Weekly Bible Study – August 31, 2020 The analogy of physical food verse the analogy of spiritual food.

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.

Prepare yourself for learning the Word of God!

Before we begin, 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), it is important to prepare yourself to learn God's Word so take a moment to name, cite or acknowledge (confess) your known unconfessed sins privately to God (i.e.; with your thoughts directed only to God the Father).

1 John 1:9 says: "If we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins (known sins) and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [unknown or forgotten sins]." NKJV (New King James Version) [italics added]; we call this REBOUND, read the full doctrine as to “why” we need to use 1 John 1:9 to grow spiritually. 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 for 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 [italics added]

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:

The analogy of physical food verse the analogy of spiritual food.

The analogy of physical food verse the analogy of spiritual food.

In the Bible, GOD speaks to man concerning HIS Word and man speaks to GOD concerning his need. When we come together, we don’t come together to hear men speak, we come together to hear GOD speak. The responsibility of the pastor is to take the message from GOD and bring it to the people.

I’ve always seen myself, not as a chef, but as a waiter. My responsibility is not to create a cookbook but to bring healthy and tasty spiritual food to the believer and also to try to get it to the table without messing it up. Remember there is a direct relationship between physical food verses spiritual food.

Look at what the LORD said to the prophet Jeremiah in Jer 3:15, “Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you on knowledge and understanding.”

Please notice once again, the analogy of physical food verse the analogy of spiritual food.

Jer 15:16, Thy words were found and I ate them, And Thy words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Thy name, O LORD GOD of hosts.

In fact, also in the book of JOB, the oldest book in the Bible, the relationship and the analogy of physical food compared with the spiritual food of Bible doctrine is found.

In Job 23:12 we read, “I have not departed from the command of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more importantly than my necessary food.”

The most popular passages on this principle is found, of course, in Matt 4:4, the LORD said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of GOD;”

Jer 15:16, Thy words were found and I ate them, And Thy words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Thy name, O LORD GOD of hosts.

Look at Heb 5:12-14, this is a passage that calls for advance doctrines which are classified as “solid food.” and For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of GOD, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is a babe or immature. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses [physical and spiritual] trained to discern between divine good and human good also classified as evil.

And so, we come to the 15th chapter of the Gospel of John again. We begin with a little background to our passage as a reminder of where we are hours before our LORD would go to the Cross and look like.

Isa 52:14, Just as many were astonished at you, My people, So His appearance was marred more than any man, And His form more than the sons of men.

The Message Bible says in Isa 52:14, He didn’t even look human a ruined face, disfigured past recognition.

In Isa 53:2b, He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.

Isa 53:4-7, Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of GOD, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.

Now, the LORD and His disciples met together in a kind of secret place that we call upper room, and our LORD spent that night telling them many wonderful things, giving them many, many promises.

As that night moved on, our LORD exposed Judas as the traitor, and dismissed him without the other disciples even knowing what He had said to Judas and what Judas was planning to do.

So, we now continue with our main passage which deals with the challenge to produce productive or experiential righteousness which is found in the vine and the branch metaphor of John 15:1-8.

Productive means to achieve or to produce a significant action that produces or manufactures divine good which is a standard of good that comes from intrinsic action or divine good which motivated by means of grace.

Productive also is defined as having the quality of life and the divine power at your disposal producing especially in abundance.

On the other hand, we also describe this type of righteousness as “experiential righteousness” which by definition means that we go through certain situations by observation and even education = known as empiricism or experience.

Empiricism is the theory that all knowledge is derived from sense also known as experience. Empiricism is a philosophical perspective based on experience and observation and empiricism is also a philosophical belief that states your knowledge of the world is based on your experiences, particularly your sensory experiences.

This is when people learn some things in life by seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, speaking, etc. (etcetera).

According to empiricists, our learning is based on our observations and perception; and the empiricist believes that knowledge is not possible without experience.

One of the best passages that goes with all these principles that I have given to you before is Rev 19:8, And it was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

And, it is those righteous acts that we are going to study, not the imputed righteousness from GOD which is one of the greatest gifts that GOD gave to us at the moment of our salvation but experiential or productive righteousness which produces “works” that glorify the LORD and reward the believer.

John 15:1-8, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every {branch} that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither {can} you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch, and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you. By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and {so} prove to be My disciples.”

Now, in John 15, this particular passage is the end of the upper room discourse, and as we begin chapter 15, we get into the Gethsemane discourse. Ordinarily most people think that chapters 15 and 16 were given in the upper room, but the last in chapter 14 more or less dispels that idea. So, we now go from the upper room into the Garden of Gethsemane.

In fact, all of a sudden we have a new discourse, “I am the vine,” as John 15:1 states.

But in John 18:1 we read, When Jesus had spoken these words, He went forth with His disciples over the ravine of the Kidron, where there was a garden, into which He Himself entered, and His disciples.

Now, it was just outside of the Garden HE spoke, John 15 and 16. Alright, the outline of John 15, this was the beginning of the Gethsemane discourse.

John 15 can be divided into three major doctrinal principles that our LORD desired to teach to His disciples:

1. The first section I believe is found in the first eight verses of John 15, which is where we have the production of phase 2 or living the spiritual life in time which is the answer to the question; “After Salvation, what?

2. In second section, verses John 15:9 17, we have a dissertation on true biblical love as it is stated by our LORD who called this type of love, which is agape love, a new commandment. It is not new in understanding; it is new in experience and application.

Look at John 13:34, our LORD calls this type of love; “a new commandment that He gives to us, so that we love one another, even as our LORD loved us, that we also love one another.

3. Finally, in the third section, verses John 15:18 27, we have the hostility of the cosmos or the world system and the reasons why the world hates us or those who reject Cosmic system 1 and/or 2.

So, we have the production of phase 2, which is the dissertation on biblical love and we have the hostility that comes from the cosmic system or what some believers just call the “world.”

So, we have a story of love and hate. We are to love one another and hate the cosmic system which is drenched with human viewpoint from using human power instead of divine power, which brings glory to the LORD.

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 – August 30, 2020 Our Lord warned His disciples about the false doctrine of losing your salvation.

EMBEDDED VIDEO SERMON in HD – NOTES
Many believers will fall away from the Christian Faith (Doctrine) and
they will pay attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.

