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1 Timothy 6:17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;  

This is a response to the second comment from a "prominent grace pastor" with whom our brother Keith has been corresponding concerning the pastor's aversion to the finished cross-work of Christ. The first comment was answered and published in a previous blog. 

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*Posted with permission from the author*

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The following is a response to a YouTube comment from a preacher who calls himself a right divider. He left quite a lengthy post under our podcast No One Has Ever Believed Paul's Gospel In Vain. We have broken it down into sections here to avoid missing any points.

Some consistently preach incorrect information and then act as if that false information should not be corrected. Correction works the same way judgment does: As soon as you declare that others shouldn't judge, you are guilty of making a judgment yourself. Likewise, proclaiming that we should not go around correcting others is indeed a correction given by the one complaining. 

February 18, 2024

"Four Different Types of Reconciliation"

This blog was produced from an excerpt of the podcast first published on the WTTR mobile App on January 16th, 2024.

Are Forgiveness & Justification Synonymous? 

We've all heard that puzzle analogy. You know, the one about how when we learn to study the scriptures in the way that God intended, it's like putting all of the pieces of a puzzle together so that you can finally see the picture. I believe it is a very accurate description. However, to me, there is more to it than just the thought of putting a jigsaw puzzle together. So, here is my take on it:

A dear brother in Christ, and minister of reconciliation wanted me to proof a piece he was writing. In it he mentioned how that Saul's name was changed to Paul. The following was my response:

When talking to others about the revelation of the mystery, there's one thing you might discern, they're having not yet understood that the Apostle Paul was the last to whom the risenChrist appeared.1 Corinthians chapter 15, beginning with verse 7, Paul said that Christ Jesus was seen of James, then of all the apostles, and last of all he was seen of me also, as one born out of due time.Think of that; our apostle, the dispensation of grace apostle, was the last to whom the risen Christ appeared.And of course we know that in auditory visions he came back, he gave Paul an abundance of revelations which through him completed the last revelation of himself.That's why in Colossians 1 we read, Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church whereof I am made a minister according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, which is given to me for you, and watch this, to fulfill the word of God, even the mystery, which has been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to the saints. Verses 24-26.These words, hey the words Jesus gave Paul were the words that fulfilled that completed the word of God.So, without Paul's Damascus road encounter and all the subsequent meetings he had with the Lord, we wouldn't have a Bible.No one would possess God's perfectly preserved word because it was Paul's 13 epistles that completed his word.Furthermore, without those 13 epistles, we have no identity.The very identity of you and I, we as members of the body of Christ, isn't found outside of Paul's writings.Something that modern Christendom overlooks, the church which is his body Ephesians 1:22 is exclusive.It's an exclusive term only found in the epistles of Paul.You and I, we don't exist.We don't find our identity anywhere else in scripture.This is mind-boggling for some who are hearing this for the first time, but because at that time, listen, those scriptures, what they speak of as Paul said Ephesians 2:12, Paul here says at that time, we were without Christ being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in this world.The, "at that time," he's speaking of is before he received his revelations.Any writings you find that lead up to Paul are not talking about or including you.We were outside, we were outside looking in.What was going on then was for the circumcision.John 4:22, salvation was of the Jews.We were outside and that was the position and identity of the Gentiles prior to the Apostle Paul being given the Ephesians 3:2, dispensation of grace.Thank God, thank God.It was Paul who wrote and completed the Word of God, and that explains why Paul said that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works, 2 Timothy 3:17.Today, we're throughly furnished because of the writings of Paul if the Lord would not have returned and laid out his predestined plan for us, which is what we find in Paul's books, Romans through Philemon, we would not even be in the picture.But praise the Lord, he had a secret, the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world unto our glory, 1 Corinthians 2:7.Yes, he had a secret, one that before revealing it was kept hidden, one that was decided in the heavenly realm, Ephesians 1:4, before the foundation of the world.Oh, we thank God for keeping his new creature church a secret and assigning a special apostle to take a special gospel and reveal it to the nations.We're so grateful, our heart is full of joy that he equipped him with the Acts 20:24 gospel of the grace of God, which is separate by the way, separate and apart from the law of Moses.Paul was the set aside apostle born out of due time to give us hidden revealing truths that were previously not known, how that God stopped charging sins to the world on the merit of what Christ Jesus our Lord did.Paul was committed with the word of reconciliation in his commission, his purpose, was to Acts 26:18, open our eyes and turn us from darkness to light, turn us from the power of Satan unto God, that we may receive forgiveness of sins, receive the truth that had taken place at Calvary.Think about that there in Acts 26:18, the word received that matches 1 Corinthians 15 verse 1, Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you which alsoye have received, received.Today, our receiving doesn't make forgiveness true any more than receiving will make his 1 Corinthians 15:3 death true.Or, receiving makes his verse 4 burial or resurrection true.Doesn't matter if we believe it or not, it's true, our receiving it by grace through faith makes us saved.Belief cannot magically activate your forgiveness, not the forgiveness that took place 20 centuries ago.But now it can activate your salvation that takes place at the moment you believe the gospel, which places you into the body of Christ.See, once you start, once you start rightly dividing the word of truth, you can move forward.A change of mindset from your old denominational way of reading scripture, you'll have a paradigm shift from thinking like the old man to thinking like the new man, from the mind of Adam to the mind of Christ, from corruption to liberation, bondage to freedom, darkness to light, from death to resurrection.Freedom isn't found in trying to improve the flesh or doing anything.You'll find it when you reckon your flesh crucified, when you reckon yourself Romans 6:11 dead unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.Or what about Romans 6:3, Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death.Verse 4, Therefore, we are buried with him by baptism into death that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.Newness of life.Oh, that's good, that hits hard, that's good news.Hey, today, go ahead, decide today, I implore you.Or as Paul would say, I beseech you, to let this be, let this be the day that you decide to start walking in newness of life. Christ died for every one of your sins.God brought in the dispensation of grace. And because of what Christ did, he stopped imputing sins to the world. And in this time of grace, all one must do is hear the good news,the good news of the gospel, how that he died for your sins, he was buried, and he has risen to justify you, to justify all who would believe on him exclusively, believe on him alone.Without 1 John 1:9, without Matthew chapter 19, what shall I do to inherit eternal life, keep the commandments. No, that's not the gospel. Acts 2:38, Repent and be water baptized for the remission of sins. No, Paul was revealed our better news.Romans 5:13, For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.Hey, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son. Praise God, the stone was rolled back, and now, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.There's power, there is great power in his resurrection, eternal life giving power. And all that is required is to rest in that good news alone, trusting Christ with our eternal salvation, his life. That's what we need. Forgiveness is a done deal. What you need is life.You only get two educations, the one you're given, and the one you give yourself.

Hebrews 1:1, God who at sundry times and in divers manner spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets.Sundry, an adjective meaning several, spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets. By the prophets.There's our clue, there's our clue, and we know that the book of Hebrews isn't speaking of you and I, it isn't speaking of us for we're not spoken of in prophecy. At that time we were aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, outside all of the covenants, go study for yourself.In time past, God was dispensing prophecy information throughout your Bible in the books that lead up to the ministry of your Apostle, the Apostle Paul. But then something changed, and he began to dispense mystery information, mystery simply meaning secret information that had not been revealed prior to Paul. Today, we're discussing the advantages of being a dispensationalist, more specifically, a mid-Acts or Acts 9 dispensationalist.Approaching your Bible, understanding the scriptures dispensationally will eliminate much of the chaotic seed that has been sown by religion, the confusion that is found in nearly 50,000 Christian denominations. Matthew 18:18 Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.How's that going for you today? Not well, no, I understand. You see, the reason that you don't have binding and loosening power is because this information wasn't for you. It's pretty simple.This was for another dispensation. The next verse, look at the next verse, it doesn't work either.Verse 19, ...if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall (not might) it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.This doesn't work, doesn't work because it's not your mail. It's the wrong dispensation.Things like this make it hard to understand how anyone could go against dispensationalism, to go against approaching scripture with dispensational lenses.And truth be told, listen, when we come right down to it, at times, everyone is a dispensationalist.If you're not separating from your wife during her menstrual cycle, Leviticus 15:19, you're a dispensationalist. If you're not Deuteronomy 21:18, stoning your rebellious childrento death, guess what? You're a dispensationalist. If you're not a vegetarian, Genesis 1:29, and you're okay with eating meat, 1 Timothy 4 verses 3 to 5, welcome to the dispensationalist club because you are one. Hey, you'd think that everyone would have sense enough to recognize that not all things written in scripture applies to them. If you think the church started back there in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, you're a dispensationalist. If you think the church began in Acts chapter 2, like the famous dispensationalist, Charles Ryrie he thought, then you're a dispensationalist.Wrong dispensation, but a dispensationalist nonetheless. And we should note that most are fine with Acts 2 dispensationalists. Tell someone you're an Acts 2 dispensationalist, and they'll barely bat an eye. They're fine with that. Even though, now listen closely, they're fine with you being an Acts 2 dispensationalist. Even though not one, not one Acts 2 dispensationalists do what Acts 2 says to do.None are able to Acts 2:4 speak multiple languages without being taught to.And not one is living a communal lifestyle by verse 45, having sold all their possessions and goods and parted them to all men. Talk about hypocrisy. Welcome to hippocratesville, population in the millions. You cannot execute your hands-on doctrine if you don't first figure out where it is. Can we learn from Acts 2? Yes, things written afore time are for our learning, Romans 15:4, but my hands-on doctrine? No, listen, not found in Acts chapter 2. God didn't supernaturally give me the ability to speak in multiple languages. I'm not living the communal lifestyle.I haven't sold all my possessions. So, the wise thing to do is to get real and realize that the church, which is his body, didn't begin until Acts 9 with the calling out and saving of the Apostle Paul, which makes me an Acts 9 dispensationalist. That's right. Everyone is a dispensationalist in some respect. But if you get your dispensational starting point correct, you'll be able to do what your doctrine says to do. The advantages of being a dispensationalist is knowing what is and what is not written directly to us. When dealing with those dispensational opposers, notice how they will, they credit a man with coming up with it instead of God himself. Somebody get them a Bible because in Ephesians 1:10, the word of God, if that means anything to you, the word of God speaks of the dispensation of the fullness of times. This is future, when he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth. And Paul mentions the dispensation we currently live in and he said, If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God, which was given me to youward. That's Ephesians 3:2. In Colossians 1:25, God inspired Paul to write this, Whereof I am made a minister, according to the... here it is, ...the dispensation of God, which is given to me for you to fulfill the word of God. Oh, what do we have here? Listen, without God making Paul a minister and without God giving him his own personal dispensation, the dispensational naysayers wouldn't even have a Bible.And as a result, listen, as a result of their ignorance, people, they like to say there's only one gospel in the Bible. No, there's only one gospel today at present, but there is more than one gospel in your Bible. They say that even though in 1 Corinthians 9:17, Paul said, A dispensation of the gospel,... let me say that again, ...a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me.So, for us Bible believers, we're, we're starting to see here, dispensations are not an invention of any man, they belong to God himself. And he put them right here in his perfectly preserved word some 1800 years before a man named Darby. So, don't fall for the lies. A stewardship over different instructions for different people during different times, hey, that's God's idea, not man's. Remember Hebrews 1:1, God who at sundry times and in divers manners, spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets. He did it in time past, and he did it again with the Apostle Paul. That's why Paul said, Whereby when you read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ, which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men as it is now, as it is now revealed into his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. As it is now, not before.There were obviously things not known in other ages that were made known in the first century to the Apostle Paul. This isn't hard to understand, just hard for some to believe, because it shakes the foundation of what they've been taught. Want to get men riled up?Go against their tradition.Bringing awareness to there being distinct dispensations in the Bible goes directly against tradition. The dispensation Jesus gave Paul concerned a different gospel with a different destination and is why no one prior to Paul had ever even heard about dying and going to heaven to spend eternity. The dispensation of the gospel given to Paul was Roman 16:25 kept secret since the world began. This revelation of the mystery deals with how that God was in Christ, reconciling the world into himself, and it's there where he stopped charging sins to us. The mystery was how he did this without a covenant or the law. This was mystery, not prophecy, mystery, meaning hid in God and kept secret. Something I find incredibly noteworthy is out of the 13 epistles of the Apostle Paul, he used the word "dispensation" four times, not once, not twice, not even three times, but God had Paul to put it in the Holy Scriptures four times, which is more than the phrase, "born again." Yet, we don't have people today trying to discredit the phrase, "born again," by suggesting that a man came up with it in the 1800s, now do we? A dispensation needs a steward and the Apostle Paul is the steward for this current dispensation we live in. It deals with the management of God's revealed purpose, how things are ordered and managed within a certain setting. His writings contain the daily affairs for the body of Christ. That's where we find our marching orders. To have a steward of a household, someone in charge, someone who, who managed the daily affairs so that the house ran smoothly.A steward's responsibility would also deal with dispensing, how things are distributed.So, when we, when we speak of there being different dispensations, this speaks to how God has different ways of sorting out one thing from another in different time fragments. A dispensation is not a period of time as some teach, but it does happen within a specific time. When we allow his word, when we allow it by itself to reign as our final authority, we cannot help but to see that God governs differently with each administration and each economy. With each, man is given different responsibilities. God does not change. He's the same yesterday and today and forever, but his expectations of mankind have varied from one dispensation to the other. Your salvation doesn't depend on you building an ark, but Noah's did. I don't know how a student of the word could deny that there's different dispensations in this Bible. You got to really go out of your way not to see this, not to see how that God related to his people differently throughout scripture.In time past, the law governed Israel, but in time present, grace governs us. Go read Titus chapter 2, read verses 11 and 12. In Matthew through John, God governed them by their keeping of the law. Matthew 23 verses 2 and 3, Jesus speaking said, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat, whatsoever they bid you observe and do. That's the law. That's performance.And in chapter 19 verses 16 and 17, a man asked Jesus, What good things shall I do that I can have eternal life? His answer? Keep the commandments, the law. Most reject dispensationalism, which results in missing God's dual purpose and divine plan for mankind. You can't get out of the first book of the Bible without recognizing this duality. Genesis 1:1, In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. He created both for a specific reason, one for an earthly kingdom and the other for a heavenly kingdom. Matthew 6:10 goes right along with it, Jesus said, Thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. God's will will indeed be done in both.Then watch what Jesus tells Paul to tell us, Ephesians 2:6, ...and have raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. So are we waiting on thy kingdom come?No, we are not. This is God's dual plan for humanity right here for all to see and understand his dual plan. One found in prophecy, books before and after Paul, the other found in mystery, Paul's books, Romans through Philemon.Religious institutions continue to cause confusion by overlooking Bible dispensations four times we see the word, but the concept is actually in several places. In fact, a dispensation can be traced all the way back to Adam in the garden. It's vital that we, we recognize the dispensations of God and the stewards that managed each one. Adam, Adam was a steward. He was a manager. Adam was the steward of the garden. Abraham was a steward of the promise. Moses was a steward of the law. And Paul was a steward of grace. Now grace can be found all throughout the Bible in each dispensation, but not a full-on dispensation of grace. When we talk about that, that's nowhere outside of the Apostle Paul's writings, Romans through Philemon. Do your homework. Come to your own conclusion.Jesus gave us some insight of the, the word, "steward," in Luke chapter 12 verse 42, And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward whom his Lord shall make rule over his household to give them their portion of meat in due season? God has different stewards with different rules for different households. Paul is our Apostle, Romans 11:13, and was given the responsibility of being a steward of the mysteries of God for this grace dispensation.As we see in 1 Corinthians chapter 4 verses 1 and 2, Let a man so account of us as the ministers of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God, 1 Corinthians chapter 4. Listen, studying scripture through dispensational lenses, you know what it's going to do? It's going to open up your understanding like never ever before. My job here today as an ambassador for Christ, my job is not to convince you of anything. Anything I can talk you into someone else can come along and talk you out of. I want you in this book discovering these truths for yourself. If you don't come to the same conclusion we here at Truth Time have, that's fine, but we want, we got to get you in this book.During the, the, the Cambodian genocide, I think it was 1970, it was in the 70s, but there was a man, a man who led this, who led a regime called the Khmer Rouge. His name was, his name was something like Pol, Polpot, or Polpot. I may be pronouncing it wrong, but Pot told his men to target those who wore eyeglasses. Those who wore eyeglasses he considered a threat because they were more likely to be intellectuals, and the educated, it was the educated that were seen as their biggest threat. So, acquiring knowledge was a reason to be stopped and interrogated, which often led to a death sentence for wearing eyeglasses. And if you remember, God told Israel that they were destroyed for lack of knowledge, but here we see people being destroyed for having knowledge.We should be very thankful, very thankful indeed that we currently have no such regime.We're free to 2 Timothy 2:15 study, educate ourselves so we can rightly divide the gospel of our salvation from the gospel not of our salvation, dividing the dispensations found in scripture.Paul said to consider what he said and the Lord will give you understanding in all things, 2 Timothy 2:7. Those today claiming to be covenant in their theology, we've had to deal with them for quite some time now, many times over the years, over the years of our ministry. And well, at times they too have to become dispensationalist to a degree. They have to because at times, they have a moment of clarity and realize just how idiotic and contradicting their teachings sound.So, they have to tweak it back, shave off a little, and change what they're saying.But you don't because, because you don't have to.As an Acts 9 dispensationalist, we simply don't have to do that. But most, they tend to take a little from one dispensation, a little from another dispensation, they cherry pick is what they do, they get some parts here and parts there and then make a combo meal. Their failure to recognize the distinct stewardship given to the Apostle Paul results in them being unstable. People will run from cover to cover one end of the Bible to the other, trying to make everything about them.Stealing Israel's mail. But dispensational understanding will help you with that. It clears the cobwebs and lets you know where you stand. I don't forgive others to be forgiven, Matthew 6:14. I forgive others because I'm already forgiven, Ephesians 4:32.I don't get baptized to receive the Holy Spirit, Acts 2:38, because the Holy Spirit baptized me into the body of Christ, 1 Corinthians 12:13. The reason I haven't Matthew 19:29 forsaken my home, my family, and land as a condition to inherit everlasting life, is because I'm a dispensationalist.And so are you if you're honest. See, one dispensation teaches one thing, another dispensation teaches something else. Over time, God has used more than one body of principles to govern man.In scripture, God's divine purpose doesn't change, but the means did. He dealt with different people in different times using different manners. Understanding what dispensation we're currently in will ultimately help us answer two very important questions. What is God doing, and what is to be expected of me today? In time past, God gave Moses a dispensation of law for Israel, but he gave Paul a dispensation of grace for us. Under the law, they were expected to keep it in order to inheriteverlasting life, but our salvation is according to mercy, Titus 3:5, and not by works of righteousness which we have done. The idea of our Bible having different dispensational truths is really not a hard concept to grab hold to, but to do so, you've got to get rid of some nonsensical notions that have been put forth by those who teach covenant theology. Their idea of rightly dividing is to make a distinction between the old covenant and new covenant, to which a Bible believer, they know that both the old covenant and the new covenant are meant for the same people. The House of Israel and the House of Judah. Truth confirmed by Jeremiah 31 verses 31 to 34, and Hebrews chapter 8 verses 8 through 13. Go read it, then believe it. You're not there. We're not old covenant, we're not new covenant, we're not old covenant Israel, we're not new covenant Israel, we're not either or we're neither nor. You and I are members of the church which is his body, Ephesians 2:22.Covenant theology and their failure to rightly divide, they have to pretend that all the books of the Bible contain one message to every one of all time, which leaves them scratching their head while having to make up stories to explain certain verses instead of simply believing them as they are written, as they were written and to whom they were written.If you sit down at a poker table, the, the dealer, he'll dispense cards. Your cards will change from one hand to the next. You go to a soda fountain, place your cup underneath the dispenser that says, Sprite, it shouldn't be a surprise when you get a Sprite. Sprite is not Coke, Coke is Coke.Sprite's not Coke, no more than law is grace. Sprite's not Coke, law is not grace, and Israel is God's first born, you are not. You're the church, which is his body. The Bible is structured like, like a library. It's not a single, linear novel. The Bible is made up of various books written to various people throughout different times describing various events. In it, we see certain markers that distinguish dispensations. And hopefully something I've said here today will help you see the simplistic nature of how your Bible is actually laid out. God's word wasn't written to fool anyone. There's no trickery here. It is man who's responsible for that.Now, I'm, I'm in no way saying that there aren't some things in scripture that are hard to understand, there certainly are. But let me tell you this, you don't stand a chance of understanding this book until you first figure out the layout.If you're on the interstate driving from one state to another, you'll notice that each state dispenses speed laws, and some differ from the next. You're cruising along at 75 miles per hour and, and you look at your heads up display and notice the speed sign turned red. That's your warning.A warning that a new dispensation, a new speed limit is in effect.As dispensationalists, we have our own heads up system. When we look to God's word, we notice the changes.We see how he dealt with Adam and Eve before sin, and we see how he changed his dealings with them after sin. We recognize how things changed after the flood from before the flood.We see the clear differences found in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John from the letters of Paul.They're different, different instructions, something different's going on.And a lot of people see this. That's why they call Paul a heretic.And on the flip side, Martin Luther thought James was the heretic.Wanted his books removed from the Bible.Because much of his teachings are opposite to Paul's. He got that right.But as Acts 9, mid-Acts dispensationalists, we have the answer to the supposed conundrum.We don't want James' book removed from the Bible. It's perfect right where it is.Your dispensational thinking won't line up with traditional thought, so don't be surprised when you're labeled a heretic also.What do you think those law-dog Judaisers thought about Paul when he came bullhorning the gospel of grace in their cities? They tried to kill him, that's what they did.Wanted him dead, preaching salvation by grace through faith alone, hey, it comes with a price.If your belief system's been put together like one of those crazy quilts, I think they're called, some column album quilts. You know, the ones that women used to sew, maybe still do, putting a piece of history in a here and then placing a picture of somebody here, it's a beautiful thing, but that's not how our Bible operates.We have to rightly divide the dispensations and keep them in their proper place.It helps the believer to discover their true identity in Christ, no longer having to, to cherry pick from various dispensations, trying to piece them all together and figure out who you are and where you stand, it'll never work. You'll be unstable in all your ways.But listen, you don't have to rightly divide to get saved. We want to make that clear.All you have to do for salvation is hear and believe Paul's gospel.But the problem is, many never hear and believe the correct gospel because they never heard it taught dispensationally. But you hearing and believing the gospel is the main thing and we want to motivate you. Truth Time Radio is here to do just that, to get your nose in God's book. His book is the only authority. If we presented something that got you in this book studying for yourself, we did our job. We did what we set out to do because we believe that for many, that's all that's lacking, putting God's word before their tradition, putting his word before mama said, daddy said, preacher said. So, being dispensational means we recognize that God has had different methods of speaking.As dispensationalists, we see and respect the timelines, the plans, and the purposes. We know that his purpose for Israel was to make of himself a peculiar nation of kings and priests to inherit heaven on earth. Matthew 5:5, Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. That's not you. But thankfully we're not left out. He has a plan and purpose for us, too.To set our affection on things above, not on things on the earth, Colossians 3:2. Those two verses do not say the same thing. They oppose one another and they're supposed to. Nothing wrong with your Bible, it's your approach. And if you are not looking at your Bible dispensationally, things will get confused really quick. Like it or not, agree with it or not, your Bible is not saying the same thing everywhere to all people. There are two groups of people with two separate destinations, and you're a part of the new creature heading for heavenly places, not a nation of people looking for their new city to come down on earth. There's a reason the term, "the church which is his body," is found in Paul's writings. There's more than one church in your Bible, but the body of Christ church was a unique entity that remained hid in God before being revealed to the Apostle Paul.An honest look at scripture will bear out everything I'm telling you here. Just go put your nose in the book, study this book. God has more than one people, one purpose, and one destiny.But this truth, it'll remain hidden until you put on your dispensational lenses and take a fresh look.Christ died for your sins, he was buried, three days later he rose to justify all that would rest their faith in him, solely in him alone. The world's sins stop being imputed at the cross.Our victory is found in him and in him alone. There's only one way to heaven and it is through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. When a man who is honestly mistaken, when he hears the truth, he'll either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest.

