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Established
November 2008
Rightly
Dividing the Word of Truth
(2
Timothy 2:15)
This is
good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who
desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1Timothy 2:3-4
Romans by the Book Lesson 51
Hello
and welcome to HBS. I want to take the
time to explain to the new visitors and remind the regular members what this
website is about and why I am occupied with Bible teaching. In short, I established this Bible study to advance
God and His written Word and to help people develop their Bible study skills.
I
have devoted a significant portion of my life to Bible teaching and this for a few
good reasons. Biblical truth, rightly divided, is difficult to find
in this day and age.
Devotion
to Biblical studies is on the wane and apostasy is the rise – that’s one.
In
1958 the Supreme Court let stand a federal appeals court decision to remove the
six-foot statue of the Ten Commandments which stood in front of the City Hall
in Elkhart, Indiana. Three conservative
judges did disagree with the decision saying, “The Ten Commandments simply
reflects the role in the development of our legal system.” However, since then the Ten Commandments have
been removed from the front of public buildings and from courtrooms across this
land.
For
decades I have watched as the faith has been assaulted from all sides: social, ideological, civil, and legal. Fifty-one years ago, on June 25, 1963, the
Supreme Court banned government-endorsed prayer from public schools. That same year the Supreme Court banned Bible
reading in public schools and overturned a state law which banned schools from teaching
the theory of evolution.
In
God we trust has become a joke in this nation.
I’ve witnessed society move God’s “plumb line” away from the center of
divine truth to a free-wheeling society where anything goes (Amos 5:11-12,
7:7-9). Over the years I’ve seen society
shift from believing in right vs wrong to a position of no absolutes. The moral compass of America has rotated 180
degrees and now right is wrong and wrong is right.
All
this godless activity points to one thing only – the United States doesn’t want
God!
The
family, as ordained by the Creator God, has been under Satanic attack since
Cain killed Abel and the devil couldn’t be more pleased with the progress he’s
making (Genesis 2:18-25).
On
June 26, 2013 the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act.
It
stopped short of saying the states cannot ban gay marriage. But in effect this
ruling says states “cannot get in the way
of gay couples who want to marry.”
On
June 25, 2014 a federal district judge struck down Indiana’s ban on same-sex
marriage, saying the law violates the equal protection clause of the
Constitution. The ruling in effect says,
“These
couples when gender and sexual orientation are taken away are in all respects like
the family down the street.”
Really
- is that so? I disagree and so did the
majority of the voters in Indiana who went to the polls so their voices could
be heard and their votes recorded. The
majority decided that marriage is between one man and one woman. Now that’s been thrown out by a minority.
It’s
interesting to note that in our Constitution marriage is not mentioned.
The
only righteous Judge says homosexuality is a sin (Romans 1:24-32). That’s that.
Mankind
has been in rebellion against God since the first bite was taken from the fruit
of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden. The pace is picking up much like a toilet
bowl being flushed…
Our
nation is deemed to be in an economic free fall.
But has anyone stopped to consider that this nation has been in a Spiritual free fall for a longer period
of time?
High
on the list of reasons for America’s downturn is sexual immorality.
Spinoff
sins from this illicit activity are: adultery, fornication, pornography, drunkenness,
drug addiction, strife, envy, jealousy, greed, malice, murder, gossip, etc.
Our
society is a cesspool and the clock is ticking…time is running out!
Considering
Scripture accounts, whenever a nation has not only forgotten God, but has
outright despised Him and His Word, God has dealt mercifully with them for a
time.
But when that condition continues unabated, divine grace ceases and
judgment follows. Even the nation of
Israel was not excluded but stands as an example of how God’s judgment is for
ALL.
A
man I highly respect said this, “The world changes - circumstances change, we
change - but God's Word never changes.” Warren
Wiersbe
God’s
Word stands the test of time and the attacks from a godless society.
Isaiah 40
7: The grass
withers, the flower fades, When the breath of the LORD blows upon it;
Surely the people
are grass.
