Is Repentance and Faith like choosing from a Menu?

I was listening to a preacher and he preached on 1Thessalonians 1:4, where the Bible says, knowing brothers, beloved by God, your election.' It was obvious that this preacher was not reformed because he gave the final decision to man in regards to his salvation.

He gave an illustration to attempt to prove his position that God provides the way for salvation, but man by his autonomous freewill chooses whether God can save them or not.

The illustration when something like this. When you go to a restaurant, you have a menu, the menu is provided, but you by your freewill decide whether to have something from that menu. 

There is a serious problem with this illustration. Let us take a look at that in this post.

First of all, whether you are saved or not saved, you can look at a menu and decide whether to have something from that menu. You do not need to be regenerated to be able to choose to have something from the menu. Just go to a restaurant and you will see many unregenerate people choosing their meals from the menu without any problems.

What about salvation? Can an unregenerate man choose salvation like he is ordering a bowl of soup at a restaurant or five chicken wings with ketchup? 

What does the Bible say. First let us look at what Jesus said in John 3:3 LITV, Jesus answered and said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, if one does not receive birth from above, he is not able to see the kingdom of God. 

What is the Lord Jesus saying here? Look at the words, if one does not receive birth from above, he is not able to see the kingdom of God. Notice, without a spiritual birth, you cannot see the kingdom of God. This speaks of the unregenerate man who has a heart of stone, a heart that hates God. The Lord Jesus Christ says that this man cannot even see the kingdom of God. This man needs to be regenerated before he can see the kingdom of God—this man needs to be born from above before he can see spiritually. How can a person come to the Lord Jesus Christ spiritually blind with a heart of stone that opposes God? The Lord Jesus is clearly telling us they cannot. 

When you go to verse 5, the Lord Jesus talks about being born from above saying, Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, if one does not receive birth out of water and Spirit, he is not able to enter the kingdom of God (LITV), which contradicts anyone who believes that faith comes before the new birth, believing that a person enters the kingdom of God and then is born from above, which is opposite to what the Lord teaches here in His Word.

So is repentance and faith like choosing from a menu? ABSOLUTELY NOT!

The Judgment, Mercy and Grace of God!

There are some Christians who cannot accept and will not accept that the Bible teaches that God chose only to give His Son for an Elect people and not for all people—that comes from having a view of God that because God is love, God has to give His Son for every individual who has ever lived. But you have to answer the question, why does God have to give His Son for every individual who has ever lived—God is not obliged to give His Son to anyone—if God wants to give His Son for only one person, God is righteous to do so—God has that right to do that. God does not owe anybody anything except judgment and an eternity in hell for the sins we have committed against Him. No one can demand salvation from God—we do not have that right, for the Bible says in Romans 3:23 LITV, for all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. That is why it is called grace.  

So you see that salvation is by God’s mercy and grace in and through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ—for His took the judgment of God for those who will put their faith in Him—it is a gift from God’s gracious hand. God has the right to whom He wants to by the good pleasure of His will to provide that gift of His mercy and grace to save them and to bring them into His family and make them sons and daughters of God. 

You might say that is not fair—why do you say that, for those whom Christ did not die for, they will continue to wilfully reject him as Lord and Saviour and they will receive what they deserve as a Christ rejecter, not mercy and grace but judgment and eternity in hell—they are only getting what they deserve—they are receiving their wages for their sin, For the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23a LITV). God is not be unloving when He passes over someone, no, He is a righteous and holy God who must judge them who reject Christ—God is love, absolutely, which means that God loves that which is right and holy and good, thus he must punish sinners who die in their sins without the Lord Jesus Christ—but for them whom God extended His love to by his mercy and grace through and in His Son the Lord Jesus Christ, are loved by God in His Son, for Christ took their sins for them on the Cross and paid their sin debt in full and was buried and rose from the dead for their justification—they have been clothed in His righteousness.

If you are not a true believer in Christ, God commands you to repent and come to faith in Christ (see Acts 17:30-31)—if you disobey and continue rejecting Him, then there is no mercy or grace after death, only judgment, for the Bible says in Hebrews 9:27 LITV, And as it is reserved to men once to die, and after this judgment. Come to the Lord Jesus Christ, and if you do, it is because of the mercy and grace of God in Christ Jesus our Lord, and if you do not, it is because you wilfully reject Him. 

Two Resurrections

In Revelation 20:4c-6 LITV, the Bible says,

And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one having part in the first resurrection. The second death has no authority over these, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with Him a thousand years.

There are some Christians who believe that all people are resurrected at the same time, but the Bible does make a distinction between the category of the first resurrection, and the second resurrection. What does the Bible say about the first resurrection?

The first resurrection does not include, for example, one being raised back to mortal life to face death again later on, like Lazarus or the son of Nain, for they were raised not to immortality, but raised again to mortal life, and they died again sometime later on. When we speak of the first resurrection, we speak of resurrection unto everlasting life, which means to immortality, which means no longer subject to death.

Who was the first risen from the dead when we speak of the category of the first resurrection? The first was the Lord Jesus Christ.

The apostle Paul said in 1Corinthians 15:13 LITV, ‘But if there is not a resurrection of the dead, neither has Christ been raised.’ The reason those in Christ can have confidence in Him that there will be a resurrection unto everlasting life, is because our Lord and Saviour has risen from the dead. Amen. For Paul says in v.20-23 LITV,

But now Christ has been raised from the dead; He became the firstfruit of those having fallen asleep, For since death is through man, also through a Man is a resurrection of the dead; for as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive, But each in his own order, Christ, the firstfruit, afterward those of Christ at His coming.

