In Acts 16:31 we find the Apostle Paul telling the Philippian jailer: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you and your house will be saved.”  As stated in the previous posting, this is the Scripture that the “only believe, no Law, no works” people put forth as “proof” that their “Sinners Saved By Grace” status within “the church” will have them heaven bound at the moment of their demise.  However, one does not hear those same people talking or writing about the following verse: “And they (Paul and Silas) spoke to–taught–him and to all who were in his house THE WORD OF THE LORD.”  If faith in the Lord Jesus Christ was all they needed to receive salvation, why go to the trouble of teaching them God’s Word?

Pardon me as I delve into a side issue by posing a question: What “Word of the Lord” did Paul and Silas teach the jailer and his family?  Answer: THE OLD TESTAMENT–the only Scriptural Word available at that time.  The New Testament would not exist for another 40+ years.  After ministering the Word of God in Philippi the apostles made their way to Thessalonica where they again ministered the Word–the Old Testament–resulting in a few people believing the Word.  Then Paul moved on to Berea where the people “searched the Scriptures (Word) daily” to see if what he was teaching them was true (Acts 17:10-12).  Note in verse 12 that, following Paul’s teaching of the Word of the Lord, “many of them (Bereans) believed.”  Believed what?  They believed the Word of the Lord.  They knew that believing on Jesus was not enough.  THEY KNEW THEY HAD TO BELIEVE AND OBEY THE WORD OF THE LORD (OLD TESTAMENT) IN ORDER TO BE SAVED.  So powerful was the Word Paul was preaching in Berea that, as we are told in verse 13, the Jews of Thessalonica came to Berea and stirred up the people against him.

Note that the people had to believe the Old Testament and to believe in the Messiah that God promised in Isaiah 7:14 and chapter 53 to send to earth where He would become the propitiation for the sins of mankind.  Paul confirmed this promise in Romans 3:25.  To “believe” and to “have faith” mean the same thing.  Most church people have faith in the New Testament, in Jesus, in God, etc. on the church level.  But is church-level faith the same as the God-level faith which Jesus of Nazareth embraced?  As we will see, the answer is an emphatic “NO.”  One type of faith is living faith which will qualify the faithful for eternal life.  The other type of faith is dead faith which will qualify the unfaithful for eternal death.  Through the Apostle James God speaks directly to the two types of faith–one living, the other dead.  As He tells us, the thing that separates the two faiths is a Word that the church despises, hates and rejects outright: that Word is “WORKS.”  Let us turn to James’ letter in which he expounds on “pure religion” which is “undefiled” (not interpreted, watered down, changed in any way) and which all professing believers must believe and obey (Jam. 1:27).

The Book of James is rejected by all but the most faithful believers because of its theme.   In chapter 2 the apostle expounds on the faith-works theme in no uncertain terms.  Martin Luther called the apostle’s letter a “straw book” (fit only for starting fires) because of its emphasis on WORKS, which the whole of professing Christendom reject to this day.  While ministering under the unction of the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:21) James wrote in 2:14,17,18,20,24,26 that “faith without works is dead.”  We live by our faith (Rom. 1:17) in “… every Word that comes from the mouth of God (Mat. 4:4), which is the basis of true faith (Rom. 10:19).  James made clear the fact that there are two kinds of believing/faith: 1) living, pro-works (Bible) faith that produces life and 2) dead, non-works (church) faith that produces death.  Jesus said that only a few–the holiness seekers–would choose the former (Mat. 7:13,14).  The masses–the salvation seekers–would choose the latter.  God makes clear in His Word that the goal of the true saint is holiness, not salvation.  Salvation is the END RESULT of a life of holiness (Rom. 5:21; 6:22/ Mat. 10:22).  Christ’s death made the Holy Spirit available to holiness seekers who use the Spirit’s power to overcome Satan’s temptations to sin.  Only those who overcome him will join Jesus in the Kingdom of God (Rev. 3:21) where they will rule and reign with Him forever (Rev. 5:10; 22:5), first over the earth for 1000 years, then over the universe forever.  Read God’s Very Elect: Future Caretakers of the Universe.  Use “Caretakers” as your key term.

