Disciple Bob

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   INTRODUCTION

LIAR…LIAR…

PANTS ON FIRE!

Wouldn’t it be great if every time a “Man of God” tells us a lie his pants would catch on fire! That would cause a lot of so called “Christian Teachers and Preachers” to rethink and better study the scriptures before they accidently or on purpose deceive and mislead us about God’s Word. Unfortunately, their pants don’t catch fire when they teach things that are not true.  In fact, the Bible says Satan’s ministers appear as angels of light and have deceived the whole world.  The odds are that you have been deceived and most of what you have been taught and now believe is very wrong! 

Almost all Bible teachers and preachers are teaching a mixture of truth, traditions of men and clever lies!  Some do this knowingly but most others have themselves been deceived and are sincere in their efforts but are sincerely wrong concerning much of what they preach and teach.  Almost all preach and teach a False Gospel of salvation along with damnable heresies and traditions of men.

The True Gospel of Salvation by Grace is too plain, too simple and too great for false teachers to comprehend or use to their best advantage so many of them complicate and pervert the True Gospel and the doctrines of the Bible to better control and make merchandise of you, for which they shall be judged accordingly. Most preachers and teachers are blind guides, deceitful workers and tools used by the Great Deceiver (Satan) who is the god of this present age who prevents the True Gospel from being taught or believed.  As a result, those trusting individuals who were deceived go on to deceive others.

1 John 5:19 “We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.”

Matthew 24:4-5“Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many [preachers] will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.”

Matthew 24:11“And many false prophets [preachers] shall rise, and shall deceive many.”

Matthew 24:24 “For there shall arise false Christ’s, and false prophets [preachers] and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”

Mark 13:5-6 “And Jesus answering them began to say, “Take heed lest any man deceive you.  For many shall come in my name saying, “I am Christ”; and shall deceive many.”

Romans 16:18 “For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.”

Titus 1:10-11 “For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, especially they of the circumcision; Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake.”

2 Peter 2:1-3 “But there were also false prophets [preachers] among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you... And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.  By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words;”

2 Corinthians 11:13-15^“For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ.  And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.”

Ephesians 4:14 “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.”

Acts 17:11 “These (Berea’s) were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.”

2 Timothy 2:15 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

There are thousands of different religious denominations in the world.  Clearly, Satan truly is the author and master of confusion and the Father of all lies.  He has had 2,000 years to twist scripture, confuse the masses and spread clever lies in order to keep the light of the True Gospel from shining forth. Sad to say, the majority of the world will remain deceived and confused until Jesus returns. 

Revelation 20:1-3 “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.  He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished.” 

Don’t be deceived but be as the Berea’s and search the scriptures for yourself to see if you are being told the truth.  The Bible contains the truth but you must search and rightly divide scripture to be saved and have a more abundant life.  Believe only the scriptures that have been proven to be inspired scripture, not the words of a theologian, not the words of a scholar, not the words of the church council and not the words of Dr. or Reverend So-and-So. The Bible and its inspired and correctly translated scripture are your yardstick by which you measure everything to find truth.  To find out if you have been deceived, read the following 15 lies taught by mostly well-meaning but deceived teachers and preachers.

15 LIES

PREACHERS TELL

Lie 1               You must ask God to forgive you of your sins before you can be saved.

Truth         There is no inspired New Testament scripture requiring you to ask God to forgive your sins to become saved.  The reason is because your sins were already forgiven and taken away at the cross before you were ever born and you need only to believe the Good News (True Gospel of Salvation) and thereby be baptized into Christ.  The sin issue had to be remedied in order for God to place His spirit into those who believed the True Gospel of Salvation.  Prior to sins being taken away, Gods spirit could be with man but not in man.

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

1 John 2:2 “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:”

Isaiah 43:25 “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.”

Psalm 103:12 “As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.”

Lie 2                You must be baptized by water in a certain manner to be saved.

Truth          You must be baptized with God’s Holy Spirit to be saved, not water. What if you did believe the True Gospel and accepted the True Jesus as your Lord and Savior but there was no water and no one to baptize you and you only had minutes to live as a soldier wounded on a battlefield or after having a terrible auto accident.  How could you be saved if you must be baptized with or in water?

Water Baptism Explained

Many Christians assume that whenever they see the term baptism, that it is referring to water baptism. This is not always a correct understanding. The New Testament uses the term baptism in mainly four different ways: baptism by water, by the Holy Spirit, and by fire (Matthew 3:11, etc.). It also uses it as a metaphor for the association believers have in Christ's death (Romans 6:4, etc.).

More than fifty verses emphasize salvation by grace through faith or belief without mentioning or requiring water baptism:

John  1:12,  John 3:14-18, 36,  John 5:24,  John 6:29-40, 47, 69,  John 11:25-26,  John 12:46-50,  John 16:7-9, John 17:20-22,  John 20:31,  Acts 2:21,33,  Acts 10:43-48, Acts 13:38-9, 48,  Acts 15:8-11,  Acts 16:30-31,  Acts 26:18,  Romans 1:16,  Romans 3:20-31,  Romans 4:1-11,
Romans 4:23-25,   Romans  5:1-21,   Romans  9:30-33,  Romans  10:4-13,  Galatians  2:15-21, Galatians 3:1-28, Galatians 5:5-6,  Ephesians 2:8-10,  Philippians 3:4-14,  2 Thessalonians 2:16-17,  Hebrews 4:2-3, 1 Peter 2:6, 1 John 1:5-10, 1 John 4:15, 1 John 5:1 and 1 John 10-13. 

Additional verses mention belief without mentioning or requiring water baptism: 

Luke 7:50, John 2:11, 23,John 4:39, 41, John 7:38-39, John 8:30-32,  John 9:35-36, John 10:42, John 11:  45,48,  John 12:11, 42-44,  John 14:1, 12;  John 20:31,   Acts 14:23,  Acts 20:21,Romans 15:13, Philippians 1:29and  Titus 3:8.

There are eight instances of conversion in the book of Acts alone without reference to water baptism.  These include: 

Acts 4:4, Acts 5:14,  Acts 11:19-24, Acts 13:6-12, Acts 13:42-52, Acts 14:1, Acts 17:10-12, Acts 17:22-34. 

Why Did The Authors Fail To

Mention Water Baptism In These Many Passages If It Is So Important?

 Many of the above verses use the language “whosoever” (King James) or “whoever” or “everyone” who believes. This language is all-encompassing. That is, by the language of the text nothing else is required for salvation except faith. Thus, in addition to not mentioning water baptism, the all-encompassing language of whosoever eliminates any other requirements. So here we have the truth of salvation by grace through faith demonstrated in the affirmative.

Many Verses Specifically Preclude Works As A Way To Salvation

Read the following:

 Acts 13:39, Romans 3:20, 28, Galatians 2:15-17, Timothy 1:9, Titus 3:5, Philippians 3:8-9.  Other scriptures say that we cannot boast before God—a similar concept (Romans 3:27, 1 Corinthians 1:29).

Note: some of these passages could be thought only to mean we are not saved by keeping the Law of Moses—the Old Testament law— leaving open that other works (“laws of Christ”) are necessary for salvation. However, many other passages make clear that we are not saved by any kind of works. See Romans 3:20-27, Galatians 2:21, Galatians 3:21-22, Galatians 3:25 and Titus 3:5. And please consider Romans 13:10 and Ephesians 2:8-9. 

Romans 13:10 “^”“Love does no wrong to one’s neighbor [it never hurts anybody]. Therefore love meets all the requirements and is the fulfilling of the Law.”  (AMP)

Young's Literal Translation reads: “Love therefore is the fullness of law.” Note that in the Greek there is no “the” in front of “law,” making law a general term and not a reference to Old Testament law.  So, Paul is making a general case that we are not saved by works of any kind. 

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:  Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Jesus himself explains in John 6:27-29 that the “work” we must do is to believe on Jesus. Thus, we are not saved by what we do.  

 John 6:27-29“Stop toiling and doing and producing for the food that perishes and decomposes [in the using], but strive and work and produce rather for the [lasting] food which endures [continually] unto life eternal; the Son of Man will give (furnish) you that, for God the Father has authorized and certified Him and put His seal of endorsement upon Him.  They then said, What are we to do, that we may [habitually] be working the works of God? [What are we to do to carry out what God requires?]   Jesus replied, This is the work (service) that God asks of you: that you believe in the One Whom He has sent [that you cleave to, trust, rely on, and have faith in His Messenger].”  (AMP)

New Covenant water baptism in the Bible typically follows salvation as an outward sign of the prior Holy Spirit Baptism into Christ or it could be considered an act of obedience but not required to forgive sins.

Ephesians 2:8-10 confirms that even faith itself is a gift of God. A person who has received a saving faith does not require water baptism or any other work of any kind to be performed for or because of their salvation.

The definition of grace is unmerited favor and is a free gift (Romans 5:15, 5:16, and 6:23). So, it would be merited favor if works are required for salvation. Something cannot both be unmerited and merited at the same time. This is precisely what Paul is arguing in Romans 11:6 and Galatians 2:9.

Romans 11:6 “But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.”

Galatians 2:9  “I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died needlessly.”

Nowhere does the Bible say the words, “cannot be saved without water baptism,” or that a “non-water baptized believer is unsaved” or “one must be water baptized to be saved.”

Acts 2:38, Mark 16:16, 1 Peter 3:21, and Acts 22:16 are passages which are often used by deceived preachers and teachers to show that water baptism saves.

Acts 2:38  in most translations says, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins….” But there are valid reasons why inActs 2:38 it does not necessarily mean “in order to achieve” forgiveness of sins. The Greek word eis (“for”) can have a variety of translations or meanings.  Possible meanings include “in”, “into”, “unto”, “to”, “towards”, “at” or even “because of”, “as a result of” or “in light of.”  

There are many passages in the New Testament that show these various nuances in meaning:  Scriptures are:  Matthew 10:41, 12:41 and 28:19, Mark 1:9, Luke 5:14 and 14:23, John 4:5 and 11:31, Acts 19:3 and 22:10, Romans 4:20, 5:8, 5:12 and 6:3 and 1 Corinthians 10:2.

Thus, whatever follows eis (for) may even be something that has Already Been Accomplished. Here is an online site where the reader can look up each of these above passages: www.biblegateway.com.

Note:  The Greek word for Repent inActs 2:38means to think differently.  It does not mean to ask God for forgiveness of your sins. 

Many Bible translations render eis as for, in Acts 2:38 “Then Peter said unto them, repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ FOR the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”  But “FOR” can mean“BECAUSE OF” or “AS A RESULT OF” or “IN LIGHT OF.” 

The English dictionary gives about a dozen ways that the word “FOR” is used. For example, consider the statement, “John was beheaded FOR his faithfulness.” Isn't it accurate to say that FOR does not mean “in order to obtain” in this sentence? Similarly, the statement “Take two aspirin “FOR” a headache” does not mean “Take two aspirin in order to get a headache.”

Further regarding Acts 2:38, The Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible (page 1357) says this, “The main verb in this verse is metanoesate (3340), meaning ‘repent.’ This refers to that initial repentance of a sinner unto salvation. The verb translated ‘be baptized’ is in the indirect passive imperative of baptizo (907) which means that it does not have the same force as the direct command of ‘repent.’ The preposition ‘for’ in the phrase ‘for the remission of sins’ in Greek is eis (1519), ‘unto.’ Literally it means ‘For The Purpose Of Identifying You With The Remission Of Sins’. This same preposition is used in 1 Corinthians 10:2 in the phrase ‘and were all baptized unto [eis] Moses.’ These people were identifying themselves with the work and ministry of Moses. Repentance is something that concerns an individual and God, while water baptism is intended to be a testimony to other people. That is why baptistheto, ‘to be baptized,’ is in the passive voice indicating that one does not baptize himself, but he is baptized by another usually in the presence of others.”

Thayer’s “A Greek English Lexicon of the New Testament” confirms many alternative meanings to the Greek word eis.

People are saved after (1) hearing God’s word (Acts 2:22-37). They then (2) received God’s word (Acts 2:41) and (3) believed in Jesus (Acts 10:43, Romans 10:9-13) for salvation.  Peter’s audience “gladly received his word” and by necessary inference believed in their hearts and put their trust in Jesus—before they were water baptized (Acts 2:41). Salvation thus comes at the point of receiving God’s word and taking it to heart and believing it.

Those who believed Peter’s message clearly received the Holy Spirit before they were water baptized. Peter said:

Acts 10:47  “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?”

Peter’s first emphasis is on having received the Holy Spirit (just as we have); water baptism comes later as a follow-up.

Scripture must be interpreted so that it harmonizes. Language is often not straight forward or literal, and interpretation is required. There are passages that may seem to be saying, on the surface, that we must do something to be saved (water baptism)—such as Acts 2:38 or Mark 16:16.

