Many who call themselves Christians are confused about this. I attend a bible study class in a Methodist church. One day someone brought up the subject of the Pope's death. The wife of the class leader (former Catholic)mentioned that the pope had reassured someone whose father had died that he was in heaven because he was baptized. Only 2 of us in a class of 22 objected to this, saying that one only needed to believe the things about Jesus that the Bible tells us to be saved. Yes, baptism is an act that shows others in a symbolic way that our sins have been washed away. The way I was taught to look at it is that when you become a believer, the Holy Spirit comes and abides in you and MOTIVATES you to want to do other things like repent of sins, get baptized, etc.
I went online and looked up all verses about getting saved. I never realized this before, but apparently Peter was the one apostle who said both belief and baptism were a requirement for salvation.
Agree, the thief on the on one side of the cross of Christ, he had nothing but his realization that he was guilty and he needed mercy. Christ welcomed him immediately. Thank you, Jim, for this reminder. My own church is humble and focused on the Gospel and the walk of faith, day by day. Wendy
That is one of the stories in the Bible that make it hard for me to accept that all sin is the same to God. Including the story of Paul. I guess wondering is a sin too. Can someone PLEASE tell me what sin is? And what you use to determine if you actually sinned or not? I'm just GLAD that FATHER LOVES ME. I think sin is something you do that you KNOW was wrong! That if you were brought in a court for it, the Judge would say IGNORANCE of the LAW is no excuse. Can a THOUGHT be a sin? Outside of being a thief, I wonder what else that man had done.
And yet the modern church body claims we are under GRACE and not law. Do you see a contradiction there? Scripture teaches that because of our failure to keep the law fully, God extended grace through Jesus Christ. Ephesians vs 2-8 declares, “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.” Rather than earning God’s favor by performing the law perfectly, believers place trust in the finished work of Christ. By His sacrificial death and resurrection, the debt of sin is covered, and righteousness is imputed to those who believe.
This grace is the good news: people do not have to labor under fear of condemnation. Instead, they can receive God’s pardon and a new heart that desires to obey out of love rather than compulsion. Romans 5 vs 1 explains, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ… through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we stand.”
How sad for you, you fail to see GRACE from Genesis to Revelation.
Is Genesis 6:8 not familiar to you?
I am not interested in what the modern church body claims. Nor can the modern church body change the definition of sin.
I know of no one attempting to gain Gods favor by “performing the law perfectly”.
I know people who are attempting to LOVE God as He ask all through Scripture.
John 14:15
“If you love me, you will keep[a] my commands.
1 John 3:4-8
Everyone who commits sin practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.
You know that he was revealed so that he might take away sins,[a] and there is no sin in him.
Everyone who remains in him does not sin;[b] everyone who sins[c] has not seen him or known him.
Little children, let no one deceive you. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.
The one who commits[d] sin is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God was revealed for this purpose: to destroy the devil’s works.
That is a huge subject, but a couple of things: According to the ATS Bible Dictionary, sin is “any thought, word, desire, action, or omission of action, contrary to the law of God, or defective when compared with it.” Jesus takes this further in Matthew 5:21-48. Hope this helps.
But didn't we enter into the age of grace with the advent of our Messiah, Yahshua the Christ? Isn't it Fathers AMAZING GRACE that is bestowed upon us? When I think of the whole world, and those living in it that haven't even heard the name of the Savior and yet He died for ALL sin, isn't unbelief a sin? If He died for ALL sin and unbelief is a sin He died for, where does that leave someone in unbelief or who has never heard the good news of the Kingdom? Without looking at some commentary somewhere how do YOU interpret or understand Matthew 15vs24 and the context there of?
Unbelief is a sin… a sin of rebellion against God among those who have heard and rejected the Gospel. The Gospel is both an invitation and a command… “Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name…” (Romans 1:5)
Among those who have/had never heard the Gospel…
1. Old Testament people with faith in God (Moses, Noah, David, etc.)… their faith was credited to them as righteousness by our just God.
