Weekly Bible Study, March 20, 2023; The Book of Life and the Unlimited Atonement

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Preparing yourself for the study of God’s Word

Before we begin, only if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is; you have believed [trusted] in Him for His promised gift of eternal life) John 3:16, John 6:47 as a few examples; it is very important to prepare yourself to learn God's Word so the Holy Spirit can teach you as to what your reading or hearing is true or false. To be taught by the Holy Spirit you must be filled with the Holy Spirit which means abiding in Christ. To place yourself in fellowship with God the Holy Spirit [also called abiding in the Christ], take a moment to simply name, cite or acknowledge [confess] your known unconfessed sins privately to God (i.e.; with your thoughts directed only to God the Father). Why? Because you cannot grow spiritually if you’re not abiding in Christ [in fellowship with Him] when you take in bible truth.

1 John 1:9, says: “If we confess [meaning to simply name, cite or acknowledge to God the Father] our sins [known unconfessed sins], He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins [known sins] and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [all unknown and forgotten sins];” NKJV [New King James Version]; we call this REBOUND; read the full doctrine as to “why” we need to use 1 John 1:9 to grow spiritually. Left click the following link to learn more and fully understand the doctrine of Rebound; which answers the question, why do I need to keep confessing my sins all the time? REBOUND

If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, that He is the Son of God, the promised Messiah, as your Savior (that is, believed in Him for eternal life), the issue for you is not to name your sins; the issue for you is to simply exercise faith alone in Jesus Christ alone eternal life; when you do, you will instantly receive Eternal Life: John 3:16, 5:24, 6:47, 20:30, 31.

John 6:47 says: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me [Jesus Christ] has everlasting life." NKJV

Notice again what Jesus said in John 6:47: "…he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." It doesn't say, "will have"; it says, "has." Therefore, the very moment you believe in Jesus Christ for His promise of everlasting life, you have it (it's really just that simple; nothing more and nothing less), and it can never be taken away from you (John 10:28-29). Furthermore, the gift (Ephesians 2:8c) of everlasting life (also called eternal life in scripture) is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.

John 3:14-15, 16, 17, 18, says: "¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. ¹⁸ He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." NKJV

Let us now bow our hearts and take a moment to prepare for worship and learning God's Word. If there is any known sin in your life, this is the time to just cite it privately to God the Father with your thoughts directed towards Him. With your head bowed and your eyes closed, you have total privacy in your mind and soul:

Study to show yourself approved to God!

Grace Bible Church Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries

Doctrinal Statement

The Tree of Life is a weekly teaching summary: God’s Word is taught Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday

Alphabetical Listing of Terms & Abbreviations used:

STUDY TITLE:

Weekly Bible Study, March 20, 2023; The Book of Life and the Unlimited Atonement.

The Doctrine of the Book of Life.

Point 1 is our definition. We noted the important principle that first of all, to be crystal clear on this doctrine, you need to understand that the book of life is one thing in time and something different in eternity. The issue is very clear:

What think ye of Christ? (Mat 22:42) “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (Jn 3:18)

“He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” (Jn 3:36)

There are the three different phases of the book of life:

Phase 1 – the book of life has to do with members of the human race who were selected by God in eternity past.

Phase 2 – In time, it has to do with being a registry of all believers who are given the opportunity to become a winner in the book of life.

Phase 3 – In eternity, it is the registry of all believers, losers momentarily at the JSOC, but saved forever.

Point 2. Passages Referring to the Book of Life.

Point 3. The Book of Life In Relation to Believers.

Point 4. The Results of the Believer Who Doesn’t Have His Name Blotted out of the Book of Life.

Point 5. The Book of life in Relation to Unbelievers.

Those points have been covered in our Philippians series, and will not be covered here. I want to go to Point 6 which deals with The Motivation Believers should have toward Unbelievers because of the Book of Life.

Because it is not God’s will that any should perish, 2Pe 3:9, and that all men should be saved,

1Ti 2:3-4, this should be the mind of Christ as manifested in the believer. Now, part of our understanding this subject is found in 2Co 5:14 beginning at verse 14.

Occupation with TLJC [The Lord Jesus Christ] is one of the first giant steps for the Christian way of life.

