​Despite the scope of Christ’s work in providing propitiation, reconciliation, redemption and justification there are still people who insist on adding to what Jesus Christ laid out in John as the key to everlasting life.  The plain and simple message Jesus Christ presented was that believing in Him for everlasting life was the key to eternal salvation.  He made it clear you can know for sure you will be with Him in heaven when you die.   John 3:16, 5:24 and 11:25-26 all assert the same truth. 
 
Anyone can read those verses in context and see for themselves what the Lord Jesus Christ said.  Then they can decide who they wish to believe, the Lord or some one else.  I’d recommend you stick with the Lord Jesus since He rose from the dead proving He knew what He was talking about.  Anyone who insists on adding conditions like repentance of sin or baptism must answer 2 questions.  What was deficient in Christ’s death on the cross that we must make up and why didn’t Jesus Christ explain that to Nicodemus.  
 
Belief is purely of the mind.  We either believe something is true or we don’t.  There are not degrees of belief or special ways to believe.  It is a simple binary function.  But what if you stop believing?  What happens then?  Jesus Christ called the gift received by faith everlasting life.  You get it the moment you believe.  Everlasting means it lasts forever.  If it last forever you can’t lose it.  If you stop believing in Jesus Christ you still have everlasting life.  I imagine there will be an uncomfortable conversation with God when you get to heaven.  And according to Matthew 25:28-30 & 1 Corinthians 3:15 there will be a loss suffered in what you will have in heaven, but you will be there.  Other wise He would not have called it everlasting life. 
 
The truth is that God wants us in Heaven with Him more than many of us want to be there.  I know that sounds crazy, but it must be true since so many people want nothing to do with God.  Others don’t like the idea of everlasting life being a gift they don’t deserve.  So, they vainly believe they can set their own terms for God’s acceptance.  It not only sounds crazy but it truly is nuts.  So, who are you going to believe?  

​2 Corinthians 11:3 But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
 
Having satisfied God that the sin issue has been dealt with and that the redemption price had been paid, Jesus Christ had successfully reconciled the world to God.  All debts had been paid and the stain of sin removed meant the books could be balanced.  Just one thing remained.  Only the righteous inherit the Kingdom and that is where justification comes in to play.  As Paul explained in Romans Justification has always been by faith.  Genesis 15:6 And he (Abram) believed in the Lord, and He (the LORD) accounted it to him for righteousness.  Believing in Jesus Christ for everlasting life also brings Justification. 
 
Romans 4:5 But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness. 
Romans 5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
 
The somewhat complex doctrines of Propitiation, Redemption, Reconciliation and Justification deliver a very simple answer to the question of whether or not we will be with God in Heaven when we die.  There is also an elegant symmetry to the whole thing.  It was Adam’s unbelief that brought death into the world.  He chose to believe Eve rather than God when it came to the forbidden fruit.  So, God has made belief the requirement for restoring everlasting life and entrance into the eternal Kingdom.   
 
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
 
Why not start the New Year off with the new everlasting life Jesus Christ offers everyone who will believe in Him for it.   You can do that right now.  Take God at His word, believe what He has promised and life everlasting is yours.  If you do believe then tell Him, say a prayer and thank God for the new life He has given you in Jesus Christ.  

2 Corinthians 11:3 But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
 
Jesus Christ’s became the Propitiation for our sin which removed our liability for punishment.  But what about our guilt?  A thief can pay his debt to society by serving a jail sentence, but he still has a record as a thief.  His record remains on file and therefore his guilt.  But Jesus Christ did more than just take on our liability for punishment when He died on that Cross.  Check out what God revealed to the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 5. 
  
2 Corinthians 5:18-19 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
 
Reconciliation means our record has been brought into balance with God.  What Dr. Crichton, the president of the college I attended, called being worthy of blame, in other words guilt.   Jesus Christ was also erasing our record of sin while on the cross by taking on our guilt.  God no longer imputes our sins to us.  Impute means to charge or assign to one’s record.  Think of it as a credit charge statement.  The statement is a record of all the purchases you made using the card.  If the credit company decided to not impute the charges to your account, nothing would show up on your statement.  You would have a zero balance. 
 
In the case of our final destiny, we have what I’ll call a righteousness account.  A statement of how good or bad we have been.  If you have not believed in Jesus Christ for everlasting life you have a zero balance in your righteousness account and likely did not know that.  Jesus Christ has removed your liability for punishment and the record of your guilt for you.  But that is still not enough to get you into Heaven when you die. 
 
You still need everlasting life.  John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  Believe that Jesus Christ is the giver of everlasting life and that He gives it to everyone who believes Him for that life.  Because that is what brings the final step which is called justification.  

