Weekly Bible Study: March 1, 2021; Positive thinking will produce positive thoughts, and positive actions.

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 [your 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 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:

Positive thinking will produce positive thoughts, and positive actions.

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 [your 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 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:

Positive thinking will produce positive thoughts, and positive actions.

We will begin with the first 6 verses of Jn 15 to refresh your mind concerning what our LORD’s goal is for every believer who desires to know the Truth and share it with others.

First of all, in this section of the Word of God, we have a reminder of the function of a vine and its branches in the natural realm and then we have the principle of perception, metabolization, and application in the spiritual realm.

Jn 15:1-6, “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.”

In Jn 15:2, “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.”

Now, what does it mean to “take away?” It means that if a believer fails to execute the spiritual life and bears no fruit from GOD, then our LORD says that the only way you can do this is by bearing the fruit of many.

In Jn 15:2 we read “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, [He takes away or disciplines just as a father does the same a recognition] and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bear more fruit.” What happens to this unfruitful branch? There are three ways that this is handled. First of all, some say that unfruitful means that this is a professing but not a genuine practicing believer. Some say it means those who lose their salvation. Still others say that the unfruitful believers experience divine discipline, but of course are still saved. As usual, the original language of the Bible is the main word of importance here because when it says in Jn 15:2, “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; Notice the verb translated “takes away” which is the present active indicative of the Greek verb eairo which means that HE lifts up; HE takes away; HE removes by raising us up, or by carrying the burden away.

You have got to love the verb eiro because it connotes the truth that sets us free by removing any hedge that is on our way. This principle is found in a few averages that are about to rain on us.

In Jn 15:2 the words “take away” is a mistranslation, it is the Greek word eiro which can mean to take away or remove, but it also means to lift up.

In Israel, when you go out into the fields and see the vineyards, the lower branches on the vine that may be weak are propped up, so that they are strengthened and can then produce fruit. That is the meaning of this particular word. It does not have to do with removal (there is removal in verse 6 which has to do with the sin unto death).

Jn 15:3-4, “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.”

In order to resolve these interpretive problems and to understand this so that we know what Jesus is talking about throughout this chapter, we need to do some word study. If I were to give some young student some doctrinal and educational advice, I would say to learn as much as you could about history and the importance of the English language as well as to of course find a Church that teaches the word of GOD. I say that because words are so important. Words are the substance of thought, and your words, and your thoughts make up your personality. With the wrong words, we cannot express ourselves as we want to at times. Words have significance and meaning. This is another reason why we need to have a positive way of dealing with negative problems. Negative thinking produces negative thoughts that express negative words. This is why you have heard me mention the wisdom of Solomon in Prov 18:21, Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.

Positive thinking will produce positive thoughts which is usually positive words of edification that we all need to hear every now and then.

Notice the advice that David gave to his son Solomon, Prov 4:20-23, My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your sight; Keep them in the midst of your heart (Stay consistent – don’t let anyone take away your joy). For they [the powerful words that you speak] are life to those who find them, And health to all their whole body. Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life. Notice that our soul and our body derive life from the words that we speak. And why not? Didn’t our LORD say in Jn 6:63, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.”

On the other hand, there are those who are pessimist and David warns Solomon about this in Prov 4:24, when he writes, Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put devious lips far from you. There are many believers who are involved with pessimism, which is the tendency to take the most unfavorable view of situations, or to expect the worst outcome in any circumstances. These are not the kind of people you want in your presence, you want those who are positive and say positive things rather than focus in on the negative. Words are so vital, even the tone of the words or the look in the eyes when positive words are spoken. In fact many believe that the tone of the words spoken has a huge impact. The positive believer has the tendency or sometimes a habit of seeing and expecting the good in things; looking on the bright side; anticipating favorable results; hopefulness. The positive believer thinks like those believers we studied in the church at Philippi: They perceived the positive work of God the Father in Phil 1:6.

Phil 1:6, For I am confident of this very thing, that He who has begun in you an absolute good work will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.

