Weekly Bible Study – May 31, 2021; What does the Bible say about the death penalty or capital punishment?

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:

What does the Bible say about the death penalty or capital punishment?

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:

What does the Bible say about the death penalty or capital punishment?

One of the most misunderstood subjects concerning our LORD is for those of you who believe or have been taught that John the Baptist was alive in the womb of our LORD’s mother, Mary’s cousin Elizabeth.

Luk 1:41, And it came about that when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

Notice a few things concerning when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, and the baby leaped in her womb. It was what Elizabeth heard that caused the embryo or the fetus to leap in Elizabeth’s womb, it was NOT what John the Baptist heard but it was a response that who was not even one day old as of yet that caused it to leap.

Secondly, it was because Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit that caused the response. Also, remember what Mary was told by the angel when our LORD was in her womb in Luk 1:35, “therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called [not is called] shall be called the Son of GOD.”

We are also told in the Old Testament that you should give a “life for life” but if there is a miscarriage it is not considered to be a life; Exo 21:2-23.

This is a very important doctrine, as you will see, because it answers a lot of questions that believers have concerning who they are and what the LORD has called them to.

Now, throughout the Old Testament, there is a principle that the LORD established concerning a life for life which we call capital punishment.

1. “What does the Bible say about the death penalty or capital punishment?”

2. The Old Testament law commanded the death penalty for various acts: murder (Exo 21:12), kidnaping (Exo 21:16), bestiality Exo 22:19, adultery; Lev 20:10), homosexuality (Lev 20:13), being a false prophet (Deut 13:5), prostitution and rape (Deut 22:24), and several other crimes.

However, GOD often showed mercy when the death penalty was due. David committed adultery and murder, yet GOD did not demand his life be taken (2Sa 11:1-5, 14-17; 2Sa 12:13). GOD established capital punishment in the first Dispensation.

In Gen 9:6, “Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of GOD He made man.”

It’s interesting that every dispensation has capital punishment as a command. In fact, when the Pharisees brought a woman who was caught in the act of adultery to Jesus and asked HIM if she should be stoned, Jesus replied, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” (Jn 8:7).

There are times when the LORD intervenes and uses HIS sovereign will to handle capital punishment.

Jn 8:1-11, But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. And early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people were coming to Him; and He sat down and {began} to teach them. And the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the midst, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. “Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?” And they were saying this, testing Him, in order that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down, and with His finger wrote on the ground. But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him {be the} first to throw a stone at her.” And again He stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And when they heard it, they {began} to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the midst. And straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” And she said, “No one, LORD.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go your way. From now on sin no more.”

This means that there were times that should not be used to indicate that Jesus rejected capital punishment in all instances. Jesus was simply exposing the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. The Pharisees wanted to trick Jesus into breaking the Old Testament law; they did not truly care about the woman being stoned (where was the man who was caught in adultery? You can tell this is a set-up just because the man isn’t there.

Now, GOD is the One who instituted capital punishment and GOD is the One who chose to give mercy. The apostle Paul definitely recognized the power of the government to institute capital punishment where appropriate (Rm 13:1-7).

How should a Christian view the death penalty?

First, we must remember that GOD has instituted capital punishment in HIS Word; therefore, it would be presumptuous of us to think that we could institute a higher standard. GOD has the highest standard of any being; HE is perfect and therefore HE knows perfectly what the human race can handle and what it cannot.

The point is, It is unbiblical to claim that GOD opposes the death penalty in all instances. Christians should never rejoice when the death penalty is employed, but at the same time, Christians should not fight against the government’s right to execute the perpetrators of the most evil of crimes; Rm 13:1-8.

Now, Let’s establish the fact that there is mobility found in the female but it is the mobility extension of the mother.

In Exo 21:22-23, “And if men struggle with each other and strike a woman with child so that she has a miscarriage, yet there is no further injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman’s husband may demand of him; and he shall pay as the judges decide. But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life,”

Now, is this a contradiction?

No, this is what our LORD established for all generations.

Notice a few things about this passage.

1. In Exo 21:22-23, two men are fighting with each other.

2. “A woman with child has a miscarriage because of the man hitting the other man.”

3. Yet, there is no further injury – referring to the miscarriage.

4. If the woman recovered and the baby was aborted then her husband, has the right to ask for life to be given for life.

5. Therefore, we can conclude that there was no life in the womb which is why a miscarriage is not considered a life.

6. He shall surely be fined as the woman’s husband may demand of him; and he shall pay as the judges decide.”

But, notice the miscarriage did not demand life for life and that is because there is no life in the woman that had a miscarriage.

