after they receive Jesus as their Savior, they have good reasons to stop fearing for their eternal life. Remember God is FOR you. He always gives us the gift of faith as we go to Him for it, even the gift to believe in Jesus for the first time. Thereafter, we can never truly lose our faith, or run out of faith, no matter how we feel. He can easily grant us more faith, and restore faith we think we might have lost, when we ask Him. Be at peace in knowing that God is loving, patient, helping, and in control. Look to Him for spiritual assurance that your salvation is real and permanent. Trust in Him to deliver on His promises. Believe in Jesus as your Savior, and you WILL be saved. Then start living thankfully knowing the goodness of Heaven awaits you. |
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
||||
|
Here is a menu with lots of great information that might help you decide to become a follower of Jesus.
| ||
| ||
| ||
|
. We put the page of scenic Photos in this site for the enjoyment of viewers who see the majesty of God in creation. When it is completed loading, you might want to view it in horizontal mode. If, as a result of viewing this website, you decided to believe in Jesus as your Savior, please click here for next steps. |
End of Page
|