Weekly Bible Study, October 2, 2023 The Doctrine of The Judgement Seat of Christ.

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

Preparing yourself for the study of God’s Word

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Study to show yourself approved to God!

Grace Bible Church Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries

Doctrinal Statement

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

Alphabetical Listing of Terms & Abbreviations used:

STUDY TITLE:

Weekly Bible Study, October 2, 2023 The Doctrine of The Judgement Seat of Christ.

The Doctrine of The Judgement Seat of Christ.

There are seven major judgments from the time of the cross until the end of human history.

1) The judgment of Jesus Christ on the cross for all the personal sins of the world, this is the first of the seven major judgments in history.

2) Rebound (1Jo 1:9; 1Co 11:31) which is the royal family's self judgment to recover from involvement in sin and in the cosmic system.

3) The Judgment Seat of Christ which entails the evaluation of all church age believers, 1Co 3:11-15; 2Co 5:10; Rom 14:10.

4) The judgment of the living Tribulational unbelieving Gentiles at the second advent. These ones are thereafter cast into the eternal lake of fire, Mat 25:31-46.

5) The judgment of the living Tribulational unbelieving Jews at the second advent, Eze 20:32-38.

6) The judgment of all fallen angels at the end of the Millennial reign of Christ, Mat 25:40 cf Rev 20:10.

7) The Second Resurrection also known as the Great White Throne Judgment (GWTJ) which includes all unbelievers from the beginning of time. These are thereafter cast into the eternal lake of fire, Rev 20:7-15.

Now, the word judgment can mean either condemnation or evaluation. The Judgment Seat of Christ is a technical, theological term used to designate the evaluation of the royal family of God at the end of the church age after the Rapture and the Big Genuflex.

The judgment seat of Christ is the evaluation of what use we made of the logistical grace provisions, predestination [following God’s Predetermined Plan for your life], the ten problem solving devices, and the divine power which God made available to every church age believer. Rom 14:10 tells us that everyone will give an account for themselves. The purpose of the evaluation is to determine gain or loss of escrow blessings and rewards for our eternal state. Note that whatever takes you away from executing your personal relationship with God robs you of eternal rewards, (1Corinthians 3:15).

Gain comes from the exploitation of positive volition toward doctrine hence advancing in predestination following God’s Predetermined Plan for your life]. Loss comes from cosmic living hence failure to execute the spiritual life. At the judgment seat of Christ it is performance not salvation which is the issue, 1John 2:28.

At this point there is a temporary shame which will be experienced by loser believers who did not take advantage of all that God had provided for them. Therefore because of the judgment seat of Christ there is no equality in heaven. The exercise of our free will in time leads to varying decisions on the part of all hence some will use their freedom to chose for God's plan and others will use their freedom to ignore God's plan.

Freedom never leaves us the same as it found us. If you place Bible doctrine first in your scale of values the Lord will promote you. So, at the judgment seat of Christ the first issue you will face is how you used your freedom. Freedom refers to each individual's response and motivation. The believer must have his own scale of values and priorities and execute his values with discipline and an organized mind. Believers who fail to execute God's plan for their lives have no true standards, no effectiveness, no coordination meaning no orientation to God's plan, Isaiah 43:21; Revelation 4:11. They have no performance nor momentum leading to no execution of predestination [that is following God’s Predetermined Plan for your life], no utilization of the ten problem solving devices, no production of divine good, hence no glorification of God. This all adds up to a life without purpose! John 5:22 tells us that the evaluation of each believer is performed by the Lord Jesus Christ and what is it He uses to evaluate us? The word of God, John 12:48.

The purpose of the judgment seat of Christ is to evaluate the decisions the believer made in time for the distribution of eternal rewards. The believer must have acted in a greater power than human power while on earth. There are two types of power offered to the believer in life,

(1) Satan's cosmic system which promotes human power.

(2) God's pre-designed plan which offers divine power to the believer.

So, at the judgment seat of Christ both the invisible and the visible part of the Christian life is evaluated for the production, motivation, and functional virtues. The subject of virtue entails making right decisions and having right thoughts. Spiritual independence requires personal love for God and taking responsibility for one's own decisions.

Personal love for God eventuates in impersonal love for all mankind. But if you regard others with contempt this clearly indicates a lack of virtue-love and a lack of spiritual growth. The believer must learn to tolerate others and not become distracted by people.

