Day by Day

 

In my recent article called "Does Being Saved Make All Your Troubles Disappear?" I wrote about the fact that the Lord does not make all our troubles go away when we come to Christ. But He does give us the grace and strength to face each day, to endure our trials, and to be of good cheer in the midst of them. 

Today I'd like to share with you a very special Swedish hymn written in 1865 by Lina Sandell-Berg, which is one of my favorite hymns. She wrote it at age 26, several years after witnessing her father,  Pastor Jonas Sandell, drown in a tragic boating accident in 1858. The hymn was written during a period of deep personal grief, serving as a testament to her reliance on God's strength and presence, taking life one day at a time just as our Lord Jesus taught us to do. Despite her tragedy, she found comfort in her faith in Christ, composing this lovely hymn that reflects a deep, personal assurance of God's care in the midst of trials.

In The Lord's Church today, we sang this hymn together, as we often have so many times before. Here is the video recording of it with the view outside our window earlier in the morning at sunrise. My son Christopher is playing the keyboard, as he usually does during our worship service.

Lyrics:

Day by day, and with each passing moment,

Strength I find to meet my trials here;

Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment,

I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.

He, whose heart is kind beyond all measure,

Gives unto each day what He deems best,

Lovingly its part of pain and pleasure,

Mingling toil with peace and rest.

Every day the Lord Himself is near me,

With a special mercy for each hour;

All my cares He fain would bear and cheer me,

He whose name is Counsellor and Pow’r.

The protection of His child and treasure

Is a charge that on Himself He laid;

“As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,”

This the pledge to me He made.

Help me then, in every tribulation,

So to trust Thy promises, O Lord,

That I lose not faith’s sweet consolation,

Offered me within Thy holy Word.

Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,

E’er to take, as from a father’s hand,

One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,

Till I reach the Promised Land.

Closing Words

Are you going through deep trials or experiencing personal tragedy at this time? Let me assure you that Jesus cares and He would like to help you through it. Just call upon His name today and ask Him for His presence, grace, and strength to get through it, and ask Him to hold your hand. I can assure you that He will do it. Then trust in Him, take it one day at a time, and don't worry about tomorrow.

Author's note:  If you enjoyed this post, you may also like Does Being Saved Make All Your Problems Disappear?, The Blessings of Being in Christ. The Love of Jesus, Having the Love of God in Your Heart, Compelled by Love, One Thing, Seven Things That Accumulate Building Materials in Heaven, and the other posts available through the links on the Home page. You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Him.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe. 

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

______________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

The Faith of God

Dear God Seekers,

In my article, Faith in Action, I wrote about the faith of God in the context of Hebrews 11, where Scripture recounts the faith of the ancients, which was demonstrated by their actions. I also wrote in that same article about the faith of Christ, which was demonstrated by His actions, especially in enduring the cross, as it says in Hebrews 12. If you have already read that article, then you can jump straight to the second half of this present article. That being said, I'd now would like to present to you a truth that some will find difficult to accept, but it is true nevertheless: even God has faith in Himself.

Even God Has Faith

Scripture says, "By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible." (Heb 11:3)

Our understanding of how God created the entire universe at His command is by faith. That understanding of ours is not based on reason or scientific evidence, although both of those have been proven to fully support our understanding of the creation. He made all visible things that we see around us -- on earth, in the sky, and in space, and He made them out of what was invisible. He calls things that are not as though they were (Rom 4:17). He had confidence about what He hoped for and assurance about what He did not see. That is the very definition of faith (Heb 11:1). He believed in His own power and ability. He knew that He was capable of doing what He wanted to do, therefore He believed in Himself, which only He can do, because He alone is God. He is all-sufficient. All things are possible for Him (Matt 19:26), and absolutely nothing is too difficult for Him (Jer 32:17). He simply spoke the Word, and the universe came into existence (Gen 1:3).

Someone may argue that God does not have faith. However, anyone who denies that God has faith in Himself would have to prove that. It would be quite silly to insist that God does not believe in Himself, wouldn't it? Why would He command us to believe in Him, if He did not even believe in Himself and His own ability to call things that are not as though they were.

The Scripture says, "I believed, therefore I have spoken." (2 Cor 4:13:14). Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak. God put His own faith in action and taught us by His example how to put into action our faith in Him. 

"Have faith in God," Jesus answered. "Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." (Mar 11:22-24)

Parallels to the Faith of God

For those who may still be wondering how it is that God could have faith in Himself, let me give you some other examples of similar things God has done, according to Scripture, which may be viewed as parallels to the faith of God:

God Swore By Himself

In the book of Hebrews, it says, "When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, 'I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.'" (Heb 6:13-14)

Just as God swore by Himself, since there was no one greater to swear by, he also believes in Himself, since there is no one greater to believe in.

God Sacrificed to Himself

In John's gospel, we read the first instance when Jesus was referred to as the Lamb of God, which was by John the Baptist. "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, 'Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!'" (Joh 1:29)

The following day, John once again used this expression for Jesus: "When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, 'Look, the Lamb of God!'" (Joh 1:36)

Then the term, "Lamb", is also used thirty times in John's apocalyptic book, Revelation (Rev 5:6, 8, 12-13; 6:1, 3, 5, 7, 16; 7:9-10, 14, 17; 12:11; 13:8, 11; 14:1, 4, 10; 15:3; 17:14; 19:7, 9;  21:9, 14, 22-23, 27;  22:1, 3).

Since the Lord Jesus, God's only begotten Son, who was also God, was God's Lamb, that means that God sacrificed His only Son. Normally, according to God's Law, it is the human worshipper who must sacrifice a lamb to God. But in the fullness of time, God sacrificed His own Son for the world, in order to provide purification for sins, so that all who would believe in Him would not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16). Since Jesus was surely God's Lamb, sacrificed by God for all mankind, to whom did God sacrifice? Since there was no one greater for Him to sacrifice, He sacrificed His Lamb, Jesus, to Himself.

God Praises Himself

The very fact that God created man in His own image to worship Him, demonstrates that God knows He alone is worthy to be worshipped and praised, and that He desires to receive this praise from the loving hearts of those who do so of their own free will. He forbids His people to worship any other gods but Him, so that He alone would receive our worship. Then there are countless psalms, inspired by the Holy Spirit, who is God, that command us to praise the Lord, and provide us with words of praise that we can sing and proclaim to God to express our love and adoration for Him.

Yet if all that were not enough to prove that God desires and requires our praise and worship, He even praises Himself, since there is no one greater than Himself to praise. Go and read Isaiah 46, and you will see what I mean. 

