G-6. WHAT is God’s WILL in PRAYER? DOWNLOAD to SAVE as a PDF Doc to read OFFLINE. G-6. WHAT is GOD'S WILL in PRAYER? For example, “Being SAVED” is the WILL of God for ALL people. In other words, it is God’s DESIRE for every person to be saved, but being saved is a CHOICE that must be made by each individual person. And another example of God’s WILL is BELIEVING God’s word or having FAITH in His New Covenant written in the New Testament. So then, “PLEASING GOD” is also God’s WILL or His DESIRE for every Christian! But, these are not the only things that are the WILL of God. However, they are the two most important things that God desires. And thus, it should be the deepest desire of all Christians to want and seek to walk pleasing before God and desire other people to be saved. And in order to be effective in our prayers to God, we must pray according to God's WILL. So then, what PLEASES God or brings Him PLEASURE? Colossians 1:10 tells us to be filled with the knowledge of God's WILL in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. But why? Let us find out why we must walk WORTHY before God. Colossians 1:10. “That you may walk WORTHY of the Lord unto all PLEASING, (How?) being fruitful in every GOOD WORK, and increasing in the knowledge of God.” Let us take a moment and look at the word “worthy”. If something is worthless, then it is of no use, it has no value. Something that is worthless is cast out and discarded. And thus, if DOING something is VAIN, then it is WORTHLESS to do it. In other words, things done in VAIN have no VALUE in the eyes of God. For example, Saul, before he became a Christian, he persecuted the church. And he wrongly believed that he was PLEASING God by persecuting the church. Then after he learned the TRUTH of the gospel of Jesus Christ, Paul realized that he was actually DISPLEASING God by persecuting the church. And in the same way, all seventh DAY of the week Sabbath-keeping Christians sincerely believe that they are “pleasing” God by trying to keep the Old Covenant along with keeping the New Covenant. But, in TRUTH, they are actually DISPLEASING Almighty God and His Son, Jesus, by trying to keep what Jesus FULFILLED and thus ABOLISHED on the cross. So if you are a seventh DAY Sabbath-keeping Christian. Then I implore you to read ALL of the studies under the subject heading called >>>Dd-0. What is the TRUE Sabbath?<<< For you see, according to the Apostle Paul in Galatians 2:21, your FAITH in Jesus is in VAIN. It is WORTHLESS to try to keep what Jesus ABOLISHED on the cross. And instead of pleasing God, you are actually “displeasing” Almighty God and His Son, Jesus! However, if something or someone is worthy, then they are useful and valued. They are treasured and protected. They are given a place of honor. One of the meanings of the word “worthy” is deserving. In Revelation 3:4,5 Jesus says this about being found WORTHY. Revelation 3:4,5. “You have a few names in Sardis which have NOT defiled their garments; (Or you have a FEW Christians in Sardis who have NOT SINNED) and they (Speaking of only those Christians whose garments are NOT defiled, that is to say, ONLY those Christians who have NOT returned to living in SIN, ONLY THEY) shall walk with me in white: (Why?) for they are WORTHY. 5. He that OVERCOMES the SAME shall be clothed in white raiment: and I will NOT blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.” Please understand the difference between Christians that sin and then repent and confess their sins from Christians who return to live in a lifestyle of sinning without repenting and confessing their sins. But rather, they try to explain away their living in sin as not being sin. They turn the truth of God into a lie. The word of God teaches us that we must keep our garments from being defiled in order that we may be accounted WORTHY to walk in white with Jesus. Only the faithful Christians who OVERCOME will be clothed in white raiment. Jesus tells us in Matthew 24:14 that only those of us who ENDURE unto the END shall be saved. Jesus said that iniquity or sin shall abound or be great and that the love of many Christians will grow cold and give into sin. Jesus gives us a strong warning that only those of us who ENDURE unto the END shall be saved. In other words, we must prove that we TRULY believe BY our actions or good works. And ONLY by overcoming sin shall we be accounted worthy to walk in white with Jesus. Therefore, obeying God's commands under the NEW COVENANT written in the New Testament is what is PLEASING to God. Also, please know and understand that God takes NO PLEASURE in the death of the sinners, according to Ezekiel 18:31,23 and Ezekiel 33:11-20. And God also has NO PLEASURE is wickedness, which is disobedience to what God requires us to do under His New Covenant. So always keep in mind that we, as Christians, are under the New Covenant written in the New Testament. Psalm 5:4 says.
“For you are NOT a God that has PLEASURE in wickedness: neither shall evil DWELL with you.” God is light and in Him is NO darkness at all. God is HOLY and it is His WILL for us to be HOLY as well. God has NO PLEASURE in wickedness and consequently will not allow evil in His presence. God has set before us life and death, blessing and cursing, and it is His good pleasure that we CHOOSE life and blessing. But ultimately, the CHOICE is up to us, each individual person. If we choose life, blessing, and righteousness, then God will reward us with abundant life, blessings, and then in the end or in the world to come, eternal life, IF we remain faithful and endure unto the end. But if we turn away from righteousness and return to the lifestyle of sin, then the wages of sin will be death, unless we REPENT and return to walking in righteousness. God's PLEASURE resides in uprightness or righteousness. Look at 1 Chronicle 29:17a.