Also, it is well known that Mark 16:9-20 were spurious verses that were added later to the text to help bolster the doctrine of the trinity.  But if they actually meant that, Scripture would be contradictory. Any concept or statement that is contradictory cannot be true. Note for example, that Mark 16:16 does not specifically say that all who believe but are not baptized with water are not saved or will go to Hell. If it did, it would contradict the “whoever” passages such as John 3:16 or Acts 10:43 (whoever believes shall be saved) and would also contradict the numerous passages that say we are not saved by works (Romans 3, Ephesians 2, Galatians 3, Titus 3, etc.).

Similarly, Acts 2:38 cannot mean that water baptism is necessary for salvation because Acts 2:21 says that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” The way to harmonize these concepts is to understand that works such as water baptism are things that FOLLOW salvation. Thus, we are saved by a living faith.

James 2:20“But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?”

Faith with works is desired but it is faith only that saves us not the works.  There are many persons who could believe but not be able to be water baptized such as the hospitalized, iron lung patients, persons who die by accident and heart attack prior to water baptism.   

To emphasize, if eis has the meaning of “in order to be saved” in Acts 2:38, it suggests that salvation is based on works—an idea that runs counter to the theology of Acts, namely: Salvation is entirely a gift of God, not procured via water baptism (Acts 10:43, 47; Acts 13:38-39, 48; Acts 15:11; Acts 16:30-31; Acts 20:21; Acts 26:18).

Acts 2:44 speaks of “all who believed” as constituting the early church, not necessarily all who were water baptized.

According to theologians Geisler and Howe’s book (When Critics Ask), in view of the many factors, it seems best to understand Peter’s statement in Acts 2:38 like this: ‘REPENT AND BE BAPTIZED’ ‘BECAUSE OF FORGIVENESS OF SINS’.  Believing and being water baptized are placed together, since water baptism should follow belief. But nowhere does it say, ‘He who is not baptized will be condemned’ (Mark 16:16). Yet Jesus said emphatically that ‘he who does not believe is condemned already’ (John 3:18). So, neither Peter nor the rest of Scripture makes water baptism a condition of salvation.

Mark 16:16, which is often used to support water baptismal regeneration, does not appear in the oldest and most reliable manuscripts. Many scholars question whether it should even be considered part of Scripture.

Does Mark 16:16 prove that a person must be water baptized in order to be saved? No, it does not specify. It says that a person who believes and is water baptized will be saved, and a person who does not believe is condemned. Proverbs 30:6  is a strict warning not to add to God’s word. If you say that Mark 16:16 states what happens to those who believe and are not water  baptized, when that verse is silent on that, you are adding to God’s word.

The Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible (page 1260) says about Mark 16:16, “The word ‘believeth’ is pisteuo [4100], an aortist participle referring to one who has believed at some time in the past. Also, baptistheis (907), translated ‘is baptized,’ is an aorist participle but in the passive voice. This form refers to an act of outward obedience, in this case, baptism. Therefore, the correct translation here should be stated, ‘He who believed and who was baptized shall be saved.’ However, the Lord adds…but he that believeth not shall be damned.’

It should be noted that this negative statement does not include a reference to water baptism, making it clear that what saves a person is living faith in Jesus Christ. This is made clear in Ephesians 2:8, ‘For by grace are ye saved through faith….’ The word ‘saved’ is translated from the Greek word sesosmenoi, which is a perfect passive participle. It means that this salvation took place at some point in the past and is continuing on in the present, being accomplished by Jesus Christ Himself. If water baptism were necessary for salvation, Ephesians 2:8 and many other verses should have been translated ‘ye are saved through faith and [water] baptism.’  Water baptism is a distinct act of obedience apart from salvation. This is clarified by the order in which the words ‘believe’ and ‘baptize’ occur in the text.”  Holy Spirit baptism occurs immediately at the time of belief but water baptism may occur any time after belief.

1 Peter 3:21  “and this water symbolizes [Holy Spirit] baptism that now saves you also, not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God.”  (NIV)

1 Peter 3:21  “The like figure whereunto even [Holy Spirit] baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God).”(KJV)

The body washed with pure water is a visible emblem of our changed hearts. The key word in the Greek in this sentence isantitypos, which means “a thing resembling another.”  So, the NIV rendering “symbolizes” is correct.

Clearly,it is not the water that saves us but the pledge of a good conscience towards God, which is symbolized by water baptism. 

Regarding 1 Peter 3:21, the notes in the The Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible (pages 1539-1540) explains, “The expression ‘baptism doth now save’ should be understood in light of verse twenty: ‘eight souls were saved by water.’ Noah and his family, being in the ark, were able to pass safely ‘through’ the waters….In the same way, the term ‘baptism’ should be understood as the visible representation of deliverance through Christ, just as the ark represented deliverance from the waters of the flood. When a person accepts Christ, he is saved; when the believer is water baptized, he is identified with the One who has delivered him (i.e. Jesus Christ).”

KJV’s“by water” is incorrect; the Greek is “through water (di udatos)” per (NKJV, NIV, NASB, Green’s Literal Translation, NRSV, Young's Literal Translation). It also seems significant that Peter here (1 Peter 3:21) explains his own statement by stating that baptism is “an appeal to God for a good conscience through the resurrection of Christ.”

Further, 1 Peter 3:21, is not referring to the dirt on the surface of the body, but most likely to our sinful nature. The Greek word is sarx. So, Peter is saying specifically that water baptism does not remove our sinful nature.

Acts 22:16 says, “Now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.”

According to the translation of the United Bible Society Greek Text 1993 fourth edition. “Grammatically the phrase, ‘calling on His name,’ precedes ‘Get up and be baptized.’ Salvation comes from calling on the name of the Lord (read Romans 10:9,10, 13), not from being water baptized.”  Also read Acts 22:16 in the amplified version. 

Acts 22:16  “And now, why do you delay? Rise and be baptized, and by calling upon His name, wash away your sins.” (AMP)

First Holy Spirit Baptism

Then Water Baptism

Acts 10:43-48, “To Him give all the prophets witness, that through His name whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins. While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter,Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?   And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.”

Those who believed Peter’s message clearly received the Holy Spirit baptism before they were water baptized. Before receiving water baptism, they believed, praised God and spoke in tongues, so they had already become children of God before receiving water baptism. Then Peter said, “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be [water] baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” 

So, water baptism followed their salvation. The Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible (page 1372) says, “This is similar to the circumstances at Jerusalem and Samaria in that each time, many believers were baptized in the Holy Spirit at the same time

Acts 2:1-4  “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.   And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.   And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

Acts 8:14-17 “Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:  Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were [water] baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)  Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.”  

It is interesting to note that apostles were present in each instance. The special manifestation of the Holy Spirit here, which allowed these Gentiles to speak in tongues, proved that God gave the Gentiles the same ‘gift’ (v. 45) as the Jews. 

Spiritual baptism is what actually places believers into the body of Christ, as Noah and his family were placed into the Ark and kept safe, while water baptism only demonstrates to others that a person is in the body of Christ.   

1 Corinthians 12:13 specifically confirms that baptism by the Holy Spirit is what places us into the body of Christ.

1 Corinthians 12:13“For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.”

Also, we note that Peter makes no mention of water baptism, and  Acts 11:16 indicates that Holy Spirit baptism superseded water baptism of John the Baptist.

Acts 11:16 “Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost.”

The situation in Acts 8:14-17 is somewhat different from the ones in  Acts 2 and  Acts 10  however. The Samaritans received the laying on of hands and the Holy Spirit after water baptism. So, it is obvious from this story that it was possible to be regenerated and not to have received the gift of tongues. Today the power of the Holy Spirit is working in our lives before, during, and after water baptism, whether or not we receive the gift of tongues.

Acts 8:14-17“Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:   Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were [water] baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)  Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.”

Certainly, we should not put God in a box about how he works in a person’s life. There are some logical reasons why this situation occurred as it did. Apparently, the apostles were not present when the original conversions took place. This was a group of Samaritans, who were not fully Jewish and there was a lot of hostility that existed between the Samaritans and Jews. It would have been desirable in this early ministry to receive apostolic approval to prove that this new church was “kosher.” This passage does not in any way indicate that water baptism saves.

Romans 8:14   “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”

Romans 8:16-17  “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him.”

Romans 15:13  “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

Thus, our hope is in the power of the Holy Spirit through faith (not our power to obey or perform whatever legalistic requirement).

Included in the many things the Holy Spirit does is that he is active in the salvation of a person. He regenerates us, this being made quite clear in Titus.

Titus 3:5  ^“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.”

He transforms us.

2 Corinthians 3:18  “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

He sanctifies us.

Galatians 5:16-23   “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.   For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.  But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.   Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,  envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”

2 Thessalonians 2:13“But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.”

Remembering that we are saved by a transformation of the heart—the Holy Spirit pours out God’s love in the heart.

Romans 5:5  “And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”

He seals God’s promises in believers’ hearts.

Ephesians 1:13-14  “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”

He strengthens the inner being.

Ephesians 3:16     “That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.”

It is by his power that we have hope.

Romans 15:13  “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”

Further, he shapes the individual’s community life to Christ’s etc, etc.

Romans 8:1-17“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.   That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.  For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.   For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So, then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”

All of the following show that we are baptized, washed, justified, and sanctified by the Spirit of God. (We are washed by the Holy Spirit—not by water.)  The Holy Spirit is everywhere in the Scriptures from beginning to end doing its work in the world and in people.

Matthew 3:11 “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.”

Mark 1:8 “I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.”

Acts 1:5 “For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.”

Acts 2:4 “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

1 Corinthians 6:11  “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”

The Holy Spirit is the SEAL of the believer’s salvation.

Ephesians 4:30  “And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”

2 Corinthians 1:22  “Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.”

Romans 8:9  “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”

Not water baptism.  Indeed, we are SEALED by the Holy Spirit when we believed.

Ephesians 1:11-14  “In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”

Ephesians 1:3-12“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.   In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; 

Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;  Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:  That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:   In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.”

Titus 3:3-8   shows that it is the Holy Spirit that regenerates a person, not water baptism or any other work. Notice also that it is by the work of God that we are saved, and specifically not because of any righteous things we have done. This is baptism (washing) of the Holy Spirit, which is mentioned in Acts 1:5 and fulfilled in Acts 2:4.

Titus 3:3-8  “For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.  But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;  Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;   That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.   This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.”

Many verses show that the Spirit of God dwells in a believer and is the helpmate.

John 14:17  “Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”

Romans 8:9-11  “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.  And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.   But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.”

Continue reading the following scriptures that also explain  that the Spirit of God dwells in a believer and is the helpmate.  Please read: (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19,Galatians 4:6,  Ephesians  3:16-19,  2 Timothy 1:14 and 1 John 4:13-17). 

The Holy Spirit’s indwelling is the means whereby “Christ is in you.” Paul views this relationship as so close that he can even say “the Lord is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:17, Galatians 4:6, etc.) Elsewhere, in Galatians 2:20 Paul says, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”

In further context, those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God (Romans 8:14). He also intercedes for the Saints (8:27).  The Holy Spirit is working salvation in the person. Just as our physical birth is not something we earn or have any control over, spiritual begettal is something that God gives rather than something we earn or have control over (1 Peter 1:3-5).

Romans 8:14 “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”

Romans 8:27“And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”

1 Peter 1:3-5  “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

John 3:5 “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”

This is a very interesting passage. Here Jesus tells Nicodemus that unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot see the kingdom of God.  Some might say that water here refers to the water being released when one is born physically by a woman. Others would say that water here means water baptism. But this latter interpretation seems quite unlikely, since the New Covenant did not yet exist and Christian baptism had not yet been instituted and would have been meaningless to Nicodemus. (Others find reference to John’s baptism in this statement, but Jesus nowhere makes John’s baptism a requirement for salvation.) First comes human birth and then Spiritual Begettal from above and then we are Born Again at the resurrection as immortal flesh and bone spirit beings into the Family of God.

Can the word water as used in John 3:5 mean they are speaking of water baptism? Why didn't Christ say baptism instead of water if that is what He meant to say? If He really meant baptism—when He said water—by the same reasoning He evidently meant baptism in the next Chapter.

John 4:7-15  “There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.   (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)   Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.   Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. 

The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?  Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?  Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:  But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.   The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.”

 Read again the story of the Woman at the Well and substitute the word baptism for water everywhere it is found in the story exactly as you substitute the word baptism for water in John 3:5 and see what kind of a story you make. False doctrines always cause confusion and deceive the simple.

Jesus baptizes via the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11 and Mark 1:8) and never personally baptized with water as far as we know. If water baptism is so important, why didn’t Jesus say so or do so?

There is a close relationship between how we are saved and the gospel.  Romans 1:16 says that the gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes. Understanding clearly from this passage that it is the power of God that saves (and not the power of water or a  person), at the very least to deny that God the Holy Spirit is active in the believer is, we think, a gross distortion of the gospel.

1 Corinthians 12:13 plainly states “we were all baptized by one Spirit.”

The conclusion must be, it seems, that indeed we are saved by the spiritual baptism of the Holy Spirit creating an inner change in the heart rather than water on the skin. The Bible makes a distinction between spiritual baptism and water baptism (Matthew 3:11). The Holy Spirit works before, during, and after one is saved. But the Bible does not advance the legalistic view that water baptism is a work of the individual that one must do to be saved.