John, he writes, How do you believe people were saved during Jesus' earthly ministry, which is before his death burial and resurrection?Okay, John, thanks for the question.They were saved by the gospel of the kingdom.The only requirement was to hear and believe that Jesus was who he declared himself to be, the Christ, the Son of the living God, John 20 verse 31, But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name."Through his name."It's quite obvious that John didn't teach life through the cross.He taught life through his name.That's how they were saved, and other than the thief on the cross, after they believed, they had to be water baptized.It wasn't an option, it was a must.They had to do so to prove their belief.The thief on the cross was saved without water.But if he had come down off the cross and refused baptism, he would have suffered loss of his salvation.Because even though their belief in the name placed them in right standing with God, they had to maintain that standing while alive.That's why Jesus said, But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. Matthew 24:13.Some, you know, them that those that like to make salvation the same all throughout the Bible, not recognizing the uniqueness of Paul's gospel, they don't believe what we just read.They don't believe that Matthew 24:13 means what it says.They have to juggle the verse to make it line up with their theology.Salvation by enduring unto the end isn't grace.Don't let anyone fool you.It's interesting how most miss this.Salvation by enduring is salvation by merit.Deuteronomy 6:25, And it shall be our righteousness,...Hey, let me repeat that.It shall be our righteousness, our righteousness.If we,... and here comes to the condition, ...if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our God, as he hath commanded us...See that?Just like Matthew 24:13, here is another one, here's another one they don't believe.Deuteronomy 6:25.When rightly dividing is overlooked, now please listen, listen closely and mark my words here.When rightly dividing is avoided, there will be a slew of verses that your preacher will either have to change or ignore.Now, in Matthew 19, we see an excellent example of what it meant to endure unto the end starting with verse 16. Come with me, if you have your King James Bible.Here it says, And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God:...And then he answers the man.He answers his question.He said, ...but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.Now, is this the dispensation of grace?No, it is not.The law was still in effect, and it shall be our righteousness.Remember? If we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our God, as he hath commanded us, what shall I do?Keep the commandments.He didn't say, Believe the gospel.How that I died for your sins was buried and rose the third day.How could he?He's very much alive here, and talking to the man.You see, what some do is they, they, they read Paul's gospel back into Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.They read Paul's gospel into Acts chapter 1, chapter 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7.That's intellectually dishonest.Paul didn't come on the scene, he didn't come along until Acts 9, and you're not going to find his gospel back there unless you take a plunger and shove it back in.The man asked a simple question and got a simple answer.You want eternal life?Keep the commandments.Because righteousness was found in the law like we just read.And watch what Paul says about it.Watch this.Let's see here.Philippians chapter 3, come with me.Philippians chapter 3 starting with...Hmm...Verse 4, Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:Are you hearing this?Oh, you've read it, but, but did you grasp what you read?Paul said, now listen, he said, If any other man... if any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I (that's Paul), I more:What's Paul talking about here?That doesn't sound like grace.No, it's not, because Paul is speaking of time past.He says he was circumcised on the eighth day.He was of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin.He was a Hebrew of the Hebrews as touching the law.He was a Pharisee.Concerning zeal, he persecuted the church.And he goes on to say, Touching the righteousness, which is found in Christby grace through faith.Is that what it...?No, that's not what it says.Touching the righteousness which is in the law...Righteousness in the law?That's right.Touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.Blameless, Paul said.Oh, you mean Paul never sinned?No, he was blameless because he understood what was required of a man, what the law required of him when he did sin.He had an out, a way to get back into right standing.What did Paul say?Where was righteousness in time past?Touching the righteousness which is in the law.Not in Jesus, not in the gospel of trusting Christ by grace through faith.Nope.You got to read that back in to all those, to those books outside of Romans through Philemon.It's not there.The gospel of trusting Christ by grace through faith alone, that's Paul's present day gospel.That's the one for us.But it's nowhere to be found outside of his epistles.His epistles are for the body of Christ, the body of Christ, an entity that's not found outside of his epistles either.Not many stop to think about these things.The body of Christ is an exclusive term to the Apostle Paul.Putting your trust in Jesus, his finished crosswork and resurrection,dying and going to heaven, that's not the gospel of the kingdom.That's Paul's gospel.That's what Jesus gave to Paul, Galatians chapter 1 verse 11.Paul was taught by no man.None of the twelve had to teach Paul the gospel of the kingdom for him to go preach, because that wasn't his gospel.He was given an exclusive and a distinct, unique gospel straight from the mouth of the risen Lord Jesus Christ from heaven.So, watch out for the pulpit magicians out here who, who read Paul's gospelback into a place where it does not fit.Putting Paul's gospel in the gospel of the kingdom will pervert the gospelof the kingdom.Putting the gospel of the kingdom into Paul's gospel will pervert Paul's gospel.That's why in Galatians 1, he said, There is not another, presently not another gospel than the one I preach.Watch out for the blenders, they're conflating what God said is to be kept separate.The gospel of the kingdom is different than Paul's Acts 20:24 gospel of the grace of God.As members of the body of Christ we find our salvation, our worthy walk,our eternal destiny in the gospel of the grace of God, the gospel of Christ,the gospel of Christ as presented to the apostle Paul.As members of the body of Christ, we do not find our salvation, our worthy walk, or our eternal destiny in the gospel of the kingdom.That was about the good news of Israel's coming Messiah to be their king in their kingdom.And again, not about anyone dying and going to heaven.That didn't come till later.That's Paul's gospel.I can take this Bible and preach Jesus two different ways.I can preach Jesus according to prophecy, or Roman 16:25 according to the revelation of the mystery.You need to get that.Don't take my word, go study this out for yourself.Be an Acts 17 verse 11, be like those of Berea.It's Paul's gospel, his gospel of Christ that is by grace through faithand that not of yourselves which is clearly, I mean, come on, that's clearly not the gospel of the kingdom, where one had to be water-baptized for the remission of sins, keep all the commandments, and forsake everything in order to inherit everlasting life.Some fools want us to believe that's grace.That's not grace.That's nonsense is what it is.Even Jethro with his six-grade education could get this.Over the years, over the years while witnessing Paul's gospel, his gospel of Christ to others, after mentioning some of these things I'm speaking with you guys about today, some of these things that had to be done according to the gospel of the kingdom, most, what do they do?They get a, that look of unbelief on their face.Until, until, until I have them open the book and read it for themselves,and they're still a little astonished, but at least they, they actually see that I'm speaking scripture.Matthew 19:29.Now watch this.Matthew 19, if you've got your Bible, Matthew 19 verse 29.If you don't have your Bible, make a note, a physical one or a mental one,and go read this for yourself.If you're a Bible believing student of God's word, you're not going to read this and come away with, "Oh, there's just one gospel all throughout the Bible."You can't do it.Not, not if you're intellectually honest.You just can't.Matthew 19:29, And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake,..."My name's sake."Ah, there's John 20:31 again, Life through his name,... keep reading, ...shall receive an hundredfold,... and what?What's the next four words?Shall inherit everlasting life.So, there's only one gospel, huh?How did they get saved according to the red letters of Jesus?Oh, just believe that he died for your sins, he was buried, and he rose again.I don't think so.Anyone telling you there's only one gospel in the Bible is unlearned.Anyone that says that what we just read here in the red letters of Jesusis the same salvation by grace through faith that he told Paul to preachis ignorant to the scriptures.And obviously, they don't know what grace even means, but that's okay.Ignorance is curable.You only get two educations, the one you're given, and the one you give yourself, so, get in this book.Hey, grace is the opposite of having to do these things we're reading about.Grace is not having to forsake your house, your land, your brother, your sister, father, mother, wife, and children, but that was, yes, that was the gospel of the kingdom.We just read it.In clear red letters right here on the page of the Lord Jesus Christ himself, those things had to be done.Why?Jesus told them to inherit everlasting life, a very simple message.To inherit everlasting life, it would have been hard for anyone to complywith what Jesus said, but especially, especially those with great wealth.Hence the reason for Mark chapter 10, there where over there where Jesus said, (24b) Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! (25) It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.Mark chapter 10 verse, verse 24 and 25.Hey, that this has no application for today's gospel of grace.And you're teaching a fairy tale gospel if you say it is.Rich, poor, whatever, doesn't matter today when someone hears and believes the gospel of their salvation, they're saved.They don't have to abandon anything.No forsaking, nothing about a camel going through an eye of a needle in our gospel.Today, it's about the simplicity of Christ.The gospel Jesus gave to Paul.To further the point, think about what Paul wrote, a, wrote there in 1 Corinthians chapter 9.He said, He was given a dispensation of the gospel.Think about that.Paul was given a dispensation of the gospel for his very own.Who else said that?People who pretend and play church and say, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John,that's where I find my instructions.They have a rough time when they come to verses like this, like this one here in Matthew 19:21.They come here to where Jesus said to, Inherit everlasting life, you got to forsake your house, your family, and all your land,...and they'll say something like, Well, what Jesus was really trying to say,...Hey, he wasn't trying to say anything.He said it perfectly, very frankly and candidly by the way.See, the remedy to your problem would be to believe what he said.Part of the maintenance plan for those under the gospel of the kingdom was to forsake all, and if you don't believe that, your problem isn't with preachers like me.Your problem is with the word of God.Sadly, it seems that his word is not your final authority that traditions of men is.A Bible believing student, a student of God's word, shouldn't have any trouble, seeing very plainly that the gospel of the kingdom is totally detached from Paul's, "my gospel."He says, "my gospel" three times and for good reason.It's different.The gospel of the kingdom does not tell us how we receive life.The gospel Jesus gave Paul does.Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, trust in him that his death, burial and resurrection will see you through.No mistake about it.No sins imputed.He shed his blood for them all.They buried him and he has risen.Praise God.

Kept secret and made known are polar opposites.It seems like there's not much further you can get on that one.We had someone the other day trying to tell us that, well, the mystery was known by the prophets.But they couldn't prove it.You know, a lot of people say a lot of things.But when it comes down to it, when you give them their time, their space, their few minutes to explain it to you, and they couldn't prove it because the scriptures that Jesus was talking about were written by the prophets, all those prophecies that testified of him.But none of the prophets, not a one, knew the mystery.They didn't know the mystery scriptures that would one day interrupt and put that prophecy program on hold to bring in a postponed dispensation of grace.The mystery scriptures that would provide us with things never spoken before.Secret data hidden in God before, not from, before the foundation of the world.Guys, when we compare the verses and we can see the contrast.We see the comparatives.It opens our eyes to truths that you've never seen before, still just thinking about it and talking about it, be about it, get in this book.That's our job.Back it up, confirm it, be an Acts chapter 17:11 Berean and go search it for yourself.Make sure what we're telling you is true.That's exactly right.We're here to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery by doing what?, rightly dividing the word of truth, comparing scripture with scripture.Most don't know how to rest in this finished crosswork because of that.This finished crosswork of Christ, it doesn't happen by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John knowledge.It won't happen.Hebrews through Revelation will not give you peace.You won't find it there.You won't find the joy.You won't even find the term, "body of Christ."No.You see, people's been in this religious system has you working toward the cross, but for many years now, we've been committed to teaching others how to work from the cross, to work smarter, not harder, to help you separate right from almost right.There's a whole lot of almost right out there.There is.When you rightly divide the word of truth, it's clean.It's not eat the meat and spit out the bones.It's just eat the meat.There should be no bones.You only get two educations, the one you're given and the one you give yourself, so keep shunning profane and vain babblings, and keep educating yourself, educating yourself in the Pauline epistles.Too many men, they mix their religious poison that alters the composition of Paul's gospel.Most church buildings today are, they're a place to go for worshipatainment.Worshipatainment.It's Six Flags over Jesus.Oh, yeah.True worship is found, guys, in studying the very words of God that are written down right here in 66 books.Worship minus the entertainment, opening God's perfectly preserved word, and getting to the heart, cutting to the heart of the gospel, the way Paul, our 1 Timothy 1:16 pattern, taught us to do.Now, that's true God honoring worship, patterning ourselves after our apostle.He said, For I had determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and him crucified.1 Corinthians chapter 2, yep, yeah, this brother Paul, this man, hey, he had no shame in the game.No shame when it come to preaching the gospel.What we've commonly seen happening today is an ungodly watering down of what true worship is.It's not what you see on TBN, Daystar.And the main thing is they don't understand the fellowship of the mystery.They don't understand.2 Corinthians 5:19, God was in Christ doing what?Reconciling the world into himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them.But there's all kinds of physical acts people are doing, trying to get the non-imputed sins, now, which non-imputed sin can you go, go to the altar and pray through for?Which non-imputed sin can you say the Lord's Prayer and him forgive you?Well, I should say the sinners prayer as they say.Right.We did a teaching on that.That's nonsense.It is.Had a listener send us that pamphlet that he found at a restaurant telling you to say that prayer.Yeah.Won't do a thing for you.Right.And prayer is a work.So, if you're praying to get saved, then you're working for your salvation.Our apostle is going to tell us that that's not going to do it.That's right.I mean, really, really clear, it's not going to happen.Well, you just said prayer is a work.Right.That takes, that takes most of twistianity by surprise.They don't have no clue that prayer is.They'll say, I mean, I've had them tell them prayer is not a work.I don't feel like I'm working.I don't care what you feel like.We're reading scripture.Paul says.Paul says it is.In prayer.And labor is work.In prayer is work.So yeah.Prayer is a work.You can't be saved by a work.Forget it.Prayer is something saved people do.It's not something unsaved people do to get saved.Right.Right.That's a lie of the devil.It's one of the most popular ones.And again, the only thing worse than going to hell is going there and being surprised, and there's going to be a lot of folk in hell because they prayed that prayer.Right.And you made me think of a verse when you were talking about the word worship awhile ago and saying that people don't worshipatainment.Right.Worshipa...I have to write that down.That's, that's a new one you just sprung on me like you usually do, but worshipatainment.I will forget that.That's a, that's a good one.Um, Philippians 3:3, For we are the circumcision,... and we know what Paul means when he says circumcision here, he's not talking about the Jews' religion.We're talking about what happened as a result of the operation of God, ...which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.Talking about all the worship that you see going on in churches on TV, the worshipatainment, TikTok platform in front of people.It is flesh.It is, it is flesh.If you look at it this way, though, you can understand that to lift your hands up to heaven and praise God, there's nothing wrong with that.But, once you do that and look at your hands as being the worship to God, that's when the problem comes in because worship should be a reaction.This is a reaction.It's a response.Whenever you're forcing the worship, that's your flesh, just like emotions and feelings and everything, we're not emotionless, we're not without feelings, but those are a response.They're not what leads us.The truth leads us.I mean, I know you do too.I have a reaction to the truth.What should be the response is what's leading you is when it becomes of the flesh.That's right.It's an ungodly watering down of what true worship is.Liftin' your hands and praisin' the lightbulbs.Yeah.If you pay attention to what they say and what they're doing, they're doing it, there's really a religious term that just hit my mind, an invocation.They're doing it to invoke the spirit that should already be living inside of them and sealing them up.Oh, no, what are you talking about?They have the spirit, boy, after the service, "The Spirit sure showed up and showed out today."What? The Spirit showed up?Are you saved?They haven't been taught that if you're saved, the Spirit is there with you.It doesn't dwell in these temples made with hands.Oh no.It goes with you wherever you go. That's right.Again, we're back to this false worship watered down and that's why we're constantly here focusing on the cross of Christ because the preaching of the cross has the ability to turn the world upside down.We're constantly focusing on the resurrection because that's where we find our assurance accepted in the beloved.We're not doing things to be accepted.No.We're not doing things to get favor with God.No.Already got the, listen, I'm in Christ.Does Christ have favor with God?Then Trey Searcy has favor with God.I'm complete in Christ.That's right.What I find out is that whenever I got saved, I was sanctified set apart because I was placed into Christ versus being outside of Christ.I don't know how much more sanctified I can get than that.Now, my job is to try to walk in that as best as I can.It's trying to live up to what you already are.Right.Now, I'm not doing that because I need a motivation of a prize that I'm going to win when I get to heaven.I'm doing that because I want to do what Paul says to do, which is what will be pleasing to the one who died for me.

Today, on Truth Time.Some who hold to the idea that all believers of all time were saved and sealed and couldn't lose their salvation.You know, the ones who boldly proclaim that everyone in the Old Testament was looking forward to the cross, these folks have a hard time understanding what the word, imputation, means.It isn't some mystical, magical act of God to have something imputed.The word just means accounted, reckoned, or charged, all accounting terms.So, when we see that righteousness was imputed to Abraham, it just means that God judged him as righteous.He wasn't zapped with an infusion of God's righteousness to dwell within him.God just called Abraham's faith in his promise to him a righteous act.This, is Truth Time Radio.Part 14b of our Romans study coming up, we closed last time by answering the question, Was Abraham justified by faith as demonstrated by Paul or by works as demonstrated by James?The answer is both, both Paul and James are correct.The reason why this is even possible is because it was Abraham's faith that was accounted to him as his own righteousness, not God's.Being made the righteousness of God, 2 Corinthians 5:21, is a unique characteristic that applies only to this present dispensation of grace.It's one of the many mysteries that was revealed to Paul. It's not a part of prophecy doctrine.In our last discussion, we showed how all throughout scripture the requirement to be counted righteous has always been to observe and do.Whatever that particular faith prescribed.No matter what dispensation, Deuteronomy 6:25, And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us.Some read this, but they don't really believe it. They blow through the verse and miss two very important words, "our righteousness."Even Jesus himself, during his earthly ministry instructed Matthew chapter 23, he instructed his disciples, Observe and do whatsoever the one that was sitting in Moses' seat would tell them to do.That's how their righteousness, not God's, that's how their righteousness would be accomplished.That's the wrong dispensation for being made righteous.That's yours alone and don't forget it. And listen, this is important.This truth about righteousness was not only true about the law of Moses, but also true with Noah, with Abraham, with Noah and Abraham when there was no law.Ezekiel 14:14, here's what your King James Bible has to say about it, Though these three men,... now listen if you want to flee from that error you've been in about imputed righteousness, here's your chance. Here's your chance to agree with God, Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD.What is it about these two words that have some in a pickle?Two words, "their righteousness."You can agree with God or disagree, the choice is yours. And just in case any of us missed it the first time, six verses later, God repeats himself.Verse 20, Though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.See, it's this sort of candid and frank straightforward, no holds barred truth that separates Bible believers from non-Bible believers.Okay, Job 27:6, My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.First two words out of Job's mouth, "My righteousness."Old Testament, New Testament, doesn't matter, nothing changed. Watch. Matthew 5:20, For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.Your righteousness.The truth about this is even revealed in the red letters, but most miss it.See, the crosswork, the crosswork is what brought the change, and that change it isn't made known until the risen glorified Christ appears to Paul in Acts chapter 9.Now, turn with me to 2 Samuel chapter 22, where we see David speaking about his own righteousness. Verse 21, The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness...And verse 25, Therefore the Lord hath recompensed me according to my righteousness...And David's not done, he mentions his own righteousness two more times in Psalm 18 verses 20 and 24.If you don't believe the words, "my righteousness" means "my righteousness," if God's own words can't do it, you've got a colossal problem.1 Kings chapter 8 verse 32, Then here thou in heaven and do and judge thy servants, condemning the wicked to bring his way upon his head and justifying the righteous... Now here comes the good part,... to give him according to his righteousness.Could God make it any planer?I'm here today just holding fast the faithful word as I've been taught. Titus 1:9, That I may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayer, allowing God's word to make the case.Over and over, we see this repeatedly throughout scripture. You can find this demonstrated multiple times in Ezekiel.You'll see it. You'll see that the righteous man can actually turn away from his own righteousness. Here's one I'll share with you, but there's plenty more you can go look up for yourself. Ezekiel chapter 18 verse 24 watch, But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness,... ever seen this before?,... when the righteous turn away from his righteousness,... there it is in plain King James English.Be sure you don't miss the wording we've been going over, we've uncovered here in this study. We've seen the words, his righteousness, their righteousness, my righteousness.And these personal pronouns have one thing in common, none refer to God's righteousness. As we've been hammering over and over receiving God's righteousness, his imputed righteousness is something reserved only for those in the body of Christ, and we will continue to stand on that truth because that's what God says.Agreein' with him is the number one cure for ignorance. And we too, we too, those of us under grace, also have the instruction to observe and do for righteousness.Ephesians 1:13. Number one, we hear the gospel, observe, number two, you trust Christ as a result of believing the gospel you heard.And there's the do, observe and do. This is our obedience to God's word, our faith of Christ doctrine for salvation, Roman 16:26, listen, But now is made manifest and by the scriptures of the prophets according to the commandments of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith.Romans 15:18, For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not wrought by me to make the Gentiles obedient by word and deed.Word and deed. Think about that. Word equals God's word to us, our gospel.Deed equals our doing. And our only deed for salvation is believing.Believing is doing just like Paul said in Acts chapter 16 verses 30 and 31.What must I do to be saved, the jailer's question to Paul and Silas. What did they say? Believe. And as a result of belief, we receive God's righteousness by virtue of our own declared identity of being in the body of Christ.Because the Lord Jesus Christ is our righteousness, he's the righteous one. We're righteous, not of ourselves, not of our own works, as was required of those Old Testament saints in time past, but you see, our but now gospel is not their time past gospel.They received eternal life by their righteousness, which was based on their obedience, not by the blood of Christ, not by grace through faith in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4.Abraham's faith was counted for his own righteousness, but his future hope and salvation was according to a faith that was validated through covenant, not apart from works, but justified by them.That righteousness could be lost, lost through disobedience, and that covenant could be broken, nullifying the promise.In a moment, we'll see how what James wrote concerning Abraham confirms this.This truth about righteousness is found in your New Testament as well. Truth for those outside of the Romans through Philemon parenthetical dispensation of grace.Take John for example, what does he say about righteousness? 1 John 3:7, Little children, let no man deceive you, he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.What? To hear some tell it, John was a grace apostle who preached the same gospel as Paul.That's straight up error is what it is. Notice the 2 Corinthians 5:21, "made the righteousness of God in him," is missing. John doesn't know anything about that.Some who hold to the idea that all believers of all time were saved and sealed and couldn't lose their salvation.You know, the ones who boldly proclaim that everyone in the Old Testament was looking forward to the cross, these folks have a hard time understanding what the word, imputation means.It isn't some mystical, magical act of God to have something imputed.The word just means, accounted, reckoned, or charged, all accounting terms.So, when we see that righteousness was imputed to Abraham, it just means that God judged him as righteous.He wasn't zapped with an infusion of God's righteousness to dwell within him. God just called Abraham's faith in his promise to him a righteous act.And that righteous act caused God to count Abraham righteous in that moment.Paul says in verse 3 of Romans 4 that Abraham's belief was counted unto him for righteousness.In verse 9, he says that his faith was reckoned to him for righteousness.And in verse 22 of the same chapter, he says that Abraham's faith was imputed to him for righteousness.Counted, reckoned, imputed, terms used to say that God judged Abraham as righteous because of his faith.This is not the same as the 2 Corinthians 5:21 being made the righteousness of God in Christ.It's not the Romans 5:19, For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.The Old Testament saints didn't know anything about being made righteous, didn't know anything about being quote unquote, "the righteousness of God."That would have sounded blasphemous to them.Clearly, when we talk about anyone before or after the dispensation of grace being righteous, it is their righteousness, not God's.Their own righteousness depended on their ability to maintain it through works.No one outside of the dispensation of grace had Christ in them as their hope of glory.No one outside this dispensation was sealed with the Holy Spirit unto the day of redemption, and with everlasting life as present possession.They had to Matthew 24:13, endure in their faith to the end of their lives, and that would preserve them until the Acts chapter 3:19, times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord.They're still waiting on grace to come, that grace that Peter talked about.That's when they'll be born again, born again into the regenerated earth, where they will rule and reign as kings and priests with Christ.This is really just Mid-Acts dispensationalism 101, just plain truths of scripture, and anyone claiming that those from time past couldn't lose their salvation have yet to fully grasp the uniqueness of Paul's ministry.You've got to abandon context to make the argument that those from time past could not lose their salvation.If the Twelve and the rest of the little flock couldn't lose their salvation, and Ananias and Sapphira should have never died for lying to the Holy Ghost.This is a good time, uh, let's take a look into what James, what he says regarding Abraham's justification and how it compares to what Paul said.Romans chapter 4 verse 2, For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath wear of to glory, but not before God. (Verse 5) But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.We see Paul here clearly stating that it was Abraham's faith, not his works, for which God initially counted him righteous.This was when Abraham finally believed God. He took him at his word and believed the promise that God had made him.Then God said, Abraham is righteous for believing me.But our next question should be, What did Abraham's faith tell him to do?As you'll see here in Genesis chapter 15, because his faith was imperfect, he questioned God.About how he would know for certain, the promise would come to pass.In verse 8 he said, Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it.Verse 9, He said unto him, take me a heifer of three years old and a she-goat of three years old and a ram of three years old. And a turtle dove and a young pigeon, verse 10, And he took unto him all these and divided them in the midst and laid each piece one against another, but the birds divided he not.And on and on it goes, I challenge you to go read it. Start with verse 8 and read through verse 21.It's amazing that all this information is right here in plain sight, yet some only focus on the part that says Abraham believed in God and he counted it to him for righteousness.Abraham was counted righteous for believing God's promise, but that faith was just step one in his righteousness.Genesis 17:1, and when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram and said unto him, I am the Almighty God. Walk before me and be thou perfect. See that? Be thou perfect. That's his own righteousness.That's not 2 Corinthians 5:21, God making him righteous. That's not Abraham receiving God's righteousness.And that's why he could stop believing or disobey God and he would no longer be counted righteous.He wasn't eternally secure and sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.Faith brings about righteousness, but works through obedience demonstrates it.And that's precisely what justification is, a declaration of righteousness.If one isn't righteous, they cannot be justified, and if one is justified, they must be righteous.The evidence is overwhelmingly clear.Now, what does James, we looked at Paul, what does James say about how Abraham was justified?James 2:14, What does it profit my brethren, though a man say he has faith and have not works? Can faith save him?Anything ambiguous about this verse? Not at all. Now drop down to verse 17, Even so, faith, if it hath not works, is dead being alone.Verse 18, Yea, a man may say thou hath faith and I have works. Show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works.Verse 19, Thou believest that there is one God. Thou doest well. The devils also believe and tremble. Verse 20, But will thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?James and Paul are saying two completely different things about faith without works.Paul says he that believeth and worketh not, his faith is counted for righteousness.James says that if a man has faith and no works, that his faith alone cannot save him, and goes on to describe how a man is justified by works, using a different example from the life and walk of Abraham than Paul did.James 2:21, Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?Verse 22, Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect.That imperfect faith that was enough for God to count for Abraham's righteousness was made perfect through his works of obedience.Don't miss it. Now look at verse 23. See here what James says those works accomplished for Abraham. Paul, he spoke of the initial faith which was counted as Abraham's righteousness before he was instructed to do anything. James speaks of Abraham's work of obedience which justified him. Abraham's works declared his own righteousness.His works literally proved his right standing before God. His act of obedience was his declaration of righteousness, his justification.Verse 23, And the scripture was fulfilled which sayeth Abraham believed God and it was imputed unto him for righteousness, and he was called the friend of God.Did you hear that?James says that the very scripture Paul uses to show how an uncircumcised Gentile, Abraham, was counted righteous because of his faith that scripture wasn't fulfilled until Abraham's work of obedience which earned his justification.He makes that even clearer in the next verse, verse 24, You see then how that by works a man is justified and not by faith only.Abraham wasn't justified by faith only. His initial faith caused him to be counted righteous.But if he did not obey, he would have most definitely lost that righteous standing with God, because he would not be justified.No one can be saved without being justified because without justification there's no righteousness.And we all know what happens to the unrighteous, which is a truth throughout all dispensation.The difference is the means by which a man is justified.Today we cannot lose our salvation because we, we're only counted righteous and justified as members of the body of Christ, not by works of righteousness that we have done, but because of what Christ did.And our identity is in him as members of his body.Apart from Christ we're not righteous. Upon salvation we're made the righteousness of God in him.I'm in the body of Christ and Christ is in me, Colossians 1:27, God made known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.Not true for Abraham.So, if Abraham's means of justification is different than ours, why does Paul use it as an example for us?Because Paul is still making the case for Gentile salvation apart from Israel to an audience in Rome with a very large population of Jews.Remember, the Jews were always promised that they would be the light unto the Gentiles.Now, Paul comes along explaining how Gentiles could be accepted of God without Israel, without them being the mediator.So, what better example to use for this than Israel's own Gentile father according to the flesh?Abraham.Think about the parallels.Abraham was not under the law of Moses, and the Gentiles were never under the law of Moses.In Abraham's day, sin was not imputed because the law had not entered, Romans 5:13.And today, sin is not imputed because we're not under the law, 2 Corinthians 5:19.Abram, the Gentile, was accepted of God and counted righteous according to his faith and not by works of the law.Gentiles are accepted of God and made the righteousness of God in Christ according to our faith.A lot of parallels there.Today's popular preaching says you've got to get your sins forgiven before God can save you, which is something missing altogether for Abraham.There's no example of Abraham needing to get his sins forgiven because where there is no law, there is no transgression.He had not broken any law because there were none to break.Therefore, no sin was imputed.If sin is not imputed, there's nothing to be forgiven.Yet, now listen, Abraham was not counted righteous until after he believed God.While our instructions, the gospel to be believed and the means by which we are counted righteous and justified are completely different than Abraham, his starting point for salvation, his initial circumstances were identical to ours.No sin needed to be forgiven, yet not counted righteous until we exercise faith toward God according to his good news for us.Amazing!What better case for Gentile salvation apart from Israel is there, than for Paul to speak, What sayeth the Scripture, concerning the Gentile Abram's imputed righteousness?This isn't about what James says fulfilled that scripture regarding Abraham.It's about a Gentile being accepted of God without Israel's help, without the law of Moses, without the fleshly sanctification that Israel was instructed to maintain.Abraham is not an example for how to be saved during the dispensation of grace.Abraham could lose his salvation and his righteousness if he did not do works to be justified.He was on the endurance maintenance program and we are not.Abraham is an example of God's acceptance of faith exercised by a Gentile resulting in imputed righteousness without the need to first get sins forgiven because they were not even being imputed.Out of time for now, we'll continue in this Romans verse by verse study.Meanwhile, remember, when a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth,he'll either quit being mistaken or ceased to be honest.