One will notice that church people NEVER TALK ABOUT THE SECOND CHAPTER OF JAMES OR THE WORDS OF JESUS WHEN TALKING ABOUT FAITH/ THE LAW/ WORKS, ETC.  Satan has blinded their minds/hearts to those passages.  It is my job to give sight to the spiritual eyes of Truth seekers by using the Lord’s own Words.  Let us study His light-producing Words.  When asked, “What must I DO (WORK) to inherit eternal life?” (Lk. 18:18), Jesus replied: “IF you would enter into eternal life, KEEP (WORK) THE COMMANDMENTS (LAW).” He then enumerated a few of the Ten Commandments–the summation of the entire Law from Genesis to Revelation.  IF we are to be saved by God’s grace, we must keep (obey) all ten of the commandments, including #4, which the church refuses to do, thereby making themselves “workers of iniquity” (Gr.–Lawlessness) whom Christ vowed to reject on the Day of Judgment (Mat. 7:23).  Note that Jesus will say to Law rejecters, “I NEVER KNEW YOU ….” because they NEVER OBEYED THE COMMANDMENTS.  Note that in the 4th (Sabbath) commandment He demands that we REMEMBER THE SABBATH DAY AND KEEP IT HOLY.  The Word “keep” is a military term which means to surround so as to protect.  Note also that God used the Word “THE” in reference to His Sabbath.  “The” is presented in the present perfect tense, meaning that it is always in effect.  “The” identifies a singular subject–the ONE AND ONLY DAY GOD SET ASIDE AS HIS WEEKLY SABBATH.  “THE day is the 7th day of the week (Saturday), not the first day of the week (Sunday).  Note that Jesus said: “Salvation is of the Jews” (Jn. 4:22).  Why is this?  Because Jews keep the Law, including the 4th commandment.  Their problem is that they reject Jesus as their Messiah.  As Paul stated in Romans 3:1,2, the Jews have an advantage over the Gentiles because they have the “oracles (Law/Words) of God.”  They already know what to do and in most cases, do it–obey the Law.  Again, their rejection of Jesus is what stands between them and salvation.  JEWS KEEP GOD’S SABBATH, THEREFORE THEY KEEP THE LAW, WHICH GIVES THEM AN ADVANTAGE OVER GENTILES WHEN IT COMES TO SALVATION.

James tells us that to break one of the Ten Commandments is to break the entire Law (2:10).  Jesus calls those who observe Satan’s Sunday sabbath “workers of iniquity” (Lawlessness).  These are Christ-spoken Words by which we will all be judged (Jn. 12:44-50).  THUS SAITH THE LORD IN HIS HOLY WORD, which the church rejects, thereby rejecting both the Father and the Son.  This is confirmed by Jesus again in Luke 10:16 where He warns that to reject His Words is to DESPICE BOTH HIM AND HIS FATHER.  The seminal, root problem is FALSE CONVERSION.  Catholics and Protestants– so-called “Sinners Saved By Grace”–have never been truly converted.  Satan has convinced them that his false conversion is God’s true salvation.  By keeping them ignorant and unbelieving relative to the Scriptures, he keeps them in his church system and under his control.

Do not let the Word “WORKS” distract you.  It is true that we cannot earn salvation.  However, we must qualify to receive it as a gift by way of God’s grace.  To qualify for salvation one must WORK THE LAW BY OBEYING IT.  One cannot be given eternal life while living in sin–NO SINNER CAN BE SAVED.  Only those who, having been cleansed of sin, walk the rest of their lives in obedience to God (in holiness–Rom. 5:21; 6:22/ Mat. 10:22) will be saved at the return of Jesus Christ.  As He said in Revelation 3:21, only those who have overcome Satan–resisted his temptation to sin–will receive eternal life.  Salvation is the true saint’s eternal reward for walking this life in a state of Bible-defined holiness.  Sin is the transgression of the Law (1 Jn. 3:4), which is the opposite of holiness.  Breaking God’s Sabbath is transgressing the Law. DO NOT BE DECEIVED BY THE “ANGEL OF LIGHT’S” FALSE TRUTHS AS PREACHED BY HIS “MINISTERS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS” (2 Cor. 11:13-15).  Historically, the rider on the white horse has conquered billions of salvation seekers and continues to conquer billions more today.  Calling themselves “Christians,” these unwitting souls worship and serve him while believing that they are worshiping and serving the Biblical God.  NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF SATAN.  L.J.