Exo 21:23, “But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life,” because there is no life in the womb then a dead fetus and a miscarriage.

This is so important because it tells us when life begins for all of us. There are times when GOD might reveal mercy to one who was guilty and then stop the capital punishment as He did with David.

Now, when you have a subject like this which has a lot of different opinions, we should be sure that ours is the correct one.

We also have the fact that GOD was not the GOD of our LORD in the womb but only outside of the womb; Psa 22:10, Upon Thee I was cast from birth; Thou hast been my GOD from my mother’s womb.

Notice that David says concerning His LORD in Psa 22:10, Upon Thee [LORD] I was cast from birth; Thou hast been my GOD [not in my womb] but from His mother’s womb.

And notice that our LORD was cast from birth upon HIS GOD. Also notice that David said; “Thou hast been my GOD from my mother’s womb not in my mother’s womb.”

We also need to listen to the words of our LORD and that is why Jn 3:7 says, “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ — NOT CONCEIVED AGAIN.

The point is that when you were born physically alive, and therefore you have received the first imputation of human life to your soul began when you came forth from being in your mother’s womb when life truly exists.

This is when your life truly began because there is life in the womb but it is biological life which is the extension of the woman’s life , it is not a human life or humans soul until the fetus comes forth from the woman and then you have neshumah, the breath of life imputed to you as the first imputation.

I know this will be difficult for some of you to understand but I ask that you bear with me and let show you what the Bible has to say. This is extremely important because it will answer a lot of questions that some people have including why GOD is the one who chose your parents.

GOD chose both your father and your mother, in spite of your opinions and your questions, which I will seek to answer which is, “Why did GOD chose them to be my parents?”

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 – May 30, 2021; The gift of Salvation is offered to all members of the human race.

EMBEDDED VIDEO SERMON in HD – WITH NOTES

The gift of Salvation is offered to all members of the human race.

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 believed 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.

The gift of Salvation is offered to all members of the human race.

“Every branch in Me” = “every believer” is said to be in our Lord called “in me” which is a dative of advantage prepositional phrase “en moi” correctly translated “in me” or “located in me.”

Living in Positional truth which belongs to the carnal as well as the spiritual believer, to the supergrace [spiritually mature] believer and the reversionist; 1Co 1:2, 30; 3:1.

We began to look at the Doctrine of Positional Truth as it relates to the epistle of the Romans; Rom 8:28-39.

Positional truth or literally the doctrine that allows our Lord to look upon us in our position and not our condition, is what really protects the believer from divine judgement in eternity; Rom 8:38-39.

In Christ Jesus is the prepositional phrase “en Christoo Ieesou’ too’ kurio heemoon which is correctly translated literally “in Christ Jesus our Lord” or “located in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Being in union with Christ also means that we share His life [eternal], His righteousness [+R = Christ’s Righteousness], which means it is impossible for us to be judged at The Great White Throne Judgment].

Being in union with Christ also means that we share His sonship, His heirship, His priesthood, His election, His destiny, His kingship; all of these are involved in our positional truth; Rom 8:1.

Positional truth also qualifies the believer to live with God forever because we are all sanctified or set aside for our Lord for the purpose of honoring Him and respecting Him as we should; 1Co 1:2, 30.

If we are going to live with God forever there are certain things we must have: for example, we must all have eternal life, not everlasting life but eternal life; 1Jo 5:11-12.

Positional truth also explains both election and predestination.

Isa 42:1 “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him;

Mat 3:17 and behold, a voice out of the heavens, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Eph 1:6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

The whole point of understanding the doctrine of positional truth is that whatever is said about our Lord is the positive realm is also said about us.

Retroactive truth and current positional truth which is vital in our understanding and recognizing that positional truth also exists in these two categories: known as retroactive and current.

Retroactive means something that began in the past and has present results that benefit the believer whereas current positional truth refers to the truth one is living in presently.

The sins of the old sin nature were poured out on Him and judged, however, human good, which is also a manifestation of the sin nature was not judged, it was rejected.

Jn 1:29 The next day he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

The payment for sin is called death, that is spiritual death; Rm 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Who was this gift offered to?

The gift was offered to all members of the human race because of Rom 3:10-20.

When we believe in Christ as Savior, we also enter into union with Christ as He is seated at the right hand of the Father; Eph 2:6.

When was positional truth offered to the believer according to the book of Romans; Rom 5:8.

When it comes to positional truth, when was positional truth related to the believer according to the book of Romans chapter 6?