Okay, today we're asking the question, one of the most important questions there is.When it's all said and done, this is really all that matters.Are you sure you're saved?Are you sure you're saved?These multiple ways of being saved we've all heard has led to mass confusion.The question, Are you sure you're saved, is a very direct question that often gets inconsistent answers.So today, I thought I'd share some of the ones I've heard over the years.And I encourage you to try this.Try asking some of those in your circle if they're certain of their salvation.It can get rather interesting.You'll be surprised at some of the different answers you get to the same question.You might get, Yes, I believe in God.As if believing in God saves you.No, the question is, are you sure you're saved?Not if you believe in God or not.And don't be surprised when some say, Yes, I know Jesus.Or they might say, Yeah, I'm saved, I love the Lord.As if knowing or loving him saves you.A couple of times I've heard, That's none of your business.And here's one of the more popular ones I've got.Oh, I'm saved, I go to church.Because as we all know, church attendance is what saves you.You'll find that over there in the book of 1 Opinions Chapter 2.I asked one gentleman about it, and he said, Oh, yeah, I stopped drinking years ago.One time I was actually told, Yeah, I'm saved because I try to do good, and I'm a vegetarian.That's one for the books right there.The diet gospel.Another one I've heard a few times, Yeah, I'm saved, my father was a preacher.And some, some will say, I hope so.Others have said to me, Saved from what?One common response is, I've always been a religious person.Or as one lady I remember telling me, I'm very spiritual. And then she said, I pray daily.Because we all know, do we not, that in Acts Chapter 16, there when, when the man at Philippi, the jailer, when he asked Paul and Silas how to be saved, they said, Be spiritual and pray daily.Be religious.Attend church.And don't forget to eat your veggies.When I've asked the question, Are you sure you're saved?, many times I've heard, I'm a good person.That's a popular response.Another popular one I recall hearing, I'm being saved.Probably a Catholic.Not sure.And I lost count of how many, how many I've encountered that they're trusting their eternal destiny to the sinner's prayer.After one gentleman told me that I said, So you believe in salvation by works?And pretty emphatically, he immediately said, No.So, I had him read Colossians Chapter 4 Verse 12.There where Paul describes prayer as a work.Labor means work, to toil, to travail.Prayer is a work, but salvation is Ephesians 2:9 not of works.If we could say a prayer and be saved, we wouldn't need the gospel.Christ came down for nothing.Prayer is something we have as a result of salvation, but it cannot activate or achieve salvation.But that's how false gospels start.And they spread.Over the years I've heard, Oh, yes, I walked the aisle.Got baptized.I'm a pastor.Hey, because you're a pastor don't mean you're saved.It just means you're a pastor.Many unsaved men have a certificate on their wall.I've heard, I made Jesus Lord of my life.Gave him my life.Committed my life to him.Surrendered my life to him.Turned from my sins.Received the gift of the Holy Ghost.I'm a faithful tither.I'm a Sunday school teacher.I've even heard, I keep the Sabbath.All false ways to be saved.Every one of these are about self.Look at me.Look at me.Look what I have done.Look what I can do.All having nothing to do with what Jesus did.And make no mistake, those who make salvation about themselves are the very ones who think they can lose it.Not realizing that salvation belongs to the Lord, Jonah 2:9.What the Lord done is permanent and you can't undo what he has done.Some treat their salvation as something God started but you gotta' finish.No, salvation is of the Lord.He's the perfect object of my faith.So, anytime old Mr. Doubt comes and pays you a visit, just remember, your salvation now belongs to the Lord.It's not your responsibility to keep your salvation intact.It doesn't hinge on your strength, but his.Grace only works when we don't.There's only one correct answer to the, Are you sure you're saved question.However you want to word it, that's fine.But the answer must always point to Christ and away from you.The answer has to center around faith alone in his death having paid for all your sins, and his resurrection which justifies you to eternal life.But sadly, most of the answers I've gotten place the focus on their own accomplishments.When I get these answers, I'm reminded of just how bad today's ministers have failed.So inconsistent with their various versions of what they call the gospel.It's powerless.Romans 1:16, For I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation.But the modern day false gospels are powerless. These I've spoken with, and listen, many tell me they've been in church most of their lives, but their takeaway on how to be saved is nothing more thansome self-evaluation psychobabble that they learned from the religious toxicity system they've been involved with. Even if they do happen to mention the cross of Christ, they end up doing a 180 back to their self. Salvation by performance. It's truly a heartbreaking reality. The old serpent has been changing God's way of doing things since thegarden, and with the help of man, he's still succeeding today. Religion's only going to offer you a mixed bag of nuts with no consistency, and that's why these so-called church buildings are full of false converts. They've got 'em caught up in activities and ignorant to how they should Romans 10:3 give up on self and submit to the righteousness of God.They're in the choir, the band, they're soloists, musicians, pastors, youth ministers, deacons, Sunday school teachers, greeters. My wife, she grew up in a Baptist church. Baptized, joined the church, daughter of a deacon, won a bunch of Bible trivia contests, always confessed her sins.Was the church pianist and traveled the country with a southern gospel group. But so what?She had never heard the gospel of grace presented clearly. She was on her way to hell from the piano bench. After we met and got married, a few years in, I heard a clear presentationof the gospel. And it was then that I realized I was just religious and lost.Got saved sitting in my office. I'll never forget that day. I was so fired up, I made the coffee nervous. Went home, told her about it. Her response was, I thought you were already saved. Religious, yes. Saved, no.So, I presented the gospel to her. And for several, several days, maybe weeks, she pounded me with questions and scenarios.One after the other. Then one day, I came home from work, and she shared with me how she had realized that after all those years of churchianity, she wasn't saved either.And earlier that day, had finally trusted Christ alone for her salvation.And listen, stories like ours are common. For around twenty years of ministry now, we've had many others to give us very similar accounts. Had one pastor tell me that he'd pastored a church for several years, unsaved. Didn't know it until he came across our website and for the first time heard the gospel of his salvation explained in a clear and precise manner that he could finally understand. Said when he heard it, he knew immediately that he wasn't saved. He realized he'd been depending on Christ, plus himself. Part God part him.It don't work that way. You're not the co-savior.Hearing the pure grace gospel is a major wake-up call. A game-changer. It makes many realize that they'd been Christian in name only. Just like I was, just like my wife was.Listen, being a Christian is not about calling yourself one or hanging out with others who call themselves one. Engaging in religious activity, that doesn't make you one.Salvation happens when you get to the end of yourself and recognize thatthe only thing you can do for it is believe. You may have heard it said, Believing is the only thing you can do without doing anything. A terrible saying. Terrible. And quite frankly, one that I might have said myself in the past. But it's a bad saying, and it's not even true.In Acts chapter 16, the jailer fell down before Paul and Silas and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt besaved. They gave him what he asked for, something to do. So, as it turns out, believing is not the only thing you can do without doing anything, because believing is doing. But it's not doing something in your flesh.And understanding that is key to your salvation. It's paramount. Because listen, you can't save yourself. Resting your faith in the fact that Jesus did all the work necessary is your only hope.100% him, 0% you. Nothing other than you believing the gospel will save you. Not your worship, your Bible reading, your good deeds, and kindness toward others. Your participating in altar calls won't do it. Satan has to be cracking up over that one. There has probably been more false conversions at the altar than anywhere else in church buildings. Well, no. I'd say the baptistry actually gets the first place trophy for that. Ask yourself why any church would need an altar today. The altars in scripture were used for animal sacrifices and would have been a bloody mess.But modern-day churchianity says, Hey, we got a better idea. Let's have our people... let's see if we can entice them to come forward, kneel down, and lay their head on it. Yeah, let's do that pastor. You're such a genius. Such foolishness is what this is. Today, there's no sins been forgiven at any church altar.We've had many denominations saying many different things about forgiveness and salvation, but there's only one gospel.There's not different paths to salvation, there's only one.Paul said, I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you unto the grace of Christ unto another gospel, which is not another, but there be some that trouble you and would pervert the gospel of Christ.But you've got to be a critical thinker.Be discerning.You'll know them by their fruit, by the words that come from their mouth.If we could get the religious folk on a truth serum, they'd admit that they're not sure what they believe.They don't know if they're saved or not.They're never truly at peace about their salvation.I know that feeling, but not anymore.I now have a no-so salvation.If you can have it and not know it, you can lose it and not miss it.But those that have it know it, because of the incredible peace and assurance that it brings.You see, for the most part, people really just don't think.Most churches don't teach the art of thinking for yourself.They teach groupthink.And there you are trapped in the groupthink bubble, which most always leads to conformity.And Paul gives stern warning about groupthink conformity.Romans 12:2, And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.Notice the words here, That ye may prove.You'll be hard-pressed to prove anything while caught up in groupthink.You'll just go along to get along and believe everything everyone else believes.We not only see this in church buildings, but on social media platforms as well.It's real bad on TikTok.Cult-like group members who have forgotten how to think for themselves so they can form and start believing what the rest of the team believes.It's just like a Sunday morning formality.A form of godliness, but denying the power.And what's the power they deny?The gospel of Christ.The power of God unto salvation.Because they add self-effort to the equation.Your salvation is not based on a partnership.It's either Christ alone, or you're on your own.Many, what they've done, they've been socialized into the church, but never saved into the church.The only way to become a member of the Bible church Paul calls the body of Christ, is to abandon self and rest in him. Colossians 3:3, Your life is hid with Christ in God.Adam and Eve were God's creation, and they still failed, so don't beat yourself up when you fail.His perfect creation couldn't do it.And we came through a sinful womb, so we certainly can't.They couldn't live in perfect obedience, and neither can we.We need Jesus.That's how we have eternal life.Not by works of obedience, but through faith in the second Adam who was perfect on our behalf.Stop trying to gain salvation by living up to an expectation.It's not about what others expect of you.It's not even about what you expect of you.It's okay to relax and be at peace while resting in him.Christ lived the perfect life we couldn't live.He took the punishment we couldn't take.His perfect work was designed to take the pressure off us.But religion comes along and tries to put the yoke back around our necks.Christ died for all your sins before you committed the first one.He was buried and he has risen.Now there's an offer on the table that you should take advantage of.He's offering you his eternal life in exchange for your faith.Believe the gospel and be saved right now.It's the best decision you'll ever make.Remember, when a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he'll either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest.

Do not obey 1 John 1:9, it cannot help you.1 John 1:9, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.Some have asked us, Do I have to confess my sins to go to heaven?And they're surprised when they learn that neither John or anyone in his audience was ever concerned with going to heaven.See, John was an apostle of the circumcision, and those who were saved by his gospel, they are awaiting their restored earthly kingdom, Acts 1:6.Their eternal destiny is not heaven.It's a popular teaching, but it's not true.Going to heavenly places is Paul's gospel, his gospel to us.But for John, Peter, James, and all the apostles of the circumcision, they're looking forward to reigning in their earthly kingdom, sitting on twelve thrones and ruling over the twelve tribes of Israel.No one outside of Paul's epistles are destined for heaven.When reading 1 John 1:9, don't miss this important point, who is being addressed? Whose John's audience?For much too long, Christianity has suffered from a broken system, one that can only be put back together by rightly dividing the word of truth.The books Hebrews through Revelation, which would include 1, 2, & 3 John,they were for the circumcision, and they correlate with early Acts where Peter is addressing, Ye men of Israel.As we've been discussing for several weeks now, John never penned a word to you.In John 4:22, he penned the words of Jesus saying, Salvation is of the Jews.And in Galatians 2 verses 7 through 9, Paul said that John, he preached the gospel of the circumcision, so John's gospel, see, this is what you need to understand, it's not only to the circumcision, but of the circumcision.It's a different gospel.1 John 1:9 is forgiveness based on the if-then policy.It's conditional upon them doing something for it, but our forgiveness, our forgiveness today is based on the blood of Christ.For us in this dispensation, it's as if God, he had a legal pad, and after the perfect sacrifice of Jesus was made, he goes and takes out his pad, stamps paid in full, and paid in full, my friends, that means you and I can rest.Paid in full.If I were to draw you a chart, I might put parentheses around the 13 books, Romans through Philemon, the 13 books of Paul.Those books are both to and for you.That's where you find the gospel of your salvation, instructions for your worthy walk, and about your inheritance, and future destination, and so forth.But 1 John, hey, that's outside those parentheses, it's a Hebrew epistle aimed at Hebrew people.It reflects the Romans 15:8 ministry of Christ to the circumcision under the law, but it does not, now listen, it does not reflect Christ through Paul in this dispensation of grace.We're the uncircumcision, not circumcision, and our gospel says God, 2 Corinthians 5:19, he stopped imputing the sins that John's audience had to 1 John 1:9 confess.Man, this is good news.As recipients of God's grace, 1 John 1:9 just can't be our mail.Here we have one of the most popular verses among twistiantity, and it directly contradicts what Paul tells us.Paul never gave a to-do list of how to get our sins forgiven. Confessing to get forgiveness was a national plea to Israel.But people use it, they use it as their mediator, and they've literally replaced Jesus with their own confession of sins.They replaced the 1 Timothy 2:5, Christ Jesus, who is the only mediator between God and man.With words, they replaced it with words that come from their mouth.The problem we're faced with is some say they believe the gospel, but never really did.Because believin' 1 Corinthians 15 1 through 4 plus 1 John 1:9, that's not believin' the gospel.Ephesians 2:8 and 9 is not a difficult passage, For by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. For by grace are you saved.Now, how do you square 1 John 1:9 with that?Can't do it.Grace means unearned, 1 John 1:9 is a way of earning it.For by grace are you saved and that not of yourselves.Put that up against 1 John 1:9 and ask the question, is confessing my sins of myself?Of course.It's yourself doing the confessing.Surely you see the contradiction here.But some, hey, they stay busy confessing their sins while on their way to hell.You cannot reconcile 1 John 1:9 with Paul unless you understand how to rightly divide the word of truth.Without rightly dividing the gospel of your salvation from the gospel not of your salvation, you'll remain lost and without hope.We're always amazed at just how many who claim they believe their Bible, but when put to the test, they do not.Case in point, let's look here at 1 John chapter 2.We were there in chapter 1, let's go to 2, we'll come back, but 1 John chapter 2, and let's look at verse 3, And hereby, we do know that we know him if we keep his commandments.Does that line up with your relationship with God?We know we know him if we keep his commandments?Really.I know I know him because after hearing the gospel of my salvation, I trusted Christ by believing it, Ephesians 1:13.Some make the claim that John taught Paul's gospel of grace, but he did not.And it's evident if you just believe the words on the page.Now don't pull the alarm chain and step off the train just yet, stay on board for the rest of the ride.We're just getting started.1 John chapter 2 verse 3.1 John 2:3 here is just one chapter after 1 John 1:9 is it not?The same book.So, if you've chosen to follow 1 John 1:9, then surely you're a commandment keeper also, right?Or is 1 John 1:9 okay for you, but yeah, you choose to disobey this one.Well, God doesn't allow cherry picking.He allows rightly dividing, but not cherry picking.Not one member of the circumcision here in 1 John would think that Paul's Romans 6:14 words where he said, You're not under the law, but under grace, they would never think that that was written for them.Not a chance, because they were under the law.We just demonstrated that in 1 John 2:3, and now all we have to do is keep reading.Go to 1 John chapter 3.Look there, get with me, verse 4, here we see the words, Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law, for sin is the transgression of the law.Sound like a grace preacher to you? No.Not one person in John's audience was in the body of Christ, resting in their eternal security, havin' been sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise and waiting to go to heaven.They operated on probation, not salvation.Matthew 24, He that endures to the end shall be saved, remember?When you're ready to stop playing games with the verses, the truth is not hard to locate.Okay, while here, while here in chapter 3, let's keep it moving, verse 22.Drop down, and here we see, And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments,...This is conditional.This is not grace, this is a conditional system, if we keep, if we do.This is more law for you.They were under the law, you are not.The book of 1 John never had you in mind, and is why the verse doesn't work for you.This is a covenantal law verse, not a dispensation of grace verse. Ephesians 3:2, If you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God, which has given me to youward,...No Paul, most haven't.Think of the words you just read, If whatsoever we ask, we receive of him.If that were operating today, why is St. Jude's and Schreiner's hospital packed with sick and dying children?If whatsoever ask you receive is to you, then why do we have global hunger?Or did you forget about that?Maybe that one slips your mind when you pray.Maybe it doesn't fit between all those personal prayers you're praying for yourself.Or, maybe this verse just plain out don't work today.Some of you are in those 1 John 1:9-er churches, and you need to get closure on this today.2 Corinthians 5:21, we're all familiar with this one, For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.Now ask yourself, come on, if I'm the righteousness of God in him, why would I be confessing my sins?If your sins aren't on God's mind, why are they on yours?Satan wants to keep you sin-conscious, but God says, We're accepted in the beloved, Ephesians 1:6, complete in Christ, Colossians 2:10.So, if we're complete in him already, if we're complete in him and already accepted, why would we confess our sins?Limited forgivers teach a very blurry view of forgiveness, which makes the cross of Christ of none effect.Let me give you a bit of hard truth, hope you can digest it.If instead of trusting the cross of Christ, you're depending on 1 John 1:9 to forgive your sins, your next stop is hell.God reserved a special place for you that will one day be thrown into a lake of fire, a place where you can roommate with Satan.1 John 1:9 does nothing but place you in mind bondage.That's all it does.It does nothing but keep you stuck right there on the wash, rinse, repeat cycle.So, make sure you bring plenty of soap.It has you keeping short sin accounts with God, even though 2 Corinthians 5:19 says there's no sins in your account.Confessing sins for forgiveness was written to Israel concerning their mutual covenant agreement of doing, that they had with God.If they did, he did.That's how it worked.Popular preaching won't tell you this, but we will, and we'll use God's word to prove it.It's all the proof we need.You want more evidence?Leviticus chapter 26 verse 40, If they shall confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers, immediately we see confession, a match with 1 John 1:9.Why?Because confessing for forgiveness is always about Israel.John may be in the New Testament of your Bible, but it matches their Old Testament doctrine.Let's keep reading, With their trespass, which they've trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me, and that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies.If then, now watch, here's their if-then-covenant language, the mutual covenant of doing between both God and Israel, not you.You've never been under a covenant a day of your life.Keep reading, If then, their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity, then... here's your timeline, ...then will I remember my covenant with Jacob.Ah, this sounds familiar, right?Sounds like Jeremiah 31, does it not?There when Jeremiah wrote, This shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel, for I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more.Also sounds like Peter over there in Acts 3:19, Repent and be converted so that your sins can be blotted out when the Lord returns.Confessing sins was for the nation Israel and never meant for us.Confessing sins today only undermines the good news that Paul revealed.Now, grab Nehemiah 1, Nehemiah chapter 1, these are all verses here, all verses we're going over that were to the children of Israel, verses outside of the grace parentheses of Romans through Philemon.They match 1 John 1:9, but they do not match your gospel found in Paul's letters of Romans through Philemon.That's where your instructions are located.Okay, Nehemiah 1, and notice here in verse 6, Let thine ear now be attentive and thine eyes open that thou mayest hear the prayer of the servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess,... here we go again, ...confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee, both I and my father's house have sinned.Amazing what a little study does.When we apply ourselves instead of relying on others to do the work for us. Okay, let's continue, Psalm chapter 32 verse 5, I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord, and thou forgave us the iniquity of my sins. Selah.How did David get his sins forgiven?Oh, just like us, Trey.Everyone in the Bible is saved the same way.Everyone in the Old Testament was looking forward to the cross.Wrong.Just believe the Bible, and stop trying to read what was only later revealed to Paul back into what David believed.David's gospel wasn't Paul's gospel, and yes, there's more than one gospel in your Bible.OK, Psalm 51.Here's more from king David.This is his prayer.Verse 1, Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Blot out my transgressions?You know what that should sound like to you?Foreign language.If you've been hearing correct teaching, that is, this isn't your mail.Your mail says, Did you hear about the cross of Christ?Your mail says, Did you know that God stopped imputing your sins?But for David, oh no, different administration means different data.His news isn't your news.Verse 2, Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.Sounds like 1 John.All David knew was the wash, rinse, repeat cycle, the one that God designed for him.What about Job?What does, what does he have to say about all of this?Job 33 verse 27, He looketh upon men, and if,... oh, there's, there's, here's the condition again, ...if any say, I have sinned,... there's the 1 John 1:9 confession, ...and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not, he will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light.See where we're going with this?Outside of our dispensation of grace, forgiveness was never solely based on the shed blood of Jesus.It was conditional, and only an unbeliever of God's infallible word would argue against this.Mark 1:5, And there went out unto him all the land of Judea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river Jordan, doing what?Confessing their sins.The 1 John 1:9 pattern is found in multiple places in your Bible, but missing from all 13 epistles of Paul.And that, that is why what Paul wrote is called the dispensation of the grace of God.That's why you don't see that language anywhere else in scripture.Oh, they found grace, a little here, a little there, but they were never totally saturated with the dispensation of grace, good news that you and I have today.Grace means forgiveness is unconditional and unearned, but for Israel it was conditional and earned.But we're under a different administration with a different economy, and in not one place does Paul tell us to confess our sins to get them forgiven, as if forgiveness is still yet in future.I can't begin to count how many times over the years that we've encountered a limited forgiver who had never heard this good news.Partial blame, of course, goes to the Catholics.They went to the wrong mailbox, took mail that was addressed to the children of Israel, and called it a sacrament of confession.Then came along the Protestants, not wanting to be left out, you know.They lined up like Pavlov's dogs and got a few pieces of stolen mail for themselves.Let's take a quick look here at a verse in Leviticus chapter 5.Leviticus was written to who?The Levitical priesthood.To the Levitical priesthood of Israel, and not Father O'Connor over there at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church.Okay, Leviticus chapter 5 verse 5, And it shall be, when he shall be guilty in one of these things, that he shall confess that he hath sinned in that thing.Confess to who?The Levite priest.This was a verbal confession that was mandatory, not optional.The priest acted as a mediator to facilitate forgiveness.After hearing the confession, he would decide which procedure needed to be taken.You can go and read Leviticus chapter 4 to see all the nuances of this.But this practice, this practice of confessing to the Levitical priesthood carried over to the 12 apostles.In John 20 verse 23, we see Jesus telling them, Whosoever sins you remit, they're remitted unto them, and whosoever sins you retain, they are retained.Are you beginning to see how all this started?Where the Catholics got it?Where the Protestants got it?It shouldn't really be a secret as to why we see so much confusion today.If you fail to divide Israel's prophecy from Paul's mystery, you're bound to be confused into thinking that confessing of sins is needed for forgiveness.The confusion comes from either thinking you're old covenant Israel or new covenant Israel, and that confusion will remain until you come to see that you're neither.You're not either or, but rather neither nor.You're not old covenant Israel.You're not new covenant Israel.You're the one new man, the new creature church, which is his body.Rightly dividing the word of truth will change your perspective on forgiveness, but it won't happen until you allow Paul to be your apostle.Romans 11:13 and Galatians 2:7, to allow him to be who Christ called him to be.Acts chapter 9 verse 15.How do we as believers?How do we?This could be a question so let's address it.How do we as believers deal with our sin?We flee from it.2 Timothy 2:22.Sin is not becoming for a saint of God, Ephesians 5:3.So, we deal with it.Instead of confessing it over and over and asking for forgiveness, we just stop and deal with it.And we thank God for having forgiven us all sins.But confessing for forgiveness of sins that are already forgiven is a waste of time.And time is a valuable commodity.We should be redeeming the time because the days are evil.We're not to be unwise, but to understand what the will of God is.That's how to walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise.We're not beggars in need of forgiveness.As recipients of God's grace, we're not called to live beggarly lifestyles.We're not called to make confession for forgiveness a part of our daily practice.We're called to rest in the forgiveness already granted.And accepting the grace-based finished crosswork will allow you to do just that.God's not forgiving us according to some installment plan.1 John 1:9 is not a bar of soap.We're not in the wash, rinse, repeat cycle.We're on this side of the cross where God declared that he stopped counting sins.Unlike James, Peter, John, or the Old Testament saints, we're recipients of God's dispensation of grace.We operate in step with a different economy.If he were keeping a record of our sins, then Christ's sacrificial death was of none affect.It was in vain.Romans 5:13, For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.You know what that means in the Greek?Same thing it means in English.We're not under the law, so sin is not imputed when there is no law.So, next time you feel the need to look up to the sky or your bedroom ceiling and ask God to forgive you, I want you to stop and think first.Ask yourself, which non-imputed sin am I asking God to forgive?If God stopped imputing sins, no one needs forgiveness.What they need is eternal life.What they need is to hear the good news of how Christ died for those sins that they're getting ready to ask forgiveness for.We taught a message around 2012 called, 1 John 1:9 is not your bar of soap.And today, here in 2026, we still stand on that.Nothing's changed.The blood took away your sins, he died, he was buried, and he has risen.Stop wrestling with your sins and rest in that good news.Trust him, believe on him, and just rest.Grace and Peace.