They perceived the positive work of GOD in the Apostle Paul when the apostle Paul said in Phil 1:20-21, “On the basis of my intense concentration and confident expectation [a personal sense of destiny] that I shall not be put to shame in anything, but with all confidence, Christ shall even now [in time] as always [in eternity] be glorified in my body, whether by life or by death. For me, living is Christ, likewise dying is profit.”

Those are positive, thoughts, words, and action.

In fact, how much more positive could Paul be when he said Phil 2:3-11, “Do nothing motivated by contentiousness or ambitious pride, but with humility of mind [by means of grace orientation] let each of you keep on considering one another as more important than himself; do not merely be regarding your own personal interests, but also for the personal interests of others. Keep on thinking this [doctrine] within yourselves which was also resident in Christ Jesus, who, although He preexisted in the essence of God, did not think equality with God a gain to be seized, but He deprived Himself of the proper function of deity when He had received the form of a servant and was born in the likeness of men. In fact, although having been discovered in outward appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of spiritual death, that is the death of the cross. Therefore, also the God has highly exalted Him to the maximum, and bestowed on Him the name or rank which is above every name, By means of the office, rank and dignity belonging to Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven, on earth and under the earth. and that every tongue should acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, resulting in the glory of God the Father.”

Notice Paul’s positive attitude concerning the work of GOD the Holy Spirit within Paul; for it is GOD [the Holy Spirit] who is at work in you, both to will [give you motivation] and to work [HE gives you the ability to execute] above and beyond HIS good pleasure.

Phil 2:14, Keep on doing all things without complaining, grumbling or arguing;

Phil 4:4, Keep on having perfect happiness by means of the Lord at all times; Once more I repeat the command, keep on having perfect happiness.

Phil 4:6-9, Stop worrying about anything, but in every circumstance through prayer and through supplication for personal needs after thanksgivings let your requests or petitions be revealed to the God.

In fact, that spiritual peace and prosperity from the source of the God, which surpasses or rises above and beyond all comprehension, shall garrison your hearts [right lobes] also your motivation minds in Christ Jesus. From now on, members of the Royal family of God, whatever is true [doctrinal], whatever is honorable [noble], whatever is just [just], whatever is pure [of proper motivation] whatever personal loves exist, whatever is commendable, if there is any virtue [and there is for the mature believer says the first-class condition] and if anything worthy of praise [and there is for the mature believer says the first-class condition], be concentrating on these things.

So, here’s some principles concerning the optimist and the pessimist. Giving place to negative thinking only bears bad fruit.

Prov 23:7a, [If you give place to negative thoughts, you will become a negative person]. For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.

Prov 15:13b, [Sad and negative thoughts weaken our spirits and lead to discouragement]. By sorrow of the heart, the spirit is broken.

Lk 6:45, [to those whose hearts and minds are filled with negative thoughts usually spread them by voicing them]. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good: and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

Rm 8:6-7, [Negative thinking is not walking in “newness of life,” but in the old carnal nature which is against God]. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

What is the reason?

Because the carnal mind is enmity [hostile] against GOD: for it is not subject to the law of GOD, neither indeed can be. We need to ask the LORD to “wash” our hearts and “renew” our minds to think only His positive, good thoughts. Ask the LORD to help you learn to recognize the Enemy’s negative thoughts so you can resist them. 2Co 2:11, in order that no advantage be taken of us by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his schemes.

Stop yourself at the first negative thought. You’re going to be either positive or negative, one or the other. You can’t be just a little of both. Be positive, not negative, count your blessings, recounting all the wonderful things the LORD has done for you; beginning with Psa 103:1-22, ({A Psalm} of David.) +Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, {bless} His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits. Who pardons all your iniquities; Who heals all your diseases. Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion. Who satisfies your years with good things, {So that} your youth is renewed like the eagle. The Lord performs righteous deeds, And judgments for all who are oppressed. He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the sons of Israel.

The Lord is compassionate and gracious, Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness. He will not always strive {with us}; Nor will He keep {His anger} forever.