He says things like, "With whom will you compare me or count me equal? To whom will you liken me that we may be compared?" (Isa 46:5). Then He says, "I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me." (Isa 46:9b).

In fact, a man named Dean Braxton, who died, went to heaven, and came back to tell about it, said that just as all the saints and angels in heaven praise and worship God, He also praises Himself.

Putting it All Together

In summary, just as God praises Himself in Scripture and still does so in heaven, just as He swore by Himself, since there was no one greater to swear by, and just as He sacrificed His Lamb (Jesus Christ) to Himself, He also has faith in Himself. Let that be an encouragement to you today to put your faith in Him.

Attributes: Most Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, all rights reserved, used by permission. Image may be subject to copyright, used per the Fair Use Act for educational and commentary purposes only.

Author's note:  If you enjoyed this post, you may also like Faith in Action, Run with Endurance, Faith Works, Walking by Faith, Overcomers in This Life, From Self-confidence to Confidence in the Lord, Obedient to the Heavenly Vision, Bearing Fruit in Every Good Work, Seven Things That Accumulate Building Materials in Heaven, Living a Life Worthy of the Lord, and the other posts available through the links on the Home page. You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Him.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe. 

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

______________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

The Wardrobe of the Saints

As I have written previously in my articles, Garments of Godliness and Godly Attire and Adornment, there is virtually a Christian "dress code". The Scripture defines what is appropriate and not appropriate for a disciple of Christ to wear on his or her body. That cannot be denied, even though some people attempt to do so on the faulty premise that God is only interested in the things of the heart, not our bodies.

In this post, I would like to discuss the inward garments we are instructed in Scripture to wear at all times. We'll call this the wardrobe of the saints.

A Garment of Praise
We begin with a rather long but beautiful passage in Isaiah, which says:

"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor." (Is 61:1-3, NIV)

The Lord Jesus read from this very same passage when He announced the beginning of His public ministry (Lk 4:18). He said the Spirit of the Lord was on Him, because the Lord has anointed Him to do all these wonderful things mentioned in this passage. One of those things was to provide for those who grieve in Zion -- to bestow on them a garment of praise. Therefore, we know from Scripture that one garment we must be wearing is this garment of praise, which the Lord bestows upon us by His Holy Spirit.

Praise is an action that we should continually practice, as part of our practice of the presence of the Lord. We should not take a vacation from praise, or only praise the Lord on a certain day of the week, in a certain building, or at one particular time of day. The psalmist David said, "I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth." (Ps 34:1). We should praise Him in the good times and praise Him in the bad times. May we never cease to praise Him. For He is worthy. Let's put on the garment of praise.

Clothe Yourselves with Compassion, Kindness, Humility, Gentleness, Patience, and Love
The next passage we will look at is from the apostle Paul's letter to the Colossians. He wrote:

"Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." (Col 3:12-14, NIV).

We are supposed to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. And over all these virtues put on love as an outer garment.

Clothe Yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ
Paul also wrote to the Romans saying, "Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh." (Rom 13:14, NIV).

In the context of this passage, in the previous verse, Paul was speaking about our behavior, when he wrote: "Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy." (Rom 13:13, NIV). So this tells us that to clothe yourself with Christ or to "put on Christ" will involve a behavioral change. He also wrote to the Galatians saying, "For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ." (Gal 3:27). Christ not only lives on the inside in our hearts, but we must also wear Him outwardly, so that He shows on the outside and others can see Him.

Put on the Armor of Light
In this same passage and context, Paul said, "The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light." (Rom 13:12, NIV). He contrasted putting on the armor of light with the deeds of darkness, so again it is a behavioral matter. On the one hand, we must put aside the deeds of darkness, while on the other hand put on the armor of light.

Paul described each piece of armor in detail in his epistle to the Ephesians. He wrote:

"Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." (Eph 6:11-17, NASB)

In this passage he says to "put on the full armor of God" (v. 11) and then again to "take up the full armor of God" (v. 13). He emphasizes the need to put it on and to ensure we are not missing any piece of armor. These are necessary to protect us from the schemes of the devil in this spiritual warfare we are in daily.

The important thing is that we put them on, and that they are to the soldier of Christ as armor is to a soldier of any worldly army. No soldier in his right mind would go into battle without his armor on, and neither should we. It's a daily battle, so we need to put these on daily, at least once every 24 hours. 

You may be wondering how to put on the full armor of God, as Scripture instructs us to do. Here is how to do it. Pray like this: "Father, would you please put your complete armor on me now, I ask and thank you for it, in the name of Jesus."

This is what Dr. Rebecca Brown, MD was shown by her guardian angel, as she wrote in her book called, He Came to Set the Captives Free: A Guide to Recognizing and Fighting the Attacks of Satan, Witches, and the Occult. I highly recommend reading this book, which is available from Amazon, Barnes and Nobles, and other major retail outlets, as well as used book retailers online.

The adversary of our souls is always prowling around looking for someone to devour. As Peter says, "Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." (1Pe 5:8). Let's be sober and alert. Please see this very important, related article, The Armor of God.

Clothe Yourselves With Humility
Just as Paul did, the apostle Peter also admonished us to clothe ourselves with humility. He wrote: "You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you." (1Pe 5:5-7).

The reasons he gives for clothing ourselves with humility are fully sufficient for us. Since God opposes the proud, then if we fail to clothe ourselves with humility, we may behave proudly and find that God is opposing us. However, if we walk humbly before God, He will give us grace. If we humble ourselves beneath His mighty hand, He will lift us up in due time. Since pride is a weakness of young men especially, Peter addressed this admonition to them, but it applies likewise to all of us.

Clothe Yourself with Good Works
Paul wrote to Timothy, "Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness." (1Ti 2:9-10). As I have written in my article, Garments of Godliness, this passage teaches how women should outwardly adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, so as to glorify God. It forbids certain types of adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles, gold, pearls, and expensive clothes, all of which apply to men as well. But it also teaches how women should adorn themselves spiritually by means of good deeds appropriate for women who profess to worship God.

Bind Kindness and Faithfulness Around Your Neck
The proverb says, "Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart." (Pro 3:3). We are supposed to bind kindness (mercy) and truth around our necks, which is in contrast to the way the wicked wear pride as their necklace (Ps 73:6).

Put on the New Self
The apostle Paul taught that the old self or former way of life must be put off, which means it must be completely discarded, since it is being corrupted like an old rag by its deceitful desires. He taught that we should throw it off and in place of it we should "put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." (Eph 4:24, NIV). This, too, is part of the saints' wardrobe. For more on this topic, please see Walking in Truth, Righteousness, and Holiness.