“I know also, my God, that You TRY the hearts, and have PLEASURE in uprightness...” So then, our FAITH and what we believe is put to the test and tried in order to see if we truly believe. Jesus gave to us the parable of the sower sowing seed and also gave us the interpretation and said if you don't understand THIS PARABLE, then how can you understand any other parable. In this parable of the sower, Jesus tells us that the word of God is sown in our hearts. And then, the ENEMY comes and tries to steal the seed or word of God from us by TRYING us to see if we truly believe the word of God. I know the Old Testament says that God tries the heart, but the light of the New Testament reveals to us that it is Satan who tempts and tries our heart, because he is after the word of God. You see, the WORD of God is where the power resides and Satan does not want us to know or to have this power. Romans 1:16 says this about the word of God.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for IT is the POWER of God unto salvation to everyone that BELIEVES; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
Then in 1 Corinthians 1:21b, we read. “...it PLEASED God by the foolishness of preaching to SAVE them that BELIEVE.” But you see, it is not in just the PREACHING alone whereby salvation is attained. One must BELIEVE and ENDURE to the END in order to obtain eternal life, or whatever else he or she may be believing and trusting in God to receive. Here is what Hebrews 4:2 says about believing the gospel of God's word. Hebrews 4:2. “For unto us was the gospel PREACHED, as well as unto them: BUT the word preached did NOT profit them, (Why?) NOT being mixed with FAITH in them that heard it.” So then, WITHOUT FAITH it is IMPOSSIBLE to PLEASE God. The context of this passage of Scripture is speaking of the children of Israel in the wilderness who were overthrown or OVERCOME by the enemy. Now is God PLEASED that His children are overthrown or defeated by the enemy’s DECEPTION? Absolutely NOT! Look at 1 Corinthians 10:5. “But many of them, God was NOT well PLEASED: (Why?) FOR (Or because) they were OVERTHROWN in the wilderness.”
God is NOT pleased when we are overcome by the enemy and deceived into being disobedient to the word of God and give in to the temptation to sin. God's WILL is for us to OVERCOME the enemy in every area of our life. God's WILL is for us NOT to SIN! Hebrews 3:17a says. “But with WHOM was He (God) GRIEVED forty years? Was it not with them that SINNED,...?”
God gives us PROMISES through His word, but it is up to us to CHOOSE to BELIEVE these TRUTHS in His word. And consequently, if we do not choose to believe these truths, then it is automatically accounted to us as unbelief or rejection. What is the opposite of “Well, I don't know if I agree with that”? Obviously, what they are saying is DOUBT and unbelief. Verse 19 goes on to say that the Jews could not enter BECAUSE of their UNBELIEF. They did NOT AGREE with the preaching of the gospel. And the Jews in the wilderness did NOT AGREE with God’s word to go and possess the land. But rather, they sent spies to SEE IF THEY were able possess the land. And ten of the 12 spies brought back an EVIL report. It was EVIL, because the report was the OPPOSITE of what God said to DO. It was EVIL because it was filled with UNBELIEF in what God SAID. Hebrews 3:19. “So we see that they could not enter in (that is to say, they could not enter into the PROMISED land) [WHY?] because of their UNBELIEF.” You see, God is NOT PLEASED in unbelief, but God is well pleased in FAITH. In fact, the Bible teaches us that it is IMPOSSIBLE to PLEASE God without FAITH. Hebrews 11:6 says. “But WITHOUT FAITH it is IMPOSSIBLE to PLEASE him: for he that comes to God MUST BELIEVE that he is and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” And the number one thing that we must believe in order to be saved is to BELIEVE in God’s SON, Jesus, as our Lord and Savior. There are those that teach that salvation is by faith ALONE, which, in part, is true. But salvation by faith ALONE is NOT the WHOLE gospel of Jesus Christ. We are saved, that is to say, we are SET FREE from the bondage of sin, but we are not set free from sin to live according to the lusts of the flesh. However, we are set free for the sole purpose that we are empowered to LIVE righteously before God without sin THROUGH the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. This is where the well-quoted Scripture comes into play that the “just shall LIVE by FAITH”. In other words, this is HOW we are going to be able to LIVE without sin. We shall live JUSTLY or righteously by FAITH. It is by FAITH ALONE that EMPOWERS the BELIEVER to OVERCOME the enemy. It is NOT as some wrongly teach which say, “I believe in Jesus, therefore, now I am saved and can never be lost.” Please read Ephesians 2:8,9 in its context ALONG with verse 10 and you will see the REASON why or for the very PURPOSE for which we are saved, that is to say, the purpose that we have been placed back into right relationship with Almighty God and SET FREE from the bondage of sin. We have been made a NEW creature in Christ Jesus! But why? God gives us a new HEART in order to live by faith, continually BELIEVING that we are in fact a NEW creation and that the old sin nature of man has passed away and that sin has no more DOMINION over us. We are SET FREE from sin and sin has no more power or dominion over us to keep us slaves to sin. Ephesians 2:10 tell us that we are CREATED in Christ or a new creation for the purpose of doing GOOD WORKS. And by the way, the not saved by WORKS in Ephesians 2:8,9 is speaking pf the WORKS of the law of commandments contained in ORDINANCES that Jesus ABOLISHED on the cross, according to the CONTEXT in Ephesians 2:15. Please read the studies called Dd-4. What does EPHESIANS 2:8-15 TRULY MEAN?, and Dd-5. What Does Contained in ORDINANCES Mean? And 1 John 5:3,4 tells us one way of HOW we overcome the enemy. 