Salvation. Overcoming. Repentance.

(Salvation, Overcoming and Perservering, The Relationship and the Heart Condition, and Repentance).

[Salvation]

1 Corinthians 3:10-15 establishes the truth about Salvation, works, and the Bema judgement.
1) Faith in Christ is the Foundation of Salvation, which only He can lay, not by our works, only His work.

- There is no Jesus + "___".

- It is by Faith ONLY, not by works. (Ephesians 2:8-10)

- He is the one who finishes the work. (Philippians 1:5-6)

- We bring nothing to the table of Salvation.

- We bring nothing to the table of Sanctification either.

2) Everything else built (works) upon that Foundation is subject to testing (Bema Judgment), as to whether it was:

- His work through you [Gold, Silver, Precious Gems]

- Your work through yourself [Wood, Hay, Stubble].

- All will get the Garment of Salvation

- some will get Robes of Righteousness

- there will be some who get crowns

- and there will be some who get no rewards at the Bema

- but they (ALL) will be saved, some as by fire (1 Corinthians 3).

3) All who call upon Him then are saved and redeemed. (Romans 10:11-14)

- All "real" believers stand before Him, because He is able to make them stand.

- All who are in Christ, will be Resurrected or Raptured at Redemption.

- None miss the Resurrection or Rapture of the body.

4) This leaves no room then for "Carnal Christian" or Christians who miss the Redemption of the Body, because they are not ready by or because of [insert falsehood here].

The Body of Christ is not joined to Him, dismembered.

We ALL (the Body of believers) will stand before Him at the Bema.

___

[Overcoming / Perservering]

Overcoming and Persevering is by our walk of faith in His finished work (Tetelestai), until either our death and resurrection or our rapture. It's all His work.

We overcome by our Faith, because He overcomes through us by His finished work. (1 John 5:4-5)

We will (unfortunately) trip and transgress during this limbo of life in the imperfect.

Until we either die and are resurrected, or are raptured when we all are completed in Redemption.

For this we have Jesus our advocate who is quick and willing to immediately forgive and cleanse us.

(1 John 2:1-2)

Again, He is the one who finishes the work. (Philippians 1:5-6)

It comes down to those who are "TRULY" saved, will still sin until we are perfected, but they will constantly come to the Lord for the daily washing. Remember the parable about washing the feet? (John 13)

[The Relationship - Heart Condition]

In John 10 we see this remarkable statement about those who are "In Christ" being Once Saved, Always Saved (OSAS). It is however, conditional upon a relationship with Christ, which is where most fail in their understanding of it.

| John 10:27-30

|

| My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.

| I give them eternal life, and they will never perish.

| No one can snatch them out of My hand.

| My Father who has given them to Me is greater than all.

| No one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand.

| I and the Father are one.

So in that sense... Once you are saved, you will always be saved.

Why? Because you will keep coming to Him daily, overcoming and persevering until He completes you.

And again I say to you: "He is the one who finishes the work." (Philippians 1:5-6)

It is a Heart condition, a daily relationship. Not just a plane ticket or an escape plan.

How else does one know His voice, and how else does He know us? So that we never hear those terrible words of "Depart from Me for I never knew you."

But I really don't like that acronym (OSAS). It is too easy to mislead or decieve.

And the problem is, some think they are saved (and always saved), but they are not.

We are warned not to be deceived, and more importantly not to deceive ourselves.

Those who claim the name, but never really changed their ways, aren't really saved yet. They are not really Christians yet.

Anyone can claim they are a Christian. That doesn't necessarily mean they really are.

True Salvation shows the fruit of Repentance and Love, or it is doubtful True Salvation has actually occurred.

But, we only see the outward appearance, and only God knows the heart, and only God is the judge.

All the Law and the Prophets hang on the two commandments of Love. Love to, and for God, and that also of your neighbor or enemy. In effect, when you do these two, you will not break the others, because you won't want to or intend to.

It again comes back to the Heart condition, the daily relationship.