​Next Post

2 Corinthians 11:3 But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
 
OK, the Bible says that so it must be true, right?  Well, it is or we have to change our understanding of the Bible as the word of God.  Since I believe the Bible is the revealed word of God, I’m going to look for reasons to believe it.  One reason many people never realize the simplicity that is in Christ is because they’ve never really investigated what God has done through Christ to make it so.   The Apostle Paul wrote about the preparatory work God did to make Justification by faith possible without compromising His character or integrity.  He was able to remain Just and Righteous while still achieving His stated objective in Romans 3:21-26.
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21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, …..26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Romans 3:21 & 26
 
What has been reveal is that Jesus Christ is our redeemer.  Romans 3:24-25 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed.
 
Propitiation is a legal term meaning Satisfaction.  Jesus Christ has satisfied the Father’s need for Justice by paying for us our debt for sin.  If God’s absolute sense of justice has been satisfied then there is nothing left of our debt for sins committed.  The debt to God has been paid.  That leaves God free to justify any who meets His terms for Justification.  Those are spelled out in several Scriptures, the most famous being John 3:16.  The only thing God requires is that we believe in Jesus Christ for everlasting life.  He is the giver of everlasting life and will give to everyone who believes He for it.    
Next let’s look at reconciliation. 
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2 Corinthians 11:3 But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

It seems to me that anyone who has a habit of regular Bible reading would have run across this verse and considered the implied challenge.  Have I added to the Gospel or fallen victim to believing it is more complicated than it should be.  There are folks out there that teach otherwise.  One church I know of cautions parents about evangelizing their children.  Their reason is that children really can’t comprehend the complex doctrines of redemption.  The kids might end up with a false security and never get saved.

The Apostle Paul seemed to believe children could easily grasp Christian doctrines.  Consider Ephesians 6:1-3 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: 3 “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”  Paul addressed the child in the church directly.  He obviously believed the kids could understand their responsibility and the rationale for it. It is also clear the Apostle expected children to be present at the reading of his letter.  Think about that for a moment.  Paul believed children would be able to hear and respond to the contents of his letter.   
He learned that from Jesus Christ who actually taught that Children were the model we all should follow on matters of faith.   

Luke 18:15-17 Then they also brought infants to Him that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called them to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. 17 Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.”
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According the Jesus Christ children are able to discern truth and believe it.  He said they are the model we all should follow in believing Him for everlasting life and for living as disciples.   Therefore, if Biblical truth is simple enough for a child to understand then so can adults.  If this sounds new to you, I invite you to comment and ask questions.  You can also follow the sermon series on our podcast or come to Trego Community Church and we can talk.  

This next Sunday, November 10, we are starting a new series during our 10:30 worship service.  I’ve entitled it “Simple Christianity.”  I draw that title from 2 Corinthians 11:3 But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.  He was right to be fearful because as you survey what the various denominations and independent churches teach simplicity is not the word that comes to mind. 

Some churches teach you can lose your everlasting life if you commit a really big sin or too many little sins.  So which ones are an auto fail and where’s the line on the too many?  Others teach if you don’t experience a changed life, you haven’t really believed.  Those churches usually teach there is a right way to believe as well as a wrong way.  They use terms like genuine faith or saving faith for the right way.  I’m not sure they can actually explain the difference.  I do know the definition of a changed life changes depending on where you live.   
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So, in this new series we will be exploring what the Bible says about living a Christian life.  If having a Biblical foundation on which to build your life sounds like something you would like to have come join us at Trego Community Church.  

In my last post I said reading the Bible is the first step in becoming a disciple.  I probably should have said it is the next step because the first step is being a believer in Jesus Christ for everlasting life.  Because the truly lasting benefits of discipleship fall to those who have believed in Jesus Christ for everlasting life.  Whatever good you can derive from living as a disciple without everlasting life is lost when you die.  To make the absolute most of being a disciple you must be reborn with the everlasting life Jesus Christ offers everyone who believes in Him for it.  That’s the message of John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Yesterday, I was asked what is everlasting life.  The person asking rightly pointed out that even people in hell are still alive.  Is that not living forever?  It is certainly life in the sense of continuation of existence.  But the Bible also calls it the second death.  That gives us some insight into what God considers life and death.  The Biblical use of death carries the sense of separation.  Physical death is separation from the body and the material world.  Spiritual death is separation from God. 