Notice that in Rom 6, we are identified with Christ in His death, we are identified with Christ in His resurrection, ascension, and session.

The implications of positional truth have to do with the fact that we share what Christ has.

Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father; we share everything that Christ has and is.

1. Christ is eternal life; 1Jo 5:11-12.

2. Christ is absolute righteousness (+R); 2Co 5:21.

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

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

In Verse 5, we have the Doctrine of Predestination or what we also refer to as the PPOG and your very own spiritual niche in life which is called your PSD [personal sense of Destiny].

5. Christ is a Son to the Father, we are in union with Christ, we share His sonship; 2Ti 2:1.

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

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

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

9. Christ is a Royal priest; we share His priesthood; Heb 10:10-14.

10. Christ is an ambassador; we share His ambassadorship; 2Co 5:20.

No fruit (or production) can be any better than the vine that produces it.

Because of positional truth, our union with Christ and the grace provision of the filling of the Spirit, makes it possible for the believer to produce divine good.

The phrase “in Me” is a reference to the believer in union with Christ.

The Corinthians believers were still not able to learn advanced doctrine because they were under the control of the old sin nature, which limits what you can learn.

He mentions one of the mental attitude sins of arrogance: jealousy.

Another biblical description of the sin nature is “our body of sin” in Rom 6:6, which emphasizes the old sin nature’s headquarters where it resides in the cell structure of the body.

Its genetic home is in the cell chromosomes.

The “corruptible man” refers to the sin nature in Rom 1:23.

“Corruptible seed” in 1Pe 1:23 refers to the transmission of the old sin nature.

The old sin nature always gets to the soul of man by attacking the heart.

This principle is found in such passages as Jer 17:9; Mat 12:34-35, 15:19; Mr 7:21 23.

Jer 17:9 The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?

sold-per-pass-part, pepramenos means to be sold as a slave to the sin nature.

We were born slaves to the O.S.N. [old sin nature] and the only time that we will ever be free from slavery to the O.S.N. is not at salvation but when we enter into perception, metabolization and application of Bible Doctrine.

Gal 5:1, “It is for freedom that Christ has set you free. Therefore, keep standing fast [residence, function, and momentum in the plan of God] and do not again become entangled in the yoke of slavery [cosmic system].”

Psa 119:45 And I will walk at liberty, for I seek thy precepts.

Weekly Bible Study: May 24, 2021; Conviction by GOD the Holy Spirit, which is legitimate, but Condemnation is not.

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:

Conviction by GOD the Holy Spirit, which is legitimate, but Condemnation is not.

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:

Conviction by GOD the Holy Spirit, which is legitimate, but Condemnation is not.

There are many believers who believe in certain doctrines and they try to make a verse say what they want it to say to back up their ignorance of the Word of GOD. These are the types of individuals who pick up a subject and then they look for scriptures to back-up what they believe when it should be just the opposite.

We should learn what the verses and passages say and teach us first, then we should allow the Word of GOD to dictate to us the correct interpretation of the passage. In this way, we don’t use the Bible or misquote the Bible and take it out of the context to back up what we claim to believe.

Taking Scriptures out of context is probably the number one reason for problems of interpretation. Most believers do not study the Isagogics or the historical settings of a passage and therefore miss out on the correct interpretation.

Most believers are either ignorant of the principle of ICE because they have learned the doctrine and have rejected it. Or they have not learned because they have rejected the guidance and direction of GOD the Holy Spirit.

Now, there are two very important blessings and assignments that GOD the Holy Spirit which offers every believer after salvation so that they have the opportunity to grow in grace and knowledge and become a “winner believer”.

The two blessings or gifts are:

1) Being assigned to a certain Pastor.

2) Being assigned to a certain local assembly.

In fact, I could prove to you doctrinally that these two blessings are actually more important than any other blessings that our LORD has graced us out with including:

17.a) The right man and the right woman; 1Co 7:17.

18.b)The right job; Ecc 9:9.

19.c)The right children; Psa 127:3.

20.d) The right friends; Pr 17:17.

There are some great gifts from the LORD to us, but we will never really be truly thankful or appreciate them or even enjoy them until we see them as gifts from our LORD who truly loves us unconditionally.

Remember what our LORD said and taught about the doctrinal principles concerning “gifts.”

1. What is our LORD’s attitude when it comes to gifts and giving?

Rm 11:29, for the gifts and the calling of GOD are irrevocable.

2Co 9:15, “Thanks be to GOD for His indescribable gift!”

Jm 1:17, Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow.