8: The grass
withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.
Getting
back to yours truly, for many years I was misled by church leaders as to what
the Bible says and more importantly I was not saved. I was led to believe I was saved but this was
false.
Now
I have a passion to teach the Truth and to help people understand what the
Bible says. With this comes a tremendous
responsibility (James 3:1; 2 Timothy 2:15).
Therefore,
I’m not going to shy away from speaking or teaching the Truth to those who have
an interest. To that end, I have no
intention of “watering” God’s Word down so the world-at-large will find it
palatable. There are far too many people
doing this already and those with “itchy
ears” are filling up their pews.
This
is why I do what I do. Some people are
passionate about their cooking skills, their sports, their painting, their
hobbies, their music, and various other pursuits. I’m passionate about God’s saving grace and
time is running out.
Please
open your Bibles to Romans at chapter 8.
Romans 8
6: For the mind
set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life (eternal) and peace,
7: because the
mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject
itself to the law of God, for it
is not even able to do so,
Read
verse 7 again please. Have you ever
heard someone say, “I hate God?” I have.
But
you don’t have to say it to express hostility towards God. Actions speak louder than words.
Perhaps
no other verse in Scripture reveals the appallingly lost state of humanity, after the flesh, than this one. We read back at Romans 5:10 where we were “reconciled” to God while we were His
enemies but this did change the nature of our flesh.
The
flesh is hopelessly lost. The apostle Paul
understood this truth and conveyed the message to us quite clearly, “Wretched man that I am!” (Romans 7:19-24).
Romans 8
8: and (therefore) those who are in the flesh
cannot please God.
This
sweeping statement from God concerns all those who are not in Christ Jesus.
Those
in the flesh even if they, like
Cain, pause for a moment and consider God, who dare to come to God in their own
way, on their own terms, God will not accept – the Spirit is not in them. They are not His children. They are without faith.
Faith
is: God said it; I believe it.
Romans 8
9: However, you are
not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in
you. But if anyone does not have the
Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.
The
mark of a true Believer is that the Spirit of God dwells within them.
These
folks are not enslaved by the flesh, driven by its lusts, instead they are
Spirit led.
Digging a little
Deeper
- People may be going about their lives with the notion that they are redeemed
(saved) when in fact they are not. For
they have not received the gift of
the Holy Spirit. This truth applies to
far too many people.
One
of the most used altar call phrases in the church today is, “Come
forward and pray to receive Jesus into your heart.”
First
and foremost – this is a false doctrine, that in order to be saved, one must
“accept Jesus as your personal Savior” and then say a “sinners prayer.” Nowhere in the New Testament, and especially
in the Apostle Paul’s writings, is a sinner authorized or instructed to ask
Jesus to come into their heart and to pray for forgiveness so that they might
be saved.
Where
did this plan of redemption come from?
This
is a man-made system – with the help of Satan.
That’s right. Satan has
infiltrated the church. Satan can
promote both good things and bad things on this planet – he’s in control. Satan knows if he can fool people into
believing this “lie,” they will
still be lost and will be keeping him company in the Lake of Fire for eternity
(Revelation 20:15).
“There is a way that seems right to a
man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12).
Even
if people are sincere in their beliefs, if what they put their faith in is
not in harmony with God’s will and God’s plan of salvation, they will be
lost.
We
are to follow God’s one and only plan. Are
you still with me?
Scripture
says, “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus…” (Colossians
3:17); that is by His authority. The
Bible says forgiveness and salvation is only in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 2:10).
If
a person does not fully understand (comprehend) the basic truths leading
to their salvation they should not be considered saved. If a person is not instructed that faith in the death, burial, and
resurrection of Jesus Christ, according to the Scriptures, for their sins is
the essential element in their salvation they are not saved (1
Corinthians 15:1-4; Romans 2:16). Simply
put, this is a false conversion.