Please join us as we fellowship in the Word of God, listen to
Christian Music, Pray in Christ’s Name, and Praise the Lord
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, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is— you have trusted in Him for eternal life), it is important to prepare yourself to take-in God’s Word or participating in a Communion Service, so take a moment to name, cite or acknowledge your sins privately directly to God the Father. This will assure that you are in fellowship with God the Father and the Holy Spirit’s convicting ministry, also called the convincing ministry will then be able to teach you as the Holy Spirit is the real teacher and the pastor’s message is the vehicle the Holy Spirit uses to convince you what you are learning is true or not.

1 John 1:9, says—“If we confess [simply name, cite or acknowledge to God the Father] our sins [known 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. 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 Christ alone for eternal life and you will be saved the very 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, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 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” (some websites may require to left click the link, 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.

Sermon: Our Lord warned His disciples about the false doctrine of losing your salvation.

Concerning Salvation, believers are told to be aware of the fact that they can lose their salvation or that they can give their salvation back to God.

Many believers go through life wondering what kind of sin a believer can commit that results in losing their salvation.

“No kind of sin” — they can’t lose their salvation.

What these sad individuals have forgotten is Prov 6:16-19 reveals our Lord’s attitude toward certain categories which illustrates the sins of the mind and the sins of the tongue.

Prov 6:17 Haughty eyes [mental attitude of arrogance], a lying tongue [SOT], And hands that shed innocent blood [murder or in 1Jo 3:15 hating your fellow man].

Prov 6:18, A heart that devises wicked plans [mental attitude thinking sins of revenge and evil], Feet that run rapidly to evil [MAS],

Prov 6:19, A false witness who utters lies [SOT], And one who spreads strife among brothers [SOT].

Humanity – our Lord could be tempted and could have sinned.

Deity – neither could He be tempted nor could He commit sin.

If you add up these characteristics, the God-Man in Hypostatic-union was temptable but impeccable.

Through His human volition He was able to avoid sin when He was tempted as a man; in His divine essence, the integrity of God meant sin was completely out of the question.

”posse non peccare, non-posse peccare” which should be translated; He was “able not to sin and not able to sin.”

Posse = able
Non = not
Peccare = to sin

“posse [able] non [not] peccare [to sin] = “able not to sin”

“non [not] posse [able] peccare [to sin] = “not able to sin”

Like perfect Adam, who could sin only by an act of negative volition toward God’s prohibition of the tree, our Lord Jesus could fail only in one-way, negative volition to the Father’s plan for the Incarnation.

Satan intensified his efforts to prevent the Cross by putting the free will of our Lord’s humanity repeatedly to the test; Matt 4:1-11.

In His humanity, in Heb 4:15, He was tempted far beyond anything we will ever face.

Unlike the woman in the Garden, whose ignorance of doctrine made her vulnerable to Satan’s subtleties, Christ remained on positive signals all the way to the Cross.

Adam was created spiritually alive and through one deliberate act of negative volition became spiritually dead, Jesus was born spiritually alive and by unyielding positive volition remained impeccable.

Augustine of Hippo:

In the garden before the fall, humanity was “able not” to sin. After the fall humanity is “not able” NOT “to sin.”

In heaven humanity will “not be able to sin forever.”

Some of the apostles said the same thing about the lies and deceptions that they had to face and that believers in the Church-age will also have to face especially in the last days.

The Lord Jesus Christ – Matt 24:4, See to it that no one misleads or deceives you.”

Apostle Paul – 1Ti 4:1, But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,

The Apostle John warned us about false teachers who rob believers by deception; 2Jo 1:7-11.

“Elect Lady” or “Chosen Lady” – had a church in her home and John warns the believers watch out that someone might come into their life and they might lose what they have accomplished spiritually.

Second – the Elect Lady refers to a certain woman who was a winner believer and I would have preferred a definite article in front of the title “Elect Lady” or “Chosen Lady” but we don’t have a definite article.

The definite article would be a word like “the” and the apostle John would have pointed her out as “The Elect Lady” or “The Chosen Lady.”

Greek – if you wanted to emphasize the high quality of a noun you would put a definite article in from of the noun you’re emphasizing.

2Jo 1:1 “The elder to the Chosen Lady and her children” refers to the
following type of interpretation.

2Jo 1:1 “The elder [Apostle John] to the Chosen Lady [Bride of Christ] and her children – members of the Bride are her children or new believers.

Our Lord warned His disciples about the false doctrine of losing your
salvation.

The Apostle Paul warned Timothy about the deceptions that come from the doctrines of demons.

The apostle Peter got into the “warning stage” that false doctrine and false teachings demand for believers to follow.

Jude, our Lord’s half-brother, also warned the early Church about individuals who would mock the truth, promote false doctrine and distort salvation and the spiritual life.

This is actually a principle that the apostle Paul warned the believers in Ephesus about concerning divine discipline, not losing your salvation; Eph 4:17-19.

One (blessing) glorifies the Lord as He releases escrow blessings to the winner believer while the other (divine discipline) is a manifestation of the “love of God as a Father.”

“being darkened in their understanding” = their soul is filled with darkness and counterfeit in the light of blackness;

“excluded from the life of God” = cut off from fellowship with members of the body of Christ.

because of the ignorance that is in them = the false doctrine that they have been receiving.

because of the hardness of their heart; = the hard-heart filled with apostasy.

Eph 4:19 and they, having become callous [scar tissue is built upon scar tissue and around the soul].

“have given themselves over to sensuality” = they are controlled by their emotions and feelings.

for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness = resulting in the fulfillment of lust built upon lust.

All these principles concerning the kingdoms, (Heaven – God – Darkness), our Lord provided for all of us because we are in union
with the Lord Jesus Christ.

We also have been elevated above all angels, chosen and elect, fallen and condemned.

We can do all things through Christ Who strengthens us and has provided for us the “All Things” that we need to glorify our Lord and to acknowledge Him.

John 14:27, Peace He leaves with us; A peace that He gives us; not as the world gives, does He give to us but a peace that He says “Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”

John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

Acts 9:31 it is a peace that believers enjoy, as they are being built up; and, going on in respecting the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it (the early Church) continued to increase.