1. Now, let me ask all of you who are listening another question; how many of you desire to be the best employer or employee?

2. The Bible teaches that you can find the right job or your niche in life is also a gift from above, for both believer and unbeliever. Ecc 9:9, Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given to you under the sun; for this is your reward in life, and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun.

3. How many of you desire to be the best children?

4. If you do, here’s some doctrinal advice; the Bible teaches that children are a gift from the LORD; Psa 127:3, Behold, children are a gift of the LORD; The fruit of the womb is a reward.

5. How many of you desire to be the best friend a person could have?

The Bible teaches that you can in Pr 17:17 when Solomon said, “A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity.”

Now, not only are these right blessings from the LORD but I am sure that there are other right blessings that I have not mentioned that are also given to believers who love the Word of GOD.

All of these principles I gave you reveal a believer’s heart and the desire that GOD’s people experience the heart of GOD in blessing us.

These are the type of believers that the apostle John warned us about in 1Jo 4:1 where he said; “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from GOD; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

In fact, this is what impressed the apostle Paul and the believers in Thessalonica. Ac 17:10-12, And the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea; and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. Now these were more nobleminded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so. Many of them therefore believed, along with a number of prominent Greek women and men.

Now, these believers were known as the Bereans and also were known to be more nobleminded. They were more noble because they received the word of GOD with great eagerness and zeal, and they also examined the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things that the apostle Paul was teaching were so.

In fact, in many of the Churches were known because of the faithfulness of prominent Greek women and men. Therefore, if a believer desires what the Bible really says, one of the most important principles that lead to the correct interpretation is the principle of ICE.

One of the questions that should stimulate your curiosity is why did the LORD teach HIS disciples such a controversial subject which really is about divine discipline and suffering for blessing? I believe our LORD was preparing His disciples to always be ready to give others answers to the questions they may have concerning why they believe what they believe.

As the Apostle Peter said in 1Pe 3:15, Sanctify Christ as LORD in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;

All of us should be alert to the fact that there are always individuals who distort passages like Jn 15:2 which says that “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.

In Jn 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.”

Every believer is in union with Christ and is perfect in their position but not in their condition. Now, there is conviction by GOD the Holy Spirit, which is legitimate, but condemnation is not. This brings us to Holy Spirit conviction verses satanic condemnation which 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. Now, even though our lives will be judged according to the word of GOD, it is an evaluation of our works not condemnation for our sins.

Let me give you a few passages that make this clear.

First of all, we have our LORD’s word on the type of judgment we will face; Jn 7:24, “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”

Notice that there is such a principle called a righteous judgment.

In Jn 3:17, the LORD Jesus Christ addresses the subject of judgment when we read “For GOD did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him.”

Also, in Jn 5:22, “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son,”

Then we have Jn 12:47-48, “I have come as light into the world, that everyone who believes in Me may not remain in darkness. And if anyone hears My sayings, and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. He who rejects Me, and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.”

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

Look at Jn 8:15-16, our LORD said: “You people [in context the Pharisees] judge according to the flesh; I am not judging anyone. But even if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and He who sent Me.”

Of course, most of you have heard these passages throughout the Word of GOD and when we are told that we are “in Christ” that is our position and not our condition. Therefore, our position in Christ guarantees that there is no condemnation for any of us who have been saved. Rm 8:1, There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Look how clear the apostle Paul gets right to the point; Rm 8:38-39, For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of GOD, which is in Christ Jesus our LORD.

I love how Jude deals with this subject in Jud 1:24-25, Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only GOD our Savior, through Jesus Christ our LORD, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

What a great doctrinal principle backed up by the “Divine Promises” from GOD; 1Jo 3:1-2, See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of GOD; and such we are. For this reason, the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of GOD, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is.

Now, our LORD is seated at the right hand of the Father and we share everything that HE has and everything that HE is Rm 8:29. For remember that GOD the Father is at work in us and that is why Rm 8:29 says: “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;”

Let me give you some examples of these blessings we have “in Christ.”

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. Rm 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.

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 – May 23, 2021; Being in Union with Christ means that we share His Eternal Life and His Righteousness.

EMBEDDED VIDEO SERMON in HD – WITH NOTES

Being in Union with Christ means that we share His Eternal Life and His Righteousness.

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 believed 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.

Being in Union with Christ means that we share His Eternal Life and His Righteousness.

“True Vine” = the Hypostatic Union of Jesus Christ. “The Vinedresser” = God the Father.

Any good deeds that any of us ever produce comes from the Filling of the Spirit and is called divine good or the righteous acts of the saints that brings glory to God; Rev 19:8.