White Garments So That You May Clothe Yourself
In the book of Revelation, in the apostle John's letter to the angel of the Church in Laodicea, he wrote in part the following message from the Lord: "I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see." (Rev 3:18). This indicates that there are actually spiritual, white garments that we are supposed to wear and that we must buy them from the Lord Jesus Christ. May we all seek to buy from Him those white garments, so that we may clothe ourselves. In the case of the Church in Laodicea, the Lord said they were naked without these garments (Rev 3:17), and they needed them to cover the shame of their nakedness.

Be Dressed in Wedding Garments
In His parable of the wedding feast, Jesus said:

"Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests. But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes, and he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?' And the man was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'”  (Mat 22:10-13)

The man who came to the wedding feast without wedding clothes was thrown into the outer darkness, which is hell. This is a stark reminder that not all who call Jesus “Lord, Lord” or are within the church will be qualified to participate in the wedding feast in the kingdom of heaven. To be fit for heaven, we must be wearing our white garments. As Matthew Henry once wrote: “Those, and those only, who put on the Lord Jesus, that have a Christian temper of mind, and are adorned with Christian graces, who live by faith in Christ, and to whom he is all in all, have the wedding garment.”

Be Dressed in Readiness
The Lord also taught us to "Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit." (Luk 12:35). Other versions say, "Stay dressed for action" (ESV) and "Be dressed ready for service" (NIV). The original language literally says, "Let your waist be girded about," which is rendered in many translations with the expression, "Let your loins be girded about," (see KJV, MKJV, ASV, Darby, and YLT translations).

In Bible times, the men wore long garments, and when they were preparing for action, such as labor or a journey, they girded it up or tucked it up around their waist (loins). This would enable them to move freely without restriction (see Lk 12:37). Therefore, in using the expression, "let your loins be girded about," the Lord was teaching us to remain dressed for action. He was obviously speaking of a spiritual state of being dressed in readiness, rather than one that requires being in your literal day clothes, even though it may often times involve being physically dressed in certain instances.

Peter used essentially this same expression in the original language, when he wrote, "Therefore girding up the loins of your mind..." (1Pe 1:13a, MKJV; cf., KJV, ASV, Darby, and YLT). Other versions use a more dynamic equivalent translation, such as "Prepare your minds for action." (1Pe 1:13a, NASB). This helps clarify what the Lord meant in Lk 12:35. The point is to stay alert in your thoughts, so that you are always ready for action.

Putting it All Together
According to God's Word, there are some garments of righteousness that all disciples of Christ are supposed to wear at all times. It is our responsibility to do so. The expressions "clothe yourself," "adorn yourself," "put on," "take up," "gird up your loins," "buy from me," "be dressed," and "bind around your neck" are all actions that we must personally take. They are not automatically done for us and are not a one-time occurrence.

These garments include praise, compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, faithfulness, patience, and love. We must put in the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. We must put on the armor of light, which is the armor of God that includes truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, the hope of salvation, love (once again), and the Word of God. We must stay dressed for action with our minds alert. We must buy from the Lord white garments, so that we may clothe ourselves. We must be dressed in wedding clothes. We must adorn ourselves with good deeds. Last but not least, we must clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. We are not properly dressed unless we are clothed with these.

Attribution notice: Some Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Other Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®. The "Robes of White" painting © 2012 Danny Hahlbohm, all rights reserved by the artist.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like the other posts in this blog available through the Home page. I recommend reading Garments of Godliness, Keeping Your Body Pure and Holy, Godly Attire and Adornment, Carrying Your Cross or Cross Dressing?, Righteous Deeds and White Robes, Tattoos and Body Piercing, The Beauty of Brokenness, Holy Fire Baptism, Fruit in Every Season, Walking in the Perfect Will of God, The Fiery Sufferings of the Believer, Is Tolerance a Virtue?, Gifts and Fruit of the Spirit: What's the Difference?, The Ways of Life, and The Way, Will, and Word of God. You may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

The Difference Between a Disciple and a Believer

"Communing with the Lord," C.V. Lacroix

There are those who teach the heresy that some saints are merely saved believers while others are disciples. They make a false distinction between the two.  This separates the church and divides the Body into two different classes.  The following study is a refutation of that destructive heresy.

Easy Believing vs. Saving Faith
This error comes because people think it is easy to believe on Jesus unto salvation. But is it really easy?

In the eighth chapter of John's gospel we read, “Even as He spoke, many put their faith in Him.” (John 8:30). Were these people all going to be saved, who put their faith in Him?  The very next verse says that the Lord had some words for them. “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, 'If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine.'" (Joh 8:31). He laid out conditions for being a disciple and it is clear from His words that if they do not continue in His teaching, they are not His disciple and will die in their sins!

Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you are Abraham's children, do the deeds of Abraham. But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do." (Joh 8:39-40). Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God." (Joh 8:44-47)

Following Jesus and Becoming a Disciple

"At the Cross" by C.V. Lacroix

Listen to what Jesus said about “coming after Him” in all three synoptic gospels:

"And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, 'If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.'"  (Mar 8:34).

"Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.'" (Mat 16:24)

"And He was saying to them all, 'If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.'" (Luk 9:23).

Now compare that to what Jesus said about "being a disciple of His."

"If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” (Luk 14:26-27)

"So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions."  (Luk 14:33)

“If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; (Joh 8:31).

We must continue in His word in order to truly be His disciples.  This is working out your salvation. The same words used in Jesus’ criteria for “coming after Him” are found in His criteria for “being His disciple.”  The criteria are cross bearing, denying self, following Him, etc. Following Jesus and being a true disciple are the same thing in Jesus’ teachings.  He laid out the same criteria for coming after Him as He did for being a disciple.  Therefore it is not possible to follow Him without carrying a cross and still be saved.  It’s not possible to ultimately be saved in the end without becoming His disciple.  While you may initially be justified, if you fail to become a disciple of Christ, you will ultimately be disqualified for heaven.

Jesus commissioned His disciples to go and make disciples of all the nations, teaching them to do everything He commanded them to do. He did not command them to go and make "believers." He said, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Mat 28:19-20).  Do you see how Jesus defined "making disciples"? He said it included baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe all that He commanded His first Twelve disciples.

Salvation vs. the Lordship of Christ
We are saved through faith in Jesus Christ as the LORD, not just the Savior.  The Scripture says of the Philippian jailer, "And after he brought them out, he said, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?' They said, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.'  (Act 16:30,31).  The jailer was told to believe in the Lord Jesus.  Salvation is through our LORD. "For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1Th 5:9)

We were called into fellowship with the LORD, not just the Savior. "God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."  (1Co 1:9). Paul the apostle was “solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.”  (Act 20:21).  Paul preached Jesus as Lord, not simply Savior. He said, "For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus' sake." (2Co 4:5).