Grab uh, Philippians chapter 1 for us if you don't mind, you know Paul tells us, The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they're foolishness unto him.Yes.Neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned.Yes.You know, many spiritualize and they tell spiritual lies, they can't see the truth because they don't have spiritual eyes. Yes, yes. Okay, did you get Philippians 1? Yeah, Philippians 1, give me verse 3. Verse 3, okay. I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer ofthe mind for you all making requests with joy. Joy. For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now. Amen. You know, you can give me your thoughts here, but when I read verses, I often, I've have made a habit to look for keywords that stand out to me. Here, right off the bat, I see joy. It just stands out. Fellowship stands out. Gospel. These are just three words. When I first glance at this, they just jump off the page here. In prayer, Paul did what? He made request with joy. You know, this isn't about just happenstance praying. No, we're to be precise in our words and with a heart full of joy. You know, Paul loved to fellowship and we know that from his 13 epistles, he loved fellowship with fellow saints. So there's the word fellowship over the gospel.Yes, yes. Well, and you're not going to have fellowship unless you are unified indoctrine in the gospel. And let's make it clear, unified, not uniformity. No, we're to all speak the same thing. I beseech you brother that you all... Paul says, Consider what I say and the Lord give the understanding and all things. So we're to just consider what Paul says.One of the first things on the list is to get ego out of the way. That's correct. Yes. Yeah, because I mean, when ego's in the forefront, ego wants to say something that nobody else has ever said to learn some new thing. Yeah. Say or do some new thing. That's over in Acts. He's not commending them for that. He's not saying, Good job, look for something new. That's a bad thing. You know, and you remind me of something by saying that, that Paul wrote to us in Romans 16, and grab Romans 15 for us. But in 16 there, you know, we're all familiar with the verse. He says, Brethren, Mark them, which cause divisions. Yes. Mark them which causes offenses contrary to the doctrine which what? which ye have learned and avoid them. Now, the doctrine which "ye" here, the Romans, have learned was the doctrines of Paul, Pauline doctrine. Anybody teaching contrary to anything Paul wrote, avoid them. And he goes on to say those that do so, they don't serve our Lord Jesus Christ. They're serving their own belly. They're going by their feelings. Yes. That's right.And they make good. What does he say, fair speeches? And they got words that deceive the simple. Yes. They deceive the hearts of the simple.Yes. Yes. That's right. That's right. Grab. Did you get Romans 15? Yes. All right. I'll like what Paul says here. Read. Well, I'll read it, I've got it here. I've got it somewhere. Let me pull this up real quick. This thing's slow. Romans 15:4, And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. Verse 15, Nevertheless, brethren, I have written the more boldly unto you in some sort as putting you in mind because of the grace that is given to me of God. Verse 16, That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles. This goes along with Romans 11:13, does it not?Yes. Ministering the gospel of God that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost. That's powerful. Yes. Yes it is. I love the reading of that passage. Yes. Yes. And here we have, That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost. Now, this speaks to the fact that we are sanctified by the Holy Ghost when we believe the gospel and are placed into the body of Christ. The offering up of the Gentiles would be acceptable because the offering up of the Gentiles is sanctified by the Holy Ghost. That's right. Oh, you mean you don't have to do physical calisthenics to make your way there?No. Do I have to show up to the spiritual gymnasium? No. No. No. No. You take all the fun out of it.No. You don't... I have to show off my flesh. That's exactly what you're going to do when you do things in your flesh, is show it off. Make, I mean, that's a fair show of the flesh. Yeah. Yeah.He's speaking over in Galatians. Is it in Galatians where he's talking about them constraining them to be circumcised in order to make a fair show in the flesh?We can just fill in the blanks. Now, that's in context. That's, that's right. But in the context of the Pentecostal Church, in the context of the Baptist, the Methodist, and on and on it goes, there's a wide, wide list of how you can show off your flesh. They constrain you to walk the aisle.They constrain you to be water baptized. They constrain you to speak in tongues.Join the church. Say the sinner's prayer. And it's so that they can make a fair show of your flesh because what happens, whenever that happens, you get to stand up before the, I mean, first of all, you have to walk down in the first place and, and, and put yourself on full display, walk in the aisle and you have to go down and you have to submit yourself to the pastor or preacher. Whatever he tells you, you need to do when you get down there in order to make it to heaven. Keep it simple and keep it clean. No extra ingredients. These ingredients that you can't pronounce. No, we just need the gospel. The simplicity that's in Christ. Moreover brethren, I declare unto you the gospel. Right. Well, and I can speak from the perspective of growing up Baptist.I can tell you how all the technicalities and all of the formalities will put your mind in a place to where you believe that being a part of an organization is what saves you. Right.And I mean, it doesn't matter if the preacher is saying that it's Jesus is the one saving you while you're doing all these things that organization tells you to do. I mean, it's just saying one thing and doing another because according to this organization, if you're not doing these things, then you're in some trouble. You always have that catch that even though every Baptist church that I was a part of preached once saved always saved, there was always the catch that, well, if they backslide, if they stop going to church, if they turn their back on God, if they do all of these things after salvation, but what they'll say is that you were never saved in the first place.Now, this is a Calvinistic idea. It's a Calvinistic idea because that's what they will prep into the Baptist church. Calvinism is in all sorts of denominations. Right.And it's really what it is, it's backloading works into salvation by saying, Well, if they're not staying true to God after their confession of salvation, then well, it's just because they never really believed it anyways. As if they can read hearts. Only God can do that. Yes.There's always a distraction from the finished crosswork. There's always some distraction.No matter how big or small it may be, but, you know, there's always a different teaching that's going to distract you from that that makes your goal turn into something else. Yeah.Besides, understanding that gospel as fully as you can so that you can give it to others.Right. Let's look at Philippians chapter 1. Philippians chapter 1, guys, if you want to follow along, verse 9, And this, I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in what? knowledge and in all judgment. Yes. You shouldn't judge. No, we make spiritual judgments every day all day. Yes. Verse 10, That you may approve things. How are you going to? We can't approve things if we don't judge. Right. We have a book that does the judging for us. We just read it, install that doctrine, and therefore we are able and prepared fully equipped to approve things that are excellent. That you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, verse 11, Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God. Faith, powerful words from our Apostle Paul delivered unto the saints.That's right. Right smack dab here in the middle of this dispensation of grace. Yes.I get so filled with joy, like a kid in a candy store, been doing this for a long time, and I'm just, well, as I said last night, I'm more excited about this today than I was when I first ran across this. Me too. I like verse 10 where he says that, Ye may approve things that areexcellent. I just love that phrase that very, I mean, it's without offense till the day of Christ, which is when we're caught up to be with him. That's right. Not to be confused with the day of the Lord. Oh, go back there in the Old Testament and we can see some prophets.They'll tell you about the day of the Lord. Aren't you glad that we're not appointed to wrath?That's right. Praise God. That's right. Yeah. And but, but to approve things that are excellent.You have to have your love abound more and more in knowledge and in all judgment. And that judgment, when Paul speaking of knowledge here, he's talking about knowledge along with judgment. That makes me think of wisdom. Amen. Because you, you know, we've said it often, you can have all the knowledge in the world, but no wisdom, it's not going to, I mean, we shouldn't be easily impressed, impressed with just knowledge. Let's do Proverbs chapter 18, Faith. Oh, wait, Trey, Paul's epistles are the only epistles for you. No, incorrect. There's wisdom throughout this entire Bible from cover to cover.All the Bible's for you, but it's not all written to you. And even Paul's epistles were not written directly to you. I am not a Galatian. I'm not a Corinthian.I am not Titus. I'm not Timothy. But I am, well, I should say, I was a Gentile. Now there's neither.Yeah. You're just a neither. I'm just a neither, but I'm, but I'm thankful. I'm a neither, too.I've got a heart full of joy that I'm in the body of Christ. And I'm sealed unto the day every redemption. Proverbs 18:15 guys, The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge. There we are back to that word. I hope we're, we're paying attention to the common denominator of some of these verses we're reading. The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.That's interesting. Let's take a look at Luke chapter 1. Luke chapter 1, and guys, see if you notice the contrast from what we see here, to what we later see as things progress from our Apostle Paul. Luke chapter 1, are you there, Faith? Yes. I'm going to sip coffee. You're going to read verses 76 and 77. Okay. 76 and 77 of Luke chapter 1, And thou child shalt be called the prophet of the highest. For thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins. There you go.What do you see here? What do you see the progressive contrast from something going on here, to the but now and what we have? Remission of sins. Luke here says to give knowledge of salvation unto his people, and we know when reading the book of Luke and this brother says his people at that time he's talking about Israel because we're outside the covenants of promise. We're aliens from the commonwealth at this time. His people by the remission of their sins. Remission of sins is not Colossians 2:13 forgiven of all sins, which is why we read through the Pauline Epistles starting with the book of Romans and we see how it progresses into the what? 2 Corinthians 5:19, God's not imputing sins. Luke's talking about having knowledge of salvation unto his people.That's Israel. Peter's doing the same thing guys when he's giving them that murder indictment there at the day of Pentecost in Acts chapter 3. Future sins are going to be blotted out. That's when they will be born again, and that's when they'll have all their sins blotted out. You can go over there, Faith, 1 Peter, 2 Peter to where he talks about, we were purged from our what? old sins, purged from our old sins. Hey, his little letter over there matches perfect with Acts chapter 3, does it not?It does. Matches up perfectly, but it does not match up with the Apostle Paul and the glorious news that he had for us. Yes, yes, and, and Peter also speaks of the grace that is to come.Yes, the grace that is to come, and Paul, on the flip side of that says, The grace that we're standing in. We're already standing in the grace that Peter and the little flock is looking afar off to see coming. It's coming down the road. At the same time they get their new covenant.At the same time they get born again. At the same time they get those sins blotted out. They'll stand in that grace, a future grace.

Today on Truth Time.So, Abraham's belief being counted as righteousness was about Abraham's righteousness being recognized by God, and not God's righteousness being imputed to him.A benefit only we enjoy, those of us here under the dispensation of grace.Those who advocate for eternal security all throughout scripture apparently have never workshopped this idea.They chose to parrot the traditions of men.But had they studied to show themselves approved, had they only taken the time to evaluate the what-ifs, they would have had to answer the question of, what would have happened if Abraham did not continue obeying God?Abraham's faith was counted for his own righteousness, but his future hope in salvation was according to a faith that was validated through covenant.Not apart from works, but justified by them.This is Truth Time Radio.Okay, here we go.Let's dive into Romans chapter 4.Romans chapter 4.How many have heard it said that Abraham was saved the same way we're saved today?And that he, he couldn't lose his salvation?Today we're going to test that.Last time in chapter 3 verse 30, we studied out the terms by faith and through faith and showed the differences in both terms relative to Paul's specific usage for the circumcision and uncircumcision.Real quick, let's clear something up concerning verse 30.Within the context that Paul speaks of here, he's still making the case for Gentile salvation apart from Israel in terms that his kinsmen in the flesh would understand.And that's something to keep in mind.Some, they'll tell you that the book of Acts is a transitional book and they'll do so as a way to escape answering hard questions.Or if something seems to not make sense, they'll say, Well Luke, he didn't write anything to you.But just because it records a transition from Peter and the eleven, from their kingdom gospel to Paul's gospel of the grace of God, doesn't disqualify the book of Acts from having doctrinal application for us.Transition isn't irrelevant to doctrine.On the contrary, it's essential that it's recognized.If transition disqualifies application, then you may as well throw out the entire book of Romans because it's transitional.So come on, it's, it's vital that we think through these things.Everything isn't true just because someone you respect says so.Paul literally spells it out for us in easy to understand one syllable words in chapter 1 when he says, From faith to faith.And, when he transitions from being Romans 3:31, established, to being Romans 16:25, stablished.Paul's taken his kinsmen in the flesh, Jews who were not part of the little flock kingdom, he takes them from their previous faith of God to the but now faith of Christ.From law to grace.From prophecy to mystery.Romans is the ultimate transitional book. Looking at Romans 3:30 will help us see the central message that Paul is conveying through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.Starting with verse 29, Is he the God of the Jews only? Is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also.Verse 30, Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith and uncircumcision through faith.Notice he says, Seeing that it is one God who is, verse 29, God of both the Jews and the Gentiles.One God.Not a God for the Jews and another God for the Gentiles.Paul demonstrates the same sentiment here.1 Corinthians 12:6 is the same thing, And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God, which worketh all in all.See, Paul is still convincing his kinsmen in the flesh, that the same God of their fathers had now opened the door to the Gentiles.This is important to note, because it helps us understand the relevance to Abraham in chapter 4, keeping with the fact that Abraham's instructions for salvation were different than ours during the dispensation of grace.Yet Paul references Abraham to make his case for Gentile salvation apart from Israel to those of Israel.Not as a means of Gentile salvation, but as a means of Gentiles being accepted in the beloved.For Paul, Abraham is used as an example of justification by faith.But for James, he is used for an example of justification by works.So which is it?Faith or works?We'll find out a little later on here.Okay, chapter 4 verse 1, What shall we say then, that Abraham our father as pertaining to the flesh hath found?Verse 2, For if Abraham were justified by works, he'd have whereof to glorybut not before God.The phrase, "What shall we say then," tells us that we must reference what was written immediately before verse 1 to see why the word, "then," is used.So back up to Romans 3:31, Do we then make void the law through faith?God forbid. Yea, we establish the law.The last thing Paul said in chapter 3 is that the law is established through faith, not made void.So this answers the question for those of Israel.Does justification by faith only mean there is no need for works?Paul's answer?No.Good works are established by faith.Notice the language Paul uses in verse 1 and 2 of chapter 4, Abraham our father as pertaining to the flesh.Right here we should note Paul is speaking directly to those of his audience who were Jews.Abraham was their father, their father as pertaining to the flesh.So what did their father Abraham find according to the flesh?That he could glory in his flesh if he were justified only by works.Yet James does say he was justified by works.How do we reconcile this?James 2:24, You see then how that by works a man is justified and not by faith only.We'll come back to the full scope of this, the full context of this passage here in James in another episode.The contradiction here is already quite obvious just by comparing Romans 4:2 with James 2:24, especially when we know that there is no boasting in ourselves where our salvation is concerned because it is not of works that could be boasted of.Verse 3 takes this thought a little further, For what saith the scripture, Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness.Abraham's faith in what God had promised credited righteousness to his account.Some try to make this complex by claiming that because righteousness was counted to him, that means he was eternally saved and secured right then and there.But that's simply not true.Our first clue is this verse does not say that the righteousness of God was imputed to Abraham.It doesn't say that.Having God's righteousness imputed is a mystery only active during the dispensation of grace.And it's why we as the church the body of Christ, the new creature, the one new man, are a completely different entity than the kingdom saints, as well as Abraham and those in Genesis before the law.The imputation of God's righteousness to the believer is not something available outside of the dispensation of grace.You need to get that.Put that to memory if you want to stay ahead of the curve.The only way for those saints to be counted righteous was through their own faith and obedience.What does Deuteronomy 6:25 say? And it shall be our righteousness if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our God as he hath commanded us.This is not your mail, but it's good for our learning.Hey, if the kingdom saints didn't keep the law, they couldn't be righteous.Just believe the verse.They had to observe to do all the commandments.That's faith plus obedience.Plain and simple.But just because Deuteronomy 6:25 is written in the context of the law, now that does not mean that righteousness hasn't always required observing and doing.Even before the law, we see how that Job was called upright, which is the same as calling him righteous.Not only because he feared God, but also because he eschewed evil.That is observing and doing.That's faith plus obedience, just like those under the law in Deuteronomy 6.Moreover, we see how that Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.But a question to ask is, how?How did he find grace?Was he under the same grace and administration Paul taught?To hear some, some of the wrong dividers tell it, he was.This is the view of those who falsely teach that everyone in scripture is saved the same way.When listening to ministers and their sermons, you need to pay attention.You might notice how observation is often replaced with conjecture.And make no mistake, when someone says everyone in scripture has always been saved the same way, conjecture is being applied.You know, you've heard it.They say everyone in the Old Testament was looking forward to the cross.Next time you hear that, just file it away over there in the folder marked, "Rubbish."Because that's a view that runs directly afoul to what Paul taught.There's more than one gospel in the Bible, and it's why Paul commands usto rightly divide the gospel of our salvation.2 Timothy 2:15 and Ephesians 1:13.Go put those together.Put those two verses side by side and see what you come up with.If there's only one gospel, then there's nothing to divide.And Paul lied.But there is more than one, and it's why everyone you read about in scripture has not been saved the same way.Abraham could lose his salvation.You cannot.He wasn't sealed unto the day of redemption you are.David wasn't sealed either.And it's why he took out his reed pen and on papyrus he wrote, Cast me not from thy presence and take not thy Holy Spirit from me.Psalm 51:11 in your King James Bible.David knew he could lose it.But today's preachers and all their genius would correct David if he were here.Saints, isn't it outstanding being able to put these things together like this?Instead of just throwing it up against the wall and hoping it sticks.So now, let's not lose sight here.Let's keep tracking this.Back to Noah.Genesis chapter 6 verse 9, These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a just man and perfect in all his generations. And Noah walked with God.If Noah was just, then he was counted righteous.Why?Because he walked with God, observing and doing, faith plus obedience.This is not salvation by grace alone in Christ alone.And no, Noah wasn't looking forward to the cross.As we showed you in our Understanding Terminology series, justification is a declaration of righteousness.And righteousness has always been obtained by faith plus obedience.So this idea that Abraham obtained God's righteousness by faith, or that his righteousness could not be lost through disobedience is utterly false.Romans 4:3 isn't talking about the righteousness of God being imputed to Abraham.Paul is referring to Abraham's righteousness.Just like Job, fearing God and eschewing evil was his righteousness.And Noah's walking with God was his righteousness.Just like if the Deuteronomy 6:25 children of Israel observed to do all that God had commanded them, they were told it would be their righteousness, not God's.And we know it's not the imputation of God's righteousness because that is only available to us, believers during this but-now dispensation of God's grace.I hope you're digesting this. It'll change your entire perspective, and it'll help answer questions that before you couldn't answer.In time past, they were counted righteous for observing and doing the instructions God gave them.Faith first, that's right, but observing and doing had to follow.There was no doing without faith.Their faith is exactly what caused them to obey their instructions.Following the rules apart from faith was a big no-no. That would only incite glorying in the flesh like Paul said in Romans chapter 4 verse 2, For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory, but not before God.This was the problem the Pharisees and those scribes who sat in Moses' seat had.Matthew 23, starting with verse 1, Then spake Jesus to the multitude and tohis disciples, saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat, all therefore whatsoever they bid you observe that observe and do. But do not yeafter their works, for they say and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on man's shoulders, but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do for to be seen of men. They make broad their phylacteries, and enlargethe borders of their garments, and love the uttermost rooms at feast, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.Are you connecting these dots?It was kingdom doctrine to have faith plus works, but they had works with no faith.They did things to be seen and admired of men.They gloried in their fleshly self-righteousness while hypocritically instructing others to do things they didn't do themselves.These Scribes and Pharisees back here, they knew the law from beginningto end. Oh yeah.That's why Jesus told his disciples, Hey, whatsoever they bid you observe and do.Because it would be their righteousness to observe and do just likeDeuteronomy 6:25 said.But this weak show of fake obedience by the Scribes and Pharisees back here did not come from faith. It came from flesh. So, Abraham's belief being counted as righteousness was about Abraham'srighteousness being recognized by God, and not God's righteousness beingimputed to him.A benefit only we enjoy. Those of us here under the dispensation of grace.Those who advocate for eternal security all throughout scripture apparently have never workshopped this idea.They chose to parrot the traditions of men.But had they studied to show themselves approved, had they only taken the time to evaluate the what-ifs, they would have had to answer the question of, What would have happened if Abraham did not continue obeying God?Think.Would he have still been counted righteousness while in disobedience?What if he stopped believing?What if he said, "No," to circumcision?Could he have lost his righteous standing?Sure he could.Because it was his own righteousness that was accounted for, not God'srighteousness being imputed to him.Oh, this is getting good.By now you should be settling in and starting to see that this business some teach of how everyone throughout the Bible was saved by the same gospel is a fairy tale.Okay, here we are, we've made it to verse 4.And a quick thanks to all of you who, who've expressed how much you're enjoying this verse-by-verse study here in Romans. The response has been amazing and it is certainly a tremendous honor and joy that you selected us to take you through what could arguably be the most profound and prolific book in this Bible.So, we're glad to be with you. Verse 4, Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but ofdebt. This verse indicates that the reward is earned if it is worked for.When you put in the time for your employer, you clock in, you clock out,your reward, a paycheck, is owed to you.After you finish the work, until you get that check, your employer is in debt to you for that work you completed.So, here Paul says if a person works for salvation, their reward, their salvation, is owed to them out of debt rather than grace.He says the same thing in Romans 11:6 when he penned, If by grace, then is it no more of works, otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace, otherwise work is no more work. For salvation, grace and works are mutually exclusive.They're disjointed.Because we can never work hard enough to earn our justification.That would make it meritorious and give us the right to glory in our flesh.But as Paul told us in verse 27 of the last chapter, chapter 3, Boasting is excluded by the law of faith.Abraham could not earn his salvation.He was initially counted righteous because of his faith.And his faith told him to do works in order to be justified. But if he refused to observe and do, then he would lose his righteousstanding with God. No question about it.It's not debatable.Grace and mercy has been extended by God throughout all dispensations. But there is only one dispensation of grace.Where you've been sealed until the day of redemption, regardless of whatyou do or don't do after your initial salvation.In verse 4, Paul said trying to earn salvation by works would mean God is indebt to you, paying you for whatever your self-righteous works are worth. And that's not a good thing. Philippians 3:9, And be found in him not having mine own righteousnesswhich is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.Oh, aren't you thankful?Aren't you glad God isn't in debt to you to pay you what you're owedconcerning your salvation?It's certain that the wages we earn won't get us anywhere near heaven, and is why for us to be obedient we're told not to work for salvation. Our work could never measure up.Next verse, verse 5, But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.Some say the, "his faith," is Christ's faith, but Christ isn't in the immediate context.Him that justifieth the ungodly is God the Father.And the faith mentioned here belongs to him that worketh not.That can't be Christ. Christ did all the work necessary for our salvation, so there's no way hecould be the him that worketh not.The one that does not work in this verse is the believer who exercises faith in God, God the Father, who justifies the ungodly. The believer believes on God and therefore the believer's faith is counted for righteousness.The context of the entire chapter is the fact that Abraham's faith was counted for his own righteousness.So to claim that this is about Jesus having faith is to claim that Jesus needed to be counted righteous in the sight of God the Father. And if you think Jesus needed to be counted righteous, then you cannot believe he was the fullness of the Godhead bodily.You don't believe Jesus is God.Only sinful man is in need of being counted righteous.That's why the need to have faith applies to men, not God.Abraham believed on him that justifieth the ungodly.To believe on is different from believing in.You cannot believe on someone without believing in them.But you can believe in someone without believing on them.When Abraham believed God, he didn't just believe in him, he believed on him.He had believed in God since at least Genesis 12.Abraham obeyed the instructions, but he didn't believe on God until chapter 15 where the context of that passage says Abram, not Abraham, finallybelieved in the words that the Lord had been speaking to him since chapter12. Genesis 15:4. Watch, And behold, the word of the Lord came unto him saying, This shall not be thine heir, but he that shall come forth of thine ownbowels shall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Looknow toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them. And he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the Lord, and he counted it to him for righteousness.By this time Abraham, still Abram, had left his homeland.He journeyed to the land of Canaan, kept going south and building altars to God there along the way. He arrived in Egypt. He by this time had lied to Pharaoh about his wife being his sister, causing plagues upon Egypt. He had became very rich in cattle, silver, and gold, went back to Canaan,was told again by God of his promise to him in chapter 13, rescued Lot when he was kidnapped, and paid tithes to Melchizedek.I mean, he was a busy man.And think about it. He had done all these things before scripture tells us that he was counted righteous.It wasn't until God repeated his promise unto him the third time, that he believed it.He didn't believe the future hope God was promising him until the word of the Lord came to him in Genesis 15:1.Immediately after, he believed God. Abram asked God how he would know that he would inherit the land, and God instructed him to make an offering.And then God used that offering for the covenant God made with him concerning this promise. Genesis 15:18, In the same day, the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying,Unto thy seed have I given this land.Abraham's faith was counted for his own righteousness, but his future hope and salvation was according to a faith that was validated through covenant, not apart from works, but justified by them.Now get this, okay? His future hope, his salvation, was according to a faith validated through covenant, not apart from works, but justified by them. His righteousness could have been lost through disobedience, and that covenant could be broken, nullifying that promise.And this, this is the reason why both Paul and James can make two different statements about the one same man concerning how he was justified.So we ask again, was Abraham justified by faith or by works?The answer?Both.And tune in next time to find out why.Alright, if you're questioning your salvation, understand this, for Christ's sake, God stopped imputing your sins.Christ died for them all, was buried, rose on day three.So stop trying to achieve salvation by climbing the ladder rungs.You'll never make it.There's no ladder to climb.There's no ladder to salvation.Christ is salvation.Trust him alone.You trust him not self for making the full payment for your sins and defeating the grave on your behalf.Do that, do that and rest in him for your eternal soul's salvation.Grace and peace.