Rom 12:18 it is a peace that If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.

Ultimately, it is a peace according to the Word of God” that is “alive and powerful” or even “alive and Cooking.”

It is also a peace that is revealed in two major chapters in the book of Hebrews, chapters one and two; Heb 1; Heb 2.

Just reading this section of the word of God is a phenomenal manifestation of the grace of God elevating members of the human race above angelic creatures.

We do acknowledge that there are also “guardian angels” who have been assigned to believers who will inherit salvation as well as receive divine blessings as a part of their inheritance.

Angels have been assigned to protect and provide for members of the human race as they did for our Lord Who desires to glorify our Lord; Matt 4:11.

Matt 4:11, Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.

In Matt 13:39, Angels also will separate the wicked from the righteous as they get the “Millennial Reign” ready to be ruled by our Lord Jesus Christ for the next 1,000 years of “Divine Government.”

Matt 18:10 talks about the guardian angels that are assigned to children as in Matt 18:10, See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you, that their angels in heaven = elect angels who have been made holy by our Lord Jesus Christ.

Angels were used as “spiritual ubers” to transport members of the human race from a compartment in Hades all the way to mansions in Heaven; Luk 16:19-31.

Prin: Spiritual truth is revealed by spiritual convictions.

Prin: Spiritual truth is manifested by the “Divine Inspiration” of the word of God followed by the Divine Recognition of grace and knowledge which is motivated by the love of God; 2Co 5:14.

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

Angels also function as “Angelic Conflict Transportation” as our Lord told us in Luk 16:22, Now it came about that the poor man died and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom;

1Co 4:9, “For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death because we have all become a spectacle or literally we are on a stage for both angels and to men.”

We are also told that angels observe both winner believers and loser believers concerning the rules found in the early Church; 1Co 6:3.

1Co 6:3, Do you not know that we [winner believers of the Church-age and the winner believers in this life] that we live shall judge angels?

Heb 13:2, Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.

Eph 2:6; 1Pe 3:22 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus, who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.

The word descendant is in the singular which refers to our Lord Jesus Christ and then remember that what happened to Him will happen to us.

It is because of this doctrinal truth that we all need to be on the alert about concerning the only reason why we have been elevated is because of our union and our position in Christ; 2Co 5:17; Gal 6:15.

2Co 5:17, Therefore if any man is [notice the phrase: “en Christou”; which means that the believer is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

The apostle Paul is using this passage to reveal the importance of the Cross and the result of what happens to believers concerning the “new spiritual species” also known as the “new creature.

John 13:34, A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

Our position in Christ also gives us the right to walk in the newness of resurrection life; Rom 6:4.

Our position in Christ also deals with dying with Him as He died for us; Rom 6:5.

Our position in Christ is one of the many reasons that we possess eternal life;
Rom 6:23.

In Eph 1:4, we have election and predestination because of our union with the Lord.

Eph 2:6 is given as a blessing of our position in Christ; Eph 2:6 and (He) raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus,

They distort what John 15:2 says that; Every believer that does not bear fruit, He takes away and He also prunes the believer.

In John 15:6, they also distort the verse when it says that “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch, and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.”

In John 15, this one passage in verse 6, has been so misunderstood by many believers who have good intentions but really cannot grasp the “Finished Work” of our Lord.

Jojn 15:6, If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch, and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

You cannot lose your salvation and we will approach this subject very carefully by using the word “Approach.”

By approach I mean as you are living the spiritual life as you proceed to advance toward the goal that is set before us you as Phil 3:14, “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

To do this you have to make sure that you do not fall away from the Lord but believe that you can live the spiritual life as you forget what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead.

Phil 3:14, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

1. The Positional Approach: Rom 8:1; Eph 1:3-6; Jude 1.

Every believer is in union with Christ and that is why Rom 8:38-39 says what it does.

If you are “in Christ,” then this verse says you will never be condemned or judged by God no matter what you think, say, or do.

There is conviction by God the Holy Spirit, which is legitimate, but condemnation is not.

Holy Spirit conviction verses satanic condemnation is always a crossroads as to which way we will go.

Holy Spirit conviction always gives us a way out in which the grace of God is magnified, and reconciliation is the goal of God the Holy Spirit.

Satanic accusations condemn a person and has no way out except satanic condemnation.

It is the Spirit verses Satan.

Conviction verses condemnation.

It is life spiritually or death experientially.

We have our Lord’s word on the type of judgment we will face; John 7:24.

Even when our Lord had to judge us which was really His way of evaluating the lifestyle that we live; He did do with grace and honor motivated by agape love.

We are “in Christ” that is our position and not our condition.

Rom 8:1, There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Because we are “in Christ” we will never lose our salvation.

The apostle Paul stresses that we are in Christ and we can never lose what God has given by means of grace.

What we have noted so far really has to do with the fact that we share what Christ has and we share who Christ is.

What a great doctrinal principle backed up by the “Divine promises” from God; 1Jo 3:1-2.

Rom 8:29, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren;”

1. Christ is absolute righteousness; 2Co 5:21.

2. Christ is elected, we share His election; Eph 1:4.

3. Christ has a destiny; we share His destiny; Eph 1:5.

4. Christ is the Son, we are in union with Christ, we share His sonship; 2Ti 2:1.

5. Christ is the heir; we share His heirship; Rom 8:16-17.6. Christ is sanctified, we share His sanctification; 1Co 1:2.

6. Christ is a King; we share His kingdom; 2Pe 1:11.

Hymn #3

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 of their eternal future.

Weekly Bible Study – August 24, 2020 The threefold purpose of the pastor is found in Eph 4:12, for the purpose of equipping the saints, for the production of Christian service, for the edification of the body of Christ.

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.

Prepare yourself for learning the Word of God!

Before we begin, 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), it is important to prepare yourself to learn God's Word so take a moment to name, cite or acknowledge (confess) your known unconfessed sins privately to God (i.e.; with your thoughts directed only to God the Father).

1 John 1:9 says: "If we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins (known sins) and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [unknown or forgotten sins]." NKJV (New King James Version) [italics added]; we call this REBOUND, read the full doctrine as to “why” we need to use 1 John 1:9 to grow spiritually. 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 for 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 [italics added]

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:

The threefold purpose of the pastor is found in Eph 4:12, for the purpose of equipping the saints, for the production of Christian service, for the edification of the body of Christ.