He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So, great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

Just as a father has compassion on {his} children, So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are {but} dust. As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. When the wind has passed over it, it is no more; And its place acknowledges it no longer.

But the lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children, To those who keep His covenant, And who remember His precepts to do them. The Lord has established His throne in the heavens; And His sovereignty rules over all. Bless the Lord, you His angels, Mighty in strength, who perform His word, Obeying the voice of His word! Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, You who serve Him, doing His will. Bless the Lord, all you works of His, In all places of His dominion; Bless the Lord, O my soul!

Look at Psa 40:5, Many, O Lord My God, are Thy wonderful works which Thou hast done, and Thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto Thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.

Take a positive approach to tests and trials by seeing the Lord’s hand in all He sends your way; Psa 119:71, It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn Thy statutes.

It’s amazing how some people think in inconsistent ways and yet they could think something so very positive and sorrowful and eloquent at the same time.

Do you know Why?

Because they think before they speak.

Ecc 5:2, Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few.

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.

True or False -TEST

 

Open with your Firefox browser for best performance, just hover your mouse over a colored bible verse link and it will pop-up. However, the “hover pop-ups” for the supporting scripture references using Internet Explorer, Google Chrome and other browsers do not work properly (they’re only up for 3-6 seconds); if you need to use those browsers, that’s OK, just right click the scripture reference hyperlink then left click “open in new window or tab” which will open the verse on the online bible website, or you can always just manually look-up the scripture references in your Bible. Word & phrase definitions are only available using hover pop-up at the current time; when using browsers other than Firefox, for long definitions, you’ll need to hover on & off the link to keep reading them.

 

* GOD’S GIFT OF “ETERNAL LIFE” IS GIVEN TO ALL WHO SIMPLY BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST! TRUE OR FALSE? NEW - 2012 Edition

 