Both Peter and Paul’s epistles are addressed to those who have acknowledged Jesus as our LORD, not just Savior (Eph 1:3; Phil 1:2; 1 Thes 1:1; 2 Thes 1:1,2; 1 Tim 1:2; 2 Tim 1:2; Philemon 1:3; 2 Peter 1:2). The whole church is in the Lord.  There is not one part in the Lord and one part just in the Savior.

We are baptized in the name of the LORD not just the Savior. "When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus." (Act 19:5). We have peace through our LORD, not just our Savior Jesus. "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." (Rom 5:1). We have reconciliation through our LORD, not simply our Savior. "And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation." (Rom 5:11)

We escape the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the LORD. “For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.”  (2Pe 2:20). It is the LORD who by His great mercy caused us to be born again. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." (1Pe 1:3)

God’s grace is for those who love the LORD, not for those who simply accept Him as their Savior. "Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love."  (Eph 6:24)  It is the LORD who has given us eternal comfort. "Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace." (2Th 2:16)

We are saved by receiving the LORD from the first moment, and we continue in our salvation by walking in Him. "Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him." (Col 2:6). This continuing in His word and walking in the LORD are how we work out our salvation. "So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling."  (Phi 2:12)

We have eternal life through Jesus Christ our LORD, not simply by accepting Him as our Savior. "So that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  (Rom 5:21).  For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (Rom 6:23).  You were washed, sanctified and justified all in the name of the LORD. “Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” (1Co 6:11)

Salvation is impossible without making Jesus Lord.  The one who seeks to save His own life has not surrendered it to Jesus’ Lordship and therefore cannot be saved.  Paul said "That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." (Rom 10:9). Jesus said, "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it.” (Mar 8:35).

Repentance Implies Lordship
The very fact that we must repent to be saved implies that Jesus is now Lord of our lives. If we repent as Jesus commanded us to, we will do what our Lord commands, not live as we please. From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Mat 4:17).  This is the same thing the disciples preached – that men should repent. (Mk 6:12).  Jesus denounced the cities that did not repent after seeing His miracles (Mt 11:20). Jesus taught that unless you repent, you will perish (Lk 13:3). According to brother Yong-Doo Kim, pastor of the Lord's Church in South Korea, it is possible to repent and to know you have repented, yet, have no fruits of repentance. In that case, you have repented with no evidence. There is no broken heart, no sincerity! Believers must realize once again the seriousness of sin. We must realize how serious the consequences are for sin! Even the smallest sins are as just as severe. They are all traps. The gospel is a message of repentance, spiritual freedom, being free from sins, and enjoying freedom from sickness. You need to fervently repent with tears and true contrition.

Those who only listen to His word and do not do what it says are not submitted to His Lordship.  I have news for those who think these people are saved.  He says they are like a house built on sand. They will be destroyed. "Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell--and great was its fall." (Mat 7:26-27). They may call Him Lord, but it still makes no difference. "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'" (Mat 7:22-23)

This is why we must continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of the LORD, and not simply “accept” Him as Savior. "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen."  (2Pe 3:18)  Those who turn the grace of our LORD into a license for sin actually deny our Master and LORD. “For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” (Jud 1:4). For those carnal believers in the Corinthian church, Paul explained what needed to happen so they could be saved.  It was not that they just needed to say a prayer once. "I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus."  (1Co 5:5)

All Ten Virgins Going to Heaven?

"Communion with the Lord", C.V. Lacroix

Those with a liberal perspective believe that all ten virgins go to heaven. But that is not true. The five foolish virgins who were not ready when the Bridegroom returned were shut out of His presence.  In this parable, these five foolish ones have no part in the wedding. 

Some believe that all ten virgins are saved but only five were part of "the Bride." However, the words of the Bridegroom to the five foolish virgins were that He never knew them, even though they called Him Lord. We can observe a similarity between this parable and other parables in which certain people who called Jesus “Lord, Lord” were told to depart from Him. "And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. Later the other virgins also came, saying, 'Lord, lord, open up for us.' But he answered, 'Truly I say to you, I do not know you.'"  (Mat 25:10-12).  Also see Matt 7:22-23; 25:44.

Is it possible to have dead and fruitless faith?
Do you think you can get to heaven with a dead and fruitless faith? James tells us about a faith that is dead.  Dead means it produces no life at all.  (James 2:26). It is a faith without works. Jesus said that if we do not abide in Him, we are like a branch that is cut off from the tree that cannot produce fruit.  Such branches are thrown into the fire and burned. (John 15:2,6).  There is no such thing as believers in Christ remaining in the vine throughout their entire lives without bearing fruit and then entering into heaven for eternity.  We must bear fruit for the Father's glory during our lives on earth.

Areas where Christians often Disobey the Lord
I'd like to mention some common areas where we as Christians often disobey the Lord without realizing it. One of them is keeping Sundays holy.  According to brother Yong-Doo Kim's book series, Baptize by Blazing Fire, some are in hell, because they treated the Sabbath or Sunday carelessly. On Sundays they would spend money for their pleasure. These people are in hell for not keeping Sundays Holy. There are some who ran businesses and assumed that the Lord would forgive them. They were deceived. Brother Kim said, "The Lord had commanded us to keep Sundays Holy in every way. He rebuked watching television, dining out with family, and other secular activities."

He continued, "Furthermore, the Lord did not permit Christians to run any business of any kind for profit on Sundays. He also did not approve Saints to do any shopping on Sundays." You should avoid personal activities on Sunday such as fishing, outdoor activities, watching secular television, surfing on the internet, playing games, and etc. This is not legalism.  Even though the gospel was introduced into the world, the Law has not been abolished (Matt 5:17-18; Rom 3:31).

Another common area where Christians disobey the Lord carelessly is tithing. Yet people who do not properly tithe are ending up in hell. Another area is grumbling and complaining. Some saints publicly appear to be devoted and obedient, but they are grumblers and complainers behind closed doors.  If they die in this state, they will go to hell.  Hot tempers is another big pitfall. There are no reasons to fight or argue.  There are many other Sins That Will Keep You From Heaven, as I said in my article by that name, including smoking cigarettes, partying by drinking alcohol, listening to non-Christian music, dirty thoughts, using profane language, being ashamed of the Lord in front of your friends, sexual immorality, etc.

