If you have chosen this page, I hope to make this as simple as possible. Let me begin by saying each of us are born with a sinful nature. The Bible we have today is an inspired work of God given to us. It’s main theme is about God’s redemption or rescue plan from hell. I once heard the acronym for the word Bible is Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. 1 Corinthians 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall be made alive.
Romans 3:23,24 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
Having a sinful nature we grow and do a lot of sinning in our lives, making us unfit for heaven. In God’s eyes we are guilty, condemned, lost, hopeless to save ourselves. What are we saved from? After we die there are 2 options – Heaven or hell. Ask most people and they say they are going to heaven after they die. Seems like a universal thought of good deeds vs bad deeds. World religions tend to have this same theory – be a good person and you are rewarded in the afterlife. Becoming a Christian isn’t about being religious. It’s all about a relationship with God the Father.
Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
The power of the Holy Spirit has to be at work and change the person from the inside out. If that doesn’t happen people may go right back to their lives with no heart change. Ultimately God knows each persons heart. Some take a step of faith by getting baptized (immersion) proclaiming their new lives in Christ. For clarification, baptism doesn’t save people. It is a public testimony of your new life in Christ and being born again in Him. Baptism is a picture of our belief of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. We believe Jesus is the Son of God sent to be the savior of the world. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit – AKA the Trinity.
2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? – unless indeed you fail to meet the test!
You must believe that God sent His son Jesus to pay the penalty for your sins. We are all sinners and Jesus Christ made a way for us to live with Him forever. He took your place on the cross and suffered greatly. He rose from the dead on the 3rd day, because the grave could not hold Him. God the Father wants a relationship with you.
Two important (3:16) passages John wrote for us. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” And 1 John 3:16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
The atonement (sacrifice) made by Christ (the Messiah) was made in our place when He died on the cross. We are deserving of His judgment, but He has made a way for us to be made right with Him and have eternal life. This means a reconciliation and forgiveness that He offers that justifies you. He has mercy on us and grants us grace by forgiving us of our sins. You need to recognize your sin for what it is against a Holy God. If you are brought to a place of genuine repentance – degusted by your own sin, God is there to forgive you for it. It is a turning away from our old ways. When we heartfeltly believe and place our trust in Him and turn from our sin we become born again.
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
A Christian life is possible for all believers through the forgiveness of sins and the filling of the Holy Spirit in our lives. As we develop a relationship with Christ, and we grow in our spiritual walk. We should strive to live a holy life free from sin. When we do sin, it’s important to confess our sins and turn from them. The fruit of the Spirit should be evident in our lives. Galatians 5:22,23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
Did you catch that? Does the WILL of my Father. Not our will, going about our lives doing whatever we want. We should see the seriousness of our sin. Have we turned away from the sin we once loved? Do we run from it now? Is our hatred for God turned now to love?
It’s important to get a Bible and begin reading each day. It is how He communicates with us today. Praying/talking to Him is also imperative to your spiritual growth. As for where to start in the Bible, I recommend the book the gospel of John. Romans is another helpful book in the Bible to begin with as well. It’s all about having a relationship with Him, and you cannot do that without spending time with Him. Learning to start trusting in His abilities and power instead of your own.
Our Lord is full of grace and mercy and is in the business of changing hearts and lives. Remember we don’t change our own hearts, but rather Jesus Christ does the work in us (Holy Spirit). God would never turn away a repentant heart that is seeking Him.
Romans 10:8-10 “But what does it say? ” The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
John 5:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgement, but has passed from death to life.
Search for a Bible believing local church to attend. Having support is crucial to helping you grow in the Lord.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out and message me. Would be happy to pray for you on your journey. May God bless you.
DestinedForHeaven.org 
Thank you so much! Please pray for me,that God will have mercy on me.I have been in church all my life,but am feeling like my whole world is coming a part at the seams.I really needed this,I got it a long time ago,but am just now getting around to reading it.Jesus must have known I needed it.Thank you again.God bless you.
Hey Angela,
I certainly will be praying for you in your time of trouble. Life can be so hard at times, but we’re never truly alone. God sees everything your going through and will help guide you through it. Never doubt Him even though His timing isn’t always in sync with ours. I resent you the “Heaven On The Web” link, and the audio sermons have been updated. Heaven is going to be a very exciting place! Hope you enjoy the series.