If 1 it is true, what exactly must one do to receive this gift of eternal life? In the Gospel of John, chapter 6, verse 647, the Apostle John recorded his eyewitness testimony of what Jesus Himself said: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me2 has everlasting life.” NKJV (everlasting life and eternal life are synonymous terms in the Bible). Jesus clearly states in this verse that anyone who believes (trusts) in Him receives eternal life. But, what is it that we need to believe about Jesus? The Apostle John makes it clear in John 20:30-31: …that Jesus is the Christ (Christ means Messiah), the Son of God; and that believing you may have life (eternal life) in His Name. (italics added); in other words, to believe in Him is equivalent to believing that He is the Christ (Messiah), the Son of God. Now, notice again what Jesus said in John 6:47: “he who believes in Me has everlasting life.” He did not say will have, He said has. Simply put, God’s gift of eternal life (Ephesians 2:8) is given to believers instantaneously at their moment of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; in other words, the very second a person is persuaded of the truth about what God’s Word says a person must do to receive eternal salvation (like when the Jailer asked the Apostle Paul and Silas in Acts 16:30-31 – 30…“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved…) and then simply believes in Jesus Christ, he/she instantaneously possesses everlasting life [John 6:47] (it’s really that simple—nothing more and nothing less). Therefore, the correct answer to the opening question is: True! Furthermore, the mental act of believing in Jesus Christ is all that’s needed to be saved. The very second anyone crosses the line from unbelief to belief in Jesus Christ, they are saved (that is, saved from the great white throne judgment of all unbelievers at the end of time and from being cast into the lake of fire which would be eternal separation from God Revelation 20:11-15; John 5:24). In other words, the new believer now actually possesses God’s gift of eternal life; meaning he or she is guaranteed: 1) unending life (meaning, the believers eternal relationship with God will never end, not even at physical death); 2) resurrection to a new glorified physical body that will be immortal; and 3) eternal participation in the world to come 3(Titus 3:4-7; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52; Philippians 3:20-21; John 6:38-40), all this plus much, much, much more comes with simply believing in Jesus Christ. And, it is literally impossible to ever lose your eternal life or have it taken from you (John 10:28-29), not even if you later change your mind and stop believing (if that were to happen, the born-again believer will most likely experience serious discipline from God and lose some or all of any temporal and/or eternal rewards [1 Corinthians 3:11-15] that person may have accumulated from any good works he/she had accomplished while 7in the Spirit, but you can never change the fact that you once believed; therefore, eternal life can never be lost or taken from you, no matter what!). Another way to think of it would be, if you could lose eternal life, God would not have used the words “eternal” or “everlasting” life. How long is eternal life? Forever! It is Jesus the Christ (Messiah), who is both true humanity and undiminished deity as the Son of God in one person who is the object in the eternal salvation of the unbeliever; for all who by simple faith alone believe in Him alone, the result to the one who believes will be the instant gift of eternal life 4(John 20:30-31). It’s important to understand that belief in Him is truly a mental act of believing that Jesus’ promise of everlasting life is true and then it’s entirely up to you to believe in Him, when you have believed mentally in Him, that is the actual point of saving faith. In other words, the point of saving faith, the mental act of believing actually occurs before you are able to formulate in your mind what to say to God in audible words (like when you learned something new in school, you believed in your mind first then you formulated the words, in thought only, “I get it”, believing always happens in the mind first, never audibly. Therefore, the magnificence of God’s infinite knowledge 7(Omniscience) hears the unbelievers thought of belief in Christ instantly as he or she thinks it and just as instantly that unbeliever is saved (given eternal life). Hallelujah! So far, we have reviewed what is required of the unsaved individual in order to receive eternal life. Since there is so much confusion and false teaching regarding the core of what is required of us to be saved, we need to also review what is not required. As has already been made clear, receiving God’s absolutely free gift of “eternal life” does not require anything other than to believe in Jesus Christ (Messiah), the Son of God. Therefore, one does not need to repent of one’s sins before believing in Christ (now read carefully what I am going to say next; repentance is not prohibited—it is totally OK to be repentant of your sins before and/or after one believes but the point is, it is not a necessary condition or requirement to be eternally saved—fact is, the doctrine of repentance is never even mentioned in the Gospel of John which is the only book in the Bible written primarily to those who have not yet believed in Jesus Christ; this would include those who have been deceived or are totally confused