There is no record of the apostles ever receiving water baptism. Though they may have, it would be a glaring omission for the writers of the New Testament to omit this if it is so important.

Paul separates water baptism from the Gospel, saying, “Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the Gospel.” (1 Corinthians 1:17). But it is the Gospel which saves us (Romans 1:16;  1 Corinthians 15:1-8). Therefore, water baptism is not part of what saves us.

Jesus implied in Matthew 3:13-16 under the old covenant that water baptism is a work of righteousness. But Titus 3:5 teaches:

Titus 3:5“not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us.”

John 20:31  “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”

Not once in the entire Gospel of John, written explicitly so that people could believe and be saved, does it give water baptism as part of the condition of salvation. It simply says over and over that people should believe and be saved.

John 3:16“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

John 3:18 “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

John 3:36 “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”

While a legalist may say, “Our salvation depends on a proper water baptism.”— there is no terminology or concept of a “proper” water baptism in the New Testament. This is simply a term that identifies the speaker as a legalist.

The apostle Paul believed Jesus was the risen Lord and obeyed Jesus instructions before he received water baptism. Was he saved before he was water baptized? Yes! Ananias called him “Brother Saul”.

Acts 22:13  “ Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him.”

He became a child of God—a true Christian—when he called on the name of the Lord before being water baptized. He had a living faith, not a “dead faith” after he believed and called on the name of the Lord and was obedient prior to water baptism. Water baptism was an event that took place after he was saved.

Acts 9:6-9“And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.  And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.   And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.  And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.”         

Acts 22:6-16“But as I was on my journey and approached Damascus, about noon a great blaze of light flashed suddenly from heaven and shone about me.     And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me [harass and trouble and molest Me]?   And I replied, Who are You, Lord? And He said to me, I am Jesus the Nazarene, Whom you are persecuting.   Now the men who were with me saw the light, but they did not hear [the sound of the uttered words of] the voice of the One Who was speaking to me [so that they could understand it].   

And I asked, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord answered me, Get up and go into Damascus, and there it will be told you all that it is destined and appointed for you to do.   And since I could not see because [of the dazzlingly glorious intensity] of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and [thus] I arrived in Damascus.   And one Ananias, a devout man according to the Law, well-spoken of by all the Jews who resided there, came to see me, and standing by my side said to me, Brother Saul, look up and receive back your sight. And in that very instant I [recovered my sight and] looking up saw him.   

And he said, The God of our forefathers has destined and appointed you to come progressively to know His will [to perceive, to recognize more strongly and clearly, and to become better and more intimately acquainted with His will], and to see the Righteous One (Jesus Christ, the Messiah), and to hear a voice from His [own] mouth and a message from His [own] lips;  For you will be His witness unto all men of everything that you have seen and heard.  And now, why do you delay? Rise and be baptized, and by calling upon His name, wash away your sins.

Acts 26:12-23  “Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me.   And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.   

And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.  But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;   Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,  To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.  Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:  But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.

For these causes the Jews caught me in the temple, and went about to kill me.  Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come:  That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles.”

In Acts 26:20, Paul makes the statement “and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.” (ESV) In the (NIV), it is translated “that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds.” This confirms Paul’s understanding of his own conversion, as well as others, that salvation occurred before water baptism. Just before that he quotes Jesus as saying that people are “sanctified by faith in me [Jesus]”, (Acts 26:18)—further proving that salvation comes with faith. 

Water baptism is an instruction, like the Lord’s Supper. Both are symbols of the reality of our salvation in Christ. Just as we do not literally eat Christ’s body in the Lord’s Supper, we are not literally saved by water covering our body.

Water baptism is like the ring in a wedding. We use the term “with this ring I thee wed.” The language indicates that we are literally married by the ring. But it is not the ring that marries a couple. It is the commitment under God. Similarly, water baptism is to a Christian what a uniform is to a soldier. The soldier puts on the uniform. It identifies him outwardly as a soldier.

Our physical life began at conception, not at birth. Water baptism does not initiate spiritual life; spiritual life was initiated earlier at the point of faith, that is, at the point of the receipt (begetting from above) of the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 2:1-10 explains that regeneration does actually precede faith, and the faith itself is a gift of God!

Ephesians 2:1-10  “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;  Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 

But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,   Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:  That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:  Not of works, lest any man should boast.  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

Did Christ personally, at any time or place tell a sinner to be water baptized FOR or IN ORDER for Remission of Sin? If so, where and when? Why didn’t Jesus regularly practice water baptism if it is so necessary to salvation?

“Washing” does not necessarily have the meaning of water baptism.  It is made clear by Revelation 1:5, Revelation 7:14and 1 Corinthians 6:11   that we are washed by the blood of Christ!

1 Corinthians 6:11 “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”

Revelation 1:5 “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood.”

Revelation 7:14“And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

What if a person met all the requirements to be saved, but died from a heart attack or was killed in a car wreck on his way to being water baptized? Would he go to Hell and burn for eternity?  Was he unsaved?  Does the water save him?

And finally, for the record, the word baptism does not necessarily always mean complete immersion in water. For example, in 1Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 10:1-4 “Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;  And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;  And did all eat the same spiritual meat;  And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.”

The Israelites were baptized by only getting their feet wet, while it was the Egyptians who got immersed. 

Luke 11:38“And when the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that he had not first washed before dinner.”

This is a reference to the washing of hands, not of total body immersion.

Mark 7:4 “And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables.”

Here,baptism is described as washing of vessels, which is not necessarily immersion but could be pouring or scrubbing. 

Hebrews 9:10 speaks of “various ceremonial washings.” The word here is baptismos. The ceremonial washing, or baptisms, that follow are rites of purification in the Old Testament (Hebrews 9:13-31). In all of these ceremonial washings, the method of application was sprinkling. In fact, all Old Testament purifications or washings were by sprinkling (Numbers 8:7, 19:19 and Leviticus 14:7). 

Conclusion:

1.   We are saved by God’s grace through faith not of works. The view that water touching or covering skin is what saves us is an incorrect, legalistic, works-oriented view of the doctrine of salvation. 

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  not by works, so that no one can boast.”

2.   Requirements of a “proper” water baptism are not biblical and are a mark of legalism—especially when combined with other works requirements.

Christian water baptism, which has the form of a ceremonial washing (like John’s pre-Christian baptism), is an outward sign of a prior spiritual baptism into Christ and a prior remission of sins that had already taken place. 

Acts 22:16  “And now, why do you delay? Rise and be baptized, and by calling upon His name, wash away your sins.” (AMP)

Acts 22:16 “What are you waiting for? Get up and be baptized. Have your sins washed away by calling on the name of the Lord.”  (NLT)

1 Corinthians 6:11  “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” 

Ephesians 5:25-27  ^“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,  That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” 

What occurred prior to water baptism was the Spirit-wrought regeneration and new life (Titus 3:5), and the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit as God’s SEAL testifying and guaranteeing that the believer  will be kept safe in Christ forever.

1 Corinthians 12:13  “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.” 

Ephesians 1:13-14  “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” 

Fundamentally, water baptism signifies union with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection.

Romans 6:3-7  “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?   Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.   For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:   Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.  For he that is dead is freed from sin.”

Colossians 2:11-12  “In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:   Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.”

This union with Christ is the source of every element in our salvation.

1 John 5:11-12  ^“And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.   He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.”

1 Corinthians 1:17 “For Christ did not send me to [water] baptize but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.”

John 1:33 “I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.”

Romans 8:9 “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.”

Lie 3      You must believe in the teaching of the Trinity or you cannot be saved.

Truth              None of the first Apostles or Paul believed in or taught belief in a Trinity to be saved.  The Trinity is not a concept that can be explained or understood with clarity or simplicity and does not define the one true God.  Nowhere in the Bible is it said belief in a Trinity is required to be saved.  In fact, a belief in the classic definition of the trinity is a form of idolatry and contradicts God’s True Gospel of Salvation and helps to create Unsaved Christians. You must believe the True Gospel which is the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross, three-day, three-night burial and the resurrection of Jesus by God the Father to be saved, not a Trinity. Jesus actually did die.  Not just his body died.  He was actually dead and in the grave three days and three nights and did not go to a burning Hell or Paradise or Heaven during that time.  God did raise Jesus from death to Eternal Life.  You cannot know the only True God and the True Jesus if you believe God is a Trinity. 

A person who identifies themselves as a Christian may be a totally sincere person who loves God and Jesus, goes to church every week, pays tithes, helps the poor, prays often and follows the teaching of Jesus the best they know how and would be considered a good Christian by most everyone.

However, salvation is based upon what you believe, not on your good works. 

You can believe certain lies that keep you from being saved and still be considered a Christian but not actually be a saved Christian.  When you believe a False Gospel, you receive a False Jesus and a False Spirit.  But you can still be considered a sincere Christian yet unsaved.  Almost all Christians are unsaved because they have not yet even heard the True Gospel of Salvation because Satan has deceived the churches worldwide.

2 Corinthians 11:3-4“ But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.   For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.”

You must know and believe the True Gospel “By Which You Are Saved” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) in order not to receive the wrong Jesus and the wrong spirit.

If you have believed one of the many False Gospels you will not be in the First Resurrection which is a Better Resurrection.

Revelation 20:6 ^“Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the First Resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.”

Because unsaved Christians have been deceived, God does not condemn them in this age of grace.  If they die deceived, they will miss out on the First and Better Resurrection but will have their opportunity to be saved during the millennium reign of Jesus on earth.

Once you are in Christ your behavior has no influence on God’s love for you.  He loves you because, by his grace, He chooses to do so.  You are fully and forever accepted by God.  You cannot do anything to gain God’s acceptance, because Jesus has already done everything He needed to do for God to accept you.  You cannot save yourself or keep yourself saved by being “Good” or by any kind of works you perform. 

1 Corinthians 15:1-4“Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the Gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, BY WHICH ALSO YOU WERE SAVED…. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”

The Bible does not say only Christ’s body died for our sins but that Christ died, meaning He was not conscious again until after His resurrection and that after being buried three

days and three nights He (Christ) by the power of the Spirit of God was raised to life again.  Revelation 1:18 states He (Christ) was DEAD.  Not that only his body was dead.  At death, Jesus ceased to exist as a conscious person.  At death, His spirit returned to God, meaning that which made it possible for Him to be a living, conscious, animated human being.  And now He is alive forevermore.  It is a good idea to keep in mind that the Almighty Supreme God, the Father of Jesus, is Greater than Jesus and as God cannot be tempted or born and God cannot die but Jesus was tempted, born and did die.  Jesus ascendedto His Father and His God who is greater than He is.

Mark 1:13 ‘And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.’

Revelation 1:18 “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen.”

Matthew 12:40 “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

Matthew 28:5-7 “But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.  He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.  And go quickly and tell His disciples that He (Jesus) is risen from the dead.”

John 20:17 “Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”

John 14:28 “Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.”

Was The Man Jesus

A Human Being?

1John 4:2 “Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the FLESH is of God.”  (      KJV)

1 John 4:2 “By this you may know (perceive and recognize) the Spirit of God: every spirit which acknowledges and confesses [the fact] that Jesus Christ (the Messiah) [actually] has become MAN and has come in the FLESH is of God [has God for its source].”  (AMP)

1 John 4:2 “The test by which you may recognize the Spirit of God is that every spirit which acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come as MAN is from God.”  (Weymouth NT)

1 John 4:2 “This is how you can recognize God’s Spirit:  Every person who declares that Jesus Christ has come as a HUMAN has the Spirit that is from God.”  (God’s Word Translation)

2 John 1:7 “I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the FLESH, have gone out into the world.  Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.”  (New International Translation)

Scripture shows that Jesus Christ was a true HUMAN BEING. It is clear from the verses above and below that he was and is indeed a MAN although now a resurrected immortal, glorified MAN!

Acts 2:22 “Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a MAN accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.”

Acts 2:23 “This MAN was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing Him to the cross.”

Acts 17:31 “For He has set a day when He [God] will judge the world with justice by the MAN He has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising Him from the dead.”

1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the MAN Christ Jesus.”

Romans 5:15 “But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man (Adam) how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one MAN, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!”

The Greek word for “MAN” in these verses is Anthropos.  The Greek word Anthropos means “A HUMAN BEING, whether male or female, generically, to include all human individuals, to distinguish man from beings of a different race or order.”

Anthropos is used to describe Adam, the first MAN. In the same verse (Romans 5:15) it is used to describe Jesus Christ. If words mean anything, one must believe that Jesus Christ was a FLESH AND BLOOD HUMAN BEING JUST LIKE ADAM.

On the other hand, Scripture says “God is not a man.”

Numbers 23:19 “God is NOT A MAN, that He should lie, nor a SON OF MAN…” (NAS)

Numbers 23:19 “God is NOT A HUMAN BEING, that He should lie, or a mortal…” (NRSV)

Hosea 11:9 “For I am God, and NOT MAN– the Holy One among you.” (NIV)

Jesus Christ is now a glorified, immortal MAN. He is the only MAN who is our Savior, our Redeemer, our Mediator, our Lord, our constant Companion, our Best Friend, our Big Brother, the Light of our lives, our Peace, our Joy, and our Mentor in the art of faith.