Every believer is said to be in our Lord called “in me” which is a dative of advantage prepositional phrase “en moi” correctly translated “in me” or “in the location of me.”

1Co 12:13, For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

At the point of salvation every believer receives at least 40 different things, one of which is the baptism of the Spirit whereby He takes us an enters us into union with Jesus Christ.

Positional truth belongs to the carnal as well as the spiritual believer, to the supergrace believer and the reversionist; 1Co 1:2, 30.

The Doctrine of Positional Truth as it relates to the Epistle of the Book of Romans.

Positional truth or the doctrine that allows our Lord to look upon us in our position and not our condition is what really protects the believer from divine judgement in eternity; Rom 8:1.

Being in union with Christ also means that we share His life [eternal], His righteousness [+R], which means it is impossible for us to be judged at The Great White Throne Judgment].

His sonship, His heirship, His priesthood, His election, His destiny, His kingship; all of these are involved in our positional truth; Rom 8:1.

Positional sanctification qualifies the believer to live with God forever because we are all sanctified or set aside for our Lord for the purpose of honoring Him and respecting Him as we should.

If we are going to live with God forever there are certain things we must have: for example, we must all have eternal life, not everlasting life but eternal life; 1Jo 5:11-12.

In 2Co 5:21 the believer enters into union with Christ, he shares the life of Christ, the +R and he is qualified to live with God forever, he has the same kind of life that God has, the same kind of righteousness that God has.

Positional truth also explains both election and predestination.

Isa 42:1, “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him;”

Mat 3:17, and behold, a voice out of the heavens, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Eph 1:6, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

Christianity is a relationship: union with Christ, not a religion.

Positional truth also guarantees the eternal security of every believer; Rom 8:38-39.

Positional truth also exists in two categories: known as retroactive and current.

Retroactive means something that began in the past and has present results that benefit the believer whereas current positional truth refers to the truth one is living in presently.

When our Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross, the sins of the old sin nature were poured out on Him and judged, however, human good was not judged, it was rejected.

Jn 1:29, The next day he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

The payment for sin is called death, that is spiritual death;

Rom 6:23, For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Who was this gift offered to?

It was offered to all members of the human race because of Rom 3:10-20.

When did our Lord die for us; Rom 5:6?

What were we like, when He loved us?

When we believe in Christ as Savior, we also enter into union with Christ as He is seated at the right hand of the Father; Eph 2:6.

When was positional truth related to the believer according to the book of Romans?

In Rom 6, we are identified with Christ in His death, we are identified with Christ in His resurrection, ascension, and session.

The implications of positional truth have to do with the fact that we share what Christ has.

Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father, we share everything that Christ has and is.

1. Christ is eternal life; 1Jo 5:11-12.

2. Christ is absolute righteousness (+R); 2Co 5:21.

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

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

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

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

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

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

9. Christ is a Royal priest; we share His priesthood; Heb 10:10-14.

10. Christ is an ambassador; we share His ambassadorship; 2Co 5:20.

No fruit (or production) can be any better than the vine that produces it.

Because of positional sanctification (our union with Christ) and the grace provision of the filling of the Spirit, it is possible for the believer to produce divine good.

The phrase “in Me” is a reference to the believer in union with Christ.

We were born slaves to the O.S.N. [old sin nature] and the only time that we will ever be free from slavery to the O.S.N. is not at salvation but when we enter into PMA [positive mental attitude] towards B.D. [bible doctrine]

We all have a legitimate desire to please the Lord, and this desire even increases as we increase our intake of doctrine.

These good intentions are hindered by the overtime work of the O.S.N. with its trends toward good and evil.

If I keep on doing what I do not want to do then I realize that the law is good because it does reveal my helplessness.

Because he has received the Lord Jesus Christ that he is no longer the one alive, but Christ is living in him.

Because the nature of God cannot sin, and Christ is in him, Paul has learned to separate the two natures.

What made Paul such a great apostle is the fact that he realized that his sins had been paid for and totally forgiven.

Before any believer can appreciate the divine solutions to the indwelling problems of the O.S.N. and the magnificent grace of God, the believer must be brought to the end of himself.

The effects of sin are guilt and condemnation, and therefore there is no place for any guilt and condemnation in the life of the believer.

As you grow in the knowledge of doctrine, there can arise a tremendous conflict in the soul, not from the temptation of the old sin nature, but from the evil and the inherent weaknesses which are there.

All it honestly says is NO CONDEMNATION!

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.