For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; (2Co 5:14)

One of the first signs that you are getting somewhere in your spiritual life is the verb sunecho which means a complete change in your spiritual motivation. This is what the word controls means. It means that your love for Christ motivates you. Great motivation begins when the believer personally loves God. This results first of all in excitement over His word and then His plan. The word controls is the present active indicative of the verb sunecho which means to hold something together so that it doesn’t fall apart, it also means to retrain, to enclose, to press, or to pressure.

Your spiritual life is going to fall apart from time to time, but motivation from your love for Christ will keep you going. People may let you down from time to time, the church may let you down; however, your love for Christ keeps you going. I don’t mean church hopping every time you have a personality conflict, I mean once you identify your pastor-teacher and submit to his ministry, you don’t let people come in between you and the calling of God upon your life.

Sunecho also means to overpower or to rule, hence it connotes motivation for the believer, a thought or a doctrine that overrules the soul. In other words. It means to be totally controlled and overruled by what you think. You do not, repeat, do not, let your emotions rule and dictate over you. Once you reach personal love for God and spiritual self-esteem, from then on you are motivated by your doctrinal thoughts or by what you think. This means when you are alone you are happy and content. When you are in a crowd you are happy and content.

For the love of Christ keeps on motivating us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; (2Co 5:14)

Notice that it says “the love for Christ keeps on motivating us,” not “the love for people.”

Why?

Having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died. If all died then why look to the dead for life. The Book of life and love for TLJC will motivate you to reach out for others even if you particularly care for them. For example, Jonah was one of the most successful evangelists in the Old Testament, but he didn’t like those to whom he was sent, the people of Nineveh, Jn 3:1-4, 11.

Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and proclaim to it the proclamation which I am going to tell you. So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three days’ walk. Then Jonah began to go through the city one day’s walk; and he cried out and said, “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them. When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he arose from his throne, laid aside his robe from him, covered {himself} with sackcloth, and sat on the ashes. And he issued a proclamation and it said, “In Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let man, beast, herd, or flock taste a thing. Do not let them eat or drink water. “But both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth; and let men call on God earnestly that each may turn from his wicked way and from the violence which is in his hands. Who knows, God may turn and relent, and withdraw His burning anger so that we shall not perish? When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do {it.} But it greatly displeased Jonah, and he became angry. And he prayed to the Lord and said, “Please Lord, was not this what I said while I was still in my {own} country? Therefore, in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that Thou art a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity. Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for death is better to me than life.” And the Lord said, “Do you have good reason to be angry?” Then Jonah went out from the city and sat east of it. There he made a shelter for himself and sat under it in the shade until he could see what would happen in the city. So the Lord God appointed a plant and it grew up over Jonah to be a shade over his head to deliver him from his discomfort. And Jonah was extremely happy about the plant. But God appointed a worm when dawn came the next day, and it attacked the plant and it withered. And it came about when the sun came up that God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on Jonah’s head so that he became faint and begged with {all} his soul to die, saying, “Death is better to me than life.” Then God said to Jonah, “Do you have good reason to be angry about the plant?” And he said, “I have good reason to be angry, even to death.” Then the Lord said, “You had compassion on the plant for which you did not work, and {which} you did not cause to grow, which came up overnight and perished overnight. And should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know {the difference} between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?”

Jonah learned that the Lord Jesus Christ died for everyone. Jonah learned that the Lord Jesus Christ died for those who hated Him. He died for those who despised Him. He died for everyone, and that is grace! That is why the fact that every member of the human race had their names written down in the book of life is one of the most magnificent grace illustrations in the entire Bible. Christ didn’t die just for you nor did He die just for the elect – He died for everyone, Therefore, every member of the human race had their names written down in the Book of Life. Christ died for those who hated and despised Him…and that is grace. That is impersonal unconditional agape love. When He was hanging on that Cross and the crowd ridiculed, laughed at Him and blasphemed Him, but that didn’t keep Him from bearing the imputation of their sins. That is one of the most magnificent and obvious illustrations of grace that appears to all men.

“Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luk 23:34)

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, (Tit 2:11)

Back in 2Co 5:14, why does verse 14 say for the love of Christ keeps motivating us?