The Truth Time app is now here, all day, everyday, 24 hours of non-stop, rightly dividing the word of truth.You've now found your home where you can study and grow in the word of reconciliation.Truth Time Radio, so glad you're here.Those who limit God's grace, are we correct in calling them Bible believers?Those who sprinkle a little grace here and a little grace there, do they actually believe the word of truth rightly divided?I know they say they do, but do the words they speak confirm this?There is no limit on God's grace.We can't limit it because we didn't give it, and make no mistake, limiting his forgiveness comes in all forms.It's in all denominations. They think you have to do something for forgiveness. They place conditions on it.It's a serious problem, and one that results from not actually believing their Bible.Oh, they believe parts, but not all.And their unbelief has led them to teach all sorts of errors.Take the Presbyterians, they teach that forgiveness is a process that includes communal sin confession.They think baptism assures believers of God's forgiveness and cleansing.The Seventh Day Adventists will say they believe that forgiveness is a freely offered gift to be accepted, not earned.Yet they teach that without confessing your sins to God, you can't be forgiven.So which is it? That's our question. Which is it? These two are different.You see, religion has a way of taking away your ability to think, to think for yourself.Methodists, they, they rely on 1 John 1:9 and James 5:16 for their forgiveness.Mormons have a multiple step process. Church of Christ, they depend on their water baptism.The Freewill Baptists, they say forgiveness is not earned by works, but only received when an individual voluntarily turns from sin and to God.Again, which is it? You have to pick one because these are not the same.Religion teaches forgiveness in all manner of mixed up ways.Some say confess your sins, others say abandon your sin.If you abandon all your sinful behaviors and habits God will forgive you.And then you've got those who say forgiveness comes when you turn over a new leaf and toward a new life.Some say if you, if you don't feel genuine Godly sorrow for your sin, then God cannot forgive you.All these various ways seems to point to you.The focus is on you and off the cross.The Catholics, they give the priest the authority to act as an instrument to grant absolution and forgiveness, which will involve examining one's conscience, true sorrow, contrition, confessing mortal sins at least annually, and performing penance to amend one's life.Such a mess, such a mess, but God's grace, it's amazing.And we're seeing there's an increasing number realizing that there is nothing you can do to be forgiven because Christ did it all.All credit goes to him. He did all the doing that needed to be done.Through his Son he finished something that most refuse to accept.At the cross, the Son took our sin upon himself, satisfying the Father which opened the door for the whole of mankind to be made righteous and justified.2 Corinthians 5:21 For he, God the Father, have made him, God the Son, to be sin for us.Mmm, that's good.Jesus, who knew no sin, by him doing this, we have the opportunity to be made righteous through faith in him.That's where he Colossians 1:20 made peace through the blood of his cross.And if you're saved, God has committed this word of reconciliation to you. Go tell it.That's why in Ephesians 4:1 Paul beseeches us to walk worthy of this vocation wherewith we are called.Our vocation is the gospel of reconciliation. That's what we've been commissioned with.The sum and and substance of the gospel is what Paul called the word of reconciliation which is what enabled us to have right relationship with God.A relationship that couldn't have happened until the enmity was removed, which is what happened at the cross.Colossians 1:27 Paul wrote, To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:Our job, hey, hey listen, our job guys, is that we let the world in on this.How that peace is found by grace through faith in the finished work of Christ. That's the only way to have Christ in you, the hope of glory.Complete restoration and peace comes when, when we are Romans 5:1 justified by faith. There is great peace in knowing we have been reconciled to God and have 100% complete and secured assurance.We're totally secure in our eternal salvation. This lifelong discussion, you know, you've heard it, the one that says you can lose your salvation, it, it's foolish.Satan laughs at all the debates that's gone on about losing your salvation.Listen, once you're saved, Christ is your head, right?Therefore, if we could lose our salvation, our head would have to be decapitated.How absurd, it's foolish to even entertain such an idea. Only a narcissist would think that they can undo what God has done.It's judicially impossible for God to un-adopt someone, impossible.Salvation is secured by God, not maintained by man.We have a divine commission, guys, let's get serious about this, a commission to tell others of how they are kept by God's grace.We've been committed to tell the world how that God is not angry with them because of their sin, which was cleared by the way, their account was cleared at the cross.And in doing so, now they can be saved. The hostility is gone, and right now, under the grace administration, God doesn't see anyone as his enemy.So, what does that make you and I?Peacemakers. And as peacemakers, that's what we're supposed to be preaching.We're to be peacemakers who repair the breach, bringing words of comfort to repair the divide and, and help restore what's broken.The oppressed need to be freed and we have the good news to do it.The gospel of reconciliation is the only thing able to bring together that which has been torn apart.The world avoids a relationship with God because they think there's something they got to do with their sins first.Having missed the fact that he was the initiator, he did something with our sins.Our job is to make known that reconciliation was initiated by God through his Son at the cross.He initiated it, and all that is needed from the unbeliever is to respond in faith.But how can they if they don't know it?See, through the pharasitical mindset of most of the world, Satan has in place his systematic oppression which has inhibited the masses from the gospel of reconciliation.God has done everything needed for worldwide restoration, but it can't even come close to happening until we have made it known.We need more ministers of reconciliation, those willing to step up, step up to the plate and face this issue head on.Willing to fight the good fight that's needed to heal the breach between mankind and God.I just read a, I read an article earlier from a pastor who claims that to be forgiven you must quote, "Turn from sin and return to God, confess specific sins, agree with God about all your wrongdoings, renounce sinful attitudes and habits," and I'm quoting this, "make restitution when needed, forgive others, and recommit to obeying God's word." End quote.This is crazy. This is nonsense. This limited-forgiver religious system is a real mess, that I can tell you.All it does is make forgiveness a process.Forgiveness is not a process. We have, we have no to-do list. Jesus, he was given the to-do list and he finished it all. He finished it and the process is done.The information is no longer hid, so no one has an excuse.Through the dispensational change, God stopped charging, stopped counting, stopped imputing sins.It was achieved for us on the cross and announced to and through the Apostle Paul in due time, 1 Timothy chapter 2.There starting in verse 5 he said, For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; (Verse 6) Who gave himself a ransom for... how many? How many does it say? ...for all, to be testified in due time.Where did this take place?At the cross, but was it known there?By no means. It was to be testified in due time, and Paul was the due time testifier of this outstanding news.And now we have it right here, in 13 books, Romans through Philemon.I have an article here from the Forrest Hill Baptist Church. We need to look at it.Just give me a moment to pull it up here. You know, what we have to understand is that it, it's Satan's greatest priority to keep secret the truth of what took place at the cross.You understand that, right? You can't have it getting out to the masses.Over there in 1 Corinthians chapter 2, we're told how that the fullness of the crosswork was hid from Satan.And now it's his desire to hide it from as many as possible. And to his credit, he's doing a real good job.This from the Forrest Hill Baptist Church titled, "How can you be forgiven of your sins?"The title alone makes me want to puke. How can you be forgiven?As if it's future and up to you instead of past with all credit going to Christ. See how that works?Forrest Hill Baptist Church, obviously limited forgivers here who put the burden of forgiveness on human effort.All right, this article is very lengthy, but, uh, we're going to skip through some here at the first and get to the heart of it.When telling everyone how to get forgiveness, they say, quote,

Truth Time Radio. We will continue to deliver sound biblical teaching to help you grow in grace, rightly dividing the word of truth and keeping it real.Glad you have chosen to be with us today here to preach Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery.We're mic side and grace ready to make known Paul's, "my gospel."He called it, "my gospel," multiple times for a good reason.And it's a truth that twistianity continues to ignore, but we'll stay right here unmovable, preaching Jesus Christ according to the mystery.Mystery not prophecy.What was being taught before Paul, the gospel of the earthly kingdom, primarily concerning circumcised Jews.Romans 15:8, Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:Whose fathers? Around 50,000 Christian denominations and no one's asking this question.They just mosey along, continuing to traffic in the red letters of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John as if that's instructions to us today, the body of Christ.Is this the fathers of the Gentiles? No, even though the denominational crowd continues to deny this.John 4:22, Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.So, at this juncture, Jesus didn't have you and I in mind. We weren't in the picture.John 1:11, He came unto his own, and his own received him not. To put it plain and simple, John never said a word to you.Don't you just love it when God's word begins to make sense? It'll do that once we drop our prejudices.John's gospel was to prove that Jesus was the Christ, the son of the living God, and not that he came to die so that the father could once and for all stop imputing the world's sins.Some teach John 3:16 as a salvation verse. Why would they do such a thing? They didn't keep reading. Watch what happens when we do, 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.Believe what? Hang on and we'll see, we'll find out starting with verse 17, For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.How John? How could the world be saved according to your gospel?Next verse, He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because... and here's our answer, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.That's the crosswork, right? That's the bloodshed, right? Everyone's sins being paid for, right?Wrong. According to John's gospel, they could have everlasting life, how? By believing in the name of Jesus."In the name." Three, one syllable words.If you're smarter than a fifth grader, you can get this.But, if you'll go find a Baptist church to go to this weekend, they'll preach the socks off John 3:16 calling it a salvation verse.And to do so, you know what they got to do? They got to add the cross. It's not there. Acts 4:12, now watch, we're over here in the book of Acts 4 chapters in and this is what we read, Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.So, this business of salvation in his name in John was still going on over here in early Acts.What's missing? Paul's gospel. Paul's gospel of the grace of God was nowhere in sight at this time.Galatians 6:14, But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,...Paul only gloried in the cross of Christ, yet John did not. We literally have the gospel of the name versus the gospel of his cross.These are far from being the same.Let's continue shall we?Flip the pages, flip a few pages here till you come to chapter 8, chapter 8 verse 37, And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.Did the eunuch believe that God stopped imputing his sins? That he was buried and he is risen to justify him unto eternal life?Certainly not. This wasn't their gospel. That was never required of him.The requirement for salvation was believing with all thine heart that Jesus is the Son of God.In the very first chapter of John, he tried to warn us that the book wasn't about the death, burial, and resurrection for salvation.Chapter 1 verse 12, But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:Nothing hard about it. The book of John doesn't contain the gospel of our salvation. Our salvation is not found back there on the other side of the cross.John's presentation is meant to reveal Christ as Israel's Messiah.People that are saying, Believe John 3:16 to be saved, are only giving Satan a reason to throw a big party.One like you've never seen, because there is no salvation in John 3:16.If you had been back there in the previous dispensation and you had stood up and said, To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses into them, they would have thought you to be nothing short of a heretic.And some will call you that today for saying that.Calvary's cross wasn't in focus just like it, for many it's not in focus today.It wasn't in focus, and even when they did eventually receive it, it was only remission for their sins that were past.So, regardless of popular preaching, John's gospel can't save us.He never preached Christ crucified for our sins in the resurrection unto justification. He just didn't do it.Chapter 12 verse 13, turn there real quick if you can. This is how he presented Jesus. Watch, Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel...Now that's pretty simple is it not?John presented Jesus as king of Israel, verse 15, Fear not, daughter of Zion: behold, thy King cometh,...Who's the daughter of Zion? Is that the Galatians 2:9 heathen that Paul went to? I don't think so.See, don't be like the sloppy preachers who, who are guilty of reading mystery data that was kept secret since the world began, Roman 16:25, back into prophecy data that had been hid since the world began, Acts 3:21.Don't do it.John chapter 14 verses 1 and 2, Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.And here come all the wrong dividers along to preach you a sermon about you receiving a mansion one day.And you can hear the songs playing on southern gospel radio. All sorts of made up romantic stories about walking the streets of gold.But are you going to be in that new city Jerusalem here on earth, or do you inherit heavenly places where your spiritual blessings are?Without right division you're left double-minded and unstable.The book of John doesn't have your applicable day-to-day doctrine in it and is why John 14:13 doesn't work for you.Oh, you'll hear it preached, but it don't work. And whatsoever you shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.Folks, John never said a word to you. But most miss this and there they are confused and a prime candidate to be tossed to and fro.John 20 verse 8, Then went in also that other disciple,... now watch, this is interesting, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed. Verse 9, For as yet... here's our timeline, For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.Now that you've pulled away from the church parking lot, put your brain back in and think.John chapter 20, 17 chapters after John 3:16, and the disciples had no clue about the resurrection, which without it we have no salvation.Yet, popular preaching says we're saved by believing John 3:16.Boy, Satan really is the God of this world. 17 chapters after John 3:16 and 16 chapters after John 4:22, but some still remain standing there in their prideful ignorance refusing to budge.But I've got good news. There's a way of escape.To escape all manner of biblical ignorance, we need resident in our inner man, strong meat that belongeth to them that are of full age.We can glean a lot, now listen, we can glean a lot from John. I love reading this book.All his books.All scripture's profitable and for our learning.But the gospel of our salvation is missing. He doesn't address it because he doesn't address us. His books are to Israel concerning the prophetic program and the earthly kingdom.At that time, for a Gentile to have gone into the kingdom, they would have needed Israel acting as a mediator.John 4:22, salvation is of the Jews, remember? Is that how it is today? It is not.1 Timothy 2:5 as a part of what was revealed to Paul. Listen, For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;What's missing? Israel? What's missing? The red letter words of Jesus in John chapter 4. Regardless of what Jesus said in the red letters of John 4, salvation is no longer of the Jews.Their kingdom was postponed and he returned to the Apostle Paul with some different news or some different people going through different times.Jesus said one thing back there prior to dying so that his father could stop imputing sins, but then he comes and says another, something different here to the Apostle Paul.The reason you have to rightly divide the word of truth, it's non-negotiable.How do the ones who claim to follow John miss this?When read exegetically, the book of John teaches salvation based on belief, but had to be followed by performance as a part of maintaining salvation.See, those seeking everlasting life in Israel's earthly kingdom had to hold out and endure unto the end.Mark 13:13, And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake:...Oh, and there's the name thing again, And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.To endure meant they had to remain. They had to last. That's not grace. Grace is unearned, unmerited, but endurance is merited.When you're following Jesus here in John's red letters, I should say pretending to, you're following Israel's Messiah, who came not but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.And for what reason, to judge?John 9:39, And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.What we read there in John 5 about those who did good and got resurrection of life compared to those that did evil and got damnation, that is judgment.And has nothing to do with the dispensation of grace we find ourselves in today.If you think God's judging us today, I might ask, hey, where are all the dead bodies? We're not in the day of judgment, we're in the day of grace.Where are all the dead bodies, as in Ananias and Sapphira?Matthew 16:19 (actually 6:19), Jesus over there said, Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:But that's exactly what they were doing.And when Peter approached them to inquire about it, they lied to him.Does this instruction apply to you today?No, and you've got the savings account to prove it.Different instructions for different people in different times.This is rightly dividing the word of truth.Prior to the postponement of Israel's prophetic program after the stoning of Stephen, there were people getting sentenced to death for the very thing we do today without any repercussion, without any punishment.Christ didn't come to judge us, rather, he took our judgment for us.Our judgment occurred at the cross when he died for our sins and God stopped imputing them.Christ was judged in our place and God's wrath was satisfied.But, you know, sadly, at some sporting event this weekend, and in churches across America, someone's going to stand up, stick out their chest and pray, Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Give us this day our daily bread, even though we have plenty in the pantry.Oh, and don't forget to forgive our sins when we forgive others, even though the sins we're asking you to forgive are not being charged. Amen.Round and round the cray-cray goes, where it stops nobody knows.What most miss is that at the time John's writing about there was no such thing as this gospel of reconciliation.The book of John is prophecy not mystery, with its focus on Israel's earthly kingdom.Daniel 2:44, And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.That's the focus.The prophetic events John wrote of doesn't include you.You and me were Ephesians chapter 2 without Christ being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel.We were strangers from the covenants of promise.We had no hope, and we were without God in this world.And there's no salvation by resting in the finished crosswork of Christ in the book of John.Salvation came by belief in the name, and the name of the only begotten Son,and had nothing to do with the bloodshed for our sins at Calvary.Nothing to do with him being buried and raised on day 3.No, that was the gospel the Lord later gave Paul after he actually did it.After his death, burial, and resurrection, and his ascension and return to Paul.Prior to that, Paul's gospel wasn't being taught.That's why over there in Galatians 2, when Paul went up to Jerusalem to meet with the other apostles, he said, And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel...That gospel? What in the world are you talking about, Paul?What a strange thing to say.I mean, if Paul was preaching the same gospel as the other apostles,that's what Satan wants us to believe, then why did he say, I went up by revelation and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach?...Using the words, "that gospel," certainly sounds like it's different.The gospel of reconciliation was never preached by the Twelve.John's in prophecy.He's speaking in accordance to the gospel of the earthly kingdom program.Alright, so you're here and you're starting to see some things you haven't seen before.Hey listen, this edifice of understanding comes as a product of rightly dividing the word of truth.When you're standing on the right foundation, when you have it under you to build upon, the pieces start to align themselves and fall in place.That's just how it works.But, if you're not approaching your Bible dispensationally, most everything I'm saying here today is flying right over your head.When reading John, this apostle, who according to Galatians 2, went to the circumcision with the gospel of the circumcision, he operated under the law and very plainly and candidly told his audience that, Whatsoever they ask, they would receive because they kept his commandments and did those things that were pleasing in his sight. 1 John 3:22.And many claim this verse even though it doesn't work for them.They claim it even though it was written under the law program.Hence the three words, "keep his commandments."This whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, was a promise to the law keeping circumcised on the eighth day, pork abstaining, Sabbath keeping, waiting on their earthly not heavenly kingdom little flock of believing Israel.And never meant for anyone today.But some, they'll pray this law verse as if it's a grace verse and they get disappointed when it doesn't work.My, it's so nice to not only read 2 Timothy 2:15 but to actually put it in practice.When the word of truth is rightly divided all the dots begin to connect.1 John 2:18, Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby ye know that it is the last time.It's sort of hard to miss the prophetic framework of John's epistle here.He's obviously dealing with tribulation issues and not what we're presently experiencing in this current dispensation of grace.John 20 verse 31, But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.Life through the name is not what Paul called, "my gospel."Life through the name is not 1 Corinthians 15, moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel.It's not 2 Corinthians 5, God made Christ to be sin for us and therefore he stopped imputing sins to us.He took your punishment upon himself which means that if you trusted him alone, this, this life you're now living is the closest to hell you'll ever get.And if you're trusting in anything you have done, this is the closest to heaven you'll ever get.Proverbs 15:14, The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge: but the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness.Knowledge is a game changer, yes it is, so remember you only get two educations, the one you're given, and the one you give yourself.It's amazing how you find the truth.It's like I've went down into a rabbit hole of nothing but truth.It's crazy how I've been lied to by the so-called churches and so-called preachers all these years that all they do is preach, Confess your sins at a alter and give us your money for blessings.It's crazy.A few days, well actually a few months I've been praying every night to guide me and lead me in the right path of truth.Finally I want to know the truth.Give me the truth.Only a few days ago a buddy of mine introduced me to Truth Time Radio.He said it would open your mind and open your eyes and it did.I can't believe how much lies has been taught to me over the years.It's amazing what y'all are doing.It really is.Stay with us.We will continue to deliver sound, biblical teaching to help you grow in grace.Rightly dividing the word of truth and keeping it real.Truth Time Radio, celebrating the word of reconciliation and songs of grace.

Such a joy to be here, if there's a cloud nine, I'm on cloud 10.Hey, we're above ground. That's a good thing. We're alive and here for another day able to share love.The love, the joy, the peace, the peace that passeth all understanding as our apostle Paul tells us.That peace that comes with, well, having the understanding that we're saved eternally secure and sealed unto the day of redemption. Praise God.Isn't that good news? It brings a special kind of joy, does it not?Are you guys affected the same way I am when you read through, when you study out these wonderful, powerful words that were written directly to the body of Christ?The one in Rome there to all that be in Rome beloved of God called to be saints, grace to you and what? Peace.That's what we're talking about. Peace from God our Father, comma, and the Lord Jesus Christ.Then he went on to do the same thing when he addressed the church at Corinth where he opens up and says, Grace be unto you and peace again.Grace and peace from God our Father, comma, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.Then what happens? Well, we journey on down through the books and we look there at the book of Galatians and we see he did the same thing all over again.This is a pattern.Paul's our pattern, and this seems to be a pattern developing here.He said, Grace be to you and peace.There it is again.Are you experiencing this peace? That's the question. The peace of God from the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ.As ambassadors, grace and peace, faith should be in everything we do. Yes. If we're to follow after the words of Paul, we claim to.We say, oh, yeah, we follow Paul. But then we, we don't. Philippians 1, you can go over there. You'll see it again. There goes Paul as his custom.There again, he says, Grace be unto you and peace. Oh, I love it. Peace. Peace from God our Father, comma, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.You guys, you can't escape. You can't escape this truth, this knowledge, this wisdom. God's grace and peace.You can't escape it when you're reading through the Pauline epistles. You just can't. It's peace that passeth all understanding.It's peace that you can't find. I can't find. We collectively, we cannot find outside of our apostle. I mean, we're to magnify his office. We do.Read the entire Bible, but magnify those letters that brings peace to you because of the other, the other epistles are not addressed to you. They're for you, but they're not to you.So you want the peace that passeth all understanding to dwell and reign in your heart? You need to get into Pauline grace, the grace apostle designated, especially for you and I.When we go to our spiritual mailbox, we have grace letters. I don't know if, I can't think of any better news than that. We go to our post office and we get bills.Oh, coffee is good. Thanks. Now we go to our Truth Time post office box. That's much better. Much better.Hearing from you listeners and we love that, but it's still even that nothing like the grace mailbox that's for the body of Christ. It's so good.And if you're here today and you're not aware, you know, this is a foreign, foreign lingo, this crazy guy's talking, well, maybe you should consider, decide to be a workman that's no longer ashamed.There's so many people, Faith, in churches on the pew behind the pulpit that are ashamed, or they ought to be.They ought to be. Maybe they're not conscious of that, but yes, they should be ashamed. This will happen when you begin to rightly divide the word of truth that shame, it'll disappear.And I think most are aware of the shame. They just hide it. They get good at hiding it, too.Ya, ya.Well, I was, I was, I was good at hiding it. I was really good at faking it until you make it. You, you learn to go along to get along, you know, and so you don't cause any problems.You keep your head down and you don't ask questions and just move along with the rest of the herd when you're in that denominational or mainstream mentality.And you learn to do that and you get used to it. And if it ever dawns on you that these things that the man behind the pulpit's saying are not adding up, you know, that's the first step to being able to step out from under that spell, so to speak, whatever you're in that, because you don't want to make waves, you don't want to start trouble.Is it kind of like the abusive wife syndrome? Yeah. Yeah. Keep your head down. Yeah. Put on a front. Most people, even some of your closest acquaintances and friends don't even know the abuse that's going on behind closed doors.Yeah. And the same thing happens in churches. Go ahead. It does. No, no, you're fine. No, it does. It's very similar to that because you have to put on a mask. You have to hide behind.Happy little Christian.Yeah, the, "Christian love club." You did a podcast on that a few years back, but it's under the guise of love, but it's not genuine love.It's supposed to look like what the world believes love is. Yeah.But it's really not. It's to the core, evil.Therein lies the problem when we, as should be bold body of Christ believers, allow the world to define words such as love.No, our Bible, and more precisely, our apostle, he describes that. Right. Right. And love, I made a Facebook post about this years ago.But love is not defined by the receiver, but by the motivation of the giver. But often we look at love as being how it makes a person feel, which is the one on the receiving end of that love.So, if it doesn't make you feel... let's say you offer correction to someone, or you tell them a hard truth.And for some people it doesn't matter how gentle you say it. You can say it with, you know, with the sweetest tone and the kind of sound, the smile on your face and you can be loving and caring and show affection,and it doesn't matter if that's not something that the person wants to hear if they're not in the right headspace to receive that.So, that is going to be the person on the receiving end, they're not going to define that as love.But that's not how we define love. Love comes from the giver. The giver is the one who determines whether or not it's love.That's right. It's your motivation. So, is your intention to harm this person, to hurt this person, to belittle this person with a correction or that hard truth, or is your intention to help them, to make them see something that they may not see because they're right in the middle of it?Or something that they haven't, if it comes down to scripture, if it's something that they haven't understood correctly, is your motivation to embarrass them, or is it to help them grow?How they take that correction or how they take that truth does not determine what your intention is.Correct.Genuine Christian love is true love. That is, I mean, that's going to be the only true love and the only ones who have the ability to show that love are those who know the love that Christ (Ya, good point) has put in us.So, I mean, we know the love of Christ, therefore we can share.Just because someone calls themself a Christian or says that they represent Christianity as a whole or, it doesn't mean that they do.So, we can't let some who don't know what they're talking about dictate what the truth is.