The Bible says in 1John 3:2 LITV,

Beloved, now we are the children of God, and it was not yet revealed what we shall be. But we know that if He is revealed, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is.

The category of the first resurrection begins with the resurrection of Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, because without Him, there will be no resurrection unto life, but because Jesus rose from the dead, we in Him, are part of the first resurrection. The One who gives eternal life, the Lord Jesus Christ, was raised for our justification, will resurrect His people from the dead to everlasting life, and we shall be like Him—which means to be made perfect like Him—because we shall see Him as He is. We will receive a glorified body like our Lord and Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, because we are His people, whom He has saved.

Then we see the Bible talks about some Old Testament saints were raised after the resurrection of the Lord.

The Bible says Matthew 27:52-53 LITV,

And the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, And coming forth out of the tombs after His resurrection, they entered into the holy city and were revealed to many.

Notice in v. 53—they came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection. After the resurrection of their Lord and Saviour, some Old Testament saints who had died, where raised, and came out of the grave—and were seen by many in Jerusalem. Now, by the context which this is written, they did not rise from the dead like Lazarus or the son of Nain, where they still had mortal life, and would die again later on, but they were resurrected to everlasting life, after the resurrection of their Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ; they conversed with men for a short time in Jerusalem—as proof of a perfect resurrection for them who belong to Christ.

So these OT saints who were raised, were part of the first resurrection. Then we see in scripture, the snatching away, or what is called the ‘Rapture’. This is seen in 1Thessalonians 4:13-18. This is the time when Christ will come for His Church, and the dead in Christ will rise first, and in v. 17 LITV,

Then we who remain alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds to a meeting with the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord.

This is part of the first resurrection, where the second death has no hold on us.

Then we have the two witnesses in the Book of Revelation, which is during the tribulation period, when the two witnesses of God will be killed, but will be resurrected and be taken up to Heaven. The two witnesses will witness about their Lord and Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, and will be killed, they will be put to death for their witness. Revelation 11:7 LITV, ‘And when they complete their witness, the beast coming up out of the abyss will make war with them, and will overcome them, and will kill them.’

Then the Bible tells us in Revelation 11:11-12 LITV,

And after three days and a half, a spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood on their feet. And great fear fell on the ones beholding them. And they heard a great voice out of Heaven saying to them, Come up here. And they went up into heaven in the cloud. And their enemies saw them. 

These two witnesses are part of the first resurrection.

The rest of the Old Testament saints, and the tribulation saints which are put to death in the tribulation period, will be part of the first resurrection, which the second death has no hold on them.

The Bible says in Revelation, 20:4b LITV,

and the souls of the ones having been beheaded because of the witness of Jesus, and because of the Word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast not its image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand. And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

All the saints of God throughout the ages, saved by the Lord Jesus Christ, all will be part of the category of the first resurrection unto everlasting life. The second death has no authority over them. They who are part of the category of the second resurrection, is a resurrection unto death, the second death, which is an eternity in hell.

The second resurrection is the category for them who are without the Lord Jesus Christ—those who rejected Him. These people will have eternal damnation. Notice what the Bible says in Revelation 20:5a LITV, ‘But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were ended.’ They will be raised to stand at the Great White Throne judgment. The Bible says in Rev. 20:13 LITV, ‘And the sea gave up the dead in it. And death and Hades gave up the dead in them. And they were each judged according to their works.’

Everyone who is part of the second resurrection, will stand at the Great White Throne judgement, and in Rev. 20: 14 LITV, the Bible says,

And death and Hades were thrown into the Lake of Fire. This is the second death. And is anyone was not found having been written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the Lake of Fire.

The first resurrection is to everlasting life, and the second resurrection is to eternal damnation. Those in the category of the second resurrection, the second death has power over them, and they will be lost forever.

So we can see clearly the two categories of resurrection. The first resurrection, and the second resurrection. Thanks be to God, if you are a true believer in Christ, you will be part of the first resurrection, the resurrection unto everlasting life, because true Christians are in Him, the One who rose from the dead, who has conquered death and sin, and the grave, and defeated the enemy. Brothers and sisters in Christ, may we be continually thankful to the Lord for His grace in the Lord Jesus Christ, to be thankful to the Lord for His salvation in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us be thankful to the Lord, for our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, that the second death has no authority over us. Thank the Lord for our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

May we ever be thankful to our God, and look to God to help us to be ever more thankful to Him, for He has done so much for us, and above all, has given to us the most precious and greatest gift of all, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Grace of God in Salvation

What did Abraham discover? Salvation respects the glory of God. The Bible speaks in Romans 4:2 LITV, For if Abraham was justified by works, he has a boast, but not with God.

If Abraham was saved by his works and not by the grace of God alone, Abraham could boast and glory in his own salvation. Abraham could say, I contributed to my salvation, or I did this or I did that, but Abraham did not receive righteousness by works, but the Bible says, And Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness- God receives the glory. Abraham glorified God because he believed God. To believe God brings glory to God. The best thing we can do to glorify God is to believe God. Always remember, we only believe God because of the grace of God.

The Bible says in 1John 5:10 LITV, The one believing in the Son of God has the witness in himself. The one not believing God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the witness which God has witnessed concerning His Son.