For the love of Christ keeps on motivating us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; (2Co 5:14)

The phrase having concluded is the aorist active participle of the verb krino which means to judge, to reach a conclusion, to make the proper evaluation. Paul is actually saying, because we have reached this conclusion. And the conclusion is going to come from the unlimited atonement, or the fact that every member of the human race has their name written down in the book of life.

So, what is the conclusion?

2Co 5:14…having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; God in His grace found a way for the sins of the world to be judged. While we do feel the repercussions of our sins now and then, we are not being judged for them. Your sins, my sins, the sins of the entire world were judged only once, on the Cross. This is why the evangelist who makes an issue out of your sins is wrong. The issue is not sin, the issue is Christ. Christ has already been judged for your sins. The Lord Jesus Christ is your substitute and therefore the issue is Acts 16:31, Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved.

So, you don’t renounce your sins to be saved. You don’t repent from your sins to be saved. You don’t do anything about your sins to be saved. That’s where evangelism becomes heretical, misleading and evil. The yapping, yelling, screaming and goofy Bible pounding evangelist is an insult to the character and nature of God. Sin is not an issue in salvation (Mat 22:42). Sin is not an issue in the judgment of the believer (2Co 5:10). Sin is not an issue at the last judgment for the unbeliever (Rev 20:11-15). Sin is only an issue at the Cross, which occurred 2,000 years ago, and the doctrine of the book of life and the unlimited atonement says: “DO NOT MAKE SIN AN ISSUE!”

When you think of sin you have to think of two things.

a. The Cross, where all sins were judged.

b. The law of volitional responsibility.

While you will never be judged for your sins, you must take the responsibility for your volition and the sins incurred by your own decisions. That’s where sowing and reaping comes in. The result of sin is self-induced misery…you may pay the piper, sort of speak, but you are not going to pay the penalty.

When it comes to the book of life, we need to look at the concept of reconciliation.

Reconciliation is that concept and that doctrine of soteriology recognizes a barrier between God and man. It is a barrier that can only be removed by God. There are actually three parties involved in reconciliation:

1. God the Father who is the reconciler. When any Greek word for reconciliation is in the active voice, God the Father is always the subject.

2. God the Son who is the agent of reconciliation. That of course is through His blood or His saving work on the Cross.

3. And then there is mankind who is the beneficiary of reconciliation. So, that officially the doctrine says man is reconciled, God is the reconciler and the Lord Jesus Christ is the agent of reconciliation. Also, it’s important to understand that man is reconciled to God, not God to man.

Reconciliation is for the entire human race under the doctrine of the unlimited atonement. When the Lord Jesus Christ was on the Cross and judged for the sins of the world the barrier went down and man was reconciled to God. The barrier was sin, Rom 3:23, For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. The penalty was separation from God, Rom 6:23, For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. This was solved by expiation.

Then there was the problem of physical birth, Psa 51:5; 1Co 15:22, solved by regeneration. There was also the barrier because of the character of God,

Psa 145:17, solve by the doctrine of propitiation. There was also the barrier of man’s righteousness, Isa 64:6, solved by the doctrine of justification, Gal 2:16. There was the problem of our position in Adam, 1Co 15:22, solved by our new position in Christ by means of the baptism of the Spirit.

We will see in our passage that this is the meaning of the phrase “All things are from God who has reconciled us to Himself through Christ.” All of these things refer to the work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross plus the new creation, the escrow, and the divine plan or Mat 7:14.

God the Father is the author of the divine plan. He is the provider of our escrow blessing. He is the architect and manufacturer of the principles found in predestination including the equal privilege and equal opportunity that we all have. He is also the creator and designer of our very own predesigned plan which is unique for everyone of us.

Now, there are two categories of reconciliation.

1. That which is accomplished for the entire human race for both believers and unbelievers alike.

2. That which is accomplished for the believer only the reason is that when anyone believes in the Lord Jesus Christ or steps across that line there are other barrier situations that immediately go down but they are accomplished for the believer only.

So, our next principle is what is accomplished for the human race at the doctrine of reconciliation. This all begins with spiritual death at birth. The fact that any member of the human race is born physically alive and at the same time spiritually dead means that they have been chosen under the doctrine of selection. I said selection not election. God the Father is the one who imputes human life to the soul, Isa 57:16.