We have now completed the introduction and John 15:1 where our LORD said; “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.”

We have noted that the LORD is called the “True Vine” because the word true refers to HIS character and nature or HIS Divine essence and that is why He is called the GOD of Truth; Deut 32:4. There will always be believers who either respond to our LORD’s plan or react to it.

Respond – the positive attitude of the spiritual adult believer.

Reaction – the negative volition of the loser believer.

We also noted that many believers need to learn about the snowball effects of human good, sin and evil, where the problem is not really the sin that was committed but the problem is the effects of the sin after it was committed. This is why David wrote Psa 32:1 {A Psalm of David} How blessed [happy] is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! Note here that transWe gression is forgiven, and sin is covered!

Psa 32:2-5, How blessed [or happy] is the person man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity and in whose spirit there is no deceit! When I kept silent {about my sin}, my body wasted away. Through my groaning all day long. For day and night Thy hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was drained away {as} with the fever heat of summer. Selah. I acknowledged my sin to Thee, And my iniquity I did not hide; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD”; And Thou didst forgive the guilt of my sin. Selah.

Notice that even in the OT, Grace is still the issue and rebound is as simple as naming and citing your sins or acknowledging them; 1Jo 1:9; Jer 3:13. We all know 1Jo 1:9 and what it says, and what it means to every believer especially in the Church-age.

Let’s look at John 15:2 in some detail but, we must begin with these principles in Jer 3:6 which states; “Then the LORD said to me in the days of Josiah the king, Have you seen what faithless Israel did? She went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and she was a harlot there.”

There are two geographical divisions that split the Jews in half, they were known as the Northern Kingdom against the Southern kingdom.

Jer 3:7-12, the LORD says, “And I thought, ‘After she has done all these things, she will return to Me’; but she did not return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it. And I saw that for all the adulteries of faithless Israel, I had sent her away and given her a writ of divorce, yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear; but she went and was a harlot also.

And it came about because of the lightness of her harlotry, that she polluted the land and committed adultery with stones and trees. And yet in spite of all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to Me with all her heart, but rather in deception,” declares the LORD.

And the LORD said to me, “Faithless Israel has proved herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. Go, and proclaim these words toward the north and say, ‘Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the LORD; ‘I will not look upon you in anger. For I am gracious,’ declares the LORD; ‘I will not be angry forever.”

Next, we have the 1Jo 1:9 passage in the OT in Jer 3:13, “Only acknowledge your iniquity, That you have transgressed against the LORD your GOD And have scattered your favors to the strangers under every green tree, And you have not obeyed My voice,” declares the LORD.

In verse 13, two important words “Only Acknowledge” Then once you do that, the LORD says in Jer 3:14-19, “Return, O faithless sons, declares the LORD; For I am a master to you, And I will take you one from a city and two from a family, And I will bring you to Zion. Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you on knowledge and understanding.

And it shall be in those days when you are multiplied and increased in the land, declares the LORD, they shall say no more, ‘The ark of the covenant of the LORD.’ And it shall not come to mind, nor shall they remember it, nor shall they miss {it,} nor shall it be made again.

At that time they shall call Jerusalem ‘The Throne of the LORD,’ and all the nations will be gathered to it, to Jerusalem, for the name of the LORD; nor shall they walk anymore after the stubbornness of their evil heart. In those days the house of Judah will walk with the house of Israel, and they will come together from the land of the north to the land that I gave your fathers as an inheritance.

Then I said, ‘How I would set you among My sons, and give you a pleasant land, The most beautiful inheritance of the nations!’ And I said, ‘You shall call Me, My Father, and not turn away from following Me. Surely, as a woman treacherously departs from her lover, so you have dealt treacherously with Me, O house of Israel, declares the LORD.”

Now, as we continue to go forward in the spiritual life, there are so many negative attitudes or problems that come our way in the spiritual realm so that our LORD had to assign some of the elect angels to protect us from the fallen angels, the carnal believers, the unbelievers. We know them as our guardian angels in Heb1:14. Now, I don’t normally read a whole chapter in the Bible, but for the sake of clarity on a particular subject, there are some great passages and principles that can really serve the purpose.

Heb 1:1-2:1, GOD, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in {His} Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high; having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.

For to which of the angels did He ever say, “Thou art My Son, Today I have begotten Thee”? And again, “I will be a Father to Him, and He shall be a Son to Me.” And when He again brings the first born into the world, He says,
“And let all the angels of GOD worship Him.” And of the angels He says, “Who makes His angels winds, And His ministers a flame of fire.”

But of the Son {He says}, “Thy throne, O GOD, is forever and ever, And the righteous scepter is the scepter of His kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore GOD, Thy GOD, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy companions.”

And, “Thou, LORD, in the beginning didst lay the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the works of Thy hands; They will perish, but Thou remainest; And they all will become old as a garment, And as a mantle Thou wilt roll them up; As a garment they will also be changed. But Thou art the same, And Thy years will not come to an end. But to which of the angels has He ever said, “Sit at My right hand, Until I make Thine enemies a footstool for Thy feet. Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation? For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away {from it.}

Here is a great doctrinal passage for any believer who desires certain victories and great blessings, no matter what the charge.

If we are not living the spiritual life, then there is really no reason for us to remain on this earth unless GOD has plans for us, which He does says Eph 2:10, For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which GOD prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

There are so many different reasons for our existence which gives us the proper motivation that is needed to endure – and not quit. Remember He and only He gave us certain examples that revealed that He was for us as our LORD; Rom 8:31-35.

Rom 8:31-35, What then shall we say to these things? If GOD {is} for us, who {is} against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against GOD’s elect? GOD is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of GOD, who also intercedes for us.

My point is that no matter what type of trials or tribulations or disasters that come our way, the LORD has already provided the solution to that problem in eternity past. Always remember who you are! You are not just an ordinary person, you are a believer who is a member of Royalty, THE GREATEST Royalty that ever existed. You are a member of the Royal Family of GOD. All of you, including me, and therefore all of us, have been made to be a part of a kingdom as kings and more than likely I don’t see a problem with calling the ladies queens as they are identified as a part of the King of kings and LORD of LORDs.