1 Thessalonians 5 verses 21 and 22, Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil. What's evil? Religion.Abstain from it.What's good?Grace.Hold fast to it.God laid it out pretty simple here, guys.In Ephesians 3:2 Paul said, If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:No, Paul, they haven't. Most still haven't heard about it. Your gospel remains 2 Corinthians 4:3, hid.In this day of grace, hey, you want to know God?If you do, if you want to know him, and in you're presently involved with religion, put on your best pair of Nike's and run.I'm just, I'm just keepin' it real. You may think you know God, but you don't. You know religion's version of him.And it matters not what some call themselves. You can say grace this, grace that, and still not have a handle on what really went down at the cross.Blind to the truth of reconciliation and still religious, they don't believe God stopped imputing the world's sins.To the religious mind, that sounds crazy, because they see themselves as good people, and the world as bad people.Just proof, just more proof that they never fully left religion, hanging on to their goodness as if it means something.Some, some look at the goodness of others, and they're impressed. They, they allow it to convince them that the words they speak, they must be true.But hey, that's not Bible. That's human nature.It's why the Mormon boys put on a clean white shirt and tie before coming to your door. It's why pastors hang their credentials on the wall of their office, so you can see them.As if a piece of paper from a theological seminary means anything, as if it means they speak the truth, it does not.You either understand the Bible mid-acts dispensationally or you don't.And be careful, watch, because even the grace message is being hijacked by fakers, pretending to understand Paul's unique apostleship.Oh, they got a little. They understand a little, just enough to be dangerous. But, it's being hijacked by those who never truly left their denomination.Paul talks about them in Acts chapter 20.In Acts 20 he says, he called them wolves. He said, Some wolves coming in from the outside, and some are already among us. Speaking perverse things to draw away disciples, only causing you to digress backwards.Hey, we're seeing that now, some are saying that Romans 3:25 is the gospel of your salvation.Even though the verse only speaks of sins that are past.Newsflash, you having faith that you've only been forgiven of your past sins will leave you lost and on your way to hell.That's phony baloney. That's a phony gospel that's making false converts.All and past are different.Colossians chapter 1 verse 14, In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.And just flip the page and watch.Here we'll see which sins Paul was speaking of, Forgiving you all trespasses, Chapter 2 verse 13.All trespasses, not remission for sins that are past.Religion's greatest tool has been to cause confusion concerning forgiveness.Satan would love nothing more than for you to believe that Romans 3:25 is the gospel of your salvation.Some, they conflate past and all, just as some conflate forgiveness and justification.Which leads them to believe that forgiveness of sins is conditional.It flies in the face of grace by putting you under the law of, "do."When you tell someone they have to do something for forgiveness, you've just made, "do," a law.And it doesn't matter what the, "do," is, you don't have to teach the law of Moses to teach law.Any, "do," any, "do," you place on forgiveness runs contrary to what God said through Paul for this grace dispensation.His forgiveness was for all sins, not past sins.And was unconditional, not conditional.It happened at the cross, not at your turn from sin.It happened at the cross, not when you said a prayer.It happened at the cross, not when you were baptized.At the cross, not when you believed and got saved.Saying you got to do something to be forgiven only poisons God's pure, undefiled, unconditional forgiveness.We didn't have to do anything for it, it was freely given, and if we allow Ephesians 4:32 to be our pattern, we forgive others the way God forgave us, unconditionally.Have you ever noticed, have you ever noticed how some they, they'll go to great lengths to avoid someone who hasn't forgiven them?Avoiding them, thinking they're still angry, and perhaps they are.And that's how they see God.Religion has taught the unbeliever that they need to go to an angry God to get forgiveness.So out of fear, they most often don't.Satan loves this teaching.But God's way is so much better, right? It's so much better than man's.He says that after the sacrifice of my Son, I stopped being angry and stopped imputing sins to the world.God's not angry with anyone today, and it's a message that few preach.Few preach it and it's why most don't know it. They've never heard it.As ambassadors, it's our job to publish this good news so the world will have one less reason to avoid God.He's not angry with you about your sins, and the only thing separating you from him is unbelief.Salvation isn't getting your sins forgiven, it's believing they already are.Believing he forgave every last one of your sins, was buried, and rose to give you new life.But some, they think their belief is the birthmark of their forgiveness.They've chose to give no regard to Colossians chapter 2 where we learned that at the cross, the handwriting of ordinances that were against and contrary to us were all blotted out, every one of them.Taking out of the way and nailed to the cross, limited forgivers don't believe this.They don't believe this verse and they don't believe 2 Corinthians 5:19 where God said he stopped counting the world's trespasses.Neither verse is hard. I mean, both are simple. Acts 26:18 is another simple verse, and it's another one that limited forgivers don't believe.Here, the Lord said to open their eyes, now watch this, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins,...They don't believe it so they try to twist it to make you think you have to do something for forgiveness.They say you have to believe first. No, you don't.Listen, you would never ask someone, Hey if you will first receive my forgiveness, then I will forgive you. How illogical is that?Forgiveness is at the heart of our faith, so it's important that we get this right.It's what allows us to embrace our new identity and successfully live out the grace life confident in Christ.It's what leads to a life of peace and purpose.So thankful you've chosen to be here with us today. You've downloaded the app and you're enjoying this grace life with us.It's just awesome to be a saved by grace through faith member of the body of Christ. Praise the Lord.United, unity bound by peace.United by faith in Paul's one doctrine, the faith of Christ, the Ephesians 4:1 body, one faith, one Spirit, one baptism and one calling.What's sad is often it's those who claim to know the most about grace that are the ones that have the most difficulty showing it.Grace is unearned, unmerited, but they hold on tightly to the position that one must do something for it.We're to forgive others as God forgave us, instead of holding grudges and harboring bitterness, we freely forgive.Forgiveness doesn't automatically mean reunion, reunification, okay? Don't get it twisted.Forgiving someone doesn't always mean there will be reconciliation.They may never be a part of your life, just as most of the world will not reconcile to God and be a part of his.But as he did so do we, we freely forgive without requiring anything from those we forgive.And the ones who can't do this, they're the ones teaching limited forgiveness.To be frank, they're stuck, reliving, rehashing things in their past and holding grudges, which only breeds anguish.Anguish that can lead to emotional distress.Some have a problem giving grace to others because they've never understood the grace God gave to them.But be that as it may, we are to freely forgive. Forgiveness is free.We freely forgive without the person who wronged us having to ask for it.They don't have to beg for it. They don't have to acknowledge it.They don't have to show remorse. They don't even have to know about it.Because we're to Ephesians 4:32, forgive as Christ forgave us.Oh, this, my friend, this is the beauty of forgiveness. We can free ourselves from the energy it takes to hold on and harbor unforgiveness.And we don't need anyone's permission to do it.Which is what God did, forgave us without our permission or belief.By forgiving unconditionally, we display that God kind of forgiveness that was shown to us.This is how we release ourselves from the offender's offense against us.Forgiveness belongs to the offended, not to the offender. Go read Daniel 9:9.God forgave us on the basis of what his Son did, not on the basis of what we did.And we forgive the same way.An argument used by the limited forgivers is that if God forgave the world, then the world is automatically going to heaven.As if they can use forgiveness as their ticket. This is just more toxic stew they're serving. There's no truth to it.What they've done is confuse forgiveness with justification.They're separate words with separate meanings and separate calendar dates.No one goes to heaven for simply being forgiven. Forgiveness only took one. God.But justification, it requires the individual to respond in faith.Same goes for reconciliation. God reconciled you unto himself, now you need to reconcile him to yourself.His parts deal when he done, and he didn't need you to do it.Your part is undone until you believe what he did.Complete reconciliation can never be achieved without two agreeing parties.So when the unbeliever places faith in what Christ completed, as Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:20, they are reconciled to God.It's important we have this correct, this correct understanding of these terms will help you navigate your way through the Bible.Forgiveness and justification are not synonymous, not by grammar, definition, or context.Some things are up for debate, this is not. God's word is the independent arbiter of truth.Justification is a legal judiciary act whereby God removes guilt so that he can then declare the guilty party righteous.But he had to forgive first.Forgiveness doesn't mean you're justified, because it doesn't clear you from guilt.Now if you can grab on, if you can grasp this, you can get out from behind the eight ball.Okay?The key is to educate ourselves by letting God's word, not man's, but letting God's word be our final authority.Exodus chapter 34. For those having trouble with this, allow God to help you here.Exodus chapter 34.You've heard what the grace school had to say about it. Now try God on for size.Exodus 34 verse 7. Moses, speaking of the Lord here, said, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty;...You see it? It's a big flashing light, it's a big billboard right here in front of you.No longer hidden in plain sight, we're bringing it out here for you. That's forgiveness without clearing guilt, plain and simple.God forgave the world without their belief, but his forgiveness did not clear one person in the world of their guilt.His forgiveness didn't clear the guilty for what they were forgiven of.We just read it and we can do it again. Here's more, Numbers chapter 14 verse 18.Same thing, watch, The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty,...Uh-huh, again, made ever so clear.Don't kick against the pricks. Receive this truth. Are you beginning to see this? Limited forgivers have no argument. They never have.They've been playing with you for some time now, but it's time you arm yourself with God's word and stand up to their nonsense.Just connect the dots. It's pretty simple. When God stopped imputing sins to the world, he did not clear anyone of guilt.So, being forgiven by itself will not get you into heaven.Make no mistake. No guilty person goes to heaven. They go to hell.They go there because of guilt and not because of sins that are not being imputed. That makes no sense.How can you go to hell for sins that are not being imputed? How can you go to hell for sins that were put on Christ?Take them off Christ and re-impute them to you, each person, and then send them to hell?Can't do it, but you can send them to hell because they're still guilty of those sins because they were never placed in Christ and justified, meaning that God not only sees them as forgiven, but sees them as innocent, not guilty, as if they've never ever sinned in the first place.Because you're in Christ and Christ never sinned.So, if you're in Christ and he never sinned, then you're seen as he's seen.Having never sinned, completely innocent, not guilty.See, being in Christ does not mean forgiven, because Christ was never forgiven.You get that, right?This is so simple, most miss it.Just because God stopped charging sins didn't make anyone not guilty and is the same with us.Just because we choose to forgive someone doesn't mean that person isn't guilty of what we forgave them for.It just means we chose to forgive them and let it go.If you haven't already gotten this, at some point you got to catch up, catch up and catch on, and you can better articulate the gospel.Not one person listening today had their guilt taken away when Jesus hung, bled, and died on the cross, not one.You probably, you know, most of us know someone who likes to hold something from your past over your head to sort of keep you in check, right?That's not love at all.But they didn't come up with that on their own.Knowingly or unknowingly, they got that from religion.The world is set up on the religious system and affects even those who claim no religion.Religious people like to hold sins against others.But you were born with no sins in your account because of the blood of Jesus.He took care of it before you were a twinkle in your daddy's eye.And conflatin' forgiveness with justification distorts both.Say you're, say you're in a courtroom and a man's on trial.He's being tried for murder.The victim's father, he stands up, looks over at the defendant and says, I forgive you.What happens after that?Well, to hear the limited forgivers tell it, the murderer is set free and everyone goes home.Because they claim that forgiveness and justification mean the same thing.So, once the father stood up and said, I forgive you, that meant the man's not guilty.But to us, we who are sober thinkers and we who believe what we just read earlier in Exodus 34:7 and over there in Numbers 14:18, we know that's not how the judiciary system functions.We know that while forgiveness only takes one, the one who was offended,that forgiveness doesn't clear the offender of his guilt.So he can't walk out of the courtroom just because the father said, I forgive you.Because forgiveness is not synonymous with justification.Religion has messed up the masses.And this has caused a competitive mindset.Which is responsible for a lot of unnecessary struggle, pain, anxiety, and discouragement.It's responsible for creating a competitive atmosphere that will not only have you competing against others, but competing against yourself.Listen, there's no one more competitive than me.Ask anyone who knows me.But leave it on the field, in the ring, on the court.Leave it there because it has no place in grace.We were forgiven on the merit of what Christ did and not what we do.The way was made clear by the death, burial, and resurrection for every sin you'll ever commit, and salvation is a free gift for all who will simply believe that the work is finished.No need to compete for something unearned.No amount of stopping, starting, doing more, doing less, doing it longer, harder, none of that.We're complete in him, complete in Christ, and that can't be improved on.And the body of Christ, we're loved unconditionally, but most never hear this in any of these Fortune 500-style churches.And if they do, it's always followed with a, "but," and then they add a condition.It's a counterfeit gospel that only appears to be good news.But as ambassadors with a greater news, the best news, we need to be faithful to the assignment.Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ.2 Corinthians 5:20, ...as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.So many wonderful verses overlooked.Another verse that flies under the radar is found over there in the 5th chapter of Romans.It's rarely preached, verse 13, (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law...)Now that's a good verse.It should settle it.When limited forgivers come here, they have a hard time with this one.Has the law been in effect during your lifetime?Well, if the answer is no, and it is, then the Truth Time position here, the one we hold to, is correct.And the entire limited forgiver platform callapses.That argument faceplants.For Christ's sake, God stopped imputing the world's sins, and this offends the grace Pharisees.I don't know why.It's good news.But, hey, Satan has to be celebrating.Millions out here needing to hear this, but religion with its man-made cohorts remain blind to this truth.And we forgive others, listen, we forgive others the same way God forgave us.He forgave us and stopped imputing our sins without us doing anything.We didn't have to be there, we didn't have to acknowledge it, we didn't have to know about it, ask for it, believe it.He just did it.He demonstrated his immeasurable love by 2 Corinthians 5:19, removing the sin barrier that had stood between him and man, making a way for us to, verse 20, be ye reconciled by simple faith.Which we do by believing the gospel, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, was buried and rose again the third day according to the scriptures.When the unbeliever repents, changes their mind, changes it from what they were trusting for salvation, and decides to trust Christ alone, they are cleared of guilt, justified, made righteous.We're not saved by asking, inviting, turning, making, forsaking, praying, or joining, but through simple faith in what Christ done for us, on our behalf, in our behalf.It's amazing news, guys.Be faithful to the assignment, go tell someone about this today.And remember, you only get two educations.The one you're given, and the one you give yourself.Grace and peace.

Truth Time Radio. We will continue to deliver sound, biblical teaching to help you grow in grace.Rightly dividing the word of truth, and keeping it real.Hey guys, glad you chose to spend your day with us here on the Truth Time app.Having some wonderful discussions with some of you.Those here at Truth Time are committed to bringing you mid-acts grace studies and even throwing some grace music along the way.So glad you're here.Let's address a listener comment right now.This one says, Thankful to have found you.Growing up in a strict Catholic family, we attended Mass every Sunday.I attended parochial school.I prayed the sign of the cross, the Hail Mary, and more Our fathers that I care to remember.I'm so thankful to hear about the ministry of Paul.Out of all the apostles, I was taught that it was the words of Peter that I should follow.I now recognize my error and, and saddened by how many still think this.Please never stop teaching us how to rightly divide. It has changed my life.What you were taught is called Petrine primacy.Catholics say Peter is the foundational rock of the church, and in their mind, they're, they're the only true church.But as shocking as it may sound, the apostle Peter never said a word to us.Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction.Peter preached the Mark 1:15 gospel of the kingdom, but Paul, he preached the Acts 20:24 gospel of the grace of God.Very different.Peter's gospel, it was restricted to the circumcision.The circumcised Jews there in Israel.Paul's gospel was unrestricted and able to come to the rest of the world, us.And both of those statements can be verified in one verse, Galatians 2:7.In Acts 2, Peter preached the cross, but not for forgiveness.He said, Repent and be baptized for the remission of sins.Furthermore, he wasn't even talking about all sins.The remission of sins only concerns past sins. Romans 3:25.Peter was never given the revelation of the mystery that Paul received and is why his teachings remain in line with what he was taught by Jesusduring their three-and-a-half years together.Peter never said a word to you.His sermons were Acts 2:36 restricted to the house of Israel.The law of Moses was still operating.Are you law-minded or grace-minded?You see, the twelve apostles, they never stopped keeping the law.They never stopped law-keeping.Acts 10, well into the Book of Acts, and past the death, burial, and resurrection, and watch what Peter says.Verse 28, ...Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean.See that?Peter said it's unlawful.Yet today's denominational preachers want us to unsee what we can plainly see and play the pretend game, pretend that Paul taught the same doctrine as the twelve.But instead of pretending, let's be Bible students and just flip through some pages.Look over in chapter 11, in chapter 11 there you'll notice in verse 2 that the other apostles, verses 2 and 3 actually, the other apostles here, they were not happy, and they even contended with Peter.An argument ensued.They were upset with him for breaching the law, and in verse 9 he explained what happened.He told the others that what God had told him, What God hath cleansed, call not thou common.And we turn a few more pages and see that Peter, James, John, and the boys, they were all observing the law way over in Acts chapter 15.Look at verse 1, watch, And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.There's the law for salvation hidden right here in plain sight.But some lazy Bible students to this day, some 2000 years later, are still trying to convince us that Peter and the apostles before Paul, oh, they taught salvation by grace just like he did.Some try to convince us that what we just saw with our own eyes isn't really what we just saw with our own eyes.Okay, let's continue. Flip to chapter 21, and you'll see there in verse 20, you'll see this, And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law:Now here we go again, all the way over in chapter 21, and they're still keeping the law.And did it zealously all the way to the end of their lives.That's why we have verses that say, He that endures unto the end shall be saved.Law keeping wasn't a part-time job for them, yet the religious system says the twelve apostles taught the same thing Paul did.It's incredible how far some will go to lord over you.Peter, under law, was following the instructions Jesus gave him back there in Matthew chapter 10, These twelve, Jesus sent forth and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles.He said, Only go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And that's what Peter did.In Acts chapter 3 verse 24 from the mouth of Peter, he said, Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.See that?What Peter preached was spoken while what Paul preached was things kept secret, Roman 16:25.When Peter spoke these words, prophecy was being fulfilled.And clear over here toward the end of your Bible in 2 Peter chapter 1, look at verse 19.I want you to notice what he wrote, We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed,...Saying Peter and Paul preached the same thing is a dumpster fire.It isn't until we see the Apostle Paul come on the scene that we notice a change.And that's why in Romans 11:25 he said, For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery,...There it is, that's what most miss....that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.It was their blindness that caused their fall.God gave them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear.And the time of prophecies being fulfilled came to a halt.Israel's program was postponed due to their unbelief.God hung up a closed sign right there on Israel's prophecy door.Religious folk, they'll hang their hat on Acts 2:38 even though it's not their mail.But this is what happens, this is what replacement theology has caused.It causes text theft, stealing scriptures addressed to Israel and claiming them for yourselves.Acts 2:38 is Peter addressing Israel about repenting and being baptized for the remission of their sins that are passed.Something many are blindly overlooking, remission of past sins, which is what Paul addressed in Romans 3:25.But in Colossians 2:13 he said that we, we who don't steal Israel's mail, we are forgiven all sins.Not just sins that are passed, but all sins.Which doesn't match 2 Peter 1:9.Peter to the little flock there, he told them that they were purged from their old sins.Old sins, all sins, pretty simple to see the difference.Now, there's a preacher out here, old preacher Breaker, better known as Faker Breaker.He won't address this.He started a blood cult and claims that Romans 3:25 is the gospel that saves.But he doesn't address the fact that the verse plainly says sins that are past.He denies the very words right here in the King James Bible.And it gives very little attention to context.You know, lack of context is the mother of all misunderstanding.Peter said he was purged of his old sins and old sins are past sins.But in Colossians 2:13 Paul says we're forgiven of all sins.Things that are different just aren't the same, but Faker Breaker there, he won't tell you this because it may hurt his book sales.The one with all the fake quotes in it.Now, in 2 Corinthians 5:19, if you've yet to see that verse, go look at it.There you'll see that Paul said God stopped charging sins to the world.Amazing news that many still don't know nothing of.Partly because of preachers like Breaker who are still attached to their religion.He's half in and half out, a fence straggler.A part-time gracer who knows just enough about grace to be dangerous.He won't tell you that we're living in God's dispensation of grace and how he forgave sins and stopped imputing them to the world.He won't tell you that Acts 26:18 says that all we need to do to be saved is receive that.Receive, believe forgiveness of sins was accomplished.He's a career-religionist.They're detached from reality and can't see the difference between these things.But a good minister is careful to rightly divide and make a straight cut to help connect the dots so you can see the distinctions that are in your Bible.Even distinctions concerning forgiveness.Many Bible divisions get overlooked.Distinctions between the Luke 12:32 little flock and the Colossians 1:18 church which is the body of Christ.Between the Matthew chapter 6 verses 9 and 10, earthly kingdom, and the 2 Corinthians 5:1, and Philippians 3:20, heavenly kingdom.Between water baptism, Matthew 3:16, and spirit baptism, 1 Corinthians 12:13, between selling all your possessions, layin' the money there at the Apostle's feet, Acts 4:35, and what Paul tells us which is to take care of our home and work so we can feed our family, 2 Thessalonians 3:10.These are different instructions and you don't have to major in economics to see the two different economies here.We see verses where Paul, he greeted believers who hosted the church in their home.But the little flock, hey, in early Acts they didn't even own a home.What need would they have for a home if the kingdom was at hand?Luke 12:22, And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.Now, follow closely, Jesus tells the little flock, don't think about your life, don't think about food, don't think about your wardrobe.But religion, they come along and change this to, well, you know, what Jesus really meant was, don't think too much about it.As they stand there behind the pulpit of misinformation and literally add to the word of God, and the congregation just, oh yeah, they nod and say, amen.Well, this instruction was so important that you'll notice in verse 29, he repeated himself, Jesus said again, And seek not ye, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of a doubtful mind.And in verse 31 he said, But rather seek ye the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you.Starting to get this, again, what need would they have to give thought for their life?Why would anyone need to think about their next meal or what clothes they wear if the kingdom's at hand?When the kingdom comes, they'll be in the presence of the king, and the king will take care of those people in the kingdom.As he said, all these things shall be added unto you.But you see, the kingdom didn't come because all of Israel didn't accept the king, they rejected him.That's why it's been postponed, and we're living in the parenthetical, the dispensation of the grace of God.Things are different. The economy is different. We're under a different administration.That's why you have to rightly divide the word of truth.Now, watch right here in verse 32, he tells them, he says to the little flock, Fear not, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.And he goes on to say, sell everything they have because where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.Those who refuse to see these differences and how they differ with Paul's teachings, they come along and try to whitewash these things that Jesus is saying.Some say the Bible doesn't make selling your possessions mandatory for salvation.They don't believe their Bible because in Matthew chapter 19, the disciples, hey, they were astonished at what Jesus was teaching, and they responded by saying, who then, who then can be saved?And in verse (Matthew) 26, he answered, ...With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.So, what about you? Is this your doctrine? Sell everything and wait on the kingdom. That's what's going on here.Let's keep reading. Then Peter answered and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? Now stay with me. Think about the question, who then can be saved? Verse 29 gives us the answer.Jesus said, And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.Now tell me this wasn't mandatory for salvation. As plain as the nose on your face right here it is, there's more than one gospel in this book.I don't care what anybody says. And the gospel of the kingdom was works based. The salvation gospel in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, it was different.It was different than Paul's Romans through Philemon gospel. And the slight of hand preachers, they can't stand men like me who will come along and point this out.Like Paul, I say, Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?They don't like men that are capable of opening God's word and layin' it out in a manner whereby the cookies get placed on the bottom shelf.No, they want to run everything through the spin zone so it comes out in their favor on the other side.Paul never tells us to abandon personal property, to forsake our home, to forsake our family, to sell everything we own in order to inherit eternal life.And if you fail to rightly divide these gospels, you'll find yourself facing a great paradox.There's a striking contrast between the gospel of the kingdom and Paul's gospel of grace.We're told to be good stewards over what we own. Well, being good stewards over what we have and abandon it altogether, that's just different. It's not the same.Read carefully here, 1 Corinthians chapter 16. Look at verse 2 and you decide.Did Paul give the church at Corinth the same instructions as Peter gave the Pentecostal church?Let's see. He wrote, Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store,...Now mark that, "in store."...lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him,...See what this is? This is giving based on income right here.See it? And Paul tells them to store up. See that?Even though Jesus said to lay not up, Matthew 6:19, Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal.If you miss it, you'll have to do it on purpose. And this giving based on income is opposite to the words of Jesus, opposite to the words of Peter.It's not selling your possessions and laying the proceeds down at the apostles' feet. It's not quitting your job, leaving your home and land, to wait on Jesus to set the kingdom up for you.So, you can reign as kings and priests with him. No, it's different. And they sang a new song, saying thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof, for thou what's slain, and has redeemed us to God by the blood out of every kindred and tongue, and people, and nation.And has made us unto our God kings and priests, and we, who's the we, not you, not me, and we shall reign on the earth.We're not going to reign on earth, 2 Corinthians 5:1, For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.When we follow 2 Timothy 2:15, the confusion disappears. It goes away when we divide prophecy that which was spoken and mystery that which was kept secret.It comes down to simple division. Jesus called out Peter along with eleven other men, but called out Paul all by himself. The twelve, they were sent to one nation, but Paul was sent to all nations.Paul was the apostle of the Gentiles, Acts 9:15, Romans 11:13, Romans 15:16, Ephesians 3:1, Galatians 1:2, 1 Timothy 2:7, 2 Timothy 1:11, but not Peter, he was the apostle of the Jews, Galatians 2:7.He only spoke to one Gentile in his entire ministry, and when he did, he told that Gentile to do righteous works, or God wouldn't accept him.Acts 10:35. See, there was salvation for the Gentiles during the gospel of the kingdom, but they had to go through Israel to get it, John 4:22.But Paul, he was a preacher to idol worshiping Gentiles, pagans, those who worshiped pagan idols like Apollo, Zeus, Diana, Athena, Mercury.The uneducated, they'll tell you that Peter is your apostle, even though he opened 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 1, with the words, Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galicia, Capadosia, Asia, and Bethenia.Strangers scattered, now who might that be?Peter's little flock, the little flock of exiles of the dispersion, exiled from their homeland, the little flock of believing Israel, they're the ones called the strangers because they're in foreign lands there when they received Peter's letter.Acts chapter 8 verse 1, And Saul was consenting unto his death, this is the death of Stephen, and at that time there was a great persecution against the church, which was at Jerusalem, that's Peter's church, and they were all, what?Scattered abroad.The scattering occurred at a time when there was a distinction being made between Jew and Gentile, and salvation was of the Jews, so it's pretty obvious to a Bible student who Peter's written words were to.He wrote to the same audience James did, James opened up the letter with the same nomenclature as Peter did, he said, James a servant of God, and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the 12 tribes, which are scattered abroad.Acts 11:19 gives us more of the same, Now they which were scattered abroad... here it is again, they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to... and notice the next six words, none but unto the Jews only.You want to be on the side of truth or religious tradition?Here's your chance to get off the religious hamster wheel and believe God's word.Here's where the argument should end.What's there to argue about?Only someone who enjoys being rebellious would want to proceed by belaboring an argument about this.Now watch what Peter wrote in his second epistle, 2 Peter 3:1, This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance:Now think about what he said, what he wrote was to stir up their pure minds by way of remembrance.Remembering what Peter, verse 2, That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets,...What Peter wrote couldn't possibly be for us, because it was for those who might remember the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets.And Peter continues in 2 Peter 3:4 by saying, ...Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.The fathers, what fathers?Not Gentile fathers, the fathers of Israel.The fathers of the set aside nation, in Peter 2:12, he tells his audience to have their conversation honest among the Gentiles.Obviously his writings were not to the Gentiles.This is confusing if you don't rightly divide, but when you adjust your focus to the gospel that Christ gave Paul, then you're positioned to grow in knowledge and grace.Peter's audience are as lively stones, a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, a chosen generation, a holy nation, 1 Peter chapter 2.But Paul describes us as 1 Corinthians 12:20, many members in one body, a body, a body of ambassadors for Christ, not a royal priesthood or holy nation.And these priests will one day reign on earth in the millennial kingdom.Peter's not going to heavenly places.Neither is James, neither is John. John said, Revelation 5:10, he said, And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.But Paul teaches us about the kingdom in the heavenlies.What Peter wrote will equip the little flock of believing in Israel to persevere, to make it through their tribulation of Daniel's 70th week,but as most of you already know, we're not going to be there, we're not going to go through that.We'll be called up in the catching away.We're not appointed to wrath, 1 Thessalonians 5:9, we'll be delivered and saved from the wrath to come, 1 Thessalonians 1:10 and Romans 5:9.We're not a part of Peter's Acts 2, Ye men of Israel, who God's going to show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath.Blood and fire and vapor of smoke.The sun's going to turn to darkness and the moon into blood.That all happens before that great and notable day of the Lord to come.So many differences, so many differences between Peter and Paul, like prayer, for example, that's another one.We'll cover that more thoroughly in a podcast to come, but hey, when it comes to prayer, Peter was, he was taught that if he prayed, he'd receive whatever he asked for.Remember that Matthew 18:19, ...if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.But you can read 2 Corinthians 12 and find out that didn't work out too well for the apostle Paul.He prayed not once, not twice, but three times for something and the Lord denied him and said, my grace is sufficient.Paul got a quick lesson on how to pray according to what God is doing today.A dispensational prayer life is quite different from that of time past.See, we're a part of something new, something new that God is doing today.It started in the 9th chapter of the book of Acts with the apostle Paul, and a good minister, he'll be able to skillfully make a straight cut with precision and rightly divide the word of truth for you.This is Truth Time Radio and, like Paul, we're here to deliver information that should comfort and give you full assurance.Colossians 2:2, That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God,...If you're not certain about your salvation, know this.Christ died for all your sins.2 Corinthians 5:19, Colossians 2:13.He was buried but rose the third day to give you eternal life in him.So believe on him right now. Go ahead and do it.Before it's too late.