In John Chapter 3 Jesus Christ referred to receiving everlasting life as being born again, a 2nd birth. He was defining everlasting life as being united with God. It bridges the gulf that separates people from God.  So, in answer to the question of what is everlasting life, it is simply this:  Everlasting life is being forever united with God.  It is living forever in His Eternal Kingdom.   
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The second death defines what awaits people who fail to believe the message of life everlasting promised by Jesus Christ.  They will continue to exist after separation from this world, but will be forever separated from God in Hell.  Death is not annihilation of existence; it is a permanent separation from God.  It is possible that means complete isolation of self.  It is certainly far worse than how it is portrayed in comics and literature.
Jesus Christ’s offer of everlasting life is by far the best option.  He keeps His promises.  

At Trego Community Church I tend to nag a little about Bible reading.  OK, I nag about it a lot.  But in a nice way.  The challenge is to read at least 4 chapters a day.  If you do that you can get through the entire Bible in just under 10 months.  And in doing that you have the chance to learn about God.  See how He interacts with His Creation.  You can learn what His plan is for the Human race.  And best of all you can get a snap shot of what He has in store for those who believe in Jesus Christ for everlasting life. 
The main reason I stress Bible reading is because it is the first step in becoming a disciple.  John 8:30-32 As He spoke these words, many believed in Him. 31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

You can’t abide in His word if you haven’t read it and learned what He has said.  Abide means to dwell or maybe better - set up camp in His word.  Or as the Apostle Paul put in Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom.  We are saved by faith and we are to live by faith.  We are to live by belief in the promises found in God’s word.  But you can’t believe what you do not know.  Living by what I teach or any other pastor teaches at church is not the same thing as living by what you have learned for yourself from reading the Bible. 

With the Bible you have 24/7 access to God’s revealed truth.  It is His word you can look up and read anytime you wish.  And the best part is you will get to know the God who is in a truly personal way.  He speaks through His written word.  He can use it to make you wise.  Psalm 119:98
You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies; For they are ever with me.
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So, why not take up the challenge?  Get in the habit of reading at least 4 chapters a day.  You can download a reading plan or do what I do.  Start at the beginning and read through to the end.  Then start over.  

Have you read Romans 7:7-12?  If so, how would you sum up what he said in one sentence?  OK, that is not fair because there is more than one lesson to draw from that passage.  Here is one thing I hope you took from what he wrote: ‘focusing on what I should not do doesn’t translate into doing what I should do.’   That is the weakness of religious law.  It kind of works like a wet paint sign, you are invariably struck with the urge to touch it just to make sure. 

Romans 12:1&2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

It is kind of like this, the best way to avoid thinking about pink rabbits is to concentrate on purple elephants.  That is the principle behind the renewal of your mind Paul mentions in Romans 12:2. You have to replace the old way of thinking with a new methodology.  What I’ll call a new mindset.  That is actually what the Bible calls for, a total change of mindset. Our natural or instinctive mindset is tied to the material universe in which we live.  Renewing our mind requires new knowledge.  Thus, the command to work at studying the Bible, filling your mind with new information.  So, here is another great Bible verse on this subject.

Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

Because the righteous one must live by faith (Romans 1:17) we need to know the source of that faith.  Faith must have an object and for the believer that is the Bible, God’s word.  You can’t believe in something you don’t know.  So, we have Romans 10:17 “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” 
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If you have believed in Jesus Christ for everlasting life the next step towards being a disciple is renewing your mind by reading and studying God’s word.  2 Timothy 2:15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.  True knowledge of God’s Word may not change your life, but it will change you.  

​What does the Bible say is our only defense against our proclivity for sin?  Is it embracing law?  Or is it hiding from the world?  As I pointed out in the previous post the Apostle Paul used his personal experience to demonstrate that does not work.  Read Romans 7:7-12 for yourself and see what I mean. No, the answer is living by faith, resting in the protection of the Holy Spirit.  Paul put it this way in Galatians:     
Galatians 5:16-17 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.
 
What does it mean to walk (live) in the Spirit?  Walk in the Spirit is actually one of several descriptive phrases Paul uses to describe how to live by faith.  In this case I believe he was elaborating on his earlier statement in Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.   
 
And he also gave us a list of outcomes that come from walking in the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-25
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. These are not skill we have to develop, but manifestations of the Spirit’s presence in us.    
 
V. 25 makes the connection between everlasting life (if we live in the Spirit) and walking in the Spirit.  Both are the results of faith.  We receive everlasting life by believing Jesus Christ for life and we walk in the Spirit by believing Him for living that everlasting life. What we have to believe is what God has revealed to us in the Bible.  Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.  So, knowledge of God’s word is key to walking in the Spirit. 
Ephesians 5:18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit. That is another descriptive term for walk in the Spirit.  We know that because it produces similar outcomes: v. 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Notice Colossians 3:16 does the same:  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Knowledge of God’s word is essential to walking in the Spirit.