The Christian life is a life of power and reward. At the judgment seat of Christ all good decisions made in the filling of the Spirit and deeds accomplished in the filling of the Spirit will be rewarded. All bad decisions and deeds made in the power if the flesh will be burned up as worthless, 1Corinthians 3:11-15.

The loser believer who went through life via human power will be embarrassed at the judgment seat of Christ since he receives no rewards for his futile accomplishments.

But the loss of rewards does not indicate a loss of salvation! Once saved always saved. The judgment seat of Christ deals with evaluating deeds, not sin. All sin has been dealt with and paid for on the cross! Shall payment be demanded twice?

The rewards which the winner believer receives at the judgment seat of Christ for executing God's plan in time and advancing to spiritual maturity consists of five crowns:

1) The crown of righteousness (2Timothy 4:8) distributed to church age believers who fulfill the plan of God and advance to SM thereby reaching occupation with Christ and producing divine good. This crown emphasizes functional virtue directed toward man and circumstances, hence the fulfillment of the royal family honor code (RFHC).

2) The crown of life (Jam 1:12; Revelation 2:10) given to the spiritually mature believer who passes evidence testing and glorifies God in the angelic conflict. This crown is given for enduring trials and still glorifying God.

3) The incorruptible crown (1Corinthians 9) issued for mastering your old sin nature through dedication to predestination. This requires discipline, faithfulness, and self motivation.

4) The crown of rejoicing (1Th 2:19) distributed for being a soul winner in time. This does not point to the amount of souls won but the accuracy in which you presented the gospel. Proverbs 11:30 tells us that he who is wise wins souls.

5) The crown of glory (1Pe 5:4) this crown is awarded to winner pastors only for their dedication and willingness to feeding the flock of God.

Revelation 3:11 warns us to hang on to what we have that no one rob us of our crowns. This is simply a warning not to be distracted from the plan of God and eternal rewards. Aside from these five crowns there are other rewards distributed to the mature/winner believer at the judgment seat if Christ, the ultimate decoration is the order of the morning star named after our Lord's third royal title, Revelation 22:16; 2Peter 1:19. This award is given for the maintenance of spiritual maturity in an ultra super-grace status. Such a believer did not quit in the face of trouble and remained with the plan of God. There are seven privileges which accompany the order of the morning star:

1) The uniform of honor which is worn invisibly in time and is traded in at the judgment seat of Christ for the uniform of glory which is worn over the resurrection body and is quite visible and quite vibrant, Revelation 3:4-5. This uniform distinguishes winner believers for all eternity!

2) The winner's name appears on the honor's list in heaven. This list is presented in court before God and the angels while the Tribulation is taking place on earth, Rev 3:5.

3) A new order of knighthood and eternal order of chivalry is awarded the winner believer, Rev 2:17; Colossians 3:4-6. This new order is recorded in the Lamb's book of life forever.

4) Winner’s rules with Christ during the Millennial reign and forever in the eternal state.

5) The winner's name is recorded in the permanent historical section of heaven for all eternity, Revelation 3:12a.

6) The winner receives his own coat of arms of glory, Revelation 3:12.

7) The winner has specific privileges related to the Tree of Life in the Paradise of God, the gazebo in the garden, Revelation 2:7,14.

Let's go through the chronological order of events once again. First we have the Rapture of the Church, followed by the Big Genuflex which is a time of worship proceeding the judgment seat of Christ.

Then after the judgment seat of Christ, at which all church age believer's deeds are evaluated, we have the second advent. The second advent of Christ is also known as the second coming of Christ and occurs after the great tribulation.

While the seven year Tribulational period is taking place on earth the judgment seat of Christ is going on in heaven. After this seven year period is complete and the Jews time table is fulfilled, the second advent of Christ takes place. It is at this time Christ returns to the earth with His bride for the last campaign of world war in which Jesus Christ slaughters the anti-Semitic armies, Exo 14:14; Josh 5:13-6:2; Isa 37:36; Eze 38:16. This is known as Armageddon or the Gog [Satan] / Magog [His followers] war.