1 John 5:3,4. “For THIS is the LOVE of God, that we KEEP his COMMANDMENTS: and his commandments are not grievous. (Speaking of the TWO commandments under the New Covenant written in the New Testament are NOT grievous! But, according to Acts 15:10,24, the commandments contained in ordinances under the OLD Covenant that were abolished at the cross were too hard to bear which none of the Apostles or none of the fathers of Israel were able to bear) 4. For whatsoever is born of God OVERCOMES the world: and THIS is the VICTORY that OVERCOMES the world, EVEN OUR FAITH.” Are you a Christian? Are you “born again”? Are you born of God? Does God abide in you? Do you abide in God? Do you “know” God? Does God “know” you? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you need to read the WHOLE gospel of Jesus Christ. In other words, do NOT simply pick out isolated verses that when used alone contradict the whole word of God. No, it takes more than just saying a sinner's prayer and being born again to receive eternal life. We must ENDURE to KEEP all of God's commandments under the New Covenant written in the New Testament unto the END in order to be accounted worthy to obtain eternal life. Jesus said that if we LOVE him then we will KEEP his commandments and commandments are not an option. Again, Jesus is referring to the commandments under the New Covenant written in the New Testament and NOT the law of commandments CONTAINED in ORDINANCES that were abolished and nailed to the cross, according to Ephesians 1:8-15 and Colossians 2:8-17. Look at 1 John 2:3-6. “And hereby we do know that we know him IF we KEEP his COMMANDMENTS. 4. He who says, I know him, and keeps NOT his commandments, is a liar, and the TRUTH is not in him. 5. But whoso KEEPS his WORD, in him is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. 6. He who says he abides in him, OUGHT to, himself, ALSO walk EVEN as he (Jesus) walked.” The word “OUGHT” here is NOT just a SUGGESTION, but rather, the Greek word that is translated as “OUGHT” means must, without fail, and obligated. So this verse is saying that we are obligated and MUST, without fail, walk even as Jesus walked WITHOUT SIN. These are the COMMANDMENTS of God and not merely suggestions or guidelines to casually try and follow. We as Christians do not have any other option but to OBEY the COMMANDMENTS of God, apart from which there can and will be NO salvation, or eternal life. And again, the commandments are speaking of the commandments under the New Covenant written in the New Testament and NOT the Law of Moses written in the Old Testament. Please read the studies under the heading >>>Dd-0. What is the TRUE Sabbath?<<< to learn why the seventh DAY of the week Sabbath-keeping Christians are in error. Think of it this way and seriously consider what I am saying. Being saved is a continuous process that BEGINS the moment we accept Jesus as our Savior. At that very moment of our initially being saved, all our sins which we had committed in the past were canceled and washed away no longer to be remembered against us. And at that moment in time, we became plugged into God, so to speak, like a light switch was switched on to allow electricity to flow through it. This light switch represents our obedience and disobedience, when we are in obedience to God's commandments then the switch is in the “on” position and our light is lit or our light is shining, we are walking in the light. And when we are in disobedience, then the switch is in the “off” position and our light is off or extinguished and we are walking in darkness. Now, it is we who are in control of the operation of this switch, so to speak. That is to say, we are in control of either CHOOSING to OBEY God's commandments under the New Covenant or making the CHOICE to DISOBEY God's word and give in to that which tempts us. Keep in mind that we are NOT yet “ETERNALLY SAVED” as some WRONGLY teach. For you see, we have NOT yet actually OBTAIN eternal life in the world to come. Eternal life is given to us as a PROMISE. This is our HOPE set before us. And thus, we are in the WAY or we are on the path of salvation headed toward that goal of obtaining eternal life. You see, you can be on a path or journey somewhere and get sidetracked, distracted, or enticed to take another direction. It may be that you find that old trip or journey more pleasing to you and forget about your new destination toward eternal life. The pleasures of sin could deceive some to go back to their old WAY. The same is true on the “road” to destruction. A sinner may find that the CONSEQUENCES of living in sin are NOT pleasurable and they want a new life. And the only WAY to the Father is Jesus. But again, our way toward obtaining eternal life can be distracted by the pleasures of sin and some may get lost, so to speak. Lost, in that they have lost the focus of their destination of eternal life. And thus, they are not permanently lost IF they repent and stay in the WAY of salvation. Now, if at any time during our journey through life that we should happen to die or Jesus would return, then the determining factor of whether or not we are SAVED at that moment we die or at the moment Jesus returns and we will receive eternal life is IF we are in obedience to God. In other words, IF our switch is in the ON position and our light is SHINING at the time we die or Jesus returns, then we will receive eternal life in the world to come. To say this another way, no one is truly walking in the LIGHT unless they are walking IN OBEDIENCE to God's WORD and their light is on and shining. We must be abiding IN Christ when we die or Jesus returns. And thus, IF we are living in sin, then we are NOT IN him. You cannot be on both sides of the fence at the same time. Please know and understand that there is a DIFFERENCE between “living” in sin than there is giving into a temptation to sin. Both types of sin are