Beginner or Advanced

Pastor J. R. Wilhite, author   Close Window

No matter if you are a beginner (new to the word) or advanced, you will need this study.

We are looking at salvation and all that goes along with it.

There are some misunderstandings about salvation. Salvation is not something you can buy, work for, or do anything on your part to earn. The problem was, that one man (Adam) sold us all into sin by eating of the fruit. Another man (Jesus) paid the price for us, so we could be saved from sin and death.

Partaking of comunion, being baptized in water, serving on all the different comittees that your church may have, by giving all you have to the ministry, none of these will save you or even put you on the right path. The only thing that saves is the blood Jesus shed for us almost 2,000 years ago.

Hebrews 10

1. For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
2. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.
3. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.
4. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
5. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:
6. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.
7. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.
8. Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;
9. Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.
10. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
11. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:
12. But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
13. From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.
14. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
15. Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before,
16. This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;
17. And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
18. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.
19. Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
20. By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
21. And having an high priest over the house of God;
22. Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
23. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

As you just read even the sacrifices of animals did not do it for us and these sacrifices were not pleasing to God.

You ask why is blood needed for our salvation; why sacrifice, animals or man? It sounds dark and sick.

Blood was needed to be shed for a few reasons. First God had to kill an animal to clothe Adam and Eve. Most of all life is in the blood, so for a life to be salvaged a life has to be given. Sort of like gravity, if you drop a ball out of a fourth floor window, will the ball go up or down? Down of course and this happens every time, due to the laws of gravity. Well we operate in the laws of man, or sin itself and in being this way blood has to be shed to pay the price. And it has more to do with Satan than God.

Romans 10

10. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
11. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

So, all we have to do is believe and profess? Yes, that is right, and here is one of the first examples:

Matthew 27

52. And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
53. And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

As you notice "many of the saints", not "all" were raised and went into the city and appeared to many. First of all, the holy city was Jerusalem the same city in which, 3 days before, all had cried out to crucify Jesus. Now the same people are seeing dead relatives, friends, and saints of the past walking in the streets professing "Jesus is Lord." Imagine on one day you yelled to crucify a person, and 3 days later your dead father, mother, son, daughter, sister, so on comes walking down the streets professing that Jesus is Lord. Now there is no mention of them after this, so we have to look at what Jesus stated on that day as well.

John 20

17. Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

We know Jesus allowed others to touch Him later, so He must have ascended to the Father, and He must have done it on that day, taking the many with Him. Remember, Thomas had to touch to believe. Now you can see He had to have ascended before that day at least?

Why was it just "many" and not "all" who arose with Him? To answer this question I must ask some things. Where were they and why did the many ascend?

When Jesus was crucified, as soon as He died, He left all of the sin in Hell. It did not take 3 days for that, but only a matter of moments. So what did He do for 3 days? After dumping all the sin in Hell, He crossed the gulf in between Hell and Paradise (Abraham's bosom) and He told those saints that were in paradise all that had happened and gave them a chance to believe and rise with Him. Not all believed, so not all were raised.

What is Paradise? It was a holding place for the saints until the door way was open for Heaven and the new earth. Jesus sacrifice made the way, opened the door. So, paradise was not needed any more, so all who stayed behind were staying in hell, because paradise was gone.

Remember, Jesus said to the one thief on His right side while on the cross that they both would be in paradise that same day, not heaven, but paradise.

Luke 16

19. There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
20. And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
21. And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
22. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
23. And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
25. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
26. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
27. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:
28. For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
29. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
30. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
31. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

John 3

1. There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
2. The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
3. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
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.
6. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
8. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
9. Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
10. Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?
11. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.
12. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
13. And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
14. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
15. That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
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.
17. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
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.
19. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

Many believe that being baptized in water will save them. This happens because someone who knows very little attends a church where the preacher seems to have a handle on it, so when the preacher teaches about water baptism, the individual has no choice but to believe the Preacher.

I teach that we should go to God and ask Him, not just His word (the Bible) but to Him as well and verify what ever you are told. If God states it is not true, then pray for that person and go on your way, away from them. Allow God to handle them through your prayers for them.

So should we be baptized in water? Yes, as a showing of our faith.

Should we partake of comunion (wine or grape juice and wafers) yes, but remember the point Jesus was trying to get across was in all things do it in remembrance of Him. Not just once a week or month at the comunion table, but in every bite we eat and every breath we take. The word used for comunion in Greek means a personal and intimate relationship.

Like with prayer, comunion should be private a one on one relationship.

You see, over time, man has devised many things or taken them and made them holy. Baptism of water, comunion, prayer, and so on.

Prayer is to be private between you and God only.

Matthew 6

1. Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
2. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
3. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
4. That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
5. And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
6. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
7. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
8. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
9. After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11. Give us this day our daily bread.
12. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
14. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
15. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
16. Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

I John 2

27. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

First you are called by the Holy Spirit and you realize you are missing something in your life. Then you profess your belief in Jesus, and grow based on the teachings of the Holy Spirit.

John 14

26. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Isaiah 10

27. And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.

Luke 4

18. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

1 Corinthians 13

1. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing.
3. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profiteth me nothing.
4. Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5. Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6. Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7. Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
8. Love never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

By now you should understand that Christ is a Greek word for Anoint, so if you are of Christ you are of God's Spirit, in, on and through you or anointed in His spirit.

Watch the law. It is easy to get caught up in the law, and become legalistic.

How can you avoid this?

Do not judge anyone, read Matthew 6.

Overall we are to be of love, and as others see us, they should see the love from the Father flowing from us.

God Bless You as you hear His words and follow His leading.

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