The word advent simply means the coming or arrival of something extremely important. And, the second advent needs to be distinguished from the first advent. The first advent began with the virgin birth of Jesus Christ and concludes with the resurrection, ascension, and session of Jesus Christ. The second advent is designed to reveal Jesus Christ as both battlefield royalty and Jewish royalty. The second advent of Jesus Christ ends the Jewish age. This is the time when Christ returns to the earth with His bride (the church) adorned in their resurrected bodies to claim His victory. This return is for the purpose of setting up the earthly kingdom of Christ. At this time all unbelievers are removed from the earth (baptism of fire), Mat 24:40-41.

Satan and his cronies are bound for 1,000 years and perfect environment is instituted. The Millennial reign of Christ starts off with all believers and Jesus Christ Himself ruling the earth along with those winner believers from the church age. The Millennium introduces perfect environment on earth and:

1) Satan and his angels are removed, Rev 20:1-3.,br>

2) There is maximum spirituality on earth, Isa 65:24.

3) Israel is restored as a client nation to God, Isa 5:26-30; Zec 2:28-29.

4) All unconditional covenants to Israel are fulfilled, Dan 9:24.

5) There is universal peace, Psa 46:9; Isa 2:4; Hos 2:18; Micah 4:3.

6) There exists universal prosperity, Psa 72:7,16.

7) There is perfect world government under Jesus Christ and the royal family winners, Isa 11:1-2; Zec 14:9.

8) There is perfect objectivity in the administration of justice, Isa 11:3-5.

9) Nature changes radically and is released from the bondage which is presently shares due to man's original sin, Rom 8:19-22.

10) Flowers will abound, Isa 35; 11:6-9; 65:25.

11) There will be a population explosion and there will be no death except for capital punishment.

Then at the end of the Millennial reign of Christ, after 1,000 years of perfect environment, Satan is let loose from prison for the last time. He instigates discontentment toward Jesus Christ but to no avail since at this time his sentence of Mat 25:40 is carried out and he and his fallen angels are cast into the eternal lake of fire forever, Rev 20:10. The GWTJ [The Great White Throne Judgement] also takes place at the end of the Millennial reign, in which unbelievers are cast into the eternal lake of fire. Then the new world order is established and eternity commences in its full glory!

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 – October 1, 2023; The Angelic Conflict - Part 39 is in HD Audio ONLY; with hover pop-up scripture references in Notes.

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

ALL ARE WELCOME

from - Romans 8:38-39

Hymn #1

Hymn #2

Preparing yourself for the study of God’s Word

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Our Pastor-Teacher is:

Robert McLaughlin - Grace Bible Church and Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries

Terms used by RMBM

Doctrinal Statement

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

OPTIONAL: On-line Bible – NASB95

Sermon

NOTES

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

The Angelic Conflict - Part 39 - The battle of the garden of Eden, though on the surface a victory for Satan, was in reality the beginning of his ultimate defeat.

Gen 3:1-24 In the angelic conflict or the invisible war, the drama begins here on the stage of human history.

It would have been impossible to reach man apart from the destruction of his confidence in the Creator and trust in His word.

Mat 14:31 “O you of little faith [doctrine], why did you doubt?”

Mark 11:23 Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain [major obstacle], “Be taken up and cast into the sea,” and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it shall be granted him.

Rom 14:23 whatever is not from faith is sin.

Beginning with Eve, Satan has been successful to the extent that the majority of believers have been detached from the only source of spiritual life, the Word of God.

The divine explanation of the present fallen state of man and the ruined condition of our race.

He was making the blunt suggestion that man had rights and should declare his independence from God.

The subtle devices of our enemy, the devil, who possessed the serpent and deceived the woman as he outrightly denied the word of God, Gen 3:4!

The universal tendency of human nature to cover its own moral shame by a device of man’s own handiwork, Gen 3:7.

The spiritual effects of sin - man seeking to flee from God, Gen 3:8.

God searching for fallen man while fallen man hides from God, Gen 3:9-10.

The utter powerlessness of man to walk in the path of righteousness when divine grace is withheld from him, Gen 3:11-12.

The gracious provision which God has made to meet our great need through His seed, TLJC! Gen 3:15

The attitude of God toward the guilty sinner, Gen 3:21.

Scripture indicates the great interest of the angelic hosts in all of the events which concern the earth, mankind, and the whole plan of God.

Satan tries to deceive the new creature called man into following him and rejecting God.