2. Those who live/lived on an island in the middle of nowhere are subject to the “general call” that of seeing creation and knowing that there must be a creator. (We are all born with a sinful nature, but also with an internal sense of right and wrong.)
Matthew 15… Are you referencing Matthew 15:7-9? About Isaiah’s prophecy… about those who are not obedient to the faith?
Matthew 24… This is the Olivet Discourse, where Christ talks about end times… the future… when the last Gentile comes in. In the Parable of the Fig Tree, Jesus calls out those who act like believers but who are not obedient to the faith.
Your line… “yet He died for ALL sin,” gets into Calvinism vs. Arminianism. Which one do you consider to be correct?
Hi Bob...I have five questions. I'm reading through that part of Romans as I write this and which of the five questions are you referring to? The last one? I think Yahshua spoke fine about that. The Holy Spirit has revealed through me who I am in the scheme of things. Too many coincidences and I don't believe in them. My family crest bespeaks WHO I am. Where I came from and which of the 12 Tribes I'm connected to.
C.L., in John 8:39 and several verses following, some folks told Jesus they had Abraham as thier father. That is ok for earthly, cultural identification, but He emphasizes that spiritually, they need to acknowledge and accept that God sent Yeshua, and He said Abraham would be happy to see that day (John 8:56). Romans 9:6 says that not all Israel is Israel, that is, your cultural heritage is ok, but it won't get you thru heaven's gate. You are right, we are in the age of grace, and that grace is perfectly personified in Yeshua. We need to believe what He says about us, and what He says about Himself, and trust Him.
Your comment is well taken. I realize that the kingdom message doesn’t let anyone through the gate without the understanding of the sacrifice that Yahshua made. I also realize that some who understand who Israel IS today, have issues due to the old covenant and the want to continue it even though we are in the age of grace. As to the common understanding of not all Israel is Israel, I take issue with. PHYSCIAL Israel has to accept the messiah to become SPRITUAL ISRAEL also. The name Israel MEANS To Struggle with Yahweh. Don’t all of us as a whole do that?
I’ve been convinced for some time now that Matthew 15vs 24 and it’s context refers to the actual LOST SHEEP of the House of Israel and the GENTILES which those who are not lost take the message to.
Who was that woman? What did Yahshua call her? What was her response? She was a gentile. She would be considered adopted.
What people have taken the word to the African nations? The Chinese? The Australian aborigines? The WORLD?. That is an identifying factor that can’t be ignored. As a matter of fact this site I found has a rather well done job on explaining what I’m convinced is the reality. I have for years believed my DNA has traces of King David in it. Too many coincidence in my life say that is a reality to me. My very family crest bespeaks of where I come from. https://www.courageouslion.us/p/is-it-time-to-take-another-lookwho
Basically that we are without excuse, i.e., that some have never heard of God and Yeshua. Paul explains that reason doesn't hold up in light of the so-called "general call", that all people should be aware to seek God..and if they sincerely seek Him, they find Him - thru Yeshua HaMashiach. It may not seem fair to some, but it is how God has set it up.
I can't fathom an unfair Creator. It's always interesting to me to see the different understandings and interpretations of the same exact scriptures. And how most have to seek out someone else's understanding to come to their own conclusions.
In our arrogance we think that we can satisfy the Eternal with our own puny efforts. Scripture shows the truth: It is Christ Alone who is Worthy. Christ Alone who made adequate sacrifice. Christ Alone who gave the precious gift to those who believe.
Many who call themselves Christians are confused about this. I attend a bible study class in a Methodist church. One day someone brought up the subject of the Pope's death. The wife of the class leader (former Catholic)mentioned that the pope had reassured someone whose father had died that he was in heaven because he was baptized. Only 2 of us in a class of 22 objected to this, saying that one only needed to believe the things about Jesus that the Bible tells us to be saved. Yes, baptism is an act that shows others in a symbolic way that our sins have been washed away. The way I was taught to look at it is that when you become a believer, the Holy Spirit comes and abides in you and MOTIVATES you to want to do other things like repent of sins, get baptized, etc.