by false teaching and today’s confusing Christian rhetoric often included in alleged gospel messages in tracts & from the pulpit). If you would like a much broader explanation regarding the subject of repentance not being a requirement or condition to be eternally saved, I urge you to read the following article by Zane Hodges: Repentance. What about water baptism? Contrary to popular thought, it too is not a necessary condition or requirement to be eternally saved. It certainly is OK to be water baptized but failure to be water baptized after one has believed in Jesus Christ does not affect the gift of eternal life in any way. An example of a reason to be baptized after one is eternally saved would be to express one’s faith publicly to his/her circle of friends and relatives; or simply just as an expression of one’s faith publicly; or like when someone intends to become a disciple of Jesus Christ, (Matthew 28:19). Robert N. Wilkin, Th.M., Ph.D. Dallas Theological Seminary - Founder and Executive Director of the Grace Evangelical Society explains it very well in his journal article titled: He Who Believes And Is Baptized Will Be Saved - Mark 16:16. Here’s a quote from that article: In verse 16b: “Jesus didn't say, ‘He who is not baptized will be condemned.’ Neither did He say, ‘He who does not believe and is not baptized will be condemned.’ Rather, He said, ‘He who does not believe will be condemned.’ By this our Lord made it clear that faith alone was necessary to avoid eternal condemnation. He said the same thing in John 3:18: ‘He who believes in Him is not condemned; he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God;’ NKJV (see also John 5:24; John 6:47).” For further clarification, I urge you to read the entire article, to do so, just click the title link above. Also, I encourage you to review another excellent article with a little more detail titled: Is Water Baptism Necessary for Salvation? by G. Michael Cocoris  Furthermore, receiving eternal salvation does not require feeling sorry for one’s sins or to change one’s behavior before or after believing, (again, these things are not prohibited—it is OK to do so, but again, the point is they are not a condition or requirement to be eternally saved); nor is it necessary to commit the rest of one’s life to Jesus before or after believing or even to ask Jesus to come into one’s heart before or after believing. These phrases and conditions are not in the bible; when false teachers and false evangelists add to or replace what the Word of God says, it ultimately confuses at best and even can persuade the unsaved to think they are necessary conditions or requirements that he or she must do in addition to faith alone in Jesus Christ alone to be eternally saved (that is, to receive the gift of eternal life). By adding the above mentioned extra requirements and conditions (what the Bible calls “works”), that would make salvation the result of “faith” and “works” together which is false doctrine. Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 4:4-5 and Romans 11:6 are quite clear that salvation comes by “faith alone” and not “works.” Many false teachers (Galatians 1:7-9; 2 Corinthians 11:14-15) today, in their quest to be creative in their gospel presentation, in effect are actually adding to scripture (even well intentioned pastors have adopted the use of these catchy words and phrases rather than emphasizing what the Bible says), but in reality, they are elevating their words above the Words of God (To emphasize the seriousness of adding to or subtracting from the Book of Revelation, in its closing verses, the Apostle John gave a strong warning against doing such a thing. (Revelation 2:18-19)). It is tragically unfortunate for the unsaved responder that 100’s or even 1,000’s of pastors today have picked up on these popular gimmick phrases and use them, because it only adds confusion about God’s Word regarding their eternal salvation. It is the inspired word “believe” that the Apostle John used nearly 100 times in the Gospel of John that we need to use (e.g., John 6:47— “…he who believes in Me, has everlasting life.” and, John 3:16—“…that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”); then the 7convincing ministry of God the Holy Spirit who causes the individual unbeliever to comprehend Gospel truths, will make the information clear to anyone who responds positively to the gospel. Sometimes we don’t realize the subtleties of our great enemy Satan (1 Peter 5:8) but we need to be constantly aware that he and his horde of demons 7(fallen angels) are extremely active in the world today. These demons are the ones whose responsibility it is to carry out Satan’s counterfeit deceptions; consequently, they target the very core of the gospel message of the Lord Jesus Christ, because they want to blind the unsaved to the truth of the saving gospel message (2 Corinthians 11:3; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15), and also, to distract born-again believers from fulfilling God’s plan of pursuing and reaching spiritual maturity. I cannot think of a better way to deceive the unsaved than by influencing well intending preachers and evangelists to alter what scripture says about what we must do and believe to be eternally saved. (1 Timothy 4:1) Ask yourself this question: How often do I look up sermon support passages at home after church or from articles like this one? Many communicators of God’s Word quote scripture related to the gospel correctly from