The invisible war, which had remained quiet for an unknown period when the earth had been in ruin, was now renewed in great intensity.

He began to move through seductive temptation to get man away from God; he was seeking to get man to give allegiance to himself.

Everything that has ever come out of mankind for good since the origin of the human race was contained in Adam and his bride.

They were perfect in beauty, perfect in wisdom, perfect genius, but still no match for Satan!

Psa 104:15 Ecc 9:7 Deut 14:26

The fruit = tangible symbol God placed in the garden to remind man of his dependence upon God.

He had detached the woman from the Word of God, and by deception, from belief in the goodness of God.

It was man’s will that made it possible for him to depart from the plan of God, and it was against this will that Satan launched his attack.

Satan’s primary strategy was dictated by his hatred of God, not by hatred of the creature whom he saw in the garden.

He would seek to detach man from the will of God, and to increase the number of his own worshipers by attaching man to himself.

The original sin in the garden of Eden resulted in the spiritual death of Adam which was passed down to the entire human race, Rom 5:12-21.

John 12:31 - “the ruler of this world” 2Co 4:4 - “The god of this world” Eph 2:2 - “the prince of the power of the air”

Once Satan convinced Adam and the woman to rebel against God’s command and eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he thought he had defeated God!

At this time, there were still only two wills in the universe, God’s will, and the devil’s will.

He wished to detach man from God, but he also wished to attach man to himself.

Man is dependent upon God and if that dependence is destroyed something must take its place; the devil hoped that it would be a dependence upon himself.

The last thing that Satan anticipated is that man would not only desire independence of God, but he would aspire to be self-sufficient like Satan.

Robert R. McLaughlin Bible Ministries

All Rights Reserved

Robert R. McLaughlin 2001

Hymn #3

Weekly Bible Study, September 25, 2023, Doctrine of the Weak and Strong Believer

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

Preparing yourself for the study of God’s Word

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Study to show yourself approved to God!

Grace Bible Church Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries

Doctrinal Statement

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

Alphabetical Listing of Terms & Abbreviations used:

STUDY TITLE:

Weekly Bible Study, September 25, 2023, Doctrine of the Weak and Strong Believer

Doctrine of the Weak and Strong Believer

In our passage (Phil 2:19-21), we have been noting the difference between the church at Philippi and the church at Rome.

To the church at Philippi Paul sends Timothy in place of their pastor, Ephaphrodites, who was quite ill. Paul tells the Philippians to receive Timothy warmly seeing that he is of equal soul status with himself! Then in verse Phil 2:21 he makes reference to the church at Rome who all seek after their own interests, not the interest of Christ Jesus.

The church at Philippi is filled with mature believers whereas the church at Rome is filled with reversionists.

Reversionism is maximum control of the old sin nature over the life of the believer. In such a state the believer functions under the dictates of the old sin nature exactly as he did as an unbeliever. Only the daily function of Perception, Metabolization and Application (PMA – positive mental attitude) of Bible doctrine (BD) can produce in any believer seeking the interests of Christ Jesus, divine viewpoint.

The believer seeks the interest of Christ he continues with doctrine until and after he reaches spiritual maturity (SM) and qualifying for evidence testing.

It is actually at SM that the believer begins to serve the best interest of Christ Jesus. Reversionism and evil are manifested by seeking one's own interests rather than the interests of Christ Jesus. In 1Corinthians 13:5 we learn that impersonal love does not seek its own gratification.

When a believer seeks his own interests, he becomes vulnerable to the lies of the cosmic system as well as becoming vulnerable to cosmic pastors who do not study and teach accurately.

The contrast between the reversionistic believers at the church of Rome and the mature and adult believers at the church of Philippi has brought us to note the Doctrine of the Weak and Strong Believer.

The strong believer is one who has attained spiritual adulthood, being where God has perfectly timed Him to be. The "strength" of the strong believer originates from the soul. It is strength in one's system of thinking which causes the believer to be strong under pressure.

And the hindrance to mental strength is either negative volition toward doctrine at either of the three stages: perception, metabolization or application, or emoting under pressure.

Becoming emotional in a pressure situation is the antithesis of strength. The emotional believer operates in either fear or anger under pressure rather than thinking doctrine. So, the issue of strength is how do you think under pressure? The soul, i.e., how you think, is the real you, it is your home as noted in Prov 24:3-6. The difference between a weak and a strong believer is wisdom, which is metabolized doctrine applied, Luk 2:40.