Take good care,
Sarah Doohan
Please pray for me!!! I can’t get acsess to your website.The net is stopping me.Please I know Jesus is with me,But I need your prayers.thx
ps.i checked even the spam it’s not in there.
Thank you so much for your prayers.I know Jesus is the way the truth and the life,and I am clinging on to him for dear life!!!!!!!! I keep getting stuff in the email,that i don’t understand,and can’t comprehend,pray God will have mercy on me.Thank you.
Thanks for following onTwitter!
May God bless you with many who come to know Him through you testimony.
God bless,
C.C.T.
@GodCameDown
“As the Bible says, I am already saved (Rom. 8:24, Eph. 2:5–8), but I’m also being saved (1 Cor. 1:18, 2 Cor. 2:15, Phil. 2:12), and I have the hope that I will be saved (Rom. 5:9–10, 1 Cor. 3:12–15). Like the apostle Paul I am working out my salvation in fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12), with hopeful confidence in the promises of Christ (Rom. 5:2, 2 Tim. 2:11–13).”
Maybe I misunderstand your first sentence “As the Bible says, I am already saved”. What was the point of Jesus’ death on the cross? David said in Psalm 51:5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
Jesus explains to Nicodemus the importance of being born again in John ch 3. Here is just verse 3 In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”
Phil 2:12 read down in your concordance vs.12. It’s explained here NIV “Work it out to the finish; not a reference to the attempt to earn one’s salvation in spiritual growth and development. Salvation is not merely a gift received once for all; it expresses itself in an ongoing process in which the believer is strenuously involved – the process of perseverance, spiritual growth and maturation. fear and trembling. Not because of doubt or anxiety; rather the reference is to an active reverence and singleness of purpose in response to God’s grace.”
And your reference 2:5-8 is fine, but I’m going to add vs.9 “not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Thank you for your comment and references.
Jesus explains to Nicodemus in verse 5 that one must be baptized in order to be born again. Jesus answered, “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. Baptism is the beginning of the salvation journey, not just a one time event. Justification holds that being Baptized into Christ cleanses the “entire person,” both internally and externally, from the sins that they have at that present moment (cf. Acts2:38) and makes them a “new creation” (cf. Cor. 5:17). After a person is “clothed with Christ” through the waters of Baptism (cf. Gal 3:27-29), I then become a full-fledged member of God’s family. It is through the Blood of the risen Christ that I can maintain my internal and external baptismal cleanliness.
St. Paul says in his letter to the Romans, “See, then, the kindness and severity of God: severity toward those who fell, but God’s kindness to you, provided you remain in his kindness; otherwise you too will be cut off (Rom 11:22).” Again, in 1 Corinthians he says, “Therefore, whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall (1 Cor 10:12).” In these two instances, St. Paul is letting us know, that when it comes to the journey of salvation, “it’s not over until it’s over.” In 1 Corinthians, Paul writes this about himself, “I drive my body and train it, for fear that, after having preached to others, I myself should be disqualified (1Cor 9:27).”
What does Jesus himself say about the journey of faith? In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus says; “You will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved (Mark 13:13).”
I hope this helps. Thanks
I grew up interested in theology of saved & lost vs eternal security and have strong roots pulling towards predestination vs free will. Don’t care for the term Calvinism because it separates us, when in reality we both are correct. God knew before he created the universe and us who would be spending eternity with Him and who would not. I’ve learned not to debate issues, but rather learn from other belief systems. What you are getting at that Paul taught the early church is living a holy life and fulfilling entire sanctification. Like you referenced in Mark 13:13 it’s clear that we can’t become Christians and than do nothing. I’ve exhausted the subject getting down to understanding exactly what this all means. And yes Paul’s letters to the Corinth church he used the analogy of the Greek athletes. Would have made perfect sense to the early church and still is easily understood today. I love Paul’s letter to the church of Ephesus when he gives them the example of the armor of God. (Ephesians 6:10-17).
I find sometimes people get focused a lot of the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and feel if they don’t meet all 9 requirements that their salvation could be in jeopardy. A while back I wrote and article on the subject of living a holy life. I admit to finding it overwhelming because I was finding contradictions about deep issues. You might want to check it out where you clearly know your Bible. It is amazing though how differently people can view verses.
http://wp.me/pSNnL-9M
Which is the most important?