In simple terms, If a person believes not in the Lord Jesus Christ, that person is calling God a liar. No matter what the person does, if he or she does not believe in the true and living God, they cannot glorify God. The greatest thing a person can do to glorify God is to believe God. The Bible teaches that Biblical faith pleases God, because it glorifies God. The Bible says in Hebrews 11:6 LITV, But without faith it is impossible to please God. For it is right that the one drawing near to God should believe that He is, and that He becomes a rewarder to the ones seeking Him out. Again, to believe God, delights God, it glorifies God.

Understand that faith is not God authenticating it to me then I will believe, absolutely not, that is not faith. Faith reacts to the nature and the character of God. True faith believes in God because He is God. True faith believes God according to His Word (the Bible) and calls Him not a liar. 

If a person was saved by contributing by his own works, he would receive glory for that and take away glory from God, but when God saves by His grace in the Lord Jesus, that person receives no glory, and God receives all the glory as He should. We are not saved by our works, but by His work in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:8-9 LITV, For by grace you are saved, through faith, and this not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; not of works, that not anyone should boast. When a person preaches a gospel of faith and works, they are preaching another gospel, they are doing the work of Satan. The apostle Paul said in Galatians 1:8 LITV, But even if we, or an angel out of Heaven, should announce a gospel to you beside what we preached to you, let him be accursed. Strong language used by Paul. To believe in any other gospel, is a wicked sin against Almighty God.

Why do so many people want to work their salvation? The answer is pride. They would rather work their way to heaven, than humbly come before the Lord and recognize that they are helpless without Him, and need the grace of God.

Imagine, if a person wanted to buy a new house for someone that was worth a lot of money, say, one million pound; Imagine before He gave the keys to him, the man said to him, I cannot allow you to pay for all this house, let me put something towards it. So, the man reached into his pocket and gave him 50 pence. The other man paid almost one million pound, and he paid 50 pence. Then one day, his friends came around the house and they said to him, You have a nice house, and he said to them, Yes, me and the another man bought it. Do you see how ridiculous that sounds? To add to the grace of God is to destroy the glory that God deserves.

A person goes to heaven with an empty hand, for Christ did it all; We pay nothing, He has paid it all. In my hand no price I bring, simply to thy cross I cling. When a person gets saved, God receives all the glory. There is nothing we can add to salvation. God will not share His glory with anyone else, and to bring our works into salvation, is an attempt to take away from God, which is a wicked sin.

Anyone who is depending on their works to play a part in their salvation, will not end up in heaven because they have not believed in Christ, the righteousness of God, where righteousness can only be found, and the forgiveness of sins. Christ said, It is finished. Christ has paid the sin debt in full for those who put their faith in Him, to save them by His perfect work. God said in Isaiah 64:6 LITV, But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as a menstruous cloth. God will not accept our filthy rags. The justice of God is only satisfied in the Lord Jesus, and what He has done. There is no middle ground. The Lord Jesus said in John 8:24 LITV, Therefore, I said to you that you will die in your sins. For if you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins.

There are many in this generation who are walking pompously to hell. There are people who think they are to good to be damned. There is no one too good to be damned, because there is no one good, but God. The Bible says in Romans 3:12 LITV, All turned away, they become worthless together, not one is doing goodness, not so much as one. The Lord Jesus said that No one is good except One, God! (Matthew 19:17b LITV). There is no one in heaven boasting about their part in salvation, they will not be there, they will be in hell, but only those boasting in the Lord Jesus Christ will be there, the One who paid for their sin for their salvation, when He laid down His Life on the Cross, and was buried, and raised for their justification. All glory goes to Him.

Abraham believed in God, and it was counted for righteousness, and the same for every true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ- we have received the perfect righteousness of Christ. Praise the Lord! A believer in Christ does good works because they are saved, not to get saved.  A believer in Christ is saved unto (which means for) good works. The Bible says in Ephesians 2:10 LITV, for we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God before prepared that we should walk in them. The Bible says in Hebrews 10:38 LITV, But the just shall live by faith.

Rejecting the Witness of God

Many people go around saying they believe in God, but they reject and do not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ found in the Bible. The Apostle John in his first epistle makes it very clear concerning this matter. In 1John 5:10 LITV, he wrote, 'The one believing in the Son of God has the witness in himself. The one not believing God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the witness which God has witnessed concerning His Son.'

Notice the apostle wrote, 'The one not believing God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the witness which God has witnessed concerning His Son.'

The Bible says, 'The one not believing God has made Him a liar.' When a person does not believe the witness that God has given about His Son, that person is calling God a liar. Think about this: If someone calls somebody else a liar, he or she obviously does not believe what that person is telling them. It would be a contradiction in terms to say, 'I believe in God, but I do not believe the witness that God has given about His Son.' If a person does not believe in the Son, then that person is literally saying, 'I do not believe (trust) in God but reject Him.' To reject and not put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ of the Bible and not trust in Him alone to save you by His death, burial and resurrection, means to reject God, and call Him a liar!

KJV 1John 5:7?

In this blog post I want to briefly look at the King James Bible. First of all, this is not an attack on the KJV Bible, but to give an understanding of the Greek text for which the KJV is based upon, which is the Greek New Testament of Erasmus.