Knowledge increases power, Prov 24:5. When the Roman church began to come under persecution (as all doctrinal churches will come under pressure) they freaked out.

Believers fail generally for two reasons, (1) they lack the mental strength needed, or (2) they have the doctrine in their soul but refused to apply it.

Once the believer does not live in integrity under pressure, this leads to self-justification and, if not checked, it takes the believer cycling through the arrogance skills.

This then leads to academic dishonesty, i.e., misinterpretation of passages to back up one's self-justification. And though this type of believer may be quite sincere, such erroneous interaction can only lead to hardness of the heart and scar tissue of the soul.

The strong believer is confident that by continuing in spiritual growth and being challenged with regard to eternity, he has the hope of the imputation of eternal rewards and blessings in time and at the judgment seat of Christ.

A strong believer functions under the royal family honor code, rightly dividing the word of truth and is flexible with regard to the non-essentials while being inflexible with regard to the essentials. The essential being the PMA [positive mental attitude] of BD [bible doctrine] for spiritual advancement. The strong believer has also received the initial increment of his escrow blessings and will continue to receive blessings until the point of dying grace.

Mental strength produces character and character produces the proper action. Character being, integrity and spiritual strength. Spiritual strength gives the believer confidence to stand up against the odds or the giants in life.

The strong believer utilizes his royal priesthood to advance spiritually and so has maximum production in his royal ambassadorship. God promises that He will reward us for our work done in Spirit and in Truth.

Do not grow discouraged and give up if the immediate circumstances do not look right nor seem to have the potential to be right. God can make all things right if we only wait on His perfect timing.

The strong believer is known as the crisis personality.

The strong believer is sure that there is no problem, difficulty, pressure or disaster in life that is too great for him to handle, whether it be personal or historical. God's power and God's word supplies all our needs.

So, the church at Philippi was equipped for the day of battle whereas the Roman church gave up!

No personality ever remains the same, it is in a constant state of change. This is especially true in the spiritual realm, each day the believer either advances forward or reverses and loses ground.

One either grows closer to being a strong believer or closer to being a weak believer. There are two categories of weak believers, the ignorant believer who is positive, hence a new believer, or the ignorant believer who is simply negative. The weak believer is usually flexible regarding the essentials and inflexible regarding the nonessentials, the opposite of the strong believer.

An example of a weak believer is one who feels something or has gone through some type of experience and based on that experience labels it to be "truth" becoming inflexible even though being shown in the Scriptures that his experience, though real, is wrong.

Many are weak due to the infiltration of legalism and antinomianism (not applying what you believe). Because the weak believer is ignorant of doctrine he is also arrogant be it blatant or hidden.

The weak believer becomes a victim of his own emotions and becomes a law unto himself.

The Christian way of life, though perhaps at one time learned, has eluded the weak believer. However, the weak believer who is positive toward doctrine is tolerated by the strong believer's flexibility in the non-essentials, Rom 5:1. All believers start out as weak believers and must be given time and grace to grow, Rom 14:1.

While toleration is in view toward weak believers who are positive, separation is the divine order regarding the weak believer who is negative toward doctrine. Such a believer is in a state of apostasy and is constantly under divine discipline.

The weak believer also has false norms and standards. His conscience is distorted through rationalism, empiricism and emotionalism.

The weak believer, though he may seem strongly opinionated, holds to wrong opinions of what Christian virtue is. In the weak believer, lack of doctrine means erroneous application, therefore lack of common sense, lack of capacity for life, lack of orientation to reality, lack of orientation to authority, and lack of grace orientation.

The weak believer can only gain strength and what he considers prestige, by discrediting the strong believer.

Therefore, the weak believer constantly seeks to judge, malign, and vindictively criticize the strong believer. He resents the strong believer and uses his own false norms and standards of arrogance to attack the strong believer, Rom 14:4, 10-12.

But, the strong believer, even under attack operates in impersonal love and does not try to defend himself, apologize, nor explain himself.

The strong believer remains so even when the weak believer continues to pour it on in an attempt to get a reaction from the strong believer since it is the only way the weak believer can gain strength.

