Ephesians 2:1-3

(1) And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, (2) in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, (3) among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. 
New King James Version   Change your email Bible version

"Satan subtly persuaded Adam and Eve that by taking the knowledge of good and evil, they would be like gods, and by this he inserted himself as a rival to God for man's loyalty. He implied that they could institute their own ways and standards. However, he concealed from them that he would influence mankind in establishing those ways and standards so that he, the god of this world, would be sovereign and obeyed. The result of this is that those who submit to him are made in the Devil's image, rather than God's.

"Satan, eminently successful in his ruse, has been imitated by all mankind. By the time God calls us, we are thoroughly in his image. We are so indoctrinated into his way of life that even by nature we are children of wrath!

"Satan cunningly hides something else from Adam and Eve: His brand of freedom to establish standards and to choose creates tremendous diversity and thus a constant and wearying confusion. When vanity enters this mix, the result is divorce in the family, social problems in the community, and on a larger scale, bloody warfare. Mankind has paid a horrible price for wrongly choosing Satan as sovereign.  

"From His nature of love and wisdom, God pre-determined what is right and beautiful, and He taught Adam and Eve His way of life, instruction now included in His Word. If we want to achieve His purpose and be in His image, unlike our first parents, we must limit our free moral agency to choosing whether to submit to the universal, life-encompassing standards He has already determined."  (John W. Ritenbaugh, http://www.theberean.org/).

HOW GREAT IS YOUR FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST?

Luke 17:32   (32) Remember Lot's wife. Genesis 19:26 (26) But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. New King James Version "Just before Lot's wife reached her place of safety—though she had made some effort to escape the impending disaster—Lot's wife disobeyed the angel's command and looked back. "She became a pillar of salt" (Genesis 19:26). "Why did she look back? The context does not specifically give a reason, but she probably had an inordinate love for the world and the material things she had in Sodom. Obviously, Lot was a wealthy man who had enough livestock and servants to cause a problem while he lived with Abraham (Genesis 13:5-7). He and his wife may have had a palatial house with many fine furnishings, servants to do her bidding, fine clothes, sumptuous food, and frequent entertainment. "Also, Lot had achieved prominence among the citizens of Sodom beyond his wealth. Genesis 19:1 shows him sitting in the gate of the city, a place usually reserved for the elders and judges. Lot's wife may have been reconsidering her decision to forsake the privileges of her high social status and her prominent friends. "Maybe she just loved the ways of this world more than God. John writes: Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. (I John 2:15-17) "There may be more to it, however, than we have thought. Most people assume that Lot had only two daughters, but this is not the case. He says to the Sodomites, "See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man" (Genesis 19:8). He had two unmarried daughters. Later, in verse 14, he "spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters," meaning he had other married daughters who were not virgins. Finally, the angels tell him, "Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here" (verse 15), implying he had daughters elsewhere. "Since Lot and his wife had more than two daughters, they left more than just material possessions in the city. When God rained down fire and brimstone upon Sodom, their married daughters and sons-in-law—and possibly grandchildren—perished with the rest of the city's populace. What a poignant and tragic test of their faith! "Thus, when Lot's wife fled for little Zoar, her wealth, her house, and her social circle were not the only things on her mind. Those concerns were insignificant beside the certain death of her flesh and blood. Perhaps she did not believe that God would follow through on His threat. As a loving mother, her emotions for her doomed family in the city clouded her ability to make proper decisions. "Jesus makes a pertinent comment in this regard in Matthew 10:37-39: He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it. "Though it goes against our human nature, God requires us to have more allegiance to Him than to the members of our own families. For His disciples, leaving family members behind to do God's will may be the most common hardship that they have to face as they come out of this world (Revelation 18:4). Perhaps this is why He reminds us to "remember Lot's wife." The day may soon come when we will have to heed God's warnings without hesitation to flee again. ""In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back" (Luke 17:31). When God commands His elect to flee to a place of safety, many of us will be required to entrust family members to God's mercy. Without doubt, this will be one of the greatest tests of our spiritual lives. We will know that before us lie life and hope and behind us death and destruction, just as Lot and his family experienced in fleeing Sodom."" (Ted E. Bowling, http://www.theberean.org/)

That God Will Grant Us Repentance And Forgive Us Through The Blood Of Jesus Christ Is Not Actually The Good News!

Hebrews 6:1  

	Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,  New King James Version

"These doctrines or principles are very important. God will grant us repentance and forgive us through the blood of Jesus Christ. What good news! But it is not the good news. That is the principle: Being granted repentance and having faith in and through Jesus Christ are good news, but the result of those things is the real good news. It is the culmination of the process—"let us go on to perfection"—that is the good news.

"What if the gospel concentrates on the Messenger rather than the message He brought? If it focuses on the greatness of the Messenger, all of the good news about Him, and His importance to the process, His significance actually begins to diminish. If one concentrates on the Messenger, he will believe that salvation comes merely because he believes in the Messenger (see Matthew 7:21). Further development of that human being stops because he has made the wrong choice. That is the problem with concentrating on the Messenger, as important as He is.

"The gospel does not specifically concentrate on Christ, yet we do not want to denigrate the major role He plays either. The process pivots around Him, though its ultimate purpose will end when He delivers the Kingdom to the Father (I Corinthians 15:24). The Messenger became the High Priest, and we are saved through His life. Christianity has to go beyond the fact that He was the Messenger. Now He is the High Priest in heaven. And though He is High Priest, we still have choices to make in relation to the Kingdom of God.