the pulpit but then turn right around and say in their “invitation” at the end of their sermon something like the following): “you can be saved right now, right where you sit, all you need do is, “ask Jesus to come into your heart,” or they might say: “first repent of your sins and then invite Jesus into your heart;” or even “invite Jesus to become the Lord of your life—to rule and reign in your heart from this day forward.” Many times, the responder is so emotionally charged by this kind of alter call, he/she just does what the preacher says to do and when they do it, they then get even more emotionally charged and joyfully think they are now born-again. To the responder’s misfortune, if a person is led to believe that they need to do three things or even two things rather than simply believing in Christ for everlasting life, they have been given false information. In other words, the added conditions and requirements may persuade the unbeliever to actually believe the false doctrine they’ve just been told about how to be saved, therefore, the person is still unsaved. Sadly, the responder does not realize it, they think, based on the conditions the preacher or evangelist said they must do is the complete truth, but in fact, it is not; it is counterfeit doctrine, like what “1 Timothy 4:1” is referring to; adding to scripture by means of demon influence is what makes the doctrine false. We are born-again (saved) when we simply “believe” by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone, the result will be the gift of eternal life (salvation); again, what did Jesus say in John 6:47? “…he who believes in Me has everlasting life.” [NKJV—New King James Version]. Hopefully, if the above scenarios were to happen to somebody in real life, that is, those who were originally told a counterfeit gospel, the true gospel message was presented to them accurately sometime soon after, and believed it, if they did, they would now be born-again (saved). With many people, the actual moment of faith in Christ can be a long time in coming, months or even years, before that little light (so-to-speak) in their head clicks on—like when you completely understand something you had not fully comprehended before and you think to yourself—Wow! I get it! I was one of those, I didn’t believe in Jesus Christ right away but I did what the preacher told me to do and walked the aisle at his altar call and I was very emotionally charged. I think it was around two years after I had responded to the counterfeit gospel alter call (I don’t even know the actual date I was saved), during that time period, I thought I was saved at the altar call but it wasn’t until I understood, I needed to simply believe by faith alone in Christ alone to receive His promised “eternal life” and did so and was saved. Some unbelievers might ask: Why would a good understanding of John 6:47 be of any importance to an unbeliever (e.g., agnostics, atheists, those who are totally confused, or even those of other religions)? A reasonable answer would be, because when he or she passes into the eternal future (i.e., the afterlife, the hereafter), the unbeliever will reside wherever he or she lands “forever”—that’s right “forever.” (I think even an agnostic or atheist might agree that “forever” is a long time). The Word of God tells us the human race has free-will (God will never interfere or coerce mans free will) and all can choose to be with God forever in His 7heaven, or they can choose to remain separated from Him forever (Revelation 20:11-15)—spending eternity in the 7lake of fire, which is the final destination of all unbelievers and the fallen angels. Odd as it may sound to some, the choice is real and ours to make. However, if we don’t cognitively make the choice to believe in Jesus Christ and receive His promised eternal life during our physical lifetime, the automatic default is separation from Him and God (John 3:18), forever. However, there are limited exceptions to the automatic default; we discern from two of God’s attributes (“Justice and Love”) that each individual human being, beginning at their 7age of mental account-ability, is volitionally responsible and will be held accountable for what they have believed in time regarding Jesus Christ and His offer of salvation. However: babies (2 Samuel 12:23), young children and those born severely mentally handicapped (Jonah 4:11) are automatically saved and will go to heaven when they die since they lack the mental capacity to reach God-consciousness (recognizing the existence of a supreme being, and able to understand the Gospel), they cannot be held accountable for their decisions, all others are without excuse. On other discussion boards, many have expressed their views and beliefs with sincerity and respect regarding the afterlife. Many question whether there is life after this one. Others firmly believe this is all there is and we just cease to exist at physical death. It is my contention that everyone has a faith belief in something, even the atheist and agnostic. Everyone who has expressed their beliefs in other forums that I have read say they believe in something; is not believing there is no God, a belief? Or believing we all cease to exist when we die, a belief? Or believe that mankind evolved from a single cell billions of years ago, also a belief? There are many, many beliefs. To that end, I think it is reasonable and makes good sense for an unbeliever to devote some serious time to checking out what the Word of