But such action on the part of the weak believer only serves to further weaken him and bring in more divine discipline.

Both strong and weak believers continue to possess in this life an old sin nature with its potentials toward sin, human good, and evil. Therefore, the difference between the weak and the strong believer is the difference between ignorance and cognizance of doctrine plus the amount of time logged in the filling of the Spirit. Both strong and weak believers alike have their own areas of frailty pointing us to the principle that no one is perfect, 1Jo 1:8,10.

All are susceptible to the sin of pride. Pride manifests itself in different ways. In the life of the weak believer, pride is demonstrated by judging others, by revenge tactics, verbal sins and retaliation. In the life of the strong believer, pride is demonstrated by intolerance of the weak believer and ridicule.

Each believer has equal privilege (EP) and equal opportunity (EO) to grow spiritually. Normal spiritual growth through perception of doctrine involves variations of standards. One's norms and standards are replaced as spiritual growth progresses.

The weak believer lives by the background standards of environment, academic, and other pre-Christian norms whereas the strong believer lives by the mature norms and standards formed through doctrine in the soul.

The strong believer operates in the Four Laws of Love:

1- Law of Freedom or Liberty - this law is directed toward self-offering freedom to serve the Lord Jesus Christ (TLJC - The Lord Jesus Christ) and produce divine good. This is not freedom to operate in one's flesh, Gal 5:13. The law of freedom means that no one else has the right to tell you how to live your spiritual life. The word of God is your final authority.

2- Law of Love - is directed toward other believers. This law is especially focused on impersonal love toward weak believers, 1Co 8:13 and refraining from you freedom when it would lead a weak believer astray. So, this law is directed mostly toward new or weak believers.

3- Law of Expediency - is directed toward unbelievers in regard to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In order for the Gospel to be made clear and side-step false issues, it is expedient that certain types of procedure be followed. The rule here is when in doubt refrain from it, that no offense may be given to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, 1Co 9:16; 10:23-24.

4- Law of Supreme Sacrifice - is directed toward the Lord, 1Co 9:1-5. This law states that because of your love for the Lord Jesus Christ you may set aside normal and legitimate functions in life to progress in the plan of God and offer your service to the general progression of His plan.

Whether you are a strong or a weak believer is based strictly on your own decisions in the spiritual realm. There is no room for blame such as, well, he made me/she distracted me, and so on.

EP and EO in the spiritual realm offers every believer the privilege of becoming a strong believer in time and a winner believer for all eternity!

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 – September 24, 2023; The Angelic Conflict - Part 38 is in HD Audio ONLY; with hover pop-up scripture references in Notes.

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

ALL ARE WELCOME

from - Romans 8:38-39

Hymn #1

Hymn #2

Preparing yourself for the study of God’s Word

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Our Pastor-Teacher is:

Robert McLaughlin - Grace Bible Church and Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries

Terms used by RMBM

Doctrinal Statement

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

OPTIONAL: On-line Bible – NASB95

Sermon

NOTES

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

The Angelic Conflict - Part 38 - “The paradox of the fortunate fall.”

God created man lower than all angels and limited him to planet earth under the law of gravity, confining man in space, time, intelligence and power.

Heb 2:7 “Thou hast made him for a little while lower than the angels; Thou hast crowned him with glory and honor, And hast appointed him over the works of Thy hands;”

Out of the lowest, God shall bring the highest.

Even out of man’s fallen condition, God will reach down below the level m

an was created and offer mankind salvation and eternal life.

Weekly Bible Study, September 18, 2023, Enoch, Part 4

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

Preparing yourself for the study of God’s Word

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Study to show yourself approved to God!

Grace Bible Church Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries

Doctrinal Statement

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

Alphabetical Listing of Terms & Abbreviations used:

STUDY TITLE:

Weekly Bible Study, September 18, 2023, Enoch – Part 4

Pleasing God

So far, we have as a corrected translation of Heb 11:6* And without doctrine resident in the soul it is impossible to please Him. Pleasing God is accomplished by consistent, persistent, positive volition toward doctrine. This simply means making consistent decisions to take in doctrine, regardless of distractions, mental attitude sins, or of any circumstance in life.

If you desire to please God, you must make daily decisions to take in doctrine.