Putting it All Together
There are some who claim that it is possible to be saved without making Jesus LORD of your life, without putting Him on the throne of your heart.  This is false.  We are called into fellowship with our Lord.  We are saved, we are baptized, we are reconciled, and we have eternal life all through our LORD Jesus. Paul preached Jesus as Lord.

There are some who claim to believe in Jesus but whose faith is dead.  There are so-called disciples of Jesus who do not believe and who turn away from following Him. The requirements of coming after Jesus for salvation and being His disciple are the same and are very strict.  There is no easy and comfortable believing in Jesus.  The cost of discipleship is high.

Those who have believed unto salvation evidenced by a living, fruit-producing faith in Christ, they are disciples.  To be saved is to be a faithful and obedient disciple and to be a faithful and obedient disciple is to be saved.  We must all continue to grow in the grace and the knowledge of the LORD. As we go, we must make disciples of all the nations, teaching them to obey everything Jesus commanded us to do.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.  "Communing with the Lord," "At the Cross," and "Communion with the Lord" by my sixteen-year-old daughter, C.V. Lacroix.  You can find more of her Christian artwork at A Brush with Life.

Author's note: If you would like to become a disciple, consider enrolling in our Doulos Training School. You are invited to read Michael Shigaba's Encounter with Jesus, Strive to Enter the Kingdom of God, Sins That Will Keep You From Heaven, A Warning for Married Christian Couples, Rachael Mushala Testimony of Hell, Rachael Mushala Second Testimony of Hell,  Zipporah Mushala's testimony of hell, Zipporah Mushala’s Third Testimony of Hell, Godly Attire and Adornment -- Seven Divine Revelations, Carrying Your Cross or Cross Dressing?, Alcohol and Cigarettes -- Ten Divine Revelations, Keeping Sundays Holy - Part I, Keeping Sundays Holy - Part II, Rock, Rap, and Reggae Music -- Three Divine Revelations, The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness, Separation from the World, Life Transformation Groups, Was Jesus Seeker Friendly?, and Ask for the Ancient Paths. You may access the Main Directory for this Seeking the Lord blog for more articles like this, as well as my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Messages from the Lord for Catholics Worshipping Idols	Only the Holy -- Three Shocking Testimonies	Angelica Zambrano Hell and Heaven
Baptized by Blazing Fire	Taken to Hell	Angelica Zambrano Second Visit to Hell
Australian Pastor Raised from the Dead	Nigerian Pastor Raised from the Dead	Revelation of Hell to Seven Colombian Youths

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Hope for You

If you are following Jesus in righteousness, holiness, and truth, there is hope for you today!  Look with me through the Word of God and see it for yourself.

Hope in the Lord
"The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I have hope in Him." The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him. (Lam 3:24-25)

The Hebrew word for “hope” in verse 24 is “yachal,” meaning “to wait; by implication to be patient, hope: - (cause to, have, make to) hope, be pained, stay, tarry, trust, wait.” (Strongs).

The Hebrew word for “wait” in verse 25 is “qavah,” meaning “(figuratively) to expect, look, wait (for, on, upon).” (Strongs).

In the Greek Septuagint, the word for “wait” in verse 25 is hypoménō meaning 1) to remain to tarry behind; 2) to remain i.e. abide, not recede or flee; a) to preserve: under misfortunes and trials to hold fast to one's faith in Christ; b) to endure, bear bravely and calmly: ill treatments.

“My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him.” (Psa 62:5)

“For You are my hope; O Lord GOD, You are my confidence from my youth.” (Psa 71:5)

"O Israel, hope in the LORD; For with the LORD there is lovingkindness, And with Him is abundant redemption." (Psa 130:7)

"O Israel, hope in the LORD From this time forth and forever." (Psa 131:3)

"How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, Whose hope is in the LORD his God," (Psa 146:5)

Be strong and let your heart take courage, All you who hope in the LORD. (Psa 31:24)

“For I hope in You, O LORD; You will answer, O Lord my God.” (Psa 38:15)

"And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You.” (Psa 39:7)

“Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence.” (Psa 42:5)

“Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.” (Psa 42:11; 43:5)

“Out of the depths I have cried to You, O LORD. Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive To the voice of my supplications. If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared. I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope. My soul waits for the Lord More than the watchmen for the morning; Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning. O Israel, hope in the LORD; For with the LORD there is lovingkindness, And with Him is abundant redemption. And He will redeem Israel From all his iniquities.” (Psa 130:1-8)

Those Who Hope in the Lord Will Renew Their Strength
“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.  Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Is 40:28-31, NIV)

A Hope Both Sure And Steadfast That Enters Within The Veil
“In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” (Heb 6:17-20)

A Better Hope
“(for the Law made nothing perfect), and on the other hand there is a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.” (Heb 7:19)

Born Again To A Living Hope
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” (1Pe 1:3)

Christ in You, the Hope of Glory
“to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Col 1:27)

“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, who is our hope,” (1Ti 1:1)

Hope Remains
“But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.”  (1Co 13:13)

Abraham Believed in Hope Against Hope
“In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, ‘So shall your descendants be.’ Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform. Therefore it was also credited to him as righteousness. Now not for his sake only was it written that it was credited to him, but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.” (Rom 4:18-25)

In the Kingdom of God, Hope Does Not Disappoint
“And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Rom 5:5)

We Hope For What We Do Not See
“And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.” (Rom 8:23-25)

In His Word Do I Hope
“I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope.” (Psa 130:5)

“Remember the word to Your servant, In which You have made me hope.” (Psa 119:49)

Hope for His Lovingkindness
“Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, On those who hope for His lovingkindness,” (Psa 33:18)

Not Ashamed of Our Hope
“Sustain me according to Your word, that I may live; And do not let me be ashamed of my hope.” (Psa 119:116)

Your Faith And Hope Are In God
“who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.” (1Pe 1:21)

The God Of Hope
“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”  (Rom 15:13)

So we should hope in the God of hope.

We Have Fixed Our Hope On The Living God
“For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.” (1Ti 4:10)

Let Us Hold Fast The Confession Of Our Hope
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;” (Heb 10:23)

The World Has No Hope
“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.” (1Th 4:13)

“When a wicked man dies, his expectation will perish, And the hope of strong men perishes.” (Pro 11:7)

Give An Account For The Hope That Is In You
“But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;” (1Pe 3:15)

Plans to Give You a Hope
“'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.” (Jer 29:11)

The Hope of Those Who Fear the Lord Will Not Be Cut Off
“Know that wisdom is thus for your soul; If you find it, then there will be a future, And your hope will not be cut off.” (Pro 24:14)

“Do not let your heart envy sinners, But live in the fear of the LORD always. Surely there is a future, And your hope will not be cut off.” (Pro 23:17-18)

So That We Might Have Hope
“For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” (Rom 15:4)

The Hope Of The Righteous
“The hope of the righteous is gladness, But the expectation of the wicked perishes.” (Pro 10:28)

The Hope of Righteousness
“For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness.” (Gal 5:5)

One Hope
“There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.” (Eph 4:4-6)

The Hope Of The Gospel
“Yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach-- if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.” (Col 1:22-23).