“For I will not contend forever, Neither will I always be angry; For the spirit would grow faint before Me, And the breath {of those whom} I have made.” (Isa 57:16)

No one can enter into this world without the imputation of human life from God the Father. God the Father imputes human life to the human soul and human life resides in the human soul forever. This is true for both believer and unbeliever, and we call that selection. The very fact that God created life and gave life to each one of us at birth means selection. It means that God has a purpose and desire for each member of the human race, 1Ti 2:4; 2Pe 3:9.

No matter where the individual is geographically, how fantastic his circumstances are, what barriers exist between him and civilization, when anyone receives human life at birth it is selection. And, selection simply means that God decided to let a person become a person with a human volition. However, at the moment of human life Adam’s original sin was imputed to you as well.

Therefore, you as all members of the human race were born in sin (Psa 51:5; 58:3; Rom 5:12,17-18; 1Co 15:22). You were condemned at the moment of physical birth. Before you ever committed your first personal sin, you were condemned.

The following link is to a good news message describing how one can receive eternal life: Ticket to Heaven, it was written for anyone not absolutely certain about their eternal future.

Internet Church Service – March 19, 2023; The Angelic Conflict - Part 11 - Point 4. - Two Categories of Fallen Angels Under the Command of Satan

Please join us as we fellowship in the Word of God, listen to Christian Music, Pray in Christ’s Name, and Praise the Lord Our God in our Hearts and Minds.

ALL ARE WELCOME

from - Romans 8:38-39

Hymn #1

Hymn #2

Preparing yourself for the study of God’s Word

Before we begin, only if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is; you have believed [trusted] in Him for His promised gift of eternal life) John 3:16, John 6:47 as a few examples; it is very important to prepare yourself to learn God's Word so the Holy Spirit can teach you as to what your reading or hearing is true or false. To be taught by the Holy Spirit you must be filled with the Holy Spirit which means abiding in Christ. To place yourself in fellowship with God the Holy Spirit [also called abiding in the Christ], take a moment to simply name, cite or acknowledge [confess] your known unconfessed sins privately to God (i.e.; with your thoughts directed only to God the Father). Why? Because you cannot grow spiritually if you’re not abiding in Christ [in fellowship with Him] when you take in bible truth.

1 John 1:9, says: “If we confess [meaning to simply name, cite or acknowledge to God the Father] our sins [known unconfessed sins], He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins [known sins] and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [all unknown and forgotten sins];” NKJV (New King James Version); we call this REBOUND; read the full doctrine as to “why” we need to use 1 John 1:9 to grow spiritually. Left click the following link to learn more and fully understand the doctrine of Rebound; which answers the question, why do I need to keep confessing my sins all the time? REBOUND

If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior (that is, believed in Him for eternal life), the issue for you is not to name your sins to God; the issue for you is to believe by faith alone in Jesus, The Christ alone for eternal life [salvation] and you will be saved [receive Eternal Life] the very micro second you believe in Him:

John 6:47 says: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me [Jesus Christ] has everlasting life.” NKJV

Notice again what John 6:47 says, “he who believes in Me [Jesus Christ] has everlasting life.” It doesn’t say, “will have”; it says, “has.” Therefore, the very moment you believe Jesus Christ’s promise of everlasting life, you have it (it’s really just that simple), and it can never be lost or taken away from you (John 10:28-29). Furthermore, the gift of everlasting life (also called eternal life in scripture) is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.

John 3:14-18 says: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness [Num 21:4-9], even so must the Son of Man be lifted up [the cross], that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” NKJV

Let us now bow our hearts and take a moment to prepare for learning God’s Word, if there is any known sin in your life, this is the time to just cite it privately to God the Father with your thoughts directed towards Him. With your head bowed and your eyes closed, you have total privacy in your mind and soul:

Our Pastor-Teacher is:

Robert McLaughlin - Grace Bible Church and Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries

Terms used by RMBM

Doctrinal Statement

This ministry is non-denominational and is dedicated to teaching the Word of God from the original languages and making it available at no charge throughout the world.

OPTIONAL: On-line Bible – NASB95

Sermon

NOTES

Unlike the bible study, these notes are not just for reading without watching the video. These notes are more designed to follow along during the sermon and to bring up the “hover pop-up scripture references;” if just hover doesn’t work, do a “control-left-click,” if that doesn’t work then look them up in your Bible when the Pastor asks everyone to turn to that passage in their bibles.