As we enter into this principle you should ask yourself some very objective questions. After all, you are your own priest, and therefore you are responsible for your own life before God. The first question you should ask yourself is “who are you trying to please in this life?”

If you’re not honest in answering this question there is no way you are ever going to get straightened out with regard to what is important in life. There are really only three possible answers to this question: Your either trying to please others, trying to please yourself, or your trying to please God. Gal 1:10 “For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.”

Col 3:22 Slaves [Labor], in all things obey those who are your masters on earth [obey human management on the basis of all things], not with external service [eye service], as those who merely please men [people -pleasers], but with sincerity of heart [the integrity of the right lobe], fearing [making a role model out of] the Lord. 1Th 2:4 “but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who examines our hearts.”

Rom 15:1 “Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves.” Bearing the weaknesses of the weak is maximum utilization of impersonal love, and total tolerance in the area of non-essentials. Rom 15:2 [Let] each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification.

For even Christ did not please himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell upon Me.” This is a warning, because the more we advance in the PPOG, the greater the danger that particularly in adolescence, there will be the inflexibility that will cause violations of the Royal Family Honor Code. That inflexibility can turn us against friends and loved ones, and can cause us to be insensitive toward others. We become thoughtless, and rather than hypersensitivity, the Royal Family Honor Code demands sensitivity and thoughtfulness of others.

Inevitably you have to come to the place (often through discipline, tragedies, heartaches, and difficulties) in which God is going to be pleased. You are here as His guest, you are a member of the Royal family. You have a home, not here, but in the Holy of Holies! The Christian way of life isn't complicated; it isn't filled with a lot of gimmicks. Often commands are distorted into gimmick systems, such as the commands to give, witness, or to pray.

However, these things are to be motivated by the balance in the soul between the filling of the Spirit and Bible doctrine. These commands are often turned into systems or standards of evaluation whereby you and your peers evaluate other believers regarding how much you think they're doing for God. However, everything that pleases God is related to Bible doctrine. 1Th 4:1 “Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that, as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you may excel still more.”

ENOCH—Doctrines of a Visible Hero

Pleasing God includes positive volition, it also includes facing certain tests and passing them. Pleasing God includes the assembling of yourselves together and recognizing the authority of the pastor-teacher.

Heb 11:6* And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. None of us can please God without doctrine in the soul and none of us have ever received doctrine in the soul without submitting to academic discipline. In Heb 11:6, the word for is the explanatory use of the Greek particle gar, which indicates why there is only one way to please God in this life. The phrase he who comes is a present middle participle proserchomenon meaning to approach or to occupy oneself.

The translation then is for when one is occupied with [to Theo] the God.

The present tense is a customary present for what habitually occurs, or may be expected to occur once you get positive. This means that it is the Christian way of life to be occupied with God. In the middle voice, God draws you to Himself, but you must have positive volition toward doctrine to draw near to Him. We can all get distracted for one reason or another, for a short time, but the key is consistency, a way of life, because without Bible doctrine resident in the soul it is impossible to please Him.

Heb 11:6* And without doctrine resident in the soul it is impossible to please Him, for he who is occupied with the God must believe…The Greek word for must is the verb dei, used for the compulsion of duty. It indicates the fact that no matter where you go in life you're going to face the issue of authority and discipline. Duty is the combination of authority and discipline.

It also refers to an inner necessity growing out of a given situation. In other words, this is actually a verb of obligation, and there are two directions concerning obligations: First, refusing to place yourself in a position of obligation to others as Abram did in Gen 14:22-24.

Secondly, accepting your obligation to God for the many blessings He has provided for you (Deut 4:32-40). The given situation is that you are born again, you are a member of the Royal Family of God, and your life has meaning, purpose, and definition! The Word of God has given you objectives and definitions in life!

So far, our corrected translation of Heb 11:6* And without doctrine resident in the soul it is impossible to please Him, for he who is occupied with the God must believe. The Greek word for believe is an aorist active infinitive of pisteusai which means to believe, to be convinced of something so that you become dogmatic about it. The believer must be convinced by Bible doctrine resident in the soul.

First of all, you expose yourself to a little doctrine, and it becomes resident in your soul. That doctrine must then convince you of the importance of going on with doctrine, you then get a little more of doctrine by your consistent intake.

That accumulation of doctrine in your frame of reference convinces you to go on with doctrine.