God has to say about God’s gift of salvation and their eternal future and to do so before one’s time runs out. If one is not a believer in Jesus Christ, there is much to gain if one were to be persuaded by God the Holy Spirit’s 7convincing ministry that their long-held belief has been wrong, so there is really nothing an unbeliever can lose by seriously checking it out. According to God’s Word, when an unbeliever enters into the afterlife, it will be too late (Luke 16:22-31), belief in Jesus Christ must occur before physical death. The rich man who had died and was buried and now was in torments (5Hades—temporary hell) mentioned in the Luke verses was now very much aware of where he was now located but he could do nothing about it. Would it not be entirely reasonable that a “just” and “fair” God would provide adequate, easily attainable, accurate and understandable information for unbelievers about Jesus’ promise of eternal life so they could make an informed decision, “for” or “against” Him? Of the 66 books of the Bible, the “Gospel of John” is the only book in the Word of God written primarily to those who have not yet believed in Christ (John 20:30-31); again, this includes those who are confused by false religious rhetoric, false religious doctrines, and/or have been persuaded to believe false information about how to receive eternal salvation. If someone has been given false salvation doctrine, believed it and is now relying on that belief for eternal life, that would make that person still not saved, would it not? What someone chooses to believe about Christ is entirely between them and God the Father, that’s freedom of choice. However, a core purpose of this discussion group, if you decide to join, is to help provide people on the fence with accurate information (i.e., offer them key verses in scripture, provide links to articles, papers and/or audios & videos by recognized Christian scholars and through objective discussion). If those on the fence are truly open minded to God’s Word and are willing to seek the Truth and seriously consider the Word of God as that Truth, it will be God the Holy Spirit who will make it clear in the minds of the unbeliever as to whether or not the salvation information being presented to them is correct. Then, an individual will have the perfect right to decide “for” or “against” the promised salvation offer because it is their God given right to simply believe by faith alone in Christ Jesus alone and so doing, receive God’s gift of eternal life or reject Him and His promise. Therefore, I encourage anyone who is not absolutely certain about their eternal future, not to take just my word for it, but go directly to the authoritative source, the Word of God, and read the Gospel of John, when the page opens, click on the word “more” to start at the beginning of the book; (it’s only a click away—if you’re a slow reader, consider reading a chapter a day), especially if you have never read it. It is an “eye witness” testimony of what the Apostle John actually witnessed himself about Jesus’ signs, miracles and teachings (John 20:30-31; John 21:24-25). You may not fully grasp some of the more technical words or phrases, but you should definitely get the big picture of what John’s testimony is clearly communicating. I personally favor the “New King James Version”; however, I think the New American Standard Bible is also excellent. As you read through the Gospel of John, you will read the recorded words of Jesus Christ (Messiah), the uniquely born Son of God who became both man and God at the same time, who was crucified and resurrected to guarantee eternal life to all believers, who paid the penalty for the sins of the entire world (past, present and future) so all mankind would have the opportunity to receive the “free gift” of eternal life. The message of eternal life is proclaimed throughout the Book of John, here are just a few more examples: John 3:14-16; John 3:36; John 5:20-24; John 6:47, 35, 40, 68-69; John 20:31. Another thought, if you are not an avid reader, is to watch the full-length feature movie: the Gospel of John (film) is a 2003 movie that is the story of Jesus' life as recounted by the Apostle John. It is a motion picture that has been adapted for the screen on a word-for-word basis from the American Bible Society's - Good News Bible [GNB]. This three-hour epic feature film follows John's Gospel precisely, without additions to the story from other Gospels, nor omission of complex passages. It’s really a fantastic movie. If you want to watch it, you can do it on YouTube for free (the playlist below will take you through it non-stop—it’s a three hour movie so try to pick a time to see it through in one sitting if possible), if you have a capable monitor you can view it in HD and Full Screen, just left click the box with the arrows in the bottom right corner of the YouTube player. Or, rent it at your favorite video store. After you’ve seen the movie, then do your best to actually read the entire Gospel of John, (here’s the web address of the bible used for the movie if you want to read it on the internet: GNB - John 1:1), you will be amazed how much clearer the reading will be with your frame-of-reference able to recall the scenes from the movie. Do you remember the movie “The Ten Commandments?” Whenever you read or hear about the parting of the Red Sea, what image pops into your mind? That is how your recall will be if you read John’s Gospel after you have seen the movie. Enjoy!