Today on Truth Time.Forgiveness of sins isn't tangible. You can't see or handle it. You can only believe that it happened or you can reject it through disbelief or indifference. So, as we see, shot at and missed by the limited forgivers.Maybe they should reload and try again. They need some new material. If this verse, if it were telling anyone how to get their unforgiven sins forgiven, it would have read that their sins may be forgiven. If someone refuses to believe the good news that God has forgiven them for the sake of his Son, rather than for the sake of themselves and on the merit of their own personal belief, then they are doing the opposite of receiving forgiveness of sins. There's no scripture anywhere in Paul's epistles that says God is offering forgiveness in exchange for belief. What Paul's gospel does say is it's a declaration of what is already done to be either received or rejected. This is Truth Time Radio. Truth Time Radio often marked but rarely avoided.Funny how those who claim to have marked and avoided you are the very ones who know the most about you. Alright, last time in our study of chapter 3 here in the book of Romans,we showed the result of everything Paul had written so far and how that it was both Jews and Gentiles that are now on the same level, the same level in the sight of God because of Israel's fall. So, today we're going to look at the terms, "by faith," and, "through faith,"here in verse 30. Is there a difference? Yes, no, maybe? If there's a difference, what is it? Since the sentence that verse 30 is a part of starts in verse 29, let's start there. Let's just back up and start in verse 29 here, Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: verse 30, Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.By faith and through faith, although related terms, have different meanings, two different terms for two different groups of people. The common denominator for the means of justification for both the circumcision and uncircumcision is faith. But the application, the application and the result of that faith for salvation is different for each group. We need to grab hold of that. Generally speaking, throughout scripture, by faith is applied to somethingthat can be expressed outwardly, you know, things that can be seen of others, while through faith is expressed toward what is inward, such as believing, trusting, thinking.We often see accounts of good works and deeds being done by faith and the reception of information done through faith. There's a difference. We see many examples of this in God's word. Hebrews 11, Hebrews 11, there you'll find several verses of works doneoutwardly by faith. Yet, we see the words through faith used to describe how Sarah receivedstrength to conceive seed. This was not an outward work that Sarah did, it was an inward reception of strength given to her by God. It was something unseen. The word "by" almost always indicates source or motivation for an outward work when associated with a believer exercising their faith. When something is done by faith, we can usually see it performed. The term, "by faith," answers the questions, why or how? The circumcision shall be justified by faith.And that's faith proven by works. That's what declares them righteous, just as we find in Deuteronomy chapter 6 verse 25."Through" is a directional word. When we think of going through something, we understand that we cannot go through something without being in it, right?So, through faith will always answer the questions, when or where? We receive something through faith by receiving it in faith. The uncircumcision is justified through faith by receiving the gospelin faith. These two methods for justification, which means to be declared righteous, are not the same. One includes works by faith, and the other discludes works through faith. Any outward obedience to God is performed by faith, while inward reception of his word as truth is through faith.Let's look at some examples in Paul's epistles of God's word being received as truth for examples of what is done through faith. In 1 Corinthians 15:1 here, Paul, he's outlining our gospel, and he recalls that both he and the recipients of this letter had already received the gospel he had preached to them. It was brought to them in the form of spoken words, not something tangibleto be seen or touched, but information to be heard and believed. Paul delivered words to them, and their reception of those words as it is in truth, the word of God was through faith.Paul demonstrates this pattern of receiving the word of God through faith here in 1 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 13 as well. He says, For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.You see, we received God's word through faith by counting it as truth and believing it.Some more examples of how information is received as the word of God in truth through faith, look at Romans 5. Romans chapter 5, and let's get verse 11, verse 11, Romans chapter 5 verse 11, And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. Christ's atonement was presented to God the Father with a sprinkling of hisblood on the mercy seat in heaven. Hebrews is an excellent book, one that explains how the, the foreshadowing of sin sacrifices was fulfilled in Christ's atonement. No one can come away from an honest reading of this here believing that Christ's atonement was presented to man for his acceptance instead of God. No way, we hear some teach that. That's, that's error. When Paul wrote, We have now received the atonement, he means we who have believed have accepted the news as the word of God in truth through faith. Proof of this is found in the verses prior and following.The reception of the atonement here in Romans 5:11. Christ's death for sins of all the world, his burial and resurrection, as well as the salvific benefits of the believer in the gospel of Christ.Paul describes what happened for the lost world as a result of the atonement, and goes on to describe salvation for those who have now received the atonement.So, it's through faith that we receive the atonement by believing the good news Paul brought us concerning what it achieved, the gospel that was received by those at Corinth, the gospel that he praised the Thessalonians for receiving as the word of God as it is in truth.We can only receive two types of items, those that are tangible and those that are intangible.Anything that can be experienced with physical human senses, well, that's tangible.But intangible things can only be received inwardly. Reception of information as truth is receiving it through faith. Here's an example. Let's get an example of reception of information through faith that the limited forgivers they really struggle with. Acts 26 verse 18, Acts 26:18, they struggle with this and they call it a gotcha' verse, but it don't get anybody.Okay, Acts 26:18, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God,... Now here comes the information that Paul, he hopes they will receive not as the word of men, but as it is in truth the word of God, just like 1 Thessalonians 2:13 said.Now watch, ...that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. Hopefully you get this, forgiveness of sins isn't tangible. You can't see or handle it. You can only believe that it happened or you can reject it through disbelief or indifference. So, as we see, shot at and missed by the limited forgivers.Maybe they should reload and try again. They need some new material. If this verse, if it were telling anyone how to get their unforgiven sins forgiven, it would have read that their sins may be forgiven. Pretty simple.What is the opposite of receive? Reject. If someone refuses to believe the good news that God has forgiven them for the sake of his son, rather than for the sake of themselves, and on the merit of their own personal belief, then they are doing the opposite of receiving forgiveness of sins. There's no scripture anywhere in Paul's epistles that says God is offeringforgiveness in exchange for belief. What Paul's gospel does say is it's a declaration of what is already done to be either received or rejected. Limited forgivers reject God's forgiveness, Christ's atonement, and the very gospel that tells us the sin debt was paid in full at the cross.It's one thing to be ignorant of truth, but it's, to openly reject it is far worse.To reject God's completed forgiveness and instead credit your own belief as being the incentive that moves God to do something he's already done, just so that you can reject it and claim that you got yourself forgiven instead, well, that's shameful. Consider Paul's warning, that warning that he gave the Corinthians concerning their tendency to glory as if they were the source and the cause of what they had received. You'll find it in 1 Corinthians chapter 4.Over there in verse 7, For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?Those who believe you're able to get God to forgive you by believing he's waiting on you to activate him, to move him to do it, those who think that he cannot forgive your sins unless he gets something in return from you first. Those who think that the atonement is somehow given or applied to you upon your belief instead of being presented to the Father on your behalf nearly 2,000 years ago, Paul wants you to know why you are glorying as if you are the source and the reason of your own forgiveness from God. Instead of it being freely given to you, like he praised the Thessalonians for. When he said to them, When ye received the word of God, which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. When Paul went to the Thessalonians with the good news about the atonement of Christ, for the forgiveness of their sins to be completed, the burial and the resurrection unto eternal life, they basically just said, God said it through Paul, and that settles it for us. They received it. They didn't earn it through something they did.They received it through faith, but the Corinthians, they wanted to boast in what they had received.As though they had generated it themselves, kind of like the limited forgivers of today, as if they were the source of what they had and what they had learned. As though they had earned it instead of receiving it.Paul rebuked them for this attitude.Anyone who doesn't believe sins were forgiven at the cross, hey, they'd do well to take this into consideration. If our belief activated God's forgiveness, then we could glory. We could glory as though we didn't receive it from him. We could act like we generated his forgiveness toward us on our own, which is contrary to the truth that was revealed to Paul. It's exactly what all limited forgivers across denominations do. But if we just received that which is declared as truth, that God has forgiven us on account of his son's atonement for our sins, then through faith, we receive it instead of heretically claiming to originate it.Ironically, this deception of how through faith affects the reception of the atonement in Acts 26:18, it also contains a reference to, by faith. Let's see if we can relate this "by faith" in Acts 26:18 to the "by faith" of Romans 3:30. Verse 30 here says that the circumcision shall be justified by faith. Acts 26:18 is actually Christ speaking, instructing Paul about what to tell the Gentiles concerning what happened to their sins, and about an inheritance for them that is among other believers who were already sanctified before Jesus sent Paul to the Gentiles.Now watch, That they might receive forgiveness of sins, an inheritance among them, that are sanctified by faith that is in me. Them that are sanctified here can only describe one group, the alreadycircumcised little flock. Most missed this. So, when Paul is describing for King Agrippa what Jesus said to him on the road of Damascus, he's sayin' that Jesus wanted him to take this gospel of the grace of God, the good news about how Christ's atonement forgave their sins, his burial, and resurrection to the Gentiles, so that they would receive that good news as the truth of God through faith in order to partake in the body of Christ inheritance as adopted children of God.Adopted children among those the little flock, who were already sanctified by, not through, faith that they had in Jesus Christ. Read Hebrews 11, go do that sometime and you'll see that Israel was required to exercise their faith in the form of outward works to maintain their salvation.They had to endure until the end to be saved. They believed God's promises as truth through faith, but they obeyed his instructions to do outward works by faith.When we take this information and apply it to Romans 3:30, it becomes clear.There is now no difference between the circumcision, Israel, and the uncircumcision, Gentiles, and that faith is the vehicle by which justification is achieved for both groups.This is good, how this unfolds. I hope you're all seeing this.In time past, Gentiles, they had to go through Israel in order to receive God's word through faith. But now, no more.Acts 15 also describes this, and it's why a letter was sent out to the Gentile churches to let them know that they were not required, to keep the law as the Judaizers over there were trying to convince them by corrupting them from the simplicity that is in Christ. For the believing circumcision, the little flock, their justification required outward works being done by faith. In James's letter to them, he asked, James 2:14, he said, What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? When you read the next two verses, the obviously implied answer is a resounding, No! James says that faith alone does not save anyone.He further says point a couple of verses later, verse 17, Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead being alone. And verse 18, watch this, Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.James says faith without works is dead, plain and simple. People try to spin this. We've heard, but no, it's plain. You can get that. It's straight up, straight truth there for you. He says that faith without works can't save. Fortunately, he's not talking to us. He's talking to the little flock.We can't overlook the fact that he's telling them that their reception of God's word as truth through faith is not enough to save them. They also have to do works, and those works have to be done by faith. And then we find it very interesting that we've got a complete, a completely different take on Abraham being counted as righteous than what we'll get from Paul in Romans chapter 4.Paul says Abraham's faith alone is counted as righteousness. But James 2, he states, But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?(Verse 22) Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?(Verse 23) And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. (Verse 24) Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. So, who's right, Paul or James?When we get further into this study in the next chapter, Romans 4, we'll see that they are both right. Just talking to different audiences with different gospels, Galatians chapter 2 verse 7.Different audience, different gospels, different purposes, and different hopes.James 2 just clearly explained what Paul meant by the circumcision being justified by faith in Romans 3.A clear truth for the little flock, no works to prove their faith equals no justification for them.But for the body of Christ, if we try to work to earn our justification, that's the opposite.That's the opposite of our gospel. And as Paul told us, it's another that isn't another.Which won't save anyone. Not today. Since Israel has fallen from their elevated status, that means every lost person alive today qualifies as the uncircumcision in the but now dispensation of grace. For the uncircumcision only the receiving of the gospel, which is through faith, is required for justification. No works added. There's no maintenance program for us. How does one receive the gospel?By believing the salvation doctrine that Paul preaches, believing that it is the first Thessalonians 2:13 word of God in truth. Here where we are in Romans 3, Paul is, he's still explaining why and how Israel fell, and how they are now no longer favored above any Gentile. These Jews here in Paul's Roman audience, they need to hear, they need to hear this in order to be saved according to Paul's gospel of the grace of God. By faith is outward, through faith is inward.By faith, something is performed, through faith, something is received.That's a pretty simple breakdown of this. The circumcision had to perform works by faith to be justified. The uncircumcision had to receive the gospel through faith by believing it is the word of God given to them, and not the word of man. Now we've come to verse 31. This verse ends the chapter, but this topic will carry over to chapter 4. But let's end it here. Let's end it with the "through faith" of verse 31, Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law. See that? This is a valid concern for those in Paul's audience who were born under the law.The question here is, does this faith alone with no works, does this gospel make God's perfect law to be meaningless? Paul answers with yet another, God forbid. To think that God's law is of no good and is useless or without holiness, that's forbidden. That is a forbidden mindset. Instead, Paul confirms that the law is established through faith. Why? Because nothing has ever been done by faith without coming from that which is received as the word of God in truth through faith.Without someone, namely Moses, receiving the law as the word of God in truth through faith, it would have not been established as a way to be justified by faith as a means of salvation for Israel. That is how the law was established through faith. Okay, we'll close here. Just remember, all information received from God as truth during all dispensations has been received through faith. Get that. And all good works that have ever been done throughout all dispensations on account of faith have been done by faith. Don't miss this difference. Anyone who believes God through faith is counted righteous. We'll go over more of this in chapter 4, but Israel has always been required to perform works by faith in order to be declared righteous, which is the definition of justification. The body of Christ is only required to receive our gospel through faith,because we're declared righteous, justified on the account of Christ by the faith of Christ that Paul preached, and not on the merit of our own works. We're still called to do good works by faith. As we were created in Christ unto them, Ephesians 2:10, but works aren't our justification.Christ is.Galatians 2:16. The question is how are the circumcision and the uncircumcision justified, and hopefully this podcast has answered that question for you.You only get two educations. The one you're given, and the one you give yourself.

This is Truth Time Radio. Go download the app today, go to the website truthtimeradio.com,download the free app and go enjoy back-to-back grace teachings 24 hours a day.Okay, we're asking the question, Can someone be saved by changing their lifestyle?Possibly the most deceiving false gospel out there is the change of lifestyle gospel.Claiming that a changed life is what saves you. They also say it's your changed life that proves you're saved. They've sort of set themselves up as judge and jury, and if you don't show them evidence of a changed life, then they pronounce you guilty of never being saved in the first place.To that I say, oh foolish Galatians, who have bewitched you, bewitched you into believing this damnable heresy. Teaching a lifestyle change for salvation, teaching that a believer cansuffer loss of salvation, teaching that if you were really saved, you wouldn't be doing that, are all damnable heresies contrary to Paul's gospel of the grace of God.Anything other than salvation by grace through faith in the finished crosswork and resurrection of Christ is a fictitious gospel. If you want to argue with that, you can argue with the rightly divided word of truth found in your Bible.In Galatians 1, Paul wrote, Grace be to you and peace from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ.Now listen, listen, if you're not walking in this grace and peace that Paul spoke of here, peace in knowing that your salvation is permanent and secure in Christ, then my friend, you've allowed yourself to be taken in by another gospel other than Paul's.Okay, verse 4, Who gave himself for our sins.Now, think a moment. Come on, how foolish it is for someone who can read and understand 5thgrade King James English, how foolish it would be to walk away from this verse and teach people that they need to do something to get their sins forgiven. Jesus literally gave himself for the sins that the work-trusters say you need to do something about for your justification.And what does that do? That only places you under bondage.Saying we can be saved by changing our lifestyle is nothing short of corrupt communication.Some, they live the sort of lifestyle that quite frankly it would be a good thing if they did change, but changing won't save them. Life style change is not a qualification for salvation.What must I do to be saved there in Acts chapter 16? What must I do to be saved?Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.Nothing there about a lifestyle change. There's nothing we can do to earn God's favor because we received it through Christ. Ephesians 1:13 tells us that if you want to be saved, you trust Christby believing the gospel after you've heard the gospel. And at that very moment, you're sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise unto the day of redemption. Where's the lifestyle change? Oh, it can happen, but it don't save you. It won't save anyone. Our morality is incapable of saving us.Coming to understand this, that our lifestyle doesn't determine our eternal destiny, you know what that does? That removes a tremendous weight from our shoulders. Understanding that those things you're struggling with, things you haven't been able to change, understanding that they cannot keep you from a relationship with God. That's freeing. That's liberating. Christ defeated every last one of those things on your behalf when he shed his blood and died for them. He was then buried and rose on the third day, defeating death, hell, and the grave. And it's this sort of teaching that is so offensive to the work-trusters. Those who are not only trusting in self-effort for salvation, but pushing that devilish belief onto others. It's hard to imagine, and this thought crosses my mind frequently, but it's hard to imagine how anyone can claim that they can be saved any other way than relying totally on God's grace. People say, you know, they give lip service to, "Jesus died on the cross," but yet they make those who struggle with certain sins feel uncomfortable and even unloved when around them. Whether in a church setting or at a family gathering, it's hypocritical is what it is. Imagine telling someone that Jesus died for their sins, but then treating them like he didn't. Those doing this are the embodiment of hypocrisy, displaying outward piety while lacking inner compassion for others. Work-trusting status-seekers who outwardly try to appear righteous, but inwardly they're full of dead men's bones. Judging certain sins above others is what they do. Oh, Uncle Joe sits there full of anger, and there's dad, hateful and bitter.Grandma, she murders more people with her gossiping tongue than Jeffrey Dahmer.Oh, but they get a pass. But let someone whose had a divorce or two, served time in prison, struggleswith addiction, or is a transgender, let them show up at the family function and watch what happens.The self-righteous narcissists lose their mind. The whole temperature of the room changes.Oh, now wait a minute, Jesus didn't die for that now.2 Corinthians 5:19, the word disagrees with you. God stopped imputing the world's trespasses.That's plain. They don't get that. They don't get it, but it's plain. They don't get it. And if they do, they don't like it. It's offensive to the grace frustrating work-trusters. Colossians 2:13, here's one for you, Hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you (How many?) all trespasses.Nope, they don't believe that. They don't believe it. They don't care what the Bible says.The gospel of grace declares that Christ was punished for all sins.Therefore, no one today is being punished for the sins that he was already punished for.That makes no sense. And everyone, no one excluded, struggles with something. Whether they're able to admit it or not. And as soon as you think you've arrived, you've conquered all of yours.You're now beyond and above everyone. Well, watch out, pride cometh before the fall.You'd be wise to stay humble, stay compassionate toward others, and what they may be going through.And 2 Corinthians chapter 10, what does Paul say? It's not wise to compare ourselves among ourselves. Stop looking at others. Stop looking at them from a place of judgment.And humble, humble yourself. Thinking you're better because you don't struggle with the same sins they do, that makes me, that makes me think of, well, let's just go there. Luke 18, this self-righteous lifestyle change another gospel makes me think of a passage over there.Let's just read it and believe it. Something hard for many to do today, but let's try it without man's spin zone, without man's private interpretation. Can we do that? Luke 18 and verse 10, let's start here, 10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. Verse 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. A publican was a tax collector. They'd often extort money for personal gain. They weren't very popular. They were sinners no doubt, but that didn't stop Jesus from associating with them. Zacchaeus, for example, a man of great wealth. He was Jericho's chief publican. If Jesus, if he'd acted like those we have today, these self-righteous grace frustrating work-trusters, he would have never hung out with a Zacchaeus, which means he would have never been able to convert him. See how that works? Come down off your high horse. Get real, be real, be real with others. Okay, back to the prayer here for this self-righteous Pharisee, verse 12, I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. Verse 13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.And watch what Jesus says here: Verse 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other, (The publican) for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.Whether it's the gospel of the kingdom or the gospel of the grace of God, the self-righteous hypocrites are dung out of luck. The gospel of our salvation is that even in our most wretched state, Christ demonstrated his magnificent love toward us by dying. He died for the things we struggle with, sins. The cross was the ultimate display of his great love for humanity.But see, some, some, they get a little taste of grace, and then like the Galatians, they do a U-turn and start living according to the flesh again. What did Paul, what did he have to say about them?Galatians 3:3. He asked a question. He said, Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? Hmm, watch out for the work-trusters, wearing grace disguises. They look down on others and pass out harsh judgments. And this is to distract from their own faults and failures. When it comes down to it, that's what's going on. Outwardly, they pretend to have it all together. But inwardly, their insecurities have made them sad and miserable.True brotherly love is expressed by us supporting one another, not afraid to reach out and offer support to those newer and perhaps weaker in the faith. But we have grace pharisees out here, so beware. Sounds oxymoronic, I know, but it's true. They say grace this, grace that, but when certain people with certain sins are being discussed or come around them, you'll see the ugly Pharisee come out and show his face. Listen, grace is either unmerited or it's merited.There's no gray in grace, no middle ground. If it's unmerited, it's free to all people everywhere and not just who you and your little sect deems worthy. Mixing grace with your personal standard of good enoughism isn't grace. Telling someone they need to change their lifestyle to be good enough for God, that's not grace. Saying that a turn from sin is what merits grace is just another lie. Romans 11:6 will clear that up, And if by grace, then it is no more of works: otherwise, grace is no more grace. Get it? For justification, grace and works don't mix. Any other message, any other one than the one of grace is toxic. Stay away. Religion fears grace, you see. Some avoid teaching it all together. Others, well, they only teach it in a watered down form, their version,saying, oh yeah, it's grace, but that's where the trouble, that's where it generally goes off the rails. Justification is by grace through faith minus the "but." Leave that out. This isn't billygoat Christianity. No room for "but this," "but that." The gospel of the grace of God is pure, unadulterated, 100% grace, which means unearned, unmerited favor. The gospel of self-effort only leads to exhaustion.It's a counterfeit. It's a counterfeit and it only feeds and fuels pride. And what does it do?It'll have you relentlessly working to gain favor during the dispensation of grace when favor is unearned. Working for something free only leads to burnout, spinning your wheels, getting nowhere.Our transformation is only achieved through faith in the finished crosswork and the resurrection of our dear Savior Jesus Christ. That's where, listen, that's where your identity, that's where your hope, and, and rest is found. If you'll remember the very first book of the Bible, we see the just how important rest is. In Hebrew, the name Noah, the name Noah meant rest. His father named him that, knowing that he would finally bring about rest from the curse that God had put on the ground.And in the sixth chapter over there in the sixth chapter of Genesis, we see Noah rest. We see that rest found grace in the eyes of the Lord. He told him how to build the ark and he obeyed. He constructed the ark, which was the mode of salvation for all who would just enter by faith, enter in and rest. They couldn't save themselves. They only needed to obey their gospel by entering in before the flood came and take rest. Just like today, you and I can't save ourselves. We simply need to obey our gospel. Our rest comes through Jesus Christ in his work, his work on our behalf. And this bothers, this offends the work-trusters, the lifestyle changers, and those of us willing to, to truth stand on this grace like Paul. Well, we're said to be the 1 Corinthians 4:13 filth and offscouring of the world. How dare we preach the grace of God instead of his wrath and punishment? How dare we?Just who do we think we are? Followers of Paul, that's who, 1 Corinthians 11:1. Once we truly come to know the love of God, come to know his unmatched grace, our outlook on life takes a complete turn for the better. We not only rest, but we rejoice in the cross of Christ and his resurrection. We rest in our new identity found in him. The reason so many never experience, never experience a deep relationship with God is they never get past worrying about their sins and their salvation. They never do.They're on the hamster wheel of religion, never entering into that settled state of rest.And not knowing that you're saved, oh, that's a horrifying place to be.It's when you finally come to that place of total security in Christ when it's no longer a hope so salvation, but a no so salvation, that's when things start to get really good. It's important to know that we cannot make ourselves right, but through faith in him, we were made right. We didn't do it. But the counterfeit gospel of self-righteousness is more appealing to somebecause it allows them to feel better than others. To place themselves above others. They claim to believe the red letters of Jesus, yet, when he said, There is none good but one that is God, they don't believe it. They don't believe it. They actually think they're good. Religion warped their thinking.That's why religion never worked for me. I knew I could never be good enough for God. That was no mystery to me. Like Paul, I felt like the chief of sinners. But self-righteous people can't admit this. Somehow they miss the fact that when you submit to trusting in self for salvation with all the rule keeping, you've placed yourself under a yoke of bondage that requires perfection.The word of God confirms this. In Galatians chapter 3 verse 10, For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.See, the quote, "good folks" down at the corner church, they failed to tell you this. How that once you signed up for the do-gooder program, you cursed yourself into trying to measure up. You signed up, but you can't keep up.And no one else there can either. They're just good at faking it. But in reality, dealing with the lack of assurance that comes with the performance gospel, it's like living in a constant storm of uncertainty. A life of striving to be better than other people is, that's no life at all.But the grace life, now that's different. God has an abundance of undeserved unearned love for his children and transforming our mind by embracing his free favor instead of working to try to get it and keep it, that's at the heart of the grace message. Salvation is instant and permanent upon our trusting him, and it doesn't come with a maintenance plan. The maintenance plan is what legalism teaches, but it places you under a curse of trying to be better than the others, which only fuels all sorts of anxieties and leads to one disappointment after another.The ones that are most judgmental of others are the very ones that are in the most pain.And their judgmental attitude toward people is actually their way of coping with their own struggles, their own shortcomings. They use projection to deflect from themselves.Work-trusters claim that if one is truly saved, their lifestyle will exhibit it.But this saved by your lifestyle gospel, it's very attractive to the self-righteous fruit inspectors. It gives them a measuring stick, a way to gauge, a way to gauge others to see if they pass or not.It gives them a sense of authority over other people. There's multiple problems with this sort of belief. One being, if salvation, if it's measured on lifestyle change, then how much of a lifestyle change is required? 10%, does that work? 25, 50 perhaps? Or do we need to exhibit a 100% lifestyle change? Just when is the change deemed good enough?This idea of taking the moral high ground to heaven won't end well.Do you not realize how many, quote, "good people" are going to be in hell?It'll be jam-packed with good people, seen as morally good, respected in their community.Smiley-faced, church going, water baptized sin confessors who never, not once in their life, got self out of the way long enough to trust Christ alone. Trust him apart from all their goodness.A lifestyle change can most definitely follow conversion, but the work-trustors aren't aware that change is not proof of conversion. They backload human works into the gospel, causing the believer to measure their salvation by their own human effort, by personal performance.Here at Truth Time, we try not to prejudge, but rather go where the evidence leads us.And I can tell you this, we've found no evidence, no evidence whatsoever suggesting that a lifestyle change is a ticket for entering heaven. So, if you've taken the focus off self and trusted Christ alone, praise God, you're saved. Stop worrying about it. Let it go.Now, developing some lifestyle changes can be a good thing, no doubt, but a lifestyle change cannot save anyone. Okay, go download the free app, study along with us. This is TTR, the word of reconciliation, and songs of grace.