Internet Church Service – March 19, 2023; The Angelic Conflict - Part 11 - Point 4. - Two Categories of Fallen Angels Under the Command of Satan HD Audio ONLY; with hover pop-up scripture references in Notes.

(1) The non-operational angels.

(a) Gen 6 angels who were involved in the angelic attack to infiltrate the human race, now incarcerated underneath the ground in Tartarus.

Gen 6:4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God [angels] had sex with the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

(b) The first demon assault army incarcerated in the abyss at this time. The abyss is the location of the demon king, Satan’s right hand man, called Abaddon.

Hades Chart

The abyss is the jail for certain demons who have disobeyed the rules for the angelic conflict in human history.

The Church today is the focal point of invisible warfare, and therefore we are required to become invisible heroes.

The abyss is related to visible warfare during the Tribulation period. It is the barracks for the first demon assault army under the command of Abaddon (Hebrew) or Apollyon (Greek).

There will be visible heroes among believers - Moses and Elijah and the 144,000 Jewish evangelists.

When Satan is cast down to the earth, he will be permitted to release his three hard-core demon armies, and they will attack human beings physically.

1. Only those involved in the cosmic system, the world system, can be attacked. Believers who are positive toward doctrine are protected by a wall of fire.

2. The angels cannot kill their victims.

The Tribulation - A time of wrath, 1Th 5:9; Rev 6:16-17; Rev 11:18; 14:19. A time of judgment, Rev 14:7; 15:4; 16:5-17.

A time of indignation, Isa 26:20-21; 34:1-3. A time of punishment, Isa 24:20-21. A time of trial, Rev 3:10.

A time of trouble, Jer 30:7. A time of destruction, Joel 1:15. A time of darkness, Joel 2:2; Zep 1:14-18.

The fifth angel is one of the elect angels who have privileges and authority for glorifying TLJC [The Lord Jesus Christ] in the first angelic rebellion.

Isa 14:12 How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations!

Luk 10:18 “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning.”

bottomless = abussos = the abyss. pit = phrear = a well, it refers to the pit of the abyss.

Satan is permitted to release his first demon assault army and they will torture their targets for five months.

Satan does this to his own servants because he is an ungrateful master; once he can no longer use those involved in the cosmic system, he tries to destroy them.

Once Satan is cast out of heaven, he sheds all hypocrisy; he shows his real colors in pettiness, vindictiveness, implacability, arrogance, and colossal vanity!

Arrogance tortures arrogance!

Satan is ruthless; he uses what God has given him to destroy those who have served him against God, both carnal believers and unbelievers.

Mat 7:7 “Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you.” Jer 29:13 “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”

Mark 12:30 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.”

If you’re in the cosmic system you are the servant [slave] of Satan.

Two areas where demons are in prison, Tartarus and the Abyss, both contain smoke.

2Pe 2:4 For if God Himself did not spare the angels when they sinned, but He incarcerated them in Tartarus with chains of darkness [zophos - black clouds and a mist], keeping them for judgment;

Jud 1:6 And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under thick darkness [zophos - black clouds and a mist] for the judgment of the great day.

locusts = akrides = an army of destruction. The destruction of Nineveh is described in terms of the locust plague, Nah 3:15-16.

Pr 30:27 The locusts have no king, Yet all of them go out in ranks;

Whenever the locusts form up and go into the air, their wings make an awesome sound and they literally darken the sky around them.

For the first time in history, in the middle of the Tribulation, demons are permitted to attack men.

scorpions = skorpioi - belongs to the spider family, usually 5 or 6 inches long and has a poisonous sting in its tail.

This is all a manifestation of the grace of God.

Robert R. McLaughlin Bible Ministries

All Rights Reserved

Robert R. McLaughlin 2001

Weekly Bible Study, March 13, 2023; The Book of Life and how every individual believer or unbeliever is to God.

Scripture References, Word & Phrase descriptions: the “Logos Reftagger” scripture links are hover pop-up active, meaning the scripture reference will just pop-up if you hover your cursor over it (don’t click on the link, just hover your cursor over it), when finished reading, hover your cursor off the scripture reference link. If the Reftagger pop-up doesn’t show all the verses, left click on the “More” button in the Reftagger pop-up window and it will take you to the online bible. If RefTagger pop-ups don’t work on your computer, that’s OK, try right clicking the link then open in new tab or window; or if that doesn’t work, you can always use your Bible to look up the verses. Word or Phrase definition links may not have a website that opens.