Erasmus produced five editions of his Greek New Testament, translating them in both Greek and Latin. Erasmus had only about half a dozen Greek manuscripts in his possession, and they were around the 10th to the 12th century. Compare that to what is available today, with over 5600 Greek manuscripts, and some even dating back as early as the 2nd century. For the Book of Revelation, the end part was missing, which was Revelation 22:16-21, so Erasmus back translated Revelation 22:16-21 from Latin to the Greek for his Greek New Testament.

In 1519, Erasmus did his 2nd edition of his Greek New Testament, where he made some corrections from the first edition, while having the Roman Catholic Hierarchy on his back, complaining about how he had worded in his Greek New Testament regarding 1John 5:7 to 8, for it did not match with their official translation which was the Latin Vulgate, for In Erasmus' first edition, 1John 5:7-8, read, For there are three that bear witness: 8 the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one. This was different to the Latin Vulgate, which read,  For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. 8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

This reading of 1John 5:7 to 8 in the Latin Vulgate was based on late copies- for this reading would not get into the Latin Vulgate until hundreds of years after it was completed. These words found in the Latin Vulgate were not found in any Greek manuscripts until one popped up, a made to order Greek manuscript for Erasmus.

Erasmus said he would not include this reading found in the Latin Vulgate unless he had a Greek manuscript with this reading. A made to order Greek manuscript was produced, with the Latin Vulgate reading included, and eventually found its way to Erasmus, and was included in his third edition. 

Interestingly, the made to order Greek manuscript for Erasmus which added in the Latin Vulgate reading of 1John 5:7, was corrected by Erasmus because the Greek was badly written. These words were not found in any other Greek manuscript until this one materialized.

As a matter of fact, there are only a few Greek only manuscripts which are known, to have this reading found in the KJV for 1John 5:7, and they are late manuscripts.  It is clear that the wording which is found in the KJV for 1John 5:7, which was based on the Erasmus' Greek New Testament, was not the original reading, but clearly a Latin addition.

Also, to add, the Majority Text does not match the Textus Receptus in regards to 1John 5:7-8, but the Majority text says, like many modern translations say, For there are three that bear witness: 8 the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one. The rendering of 1John 5:7 in the TR is a Latin addition, and the Majority text has the original and correct reading. 

Now, do not get the idea this is an attack on the Trinity, absolutely not, I believe the Bible teaches the Trinity, God is Triune, but as one person said, the Trinity does not live or die on 1John 5:7. We have many places in the Bible where it teaches the Trinity, the Trinity is a Biblical doctrine, but this verse is not one of them, for the verse as written in the KJV has been proven to be a Latin addition and not an original reading.

The Storms of Life

Let us look in Mark 6, from v. 45, when Jesus walked on the water. The Lord Jesus had just fed the five thousand men, plus women and children—so probably maybe closer to twenty thousand— with five loaves of bread and two fish. There was a big crowd. Many people there.

And in v. 45 LITV, the Bible says 'And at once He constrained His disciples to enter into the boat, and to go before to the other side, to Bethsaida, until He should dismiss the crowd.'

Jesus was going to send the people away, and Jesus made His disciples to get into a boat, to sail across the Sea of Galilee to the other side, and Jesus went into the mountain to pray. The Bible says, 'And taking leave of them, He went away to the mountain to pray.' (v. 46 LITV)

Then it carries on to say that the boat was in the midst of the sea when Jesus was still on land, and the disciples were distressed in the rowing, for the wind was against them; they were in the middle of a storm, and the sea was high. The Bible says in v. 46-48 LITV,  

And taking leave of them, He went away to the mountain to pray. And it becoming evening, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and He alone on the land. And He saw them being distressed in the rowing, for the wind was contrary to them. And it was about the fourth watch of the night when He came toward them, walking on the sea. And He willed to go by them. 

So we see that the Lord Jesus told them to go over the Sea of Galilee, and while the disciples sailed across, they got caught up in a storm, and struggled to row the boat. They had to face a storm, and it was not a very nice storm. The disciples were facing a storm which was against them, and must have seemed like to the disciples that the storm was pulling them under. 

Firstly, that shows us (as Christians) a truth here. We as Christians are not immune to the storms of life.  The Redeemed can go through the storms of life, and not because of the consequences of sin. The disciples were obedient to the Lord, being in the will of God. They were in the place where the Lord Jesus clearly put them. Jesus told them to sail over the Sea of Galilee, and Jesus was not caught off guard by the storm. He knew the storm was coming, and His disciples would be in the middle of this storm. Amen.

Now, there can be times when we (Christians) are in a storm because of the consequences of sin, and this is clearly seen in the Bible. What about Jonah, when he went through a storm because he disobeyed God. Jonah attempted to run from God, being out of the will of God, being in the wrong place, and he faced and went through a storm, being swallowed by a great fish. He was there for being out of the will of God. Jonah found himself going through this time of adversity. 

But here in Mark 6, they were facing the storm not because of sin, but because they were obeying the Lord; they were in the right place, being in the will of God. The same for us in our Christian life, we can face adversity (the storms of life) when we are obeying the Lord, doing the will of God, being in the right place, the place where God wants us to be. Amen. Another example from the Bible would be Paul the apostle, when he was in the Philippian prison, Paul was in the will of God, he was in the place where God wanted him to be, doing the will of God, but going through a time of adversity.  

What is the reason for this? The reason is the Lord Jesus Christ is working on his people. The Bible says in Romans 8:28 LITV, 'But we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to purpose.'

Then in the next verse it tells us the purpose—to be conformed to the image of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord is spiritually enlarging us in Christ Jesus, conforming us to His image.