I went online and looked up all verses about getting saved. I never realized this before, but apparently Peter was the one apostle who said both belief and baptism were a requirement for salvation.
👍🙏
Well put, Jim.
Agree, the thief on the on one side of the cross of Christ, he had nothing but his realization that he was guilty and he needed mercy. Christ welcomed him immediately. Thank you, Jim, for this reminder. My own church is humble and focused on the Gospel and the walk of faith, day by day. Wendy
Great post, Jim linking it today @https://nothingnewunderthesun2016.com/ and restacking!
Thumbs up... thank you...
That is one of the stories in the Bible that make it hard for me to accept that all sin is the same to God. Including the story of Paul. I guess wondering is a sin too. Can someone PLEASE tell me what sin is? And what you use to determine if you actually sinned or not? I'm just GLAD that FATHER LOVES ME. I think sin is something you do that you KNOW was wrong! That if you were brought in a court for it, the Judge would say IGNORANCE of the LAW is no excuse. Can a THOUGHT be a sin? Outside of being a thief, I wonder what else that man had done.
Daniel 9:5
But we have sinned terribly by rebelling against you and rejecting your laws and teachings.
1 John 3:4
Everyone who sins breaks God's law, because sin is the same as breaking God's law
And yet the modern church body claims we are under GRACE and not law. Do you see a contradiction there? Scripture teaches that because of our failure to keep the law fully, God extended grace through Jesus Christ. Ephesians vs 2-8 declares, “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.” Rather than earning God’s favor by performing the law perfectly, believers place trust in the finished work of Christ. By His sacrificial death and resurrection, the debt of sin is covered, and righteousness is imputed to those who believe.
This grace is the good news: people do not have to labor under fear of condemnation. Instead, they can receive God’s pardon and a new heart that desires to obey out of love rather than compulsion. Romans 5 vs 1 explains, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ… through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we stand.”
You have an issue with Scripture? Last I checked
Daniel and 1 John were the Word.
How sad for you, you fail to see GRACE from Genesis to Revelation.
Is Genesis 6:8 not familiar to you?
I am not interested in what the modern church body claims. Nor can the modern church body change the definition of sin.
I know of no one attempting to gain Gods favor by “performing the law perfectly”.
I know people who are attempting to LOVE God as He ask all through Scripture.
John 14:15
“If you love me, you will keep[a] my commands.
1 John 3:4-8
Everyone who commits sin practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.
You know that he was revealed so that he might take away sins,[a] and there is no sin in him.
Everyone who remains in him does not sin;[b] everyone who sins[c] has not seen him or known him.
Little children, let no one deceive you. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.
The one who commits[d] sin is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God was revealed for this purpose: to destroy the devil’s works.
That is a huge subject, but a couple of things: According to the ATS Bible Dictionary, sin is “any thought, word, desire, action, or omission of action, contrary to the law of God, or defective when compared with it.” Jesus takes this further in Matthew 5:21-48. Hope this helps.
But didn't we enter into the age of grace with the advent of our Messiah, Yahshua the Christ? Isn't it Fathers AMAZING GRACE that is bestowed upon us? When I think of the whole world, and those living in it that haven't even heard the name of the Savior and yet He died for ALL sin, isn't unbelief a sin? If He died for ALL sin and unbelief is a sin He died for, where does that leave someone in unbelief or who has never heard the good news of the Kingdom? Without looking at some commentary somewhere how do YOU interpret or understand Matthew 15vs24 and the context there of?
Excellent questions… here is my understanding:
Unbelief is a sin… a sin of rebellion against God among those who have heard and rejected the Gospel. The Gospel is both an invitation and a command… “Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name…” (Romans 1:5)
Among those who have/had never heard the Gospel…
1. Old Testament people with faith in God (Moses, Noah, David, etc.)… their faith was credited to them as righteousness by our just God.