A Continuous Hope
"But as for me, I will hope continually, And will praise You yet more and more." (Psa 71:14)

A Purifying Hope
“And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” (1Jn 3:3)

Fix Your Hope Completely On The Grace
“Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1Pe 1:13)

Hope Laid Up For You In Heaven
“because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel” (Col 1:5)

The Hope Of Eternal Life
“In the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago,” (Tit 1:2)

The Hope Of Salvation
“But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.” (1Th 5:8)

“I hope for Your salvation, O LORD, And do Your commandments.” (Psa 119:166)

He Has Given Us Good Hope By Grace
“Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.” (2Th 2:16-17)

Know The Hope Of His Calling
“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,” (Eph 1:18)

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Most other Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, unless otherwise noted.

Author's note:  Also see Keeping Power of God, The Love of Jesus, The Loving God Who Bids Us to Come, You're Better Off Following Jesus, Garments of Godliness, Godly Attire and Adornment -- Seven Divine Revelations, Rachael Mushala Testimony of Hell, The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness, Faith Works!, Keeping Sundays Holy, Separation from the World, and Is Tithing Required? You can access the Seeking the Lord Main Directory or my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master." Now I'd like to ask a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Sins That Will Keep You From Heaven

Many people make the mistake of thinking that there are so-called "small" sins.  No sin is small in God's sight.  All sin separates us from God. That's why we need to repent of all sin, ask forgiveness, and put our faith in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross.
 
However, many Christians incorrectly assume that it is not necessary to obey the Word of God, if it is found in the part of our Bible that comes before the Gospel of Matthew.  They like to refer to Paul's epistle to the Galatians as proof that we must not go back to the law.  But let's make sure we correctly understand Paul's purpose in writing to the Galatians, and what he meant, as I have covered in more depth in Faith Works!

Natural Circumcision is a Shadow or Type
In Galatians, Paul taught that circumcision is a symbol of the Old Covenant, which has been fulfilled in Christ.  This is what the Galatians were going back to, after they had come to Christ, and that is the error Paul was addressing.  Christ came to fulfill the law, and now when we come to Christ, our hearts are circumcised by the Spirit, which is true circumcision. So now that we have the reality in Christ, we do not need to go back to the symbols and shadows.  However, while Christ came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets, He did not come to abolish them (Mt 5:17-20).  There are still commandments in the Old Testament portion of Scripture and definitions of sin found in the Law and the Prophets. We are not under the supervision of the Law.  But the Bible is the Book of Truth, and we must obey the truth (Gal 5:7; Rom 2:8; 1 Pe 1:22)!

Christ will not repent for you. So if you repent of sin, confessing them to the Lord, asking for forgiveness in Christ, you will be forgiven (1 Jn 1:9).  Then you must walk by the Spirit, so that you will obey God by the power of the Spirit.  The righteous requirements of the law will be fulfilled in your life because of Christ, "so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." (Rom 8:4). But Jesus did not die on the cross so that we could go on disobeying God.

As Paul said, "Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law." (Rom 3:31).  And elsewhere he said, "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?" (Rom 6:1-2)

Don’t get symbols, ceremonies, and rituals in the Old Covenant confused with God’s commandments. Now that the substance of those ritual, ceremonial, and dietary regulations has come (in Christ), we need not observe them. Paul said what matters is keeping God’s commandments (1 Cor 7:19).  There are still commandments in the Bible, and the New Testament contains many lists of sins that will keep you out of heaven.  They will take you to hell. 

The First Church Council in Jerusalem
One of those lists is in Acts 15:19-21. When Judaizers went up to Antioch, telling the Gentile Christians that they must be circumcised, the elders and apostles held a council in Jerusalem to decide what to do. James stated the final decision:

"Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood. For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath." (Act 15:19-21)

People like to quote this one, because they assume it is the only list of sins for Christians to avoid. They assume that they will not go to hell, as long as they that abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication.  People like that short list of five sins to avoid.

Nothing Unclean May Enter the Holy City
Another list that people like to quote is Rev 21:27; 22:15.  It says this in its context:
 
"And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life." (Rev 21:23-27)

"Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying." (Rev 22:14-15)

Some people assume that as long as they are a Christian, and are not in one of those categories of excluded people, they are going to heaven. They assume that as long as they do not love or practice lying, and as long as they are not dogs (homosexuals), sorcerers, sexually immoral persons, or idolaters, and as long as they are not unclean and do not practice abomination, then if they have given their life to Jesus at one time, their name is still written in The Book of Life and they are going to heaven.

However, there are several more lists in the New Testament Scriptures, including Mk 7:20-23; Rom 1:29-32; 2:6-13; 1 Cor 5:9-11; 6:9-11; Gal 5:19-21; 6:7-9; Eph 4:17-5:21; Col 3:5-10; 1 Thes 4:3-8; 2 Tim 3:1-5; 2 Pet 2:10-19; Mat 10:32-39; and Rev 14:9-12.  Let's look at those, too.

Evil Things from Within Make a Man Unclean
Notice that in the Revelation 21 passage I quoted above, it says that nothing "unclean" will come into the Holy City of heaven.  Our Lord Jesus defined what kinds of things make a man unclean, and this is not just an Old Testament concept, as some might think.

"And He was saying, 'That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man." (Mar 7:20-23)

But when do you hear people these days preaching against evil thoughts, deeds of coveting and wickedness, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, or foolishness?  For that matter, when do you hear people preaching against deceit, thefts, murders, or adulteries?  Preachers are afraid to offend people, so they do not name sin anymore, which will take you to hell. Jesus was not afraid to name sin.  So we see that this is another list of things that make a man unclean, and Revelation 21:27 says that nothing unclean will enter the Holy City.

Those Who Practice Such Things Are Worthy Of Death
Another list is in Paul's epistle to the Romans. He said:

"And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them." (Rom 1:28-32).

This means that those who practice unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil, envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice, gossiping, slander, hatred of God, insolence, arrogance, boasting, inventing evil, disobedience to parents, or being without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, or unmerciful, they are worthy of death.