forgivable, but a Christian “living” in a lifestyle of sin is not always likely to ask for forgiveness. And thus, they are more likely to never repent of their sin, But rather, they are more likely to EXCUSE their sin as not being sin. So then, throughout our life, we are in a process where we undergo temptation from the enemy and sometimes are deceived into being disobedient to God. And at that disobedient point in time, even though we are God's children, we make the wrong CHOICE to be disobedient children. And consequently, therefore, that disobedient Christian removes himself or herself from the presence and protection of God. And thus, they place themselves back into the dominion of the enemy, Satan. Know you not that whom you choose to serve his servants you are, whether righteousness UNTO eternal life or sin unto death. The wages of sin is death. And the REWARD of righteousness is eternal life. Now IF any Christian were to die while they are in “living” in that state of disobedience as their lifestyle choice with an unrepentant heart, or Jesus would return while their light is turned off, then Jesus would reject them just as he rejects the five foolish virgins whose lights when out because they had no oil in their lamps. DO NOT BE DECEIVED! The actual receiving the END of our salvation is CONDITIONAL. We cannot ignore the REST of the word of God and just look at a few isolated verses of Scripture that are taken out of context to try and show that once you accept Jesus as your Savior, then you are eternally saved and no man can pluck you out of the Father’s hand. For a deeper understanding of what it TRULY means to be saved, there are several studies you should read such as the following studies. E-20. WHAT DOES JESUS MEAN “I AM THE WAY”? E-23. THE TRUE BIBLICAL MEANING OF GRACE! E-24. Are You SURE You Have the TRUE GOSPEL? F-2. Is ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED BIBLICAL? Please read ALL of the studies under the heading >>>F-0. Can we LOSE ETERNAL LIFE?<<< AGAIN, DO NOT BE DECEIVED! Read EACH AND EVERY ONE of these studies and weigh the EVIDENCE of the WHOLE word of Almighty God! Ecclesiastes 12:9-14 says this about the WHOLE MATTER. Ecclesiastes 12:9-14. “And moreover, because the preacher was WISE, he still taught the people knowledge: yea, he gave GOOD HEED, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs, 10. The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even the words of TRUTH. 11. The words of the WISE are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from ONE shepherd. (Speaking of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ) And further, by these, (Referring back to the WORDS of TRUTH) my son, be ADMONISHED: of making many books there is no end: and such study is a weariness of the flesh. 12. Let us HEAR the CONCLUSION of the WHOLE MATTER: (Which is as follows) 13. FEAR God and KEEP his COMMANDMENTS: for this is the WHOLE DUTY of man. 14. For (Or BECAUSE) God shall bring EVERY work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be GOOD, or whether it be EVIL.” IT IS YOUR CHOICE! OBEY GOD'S COMMANDMENT THAT HE GAVE TO JESUS TO GIVE TO US AND RECEIVE ETERNAL LIFE IN THE WORLD TO COME!
OR
BE A DISOBEDIENT CHILD OF GOD AND SUFFER THE WRATH OF GOD BY DISOBEYING THE COMMANDMENTS OF JESUS UNDER THE NEW COVENANT TAUGHT IN THE NEW TESTAMENT! Take a close look at Ephesians 4:6. “Let no man DECEIVE you (Speaking to true born-again Christians saying let no man deceive YOU) with vain words: for because of these things comes the WRATH of God upon the children of DISOBEDIENCE.” I implore you to read the entire context of where this verse is found and you will see that it is a warning to take heed and be not deceived for that you may slip from the truth and go back into disobedience and sin. For you see, Jesus will grant eternal life ONLY to those who OBEY his words under the New Covenant written in the New Testament. The WORKS that do NOT save us are the works of the Law of Moses contained in ORDINANCES that were abolished at the cross, according to Ephesians 2:15. And thus, trying to keep the works of the law under the Old Covenant is VAIN. It is WORTHLESS. It does NOT PROFIT you. Please read Ephesians 2:15 before we read the CONTEXT in Ephesians 2:8,9 followed by Hebrews 5:9. Ephesians 2:15. “Having ABOLISHED in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;” This is the very CONTEXT of the famous Ephesians 2:8-9, saved by grace ALONE Scripture used by the Grace Alone Christians, also called once saved always saved believers. But Jesus said that we who LOVE him will OBEY his words and keep his commandments. You see, almost every Christian uses Ephesians 2:8,9 out of its context to teach that we are saved by grace through faith and NOT of WORKS lest any man BOASTS, which is absolutely the truth. HOWEVER, they WRONGLY define the word WORKS to mean literally everything. THEY even define FAITH as being works. In other words, according to some Calvinistic, Reformed Theology, and Grace Alone Christians, even OBEYING the commandments of God is WORKS to them. And the writer of Hebrews warns us that only those of us who OBEY his words will receive eternal life in the world to come. And thus, they have not CORRECTLY discerned the DIFFERENCE between being initially saved or RECONCILED to God from actually RECEIVING the END of our salvation, which is obtaining eternal life in the world to come. They WRONGLY define being saved as being GIVEN eternal life. And thus, they WRONGLY teach that Christians can never lose eternal life. Please read Hebrews 5:9. “And being made perfect, he became the author of ETERNAL salvation unto all THEM that OBEY him;” The truth of the matter is that no one is truly ETERNALLY saved so that the second death will have NO POWER over us until we draw our last breath being IN Jesus without a spot or blemish, as in, without sin, or Jesus returns and we are FOUND to be FAITHFUL