He is the Lover of our souls, and that is why we love Him and confess him as Lord.

Romans 10:9 “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Lie 4              You must repent and ask God to forgive you each time you sin in order to remain saved or in fellowship with God.

Truth              Jesus died once for allsin and said “it is finished.”  There is no scripture requiring a new testament Christian to repent and ask God to forgive them of each new sin they commit since all their sins were forgiven and taken away at the cross.  Don’t get caught up in the False Teachers interpretation of 1 John 1:9. For a more complete Biblical understanding, please go to www.disciplebob.com and read the article titled “Total Forgiveness”which is also contained in the book “Discover The True Gospel Of Salvation.”  If you have questions, again, be as the Berea’s and search the scriptures for yourself.

1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ also suffered once for sins …..  

Hebrews 8:12 “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

John 19:30 “So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” …..

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

Lie 5           You must obey every one of the Ten Commandments, God’s Law, to be saved.                         

Truth      No man or woman has ever been able to fully obey the Ten Commandments except for Jesus.  To receive the Free Gift of Salvation does not require total obedience but obedience for our own sake is strongly desired and greatly increased as a result of salvation.  As a new creation in Christ, one will not continue to practice a sinful lifestyle because he has been spiritually begotten from above and is now a child of God and no longer desires to habitually sin. If man could obey the laws and commands of God, man would not need a savior. 

Romans 6:1-2 “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?   God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?”

Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.” 

Isaiah 64:6 “But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousness’s are like filthy rags.”

1 John 3:9 “No one born (begotten) of God [deliberately, knowingly, and habitually] practices sin, for God’s nature abides in him [His principle of life remains permanently within him]; and he cannot practice sinning because he is born (begotten) of God.”  (AMP)

Lie 6  You must be a member of a certain denomination to be saved.

Truth              Many denominations are the result of sin, disunity, deception, ignorance, superstition, heresy and/or greed.  God has not granted to one particular denomination the exclusive right or power to save the lost.  People don't save people. God does.  You do not need to be a member of a certain denomination to be saved.  Jesus builds His church, not man or any particular denomination. 

Matthew 16:18“And I tell you, you are Peter [Greek, Petros—a large piece of rock], and on this rock [Greek, Petra—a huge rock like Gibraltar] I will build My church, and the gates of Hades (the powers of the infernal region) shall not overpower it [or be strong to its detriment or hold out against it].” (AMP)

1 Corinthians 1:10 “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.”

Lie 7       You, as a new testament Christian must pay tithes or be guilty of sin and of robbing God.

Truth              Tithing is not a requirement for the New Testament church or body of Christ today.  Tithing was required under the old covenant for all the tribes of Israel, except for the tribe of Levi, prior to the cross. Today, after the cross, under the new covenant, believers are to give as they are led by God’s Spirit.  Most “Christian” churches promote tithing as a commandment of God knowing the naïve “sheeple” will think they are guilty of sinning if they don’t give ten percent of their income.  Or they will be blessed in some great way if they do give their ten percent.  Or they may even be guilty of robbing God and be cursed if they don’t give their ten percent.  Beware of those who fleece the flock!  Although tithing is not required, God loves a cheerful giver.

2 Corinthians 9:7 “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Lie 8      You must “give your life to Jesus” in order to receive your salvation.

Truth      You are not saved by giving your life to Jesus but by Jesus freely, by grace, giving   His life to you via Holy Spirit Baptism, at the moment you believe the True Gospel of Salvation, putting you in Christ and Christ in you, the hope of glory!

Corinthians 15:45  “And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.”

Romans 6:3  “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus were baptized into his death?”

Colossians 1:27  “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

Lie 9       You must do enough good works to earn and keep your salvation.

Truth      You cannot do any good works or produce any good fruit of yourself; therefore you cannot save yourself or keep yourself saved.  Only by the Power of God’s Holy Spirit in you would any good works be possible.  As a branch abiding in the vine you can bear good fruit. If you have received God’s Holy Spirit, then you are abiding in the vine and by the faith OF Jesus given to you as a gift of God you will overcome and endure to the end.  Jesus is the vine and He is the one who produces the good fruit, not you, but you are the branch and only bear the good fruit produced by Him. 

John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” 

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that (faith) not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,  not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

Lie 10    You will be tormented and burn in Hell forever and ever if you are not saved in this lifetime.

Truth      Being tortured in fire forever and ever is a great scare tactic used by some deceived preachers to gain the cooperation of naïve “sheeple.” If you don’t eventually get saved, now or during the millennial reign of Jesus Christ, you will die the Second Death which is your eternal punishment not eternal punishing.  We do not have an immortal soul that cannot die. All wicked sinners will be totally destroyed by unquenchable fire!

God is a just and loving God and is not going to torture individuals for all eternity.  However, for those who reject his son Jesus and what Jesus did for them at the cross, God will allow them to die the Second Death by fire from which there is no resurrection.  We can receive Eternal Life or Eternal Death!  It is our choice.

IS THERE REALLY A HELL FIRE?

Is there really an ever–burning Hell where sinners are tormented with fire and brimstone throughout all eternity? Is it only for the very wicked? What about the “unsaved?” The Bible tells us there is only one name given in heaven and earth whereby we must be saved–the name of Jesus.

What about all those who have never heard that name? Do they go immediately to the torments of a fiery Hell at death? What about babies and little children? Surely, they don’t go to Hell? Churches have an astonishing variety of answers to these questions, but what does the Bible say? How can we really know the truth?

“Hell fire” is an idea that can change lives. Even the thought of experiencing the excruciating pain of sulfurous fire for a day, much less all eternity, is something even the roughest sinner can understand.

“Hell fire” is a mighty effective and expedient doctrine and that in itself should make us wonder. You don’t suppose there could be a chance–even a small chance–that many preachers preach “Hell fire” more because it helps to fill the pews than because it’s true?

Jesus said, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” No matter how well meaning, if a preacher causes you to believe something that isn’t quite true, then you’re not quite free.

If there’s even a remote possibility that someone has lied to us about an important matter of doctrine, we owe it to ourselves to check it out. If the doctrine of “Hell Fire” is true, then it should be a simple matter to prove it in the Bible. Paul admonished the Thessalonians to “prove all things and hold fast to that which is good.” Luke wrote of the Berea’s saying:

Acts 17:11 “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, because they searched the scriptures daily to prove whether these things were so.”

There is no reason to be defensive or fear the truth–let’s give this doctrine an honest look.

The Idea of Hell

“Hell”, in theological usage, is a place of punishment after death. Although there exists a bewildering array of doctrines on Hell, there are some broadly accepted elements. Hell is generally conceived as a place beneath the surface of the earth, for example. It is a place where the wicked are tormented by fire, suffering excruciating pain–both the pain of loss and pain of the senses. Somehow the fire causes pain but does not consume. It torments, but the usual relief caused by the destruction of nerves and tissue, passing out, or numbness, is denied the sufferer.

And just how long does this go on? Since man is believed to have an immortal soul, his torment continues time without end, unremitting, for all eternity. And how long is eternity? I heard a preacher explain that once.   He asked his audience to imagine a mountain of granite one mile high at the peak and one mile in diameter at the base. He then asked us to imagine that once a year a small bird flew to the peak of that mountain of granite and proceeded to polish its beak. When that small bird, polishing its beak once a year, has worn that mountain of granite down to a pebble you can hold in your hand, one day of eternity shall have passed!

Just how bad do you have to be to warrant this kind of punishment for that long?

What about the ignorant? What about those who have never heard the name of Christ–the only name given in heaven and earth whereby we must be saved? These are considered “the heathen or the damned” and are consigned to a permanent place in Hell. Unless we understand this, some of the actions of the Roman Catholic Church in history are incomprehensible.

When the Spaniards came to the New World, for example, they came not only to conquer, but to convert. The Spanish were filled with all the fire of a religious crusade, “Because the Spanish faith was real to them, and America had two continents filled with heathen, even the Spaniard who came for lands, riches, or to raise his station in life arrived with a ready, and unshakable rationale for conquest” (Lone Star, by T.R. Fehrenback, page 21). When Vasquez de Coronado asked his priest about the ethics of impressing several Indian girls into his wife’s service, he was told that “While the captives were not technically subject to the crown or laws of Spain, but free agents, if they were allowed to go free, they would remain heathen and unquestionably burn in Hell forever.” However, under the benign supervision of Coronado’s wife, “The girls would learn both European civilized values and adopt the true faith, ensuring their eventual entry into paradise. The real crime would not be in enslaving them, but in letting them go free. Coronado was satisfied; the girls were kept in bondage, and passed from recorded history.”

Protestant doctrine, of course, differs radically from Catholic doctrine in many respects. However, the roots of the doctrine of “Hell fire” still remain firmly entrenched in early Roman Catholic theology. Protestants have long since disposed of any idea of an interim state such as purgatory, and allow only two conditions after death–heaven or Hell.

If you want to have an interesting evening, sit down with someone who claims to sincerely believe that when a person dies, he immediately goes to either heaven or Hell. See if you can sort out with him precisely who goes where and why. By and large they will tell you that there are two categories of people in the world–the saved and the lost. When they die, the saved go to heaven and the lost go to Hell.

But how does a person get “saved?” Well, he has to hear and believe the True Gospel and receive Jesus Christ as his personal Savior. Because there is “no other name given in heaven or earth by which we may be saved,” other than the name Jesus, then it’s obviously impossible, isn’t it, for a person to be saved without hearing that name?

Some form of belief, confession, and baptism is required for salvation according to most Protestant denominations.

As Paul put it:

Romans 10:13 “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

But he continues with an important question:

Romans 10:14-15 “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach except they be sent?” 

It is, of course, in such scriptures that the missionary movement firmly places its roots.

But what about children who are not old enough to understand? This presents a disturbing problem to most Protestants, and various attempts at rationalizing it has been suggested. Some allow that children, up to a certain age, are not lost, but are born “saved.” They become lost when they commit sin. Others suggest that prior to a certain age, children are not held accountable for sin and speak of an “age of accountability.” No one really knows what that age is, and children are water baptized at very young ages–certainly long before they understand many of the implications of what they are doing.

There are many who claim to believe some version of this doctrine, but it is difficult to see the fruits of this belief in their lives. The death of an infant or child is always an occasion of terrible grief to a family, and rightly so. But somehow the grief of the family at the funeral stands in stark contrast to the glowing words of the preacher who claims that the child is now in heaven playing with the angels. Preachers have even suggested that God wanted these tiny flowers in His own garden, thus casting God in the role of selfishly taking children away from loving parents because He wanted them for Himself.

The logic of all this is highly suspect, but what is more important, none of it is supported anywhere in the Bible!

The Heathen

Then there is the perplexing question of “the heathen.” All Christians know that out there in the world there are all sorts of people who have never heard the name of Jesus Christ. They are utterly ignorant of His gospel and have no knowledge of the way of salvation. Is it right, fair or just to take a person who never had a chance to be saved, send him immediately to Hell at death, and torment him for all eternity?

Now all of us know people who claim they believe this doctrine. But what kind of behavior would you expect of people who sincerely believed that there was a lost world out there, destined to eternal torture in Hell, a world depending on them to receive the gospel of salvation? Would you expect a church that believed such doctrines to be building a magnificent, expensive family life center, installing gorgeous stained-glass windows, or even air conditioning units? Wouldn’t you expect them to be sending every dime they could lay their hands on to the mission fields?

We’re faced with trying to rationalize the nature of a God who is good, merciful, compassionate, forgiving, and who “so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life,” who in turn consigns people to Hell fire who never had a chance to hear of that Son!

Most people who say they believe in the doctrine of “Hell fire” are still somewhat uncomfortable with the doctrine because it won’t stand up to logical scrutiny. There are just too many internal contradictions.

Then why do they cling to it? There are two possible reasons. One, they believe it is supported by scripture and that their failure to understand the logic of Hell is their own failure and inadequacy. In other words, there must be a logic there if the Bible tells me it is true, even though I can’t see it.

The other reason people cling to the doctrine of Hell fire is that it sits firmly on and proceeds logically from another fundamental doctrine: the immortality of the soul. If we assume that man has an immortal soul, then we are forced to answer the question of what happens to that soul at death. If the soul cannot die, then it must be alive, and if it’s alive it must be some place. The logic of this is so powerful to some people that it overwhelms all other logical problems with the doctrine of Hell and heaven.

But the truth is, the Bible does not teach that man has an immortal soul. The Bible teaches that man is mortal. That when he dies, he returns to the grave. He waits, unconscious, in the grave, until the resurrection, and then he will learn what God has in store for him.

But just for the moment, let’s lay aside our assumptions about the immortality of the soul and let’s look at the doctrine on Hell based not on an unproven assumption, but on the scriptures themselves. What is the true biblical teaching about “Hell fire?”