There Will Be Wrath and Indignation for Those Who Do Such Things
Paul went on to say:

"But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each person according to his deeds: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God. For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law; for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified." (Rom 2:5-13)

Paul was clear that there will be wrath and indignation for those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, and do evil.

Immoral People Defined
In Paul's first epistle to the Corinthians, he defined who the immoral people are, and said we must not associate with any brother who is immoral by this definition:

"I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler--not even to eat with such a one." (1Co 5:9-11)

He added:

"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God." (1Co 6:9-11)

Paul was absolutely clear that neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.  That is why we must avoid these sins and avoid associating with any so-called brother who is practicing these things.

And Things Like These
In his epistle to the Galatians, Paul listed the acts of the sinful nature.

"Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." (Gal 5:19-21)

Many teachers like to assume this is a complete list of all acts of the sinful nature.  However, there are too many to list here, so Paul simply says, "...and things like these."  He strictly warns us that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Have you ever stopped to wonder what is included in that little phrase "...and things like these"?  Could you be practicing "things like these" that are not specifically listed here, but which nevertheless will keep you from inheriting the kingdom of God?

Reaping Destruction
In that same letter to the Galatians, Paul was clear what he meant when he said such people would not inherit the kingdom of God.  He said:

"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary." (Gal 6:7-9)

So those who do not inherit the kingdom, as described in the Galatians 5 passage I quoted previously, will reap destruction, since they are sowing to their sinful nature.

Excluded from the Life of God
This next passage from Paul's epistle to the Ephesians is a rather long one, but notice all the sins he listed in it.

"So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity. He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need. Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you." (Eph 4:17-32)

The passage continues in the next chapter:

"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them; for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. For this reason it says, "Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you." Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ." (Eph 5:1-21)

Some of the sins listed in this long passage are immorality, filthiness, silly talk, coarse jesting, callousness, sensuality, impurity, greediness, the lusts of deceit, falsehood, stealing, unwholesome speech, speech that does not edify, grieving the Holy Spirit, bitterness, wrath, anger, letting the sun go down on your anger, giving the devil an opportunity, clamor, and slander, along with all malice, as well as unforgiveness.  Any of these that were not listed specifically in Galatians 5 as acts of the flesh are examples of what Paul meant by "things like these" that will keep you from inheriting the kingdom of God.  They should not even be named among God's people. Those who live like this are excluded from the life of God.

Because Of These Things The Wrath Of God Will Come Upon The Sons Of Disobedience
In Paul's epistle to the Colossians, he gave another list of sins that incur the wrath of God:

"Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him--" (Col 3:5-10)

This list includes immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry, anger, wrath, malice, slander, lying, and abusive speech from your mouth. We must put all of these away out of our lives. Paul clearly said that because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience.

The Lord Is The Avenger In All These Things
"For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you." (1Th 4:3-8)

In this passage, Paul lists sexual immorality, lustful passion, and not possessing your own body in sanctification and honor, which is a very broad category of sin. He said the Lord is the avenger in all these things. 

Avoid Such Men As These
In Paul's second epistle to Timothy he gave another list.

"But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these." (2Ti 3:1-5).

We are to avoid such men as these, who live like this. While they may have a form of godliness, they have denied the power to live a godly life, which is found only in the Holy Spirit. We know from Paul's letter to the Corinthians, which I have already quoted, he is not telling us to avoid those in the world who live like this, but so-called brothers and sisters in Christ.

He Keeps The Unrighteous Under Punishment For The Day Of Judgment
The last passage I would like to mention that gives a list of sins is in Peter's second epistle.  He says:

Then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority. Daring, self-willed, they do not tremble when they revile angelic majesties, whereas angels who are greater in might and power do not bring a reviling judgment against them before the Lord. But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, reviling where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed, suffering wrong as the wages of doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you, having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children; forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; but he received a rebuke for his own transgression, for a mute donkey, speaking with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet. These are springs without water and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved. For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved. (2Pe 2:9-19)

Peter said the Lord knows how to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment. He gave some examples of unrighteous people that included those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority. Daring, self-willed, they do not tremble when they revile angelic majesties.  They have greedy, adulterous hearts that revel in the daytime, reveling in their deceptions, carousing, enticing unstable souls, forsaking the right way, going astray, following the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, speaking out arrogant words of vanity, enticing others by fleshly desires and by sensuality.  The Lord will punish all such people in the same eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

Practicing Lawlessness
Although lawlessness is not in any of the other lists mentioned above, it will keep you from heaven.

Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.'"  (Mat 7:21-23)

The Greek word for lawlessness is "anomia" meaning "violation of law or (generally) wickedness" (Strongs). So the Lord taught that if you practice violations of the law or wickedness, He does not know you and will command you to depart from Him. He said that only he who does the will of our Father who is in heaven will enter the kingdom of heaven. That is why Walking in the Perfect Will of God is absolutely necessary.  For as John said, "The one who says, 'I have come to know Him,' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;" (1Jn 2:4).

Many of these same sins listed in the New Testament are found in the Law and the Prophets, which were the only Scriptures the apostles had during the first century.  However, cursed is he that observes the Law, who insists on pleasing God through works, and denies what Christ did for us on the cross. The Scripture says:  "For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.’ Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because 'the righteous will live by faith.'” (Gal 3:10-11). Never Trust in Your Own Good Works. If you are still not sure which part of the Law and the Prophets we must obey, then please see these other articles of mine that explain it. 

Is Obedience Optional? The Law of Christ  The Law Fulfilled in Us The Law Established Through Faith The Cost of Discipleship The New Covenant Costly Grace Deleted Scriptures in the Bible? Did Jesus Nail the Law to the Cross? The Obedience of Faith Is Practical Righteousness a Lost Truth? Faith Works! Remember the Eternal Law of God

The Law is Good if Used Lawfully Striving to Enter the Kingdom of God Aim for Perfection Righteous Deeds and White Robes Doing What is Right Your Rewards Are Based on Your Practice Partaking of the Divine Nature Walking in the Perfect Will of God Pressing on Toward the Goal Obedience by the Spirit What Then Must We Observe?

Denying Christ
Among the lists of sins that Jesus warned about is denying Christ.  Yet Jesus said:

"Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven. Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man's enemies will be the members of his household. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. "And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.” (Mat 10:32-39)

Paul said, "If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us;" (2Ti 2:12)

Although the apostle Peter denied Christ three times in one night, he repented of it and was forgiven.  In addition to denying Christ, some other sins Jesus listed that will keep you from heaven are loving father, mother, son or daughter more than Him, not taking your cross and following after Him, and finding your life.