"That is why Hebrews 6:1 says, "Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection." As we go through the process that the Messenger went through and begin to experience what He accomplished, He is magnified in our eyes, because we try to do what He did and realize how awesome and difficult what He did was. While we try to imitate Him, the process of creation is going on. If we stop trying to imitate Him, He becomes diminished. That is why we have to go on to perfection, to completion, because the process is not complete with just believing in Jesus Christ.

(John W. Ritenbaugh, http://www.theberean.org/, 02/14/2017)

At the Cross, Jesus Gave Us the Gift of Everlasting Life!

Do you want immortality and everlasting life, to live free of pain and sorrow, sickness and death throughout eternity?  If this is something you desire, then be assured that you can receive everlasting life the moment you accept JesusChrist as your savior. 

John 5:24 says “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that hear my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”; 3:36 says “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”; and 4:14 says “But whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”.

If you believe in Jesus, you will receive everlasting life and the character of Jesus.  This will be displayed and shown by how you act, appear, and how you live your life.   “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” (1 John 5:11-12). 

This is a privilege that a Christians receives through the saving grace of Jesus but it does not exempt one from death in this mortal dispensation.  The apostle John writes, “And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, said the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them. (Revelation 14:13).

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, the hour is coming, and now, is when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.  For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.  Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” (John 5:25-29).

The righteous who have died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them from afar, and were persuaded by them will come forth to eternal life.  (Hebrews11:13).

Christians are subject to the sleep of death.  They die in Christ but, are not subject to the second death.   Christ will awaken His people at His coming, and they will then receive their glorified immortal bodies suited for the privilege of being in the presence of God and of everlasting life.  “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.  But every man in his own order: Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.” (1 Corinthians 15:22-23).

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BOOK PREVIEW - What Happens At Death

What does happen to us when we die? It’s a question that has many, including children, ask. It has crossed humanity’s finest minds since humans have been around and has been recently the subject of a number of groundbreaking scientific studies. Do you know? Do you want to know? Take a trip into the world of the deceased and understand what happens when you die!

YOUR SOUL And YOUR SPIRIT.

YOUR SOUL And YOUR SPIRIT.

BOOK PREVIEW - The terms soul and spirit have been discussed at length throughout philosophy, literature, and religion.

Even scientists have ventured remarks about the soul. Often, though, soul and spirit are interpreted to mean the same thing and end up being used interchangeably. DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR SOUL AND YOUR SPIRIT ARE? DO YOU KNOW WHAT THEY WILL BE DOING AFTER YOU DIE? READ THIS BOOK AND FIND OUT!

SPIRITS, IMMORTALITY, GHOSTS

"HEAVEN IS WAITING FOR YOU!"

BOOK PREVIEW - Everyone sometime in their lifetime thinks about heaven and what it would be like to live there. Especially children, one of the first things they ask about, concerning what happens when someone dies and they are told that people go to heaven is, “What is heaven like?”.

Questions always come to mind. What will we do there? Will I recognize anyone there? Will I get bored? Will I be able to do things that I like to do now, (within reason of course)? Now you do not have to guess. Find out what heaven is really like. You will love it!

Jesus warns us that we will receive the same kind of judgment that we make of others.

 

 Matthew 7:2

(2) For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.
New King James Version 

Jesus warns us that we will receive the same kind of judgment that we make of others. Do we really want that? That warning ought to sober any thinking person! Do we really believe God when He gives us such a stern warning?

Jesus adds another warning: Our judgment may be distorted because we may have a flaw of far greater magnitude in us than the flaw we observe so critically in our brother. The unspoken intimation is that because the flaw is ours, and we love ourselves, we are willing to be lenient in our self-judgment. By focusing our criticism on another, it enables us to avoid scrutinizing ourselves carefully and critically. Some enjoy correcting others because it makes them feel virtuous, compensating for failures in themselves that they have no desire to face. But the judgment we make about others is in reality the judgment we will receive from God.
(The Berean.org, John W. Ritenbaugh, http://www.theberean.org/)

— John W. RitenbaughJohn W. Ritenbaugh

A Key Concept for Personal Spiritual Growth Is Understanding God's Holiness.

God chose us before the foundation of the world. In Christ, He blessed us with every spiritual blessing so that we may reflect the grace of His character and seek His holiness.

Holiness is not a state of perfection that we struggle to achieve. It is continually becoming more like Jesus, a state achieved daily through the power of the Holy Spirit as we fellowship with God in prayer and through His Word. Holiness is the result of beholding the beauty of Christ’s character.

God’s holiness consists largely of two major elements. First, it includes His righteous, pure character that is intrinsically part of His nature. God cannot act contrary to His own nature; so, His actions are always righteous, pure, and just. Second, God’s holiness sets Him apart from all created beings. His love, graciousness, goodness, justice, and compassion are infinite. There is no one else like Him in the entire universe (Lev. 19:2; Ps. 47:8; 1 Pet. 1:15, 16).

Meditating upon God’s holiness leads us to reflect His holiness in our own lives (2 Cor. 3:18). Ellen G. White states clearly, “It is a law of the mind that it gradually adapts itself to the subjects upon which it is trained to dwell.”—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 596.