2. Those who live/lived on an island in the middle of nowhere are subject to the “general call” that of seeing creation and knowing that there must be a creator. (We are all born with a sinful nature, but also with an internal sense of right and wrong.)
Matthew 15… Are you referencing Matthew 15:7-9? About Isaiah’s prophecy… about those who are not obedient to the faith?
Matthew 24… This is the Olivet Discourse, where Christ talks about end times… the future… when the last Gentile comes in. In the Parable of the Fig Tree, Jesus calls out those who act like believers but who are not obedient to the faith.
Your line… “yet He died for ALL sin,” gets into Calvinism vs. Arminianism. Which one do you consider to be correct?
First chapter of Romans speaks to this.
Hi Bob...I have five questions. I'm reading through that part of Romans as I write this and which of the five questions are you referring to? The last one? I think Yahshua spoke fine about that. The Holy Spirit has revealed through me who I am in the scheme of things. Too many coincidences and I don't believe in them. My family crest bespeaks WHO I am. Where I came from and which of the 12 Tribes I'm connected to.
C.L., in John 8:39 and several verses following, some folks told Jesus they had Abraham as thier father. That is ok for earthly, cultural identification, but He emphasizes that spiritually, they need to acknowledge and accept that God sent Yeshua, and He said Abraham would be happy to see that day (John 8:56). Romans 9:6 says that not all Israel is Israel, that is, your cultural heritage is ok, but it won't get you thru heaven's gate. You are right, we are in the age of grace, and that grace is perfectly personified in Yeshua. We need to believe what He says about us, and what He says about Himself, and trust Him.
Your comment is well taken. I realize that the kingdom message doesn’t let anyone through the gate without the understanding of the sacrifice that Yahshua made. I also realize that some who understand who Israel IS today, have issues due to the old covenant and the want to continue it even though we are in the age of grace. As to the common understanding of not all Israel is Israel, I take issue with. PHYSCIAL Israel has to accept the messiah to become SPRITUAL ISRAEL also. The name Israel MEANS To Struggle with Yahweh. Don’t all of us as a whole do that?
I’ve been convinced for some time now that Matthew 15vs 24 and it’s context refers to the actual LOST SHEEP of the House of Israel and the GENTILES which those who are not lost take the message to.
Who was that woman? What did Yahshua call her? What was her response? She was a gentile. She would be considered adopted.
What people have taken the word to the African nations? The Chinese? The Australian aborigines? The WORLD?. That is an identifying factor that can’t be ignored. As a matter of fact this site I found has a rather well done job on explaining what I’m convinced is the reality. I have for years believed my DNA has traces of King David in it. Too many coincidence in my life say that is a reality to me. My very family crest bespeaks of where I come from. https://www.courageouslion.us/p/is-it-time-to-take-another-lookwho
Basically that we are without excuse, i.e., that some have never heard of God and Yeshua. Paul explains that reason doesn't hold up in light of the so-called "general call", that all people should be aware to seek God..and if they sincerely seek Him, they find Him - thru Yeshua HaMashiach. It may not seem fair to some, but it is how God has set it up.
I can't fathom an unfair Creator. It's always interesting to me to see the different understandings and interpretations of the same exact scriptures. And how most have to seek out someone else's understanding to come to their own conclusions.
One thief was saved that no sinner might despair, but only one, that no sinner might presume. J.C. Ryle
Amen!
In our arrogance we think that we can satisfy the Eternal with our own puny efforts. Scripture shows the truth: It is Christ Alone who is Worthy. Christ Alone who made adequate sacrifice. Christ Alone who gave the precious gift to those who believe.
Praise God, it IS that simple!!
Succinct and amazing text!
That was SO good. Have a blessed Easter!
Amen. We are so undeserving, yet He offers each of us the free gift of salvation. Praise the Lord!
Beautiful.