Not Loving the Lord
Let us not forget the greatest commandment! Recall the time when a lawyer asked Jesus, " 'Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’ And He said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."  (Mat 22:36-40)

Paul pronounced an eternal curse on anyone who does not love the Lord, when he wrote: "If anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be accursed. Maranatha." (1Co 16:22).

Blaspheming the Holy Spirit
Another sin that is not mentioned in any of the lists is blaspheming the Holy Spirit, but Jesus strictly warned us about it.  He said:

"Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come." (Mat 12:31-32)

He was clear that while any other sin shall be forgiven if you repent, blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. For more on this, please see Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.

Taking the Mark of the Beast
I want to mention some sins listed in the book of Revelation, which are not found elsewhere in the Bible. The apostle John wrote:

"Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, 'If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.' Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus." (Rev 14:9-12)

Anyone who worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, will be tormented with fire and brimstone forever and ever. They will not enter heaven.  Do not under any circumstances commit any of these sins. For more on this, please see The Mark of the Beast (666).

Unforgiveness
Our Lord said in His sermon on the Mount, "For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions." (Mat 6:14-15).

He also taught us the parable of the unmerciful servant, in which the one who was forgiven so much refused to forgive someone else what they owed him.

"Then Peter came and said to Him, 'Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?' Jesus said to him, 'I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made. So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, "Have patience with me and I will repay you everything." And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt. But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, "Pay back what you owe." So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, "Have patience with me and I will repay you." But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed. So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened. Then summoning him, his lord said to him, "You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?" And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.'" (Mat 18:21-35)

In this parable, the lord of the unmerciful servant, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. The heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart. There are many people in hell for unforgiveness, so please don't let that happen to you.

Refusing Him Who Speaks
The writer of Hebrews wrote: "See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven." (Heb 12:25)

Compilation of Lists
The lists we have just reviewed include such sins as those in the following compilation:

Not doing the will of our Father who is in heaven, refusing Him who speaks and warns us from heaven, forsaking the right way, going astray, loving self, loving money, boastfulness, arrogance, reviling (verbal abuse of people), disobedience to parents, ungratefulness, being unholy, being unloving, being irreconcilable, without self-control, brutality, hating good, treacherousness, recklessness, conceit, loving pleasure rather than loving God, holding to a form of godliness but denying its power, relying on the works of the law or observing the law, eating things sacrificed to idols, eating blood, eating the meat of strangled animals, loving or practicing lying, deceit, sorcery, sensuality, impurity, passion, homosexual acts, sexual immorality, fornication, adultery, idolatry, practicing abomination, evil desire, evil thoughts, deeds of coveting and wickedness, envying, pride, foolishness, greed, thefts (including stealing from God what belongs to God or from Caesar what belongs to Caesar), practicing unrighteousness, lawlessness, sowing to the flesh, indulging the flesh in its corrupt desires, evil, murder, strife, malice, gossiping, slander, speaking unwholesome words, abusive speech, filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, despising authority, being daring, self-willed, reviling angelic majesties, enticing unstable souls, following the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, loving father, mother, son or daughter more than Jesus, not taking your cross and following after Jesus, finding your life, denying Christ, not loving the Lord, hatred of God, grieving the Holy Spirit of God, blasphemy of the Spirit (this sin shall not be forgiven), receiving the mark of the beast on your forehead or hand, worshiping the beast or his image, unforgiveness, insolence, arrogance, speaking out arrogant words of vanity, boasting, inventing evil, being without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, or unmerciful, being an effeminate (a catamite), being selfishly ambitious and not obeying the truth, but obeying unrighteousness, and doing evil; drunkenness, swindling, immorality, enmities, strife, jealousy, bitterness, wrath, outbursts of anger, clamor, slander, malice, callousness, disputes, dissensions, factions, carousing, and things like these.

However, this is by no means a comprehensive list. And we have not even looked at any of the Scriptures from the Old Testament yet!

Putting it All Together
So we can see that the list of sins forbidden at the First Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15 were not the only ones that take people to hell.  In the New Testament there is no single, comprehensive list of sins that will keep you from heaven, in terms of specifically naming each and every individual sin.  In fact, there are several lists. 

And even though we examined many such passages in this article, I did not even mention failing to evangelize the lost, not Keeping Sundays Holy, or The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness.  This is why Paul used the expression "and things like these" to describe the acts of the sinful nature that keep people from inheriting the kingdom of God. Sin will keep you from heaven, and there are no small sins.

Don't be fooled by anyone who tells you we don't need to obey the Word of God.  The Word of God is not just the New Testament Scriptures, but it includes the whole the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.  Don't let anyone tell you that it is legalism to obey God. Paul said that what counts is keeping God's commandments (1 Cor 7:19). And that explains why James added at the First Church Council in Jerusalem his reason for limiting the list to the sins he named for the Gentiles coming to Christ was this: "For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath."  James knew that Gentiles have heard of God's commandments which are preached in every city.  He was implying that we who follow Christ must obey the commandments of God, which we can only do by the power of the Spirit.  Rather than seeking to observe the Law, live by the Spirit! For without Christ we can do nothing.

Whether or not you are a Christian, if you are practicing any of these sins or "things like these", you need to know they will take you to hell.  You will perish unless you repent.  But please don't put it off until later, or else it may be too late.  Mercy is only available while you are on earth.  Jesus still loves you, but His standard for heaven is high and He's not going to lower it for anyone. Cry out to the Lord Jesus to forgive you, and then with His help live for Him, producing the fruits of repentance.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.
 
Author's note: You are invited to read Abominations in the Sight of God, To Sin or Not to Sin, Aim for Perfection, Godly Attire and Adornment -- Seven Divine Revelations, Carrying Your Cross or Cross Dressing?, Tattoos and Body Piercing, Michael Shigaba's Encounter with Jesus, Alcohol and Cigarettes -- Ten Divine Revelations, A Warning for Christian Married Couples, Messages from the Lord for Catholics Worshipping Idols, Keeping Sundays Holy - Part I, Keeping Sundays Holy - Part II, Rock, Rap, and Reggae Music -- Three Divine Revelations, The Origin of Sin, Satan, and Secular Music, Is it a Sin to Take Medicine?, Is Contraception a Sin? -- A Divine Revelation, The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness, Led by the Spirit, Called to be Blameless, Holy Living in a Perverted World, Never Trust in Your Own Good Works, Separation from the World, and Fruit in Every Season. You may access the Main Directory for this Seeking the Lord blog for more articles like this, as well as my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

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Australian Pastor Raised from the Dead	Nigerian Pastor Raised from the Dead	Revelation of Hell to Seven Colombian Youths

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.