For the man who is determined to live for eternity in the presence of Jesus Christ (see The Kingdom of God), it must come–that instant in time when EVERYTHING about his life does a spiritual 180 degree turn. This reality-altering turn forces a drastic change in his words, thoughts, attitudes, motives, acts, etc. Though it may take many years of Bible study, prayer and struggle against temptation to arrive at it, there comes a moment when a point-of-no-return is reached and a total life-reversal takes place. The serious God-seeker, having understood the cost of true discipleship (see Persecution), having counted the cost and embraced it, the seeker then comes to the point of TRUE CONVERSION which sends him in the exact opposite spiritual direction he has been heading throughout his life. To reach this literal death-to-life moment the Truth-craving salvation-seeker must come to realize that, no matter how religiously popular and spiritually uplifting his religious life path may have been up to that point, that path has been leading him away from God and toward Satan. Through intense Bible study, prayer and Scripture-based counseling (when available) he must come to the conclusion that in order to enter the Kingdom of God he must totally reject Satan’s perverted religion–Catholicism/Protestantism–based on church doctrine, and totally embrace God’s pure religion based on His Word. The honest seeker realizes that in order to inherit eternal life he must believe and obey the Words of his Master (Jn. 17:17), that he must “walk Even as He walked” while on earth (1 Jn. 2:6), and must “purify himself EVEN as He is pure (1 Jn. 3:3). The Institutional Church denies these Scriptures. She openly proclaims that faith, church attendance and obedience to church doctrine is all that is necessary to receive eternal life. See Bait and Switch.

Once truly converted (not saved–see Hope and Salvation), the man now “walks the walk” as dictated by the Lord. While on that walk he continually purifies himself “by the washing of the water by the Word” of God (Eph. 5:26). Just as water cleanses the vessel it is flowing through, God’s Word–symbolic water–cleanses the man of error as he continually studies it. This enables him to recognize error when he hears or reads it. Note in the First John passages that the convert must walk (live) the same walk that Jesus walked/lived and be continually purified (cleansed) as Jesus was during His earthly tenure. See Jesus Christ: God, Man or Godman. There is no 99% walk or 99% purity for the salvation seeker. With the Lord it is all or nothing–one is all in or all out.

Sin serves Satan by separating man, including churchman, from God (Isa. 59:2). No matter how deep the believer’s faith might be, he cannot walk Christ’s walk to salvation while separated from God. God and man must “walk together” in agreement along the path leading to God’s kingdom (Amos 3:3). And that agreement is strictly one-sided–man must agree with God–His Word. Otherwise, man and God will tread different paths (Mat. 7:13,14). God’s path is the Way of His Word. Disobedience to God’s Word is sin: “To transgress (break) the Law is sin; for sin is the transgression of the Law” (1 Jn. 3;4). Contrary to religious consensus, God does not wink at churchman’s sins. As a great man of God once said, man must “quit sin utterly.” To do so, God-craving man must reach a point in time when sin will not longer be a part of his life. Upon reaching that point in time, HE MUST REMAIN PURIFIED OF SIN AND WALK IN THAT SPIRITUAL STATE FOR THE REMAINDER OF HIS LIFE. And IF (not when) he stumbles he must remember the Apostle John’s words to the Church of God: “My little children, these things I write to you (so) THAT YOU SIN NOT. And (but) IF a man sins, he has an Advocate with the Father–Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 Jn. 2:1). Read all of First John for a detailed description of the walk we must walk in order to spend eternity with the Lord.

God’s Biblically-commanded walk of righteousness is possible only by being continually washed by the Lord’s Living Water–His Word. Having been supposedly saved and born again, having joined the church and having been active therein has no bearing on one’s relationship with God. THERE IS NO SALVATION-ATTAINING WALK EXCEPT THE WALK OF CHRIST; THERE IS NO SALVATION- ATTAINING PURIFICATION EXCEPT BY THE WORD OF GOD. Someone has walked that walk in that purified state–Jesus Christ. He and only He is the example we must emulate in order to inherit eternal life. To be continued. L.J.