Gehenna

As far as we know the first time Jesus ever referred to “Hell fire” was in the Sermon on the Mount. As the disciples sat about listening to Him, He said:  

Matthew 5:22 “Whosoever is angry with his brother without cause shall be in danger of the judgment. . .but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of Hell fire.”

What do you suppose came into the mind of Jesus’ listeners when He used those words: “Hell fire”? Was this a new idea to them, or did they already have some notion of what “Hell fire” was?

As it happens, the disciples were quite familiar with the term Jesus used. Speaking in Aramaic, He called it: “Gehenna fire.” Unfortunately, when the English reader sees the word Gehenna, it immediately conjures up a preconceived idea. We may have inherited that idea from our parents, we may have learned it from preachers, or we may simply have picked it up from the use of Gehenna in literature for a place of fiery torment and confusion.

Unfortunately, our preconceived ideas are not always correct. We need to keep in mind that Jesus, speaking in the first century, may have been saying something quite different from what you or I, the twentieth century reader, may assume.

The truth is, Gehenna was a well-known geographical location–an important historic site. When Jesus used the term Gehenna, everyone in His audience knew exactly what He was talking about. Gehenna was a valley named after the sons of a man named Hinnom. Called in the Old Testament “the valley of the son of Hinnom” (Joshua 15:8), it was a deep east-to-west valley located about one thousand yards south of the temple mount.

Why was this valley significant? To understand this, you need to acquaint yourself with a period of history well known to Jesus’ listeners.

About the middle of the eighth century B.C. a wicked king named Ahaz reigned in Jerusalem.

2 Chronicles 28:1-3 “Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem: but he did not that which was right in the sight of the Lord, like David his father: For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for Baalim. Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom [Gehenna], and burnt his children in the fire after the abominations of the heathen whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel.”

Of all the evil practices one might imagine, perhaps the most evil of all was burning children alive to Molech–one of the hateful gods of the heathen.

Two generations later another wicked king–Manasseh–continued the same practice.

2 Chronicles 33:1-6   “Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem: But did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, like unto the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel. . .He reared up altars for Baalim, and made groves, and worshiped all the host of heaven, and served them. . .And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord.

And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom [Gehenna]: also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger” In the reign of Manasseh, then, Gehenna, the valley of the son of Hinnom, became a center of foul, demonic, corrupt worship to a degree that boggles the mind.”

This practice continued until the reign of King Josiah.

2 Kings 23:7-10 “(Josiah) broke down the houses of the Sodomites, that were by the house of the Lord, where the women wove hangings for the grove. And he brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah, and defiled the [pagan] high places where the priests had burned incense. . .And he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom [Gehenna], that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech.” (Topheth is yet another name for Gehenna.)

By the time of Jeremiah, Topheth, the valley of Hinnom, or Gehenna, had become the ultimate symbol of corruption and defilement. In the nineteenth chapter of Jeremiah, we read a terrible and terrifying condemnation of the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 19:1-6  “Thus saith the Lord, Go and get a potter’s earthen bottle, and take of the ancients of the people, and of the ancients of the priests; And go forth unto the valley of the son of Hinnom [Gehenna], which is by the entry of the east gate, and proclaim there the words that I shall tell thee. . .Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, the which whosoever heareth, his ears shall tingle. Because they have forsaken me, and have estranged this place, and have burned incense in it unto other gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents; They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind: Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that this place shall be no more called Topheth, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter.”

Jeremiah proceeded to warn the elders and priests that God would cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies in the valley of Gehenna and that their carcasses would be left there for meat for the fowls of the heaven and the beasts of the earth.

Then Jeremiah broke the potter’s vessel in the sight of the men that were with him and said to them.

Jeremiah 19:11 “Thus said the Lord of hosts; Even so will I break this people and this city, as one breaketh a potter’s vessel, that cannot be made whole again: and they shall bury them in Tophet [Gehenna], till there be no place to bury.”

Did the idea of a “Gehenna” originate with God? Was it God who came up with the idea of burning people alive in Gehenna fire? Hardly! It was a heathen practice to burn children alive to Molech. Israel adopted this practice and carried it out in Gehenna. God then declares that He will burn those who burned their children–a just punishment for them–and that their punishment would take place in Tophet–Gehenna. Out of this concept grows the idea of “Gehenna fire.”

By the time of Jesus, the valley of Gehenna had become a garbage dump of the worst sort. The valley of Hinnom was known to all as a deep narrow gorge about a thousand yards south of the temple area. It became an object of horror to the Jews–doubtless because of the pagan sacrifices made there prior to Jeremiah’s day. It is said to have been made the receptacle for bones, the bodies of beasts and criminals, refuse and all unclean things. Fires are said to have been kept perpetually burning in order to consume the foul and corrupt objects that were thrown in it. It made a natural and unmistakable symbol of dire evil–of absolute ruin and destruction.

So when Jesus spoke of “Gehenna fire” His audience knew precisely what He was talking about. It was a literal valley with literal fire. He was speaking of something present, something they could walk out and look at. The fires of Gehenna burned perpetually, and the smoke ascended up and up continually.

It was not, however, a place for the punishment of the living. It was a place for the disposal of the dishonored and despised dead.

With all this in mind, then, let’s consider the remainder of Jesus’ teaching on the subject of Hell fire. Take, for example, in Matthew where Jesus here is condemning the Pharisees and the scribes for their hypocrisy (verse 27), and He concludes:

Matthew 23:27-33 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.  In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.   “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous.  And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets.  Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!   “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to Hell?”   [Gehenna]

Once again, we must place ourselves in Jesus’ audience. If you had been standing there and heard Him condemning the Pharisees in this way, all you had to do was lift your eyes and look to the south to see the smoke arising from the valley of Hinnom–from Gehenna–and recall the prophecies of Jeremiah. Mind you, no other interpretation of the word Gehenna was known to Jesus’ audience at any time. They did not imagine a cavern in the bowels of the earth, with bubbling pools of fire, demons tormenting sinners, etc. They visualized a foul, defiled, stinking garbage dump where their bodies could be dumped to be burned and disposed of–nothing more!

On another occasion Jesus was encouraging His disciples not to be afraid of people who would persecute them for the sake of the truth. He said:

Matthew 10:28 “Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. . .And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in Hell.”[Gehenna]

Think carefully about that verse, and once again place yourself among Jesus’ audience. What did they think of when He spoke of destroying both soul and body in Gehenna? They thought of a city dump with fires burning here and there where their body and soul would be destroyed. They did not visualize a place of living torment where they survived throughout eternity receiving continual punishment by fire. They visualized a place with dead bodies being burned.

Every single time Jesus referred to “Hell fire”, He was talking about Gehenna. And when He used the word Gehenna, He was speaking about a literal place then in existence on the south side of Jerusalem and all of His audience understood precisely what He meant.

When we understand this, it should be simple to look at a scripture like Mark 9:47-49 and understand precisely what Jesus meant. This is a scripture often used by ministers to “prove” Hell fire. Jesus said: 

Mark 9:47-49 “And if your eye offend you, pluck it out: it is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into Gehenna fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.”

How did Jesus’ audience understand this? They visualized a valley to the south of Jerusalem where bodies were eaten with worms and where the fires were kept burning and never put out. Somehow from this scripture people have gotten the idea that human beings in Hell don’t die. But the scripture says that it’s the worm (maggot) that doesn’t die. Maggots become flies and flies lay eggs which become maggots (worms) and the cycle continues.

Does it come as a surprise to you to learn that Jesus never spoke of any other type of Hell fire? Gehenna was a specific location, well known to all Jews, on the surface of the earth. Where then did the idea come from that “Hell” lies somewhere beneath the surface of the earth?

Hades

The King James translators were somewhat indiscriminate in the use of the word “Hell.” Not only do they translate Gehenna as “Hell” they also translated a very different word, Hades, as “Hell.” When Jesus spoke of a “Hell” beneath the surface of the earth, He used the Aramaic equivalent of the Hebrew word Sheol. This word is universally translated into Greek as Hades. It is probably from this word that the idea of a subterranean Hell derives.

When Jesus spoke of Sheol, the term was once again quite familiar to His audience. But none of them visualized Sheol as a place of fiery torment.

Surprisingly, the Old Testament reveals a lot of information about Hell. It tells us that the direction to Hell is down (Psalm 55:15). It tells us that it is a deep place (Job 11:8), it is a place from which one can be delivered (Proverbs 23:14), it is a place one can dig into (Amos 9:2). Jonah even considers the belly of the whale to be a “Hell” of sorts (Jonah 2:2).

In the broadest terms, Sheol simply means “the abode of the dead.” It refers to “where the dead are.” Since most of the dead are buried, then Hell, in the sense of Sheol or Hades, is well translated by the English word “grave.” But Sheol could be anywhere–it was simply a place of the dead. We find an interesting conjunction of the concepts of Hades and Gehenna in one of Jesus’ parables. It is the parable of Lazarus and the rich man found in Luke 16:19-31.

Luke 16:19-31 “There was a certain rich man who [habitually] clothed himself in purple and fine linen and reveled and feasted and made merry in splendor every day. And at his gate there was [carelessly] dropped down and left a certain utterly destitute man named Lazarus, [reduced to begging alms and] covered with [ulcerated] sores. 

He [eagerly] desired to be satisfied with what fell from the rich man’s table; moreover, the dogs even came and licked his sores.   And it occurred that the man [reduced to] begging died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.  And in Hades (the realm of the dead), being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his bosom.   And he cried out and said, Father Abraham, have pity and mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame. 

But Abraham said, Child, remember that you in your lifetime fully received [what is due you in] comforts and delights, and Lazarus in like manner the discomforts and distresses; but now he is comforted here and you are in anguish.   And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who want to pass from this [place] to you may not be able, and no one may pass from there to us. 

And [the man] said, Then, father, I beseech you to send him to my father’s house—   For I have five brothers—so that he may give testimony and warn them, lest they too come into this place of torment.   But Abraham said, They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear and listen to them.   

But he answered, No, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent (change their minds for the better and heartily amend their ways, with abhorrence of their past sins).  He said to him, If they do not hear and listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded and convinced and believe [even] if someone should rise from the dead.”

Bear in mind as you study this passage that it is a parable–it is not a description of an historical event. The point of the parable is that if one would not listen to the law of Moses, he wouldn’t listen though one came to him from the dead. But in the process of making this point, Jesus gives us some interesting insights into the fate of wicked men.

We are told in verse 22 that the rich man died and was buried. Where was he when he was buried? Well in Sheol or Hades of course. Verse 23 is fascinating.

Jesus said, “And in Hades he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and sees Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.”

Now if you understand that man does not have an immortal soul, you will realize that the described events can only take place after the “resurrection to judgment.” Even Lazarus must wait in the grave until the resurrection of the just at Christ’s return.

1 Corinthians 15:21-23 “ For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.  But every man in his own order: Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.”

1 Corinthians 15:52-53“ In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.   For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”

The rich man would not be raised until a thousand years later.

1 Thessalonians 4:16 “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first.”

Revelation 20:6 “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.”

The events described in Jesus’ parable, then, cannot take place until after the second resurrection. As Jesus said:

John 5:28-29 “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves [Hades] shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”

Without the twentieth chapter of Revelation, we might not realize that there is more than one resurrection coming. 

The parable of Lazarus and the rich man, then, speaks of that time in the future when the rich man who was in “Hell” (Hades, the grave), is resurrected to judgment. Since this judgment is a judgment by fire, it’s logical to assume it’s talking about Gehenna since that’s the only fiery judgment Jesus discusses.

For our purposes at the moment, however, it’s enough to note that there is not one word in this parable about the length of time the rich man is tormented by flame. As far as this parable is concerned, it could have been a minute, an hour, or a day. While this parable clearly shows ultimate punishment by fire, it is utterly silent about the duration of punishment. The scripture has no bearing on the traditional teaching of eternal torment in the fires of Hell. Perhaps you’d like to read the parable again to confirm this for yourself.

It may come as a surprise to you to learn that the traditional doctrines of Hell simply are not found in the teachings of Jesus Christ. Where then are they to be found? Fortunately, the biblical references to punishment after death are relatively few, so it won’t take us long to trace our way through them. If the doctrine is to be found in the pages of the Bible, it should present itself to us quite readily. If it can’t be found in the pages of the Bible, we have every reason to ask why preachers continue to teach it!

As it happens, the English word “Hell” is only used seven times in the New Testament apart from the teachings of Christ.

The first reference is found in Acts 2:31. Quoting David, Peter states:

Acts 2:31 “He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that His soul was not left in Hell [Hades], neither His flesh did see corruption.”

Of course, when we understand the Greek word Hades simply means the grave, we realize it was the tomb in which Christ’s body was placed. That is the “Hell” of Acts 2:31. This is not a reference to Jesus descending into some fiery Hell for three days and three nights as some have suggested. There’s nothing complicated about this scripture. It just says that Jesus was not left in the grave.

The second reference is found in James:

James 3:6 “And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of Hell [Gehenna].”