Yes, we can grow in the light times, when the storm is calm, but there are certain things which can only be discovered in the dark (the storms of life). There are things in the storms of life we will discover, enlarging us spiritually. It is not because God does not love us, it is because He does love us, and it is not because God does not care, it is because God does care for us. These times will strengthen us in the Lord. The Lord loves us too much to allow us to remain still, but He is making His people more like the Lord Jesus Christ, in our words, thoughts and deeds, and in that, Jesus our Lord is glorified. God is glorified.  Amen. 

Again in v. 46-48 LITV, the Bible says,  

And taking leave of them, He went away to the mountain to pray. And it becoming evening, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and He alone on the land. And He saw them being distressed in the rowing, for the wind was contrary to them. And it was about the fourth watch of the night when He came toward them, walking on the sea. And He willed to go by them. 

The Lord Jesus, as we have discovered, put His disciples into the middle of the storm, and Jesus had a purpose for doing what He did. Now we will see what Jesus was doing for them while they were in the storm. While they were in a storm, the Lord Jesus was interceding for them on the mountain. The Lord Jesus was watching and interceding for them. When the Lord Jesus puts His people into a storm, He will never leave His people, nor forsake them, just like we see here with His disciples. So the second thing we see—Jesus was interceding for them.

Thirdly, Jesus had His eyes upon them. Notice what it says in v. 48 LITV, the Bible says, 'And He saw them being distressed in the rowing, for the wind was contrary to them.'  The Lord Jesus saw them being distressed in the rowing, for He could see them, but they could not see the Lord Jesus. When believers in the Lord Jesus are going through the storms of life, when adversity comes, the Lord Jesus always has His eyes upon them. He loves His people, and cares for His people, and will always provide for His people when they are going through a storm. The Lord Jesus Christ never leaves nor forsakes His people, for His people are His redeemed, and always will be. 

We also see here that Jesus intercedes for His people. Understand that Jesus intercedes for them who are His. He interceded for His people here, and the Lord Jesus intercedes for all His people (Christians), wherever they may be on this earth. The Bible says in Hebrews 7:25 LITV, ' From this also He is able to save to perfection those who come to God through Him, ever living to intercede on their behalf.'

If you are a believer, be blessed to understand and to know, that every Christian has the intercessory work of the Lord Jesus Christ before the Father in Heaven. The Lord Jesus Christ represents His people before the Father. We need His intercessory work. The intercessory work of the Lord Jesus Christ is based on His finished work; His death, burial and resurrection. The very reason His people will endure to the end, and reach the shores of eternity, just like His followers reached the shore here, is because the Lord Jesus Christ intercedes for us, based on His finished work for our salvation. The Lord Jesus can never, and will never fail in His intercessory work.

So not only does the Lord Jesus put us (Christians) in the storms of life at times, to conform us (His people) to His image, the Lord Jesus has His eyes upon us, intercedes for us, providing for us, whatever we go through, even when we fail Him, He will not fail us in His intercessory work—just like we see with Peter when he failed the Lord Jesus when he denied the Lord Jesus Christ—for the Bible says that Jesus prayed for him, knowing that Peter would fall, praying for Peter to come back up again, which Peter did, and was used by the Lord in a great way, and Peter was kept by the Lord until the end. Thank the Lord for His intercession before the throne in Heaven. 

Lastly, we see that Jesus came to them. We have already seen that Jesus was with them all the way, His eyes were upon them, and He was interceding for them, and then we can also see the Lord Jesus Christ came to them at the perfect time, and He calmed the storm. The Bible says in v. 48 LITV, 'And it was about the fourth watch of the night when He came toward them, walking on the sea. And He willed to go by them.' Jesus came to them. In v.51a LITV the Bible says, 'And He went up to them into the boat, and the wind was cut off.' The same for all His people, He will come to us at the right time (never too late, never too early) and He will calm the storm, and get us through to the other side. He is a faithful God. He is faithful to His Word. 

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we can trust Him whatever may come. Let us trust Him whatever we face, whether prosperity or adversity, we can trust our Lord because He is the one true God, who is the God of truth, and His Word is truth. Let us trust Him—Let us stand on His Word. 

Notice what the Lord Jesus says to them. He says in v. 50, 'For all saw Him, and were troubled. And immediately He spoke to them and said to them, Have courage. I AM! Do not fear.' Notice Jesus said to His disciples, 'Do not fear.' When we go through the storms of life, God wants us to experience His peace which has been given to His people in Christ, and not be fearful. Notice what Jesus said in this same verse, 'Have courage. I AM! Do not fear.' Let us not be fearful when we go through the storms of life, for we serve the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the I AM.  We belong to Him. The Lord Jesus Christ can always be trusted in all things. The Lord Jesus has already given to His people the greatest gift of all, Himself. We serve a faithful God. Always remember, even when things do not go the way we would like them to go, or our prayer is not answered the way we asked, God can always be trusted, because He is faithful to His Word, and He will always do the right thing, just like we have seen here in Mark 6. Amen.

I will finish with this scripture in Isaiah 51:10 LITV, 

Who among you fears Jehovah, obeying the voice of His servant, who walks in darkness, and no light is in him? Let him trust in the name of Jehovah, and lean on his God. 

The Saved and The Lost

The saved believe God, but the lost call God a liar. 

1John 5:10 LITV, The one believing in the Son of God has the witness in himself.  The one not believing God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the witness which God has witnessed concerning His Son.  