at that precise moment in time being alive at the second coming of Jesus. So to me, if you profess to be a child of God BUT your light is OFF when Jesus returns or you suddenly die in the state of disobedience living in a lifestyle of sin, then you consequently will be rejected by Jesus and he will say to you, Depart from me you worker of iniquity, I never knew you. There are consequences to sin. Don't be deceived. The wages of SIN is death, speaking of the second death in the lake of fire on the final Day of Judgment. So repent speedily if you fall into sin. Repent means to TURN AWAY from sin and to follow after righteousness. To repent does NOT mean to say that you are sorry and then turn right around and commit the same sin. Yes, I realize that we all struggle in certain areas from time to time but if you are ever to overcome this bondage then you must RESIST the temptation to keep committing sin. We are saved or more correctly translated SET FREE from sin in order to be empowered by FAITH to live righteously without sin. And IF and ONLY IF we endure unto the end in this righteous and godly living, THEN and ONLY THEN will we OBTAIN eternal life. FAITH says that if you RESIST the devil, then he will flee from you. So do not give into sin. Use your FAITH to overcome sin. BELIEVE the word of God and RESIST the devil and God will confirm or perform his word and the devil will flee from you. Please read the study F-12. How YOU can live YOUR LIFE FREE from SIN! That study will give you a greater understanding of HOW to overcome sin. Stay on the road to salvation! Jesus is the WAY or the “road” to the Father. Jesus PLEASED the Father. Jesus CHOSE to please his God and Father and not himself. Romans 15:3a. “For even Christ PLEASED NOT himself...” Isaiah 47:21 says. “The Lord is WELL PLEASED for his righteousness sake; (Or for the sake of his RIGHTEOUSNESS) he (Jesus) will magnify the law, and make it (The commandments of God) HONORABLE.” And walking in LOVE is NOT grievous. What happens when you hold a magnifying glass over words on a sheet of paper? Only certain words are magnified and brought into focus. Jesus magnified the CORE MORAL commandments of Almighty God that are kept by walking in the one commandment of LOVE to love one another. One of the definitions of the word “honorable” here means creditable. Now, the word “creditable” means capable of being credited or assigned. The word “credit” means the belief or confidence in the truth of something, to trust. And the word “assign” means to set apart for a particular purpose or to select for a duty or task. Jesus FULFILLED or ACCOMPLISHED the law of the OLD Covenant that he was born under. And, thereby, Jesus made the MORAL commandments of God HONORABLE or CREDIBLE for us to ALSO follow his steps and KEEP ourselves from sin. We are BORN, as in, we are BORN-AGAIN under the New Covenant written in the New Testament. We have been CALLED or have been ASSIGNED to perform this task of KEEPING the moral commandments of God repeated in the New Testament so that we may be found worthy to receive eternal life. Well done my GOOD and FAITHFUL servant are the words I am set firm or PERSEVERING to hear! In other words, you have been faithful to KEEP my commandments under the New Covenant written in the New Testament. THEREFORE, or for THIS REASON, you may enter into the rest of your Lord, Mark! For you have been found worthy to receive the END of your salvation to become a partaker of the divine nature of immortality. That is when we actually receive or obtain ETERNAL salvation, which is CONDITIONAL. Do NOT be deceived and let your love grow cold. There are many benefits or rewards now in this present world for those that BELIEVE and KEEP the commandments of God under the New Covenant. Remember in Hebrews when we talked about it is impossible to PLEASE God without faith, and that God is the REWARDER of them that diligently seek him? Look at Ecclesiastes 8:5a which says. “Whoso KEEPS the commandment shall feel NO EVIL thing,...” Proverbs 16:7 says. “WHEN a man's way PLEASES the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” And 1 John 5:18 teaches us that if WE keep OURSELVES then the evil one can NOT touch us. 1 John 5:18. “We know that whosoever is born of God sins not, but he that is begotten of God keeps himself, and that wicked one touches him not.” So what is the WAY of man that PLEASES God? Remember in Isaiah that God was WELL PLEASED with his Son Jesus for his RIGHTEOUSNESS. God is well pleased when we walk in righteousness. But God is not pleased when we boast in our OWN righteousness that we do in our OWN strength. So how can we please God? THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH We are justified or made JUST by FAITH and we who are now, after being made JUST, the JUST that shall LIVE justly or righteously also by FAITH. We are to BELIEVE that we are no longer sinners. We are to BELIEVE that we are NEW creatures created by God IN Christ Jesus. We are to BELIEVE that the old sin nature has passed away, as in, we do not have to obey the outer-man of our flesh any longer. We are to BELIEVE that sin has no more dominion over us. We are to BELIEVE that we are now debtors to live this NEW life of walking in righteousness by FAITH. And true sound Biblical faith is believing and trusting in God's word that God will NOT ALLOW us to be tempted above that which we are able to bear. We must first BELIEVE God's word that we are able to live free from sin and that sin has NO more dominion over us before we can live free from sin. We are more than conquerors THROUGH Christ Jesus who strengthens us. But it is up to each one of us to make the CHOICE to stand in the strength of the Lord and the power of his might and RESIST any and all temptations to sin. We must do our part to RESIST the devil and God will honor his word and the temptation WILL FLEE from us. God is always faithful to perform His