Since we already understand the meaning of Gehenna, we can see there is nothing here to tell us anything one way or the other about an eternal Hell fire.

The third reference is found in 2 Peter.

2 Peter 2:4 “For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to Hell [tartaros], and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment.”

Now this is an interesting scripture, because this is neither Gehenna nor Hades. It uses a different Greek word tartaros:

“The name of a subterranean region, doleful and dark, regarded by the ancient Greeks as the abode of the wicked dead, where they suffer punishment for their evil deeds” (Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon).

What is interesting about this passage is that tartaros is regarded by both Peter and the classical Greek writers as a place of darkness. But fire gives off light! Doubtless one can explain his way around it, but how does it happen that the traditional idea of Hell is a place of flames and coals of fire while the place where wicked spirits are is a place of darkness? If wicked human beings are confined in a fiery Hell, they are in a place of considerable light while demons are confined to a place of darkness. Are then wicked human beings not in the same place as wicked spirits?

In any case, 2 Peter 2:4,6 and 13 is about the fate of fallen angels, not the fate of wicked men. Their fate is described by Jude as being “reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day” (verse 6), and “wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.” (verse 13).

Of course, none of this is of any help at all in establishing the traditional doctrines of Hell fire.

The fourth reference to Hell is found in Revelation where Jesus is quoted as saying:

Revelation 1:18 “I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of Hell [Hades] and of death.”

Since Hades refers to the grave it is obvious that Jesus has the power to unlock the graves, to unlock death and to release men in the resurrection. Again, we find no support for the traditional doctrines of Hell.

The fifth reference is found in Revelation 6:8. Here we find the fourth of the seven seals of Revelation–the “pale horse.” In vision, John looked:

Revelation 6:8 “and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell [Hades] followed with him.”

There is nothing difficult in this scripture. Death rides on a pale horse, and the grave follows him. It is just a metaphor for describing widespread death.

The sixth and seventh references are found in Revelation 20:13-14. Beginning in verse 11, John describes a great white throne and a day of judgment. He continues:

Revelation 20:13-14 “And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and Hell [Hades] delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and Hell [Hades] were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

This is an important passage for understanding Hell, for even though the word Hades means “the grave,” this scripture rules out the traditional idea of Hell as a place of permanent torment from which one cannot be delivered. Here “Hell” is required to deliver up its dead. Ultimately, both death and the abode of the dead are destroyed in a lake of fire.

Isn’t it interesting that not one of the New Testament references have anything at all to say in support of the traditional doctrines of Hell fire?

But the observant reader will have noted that there is here a reference to a lake of fire. Could this be the kind of “Hell” of which Jesus spoke? Absolutely! For indeed there is to come a time when a great sea of fire, such as lava, or molten rock, become the ultimate destruction of the wicked. But what happens to a human being when you cast him into a lake of molten fire? Obviously, he is incinerated. There is no suggestion of even a lingering death, much less eternal punishing.

There are only five references to the lake of fire in the New Testament, all of them late in the book of Revelation. The first of these is found in Revelation.

Revelation 19:20 “And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshiped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.”

Again, what happens to human beings who are thrown alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone? They are incinerated. They are killed. They are destroyed. There is no suggestion here of eternal torment in a fiery Hell.

The second reference to the lake of fire is found in Revelation 20:10. Here we are told that the devil is cast into the lake of fire and brimstone.

Revelation 20:10 “Where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever.”

Look at the verse carefully. It is the devil who is being thrown into this lake of fire and brimstone, and it is the devil who is to be tormented day and night forever and ever. The devil is a spirit being and cannot be destroyed by fire. The beast and false prophet are human and most assuredly can be destroyed by fire. If you will look carefully at the verse, you’ll note that the word “are” in the King James Version is in italics. That means it’s not in the original Greek text. The Greek language uses these ellipses commonly and they must be filled in to make sense in English. Unfortunately, the word “are” is probably misleading in this verse. One could just as easily say that the devil was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and false prophet were cast.

Once again, we are left with a verse that tells us nothing about eternal torment for human beings. We have already discussed the third and fourth reference found in Revelation 20:14-15, so we can turn to the final reference in Revelation 21:8. Here we are told that:

Revelation 21:8 “The fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone; which is the second death.”

But notice that this is not eternal life in Hell fire, but the second death. Death is the cessation of life, not its continuation in another place! And again, what happens to a fearful or unbelieving man when he is thrown into a lake which burns with fire and brimstone? He is incinerated! Once again, we are left with no evidence to support the traditional doctrines of Hell fire.

But isn’t there a reference somewhere to people being tormented with fire and brimstone and the smoke of their torment ascending up forever and ever? Yes, there is. The reference is found in Revelation 14:9-11. You may wish to read the entire passage carefully.

The third angel says with a loud voice that if any man worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, that same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God. Not only that, he shall be “tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb.”

But notice if this is talking about the traditional idea of Hell, it takes place with all the holy angels and Jesus Christ Himself right there while the torment is going on! Is Jesus Christ going to spend all eternity in Hell? Of course not! Let’s pause and think about this for a moment. On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus told His disciples:

John 14:2-3 “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”

Clearly, when Jesus Christ returns, all the saints will be with Him wherever He is. If then the torment with fire, brimstone, and eternal smoke takes place in the presence of the Lamb, then it takes place in the presence of the saints as well! Think about it. Could you be happy for all eternity witnessing the excruciating fire and torture of hundreds of thousands of lost souls? Would a sainted mother have to spend all eternity observing the torture of one of her sons who turned out to be a lost sinner?

If this verse is a description of the traditional “Hell fire” then not only the damned will be there, but Jesus Christ and the saints as well! If this is Hell, then there is no place except Hell! On careful examination, the whole idea dissolves into absurdity.

If you’ll study Revelation 14:9-11 in its context, you’ll find that it takes place right at the very end time. Jesus Christ has just returned to the earth for His saints, and is in the process of bringing a halt to human violence. This event takes place just before the seven last plagues are poured out (see Revelation 16). Those who drink of the wine of the wrath of God and are tormented with fire and brimstone are not souls in Hell, but living human beings who are still in rebellion against God this late in history.

Continuing with verse 11, “And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.”

The perpetual smoke mentioned here is simply an antitype of the perpetual fires in Gehenna. The mere fact that the smoke continually ascends up says nothing about the survival of those who are being burned. Also, notice that it says they have no rest day nor night who worship (Greek: “are worshiping,” present tense) the beast. These are living people who are still worshiping the beast, still bearing about his image and the mark of his name.

These are living human beings, not souls in Hell.

This same time is spoken of in 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8, where the return of Christ is described in powerful terms:

2 Thessalonians 1:7-8 “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power.”

Notice that it is living human beings who receive God’s vengeance, who are incinerated by flaming fire at Christ’s return. Notice also, that their punishment is everlasting (permanent) destruction. The word destruction is meaningless if there is not a point where the destruction is complete. In other words, you can’t keep on destroying something for all eternity. It’s a contradiction in terms.

But someone else will ask, “Isn’t there a statement somewhere about eternal fire?” Yes, there is.

Jude 7“Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering vengeance of eternal fire.”

But bear in mind that the word eternal describes the nature of the fire that destroys, not the nature of the material that is destroyed. Sodom and Gomorrah are not still burning. The cities “suffered” (past tense) the vengeance of “eternal fire” meaning the fire will not go out until it has totally consumed said material.  The fire was from the Eternal, and the source of the flame itself may well be eternal. But the combustible material it ignited was not.

And so, as we continue our study through the New Testament, we find ourselves utterly devoid of any biblical support for the traditional doctrine of Hell.

Jewish Traditions of Hell

Where then, does it come from? Perhaps to some extent from apocryphal Jewish writings. In the book of Judith, for example, the vengeance of the day of judgment is described as “fire and worms” in the flesh of those who rise up against Israel which “they shall feel and weep forever” (16:17). In another book the fate of the tyrant is declared to be “eternal torture by fire” and “interminable torments” (4th Maccabees 9:8-9; 10:10). Yet another of these books speaks of the “furnace of Hell” and of the despisers of the Most High as doomed to be “henceforth in torments, always in pain and anguish of seven kinds” (4th Esdras 7:36, 79, 80).

But at this point one is reminded of Paul’s warning to Titus.

Titus 1:14“Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments ofmen, that turn from the truth.”

According to Josephus, at least two Jewish sects, the Pharisees and the Essenes believed in everlasting punishing. Even some of the great Rabbis who spoke of limited punishment made exceptions for certain classes of sinners. The school of Hillel taught that sinners of the heathen and others were punished in Gehenna for a space of twelve months, and afterward were consumed; but that Christians, Epicureans, and those who deny the divine origin of the Torah, the truth of the resurrection, and those who sin like Jeroboam are said to go down to Gehenna to be punished there to ages of ages.

So, it’s entirely possible that much of the Christian tradition of an ever-burning Hell fire was derived, not from the Scriptures, not from the teachings of Jesus, but from Jewish traditions!

Dante Describes Hell

Also, the fourteenth-century Italian poet Dante Alighieri is perhaps most responsible for modern misconceptions of Hell. His famous poem The Divine Comedy is divided into three sections: Paradise, Purgatory and Inferno. The latter section describes the ancient Roman poet Virgil guiding Dante on a journey through Hell.

At the entrance to Dante’s Hell is the foreboding sign: "Abandon All Hope, You Who Enter Here" (Inferno, A New Verse Translation, Dante Alighieri, ed. Elio Zappulla, Canto III, p. 39). Virgil tells Dante about his tour of Hell, "I’ll be your guide, and you will follow me, and I will lead you through a world of pain where dead souls writhe in endless agony and clamor, as they cry, to die again." (Canto I, p. 24).

Dante continues his journey through various compartments of Hell and writes, “So in the ditch, far down below the arch on which we stood, there bubbled viscous pitch… I only saw the bubbles rise and burst, the huge mass heave, contract, heave, and contract repeatedly” (Canto XXI, pp. 189–190).

The poet then sees someone consigned to Hell, “The sinner plunged into the pitch… They pricked the sinner with a hundred prongs" (Canto XXI, pp. 190–191).

Dante wrote The Divine Comedy as an allegory, to teach certain principles and lessons. The content also reflects the politics and history of Dante’s contemporary Italy. His poem is not a literal reflection of the Bible’s teaching on Hell! Sadly, many have come to believe Dante’s descriptions are more or less accurate. They are not!

Bible and Afterlife

What, then, does the Bible teach about Hell and the afterlife? You may be familiar with some of the important scriptures on this topic. You may even have read right over them, taking for granted what your church taught you, or what your parents taught you as a child. Notice one very basic, yet fundamental, scripture:

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

Notice the sobering contrast Paul describes in this verse. Sinners earn death, not eternal life. By contrast, God’s gift is eternal life through Christ, our Savior.

The wages of sin is what? Death! Not “eternal life in torment.” Your Bible makes this plain. Yet some Bible teachers try to confuse this simple truth. They want you to believe that up means down, right means wrong, and death means eternal life. But you do not have to believe their confusing tales. You can find the truth for yourself, in the pages of your own Bible.

Another much-misunderstood verse was written by the Apostle John. It is a famous verse; so famous that it is sometimes called the “golden verse” or the most precious verse in your Bible. What is it?

John 3:16 “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.”

Could John’s words be plainer? Without Jesus’ sacrifice, mankind would perish—not live eternally. To “perish” means to be destroyed, or “to come to nothing.” But Jesus came so that we might not be destroyed forever. If we already had everlasting life, He could not give it to us as a gift!

The book of Ezekiel also confirms the truth of what John wrote. Here, God is speaking through the prophet Ezekiel.

Ezekiel 18:4 “Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine; the soul who sins shall die.”

God repeats this truth a few verses later, “The soul who sins shall die” (v. 20).  The books of Ezekiel and John agree:  the soul that sins shall die.

Well then, is there really a Hell fire after all?  Absolutely!

As we have already seen, there is a resurrection to judgment. At the very end of history, when every man has heard the True Gospel and every man has had a chance to be saved, then everyone who:

Revelation 20:15 “was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

Is there an ultimate punishment for wicked men? The glorified Christ answers that question in His revelation to John.

Revelation 21:8 “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone which is the second death.”

Who Goes There?

Do you think God is unfair? Has He predestined some human beings—made in His image—to burn eternally in Hell, with no genuine opportunity for salvation? Shockingly, this idea of a cruel and capricious God is commonly taught in the name of “Christianity.” But it is wrong! God’s plan will give every human being a genuine opportunity to be saved.

Many who call themselves Christian have been unable to reconcile God’s love, mercy and justice with the idea of eternal Hellfire for those who have never heard the message of Jesus Christ. Yet the Bible plainly teaches:

Acts 4:12 “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

How can we reconcile this apparent contradiction between God’s mercy and His justice? Your Bible reveals that billions of people will have their very first opportunity for salvation in the White Throne Judgment, described in Revelation 20:11–12. God’s plan of salvation may be difficult for some to believe. But it is very encouraging when you understand the hope it brings to all of humanity. Those who have suffered from their own sins in ignorance, and those who have been innocent victims of war, oppression and genocide will be resurrected to understand the Bible—the Book of Life. They will have their first true opportunity to understand God’s love for all humanity.

