In First John 3:4 the apostle, writing under the power of the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:21) some 60 years after the establishment of the New Covenant Church, states that GOD WAS STILL DEFINING SIN AS THE BREAKING OF HIS LAW. Jesus Christ tells us in Matthew 5:18 that not one jot or tittle would pass from the Law until all would be fulfilled (the Law would be obeyed to the fullest by man). He added in Luke 16:17 that heaven and earth would pass away before one tittle would pass from the Law. Both heaven and earth are still in place and will remain IN place until He says it is time for them to be REplaced by a new heaven and a new earth.

Yet churchites by the billions will go to any extreme, mangle God’s Word to any degree, believe any false prophet, quote any book, etc. in a vain attempt to “prove” that His Law has “passed away,” that, having been “nailed to the cross,” it has been dead for over 2000 years. The only thing Law-rejecters “prove” relative to the Law is that there is a church-wide refusal to “study” (the Scriptures) to show themselves “approved of God” (2 Tim. 2:15). There is, however, a concerted effort to read the Scriptures in search of what seemingly “proves” what they want to be God’s Truth. And they have help. Satan always provides a passage that, if taken alone or out of context, assures Law-deniers of their correctness. As Paul told Timothy, such “headline” hunters are “ever learning but never coming to the knowledge of the Truth” (2 Tim. 3:7). The key to learning God’s Truth is found in Isaiah 28:9-13 where the prophet records for God’s people His formula for Bible study. They must study His divine Word “precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.” He then repeats THE ONLY Biblical formula for gaining divine knowledge of God’s divine Word.

In spite of God’s Words, Jesus prophesied that few salvation seekers would follow His instructions, search for and find His strait (narrow) gate, enter His Law-keeping church and walk His narrow way leading to His Father’s kingdom. Many, He said, would be called to do so, but few would answer His call. That same “many,” He lamented, would enter Satan’s wide gate and walk his broad way leading to destruction (Mat. 7:13,14; 22:14). Concerning the “way” of God, Jesus declared that HE IS “THE WAY,” “THE TRUTH” AND “THE LIFE.” This means that His WAY–the WAY of TRUTH–which, if followed, will lead to eternal LIFE. Jesus tells us that there is only one “way” into God’s kingdom, that is to “walk as He walked” and to “overcome (Satan) as I (Jesus) overcame” him (1 Jn. 2:6/ Rev. 3:21). Jesus tells us that faith and grace alone could not save Him and cannot save His fellow man. THE MAN JESUS HAD TO OBEY GOD’S WORDS IN ORDER TO FULFILL HIS COMMISSION AND EARN THE RIGHT TO SPEND ETERNITY WITH HIM. The Apostle James tells us that faith cannot save us, either (2:14), that FAITH WITHOUT WORKS OF OBEDIENCE TO GOD’S WORD IS DEAD FAITH. BECAUSE WE “LIVE BY (OUR) FAITH” (Heb. 10:38), DEAD FAITH PRODUCES A DEAD SOUL (Jam. 2:10,14,17,18,20,24,26). Contrary to the opinion of Martin Luther, the Book of James is not a “straw book.” It was, as were all other books in the Bible, written under the leadership and power of the Holy Spirit.

In this posting we will examine the act of baptism, its symbolic meaning and the important part it plays in the saint’s power to “overcame (Satan) even as I (Jesus) overcame (him).” The theory that Jesus died so that churchites can sin with impunity is blasphemous. To “walk as He (Jesus) walked” and to be “led by the Spirit of God” as all true saints must be DOES NOT INCLUDE SIN ON THE PART OF EITHER CHRIST OR HIS DISCIPLES. As a future posting will show, one must live IN Christ during this life in order to live WITH Him in the future. “There is IN Him no darkness (sin) at all” (1 Jn. 1:5). Remember Christ’s warning about false prophets in Matthew 24:4,5. Read 2 Corinthians 6:114-7:1 and, in obedience to God’s command, “come out” of and have nothing to do with their counterfeit church systems which He calls “that unclean thing.” THEN, AND ONLY THEN, WILL GOD BE OUR GOD AND WE WILL BE HIS CHILDREN. So says the Lord in 6:18 and 7:1.

Recall also that if we continue to sin following justification, we spiritually “crucify Christ afresh” (with each sin). Any “repentance” from sinners saved by grace is false and cannot get through the “iron heaven” God has placed above them (Lev. 26:19). Jesus said about such crucifiers that they indeed do “worship Me,” but that their religiosity is all “in vain” because they do not obey His Words/Law/way/Truth/light. Now let us examine the act of baptism by emersion–the only type of baptism mentioned in the Holy Scriptures.

All of us HAVE SINNED IN THE PAST. Therefore we needed a Savior, for no amount of Law-keeping, church-going, etc. can erase those sins and the death penalty they produced. It is by God’s grace that we can receive justification (have all PAST sins forgiven) and have the death penalty for our PAST SINS removed. Being justified, we are free of sin and therefore holy and righteous. Relative to sin, the question becomes, now what? This is where Satan leads church people off of God’s WAY and onto his (Satan’s) way. Read Bait and Switch. Key word–Bait.