Jesus was asked twice, by two different men, the same basic question about which is the most important or greatest commandment in the Law. Here is how Jesus answered that question:
#1
“One of the teachers of the law… asked him [Jesus],
‘Of all the commandments, which is the most important?’
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “ is this: ‘Hear, of Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than THESE.” [Mark 12:28-31, Deuteronomy 6:4-5, Leviticus 19:18]
#2
…an expert in the law, tested him [Jesus] with this question: ‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’”
Jesus replied: “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these TWO commandments.” [Matthew 22:36-40, Deuteronomy 6:5, Leviticus 19:18]
But in contrast with Jesus, Paul the Pharisee didn’t know the greatest, most important, first commandment according to Jesus. Paul made up his own rule. Paul wrote:
“The entire law is summed up in a SINGLE command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” [Galatians 5:14, Leviticus 19:18]
And again, Paul wrote:
“He who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not covet, and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this ONE RULE: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” [Romans 13:8-10, Leviticus 19:18]
Jesus said it’s TWO commandments, with the greatest, most important, first command to
.1) first, love God with everything you’ve got, and
.2) second, love people.
Paul said no, it ONE commandment- to love people.
This is very similar to The Beatles- “All you need is love. Love is all you need. Love, Love, Love.” (In other words, the second commandment, the love of man, without the love of God. Love as me, myself and I define love to be, and continuously redefined by sinful men.)
In essence, it is also the same principle as what Eve did in the Garden of Eden, forgetting about the Tree of Life, which is the first tree in the middle of the Garden, and instead referring to the second tree as “the tree that is in the middle of the garden.” [Genesis 3:3 & 2:9 2:17, 3:24]
Kind of like the Pharisees with Jesus, who were pushing the false idea that we can consider ONE commandment in the Law, alone in isolation, to be “the greatest commandment in the Law.”
Or like today, false teachers in the Chrislam – Purpose Driven – Seeker Sensitive – Emergent – Liberal – Ecumenical – New Age – world church movement pushing the false idea that the ONE RULE is “Loving God and Neighbor together.”
The Lord God Jesus the Jewish Messiah, Son of Yahweh the Most High God of Israel, said:
“All the Law and the Prophets hang on these TWO commandments.”
Not one. TWO.
Sometimes, Paul was wrong. Jesus is always right. I’m following Jesus.
Here are answers to 2 common objections:
.a) What about the so-called “Golden Rule”?
Jesus spoke the 3 chapters of the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5-7, including 7:12. Jesus didn’t make PART of this one verse out of context into “The Golden Rule” or “one rule.” Jesus did not use the term “Golden Rule,” it’s simply a tradition of men. The sentence begins with “So” in the NIV and Amplified Bibles, and “Therefore’ in the NASB and King James Bibles, which ties 7:12 to the previous sentences. So 7:12 cannot stand alone as One Commandment.
.b) What about the so-called “Great Commission”?
Jesus spoke the words recorded in Matthew 28:18-20, including “make disciples of all nations.” Jesus never used the term “Great Commission,” it’s simply a tradition of men. Yes I agree it’s a commandment given by Jesus, it’s not optional, and it applies to us today. We need to carry this out, with our own God-given abilities and talents, using the skills, and circumstances we have. But we don’t need to put words in the mouth of Jesus, we can let Jesus speak for himself, and we can listen to Him – and obey Him.
Evangelism is part of the Second Commandment given by Jesus, to Love people. Evangelism is not the most important commandment, and it isn’t the entire Second Commandment. So if our priorities are “The Great Commission and the Great Commandment,” we have our priorities upside down and confused, and we are not listening to the voice of Jesus. Never mind what Paul said. Let’s listen to the voice of Jesus first, and get our priorities straight.
The people who will protest most loudly against this truth are the modern “Pauls:” traveling evangelists, speakers, writers, abusive absentee mega-church pastors, Crusaders, and self-appointed “apostles” like Paul, who find it “profitable” to “be like Paul” rather than follow Jesus the Jewish Messiah.
According to Jesus, which Commandment is the Most Important?