[Repentance]

The definition of Repent/Repentance is "Change of mind, change of ways, change of thought." It does not mean "Sorrow, guilt, or asking forgiveness." Those are separate things.
There is also a distinction between Big "R" repentance and little "r" repentance:

[Salvation Repentance (Big R- Coming to Christ the first time)]

- At first repentance (Big R), you are completely washed and cleansed and receive salvation. You are sealed by the Holy Spirit unto redemption. There can be no second round of this, this is why Paul asks shall we crucify him again?

[Daily Repentance (Little r - Confession of daily sins)]

- The daily repentance (Little r) and confession is the washing and cleansing from daily sin by our advocate to the Father.

Jesus as our High Priest is the only one who can do the cleansing of the believer, either initially, or daily. It is best portrayed in John 13 by the exchange that Jesus has with Peter.

[Washing of the Disciples feet (John 13)]

Here Jesus begins to wash the disciples feet as a servant.

Peter objects, but when Jesus tells him that unless he is allowed to wash Peter's feet,

he (Peter) can have no part in Jesus (Christ). Peter then requests his whole body be washed.

Jesus tells him that once the body has been washed it is not necessary to wash it again, only that which is in need of cleansing.

What is the meaning then of this?

Our first Repentance and washing at the moment of Salvation is the (big "R") repentance, the saving Repentance.

But we also need daily washing (Little "r") repentance. You see it in the Lord's Prayer that He taught us. "Give us this day ... and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."

So the washing of the feet is the symbol of daily repentance and communion and prayer with the Lord.

Why the feet?

Jesus only needs to cleanse the feet of the believer. The part that is in contact with the ground of the corrupt world as we walk our path each day during the bearing of our crosses.

The daily sin, while we exist in this limbo before our day of perfection.

This is our purification, our refinement. And so they must be washed by Christ daily, but the whole body does not need the cleansing again.

We see the daily in the Lord's prayer even.

"Give us this day, our daily bread...

...and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us."

We still sin, and will until He comes. But we constantly bring it to the Lord.

Why?

Because we have that relationship, and the desire to please God by our faith,

and receive His faithful forgiveness when we do stumble in our walk.

Jack Nichols.

Are we Watchmen? Hebrews 13:17? Amos 3:7? Holding up an Israeli Flag and clicking pictures on social media??

“Son of man, speak to the sons of your people and say to them, ‘If I bring a sword upon a land, and the people of the land take one man from among them and make him their watchman, and he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows the horn and warns the people, then someone who hears the sound of the horn but does not take warning, and a sword comes and takes him away, his blood will be on his own head. He heard the sound of the horn but did not take warning; his blood will be on himself. But had he taken warning, he would have saved his life. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the horn and the people are not warned, and a sword comes and takes a person from them, he is taken away for his wrongdoing; but I will require his blood from the watchman’s hand.’ (Ezekiel 33:2-6).

Watchmen safeguarded fields and vineyards during harvest time (Isaiah 5:1–2; Matthew 21:33; Mark 12:1) and acted as sentinels who announced the start of a new day (Psalm 130:6; Isaiah 21:11–12).

The Bible also refers to watchmen in a spiritual sense. God appointed prophets as spiritual watchmen over the souls of His people: “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me” (Ezekiel 33:7; also Hosea 9:8).

The prophets’ job as watchmen was to urge God’s people to live faithfully and warn them of the perils involved in falling away from the Lord and doing evil. As watchmen, the prophets were also called to warn wicked people of the judgment and destruction that would come their way unless they turned from their evil ways.

HERE IS THE KICKER: ARE WE TO BE WATCHMEN TODAY?

Are there Prophets today?
No. We are The Body of Christ. Not Watchmen. Certainly no Prophets exist today as the canon of scripture is complete.

What about Hebrews 13:17? Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable  for you. (Hebrews 13:17). The Book of Hebrews. Why was it written? To Whom was it written? It is an encouragement / motivation to the Jewish Believers, not to lapse back into Old Testament Judaism. Don't lapse, don't retrogress. How does the author communicate this exhortation? The Author, whoever he was, communicates this exhortation and shows that what Believers already possess in Jesus Christ is higher than anything offered in that prior system in other words you already have the full revelation of Jesus, why would you knowingly retrogress and go backwards? After after all, Jesus is higher than the Angels, Moses and The Aaronic Priesthood. The Book of Hebrews is not written for The Church.