The saved are thankful to God, but the lost are thankless to God.

1Thessalonians 5:18 LITV, In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus toward you. 

Romans 1:21a LITV Because knowing God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful.

The saved worship and serve the Creator, but the lost worship and serve the creation.

John 4:23a LITV, But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. 

Romans 1:25 LITV, who changed the truth of God into the lie, and worshiped and served the created thing more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

The saved have pleasure in righteousness, the lost have pleasure in unrighteousness.

1John 3:7-8a LITV, Little children, let no one lead you astray; the one practicing righteousness is righteous, even as that One is righteous. The one practicing sin is of the Devil, because the Devil sins from the beginning.

The saved practice obedience to God, the lost practice disobedience to God.

John 14:21 LITV, He that has My commandments and keeps them, it is that one who loves Me; and the one that loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I shall love him and reveal Myself to him. 

Colossians 3:6 LITV, on account of which the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience, 

The saved say evil is evil and good is good, but the lost say evil is good and good is evil.

1Thessalonians 5:15 LITV, See that no one returns evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue the good, both towards one another and towards all.

Isaiah 5:20 LITV, Woe to those who say to evil, good; and to good, evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Salvation Belongs to Yahweh

Welcome to this blog article. We are going to look at 2Thes. 2 from verse 13. This is a great scripture to show that God elected certain people for salvation. The Bible says in 2Thes. 2:13 and 14 LITV, But we ought to thank God always concerning you, brothers, beloved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning to salvation in sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth, to which He called you through our gospel, to obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Now we see here very clearly that Paul wrote, But we ought to thank God always concerning you, brothers, beloved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning to salvation, in sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth, which He called you through our gospel, to obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We see here very clearly that Paul wrote that God chooses people for salvation. God chose His people from the beginning to salvation, from the beginning, they were chosen, for Ephesians 1:4 tells us that God chose us, which means His people, in Him, which means Christ Jesus, before the world was. The Bible makes it very clear that God chose His people from the beginning, not God chose His people at the beginning, but God chose His people from the beginning to salvation, for His people were chosen in Christ before the world was.

Then Paul wrote, in sanctification of the Spirit. This is the work of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit has been sent by the Father and the Lord Jesus, and the Holy Spirit is setting apart those who are the people of God, those whom God elected, those whom God choose to extend His saving grace to, by the good pleasure of His own will. When the Holy Spirit sanctifies, sets apart those whom God has chosen, the Holy Spirit regenerates them, takes out the heart of stone and gives them a heart of flesh, and raises them to spiritual life, He changes their wills, and that person will come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, as the Bible says, belief of the truth. This is seen here in this text, for Paul wrote, because God chose you from the beginning to salvation, in sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth. Sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth go hand in hand, and cannot be separated. When one does not come to belief in the truth, it is because the Spirit did not set them apart, and they remained in their wilful rebellion against a Holy God.

Important to understand that the Holy Spirit is not trying to save everybody equally, and whereby some people say yes, and some people say no in an unregenerated state, but the Bible teaches that those whom the Holy Spirit sets apart, will come to believe in the truth. They will believe in Christ Jesus.

Paul continue to wrote, which He called you through our gospel, to obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is the work of the Holy Spirit and His gospel. The Holy Spirit works with His gospel, and when He does, they come to God through the Lord Jesus Christ, and receive the salvation which Christ accomplished for them when He came and laid down His life for  them.

We also see the Triune God here. God chose you, referring to the Father,  and then the sanctification of the Spirit, which refers to the Holy Spirit, and then belief of the truth, which He called you through our gospel, to obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, referring to the Lord Jesus Christ. We see the three persons of the One true God, working together in the salvation of the people of God. We clearly see here that this is a work of God. The Father thought salvation, the Son bought salvation, and the Holy Spirit wrought salvation.

When we go to Romans 8:28, the word foreknew is a verb and not a noun. There are people who use this like a noun and not a verb, but the word ‘foreknew’ is a verb in the Greek. That is important. This is a verb, and God is the One doing the action of the verb. Why did God foreknow them who would come to Christ, because God choose them for salvation, and because He did, they will come to Christ, as we have seen in 2Thes. 2:13. 

This is seen clearly in v. 30 in Romans 8 LITV, for the Bible says, But whom He predestinated, (they are those whom He foreknow) which means He choose them, He predestinated them, these He also called. Remember what Paul wrote in 2Thes. 2:14, to which He called you through our gospel. It is the Spirit and the Gospel.

Now, this call here in Romans 8:30 is not referring to a general call, but an effectual call. We can see this here in v.30, for the Bible says, for whom He called, these He also justified. Who are justified? Those who have been saved. This is speaking about an effectual call because them whom God calls are justified, they are saved, just like we have seen in 2Thess, 2:13-14. All who God calls here, are justified. They receive salvation. It can not be referring to the general call to salvation, for many do not come to the Lord, and not receive salvation, which obviously means they are not justified. Amen. Then it continues to say in v.30, those whom He justified, these He also glorified. God, God, God all the way. So whom God foreknew, He predestinated, He called, He justified, and He glorified, God from the beginning to the end. Amen.

It is very clear in the Word of God, that whom God chooses to save, He will save, and they will spend an eternity with Him in Heaven. Praise the Lord that He does, for as Jonah said in Jonah 2:9 LITV, Salvation belongs to Jehovah (Yahweh). Amen.