In the White Throne Judgment, billions of human beings who were previously spiritually blinded will finally learn from the pain of the past, and they will be given the opportunity to truly repent, believe the gospel and eventually inherit the Kingdom of God. As Peter wrote:

2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

But what about those who have seared their consciences, and knowingly rejected God’s truth, love, knowledge and forgiveness in favor of rebellion, hatred and sin? These willful sinners will be burned up in a lake of fire! Notice:

Revelation 20:14–15 “Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”

Here is the second death—the eternal death penalty from which there is no resurrection! Those who have made up their minds never to repent or surrender to Jesus Christ will be totally burned up—destroyed!

The parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man, Luke 6: 19-31, also illustrates the torment unrepentant sinners will experience before they are totally burned up. It appears that the rich man is about to be thrown into the lake of fire. Notice also again that he is in Hades—he is in the grave, not in Gehenna fire. He is resurrected for final judgment, as described in Revelation 20. So what does he ask for? A drop of water to cool his tongue. He did not ask for buckets of water to be poured over him. The rich man was in deep mental torment and anguish just before his destruction. The incorrigibly wicked will suffer the torment of knowing their fate before their final execution. But a loving and merciful God will put them out of their misery quickly for all eternity. They will be totally burned up and destroyed forever, annihilated in the lake of fire—a fire that will spread over the whole earth!

Yes, the whole earth will be purified by fire.

2 Peter 3:10–11 “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness?”

Those who have sealed their own fate—who have determined never to repent of their evil attitude and nature—will be totally burned up and will become ashes! They will not be tormented forever. They will receive their eternal punishment, not eternal punishing. Their death, their eternal punishment, will last for eternity!

This is what the Bible teaches. The incorrigibly wicked will be totally destroyed—annihilated. But they will not be destroyed capriciously, or unfairly, or because God predestined them never to hear Christ’s message. As we have seen, no one can be saved without accepting the True Gospel message of the True Gospel of Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12). Through the White Throne Judgment, those human beings who have not previously had their minds opened by God’s truth will have their first genuine opportunity for salvation.

Who is Now Burning in Hell?

So, who is now burning in Hell? By now you know the answer. The answer is: “No one!” Is there really a Hell Fire?  Yes!  There is a future lake of fire that will burn up, consume, and annihilate the wicked forever. That fire will purify the earth for the new heavens and earth promised in Revelation 21. We can all be thankful for God’s justice, fairness, and plan of salvation through Christ. There is judgment coming, but there is also hope for many of your friends and relatives you thought may have been lost and burning in Hell!

There is justice with God!

There is also virtually limitless mercy. To those who hear the True Gospel and repent from their unbelief and receive Jesus Christ as personal Savior; as their Lord, who rules in their lives, there is salvation! That means living forever–in the Kingdom of God–not being destroyed by a veritable sea of flames, which will render the wicked as ashes under the feet of the righteous.

Malachi 4:1 “For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.”

Isaiah 41:11-12 “Behold, all those who were incensed against you Shall be ashamed and disgraced; They shall be as nothing, And those who strive with you shall perish.  You shall seek them and not find them— Those who contended with you. Those who war against you Shall be as nothing, As a nonexistent thing.” 

Malachi 4:3 “You shall trample the wicked, For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet, On the day that I do this”, Says the Lord of Hosts.”

Peter 3:7 “But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition [everlasting destruction] of ungodly men.”

Matthew 25:46 “ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

The second death is the everlasting punishment (not everlasting punishing) the unrighteous receive at the resurrection. 

2 Thessalonians 1:9“Such people will pay the penalty and suffer the punishment of everlasting ruin (destruction and perdition) and eternal exclusion and banishment from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.”

Mans’ soul is not immortal but is mortal and can die or be destroyed by God.

Lie 11           You must observe the Old Testament seventh day Sabbath and certain Old Testament Holy Days or you cannot be saved and will lose your salvation by non-observance. 

Truth              Jesus is our Sabbath.  We rest in Him.  New Testament Christians are not required to keep the Old Testament Sabbaths or Holy Days to be saved and are not saved by legalistic works, rituals or traditions but by Grace.  Salvation is a Free Gift from God.  Even “Sabbath Keepers” of today do not and cannot correctly keep the seventh day Sabbath as prescribed in Old Testament times and therefore would be subject to death by stoning for not correctly keeping the Sabbath.  The Sabbath begins at Friday sunset and ends at Saturday sunset.  In some parts of the world a person will not see the sun set or rise for weeks or months.  You are not saved by legalistic old covenant laws or legalistic works of any kind.

Numbers 15:32-36 “Now while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath day.  And those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses and Aaron, and to all the congregation.  They put him under guard, because it had not been explained what should be done to him. Then the Lord said to Moses, “The man must surely be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp.”  So, as the Lord commanded Moses, all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him with stones, and he died.” 

Today, under Grace, we are set free from law and condemnation.

Colossians 2:16-17 “So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or Sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.”

The shadows have past and are no longer needed since Jesus has come.  Jesus is our Sabbath.  We now rest from our own works such as manmade religion and traditions of men taught as doctrines of God.  And we have our rest in what Jesus has accomplished for us.  There remains a Sabbath Rest.  We are not saved by legalistic works of any kind but we are saved by Grace through Faith therefore we have nothing to boast about.  Jesus did it all!  Jesus is our Sabbath and we rest in Him!

Matthew 11:28-29 “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.] Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls.”  (AMP)

Hebrews 4:9-10 “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.   For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.”

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by Grace you have been saved through faith, and that [Faith and Salvation] not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

Lie 12   You must forgive others who sin against you or God will not forgive your sins.

Truth          Since the Age of Grace that began with the New Covenant, all of your sins, past, present and future were forgiven and taken away 2000 years ago because of the sacrifice of Jesus at the cross.  Of course, we should forgive others but you can now be saved by Grace, whether or not you are truly able to forgive others who sin against you.  More important than you forgiving those who sin against you is the fact that God has forgiven those who sin against you.

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

1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.” 

John 19:30 “So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.” 

Psalm 103:12 “As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.” 

Isaiah 43:25 “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.”

Lie 13           You must confess your sins to a Priest and do penance to have your sins forgiven.

Truth              It does no good for you to confess your sins to a Priest to get forgiveness or do penance for your sins, because before you were even born, all of your sins, past, present and future have already been forgiven and taken away at the cross by God. 

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

1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.”

John 19:30 “So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!”  And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.”

Psalm 103:12 “As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.”

Isaiah 43:25 “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.”

Lie 14           You must speak in tongues in order to be edified or to be saved or to receive power from God.

Truth              God’s word is what edifies us and speaking in tongues is not required to become saved or to receive power from God.  Tongues (ability to speak in other languages) was a gift given to the Apostles and some early disciples in order for them to communicate the Gospel primarily to unbelievers in the unbeliever’s own language or dialect.  Also, tongues were given for a sign to the unbelievers, not for believers.

Ephesians 2:8-9“For by Grace you have been saved through faith, and that [faith] not of yourselves; it [faith and salvation] is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

At the same time we receive God’s Holy Spirit baptism we receive the guarantee of permanent salvation and with it God’s power whether or not we speak in tongues. 

2 Timothy 1:7“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power…”

1 Corinthians 14:22 “Therefore tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers…”  

Lie 15           You can be truly saved but still be able to lose your salvation based on your future bad conduct, loss or lack of your faith, personal performance or by rejecting or walking away from your salvation.

Truth              A truly saved person must have believed the True Gospelof Salvation to have become saved. The Gospel that one must believe to be saved is that all of their sins, past, present and future, were forgiven and taken away when Jesus died in our stead as the only acceptable sacrifice for sins and that, after three days and three nights in the tomb, God raised Jesus from death to Everlasting Immortal Life to be the personal Savior of all who would repent (turn) from their unbelief or wrong belief and believe the True Gospel of Salvation. 

1 Corinthians 15:1-4“Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”

Salvation (i.e.: receiving Eternal Life, being “begotten from above” by the receipt of God’s Holy Spirit) comes by God’s Grace given to you as a Free Gift because of the faith and works of Jesus and our believing, by the faith of Jesus, theTrue Gospel and not by believing a False Gospel or by your personal faith, works or legalistic acts of any kind you may or may not perform.  Grace cannot be mixed with works or it is not Grace.

Romans 11:6“And if by Grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise Grace is no longer Grace.”

Matthew 9:17 “Nor do they put new [covenant] wine into old [covenant] wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new [covenant] wine into new [covenant] wineskins, and both are preserved.”

Mark 2:21-22 “No one sews a patch of unshrunken (new) goods on an old garment; if he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and the rent (tear) becomes bigger and worse [than it was before].   And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; if he does, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost and the bottles destroyed; but new wine is to be put in new (fresh) wineskins.”  (AMP)

By FaithOFJesus Christ

The primary error among most churches today regarding “The Doctrine of Grace” is that Christians attempt to credit themselves for having the ability to receive salvation by an act of their own faith.  We should humbly accept the fact that the saving faith we possess is given to us by the Divine Will of God.  No one has saving faith of their own free will.  Scripture is clear that God has given every man thefaith necessary for those that He has chosen and it is by the “faith OF Christ” not by our “faith IN Christ” that we are justified and kept saved.  The Heavenly Father grants us repentance (the ability to turn from the sin of unbelief to belief in the True Gospel of Salvation) and reveals truth.  God the Father and Jesus are not responders but initiators and givers of grace and givers ofthe faith OF Jesus in order that we can believe and overcome to the end.       

11 Timothy 2:25 “In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;”

Matthew 16:17 “Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but My Father who is in the Heavens.”

It is clear that it is because of Christ’s Spirit within us, that we have ASSURANCE (same word, translated faith) that we are indeed true children of God.  To say anything less is absurd.  Accordingly, we understand that our faith is a gift of God.

Romans 8:16 “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.”

Acts 17:31 “Because He hath appointed a day, in which He will judge the world in righteousness by that MAN whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given ASSURANCE unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead.”

This word assurance in Acts 17:31 is the exact same Greek word faith or [pistis].  Here again we see very clearly that God gave all of us (His elect of this age) this faith or gift to believe the True Gospel of Salvation.  It’s not faith we conjured up of ourselves, it is the faith OFChrist in us.  It is an act of enabling us.  This act of assurance or faith is OFChrist, not of ourselves or by our faith in Christ but by Christs’ faith placed in us.

Romans 12:3 “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.”  (NIV)

Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:”

God, by His grace, gives us the faith OF Jesus because we couldn’t have saving faith on our own.

Galatians 5:22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, FAITH….”

These gifts produce the fruits or ‘works’ or manifestations of the Spirit.  They are the results of God working in us and among them is listed faith.  Faith (faithfulness) is the fruit that will show up in our lives because of the Spirit.  Just as we can read in (Galatians 2:16) of our justification by faith, here also God reveals from a different perspective that “His work” results in faith.

Galatians 2:16 “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith OF Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith OF Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.”

Natural man doesn’t like the truth, but before we were drawn of God, we were by nature spiritually dead.  We were unable to have saving faith.  But when we come to understand true Grace, it is then that we discern that every aspect of our calling, drawing repenting, faithfulness and Salvation, has to be what Jesus and God has done.  Man hates giving up his pride because he wants some kind of control or desires in himself some credit for his doing.  Man often doesn’t recognize the real motivations for many of his beliefs.  We don’t want to ‘surrender’ our will to God’s will, and bow to His sovereignty.  But we have to be at the point where we totally trust Him alone, rather than Him,‘plus’ ourselves (what we do). 

Most men have the idea that they can use their own faith.  That kind of faith to believe is the faith of many false religions but that is not saving faith or faith to believe the True Gospel of Salvation.  In true Christianity, the only work which produces saving faith is the work of Christ.  It is not our faith and our works, lest we could boast, but it is the faith OF Christ and His works which saves us.

Professing Christians can believe whatever they want, including that their efforts or faith have something to do with their Salvation.  That just shows they haven’t the slightest idea of the ‘true’ nature of Salvation, the definition of Grace, or whose work of faith was required in order to make us righteous and put on Christ.

Romans 3:22 “Even the righteousness of God which is by faith OF Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference.”

Can we gain the righteousness of Christ by our own faith in Him?  The answer, of course, is no.  For it is not man, but God who supplies what is needed in our lives in order to do His will.

Philippians 2:13  “For it is God which worketh in you BOTH TO WILL AND TO DO of his good pleasure.”

What part of this sounds like Saved Christians having their own faith in Christ that they will work?  This Greek word translated do, is the exact same word translated work.  Our work of faith is by God’s spirit working in us.  Likewise, there is no effort on our part which will make our works righteous.  The effort is on Christ’s part.  When we understand the pure nature of Salvation, and we read phrases like, ‘the work of faith’ or ‘by the faith OF Christ’ (Christ’s faith), it all begins to fit and harmonize beautifully.  It is all of God, so that to Him alone be the Glory.  It is nothing we do but what Jesus has done.  His finished work brought salvation by grace alone.  We cannot reverse God’s finished work of salvation.  Jesus will complete what he began by His faith in us.