Therefore, look at Rev 1:4-8, John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come; and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne; and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first born of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us, and released us from our sins by His blood, and He has made us {to be} a kingdom, priests to His GOD and Father; to Him {be} the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. Even so. Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the LORD GOD, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

And, we are not only kings, but our LORD has also made us Royal Priest; 1Pe 2:5, 2:9.

1Pe 2:4-5, And coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected by men, but choice and precious in the sight of GOD, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to GOD through Jesus Christ.

Skip down a few verses in 1Pe 2:9-10, But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for GOD’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of GOD; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Now, before we go on I want you to remember that all human relationships have flaws within the relationship because of the presence of the Old Sin Nature (OSN). The OSN is constantly at war with the new man, or the new spiritual seed.

Gal 5:17, For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.

One of the main problems we face are the inner battles within us. This is even true when we rebound because even though we know that our sins have been forgiven, many of us still walk around filled with guilt and condemnation, why? Because most of GOD’s people do not understand what judging is all about. This is why there is another word that is usually overlooked and not even mentioned, and that is the word “rightly.”

In 1Co 11:28, the apostle Paul has been dealing with the fact that many of the Corinthian believers had been under warning discipline, intensive discipline, and some have even been killed under dying discipline because they did not discern the LORD’s body. Which, by the way, most believers I know, do not take the LORD’s supper in the right way. They have no idea how important it is for them to fulfill the only ritual left for us to fulfill which is to “keep on doing” it, it being a reference to the LORD’s supper.

1Co 11:28-32, But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself, if he does not judge the body rightly. For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. But if we judged ourselves rightly, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the LORD in order that we may not be condemned along with the world.

Let’s continue with a Biblical chronology which always seems to stimulate those believers who have not left their first love but desire to know and understand their place in the plan of GOD.

Notice a passage I quote many times before, Psa 37:4-5, Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it.

Psa 145:18-19, The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them.

Therefore, before the LORD is about to leave His disciples for His time of prayer with His Father in the Garden of Gethsemane; GOD the Holy Spirit has been working overtime so that we can all say;

Rom 8:31-34, What then shall we say to these things? If GOD {is} for us, who {is} against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against GOD’s elect? GOD is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of GOD, who also intercedes for us.

So, it all began in eternity past, billions and billions of years ago when GOD, that is GOD the Father, GOD the Son, or GOD the Holy Spirit decided to create billions of angels and billions and billions of humans.

To really understand this, I need to remind those of you that one of the main reasons that you were once excited about the Plan of GOD (PPOG=predesigned plan of God) is because you were in love with HIM. GOD determined to create all mankind with a free will in order to resolve the prehistoric angelic conflict, and to bring many sons into glory. This is what the writer of the book of Hebrews says in Heb 2:9-10, But we do see Him who has been made for a little while lower than the angels, {namely,} Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of GOD He might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings.

Remember, I told you that there is a logical progression that develops right before our eyes so that our soul literally takes a picture of what we are going through and store them in our memory center.

Now, the Jews started to fall away from the LORD by missing what they called “Temple” which is equivalent to what we call “missing service in the local assembly in our day and age by refusing to gather together for the purpose of edification. Now, for the New Testament believer, there is a threefold purpose of the Pastor Teacher and the edification of the believer’s soul which is found in Eph 4:11-12, And He gave some {as} apostles, and some {as} prophets, and some as} evangelists, and some {as} pastor-teachers, (Why?) for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;

The three-fold ministry is now described:

For the purpose of equipping the saints.
For the production of Christian service.
For the edification of the body of Christ.”

1. Notice in Eph 4:12 there is the equipping of the “saints” which refers to the royal family of GOD with emphasis on the baptism of the Spirit.

2. Next we have the “equipping the saints” which refers to GOD’s grace policy and provision for the execution of the PPOG.

3. “Equipping” is the function of the pastor who, through teaching the mystery doctrine of the Church-age and is able to see people grow and become invisible heroes. This means once again that all believers are in full-time Christian service from the moment of their salvation. Christian service is the normal result of spiritual growth but never the means.

4. Edification is the execution of the PPOG for the Church-age believer and the subsequent manufacture of invisible heroes, resulting in the glorification of GOD.

Notice that our LORD has given us everything we would ever need to use and to bring glory to our Savior. So, the threefold purpose of the pastor is found in Eph 4:12, “for the purpose of equipping the Saints, for the production of Christian service, for the edification of the body of Christ.”

And our LORD did all of this as Eph 4:13 says until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of GOD, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ.

Eph 4:14-16, As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all {aspects} into Him, who is the head, {even} Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

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 – August 23, 2020 Many believers will fall away from the Christian Faith (Doctrine) and they will pay attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.

EMBEDDED VIDEO SERMON in HD – NOTES
Many believers will fall away from the Christian Faith (Doctrine) and
they will pay attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.

Please join us as we fellowship in the Word of God, listen to
Christian Music, Pray in Christ’s Name, and Praise the Lord
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, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is— you have trusted in Him for eternal life), it is important to prepare yourself to take-in God’s Word or participating in a Communion Service, so take a moment to name, cite or acknowledge your sins privately directly to God the Father. This will assure that you are in fellowship with God the Father and the Holy Spirit’s convicting ministry, also called the convincing ministry will then be able to teach you as the Holy Spirit is the real teacher and the pastor’s message is the vehicle the Holy Spirit uses to convince you what you are learning is true or not.

1 John 1:9, says—“If we confess [simply name, cite or acknowledge to God the Father] our sins [known 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. 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 Christ alone for eternal life and you will be saved the very 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, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 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” (some websites may require to left click the link, 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.

Sermon: Many believers will fall away from the Christian Faith (Doctrine)
and they will pay attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.

They were directed towards our Lord’s teaching on salvation and our Lord’s teaching on what the “new spiritual life” is and what one must do to live in it.

John 15 = The attack dealt with salvation, not concerning how a person is saved but concerning whether or not if a person who was saved could lose their salvation.

He has changed his mind and doesn’t want to be saved anymore but wants to give God His salvation back — revealing the arrogance of rejecting our Lord; 1Pe 1:3-5.