word. But in some things, we must BELIEVE and hold fast to the confidence of our faith to receive what God has already provided. It is through our FAITH and trust in God's word that we will overcome the enemy. The just shall LIVE by or through FAITH. Faith is the means by which we shall LIVE righteously. And if we fall we must have FAITH to believe that God is always faithful and just to FORGIVE us of all our sins and cleanse us from all our unrighteousness to be made PERFECT once again in the eyes of Almighty God. Jesus said, be you PERFECT even as your Father in heaven is PERFECT. This is what pleases God. Without FAITH it is impossible to please God. And LIVING uprightly and in RIGHTEOUSNESS is WHAT PLEASES Almighty God. Can you not see my dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, that without faith we will not be able to live righteously without boasting or pride? He desires us to be holy EVEN as He is holy, and He is the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. Be you perfect EVEN as He, our heavenly Father is perfect. And every time we repent and confess our sins, we are made PERFECT once again in the eyes of Almighty God and His Son Jesus. So be you PERFECT by NOT making EXCUSES for your sins. But rather, REPENT quickly and confess your sins. STAY in that state of being PERFECT by being WITHOUT sin. You ARE without SIN when you repent and confess your sin. For you see, God CLEANSES you from ALL of your unrighteousness when you repent and confess your sins. And you cannot get any more perfect than Almighty God Himself CLEANSING you from all your sins! Now the whole word of God is filled with God's PROMISES that IF we DO a certain thing, THEN God will HONOR His WORD and DO something in return for our OBEDIENCE and FAITH. Please read 2 Peter 1:3-12 prayerfully and carefully. “ACCORDING, as his divine power has GIVEN unto us, ALL THINGS that PERTAIN unto LIFE and GODLINESS THROUGH the KNOWLEDGE of Him that CALLED us to glory and virtue: 4. WHEREBY (Speaking of the KNOWLEDGE or UNDERSTANDING and BELIEF in BOTH Almighty God the Father and his Son Jesus, whom he sent to be the ATONEMENT for all our past sins, BY THIS, we who BELIEVE) are GIVEN unto us exceeding great and precious PROMISES: that (Or so that or in order that) BY THESE (Speaking of the PROMISES in the WORD of Almighty God) you might be partakers of the divine nature (Speaking of OBTAINING or PARTAKING of ETERNAL LIFE in the world to come to rule and reign with Jesus. But HOW?) having ESCAPED the corruption that is in the world through lust. (Speaking of the lust of our old man of the flesh. This passage of Scripture is teaching us HOW to ESCAPE the corruption of this world that the old man of our flesh lusts after. And IF we do these things we will never sin again) 5. And beside THIS (Speaking of standing on or BELIEVING in the PROMISES in God's word, doing even more than this, or BESIDES this) giving all DILIGENCE, ADD to your FAITH virtue; and to virtue (Add) knowledge; 6. And to knowledge (Add) temperance; and to temperance (Add) patience; and to patience (Add) godliness; 7. And to godliness (Add) brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness. (Add) charity (Or love) 8. For IF THESE THINGS be IN you and ABOUND, THEY (Referring to ALL THESE THINGS mentioned above, THEY shall) make you that you shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (In other words, to him that has shall MORE be GIVEN) 9. BUT he that LACKS these things is BLIND, and cannot see afar off, and has FORGOTTEN that he was PURGED from his OLD SINS. 10. WHEREFORE (Or for this reason) the rather, brethren, give the DILIGENCE to MAKE your CALLING and election sure: FOR IF you DO THESE THINGS, you shall NEVER FALL. (And the opposite of this is equally true that if a Christian is NOT diligent to obey the leading of the Holy Spirit it is possible that they could become deceived to depart from God) 11. For so (Or more precisely, for so BY DOING ALL THESE THINGS) an ENTRANCE shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the EVERLASTING KINGDOM of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 12. WHEREFORE, (Or for this REASON) I will NOT be negligent to put you always in remembrance of THESE THINGS, though you know them, and be established in the PRESENT TRUTH.” The OLD Covenant was the PAST truth. And NOW, the NEW COVENANT written in the New Testament is the PRESENT TRUTH. And that is why I have written all the studies here at AMatterOfTruth.com So again, I implore you to read ALL of the studies under the heading >>>F-0. Can we LOSE ETERNAL LIFE?<<< Also, I do not want my readers or any other Christians to fall from grace. So I implore all seventh DAY of the week Sabbath-keeping Christians to read ALL of the studies under the heading >>>Dd-0. What is the TRUE Sabbath?<<< We must all endure unto the end to be saved, as in, to actually receive the END of our salvation, which is eternal life in the world to come. Now, these words, “NEVER FALL” literally mean the following. I looked up the meanings of the words “never fall” and put them in the place of “never fall” in the verse of Scripture. “For IF you DO THESE THINGS you shall NEVER by NO MEANS in NO CASE in ANY WAY at ANY TIME, NO NOT at all any more , NEVER AGAIN make an error or fail of salvation stumble or offend in ANY MANNER!” In other words, IF Christians ADD to their FAITH to do all the things taught to us in 2 Peter 1:5-12. then we shall NEVER SIN again. That may sound impossible to some of you at this time in your life, but God promises us that ALL things are POSSIBLE to those of us who BELIEVE! I expound on the definition of these words in the study entitled F-12. How YOU can live YOUR LIFE FREE from SIN! So, I highly recommend it for every believer to read. But for now, let us continue this study in God's word and look at another verse that teaches us of a BENEFIT that comes from KEEPING ourselves from SIN.