This is a question of fact about the content of the text in the 66 Books of our Bible. It is comparing the words of Jesus with the words of Paul (and other men) regarding which one is the Most Important Commandment and which one is the Second commandment, which together fulfill the Law and the Prophets. (Not The Law the Prophets & the Writings, not “All Scripture,” not “The whole Bible”)
It isn’t a question of men’s opinions about “what Paul really meant” or “what Paul must have known” or “what Paul was actually referring to here” or “what Paul was clearly implying” or “what we must conclude that Paul was assuming”, etc. etc.
These lines of reasoning all go back to the false idea that “Paul must have been right and Paul couldn’t possibly be wrong, so whatever Paul was thinking at the time must have been correct, and we just have to figure out what Paul’s intended meaning was and what Paul was really thinking when he wrote these words.” That would mean that your opinion about the unknowable unwritten “mind of Paul” becomes the “Word of God.” No. Wrong.
Jesus is the Word of God made flesh. The words spoken by Jesus, recorded in our Bible by Matthew Mark Luke & John, should be above all other words. This has literally been the Orthodox position for almost 2000 years. Paul is inferior, Jesus is superior. The words of Jesus are superior to the words of everyone else in the Bible and to everyone else in the world. Jesus is in agreement with the Law and the Prophets and came “to fulfill them.” [Matthew 5:17-20]
What Jesus clearly and specifically said is also superior and more important than your opinions about what you think Jesus meant or implied, but didn’t say elsewhere. For example, when Jesus was speaking about “a new command I give you,” Jesus didn’t say THE new commandment, or the FIRST commandment, or the MOST IMPORTANT commandment, or the ONE commandment, or the GREATEST commandment, or ONE RULE.
The false teaching about “one rule” is the false teaching of the Pharisees of Paul’s day, and Paul the Pharisee was pushing this false teaching. This contradicts the clear specific teaching of Jesus about the first and greatest commandment and the second. Jesus warned us about the Pharisees in Matthew chapters 15 & 16, and quoted the Prophet Isaiah regarding them:
“These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.”
[Isaiah 29:13]
BOSS PAUL THE PHARISEE
[sing it to the tune of “Rapture” by Blondie]
I’m Boss Paul, the Pharisee
My hypocrisy’s plain for the world to see
I travel the land and travel the sea
to make a convert who is just like ME
“All have sinned” – we know that’s true
but it never means ME – it only means YOU
My sins are all theoretical
“I’m the worst of sinners”- but don’t ask where
To be more like Jesus is what some strive
except for me – I’ve already arrived
I’m the perfect model since the road to Damascus
What were Paul’s sins? Don’t ask us!
I justify everything I do
If I testify about myself it MUST be true
I’m the only man in all history
whose testimony doesn’t need two or three
If I did something it MUST be right
Don’t use the Scripture to shed any light
Don’t do as I say, do as I do
and then you can be a Pharisee too.
We’ve been trained to think that the words of Paul are the words of God.
They are not.
What were Paul’s specific sins as a Christian? Here are 5 to get the discussion started:
.1) Paul’s boastful conflicting false testimonies, exaggerating and making things up about his conversion experience in Acts 22 & 26, compared to what actually happened (recorded by Luke in Acts 9).
.2) Paul lying to the Ephesian elders saying he was “compelled by the Spirit” going to Jerusalem, when in truth he was clearly disobeying God. [Acts 19:21 – 22:21]
.
3) Paul exaggerating his ministry in Ephesus claiming it was “3 years night and day with tears” when really it was 3 months in the synagogue and 2 years daily in a lecture hall.
[Acts 20:31 vs Acts 19:8-10]
.4) Paul abandoning the Church in Corinth after a year and a half for no obvious reason, and going off on another long trip, mostly on his own, without appointing anyone else in Corinth as overseer, or giving anyone else any specific authority in the Church in Corinth.
[Acts 18]
.5) Paul acting as an abusive absentee overseer / pastor to the Church in Corinth years after he abandoned them, and clinging to all power and claim to control of money and all aspects of the church ministry, while he was hundreds of miles away teaching full-time in his own school in Ephesus. [1 & 2 Corinthians.]