Two main verses that Satan and his kingdom will use to cause believers to live in fear and worried about concerning one’s salvation; John 15:2; 15:6.

Fruit — karpos = intrinsic good or a good that is naturally spiritual and a manifestation a high quality of life from the inner resources of divine good.

It is the presentation of divine good that demonstrates a believer’s love and respect towards God.

This type of believer displays the problem-solving devices and the relax mental attitude which illustrates the life of a winner believer.

Winner believer = someone who relies on the inner strength that comes from the power of the Spirit and the Word of God; Zec 4:6b.

Zec 4:6b ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts or Jehovah of the armies.

The second problem says a believer can lose their salvation and in John 15:6, they say that it is teaching that a believer can lose or even give back his salvation; John 15:6.

John 15:6 “If anyone does not abide in Me [fellowship], he is thrown away as a branch and they teach God will throw away the believer who does not bear fruit.

and dries up [alienated from the life of God]; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

“and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned” = they teach a believer can become lost and never find what they once had, salvation and the abundant life.

The apostle Paul warned the believers in Ephesus about concerning divine discipline, not losing your salvation; Eph 4:18-19.

One (blessing) glorifies the Lord as He releases escrow blessings to the winner believer while the other (suffering or divine discipline) is a manifestation of the “love of God as a Father.”

Apostasy = fallen away from the faith (doctrine), whereas reversionism means that if a believer does not go forward then he is automatically going backward.

No one ever stands still, they either go forward in the spiritual life or backward as they are drawn away from living the spiritual life or remaining stagnant.

Many believers will fall away from the Christian Faith (Doctrine) and they will pay attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, 1Ti 4:1).

1Ti 4:1 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,

Psa 101:3 I will set no worthless thing before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It (that is fallen away) shall not fasten its grip on me (explain separation).

In Eph 4:18, the Apostle Paul writes “being darkened in their understanding” = their soul is filled with darkness and counterfeit in the light of blackness;

The believer is said to be “excluded from the life of God” = cut off from fellowship with members of the body of Christ.

How the Vine and the branches relate to the believer who has been disbarred because of ignorance and arrogance and failure to use the problem-solving devices.

”because of the ignorance that is in them “= the false doctrine that they have been receiving.

because of the hardness of their heart, = the hard heart filled with apostasy.

Eph 4:19 and they, having become callous [scar tissue is built upon scar tissue and around the soul].

“have given themselves over to sensuality” = they are controlled by their emotions and feelings.

for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness = resulting in the fulfillment of lust built upon lust.

Our Lord provided for all of us because we are in union with the Lord Jesus Christ and we have been elevated above all angels, chosen and elect, fallen and condemned.

Our Lord’s victories gave us the absolute confidence that we can do all things through Christ Who strengthens us and has provided for us the “All Things” we need to glorify our Lord.

John 14:27 “Peace He leaves with us; A peace that He gives us; not as the world gives, does He give to us but a peace that He says “Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”

John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

In Acts 9:31 it is a peace that believers enjoy, as they are being built up; and, going on in respecting the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase.

In Rom 12:18 it is a peace that If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.

It is a peace according to the Word of God” that is “alive and powerful” or even “alive and Cooking.”

It is also a peace that is revealed in two major chapters in the book of Hebrews, chapters one and two; Heb 1; Heb 2.

Now, just reading this section of the word of God is a phenomenal manifestation of the grace of God elevating members of the human race above angelic creatures.

We do acknowledge that there are also “guardian angels” who have been assigned to believers who will inherit salvation as well as receive divine blessings as a part of their inheritance.

Angels have been assigned to protect and provide for members of the human race as they did for our Lord Who desires to glorify our Lord; Matt 4:11.

Matt 4:11 Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.

Matt 13:39 — Angels also will separate the wicked from the righteous as they get the “Millennial Reign” ready to be ruled by our Lord Jesus Christ for the next 1,000 years.

Matt 18:10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you, that their angels in heaven = these are elect angels who have been made holy by our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is also true that angels were used as “spiritual ubers” to transport members of the human race from a compartment in Hades (Hell) all the way to mansions in Heaven.

Prin: Spiritual truth is revealed by spiritual convictions.

Prin: Spiritual truth is manifested by the “Divine Inspiration” of the Word of God followed by the Divine Recognition of grace and knowledge which is motivated by the love of God; 2Co 5:14.

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

Angels also function as “Angelic Conflict Transportation;” Luk 16:22 “Now it came about that the poor man died and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom;

1Co 4:9 “For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death because we have all become a spectacle or literally we are on a stage for both angels and to men.

We are also told that angels observe both winner believers and loser believers concerning the rules found in the early Church; 1Co 6:3.

1Co 6:3 Do you not know that we [winner believers of the Church-age and the winner believers in this life] that we live shall judge angels?

Heb 13:2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.

Eph 2:6; 1Pe 3:22 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus, who is at the right hand of God,

having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.

The word descendant is in the singular which refers to our Lord Jesus Christ and then remember that what happened to Him will happen to us.

We all need to be on the alert about concerning the only reason why we have been elevated is because of our union and our position in Christ; 2Co 5:17; Gal 6:15.

2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man is [notice the phrase “en Christou” which means that the believer is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

The apostle Paul is using this passage to reveal the importance of the Cross and the result of what happens to believers concerning the “new spiritual species.”

John 13:34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

Our position in Christ also gives us the right to walk in the newness of resurrection life; Rom 6:4.

Our position in Christ also deals with dying with Him as He died for us; Rom 6:5.

Our position in Christ is one of the many reasons that we possess eternal life; Rom 6:23.

In Eph 1:4, we have election and predestination because of our union with the Lord.

Eph 2:6 and (He) raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus,

They distort what John 15:2 says that; “Every believer that does not bear fruit, He takes away and He also prunes the believer.”

John 15:6 “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch, and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.”

In Joh 15, this one passage in verse 6, has been so misunderstood by many believers who have good intentions but really cannot grasp the “Finished Work” of our Lord.

John 15:6 “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch, and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

You cannot lose your salvation and we will approach this subject very carefully by using the word “Approach.”

By approach = Phil 3:14 “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

You do not fall away from the Lord but believe that you can live the spiritual life as you forget what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead.