Please read 1 John 5:18 which says. “We know that whosoever is born of God sins NOT, but he that is begotten of God KEEPS himself; (From sin. It is WE who must PUT OFF the old man through the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. And IF we KEEP ourselves) and that wicked one (Satan, the devil) TOUCHES him NOT.” The Devil goes about SEEKING WHOM he MAY devour. In other words, Satan can NOT simply devour whomever he chooses. But rather, he must SEEK out people who are NOT under God’s PROTECTION. Another meaning of the Greek word “sozo” that is translated as saved, also means SAFETY and being PROTECTED. But IF a Christian lives in a lifestyle of sin, then they open the door of PROTECTION to ALLOW Satan to oppress them or to TOUCH them. But IF we keep ourselves from sin then the Devil is NOT ALLOWED to devour us or even TOUCH us. When we are born of God or born again, God places in us a NEW heart that no longer desires to sin. But rather, as a new creature created in Jesus Christ, our new heart desires to seek to please and obey God. The heart of the man or the spirit of man, which is the real you, so to speak, becomes a new creation and the old desires to sin pass away, as in, the INNER-man no longer wants to sin. Now there is still the desire of the outer man of the flesh that wars against the heart or spirit. But we do not have to obey this lower corrupted nature of our flesh. Paul says that he crucified the flesh daily, meaning that he RESISTED or DENIED his corrupted fleshly desires to SIN. Paul says that we are to follow him as he follows Christ. It is no longer we that live, but Christ IN us, or the ANOINTING in us who strengthens us to do all things through the power of the Eternal Spirit dwelling in us. We are HIS workmanship, but we still have to BELIEVE that we can OVERCOME the enemy by FAITH in the promises in the word of Almighty God. 1 John 5:4 says. “For whosoever is BORN of God (Speaking of being born again) OVERCOMES the world; (It does not say has already overcome the world and there is nothing we must do. God created us in Jesus Christ for the very purpose to DO good works of righteousness, according to Ephesians 2:10 that grace alone Christians conveniently leave out) and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our FAITH.” Again, it does not say our faith to simply confess Jesus as our Savior and NOT as our Lord. You see, 1 John 5:5 does NOT say, “he that OVERCAME the world by believing that Jesus is the Son of God”. Rather, it says, the one overcoming the world, as in, a continual overcoming throughout the Christian’s life. Please read the LITERAL translation of 1 John 5:5. “Any (?) is the one CONQUERING the world if NO, the one believing the Jesus is the Son of God.” In other words, the ONLY ones who ARE CONQUERING the world are us who do believe that Jesus is the Son of God. And if we TRULY believe in Jesus we will OBEY his words which are Yahweh’s words that the Father put in the mouth of His prophet, Jesus, in order to teach us to OBEY His NEW COVENANT, which is Jesus. God gave Jesus to BE His NEW COVENANT. And the words of Jesus are written in the New Testament under the New Covenant. So again, to all seventh DAY of the week Sabbath keeping Christians, I implore you to read all the studies under the heading >>>Dd-0. What is the TRUE Sabbath?<<< The truth of the matter is that we are BEING saved by enduring unto the end to receive the end of our salvation. It is impossible to PLEASE God without FAITH. The just shall live RIGHTEOUSLY by or through FAITH. You CANNOT do this in your OWN strength or willpower without pride and boasting, which is sin. Romans 8:8 says. “So then, they that are in the FLESH CANNOT PLEASE God.” But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, IF SO BE that the Spirit of God dwells in you. And the Holy Spirit dwells in every Christians the very moment they first BELIEVE. So if you are saved by faith to CONFESS that Jesus is the Son of God then God DWELLS IN you according to 1 John 4:15. Some Christians wrongly teach that if a Christian does not speak in other tongues then they do not have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. Please read the study I-5. MUST Christians SPEAK in OTHER TONGUES? But for now, let us finish this study on the WILL of God. Romans 8:9 says. “But you are NOT in the flesh, but IN the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” Jesus said in Revelation 22:12. “Behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me to give to every man ACCORDING to his WORK shall be.” We will be judged according to our WORKS. Jesus goes on to say in verse 14. Revelation 22:14. “Blessed are they that DO the COMMANDMENTS, (Again, speaking of the commandments given to Jesus by the Father to give to us under the New Covenant written in the New Testament. So WHY must all Christians OBEY the TWO commandments of Jesus) that (Or so that, or in order that) they may have RIGHT to the tree of life and may enter in through the gates of the city.”