The Holy One

Revelation 3:7-8 LITV, And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia, write: These things says the Holy One, the True One, the One having "the key of David," "the One opening, and no one shuts; and shuts, and no one opens:" I know your works. Behold, I have given a door being opened before you, and no one is able to shut it, for you have a little power and have kept My word, and have not denied My name.

Notice the words 'the Holy One' in v. 7. The Lord Jesus Christ calls Himself 'the Holy One'. This title is a title for God alone. Jesus is the Holy One. The Holy One refers primarliy to His uniqueness, and being set apart from His creation. The Lord Jesus is inherently Holy. The very reason why people do not want the Lord Jesus, but rather push Jesus away, not love Him but hate Him, is because He is the Holy One. People feel uncomfortable and exposed by the Lord Jesus, a feeling they do not like because He is Holy, and they are sinful. They have pleasure in unrighteousness and not in the truth, and they do not want the Holy One, who is righteous to be near them.

For us who believe, before we got saved by the Lord, we did the same and pushed Jesus away, for we had pleasure in unrighteousness and not in the truth, but that all changed for us when God interrupted our lives and saved us in Christ Jesus. God gave us a new heart, took out the heart of stone and gave us a heart of flesh, for us to be able to hear the voice of our Shepherd, and to stop pushing Him away, but to embrace Him and come to Him, our Lord Jesus Christ, and be saved. The Bible says in John 3:3 LITV, Jesus answered and said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, if one does not receive birth from above, he is not able to see the kingdom of God. The Bible says in John 3:8 ESV, The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. God changed us from a God hater to a God lover, a lover of the truth and no longer a lover of unrighteousness. 

Brothers and sisters in the Lord, how we are to be thankful to God for saving us, for interrupting our lives and saving us, for without God and His grace, we would still be willfully pushing Jesus away, like many do each day, having pleasure in unrighteousness and not in the truth. Amen.

The Joy of the Lord

We see that Paul wrote about rejoicing in the Book of Philippians 4:4 LITV, when he wrote, Always rejoice, I say again, Rejoice. This is the joy of the Lord. This is the joy God has given to every believer in the Lord Jesus. 

Understand, this is not the joy the world experiences, but a joy found only in the Lord Jesus, and is always available for every believer to experience. This joy is available not only in prosperity but in adversity. The joy that believers have in the Lord is not based on circumstances, but in Christ, not in a situation but in our Saviour. The source of the believers' joy is not something or someone who will fade away, or change, or perish, or waver, but the joy we have is in the Lord, who is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Understand too, The Bible never promises that believers will go without problems, but what the Bible does say is the Lord will never leave us nor forsake us. Never. A true Christian can know the joy of the Lord in Him, the One who calls us His own, who loved us and gave Himself for us, and saved us, who has given to His people a home in heaven with Him, and the Lord Jesus Christ will remain faithful and true to His Word, and lead us to be where He is. We can fully trust in the Lord. 

Understand too, the more we grow in the Word of God (the Bible), as followers of Christ, and learn how we should live as a Christian, and practiced (made practical), the easier it should be to rejoice in the joy of the Lord in the power of the Holy Spirit through whatever may come as we serve our God. Amen. 

A Word to the saints of God

To the saints being in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 1:1b LITV

The Greek word for saint here is hagios, and refers to be set apart for a specific purpose. Paul is not referring to a specific Christian in Ephesus, but to all Christians who were in Ephesus. The Bible teaches that all true believers are saints of God.

For example, The Bible says in Romans 8:27 LITV, But the One searching the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because He intercedes for the saints according to God. Paul says here about the Holy Spirit's work in the prayers of the saints. Who has the Holy Spirit? Well lets back up earlier in the chapter. Romans 8:9 LITV, But you are not in flesh, but in Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone has not the Spirit of Christ, this one is not His. Who has the Spirit? Every believer, because if we did not have the Spirit of Christ, we would not be His.

Romans 8:14 LITV, For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. Who are the sons of God. Every believer. The Bible says in John 1:12 LITV, But as many as received Him, to them He gave authority to become children of God, to the ones believing into His Name. Ephesians 1:5 LITV, predestinating us to adoption through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.

Romans 8:15 LITV, speaking of the same people, For you did not receive a spirit of slavery again to fear, but you received a Spirit of adoption by which we cry, Abba! Father!, v. 16, The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit that we are children of God. And when you read on in its context, and come to v. 27, and the Bible says about the Holy Spirit, He intercedes for the saints according to God. The saints refer to every believer in the Lord. All believers are the saints of God. All true Christians have been sanctified by the Holy Spirit in the Lord Jesus Christ. Spurgeon said, We are not chosen because we are holy, but that we may be holy. Every believer in Jesus is a saint, set apart for God. God the Father chose us not because we are holy, but God chose us in Christ before creation, to be His holy saints, to be set apart unto Himself in Christ, and the Holy Spirit has come to lead the very same chosen ones to Christ, the One whom accomplished salvation for them.

God has declared us His saints, not because of what we have done, but because what Christ has done for us. You and I are saints. We have been sanctified by the Holy Spirit in Jesus Christ our Lord. We are God’s holy people. We have been set part in Christ for God, to serve Him, and serve not the world. The Bible says in 1Corinthians 10:31 LITV, Then whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all things to the glory of God. We serve God in all things.