Paul is the “model pastor” for many modern “Pauls” like;
a)
Bob Coy, who still owns all the assets and controls all the money at his cult known as Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale, in spite of his recent resignation as “Senior Pastor” there due to adultery with multiple woman and other major sins that he still has never specifically admitted to personally.
b)
Greg Laurie, the Boss of a wide-ranging personal cult empire that generally goes by the name of “Harvest.” Greg lives in Newport Beach, commutes by helicopter, and exploits the very large church he founded in Riverside from a distance, while he does his own thing in Orange County and travels around wherever he feels like, building a personal business empire with himself as the center, not Jesus.
1973 – Inside the mind of a “Jesus Person”
Wow, that “Love Song” concert was groovy, man. They are Right On! The Holy Trinity isn’t “Jesus, Paul, and Chuck”. Besides Jesus, all the characters in the Bible had frailties- like Jonah and Paul. God told them to go one way, and they disobeyed God and did the opposite- but God still worked through them eventually, after they repented. It’s encouraging that God can use imperfect messengers like them, because it proves He can also use an imperfect man like me to advance His kingdom, when I humble myself, repent, and obey His commands. Cool !
But what do I do with this truth? I don’t know of a single church that simply teaches the Bible simply and preaches the whole counsel of God, including Paul’s sins and mistakes. They all teach “we should be like Paul” and “we should listen to Paul” without examining Paul’s life and Paul’s teachings in the light of the teachings of Jesus in Scripture. They all make Paul and his teachings the one absolute standard of right and wrong, rather than God’s commandments and the testimony of Jesus. They make Paul the center, not Jesus. I want to bring my hippie friends to church- but how to I explain to them that it’s taboo to mention Paul’s sins and doctrinal errors in church?
How can I make them understand that they should deal with “Paul Worship” the same way that I deal with smoking weed? When I’m at the beach with the hip crowd, I won’t take a stand in public. I won’t say “I’m high on Jesus, and so using a mind-altering drug for recreational purposes is wrong, because Jesus is better.” I don’t want to be rejected by my peers. So I’ll smoke with them, but I won’t let the weed alter my own mind, because “I didn’t inhale!” In order to be accepted in the Establishment church fellowship, you have to smoke the weed of “Paul Worship”- just be true to yourself and “don’t inhale.”
Maybe I could speak in code, like they did in the New Testament church with the fish symbol. I could just say “Jesus is our model.” But never discuss the Scriptures that show why Paul is NOT our model. Then the Paulist Establishment church won’t persecute me, but the other Jesus People will know that I’m still keeping the faith and “not inhaling.”
What I really need is a short catchy slogan to let my fellow hippies know what is expected of them in the Establishment Church now in 1973, regarding the issue of Paul the Pharisee’s sins. Lets see……. “If you don’t ask about Paul’s sins, I won’t tell about them”…. hmmm. Kind of long and wordy. I need to refine that. Maybe there is someone I could bounce this off, to get some ideas. I know! My buddy has a new friend from a Baptist background that seems really smart and good with words. I don’t think he’s involved in church much, but I could talk with that guy. Clinton. What was his first name? One syllable, beginning with a consonant…. George Clinton?… maybe not. Anyway, I’ll talk with Clinton and see if he has an idea for a short catchy slogan- maybe boiled down to four words or so…
It’s not easy for me now in 1973, as a young man just trying to start out in ministry. We’re in a recession, the economy is terrible, jobs are scarce, immorality is rampant, and in many ways the country is falling apart. For years now America has been stuck in a seemingly endless, unwinnable guerilla war in an Asian nation that borders China. The Middle East is very unstable. Based on what’s happening in Israel, it looks like Jesus could be returning soon.
I don’t have any position or influence in the Christian world. I know from the Scriptures that “Paul Worship” is wrong, but the entire Church Establishment says it’s right. Who am I to challenge hundreds years of false man-made tradition, like Jesus, Martin Luther, Columbus, Copernicus and Galileo? I don’t want to bite the hand that feeds me (and my family).
I really will “Stand up, stand up for Jesus, and wave his banner high”- just not right now in 1973. Later, when I’m at the height of my career, and I’m financially secure and I don’t have to worry about finding a job or keeping my job, and I have some real influence- maybe 40 years from now, when I’m, like, in my sixties, say in around 2013- that’s when I’ll really be able to stand up for Jesus. Things will be different then. I’ll do it then.