Phil 3:14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

1. So, our first approach is what we call the Positional Approach: Rom 8:1; Eph 1:3-6; Jude 1. Every believer is in union with Christ; Rom 8:38-39.

If you are “in Christ,” then this verse says you will never be condemned or judged by God no matter what you think, say, or do.

There is conviction by God the Holy Spirit, which is legitimate, but condemnation is not.

Holy Spirit conviction verses satanic condemnation is always a crossroads as to which way we will go.

Holy Spirit conviction always gives us a way out in which the grace of God is magnified, and reconciliation is the goal of God the Holy Spirit.

Whereas satanic accusations condemn a person and has no way out except satanic condemnation.

It is the Spirit verses Satan.
Conviction verses condemnation.
It is life spiritually or death experientially.

We have our Lord’s word on the type of judgment we will face; John 7:24.

Even when our Lord had to judge us which was really His way of evaluating the lifestyle that we live; He did do with grace and honor motivated by agape love.

When we are told that we are “in Christ” that is our position and not our condition.

Our position in Christ guarantees that there is no condemnation; Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

That gets right to the point — Because we are “in Christ” we will never lose our salvation.

The apostle Paul stresses that we are in Christ and we can never lose what God has given by means of grace.

We share what Christ has and we share who Christ is.

What a great doctrinal principle backed up by the “Divine Promises” from God; 1Jo 3:1-2.

Rom 8:29 “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren;”

1. Christ is absolute righteousness; 2Co 5:21.

2. Christ is elected, we share His election — Eph 1:4.

3. Christ has a destiny; we share His destiny — Eph 1:5.

4. Christ is the Son, we are in union with Christ, we share His sonship; 2Ti 2:1.

5. Christ is the heir; we share His heirship; Rom 8:16-17.

6. Christ is sanctified, we share His sanctification; 1Co 1:2.

7. Christ is a King; we share His kingdom; 2Pe 1:11.

8. Christ is the High Priest; we share His priesthood; Heb 10:10-14.

Hymn #3

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 of their eternal future.

Weekly Bible Study – August 17, 2020 Truth always ultimately prevails, and truth is the enemy of Satan and the Kingdom of Darkness.

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.

Prepare yourself for learning the Word of God!

Before we begin, 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), it is important to prepare yourself to learn God's Word so take a moment to name, cite or acknowledge (confess) your known unconfessed sins privately to God (i.e.; with your thoughts directed only to God the Father).

1 John 1:9 says: "If we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins (known sins) and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [unknown or forgotten sins]." NKJV (New King James Version) [italics added]; we call this REBOUND, read the full doctrine as to “why” we need to use 1 John 1:9 to grow spiritually. 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 for 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 [italics added]

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:

Truth always ultimately prevails, and truth is the
enemy of Satan and the Kingdom of Darkness.

We begin in John 15:1, where our Lord begins to teach His disciples His last message about the Vine and the Branches. And so, He begins in verse 1 by noticing what the “Word of God” says concerning the Vine and the Branches. This passage is one of the most astonishing passages as well as the most important overlooked doctrines in the NT [New Testament].

The word translated “fear” is normally a reference to respect, to esteem, to honor, to revere but, most of all, when God is the subject to fear it is translated “to worship.” From this passage we can extrapolate or learn the following principles:

1. First of all, the Lord Jesus Christ is called the “True Vine” because the word ‘True’ refers to His character and nature while the word ‘vine’ refers to His divine essence and that is why we have passages where the Lord He is called the God of Truth; Deut 32:4.

This refers to the guidance and blessings received from the God of all Truth. When a believer is totally sold out for the Lord, he is so because he has believed that God is trohn; 3Jo 1:4.

Beginning now, in 3Jo 1:4, the Apostle John reveals something fantastic about this man Gaius in verse 4 where the Apostle John says; “I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.”

Gaius was a member of a church that the Apostle John had oversight of, according to 3Jo 1:1 where the Apostle John complimented him for his perseverance in doctrine and not for his lying and crying. Which is why the Apostle John said in 3Jo 1:1, The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth.

The word elder is the Greek noun ‎presbuteros which means the mature believers; the elder, “the old man,” all in the sense of being in the highest authority, commander, commanding officer, elder; it refers to the authority of the pastor.

Authority is one of the most important principles of doctrine that can unlock the prison doors of guilt within, as well as the prison doors of condemnation, hatred, anger, bitterness, jealousy. The presbuteros (elder) is truly taught that authority is our friend, and without it, the believer Christian has absolutely no spiritual strength to handle the problems that exist.

Remember, our Lord still had problems with the disciples concerning how to get them prepared, and which one of them will emerge as the leader of them all. Now, let me warn you, this is not something to take lightly but it should be taken easy so that we can learn the Word of God and not to plague ourselves from failure.

Look at 1Ti 5:17, Let the elders [the presbuteros] who rule well be considered “worthy of double honor”, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.

A few principles are now needed to understand the whole realm of doctrine.

So, the first principle is that the pastor is called to lay down his life for the brethren because the word elders denotes the beginning of one with authority; 1Ti 5:17, Let the elders [the presbuteros] who rule well.

There can be NO real peace until those who are in positions of authority, function with godly character, integrity, and virtue over those who are moral but not spiritual.

1Ti 5:17, Let the elders [presbuteros] who rule well, and then we have the phrase, “be considered worthy of double honor”

Now, what is meant by double honor? Double honor must be interpreted in the time it was written and therefore, if the communicator didn’t know what honor meant back then, then how is the listener going to understand it now.

Prov 4:5-8, Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will guard you; Love her, and she will watch over you. The beginning of wisdom {is:} Acquire wisdom; And with all your acquiring, get understanding. Prize her, and she will exalt you; She will honor you if you embrace her.

This is definitely the same principle that the Apostle Paul had to teach His disciples the importance of unity and separation, especially if they are ever going to fulfill the spiritual life.

Tit 1:4-5, to Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. For this reason I left you in Crete, that you might set in order what remains, and appoint elders in every city as I directed you,

Look at 1Pe 5:1-4, Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as {your} fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to {the will of} God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge but proving to be examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

A few passages come to mind for me concerning these principles. For example, look at Phil 3 where the Apostle Paul reveals his spiritual status by describing for us what he was like before his salvation including his victories as well as his defeats. And, all of was designed to teach both Jews and Gentiles, the Mystery Doctrine of the Church-age.