Hebrews 12:2 “Looking unto Jesus the AUTHOR AND FINISHER Of Our Faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

If Christ is the author and finisher of our faith, how is it by our own faith?  It makes no sense.  We are saved by faith OF Christ.  He is the author and finisher of our salvation by the faith He gave us.  It was by His obedience and His blood sacrifice.  Can man’s own faith cause belief in the True Gospel?  God says there is none that seeks after God, so how can we have faith in Christ that we would be justified?  Only by the work of Christ, which is the faith OFChrist in us, are we made righteous!

Galatians 3:22 “But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith OF Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.” 

Was the promise given by our work of faith, or by the faithfulness of Christ?  Was it given by the will of God or by our own will because we had faith in Him?  You see it always gets back to our action, versus the action of God in us.  Our own faith verses Christ’s faith.  And Christ’s faith is the only faith of assurance or faith in which we are eternally secure.

2 Timothy 1:1 “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this very thing, thatHE WHICH HATH BEGUN A GOOD WORK IN YOU WILL PERFORM IT UNTIL THE DAY OF JESUS CHRIST.”

Ephesians 4:30 “And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, WHEREBY YOU ARE SEALED UNTO THE DAY OF REDEMPTION.”

1 Peter 1:5 “Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

What part of these things is ambiguous?  What part has man in starting, possessing or maintaining his own saving faith?  It is totally the work of Christ in us.  And it is only man’s pride and vanity which prevents him from receiving this truth.  We are not saved or kept saved by our faith but by the faith OFChrist given to us as a permanent free gift at the time of salvation.  Our human faith will fail but the faith OFChrist given to us when we received the Holy Spirit will enable us to overcome and endure to the end.

Hebrews 13:21 “Make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory forever and ever.  Amen.”

If it is God working in us to make us perfect in every good work, what part are we doing that we can take credit for?  All power of faith ‘in us’, is the power of God.  Christ in us, the hope of glory.

2 Corinthians 4:7 “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the Excellency of the power may be of God and not of us.”

Why must man in his carnal thinking believe that he deserves some credit for having ‘faith IN Christ’? When in truth it was all by the Lord’s work.  We live the life of faith only because Christ and His faith lives in us.

Galatians 2:20 “I am crucified with Christ;  nevertheless I live;  yet not I, but Christ liveth in me;  and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith OF the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Our work is to be accomplished by His work of faith in us and not our own works.  How then can anyone boast that they had faith in Christ of themselves when we were all spiritually as dead as Lazarus was physically dead in the tomb?  It was only by the will of God that we were moved to new life.

Why are we making such a big fuss over this controversy between “faith IN Christ” and “faith OFChrist?”  The answer is because it is essential that we understand the most basic truths of God’s sovereignty. 

We are ‘not’ Saved, Sanctified or Glorified (in any way) by our own faith in Christ that we conjure up but by Christ putting His kind of faith in us.  There is a big difference between our own attempt at being Saved or staying saved by our own faith IN Christ and our being Saved by Christ’s faith that He gives to us. 

In other words, the very ‘character’ of Saving faith is at stake.  Christians with the faith OF Christ should not fight the truth that it is not our faith that saves us but faith OFChrist.  These are important issues, revealed by the Spirit.  The faith OFChrist indicates that Christ Himself is the originator and the ‘source’ of this faith in us.  It illustrates His faithful work in persuading us, because He is the substance or essence of our belief. 

The term faith IN Christ illustrates “our own” faith in Him.  It is no small difference.  So, when modern man translates this phrase as “faith in Christ”, (as was done in the NKJ Bible), it becomes an issue of our being Saved because we did something, rather than by His faith living in us that makes us a new creation.

Receiving Eternal Life

Because you are living in a spiritually fallen state you are unable to keep God’s law.  The penalty for not keeping God’s law is eternal death.  In order to be saved from this eternal death penalty and receive the promise of Eternal Life, you must receive God’s Holy Spirit.

Part of what you must believe to receive God’s Holy Spirit with the promise of Eternal Life is that God sent His only begotten Son Jesus to suffer and die as the only acceptable sacrifice which took away all of your past, present and future sins.  This is and was done by the Faith OF Jesus Christ, not by your own faith.  Your faith is weak and can fail you.

The Faith OF Jesus is a gift from Jesus and is necessary for us to believe the True Gospel and overcome and endure to the end.  When we are spiritually baptized into Jesus, He is also then in us.

Jesus promises never to leave or forsake us!  Jesus promises to finish what He began!  Jesus assures us that no one can or will snatch us out of His hand or the Father’s hand!  Therefore, we trust not ourselves or our faith but we trust Jesus to supply us with the faith we need to overcome and endure trials and tribulations unto the end of our earthly lives. 

We know that the Faith OF Jesus was so great that he overcame and endured terrible trials and tribulations, even death on the cross!  Our savior, Jesus, will absolutely supply us with the faith that we need, as we need it to overcome and endure to the end.  We have a great salvation, a great Savior and a Greater than all God.

Clearly, we can fully trust our Heavenly Father and our Lord Jesus Christ to keep us and save us to the very end!

John 1:29 “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold!  The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”

You must also believe that after Jesus died and was in the grave three days and nights, that God raised Jesus from death and made Him alive forevermore! And now you also have the same opportunity to become alive forevermore at the time of your resurrection by making a sincere decision now, in this present life, to trust and receive Jesus as Savior and Lord of your life by the faith OF Jesus given to you.

1 Corinthians 15: 1-4  “Moreover, brethern, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you – unless you believed in vain.  For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received; that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”

When you are begotten from above by the Holy Spirit, you are spiritually a new creation and are assured of being resurrected (Born Again) to Life Eternal.  As a new creation, you are now a Holy Spirit begotten child of God and a permanent member of the family of God and are now able by the power of God’s Holy Spirit to renew your mind by the hearing of God’s word.

As a begotten child of God your nature will be changed and you will desire and be able, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to progressively turn from your sins and follow and serve Jesus as your Lord.  God gives you His Holy Spirit as a down payment and guarantee of your soon coming resurrection from death to Eternal Life as a free gift when you repent (turn) from your sin of unbelief to belief in what God and Jesus did for you and confess Jesus as Lord and receive Jesus as Savior.

Once you believe that Jesus graciously sacrificed Himself and took away all of your sins, past, present and future and thereby also the penalty of sin, your desire should be to trust and obey Jesus as your Lord.  Only when you believe the True Gospel will you receive Holy Spirit baptism and not have your sin of unbelief counted against you.  Salvation (Eternal Life) is only possible by the faith OFJesus which comes from God as an unearned gift.

Remember, you are saved from the penalty of eternal death not by your works or your faith IN Jesus but by the Grace of God through and because of the works and faith OFJesus. 

Without Faith given to us by God, we would not have the ability to believe the True Gospel of Salvation by which we receive the Free Gift of Eternal Life.

Overcoming is accomplished by the ‘Faith OF Christ’ which God places in and with you via Holy Spirit baptism.  God initiates and we respond, not the other way around.  Once you receive the Holy Spirit you are a new creation and forever counted as a child of God and you will put on immortality at the first resurrection!

If you believe you are saved but think you can lose or leave your salvation, please explain how you could be truly saved by grace when you are counting on your own personal ability, personal faith or personal works to keep yourself saved. Please name exactly what a person must do or not do to forfeit a salvation they did not earn but were given as a Free permanent gift. 

Jesus does the saving and the keeping.  You are supplied, by God, the gift of the faith OF Jesus.  It is not by your faith in Jesus or your faith in the True Gospel that enables you to overcome and stay saved but instead by the faith OF Jesus given to you by God.  You do not get saved or stay saved by exercising your own faith.  You need the faith OF Jesus which you receive as a gift (Christ in you) in order to continue believing the True Gospel and be able to overcome and endure to the end.

You must trust that God, by Jesus, did it all and will complete the work He began in you and no power or man (not even you) can snatch you or anyone else who has believed the True Gospel and received the Holy Spirit from the Savior’s or the Father’s hand.

John 10:28-29 “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.” 

You are either fully saved or fully lost as you read this message. God’s Plan of Salvation for you is so simple that you must be as a trusting young child, not depending on what works you do or fail to do but trusting fully in Jesus, His faith and His works only.  Not your faith or your works.  ONCE A CHILD OF GOD, ALWAYS A CHILD OF GOD.

Only because of the faith and works OF Jesus can you receive Eternal Life.  Those who receive the faith OF Jesus are guaranteed to overcome and endure to the end and cannot lose, leave or give up their salvation.  The faith OF Jesus is the gift of God just as salvation is the gift of God.  We do not earn either.  We are kept by the Faith OF Jesus in us.

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by Grace are ye saved through faith; and that [faith and salvation] not of yourselves:   it [faith and salvation] is the gift of God.  Not of works, lest any man should boast.” 

You are able to believe the True Gospel not by YOUR faith or YOUR power but by the faith OF Jesus Christ and by the power of God which is given to you as a gift enabling you to believe the True Gospelof Salvation and thereby receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit which causes you to know you are saved from Eternal Death and have been guaranteed Eternal Life.

If it were true that you could lose or walk away from your salvation that would be very Bad News not Good News! If you are depending on yourself or your own faith or your own power to earn or keep your Salvation you will have received a False Gospel, False Spirit and a False Jesus! 

2 Corinthians 11:3-4“But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.   For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.”

Only by receiving the Faith and Power OF Jesus will you be able to live a more abundant life, fight the good fight of faith and overcome and endure to the end.  Do not trust in any faith you can muster but trust in Jesus who supplies you with His Faithand Power to believe the True Gospel which saves you and keeps you saved!  It is all Jesus and none of you.  There is only one “sin” that needs to be repented of in order to receive the promise of Eternal Life and that is the unpardonable sin of unbelief in the True Gospel of Jesus Christ who is Lord of all and the personal Savior to them that believe the True Gospel of Salvation.

You receive the power of the True Spirit at the same time you believe the True Gospel of Salvation!

Deceived preachers and teachers emotionalize, distract and mesmerize millions with entertainment, music, animated and loud preaching, deceptive teaching using smooth words mixing truth with lies and tickling the ears of the naive and trusting until they no longer recognize truth and believe lies.  Most never hear the True Gospel of Salvation and cannot believe the True Gospel of Salvation even if they are lucky enough to hear it!

So don't believe the Bad News (False Gospel) but believe the True Gospel which is Good News! Remember, Satan and his ministers can appear as angels (messengers) of light, but actually keep you in darkness, as Satan works through his deceived preachers, teachers and their disciples.

You must first know for sure what the True Gospel of Salvation is and absolutely believe it by the faith OF Jesus or you are not saved.  You are destroyed for lack of knowledge.  Correct believing comes as a result of learning true knowledge.  Only truth can make you free.  Learn Truth!

Hosea 4:6“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee.”

John 8:32 “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Only By The Faith OF Jesus!

The Faith OF Jesus is a gift from Jesus and is necessary for us to believe the True Gospel and overcame and endure to the end.  When we are spiritually baptized into Jesus, He is also then in us.

Jesus promises never to leave or forsake us!  Jesus promises to finish what He began!  Jesus assures us that no one can or will snatch us out of His hand or the Father’s hand!  Therefore, we trust not ourselves or our faith but we trust Jesus to supply us with the faith we need to overcome and endure trials and tribulations unto the end of our earthly lives. 

We know that the Faith OF Jesus was so great that he overcame and endured terrible trials and tribulations, even death on the cross!  Our savior, Jesus, will absolutely supply us with the faith that we need, as we need it to overcome and endure to the end.  We have a great salvation, a great Savior and a Greater God.

Clearly, we can fully trust our Heavenly Father and our Lord Jesus Christ to keep us and save us to the very end!

WHEN THE STUDENT IS READY

THE TRUTH WILL APPEAR

ARE YOU READY?

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STATEMENT OF

FAITH AND APPRECIATION

Almighty Father, I thank you for giving me the Faith OF Jesus by which I am able to understand and believe the True Gospel of Salvation by which I am now saved.

I now understand and believe that the MAN Jesus was and is your only Begotten Sinless Human Son who died and took away the sin of the world. I believe Jesus was buried, actually dead, unconscious and in the tomb for three days and three nights and then you, Father, raised the Man Jesus from death to Immortality as a Glorified, Eternal Life Giving, Spirit Being who is coming back to Earth to rule as Lord of Lords and King of Kings!

Because He lives, I was able to receive, by Grace through the Faith OF Jesus, Holy Spirit Baptism by believing the True Gospel which places me into Jesus Christ and guarantees me I will put on Immortality and Incorruption at the time of the First Resurrection. I will then be like Jesus, a Born Again, Glorified, Sprit Being, and will live forever as a member of the Family of God!

Thank you, Father!  Thank you, Jesus!

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