Use context, hermeneutics and discernment and see if this scripture applies to the The Body of Christ? "But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the horn and the people are not warned, and a sword comes and takes a person from them, he is taken away for his wrongdoing; but I will require his blood from the watchman’s hand." (Ezekiel 33:6). It Doesn't.

We are Eternally Secure in Christ ((John 10:28-29b; Ephesians 4:30)  "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39). We are saved by Faith, irrespective of works burnt. “If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:15).

Amos 3:7: Another passage that is often misquoted and purposely misinterpreted is Amos 3:7, "Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants the prophets." What is the context of Amos 3:7?
Brief Summary: Amos can see that beneath Israel’s external prosperity and power, internally the nation is corrupt to the core. The sins for which Amos chastens the people are extensive: neglect of God’s Word, idolatry, pagan worship, greed, corrupted leadership, and oppression of the poor. Amos begins by pronouncing a judgment upon all the surrounding nations, then upon his own nation of Judah, and finally the harshest judgment is given to Israel. His visions from God reveal the same emphatic message: judgment is near. The book ends with God’s promise to Amos of future restoration of the remnant.
Foreshadowings: The Book of Amos ends with a glorious promise for the future. “’I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them,’ says the LORD your God” (9:15). The ultimate fulfillment of God’s land promise to Abraham (Gen. 12:7; 15:7; 17:8) will occur during Christ’s millennial reign on earth (see Joel 2:26,27). Revelation 20 describes the thousand-year reign of Christ on the earth, a time of peace and joy under the perfect government of the Savior Himself. At that time, believing Israel and the Gentile Christians will be combined in the Church and will live and reign with Christ. Amos 3:7 is not addressing The Church.

What's holding up an Israeli Flag, clicking pictures and showing your support of Israel? Israel is in disbelief and lost after not accepting Jesus Christ as their Messiah. and here you are clicking pictures of yourself standing with unbelieving Israel? Where in The Bible does it say, financially support Israel ? Or give to these pastors and teachers who claim they will further sow on your behalf / give to Israel? Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. (Psalm 122:6) is being misquoted and purposely misinterpreted to extort money and support from us.

I may be wrong and judgemental, but I believe that: Likes, Sensationalism, and Money is the reason that lot of Pastors and Teachers today tell us firmly and excitedly that we are Watchmen, to indirectly and sub-consciously convey to us, that they are wise, chosen prophets of God, worthy of our Giving and Support financially. It's simply to arouse in us a feeling of belonging and having a special role in the body, that sub-consciously makes us want to GIVE more money and SUPPORT such teachers and pastors.

We are not Watchmen. Don't be deceived. We are to watch our hearts and sow/share into the lost.

Please see what "To Watch" actually means in The Bible:
https://www.alittlestrength.com/articles/2018/1804-watch.htm?
(Excerpts from a Teaching by Greg Lauer).

Bible End Times Timeline Scroll. (For Printing).

  

Praise The Lord.

I've designed a Bible End Times Timeline Scroll. (Theology, Doctrine, Prophecy, Q & A). It Contains charts and graphics and excellent teachings by Dr. Chuck Missler, Dr. Andy Woods, Robert Breaker, Clarence Larkin, Jack Nichols, etc.

It's a free download.

It can be printed as a Scroll on Canvas, Vinyl or Paper, in 2 sizes:
96.0 inches x 32 inches.
72.5 inches x 24 inches.

Can be used to start conversations with guests and others, and in small house church gatherings. It's good to keep a copy of the PDF on your mobile phone for sharing, screenshots and discussions.
Our greatest Joy and major burden, should be reaching out to the lost, winning souls and their sustained growth.

Please kindly use and share.
Thank you. God Bless.
Project was started on 1st July, 2024.
Final Upload date: 1st September, 2024.

PDF download link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1maPVKvRqB3IA5mg0guvDoDrp8mFDkg33/view?usp=sharing