In Phil 3:1-2, the Apostle Paul writes to the believers at Philippi, Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you. Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision;

Next, we have the truth revealed rather than the truth concealed; Phil 3:3, for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and we put no confidence in the flesh,

The Apostle Paul goes on to say in Phil 3:4, although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more:

He is not bragging; he is actually humbled by the acceptance of our Lord toward him. He is not boasting, He is toasting our Lord Jesus Christ, for all of His victories especially on the Cross.

In verse 5, the Apostle Paul goes on to brag about all his accomplishments and then what he thinks about all those accomplishments and achievements.

First, the accomplishments or the achievements that causes some to brag about what they have done!; in Phil 3:5-15, where the Apostle Paul says that he was circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.

But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have

suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him, and the power of His

resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you;

Now, let me give you our corrected translation of these verses, not that the translators did a lousy job, but we need to modify or expand our study on certain words in the passage because some words have changed their meaning over the years.

An example of this is the word fear in the Bible, because we are told to “fear” God, when in reality, the word fear, as it is used throughout all three of the original languages in the Bible means to respect or revere, admire, but most of all, it means to worship.

If you replace the word fear with the word worship, you will see how great the passages are that refer to God, the Father, God the Son, or God the Holy Spirit as well as the Word of God which we are also told to fear, respect, and praise.

In fact, as many of you know, there are three different languages in the Word of God, Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic, and all three of them translate the word “fear” in their own language as we do which is; = to respect, to esteem, to honor, to revere but, most of all, when God is the subject to fear, it is translated “to worship.”

Most of you know that I put many hours of study in when we studied the book of Philippians, verse by verse and I don’t like to study and read a passage once and not even mention it again.

So, bear with me as I take you through Phil 3 again but this times it is from my own interpretation and reveal to you how you need to go forward in the plan of God and not let carnality rule. Enjoy and live the spiritual life that God designed just for all of us because of His love which is never-ending.

Phil 3:1-17, Finally, my brethren, keep on having inner happiness in the Lord. On the one hand, to be writing the same doctrines to you is not troublesome to me, while on the other hand, it is a safeguard or a basis of security for you.

Beware of those dogs, beware of those evil workers, beware of the mutilation. For we [supergrace-believers] and only we keep on being the true circumcision [the true circumcision in the Church-age], who keep on worshipping in the Spirit of God and glory or boast in Christ Jesus and we put no confidence in the flesh. Even though I myself might be having confidence even in the flesh. If anyone of the same category [Judaizers] assumes to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: circumcised the eighth day, [born] out from the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews [an outstanding Hebrew]; with reference to the Law, a Pharisee; with reference to zeal, constantly persecuting the church; with reference to the self-righteousness which is in the Law, having become blameless. But whatever quality of things were gains to me, those things [gains] I have concluded as an expert as loss for the sake of Christ.

Not only this but more than this, I conclude as an expert all things [Paul’s pre-salvation human celebrityship and achievement] to be loss [singular] because of the surpassing greatness of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have forfeited all things, also, I keep on concluding as an expert them to be piles of dung in order that I may win for Christ, and that I may be found in Him, not having my own righteousness derived from the source of the Law, that [righteousness] which is acquired by means of faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from the source of the God at the point of faith, that I may come to know Him, and the power of [behind] His resurrection and the participation of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; if, in some way, I may attain to the resurrection away from the dead ones. Not that I have already obtained it [the resurrection life or the ultra supergrace status], or have already reached the objective, but I continue pressing on that I may attain that [or overtake that, or gain that, arrive at the objective] on account of which I was overtaken by Christ Jesus. Brethren [members of the Royal Family of God], I evaluate myself as not yet having attained the objective [ultra-supergrace or the ultimate objective in time, living in resurrection life]; but one thing I concentrate upon: constantly forgetting the things that lie behind and pursuing vigorously to what lies ahead, I keep on pressing on toward the objective for the purpose of the reward belonging to the upward call of God [Father], by means of Christ Jesus. Therefore, as many as are spiritually mature, let us have this attitude, in fact, if in anything you have a different attitude, the God will also reveal that to you.

However, the status to which we have attained [that is the spiritual growth from our discipline toward perception, metabolization and application of doctrine] let us keep marching or advancing in. Brethren [members of the royal family], be co-imitators of me, and be having respect for the same ones, who constantly walk according to the pattern you have in us.

The point is that Truth always prevails and truth is a direct enemy of the king of darkness. This is another reason why Satan is described in John 8:44 as a creature who refused to live in the truth and is said to be a liar and the father of lies; John 8:44.

Lying is one of the most powerful weapons that believers have especially uses for their self-preservation. People who live in sin or who are passive, lazy, and slothful despise truth.

But, truth always prevails so you might as well learn it and join it.

As God the Holy Spirit inspired the Apostle Paul to write in 2Co 13:8, For we can do nothing against the truth, but {only} for the truth.

Hell is filled with liars, but, then again, most religious people are also said to make their home there. In fact, as I have mentioned many times before, God is not all upset with what is going on in the human race, His omniscience knows all things God wants to lay back, relax, AND LOVE.

Here’s a passage that you should enjoy beginning in Rev 21:1-8, And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer {any} sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them, He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be {any} death; there shall no longer be {any} mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” And He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. He who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part {will be} in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

These passages are actually a more precise accurate picture of unbelievers who will experience one of the Divine Attributes of our Lord and the Divine Essence, as they begin to line up together to release us from any form of guilt and condemnation.

Our Lord was always looking for an opportunity to reveal “The Truth” to those who desired the truth. Even up till their death, like the thieves on the Cross, our Lord was always ready to reach out and try to get them saved before they died.

How do we know that?

We know that because the Apostle John told us that, John 13:1, Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He should depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.

Plant the seed!

1Co 3:1-11, And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to babes in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able {to receive it.} Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men? For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not {mere} men? What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave {opportunity} to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. According to the grace of God, which was given to me, as a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it. But let each man be careful how he builds upon it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

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.