8

If this article has sparked your interest and left you with a desire to learn more about what the Word of God says about eternal life or you wish to be a Christian contributor in our discussions, I invite you to join this group.   End Notes and acknowledgements:  

* This article is an overhaul of a previous one written in early 2008 titled: “God gives the gift of eternal life to all who believe in Jesus Christ for it. True or False?” Due to substantial additions and numerous other revisions, I felt it would be best to post it as if it were a new article. 1) The word “if” has four different uses, in this case it is a first-class conditional clause which assumes the reality of the premise: “If, and it is assumed to be true.” 2) NU-Text omits in Me: NU-Text = These variations from the traditional text generally represent the Alexandrian or Egyptian type of text; they are found in the Critical Text published in the twenty-sixth edition of the Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament (N) and in the United Bible Societies’ third edition (U), hence the acronym, “NU-Text.” [From The Nelson Study Bible, copyright 1997 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.] 3) Zane C. Hodges; KERUGMA, INC., Mesquite, TX – in his book: “Did Paul Preach Eternal Life? – Should We?” – pages: 9; 18-21, 31. 4) John states the purpose of this book. His purpose was to convince his readers that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah who fulfilled God’s promises to Israel. Jesus is the Son of God in the flesh. By believing these things, a person obtains eternal life (John 1:12). [From The Nelson Study Bible, page 1808, notes 20:31, copyright 1997 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.] 5) Torments: the temporary subterranean holding cell which remains the place of abode for all dead unbelievers from all eras of human history, until the 7great white throne judgment; after their judgment, the unbelievers will be transferred to the 7lake of fire (or Gehenna) (Revelation 20:15). Chafer Theological Seminary—Glossary of Terms (use your Firefox browser only as other browsers do not work with the link pop-ups). 6) All Bible verse hover pop-up and hyperlinks are from BibleGateway.com and are all New King James Version (NKJV) unless otherwise noted at end of verse (only the first verse, John 6:47 is marked). 7) Word & phrase explanation hover pop-ups and hyperlinks are from Chafer Theological Seminary, Chafer Seminary’s Topical Notebook – http://www.chafer-cstn.org/home.html, December 2011. 8) The Gospel of John – Movie is from YouTube via a YouTube video player and may be subject to removal if the person who uploaded it makes changes, revisions or there are web address changes, etc. It is assumed that the up loaders of the movie have proper copyright permission to post it on YouTube.

The following link is an additional gospel message describing how one can receive God’s free gift of eternal life: Ticket to Heaven was written for anyone not absolutely certain about their eternal future. © Mark W. Miller – 2008, 2010, 2012 This data file is the sole property of Mark W. Miller. It may not be altered or edited in any way. It may be reproduced only in its entirety for circulation as "freeware," without charge. All reproduction of this data file must contain the copyright notice (i.e., "Copyright 2008, 2010, 2012 by Mark W. Miller) This article may need to be reposted with changes due to internet address changes of links, grammar corrections or for any other reason.

Internet Church Service – February 28, 2021; The Lord desires for all of His people to accept God’s plan for their Life.

EMBEDDED VIDEO SERMON in HD – WITH NOTES

The Lord desires for all of His people to accept God’s plan for their Life.

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, 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 unconfessed 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: The Lord desires for all of His people to accept God’s plan for their Life.

1. 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.

Isa 65 = our Lord warns His people about the divine discipline that they were about to receive because of the danger of rejecting the “Truth of God.”

Their disobedience to the teachings of their prophets and priests led to their rejecting of the “Truth.”

Their rejection of the truth led them to rejecting of God’s plan for their life.

Rejecting God’s plan for their life means to reject the reason and the purpose for their life and why they have been created.

The reason why we have been created is to bring glory to the Lord in the midst of the angelic conflict.

Understanding the doctrine of the angelic Conflict means that we have arrived at the place that God ordained for us to arrive at, as we bring glory to the Lord.

Bringing glory to the Lord should be one of the top priorities for the believer who accepts the main reason why we all have been created – to glorify our Lord. (All Three members of the Trinity).

Rejecting God’s plan for their life means to reject the reason and the purpose for your life and why you have been created.

Once you have reached a point where life loses meaning for you, then you will say something like Solomon said…..”Vanity of vanity, all is vanity!”

All divine discipline is based upon two of the divine attributes that God possesses which is His love and His veracity which is the truth from one who has never lied to any one at any time.

Our eternal life is said to give us the confidence of eternal life because the One who promised us eternal life cannot lie; Titus 1:2.

Titus 1:2 we have the confidence of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago,

Prin: He chose us before the foundation of the world billions of years ago when we were not even created at the time.

Second Prin: This also that He made us the promise of eternal life before we could even choose to make any decisions to sin.

Isa 65:11 = the Lord is addressing everyone who has fallen away from God’s plan and their own personal sense of destiny that He had just for them.