Preparing yourself for the study of God’s Word

Before we begin, only if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is; you have believed [trusted] in Him for His promised gift of eternal life) John 3:16, John 6:47 as a few examples; it is very important to prepare yourself to learn God's Word so the Holy Spirit can teach you as to what your reading or hearing is true or false. To be taught by the Holy Spirit you must be filled with the Holy Spirit which means abiding in Christ. To place yourself in fellowship with God the Holy Spirit [also called abiding in the Christ], take a moment to simply name, cite or acknowledge [confess] your known unconfessed sins privately to God (i.e.; with your thoughts directed only to God the Father). Why? Because you cannot grow spiritually if you’re not abiding in Christ [in fellowship with Him] when you take in bible truth.

1 John 1:9, says: “If we confess [meaning to simply name, cite or acknowledge to God the Father] our sins [known unconfessed sins], He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins [known sins] and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [all unknown and forgotten sins];” NKJV [New King James Version]; we call this REBOUND; read the full doctrine as to “why” we need to use 1 John 1:9 to grow spiritually. Left click the following link to learn more and fully understand the doctrine of Rebound; which answers the question, why do I need to keep confessing my sins all the time? REBOUND

If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, that He is the Son of God, the promised Messiah, as your Savior (that is, believed in Him for eternal life), the issue for you is not to name your sins; the issue for you is to simply exercise faith alone in Jesus Christ alone eternal life; when you do, you will instantly receive Eternal Life: John 3:16, 5:24, 6:47, 20:30, 31.

John 6:47 says: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me [Jesus Christ] has everlasting life." NKJV

Notice again what Jesus said in John 6:47: "…he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." It doesn't say, "will have"; it says, "has." Therefore, the very moment you believe in Jesus Christ for His promise of everlasting life, you have it (it's really just that simple; nothing more and nothing less), and it can never be taken away from you (John 10:28-29). Furthermore, the gift (Ephesians 2:8c) of everlasting life (also called eternal life in scripture) is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.

John 3:14-15, 16, 17, 18, says: "¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. ¹⁸ He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." NKJV

Let us now bow our hearts and take a moment to prepare for worship and learning God's Word. If there is any known sin in your life, this is the time to just cite it privately to God the Father with your thoughts directed towards Him. With your head bowed and your eyes closed, you have total privacy in your mind and soul:

Study to show yourself approved to God!

Grace Bible Church Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries

Doctrinal Statement

The Tree of Life is a weekly teaching summary: God’s Word is taught Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday

Alphabetical Listing of Terms & Abbreviations used:

STUDY TITLE:

Weekly Bible Study, March 13, 2023; The Book of Life and how every individual believer or unbeliever is to God.

In Rom 9:22-23, we are noting two phrases that reveal how precious every individual including believer or unbeliever is to God. The Bible speaks of vessels of mercy and vessels of destruction, which God specifically made for His purpose, Rom 9:21-22. We have to be careful here because whether you are a vessel of wrath or a vessel of mercy, both have been prepared by God.

There are two important doctrines that reveal how precious every individual is to God:

1. The Doctrine of the Book of life.

2. The Doctrine of the Unlimited Atonement.

We have been noting the first one, the Book of life. In eternity past the book of life is a registry containing the names of every member of the human race who would ever be born. In time, the book of life has to do with a two-fold concept:

1. All members of the human race who are alive, both believers and unbelievers.

2. A registry of all believers and also those who will be rewarded as winner believers or overcomers.

Please notice that there is a two-fold concept here before we go on with our teaching. We have been looking at the winner believer and have noted what belongs to him as a principle which we have noted in the past. First of all, the winner believer is mentioned as a distinct individual in the book of revelation, (see Rev 2:7,11, 17, 26, 3:5, 12, 21). The winner is also mentioned one other time in Rev 21:7.

However, there is a difference between overcoming the world and being a winner in the eternal state.