When you get more doctrine you are tested, this testing comes in the form of people, things, thoughts, etc. In whatever area you are tested, the doctrinal frame of reference says one thing, and the old sin nature says something altogether different. The more doctrine you get in your soul, the more those inner resources dictate your volitional decisions.

Heb 11:6* And without doctrine resident in the soul it is impossible to please Him, for he who is occupied with the God must be convinced by resident doctrine that He is, and that He is…In the Greek, the first He is, is the present active indicative of EIMI which means He keeps on being, which has to do with essence of God and the fact that God exists, and has a plan.

The second He is, is not He is at all, but actually the present middle indicative of the verb ginetai meaning to become. So, He becomes something under the correct circumstances!

So, we should have, “that He is and He becomes.” You see, God is, that's a fact! He is, He always will be, but there are certain conditions in which He becomes something. The key to this verb is that it is an intensive middle, which emphasizes the part taken by the subject, the subject being God.

ENOCH—Doctrines of a Visible Hero

The form of the indirect middle stresses the agent as producing the action of the verb, so we translate it and that He Himself becomes. What is it that God the Father becomes to us under certain conditions? God becomes a rewarder, which is the noun misthapodotes. This is a hapax legomena, which means that this is a word that is only used once in the Bible.

Heb 11:6* And without doctrine resident in the soul it is impossible to please Him, for he who is occupied with the God must be convinced by resident doctrine that He is, and that He becomes a rewarder of those who seek Him. Doctrine tells us the reality of the existence of God, but the fact that God is a rewarder is a potential, depending upon your attitude toward doctrine. Doctrine is the basis for divine blessing in your life. This is why we have so many passages in the Bible where doctrine promises to bless us and reward us. Pro 3:2 “For length of days and years of life And peace [doctrine] they will add to you.”

Pro 3:16 “Long life is in her [doctrine's] right hand; In her left hand are riches and honor.”

Pro 4:8 “Prize her, and she will exalt you; She will honor you if you embrace her.”

Pro 8:21 “To endow those who love me with wealth [Doctrine endows those who love it with wealth], That I may fill their treasuries.”

Pro 9:11 “For by me your days will be multiplied, And years of life will be added to you.” God becomes a rewarder, not of all believers, but of those who seek Him, which occurs through doctrine resident in the soul. If you have doctrine resident in the soul, it is because you have been making decisions to seek Him. The phrase “those who seek Him” is a present active participle ekzetousin, which means to diligently or earnestly seek. It means that something becomes so important in life that it crowds out other things, just as an obsession would.

It means that Bible doctrine, and its importance, becomes an obsession in life that one continually and habitually seeks in the participial form. The verb therefore is used for consistent positive volition toward Bible doctrine.

Those who diligently seek Him are the people who are monuments of greatness in this passage, the super-grace invisible and visible heroes. Rewards are given for works, but the works must be the result of divine power in operation. For example, in Psa 19:11 keeping doctrine resident in the soul brings great rewards, “Moreover, by them [doctrines] Your servant is warned; In keeping them there is great reward.” In Pro 22:4 rewards are given for humility and respect toward the Lord, The reward of humility and respect for the Lord are riches, honor and life. In Mar 9:41 rewards are given for the way that you treat followers of The Lord Jesus Christ, “For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because of your name as followers of Christ, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward.”

In 1Co 3:8 rewards are given for your labor and work in God's kingdom, Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

The warning concerning the rewards for the Church-age believer is also given in 2Jo 6-9 “And this is love [virtue-love], that we walk according to His commandments [the mystery doctrine of the Church-age].

This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it [the PPOG]. For many deceivers have gone out into the world [the TCNT translation says, many impostors have left us to go back into the world or the cosmic system], those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh [or in our human nature]. This is the [mark of a] deceiver and the antichrist [those against Christ].

Watch yourselves, that you do [might] not lose what we have accomplished [your momentum and your spiritual growth] but that you may receive a full reward [the imputation of your escrow blessings in time and in eternity.]

Anyone who goes too far, [or who keeps advancing out of bounds] and does not abide[or remain] in the teaching of Christ [Bible doctrine] does not have [fellowship with] God; the one who ades in the teaching [or the PPOG], he has [fellowship with] both the Father and the Son.”

Rev 22:12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.”

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.