Paul is very clear about God’s command to live according to His Law. However, it requires a miracle to enable us to do so, as we will soon see. In Romans chapter five he explains about God’s grace and Christ’s sacrifice which erases all of our PAST sins. Then in 6:1,2 he asks THE question that the church refuses to address. The question involves the sin-after-justification situation. Paul asks: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue to sin because of God’s grace? God forbid! How can we who are DEAD TO SIN CONTINUE TO SIN? Did God’s grace do away with the Law, the breaking of which is, by His definition, sin? Paul’s answer is an emphatic NO! As baptism symbolizes, WE ARE WASHED CLEAN OF SIN AND ARE COMMANDED TO REMAIN CLEAN. WE ARE NOT THEN FREE TO SIN AND WIN, AS CHURCHITES ARE REPEATEDLY TOLD. Instead, we are commanded to keep sin out of our lives, to “SIN NO MORE” as Jesus told the prostitute and the man at the well called Bethesda.

Obedience to this command is possible only by the power of the Holy Spirit living within us. The implanting of God’s Holy Spirit of power and holiness in our hearts (minds) takes place following TRUE REPENTENCE OF ONE’S PAST SINS AND THE FORGIVENESS OF THOSE SINS. IN GOD’S MIND, JUSTIFICATION RENDERS ONE’S PAST SINS AS NEVER HAVING EXISTED. Why, then, would He allow the justified, cleansed, washed, delivered holy saint to RETURN TO SINNING? Why would He allow the justified one to RETURN TO SINNING, RETURN TO ONE’S UNHOLY, UNRIGHTEOUS CHARACTER BY CONTINUING TO CRUCIFY HIS SON AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN, … AD INFINITUM? Only Satan could come up with such a “truth” and sell it to billions of people. Which he has done, is doing and will continue to do in the future. The whole of professing Christendom has zealously embraced his sin, win and grin strategy. Let us examine God’s Word in search of His Truth concerning the blasphemous “truths” that have become the foundational principles upon which Satan has built his Catholic/Protestant Religious System, which is his most effective weapon of mass destruction because those involved in it are absolutely certain that they are serving the Biblical God. Living in spiritual darkness and having been blinded by it (Eph. 5:8), billions of people unknowingly serve the prince of darkness while believing that they are serving the Lord of light (2 Cor. 4:3,4). For this reason Jesus called their darkness (sin) “great darkness.” By giving man what he wants, Satan exercises absolute control over “the church.” Jesus spoke to this Truth in Matthew 16:23.

Recall that the true saint was justified (had all past sins removed) by Christ’s death. HIS SINS WERE SYMBOLICALLY WASHED AWAY BY CHRIST’S BLOOD, rendering him holy, righteous and godly. Recall that THE JUSTIFIED MAN WILL BE SAVED BY CHRIST’S LIFE IF AND ONLY IF Christ’s life is manifested through him (the saint) throughout the remainder of his/her human life. Just as Jesus, as a man, lived the life of His Father, we, as men, must live the life of Christ. More on this in the following posting.

The above is possible only through the power of the Holy Spirit which one receives upon justification and baptism. At this point, the old sinning man is put to death and the new godly man is created. “Knowing this: Our old man was crucified upon Christ’s crucifixion, so that THE BODY OF SIN WILL BE DESTROYED, that henceforth we are “walk (as Jesus walked–1 Jn. 2:6) in newness of life” so that we will “not serve sin” (Satan). The Holy Spirit actually gives us the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16), Whose mind does not contain sin.

Everything begins in the mind. Faith is a mental application. What we do and say is first formulated in our minds (hearts). Having the mind of Christ gives us the faith of Christ. Such faith will enable His true saints to “… do the things that I do and even greater things than these will he do ….” (Jn. 14:12). Jesus obeyed God so that when people saw Him (Jesus), they saw the Father. By “walking as Jesus walked,” when me see us, they see Him. The “things” Christ did as a man did not include sin. As a man He was led by the Holy Spirit. Being men as He was a man, God’s true saints are led by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:14). THE HOLY SPIRIT DOES NOT LEAD US TO SIN. That would make Jesus our “minister of sin” (Gal. 2:17). God’s curse is on those who claim that Christ’s death on the cross enables them to sin and get away with it.

It is true that such blasphemy can be forgiven. However, if one continues to sin following justification, his sins, though repented of, are not forgiven. They are stored up until judgment (Rom. 2:5) because Jesus knows that the sinning churchite’s repentance is not genuine, that he has every intention of sinning again, and again, etc. Sinners saved by grace have what the Lord calls, an “impenitent heart.” I believe that God will soon begin to pour out His wrath as never before on all who embrace Satan’s blasphemous “only believe,” “the Law is dead,” “come as you are, stay as you are, “I am a sinner saved by grace” theology.

It is my prayer that those upon whom God sends His woes will see the light of His Truth, repent and turn to Him in earnest. My wish is that all who read this website would embrace the God of the Holy Scriptures, believe Him obey Him and bow to Him in total submission. The Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord are rapidly approaching. Just prior to their approach God will take His people to their place of safety. Once the evacuation takes place, it will be too late to take part in the First Resurrection–the resurrection of His Very Elect 3 1/2 years later. Read The Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord and The Three Resurrections. Key words–Tribulation and Resurrections respectively. L.J.