One of the definitions of the word “right” is to have a legal or just claim to something. We only have the RIGHT to inherit eternal life IF SO BE we walk in obedience to the Spirit of God to OBEY the two commandments of Jesus under the New Covenant written in the New Testament. Jesus ABOLISHED the law of commandments contained in ORDINANCES, according to Ephesians 2:8-15 and Colossians 2:8-17. If you do not know what that means then please read the study Dd-23. What does MATTHEW 5:17,18 TRULY Mean? In that study, I ask and answer the question “DID JESUS ABOLISH THE LAW?” The short answer is that Jesus abolished the ORDINANCES only and NOT the commandments themselves. In other words, CHANGES were made in the WAY that we KEEP the law of God under the New Covenant. Every Christians understands that the LAW of SACRIFICE was not abolished. But what WAS ABOLISHED was the WAY in which the law of sacrifice used to be kept. And under the OLD Covenant, the WAY in which the law of “sacrifice” was kept, was to offer a “lamb” without spot or blemish. So then, the LETTER of the law was a SHADOW pointing to the SPIRIT of the law, the TRUE Lamb of God, Jesus the Messiah. And NOW, under the NEW COVENANT we are keeping the law of sacrifice by FAITH in Jesus as being the NEWNESS of SPIRIT of the law. And the Apostle Paul clearly teaches us that all of the feast days, the new moons, the dietary laws and the weekly Sabbath days were SHADOWS pointing to Jesus as the body or as the reality. And thus, the weekly Sabbath day of REST was a SIGN pointing to Jesus as our TRUE REST that we must enter into in order to be given the right to REST on during the TRUE Seventh 1000 year long DAY of Yahweh’s Sabbath rest in the world to come. Please read the studies called Dd-15. THE WEEKLY SABBATH REST is a SIGN!, and Dd-13. Is JESUS OUR TRUE SABBATH REST? But for now, Romans 8:14 says that as many that are LED by the Spirit of God are the sons of God. Therefore, if you do not follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, then you remove yourself from your inheritance of eternal life. And until you repent and walk in obedience to the Spirit of God you will remain disinherited and will not have the RIGHT to eternal life UNTIL you REPENT and confess your sins. Romans 8:17 says we are heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ; IF SO BE that we suffer with him. So how did Jesus suffer? Jesus suffered by NOT PLEASING himself. Jesus suffered by being TEMPTED and NOT giving in to the temptation to sin. And we are called to FOLLOW the steps of Jesus who did NO SIN. Romans 15:3a says. “For Christ PLEASED NOT himself...” Jesus did not want to suffer the cross, but he prayed to his God and Father and the Spirit of God dwelling in him strengthened him. And he submitted himself to the will of his God and Father and OBEYED his Father's will above his own will.Jesus said in prayer to his heavenly Father, nevertheless not MY will but Your Will be done. So, the next time you are tempted say to your heavenly Father, NOT MY will but YOUR Will be done. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Whenever you feel weak and ready to give in to temptation PRAY to God, your heavenly Father, in the mighty name of His Son, Jesus, and Almighty God the Father will strengthen you through His Holy Spirit. Continue to feed DAILY upon POSITIVE FAITH filled teachings that clearly show to you that you are more than a conqueror THROUGH Christ Jesus. To Almighty God be the glory, for it is IN Him that we live and move and have our being. STAY in the PROTECTION of God by obeying the ANOINTING who dwells in you. Walk in the Spirit and you will NOT fulfill the lust of the FLESH. Walk after the FLESH and you will DIE, according to Romans 8:13a Thanks for reading, and may God bless you richly as you continue to seek the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of Almighty God. And to me, the truth concerning who Jesus TRULY is, according to the Bible ITSELF, is the Biblical Unitarian view of Jesus. So, for ALL of the studies on the Biblical Unitarian view of Jesus, please click on the subject heading >>>D-0. THE BIBLICAL UNITARIAN VIEW of JESUS!<<< And for the SUBJECT on the true foundation of the church, please click on the subject heading >>>C-0. THE TRUE FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH!<<< This way you can just send ONE link to those who you want to share the TRUE sound Biblical FOUNDATIONAL teachings of the church that Jesus and his Apostles taught in the first century church.
Your brother in our Lord Jesus Christ, Brother Mark.
My heartfelt prayer is that all Christians RETURN to the TRUE FOUNDATION of the church that is taught by the very Apostles of Jesus in the first century. So let us all come into the UNITY of the faith and return to what Jesus and his Apostles taught us in SIMPLICITY in the New Testament.
To learn more TRUTH, then please return to
VERSES USED TO TEACH THAT JESUS PREEXISTED!
To me, the best way to know the ONE true God in ONE person is to know who Jesus TRULY is according to the WHOLE word of Almighty God. So please read ALL of the studies under the heading >>>N-0. WHO is JESUS ACCORDING to the BIBLE?<<< and you will see that the Bible itself teaches us that Jesus was CREATED by his God and Father. And if you have any questions related to the correct meaning of certain verses of Scripture on this subject of who Jesus is please read all the studies under the two headings >>>U-0. VERSES used for THE TRINITY!<<< and >>>V-0. VERSES used to TEACH that Jesus PRE-EXISTED!<<< These two headings have ALL of the studies that I have on who Jesus truly is according to what the Bible itself teaches us in simplicity. I compiled these three headings to make it easy for my readers to send just one, two, or three links to those you desire to help understand what the Bible itself teaches concerning who Jesus is in the LIGHT of the WHOLE word of Almighty God. If you have any questions, please feel free to write to me. My contact email is MarkatAMatterOfTruth@Gmail .com. Thanks again for reading and may God bless you richly as you continue to seek the truth of the whole word of Almighty God.
Your Brother in our Lord Jesus Christ, Brother Mark.
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Always be faithful to share, to preach, and to teach the whole gospel of Jesus Christ! |
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