Today, on Truth Time, Paul isn't teaching the kingdom gospel, he's simply explaining how the same sacrifice of Christ on the cross also was a propitiation for Israel's past sins, which is exactly, it is precisely what their sacrificial system pointed them to.Fortunately for us, who are part of the world, which now in this current dispensation includes Israel, fortunately, God stopped imputing those sins at the cross, 2 Corinthians 5:19, a truth that is subsequent to the remission of sins that are past.That's where our focus as ambassadors lies.This faith in his blood, it's not our gospel, and it's not a reference to God having faith.And it's not a supporting verse for the false claim that belief is required for forgiveness.This is Truth Time Radio.Part 12 of the Romans verse by verse study today, we address chapter 3 verses 22 to 31, finishing out the chapter.Back in chapter 1 verse 17, we saw the words, For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith.Now when we take the full context of Romans 1, 2, and 3 into account, we can read Romans 1:16 and 17, and there we'll see that the righteousness of God is revealed within the gospel of Christ from the faith of God, that's the law that was given to Moses, to the faith of Christ, which is our gospel, the gospel of the grace of God, given to Paul.See, the faith being preached before Paul to the nation Israel is what Paul called the faith of God, not what he calls the faith of Christ.Two different faiths.Now that brings us up to speed, contextually.So, let's begin here in verse 23, For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;This tells us what, why there's no difference between Jew and Gentile in verse 22, because all, both Jew and Gentile, sinned and come short of the glory of God.We'll learn more about this when we get to Romans 11, which is where Paul will further detail the fall of Israel for us.But here in chapter 3, he's already referring to the falling out of favored status with God.They sinned, they come short of the glory of God, making them no better than the Gentile nations who had no hope and were without God in the world.Over and over, since the beginning of the letter, Paul echoes how Israel and the world are now on a level playing field.Since they fell as a nation, they're no longer better than Gentile nations.The righteousness of God imputed to those of the faith of Christ is freely available unto all nations and is upon all that believe, not just Israel.Okay, verses 24 and 25, 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;Let's stop here.Let's stop right here and respond to a few different interpretations we've heard for verse 25.Many stumble right here, but they don't have to.When we stick with the context, instead of isolating it to try and prove a singular point, it becomes pretty clear.The common thread throughout the confusion mostly lies in the phrase, "faith in his blood." "Faith in his blood."View number one, the Sonship view.Sonship theology says that this verse is all the lost person needs to believe for salvation.Somehow they've decided that anyone who has some sort of vague faith in the blood is saved.And this over-simplification removes every point that 1 Corinthians 15:1 to 4 outlines as the gospel.Number one, Christ's death for sins.Number two, his burial.Number three, his resurrection.Not needed they say.All removed from the gospel of our salvation according to the Sonshippers.This shouldn't surprise anyone, and you're probably not.Those of you who have done any research, who have researched their theology, because hey, they've openly admitted that they don't believe 1 Corinthians 15:1 to 4 is the gospel that a lost soul must believe for salvation.Instead, they make the claim that it's, quote, "A different gospel for a," quote, "different kind of salvation."One that doesn't even pertain to the soul during this life on earth.They see 1 Corinthians 15:1 to 4 only as a part of their merit, their reward system.It's so they can obtain higher and more important heavenly positions, and not what someone needs to believe to be saved from hell.Sonship theology, it comes and goes, and sometimes it's repackaged under different names to make it seem more palatable, to make it seem not so selfish and more appealing.Back in 2013, after multiple conversations with some Sonshippers, and after figuring out that nailing them down to a clear, articulable gospel of salvation pretty much proved impossible, we were told that a person is not required to believe in Christ's resurrection in order to be saved from hell.Instead, they put everyone everywhere who has ever expressed any type of ambiguous belief in Christ's blood, they put them into the saved category.The reason they do this is obvious.See, without saved people who do not see Paul's epistles as their curriculum to learn in order to obtain higher status in heaven, they wouldn't have anyone to elevate themselves above.You can't accuse them of not being ambitious, that's for sure, but their ambition is falsely labeled as "walking worthy," and "becoming sanctified," as they say.So, the idea is a vague belief in Christ's blood is what saves, but it's only those who rightly divide that will have an elevated status in heaven.This sort of belief, this sort of theology, is attractive to some.Look at me, look at me.But even then, they take it a bit further.They've created different levels of elevation among right dividers.Yeah.So, needless to say, being an ambassador with a ministry of reconciliation is pretty much completely useless to the Sonshippers.Just a few months ago, we had one tell us that our ministry is holding back the body of Christ from its full potential.Sonshipped theology has always been opposed to the ministry of reconciliation.The two are incompatible.And that fact is exactly what motivated the attack on true ambassadors of Christ from some of the Sonshippers about 13 years ago.A few chapters further into this study, we'll get further into the self-centered, self-glorifying, self-righteous doctrines of this theology.We'll talk about some of the lingo they use, which will help you better identify it.This theology uses misinterpreted scriptures in Romans based on their own confirmation biases as justification for their false doctrine.There's more to say about this, but for now just remember this.Just remember, we're saved by believing what Paul preached concerning Christ's death for all sins, his burial, and his resurrection, and not some indeterminate faith in his blood.No.For all Sonship errors, this one's the most dangerous due to the false sense of security it allows for those who neither believe nor even know the gospel of our salvation.A part of their teaching, by the way, that they can't give up without the whole doctrine falling apart.Okay, view number two.The "God has faith" view.Or we might call it ultra-hyper-canosis view.This idea is based on a misunderstanding of Romans 3:3, For what if some did not believe, shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?Now, we covered this thoroughly in Part 8.You'll find plenty of Biblical evidence that absolutely proves God doesn't qualify as one with the need to exercise faith.And to suggest such only lessens his glory by not only removing his divine all-knowing, but also his divine all-power.God's word is clear as to why the very object of man's faith, God himself, is not required to have faith.A God who needs faith is no God at all.But we see here again this phrase, "Faith in his blood," as misinterpreted by a completely different group.The same way that only a Christ who has emptied himself or set aside his deity would be required to have faith, so would the Father have to empty himself of and lay aside his deity.It's a pretty extreme view, and not one supported by scripture in context.So, the idea that God the Father had faith in God the Son's blood is utterly ridiculous and without merit.The faith of God in Romans 3:3 is clearly a term used to identify the faith that was preached prior to Paul.The one which included the law of Moses, prophecies, oracles of God all given directly to Israel.That phrase is not a declaration that God, the I AM, was required to exercise faith.The faith that Christ is the author and finisher of, and the faith that was the method set forth by the eternal power and Godhead, by which sinful man can establish a relationship with God.So no, another swing and a miss, uh, God didn't need to exercise faith in Christ's blood in order for the sins mentioned in verse 25 to be paid for.Besides, Acts 20:28, some forget this one, but over there it says that God purchased the church with his own blood.Not only does that verse prove that Jesus Christ is God because it was his blood which was shed, but it also proves that Romans 3:25 is not speaking of God's faith in his own blood, as the ultra-hyper-canosis gang would have us believe.Alright, now view number 3, the limited-forgiver view.Just like the other two, limited-forgivers also get hung up right here on the phrase, "faith in his blood."But their motive for doing so is different.It's to try and prove that the propitiation in the verse only exists when a person believes in the blood.For that reason, Romans 3:25 has become one of their new gotcha verses which they carelessly throw around, trying to prove no one was forgiven solely on the basis of Christ's atonement, but rather forgiven through their own belief.And there's several problems with this interpretation.Chiefly among them is the fact that this verse is only talking about the sins that are past.And it doesn't address the state of mankind beyond the propitiation made by Christ at the cross.So, if we're to believe this teaching, then our faith in his blood would only take care of the past sins.Which would leave it up to us to keep ourselves clean after that.I think they neglected to look around the corner at the consequence of this idea before throwing it out there as being a sound teaching.It's not.Ironically, their argument regarding faith in his blood is what most of mainstream Christianity already teaches.Denominations teach a limited forgiveness as well.Saying that forgiveness only applies to sins that are past, which were committed before salvation.That's why they promote verse 1 John 1:9 as a common practice.Even many who claim to believe in eternal security teach that future sins after salvation will take you out of fellowship with God.So, to remedy that, they teach that you must do something to get sins forgiven over and over.They got you on a shoestring, thinking that you have to keep short sin accounts with God to stay in his favor and maintain salvation.Enduring unto the end, there on that hamster wheel of religion.The holiness denomination even believed that after sins are forgiven at salvation, if you sin again, you lose it, you lose salvation, and it can't be regained.And it sounds extreme compared to the rest, but it's actually more scripturally accurate.Instead of mixing Peter with Paul, like the others, they're trying to harmonize Peter there in Acts chapters 2 through 5, and Hebrews together, which is earthly kingdom doctrine.And while it's completely wrong for our current dispensation, at least they're closer to doing a wrong thing right than most of the rest.It's highly indicative that limited forgivers, who call themselves right dividers, use the same interpretation of faith in his blood as those in denominationalism.But when you have a motive, when you have a motive to try and prove only those who believe are forgiven, well, you tend to overlook context and common sense.And when your agenda is impure, the point you're trying to make often clouds the implications of your statements, such as the case with these different misinterpretations of Romans 3:25.This verse is nowhere near as hard as some have tried to make it, and the true context reveals why all three views are wrong.Let's look at what Paul clearly expressed here, not according to preconceived notions, prejudices, hidden agendas, and confirmation bias,but according to context and supporting cross references.Let's do that.This verse has an absolute contextual subject that is often overlooked, sins that are past.So, let's read it again with that in mind, Whom God had set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past through the forbearance of God.When Paul wrote this, whose sins was he talking about, being past?From the very beginning, the start of this letter, he's been talking about Israel.And if you need to be caught up to speed, go back and check out each prior installment before this.We prove, we let out and prove that that's who he's talking about.He's talking about Israel and how and why they fell away.Everything he has spoken so far, and for the next few chapters, is going to have everything to do with how Israel became Hosea 1:9, lo-ammi.So, we need to set a specific time frame for these sins that are past, okay?In time past, you see, the sacrifices performed by Israel is what got their sins remitted through the blood.It was a foreshadowing, a foreshadowing of the final sacrifice for sins.What Paul said here, Whom God set forth through the forbearance of God is described clearly in 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.And just three verses later, For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.Israel's faith in his blood was regarding what they were promised would become of their national sin.When the once and for all payment, the one-time payment took place.Hebrews chapter 10, you'll see that in verses 19 and 20 and also in Isaiah 53:11.You see, God set Christ forth to be the propitiation.The propitiation for those past sins.The ones that the blood of bulls and goats could not take away through God's own forbearance.Romans 3:25 speaks directly to God's provision for the sins of Israel to be taken away.And their faith in the blood sacrifice, the blood sacrifices, I should say, was Christ's word.A shadow of good things to come.The word propitiation is only used by Paul one time and it's right here in verse 25.The only other two times it's found is 1 John 2:2 and 4:10, verses written to the little flock.Propitiation is not our word.It's not our word to describe forgiveness at the cross and the non-imputation of subsequent sins that should follow for the world during the dispensation of grace.Propitiation is an appeasement, specifically the blood that was sprinkled on the mercy seat was what was considered to be the propitiation, temporary appeasement for sin.The mercy seat was the cover, the lid of the ark of the covenant.When the priests communed, when they communed with God, he would appear to them in the cloud of the incense above the mercy seat, Leviticus 6:13.Below the mercy seat, inside the ark, that's where you could find the law of commandments which acknowledged the sins of man.This is all covenant lingo that covenant keepers would understand.They knew exactly what Paul was talking about, but Gentiles were outside the covenants and knew that this didn't apply to them.The mercy seat on the ark, there are on the ark of the covenant, was a foreshadowing of Christ as the mediator between God and man.There had to be an appeasement for sin, a propitiation, in order for God to have fellowship with sinful man.Also notice that the word remission, which is closely related to sins being covered, as in Romans 4:7 when Paul quotes David, compare transgressions of the law being covered for Israel, with a body of Christ, Colossians 2:14, law that was taken completely out of the way, out of the way and nailed to the cross.Out of the way is not the same as covered.Romans 3:25 is the only time Paul uses the word remission, but Peter mentioned it in Acts 2.Remission of sins for the nation Israel, upon their faith being demonstrated by water baptism in the name of the Messiah.Peter also talks about being quote unquote, "purged from his old sins."Most have never heard this.You'll find it in 2 Peter 1:9.Not having seen this verse for themselves is why most missed that it was only for past sins of Israel, it was only for their past sins that were remitted.Which means they won't be completely taken out of the way until they're Acts 3:19 blotted out at their future times of refreshing.Beginning with Romans 1, on into chapter 11, Paul takes his audience from their former faith, faith of God, Israel under the Mosaic law, to the current faith, faith of Christ, everyone's justification without the law.We're hearing from listeners who are stunned to learn this, news that is helping them understand and get a better handle on the book of Romans.Paul does this, transitions his audience from faith to faith by using the scriptures of the prophets, Romans 16:26.Romans 3:25 here doesn't speak at all of the sins which happened after the cross.Which is why it's grave error, grave error to use this verse as our gospel. Propitiation for sins that are past and subsequent maintenance of that salvation in the form of service is earthly kingdom doctrine.Not ours.Knowing that blasphemy and departing from the faith would both be damnation is the gospel of the kingdom and not the gospel of the grace of God.Paul isn't teaching the kingdom gospel, he's simply explaining how the same sacrifice of Christ on the cross also was a propitiation for Israel's past sins.Which is exactly, it is precisely what their sacrificial system pointed them to.Fortunately for us, who are part of the world, which now in this current dispensation includes Israel, fortunately, God stopped imputing those sins at the cross, 2 Corinthians 5:19, a truth that is subsequent to the remission of sins that are past.That's where our focus as ambassadors lies.This faith in his blood, it's not our gospel, and it's not a reference to God having faith.And it's not a supporting verse for the false claim that belief is required for forgiveness.Instead, it reveals the faith which Israel was directed to exercise towards God's foreshadowing of their redemption plan in that sacrificial system under the law.Romans 3:25 is not even reference to our dispensation.The first hint should be that both the words propitiation and blood point to a specific place and time at the cross, along with the absolute fact that it only deals with the propitiation for past sins before the cross.Now, before going on, let's set in place the time periods for chapter 3 so far.Romans 3 verse 1, verse 1 to 20 here, is time past progressing to present.Verse 21 to 24, present to but now.See that?Then verse 25 goes back to time past.And verses 26 to 31 switch back to present.Paul's speaking of past and present consistently in order to make comparisons.What an outstanding teacher.He's also referencing the foundation which Romans 16:26 describes.Alright.This is a great study, guys.The book of Romans is meaty, full of spiritual iron and plenty of protein.Let's get back to the but now in Romans 3:26, OK, To declare, I say, at this time (That's time present but now), his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.This verse, okay, what it does is solidify the timeline we're looking at for verse 25.Time past equals Israel sacrifices, which were a shadow of the blood of Christ, the sacrifice for sins that are past before the cross.Verse 26, "at this time," declares his righteousness, justification of God's promises, which validates his righteous act of justifying those who believe in Christ for the world to see.Remember, justification is a declaration of righteousness.Verse 27, Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.Why is boasting excluded?Because we cannot say that we obtain salvation by works, for if we could, we might boast in ourselves before men.We probably would.Ephesians 2:9, Not of works, lest any should boast.Romans 11:6, If by grace, then it's no more of works, otherwise grace is no more grace.We'll learn more about it when we get to chapter 4, where Paul says, If Abraham was justified by works, he'd have whereof to glory, but not before God.People glory in their works before men.That's why Galatians 6 calls it a fair show in the flesh.Works are done in the flesh, and flesh cannot inherit salvation, but the flesh sure can brag about its own performance.There's a strange teaching going around that says, we can't have faith because if we could, we'd boast in it.That comes straight out of Calvinism.It's from the doctrine of total depravity.Anyone who says, If we could have faith, we'd boast in it, coupled with their teaching that Christ had faith for us, is teaching universalism, whether they know it or not.This false teaching is supported by the universalist who follow AE Knoch.It comes from his perverted Bible, the Concordant Literal Version, I think it's called.He taught it for years, along with some Kenosis and modelistic views, Oneness Jesus and his own father heresy.AE Knoch was a heretic.And some who fancy themselves right dividers are teaching the same universalist, kenosis, oneness doctrine he taught.And some are even stealing material from his followers and trying to pass it off as their own.Okay, verse 28, Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.Here Paul, he poured a little more cement around and to establish the fact of us being justified by faith in Christ's finished crosswork and not by any outward performed deeds of the flesh.Okay, verse 29, Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: Verse 30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith. Verse 31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.This chapter is rounded out here by Paul, concluding everything he has said thus far.Reiterating, restating the fact that both Jews and Gentiles are on the same level in the sight of God, all because of the result of Israel's fall.Now, next time we'll take a closer look at verse 30 here, we'll hammer down and explain the difference between "by faith" and "through faith."Then we'll move on to chapter 4, which is a continuation of the context of Romans 3.Alright, hey, here at Truth Time Radio, we often hear from those who, after hearing a clear presentation of the gospel, they repent, change their mind, change their mind from what they formerly believed to Paul's gospel of the grace of God.They come to saving faith by resting in Christ alone.So, if you're here today and you don't know where you'll spend eternity, maybe you've been trusting in your keeping short sin accounts with God or turning from your sins.But to be saved, to be saved right now, right now in this moment, my friend, believe the gospel of your salvation.1 Corinthians chapter 15, Moreover brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, by which also ye are saved.What is the gospel, Paul?How that Christ died for your sins according to the scriptures was buried and rose on the third day according to the scriptures.When Paul wrote these words, when Paul wrote the words, "Christ died for our sins," that's all sins.Not one was left out, Colossians 2:13.If religion, if they've prevented you from being able to rest in your salvation by getting you to think that there's something you need to do to get your sins forgiven, which is only prevented you from experiencing the true peace of God, well, you've now heard the good news.On the cross is where God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself.And it was there, it was there, my friend, that he stopped charging your trespasses.There's none in your account.Now, you need his justification in your account.You don't want an empty account, just because it has no sins in it.You need to put life, eternal life into your account, justification, righteousness.So, now, right this minute is the day of salvation, not tomorrow, next week, next month, or next year.Today.So, believe on him right now and rest concerning where you're going to spend eternity.Grace and peace.

TTR, this is Truth Time Radio, finally a radio station that understands dispensational truths and is committed, we're committed to sharing those truths with you.I'm Trey Searcy, mic side and grace ready, set in defense of the gospel of grace, this profound life-altering truth that can help us kill off the weeds of doubt and hopelessness and start replacing them by growing grace, love, joy, freedom, and victory.And we owe it all to our beloved Christ who, Colossians 2:14, slew the law on Calvary's cross.Praise God, he blotted out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, he removed it by nailing it to his cross.This morning, let's begin with Paul's second epistle to the church at Corinth.Look with me.Look with me here, if you will, in chapter 11, 2 Corinthians chapter 11.Let's do, let's begin here at verse 13, For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.(Verse 14) And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.(Verse 15) Therefore, it's no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.Hey, if you believe the words on the page, you'll no doubt understand what we're faced with today.Same thing Paul was, dealing with ministers of righteousness who actively engage in perverting the gospel.Earlier in the chapter here, verse 3, Paul wrote, But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.(Verse 4) For if he that cometh preacheth another (gospel) Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.Listen, if you're not hearing about Christ, his shed blood, and his finished work, his finished cross work and resurrection, if you're not hearing about how to live by grace through faith, in your secured identity with Christ, and about God's unconditional, unmerited love towards you.If not, then you're hearing another gospel.The adversary is sneaky, he's no dummy, his communication skills are not slack, and neither are his workers.The ministers of righteousness, they have special tailor-made sermons, Facebook and blog posts, all geared to appeal to your flesh, to give your flesh something to do.He that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached.Our defense against this deception, what is it?It's to install sound Pauline doctrine.Repetition is our best teacher, and by studying to show ourself approved, we're able to put these things to memory.Turn to 1 Timothy chapter 4, Paul, you know, he's constantly warning his reader, constantly warning.He's very persistent to warn the saints of dishonest and crafty men.As the serpent beguiled Eve, right?God counts the wisdom of this world as foolishness, and takes the wise in their own craftiness.Okay, here it is, 1 Timothy chapter 4 verse 6, go to verse 6, If thou put the brethren in remembrance (there we go, put it to memory), if we put our brothers and sisters in remembrance of these things, guys, we'll be good ministers of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine.But watch verse 7, But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto Godliness.The servants of Satan use craftiness and old wives' fables, profane and vain babble, anything they can do to sway the simple.They distort the truth to gain followers, and they're full of greed and empty chatter.They use faith for profit and subvert entire households.As ambassadors, we preach and teach in an effort to get others to embrace the spiritual wealth found right here in Paul's unsearchable riches.And what do we do?We warn.We warn of he that cometh and preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached.Satan began his crusade back there to corrupt God's word back there in Genesis 3, and he hasn't stopped since.Most so-called gospels we hear today are not something made up from thin air.Now some are.But most contain an element of truth.For example, you might hear someone today present the gospel, but muddy it up by adding commandment keeping.You might hear it with the addition of water baptism.You may hear a presentation of the gospel mixed with sin confessing, turning from or stopping sins altogether, living a faithful life and so forth. These additions render the gospel of none effect.None whatsoever.And on the flip side, now flip that over, some never get to the point of giving the gospel at all, saying things like, "To be saved, just believe in Jesus."No one can be saved by only believing in Jesus.Just what does that mean?Needs a context.Even believing on Jesus needs context.Which is what Paul and Silas gave the jailer there in Acts chapter 16.Or you may hear this one, "Just accept him as Lord and Savior."Heard that before?That's not the gospel.We need to be accepted, not Jesus.Accepted in the blood of Ephesians 1:6.What about, "Just believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God?"Well, that's good.But this was meant for time past Israel, not for us in this dispensation.We can't stop with just believing Jesus is the Son of God.There's more to our gospel.Perverting the gospel is done one of two ways, either misapplying time past doctrine with ours for today, or by men who have formulated their own man-made ways to be saved.But without Jesus dying for every last one of your sins, having been buried and risen to give us new and eternal life in him, without that, hey, all you have is a perversion of Paul's gospel of Christ.For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached,or if ye have received another spirit, which we have not received, or another gospel, there it is, Paul's clear warning of another gospel.There were men back there, just like we see today, masquerading as ministers of Christ, but preaching another gospel.Another gospel, another spirit.Lowercase s.Not one ounce of salvific power found in these other gospels being preached.Leaving people, and some sincerely seeking salvation no doubt, but leaving them with a false sense of security.We notice this same issue being problematic there in Galatia.Paul wasted no time in addressing it.Straight out the gate, straight out the chute, he gets right into it in chapter 1.You'll notice it there in verse 6 he says, I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:(Verse 7) Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert (There it is), they pervert the gospel of Christ.Here we see the same thing.The same thing going on, guys.The same thing that was taking place with the Corinthians.Deception.Deception among the saints.Paul had already, he had previously been there with these saints, but shortly after he left, the work-trusting selphians, hey, they snuck in,got past the guards at the gate, come right in behind him, preaching another gospel.And what did the Galatian church do?Oh, they stood up strong against it and said, "No, no way, we're with Paul.Get out of here with that mess, man."Right?Wrong.They fell for it hook, line, and sinker.Just like some are doing today.Satan's plan worked like a charm.That's his endgame.His goal as the god of this world is to keep believers off-balanced and unstable and to keep the unbelieving minds blinded so the light of the glorious gospel of Christ will not shine unto them.How has he been so successful at doing this?By keeping the preachers dishing out perverted messages to keep their congregations focused on the flesh.The masses are so easily fooled.Why?Because it's just too difficult to believe that salvation is free.A free gift.No strings attached free gift.In this but-now time that we're currently in, this but-now time that God is dispensing his grace, he made justification, now, here's some good news for you, he made justification purely by grace alone through faith alone without any works of any kind at any time.And that's a hard sell.That's a hard sell for a society who is used to hearing nothing but the opposite.Catch phrases, you know, you know we see them all the time.Nothing in life is free.There's always a catch.There's always a price to pay.You've seen these, haven't you?You always pay in the end, they'll say.But Paul's gospel says something very different about our eternal life.And Romans 3 tells us that we're justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.Freely. Freely.See that word?A beautiful word to someone who's not afraid to be truthful with themselves.In Romans 6, someone who admits that they can't do it without him, that their only hope is in Christ Jesus and not in anything they can do in their flesh, their performance, the bar's too high for us to reach.Religion lowers the standard.In Romans 6, he says The wages of sin is death, but the gift, the gift of God, is eternal life through Christ.Amen.We're justified freely by his grace.Freely by his grace in Romans 3, and here in chapter 6 we have the gift of God.Justified freely, free gift.Justified freely, free gift.Not a hard concept for those who are not self-serving.Not a hard concept for those who are not afraid to face reality.Admit their shortcomings.And Philippians 3:3, who put no confidence in their flesh. If there's one thing, if there's one thing Paul is clear on is that there's simplicity in Christ.That's the reason Satan's out to corrupt the Acts 20:24 gospel of the grace of God. We hear some today saying that the book of Acts doesn't have doctrine for the body of Christ. Hogwash.Our very gospel is found in the book of Acts.In chapter 20, Paul calls it, "The gospel of the grace of God."Where is this gospel of the grace of God that he mentions?Acts chapter 13.Let's read it.Give me a second here.Glad you chose us today.Glad that you chose Truth Time Radio.Here with an open King James Bible as we connect some dots.Okay, so some say the book of Acts doesn't have our doctrine.But you should never blindly take someone's word.Test everything.Chapter 13 beginning with verse 37, let's look at this, But he, whom God raised again (This is Jesus), saw no corruption.Verse 38, Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:Verse 39, And by him all that believe (What?) all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.Ladies and gentlemen, here's Christ dying for our sins, the resurrection, and the justification from all things in three consecutive verses.No wonder Paul said to prove all things and hold fast to that which is good.Guys, you don't have to wait until 1 Corinthians chapter 15 to read Paul's gospel.Here it is.Clear back here in Acts chapter 13, yet some teach that our doctrine is not in the book of Acts.It's this sort of sloppy, fast, and loose teaching that has listeners contacting us, asking questions, like, What gospel is Paul preaching here in Acts 16 to the jailer?Well, if he preached his "my gospel" clear back there in chapter 13,by the time you get to 16, where he encounters the jailer here, what gospel do you think he's preaching?The same one he preached three chapters earlier.His gospel was the gospel of the grace of God from the beginning.Acts 16 verse 31, And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.Verse 32, And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in (the) his house.Now, what could the word of the Lord possibly be?What's your guess?Three chapters after 13 where he had already preached the death, burial,and resurrection for sins, so the clear answer is, the word of the Lord is Paul's "my gospel," as it is in chapter 13, as it is in 1 Corinthians 15:1 to 4.Believe on Christ.Simple faith.Faith alone in Christ alone was and still is Paul's gospel today.His first ever recorded sermon, Acts chapter 13, and he, right out the gate,comes out preaching the gospel of Christ, which is the gospel of the grace of God.He only received one.That's why he wrote, "gospel," singular, not, "my gospels," plural.Be careful who you listen to.Check your sources carefully.Many say they're like those of Berea, but are they?Are they really giving a thorough examination of what they're being told?Or allowing themselves to be swept up by someone's credentials?By a personality perhaps, and not bothering to check behind the person?Some are unbalanced in their presentation and refuse correction.2 Corinthians chapter 11:(15) Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.Do note, now think about this, notice that Satan's ministers are not ministers of evil.Paul doesn't call them that.They're not ministers of worldly ungodliness.Paul called them ministers of righteousness.What did they minister that made Paul call them ministers of righteousness?Well, they, they ministered human effort is the way to righteousness necessary for salvation.Just like some today they say trust in Christ and his finished cross work,hey, that's not enough.Their message will have you under a curse because the strength of sin is the law, 1 Corinthians 15, which is why the law works wrath.Romans 4, adding righteous works to the acts Acts 20:24 gospel of the grace of God only pollutes and perverts it.Galatians 1:7, Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you,and would (Do what?) pervert the gospel of Christ.And in verse 3, Paul opens the chapter here with the words, Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,Notice he said, "Grace and peace."This grace and peace he mentions is what the ministers of righteousnesspervert.And watch verse 4, Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world,...What's he referring to when he says, "deliver us from this present evil world?"Is it being delivered from the bar rooms and the pool halls?Maybe the casinos perhaps?No, he's talking about being delivered from the perverted gospel being taught by the ministers of righteousness who come along and destroy the gospel of grace with their preaching of human righteousness, human effort.They're selfianity selfians who preach another Jesus whom we've not preached.There's no Romans 1:16, "power of God unto salvation" in their preaching.It's powerless.Ministers of righteousness are those who, Colossians 2:(18), "beguile you with enticing words."Ministers of righteousness are those who teach others how to be righteous.Having missed the fact that we were made righteous.It's a gift.Titus 3:7, we're justified by his grace.We can't be childish and continue to get tossed to and fro by the winds of doctrine.There's only one doctrine, and it's Paul's.There's only one faith, Ephesians 4.In 2 Timothy he said, "I've kept the faith."What faith?The faith of Christ.In Colossians 2:6 he said, As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:(Verse 7) Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith,...What faith?The faith of Christ.That's the only faith capable of stabilizing anyone today.Paul tells me to only let my conversation, Philippians 1:27, only let my conversation be as it becometh of the gospel of Christ:...And to, "stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together..."for the what?"...the faith of the gospel;"The faith of Christ.We've got to continue in the things we've learned, 2 Timothy 3:14.In Galatians 1:15, our apostle, the apostle Paul, he said, But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace,And over there in Titus chapter 2:(1) it says, (Only) "...speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:"He said, (Titus 2:10) we're to adorn the doctrine.How do we do that?Adorn the doctrine?We put it in order.We make it presentable.Give it a straight cut by rightly dividing the word of truth.Okay.Time has slipped away.I've enjoyed going over some things with you guys.If you want more of this, go download our app at truthtimeradio.com.But if you're here today and you're trying to escape the yoke of bondagethat's been placed there by the religious system, the one they have you under, think with me.Just think.Christ, Galatians 3:13, redeemed you from the curse of the law.Mmm, that's good.And now, there's no condemnation left to condemn you, Romans 8:1.So, who is it?Just ask yourself, who is it that could dare to bring any charge against you?Verse 33.No one.No one.Now, hopefully, I'm not becoming your Galatians 4:16 enemy because I'm heretelling you the truth.But if it be, it be, right?Wasn't that what Gamaliel said there in the book of Acts?When he was there advising the Jewish council, he said, "But if it be,if it be of God, you can't overthrow it."So, we'll just keep pressing on and preaching the word of truth rightly divided and letting the chips fall where they fall.If your soul is weary from your uncertainty of your salvation, listen,the Word left heaven and become flesh.Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the world.He was buried but rose to defeat death on the third day.You can end all that uncertainty right now by resting your faith in the good news.And you'll Romans 3:24 be justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.And after you're placed in him, you're granted irreversible identity and your life is hid with Christ in God.So, stop wrestling, stop wrestling with your salvation by right now, this very moment, going ahead and placing your trust in the finished cross workand resurrection of Christ.Do it before it's too late.Grace and peace.