Then Paul wrote, and faithful in Christ Jesus. When Paul wrote the words, saints and faithful, Paul is not writing about two different groups. They are the one and same group. The same people are referred to by both designations, which means, by both descriptions, or by both names, and this is seen clearly in the Greek. 

The Greek word for faithful is pistos, and is used the NT frequently, and here it means having faith in Christ. A believer in Christ. Simply, as one commentator said, No man, therefore, is a believer who is not also a saint; and, on the other hand, no man is a saint who is not a believer. The saints of God are believers in Christ. You cannot be a saint, if you are not a believer, and you cannot be believer and not be a saint.

Notice the final words in the verse, in Christ Jesus. Again, it is because we are in Christ Jesus. Every true Christian is a saint and faithful in Christ Jesus, not because of you and me, but because of the grace of God. It is because of our union with Christ, which God elected for us to have before the foundation of the world. The Bible says in Ephesians 2:8 LITV, For by grace you are saved, through faith, and this not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; not of works, that anyone should boast. We are not saints and faithful in Christ Jesus because of what we have done, but because of what God has done in His Son, the Lord Jesus.

The Spirit of God called us, and sanctified us in Christ. A saint is a believer in the Lord Jesus, not something man has done, not what the church makes someone into. A saint is not a religious person who has been exalted by a church. A true believer is a true believer by the grace of God in Christ Jesus, and sets us apart in Christ, for His use, and not for the use of the world. We are saints because we have been set apart by God for Him in the Lord Jesus Christ, all by the grace of God.

Let that be an encouragement, knowing we are declared saints before God because of our new relationship with Jesus, set apart in the righteousness of Christ, as true believers, All by the grace of God, we are set apart for Him, so let that be a desire to live as the Bible says in 1Corinthians 10:31LITV, Then whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all things to the glory of God. May we look to God to help us by His grace and strength in the Lord Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit, as we serve Him day by day, according to the Word of God. 

The Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ

Salvation is of the Lord

The King James Version a Perfect Translation?

There are Christians who use the King James Version, and will not use any other version of the Bible in the English Language. Not all, but some of the King James Version users will believe the KJV is a perfect translation, without any translation errors, and even say no one has ever pointed out any errors in the KJV. There are some who will even go afar as to say that the KJV is the standard which all other translations must be tested, and we do not need the Greek and Hebrew Manuscripts because the KJV has overtaken them.

First of all, the KJV is a good translation, but to say that no one has ever found any translation errors in the KJV is incorrect. Translation errors in the KJV translation have been found.

Secondly, when you make the KJV the standard, then you disregard the Greek and Hebrew manuscripts which God has preserved, containing His Word. Yes, there are some textual variants in the manuscripts, but that does not change that within them (the manuscripts), the preserved Word of God is there, and they can be compared to understand what was in the originals.

Thirdly, When they say the KJV is the standard which all other Bibles need to be tested, what they are saying is does not matter what the Greek and Hebrew manuscripts say when speaking about a translation issue, they are wrong, and the KJV is right.

The KJV translators used Greek and Hebrew manuscripts to translate, and they even compared previous English translations, so would it not be good to see whether something have been translated correctly by them, when an issue concerning the translation is made known. Would it not also be good, with the discovery of many more manuscripts (especially in the Koine Greek) over the years, which they did not have, would it not be good to see whether these manuscripts are more reliable when it comes to the  textual variants. Of course.

But the question they need to answer is this: How to do they know the KJV is a perfect translation, if they refuse to compare the KJV translation with the Greek and Hebrew manuscripts we have, even some Greek manuscripts which can be dated close to the first century AD, to see whether the KJV has been translated correctly or not when an issue about the KJV translation is made known.  All they can say is "It just is". Not very convincing.

I would like to repeat, the KJV is a good translation, but if someone holds to the position the KJV is the standard, and all other translations need to be tested againt the KJV, and even the KJV has overtaken the Greek and Hebrew manuscripts, they will be defending the indefensible.

We have been blessed to have over 5000 Greek manuscripts and Hebrew manuscripts, which God have preserved His Word, and able to compare them for the reliable reading when concerning the textual variants. 

I am not saying do not use the KJV, absolutely not. If you want to use the KJV Bible that is up to you, and I am not saying the KJV is not the Word of God, it is, but do not think that God's Word and man's errors in translation are one and the same. When you do find a translation error in the KJV, do not think that the Bible you have in your hand is not God's Word, it is, but man in translation has made an error (not on purpose) when translating the Bible, and be blessed to understand how it should be translated.

The Bible is the Inspired Word of God

The Bible is the inspired Word of God (2Tim. 3:16; 2Peter 1:20). God used at least 40 different people, over a period of around 1600 years from Genesis to Revelation, from different backgrounds, different places and different times, to write down His Words. The Bible from the book of Genesis to the last book, the book of Revelation, unifies in its message.

The word in the Greek is "Theopneustos" in 2Tim. 3:16, and means divinely breathed (God breathed). The Bible is literally the breath of God.

Because the Bible is God breathed (the Word of God), we can be sure the Bible is truth. God is truth (John 4:16 & Deu. 32:4), and God cannot lie (Numbers 23:19)~ and because God is truth, God can never inspire error, but He can only inspire truth. This means the Bible is inerrant and infallible. The Bible contains no errors, and the Bible can not deceive you nor lead you into error. The Bible can only lead you into His truth because God's Word is truth (John 17:17). The Bible is the only Book of its kind.