To sum up, let all be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil, or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing. for you were elected for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing. (1Pe 3:8-9)

Notice again that blessing is related to election. The first thing that is obvious about your blessings being deposited in eternity past is that under the principle of election, you could never work for any divine blessing in time. All divine blessings were willed for you by God before you were alive to perform any good deed. That’s why Eph 1:3-4 says, Worthy of praise and glorification be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, [He blessed us] just as He elected us in Him before the foundation of the world,

Long before you existed, your blessings were designed just for you. Therefore, we could not possibly earn or work or deserve blessing. This means that we are not blessed by personality improvement, by morality, by self-sacrifice or by Christian service. These things are only meritorious if they happen to result from maturity and spirituality but they are not the means. Many of these blessings become yours in time only when you fulfill the purpose of election. You can only fulfill the purpose of election when you stay out of the devil’s world, the cosmic system, and live in the PPOG [predesigned plan of God]. This wealth was deposited in eternity past for those believers who reach the point of maturity and who are consistent and have proper motivation from metabolized doctrine.

This is why Paul said in Col 2:2 that their hearts [or their right lobes] may be encouraged,

There are two things in life that you must have no matter who you are, what you are, or where you’re going. You must have motivation in life. You must have a dynamic mental attitude. From your motivation and mental attitude comes your capacity for life and happiness and blessing.

that their hearts may be encouraged, [through metabolized doctrine], having been knit together by means of love [the filling of the spirit and impersonal unconditional love], and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding. (Col 2:2)

The full assurance of understanding points to the riches or the wealth that God has for us. And this results in the true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself.

In whom [the Lord Jesus Christ] are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Col 2:3)

All treasures are hidden in Christ. They were placed in Christ in the heavens or in eternity past. So many people are motivated to find earthly treasure. There are all kinds of records and books written about people searching for treasure. But we as believers have the greatest treasure of all and it’s right here in Co l 2:3, “In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

Your motivation for treasure hunting is revealed by your daily availability to Bible doctrine. Everyone of us should be willing everyday to take in Bible doctrine because that Bible doctrine is the greatest treasure in the history of the human race. And this is when such principles of doctrine emerge such as; Deut 28:12, “The Lord will open for you his good storehouse.”

The apostle Paul mentions both election and the tremendous blessings that accompany the believer's salvation in Eph 1:17-18, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling [His electing you], what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, What is the hope of His election? It is the fact that everyone of us will have God’s very highest and best. That’s why Peter said in 2Pe 1:10, Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make His calling and election sure; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble;

Why would we ever have to make His calling us and electing us sure, if election meant that God chooses you and your free will has nothing to do with it? And what part of election are we to make sure if all that election means is salvation? In eternity, it is the registry of all believers forever. We will note under the doctrine of the unlimited atonement and the divine decrees that when a person dies as an unbeliever, his name is removed from the book of life. Therefore, in eternity future only the names of believers are in the book of life (see Php 4:3; Rev 13:8; Rev 17:8; Rev 20:12,15, 21:7).

And he stood on the sand of the seashore. And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names. And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast; and they worshiped the dragon, because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?” And there was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemes; and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him. And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven. And it was given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them; and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. And all who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain. (Rev 13:1-8)

I want you to notice the phrase the book of life of the Lamb. If not, you’re going to be confused by this because in eternity, this book also contains the new title of royalty for each winner believer or overcomer.

In Rev 17:8, “The beast that you saw was and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and to go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth will wonder, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come.”

In Rev 20:12, And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.

Then in Rev 21:24-27, And the nations shall walk by its light, and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory into it. And in the daytime (for there shall be no night there) its gates shall never be closed; and they shall 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.

So, a number of passages in the Bible refer to a book called the “the book of life,” a figurative expression that originated in the ancient world. For example, an ancient custom was to keep the various kinds of genealogical records as in a book known as a book of life as in Neh 7:5. This was a natural book for all residents who were born. They would also have a book of life for registering citizens for numerous purposes, (Jer 22:30; Eze 13:9).

Therefore, when it comes to books, God is represented as having records of men, of their works, and of God's dealings with them. One such record is called “The book of life.” That’s why we read in Rev 20:12, And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.

In addition to the book of life, there are other categories of records or books mentioned in Scripture.

These are: (a) Book of Wars: Num 21:14. This was a collection of war songs celebrating the glorious acts of God on behalf of Israel. (b) The Book of Jasher: Josh 10:13; 2Sa 1:18. This was an early chronicle of the history of Israel. (c) Book of Remembrance: Mal 3:16-17; Psa 56:8.

Then those who feared [respected or reverenced] the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who respect the Lord and who esteem His name. “And they will be Mine, says the Lord of hosts, on the day that I prepare {My} own possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.” (Mal 3:16-17)

This was a book of remembrance for special blessings and rewards for faithfulness. (d) Book of Those Physically Alive (a dooms day book Exo 32:32-33). This refers to a register of the physically living. To be blotted out meant to experience physical death; (Exo 17:14; Deut 29:20; Psa 9:5-6). (e) The Book of Works: Rev 20:12-13.

This consists of a record of the deeds of unbelievers as a basis of their judgment proving they all fall short of the righteousness of Jesus Christ; Dan 7:9-10; Rom 3:19-24. Therefore, when the phrase the “book of life” is used in the New Testament, everyone knew exactly the connotation of what was being said.

Point 2. Passages Referring to the Book of Life.

One of the first passages that reference the book of life is the Exodus passage when the Jews made the golden calf. Moses became very angry with them but still interceded on their behalf before the Lord. So we pick up the passage in Exo 32:30-33, And it came about on the next day that Moses said to the people, “You yourselves have committed a great sin; and now I am going up to the Lord, perhaps I can make atonement for your sin. Then Moses returned to the Lord, and said, “Alas, this people has committed a great sin, and they have made a god of gold for themselves. But now, if Thou wilt, forgive their sin and if not, please blot me out from Thy book which Thou hast written!” And the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.”

The sin mentioned in this passage is the rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ and His word and the worshipping of golden calf. However, here the book is a reference to the registry of life on this earth. This is why Moses said in Exo 32:32, “But now, if Thou wilt, forgive their sin and if not, please blot me out from Thy book which Thou hast written!” Now, one of the responsibilities that Moses had was to develop a registry of the tribes and families of Israel. Not only that, but also to record respectively, the acts and different transactions in the desert and in the promise land that they would be responsible for.

This is why under the doctrine of requirement that there is one point in the doctrine that a lot of believers overlook. That is the principle of omission and accountability. Moses developed a registry of the tribes and families of Israel and their responsibilities in the desert and in the promise land. However, the Bible says that they would still be responsible even though they refused to listen. For example, in Deut 18:17, “And the Lord said to me, ‘They have spoken well.’”

“I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. And it shall come about that whoever will not listen to My words which he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him.” (Deut 18:18-19)

Some believers are stupid enough to think that if they don't listen to the word of God that they will not have to be responsible for that which they do not hear. And that is not true. The point is that under the doctrine of requirement that a lot of believers overlook the principle of omission and accountability. Yet they forget the importance of the doctrine of requirement. Let me give you some illustrations of this.

“And surely I will require your lifeblood; from every beast I will require it. And from every man, from every man's brother I will require the life of man. Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God He made man.”

God is for capital punishment and therefore He requires a life for a life and this was even before the Mosaic Law.

The Lord also requires from us:

a) To be occupied with Him.

b) To be governed by His doctrine.

c) To love and to serve Him.

d) To have our soul in complete submission to Him.

All five parts of the soul including emotion, self-consciousness, volition, mentality and conscience. Since we are in the book of Deuteronomy look at Deut 10:12, “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,”

God will also require you to fulfill any vow that you have made to Him or His people, Deut 23:21, “When you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay to pay it, for it would be sin in you, and the Lord your God will surely require it of you.”

When you make a vow to God, do not be late in paying it, for {He takes} no delight in fools. Pay what you vow! It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. (Ecc 5:4-5)

The Bible also teaches that only those who are under the influence of evil think that God will not require anything from them, Psa 10:13, “Why has the wicked spurned God? He has said to himself, "Thou wilt not require {it}”. Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore the hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to do evil. (Ecc 8:11)

God also requires pastors to exhort and warn their congregation, (2Ti 4:1-2; Heb 13:17). God requires that we operate in justice, love mercy, (grace in action) and walk in humility, Mic 6:8, He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love grace, And to walk humbly with your God?

The following link is to a good news message describing how one can receive eternal life: Ticket to Heaven, it was written for anyone not absolutely certain about their eternal future.