A
picture is worth a thousand words. If
you’re interested, this link will take you to a YouTube video where people give
powerful testimonies concerning their false conversions - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tcqu2WjSOJo
and reveal the actions they took on their own to overcome.
I
need to add a comment here despite the controversy surrounding this topic.
If
someone wants to be baptized, by submersion, sprinkling, etc, that’s entirely
up to them, but water baptism has absolutely nothing to do with the salvation
process.
You
are saved with it or without it (Ephesians 4:4-5).
If
you took the time to review the Bible verses in the book of Ephesians please
note,
Paul’s
statement has all the elements of a doctrine: one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one
faith, one baptism, one God and
Father. The common element in this
statement is the word “one.” Paul wrote there was one baptism.
What
baptism did he mean?
Considering
all of Paul’s other teachings, we know that he meant Spiritual baptism.
It
should be obvious that Paul did not regard water baptism to be too important since
he declared, “Christ did not send me to
baptize but to preach the gospel.”
Furthermore,
if there is only one baptism, what baptism is it–the baptism by man or
the baptism by the Holy Spirit? Considering
all of Scripture, the baptism of the Holy Spirit overshadows baptism by man.
We’ve
gone over this topic multiple times but for the sake of the new visitors Scripture
says that every Believer of the gospel is baptized by the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians
12:13; Ephesians 1:22-23). This is the one
and only baptism that affects the Believer from a Spiritual aspect.
Most
church groups require the ritual of baptism before membership in their
organization is extended or they require you to demonstrate proof of baptism
from some other church group. There’s no
harm in this, as long as you understand that your baptism has nothing to do
with your salvation. Water baptism is
simply an outward sign (public demonstration) of an inward change of heart and
mind.
Digging Deeper Yet, and getting back to
the subject of lost souls, others are busy building their own stairway to heaven (Genesis 11:1-9). I’m
talking about works-based religions. Believers are saved by God’s
grace. Salvation is bestowed upon us
through faith, not by what we do, but because of what Jesus Christ accomplished
for us.
All
other religions attempt to reach heaven by a person’s own efforts: Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Jehovah’s
Witnesses, Judaism, Mormonism, Shinto, and Sikhism, to name a few.
I
intend to add Catholicism to this mix because although God’s grace is factored
in, that grace is only an enabling function.
Catholics believe God’s grace makes it possible for a person to do
good works and it is those good works by which they will be judged as
worthy or not for heaven.
The
Pope recently announced to the world, and this was captured by the press, that
Catholicism is the only God ordained religion in the world today and all other
religions are hopelessly lost. He wasn’t
the first Pope to make this statement. Pope John XXIII (1958-63), in his
Papal Oath, proclaimed: outside this
true Catholic faith no one can be saved, so help me God!
While Roman Catholic Adolf Hitler promoted the idea of
Germans being the world's "Master Race", his church was promoting the
idea of the Roman Catholic Church being the world's "Master
Religion".
At
the Council of Lateran (649 AD), whose canons were approved and
confirmed by Pope Martin I (649-653 AD), it was solemnly
declared: if anyone does not
profess in accordance with the holy Fathers, properly and truthfully all
that has been handed down and taught publicly to the Holy, Catholic, and
Apostolic Church of God, both by the same Fathers and by me approved
universal Councils, to the last detail in word and intention: he is
condemned, (canon 17)
At
the Council of Trent (1545-63 AD) it was solemnly declared that
one must hold that:
Our Catholic faith, without which it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6), must remain in its purity, sound, unshaken, and free from errors. (Session V, Intro.)
Our Catholic faith, without which it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6), must remain in its purity, sound, unshaken, and free from errors. (Session V, Intro.)
At
Trent it was solemnly declared concerning the doctrine of justification that:
this Catholic doctrine of justification -which, unless he faithfully and firmly accepts it, no one can be justified. (On Justification, 16)
this Catholic doctrine of justification -which, unless he faithfully and firmly accepts it, no one can be justified. (On Justification, 16)
No
one can be justified if he rejects the Catholic teaching on justification. Of course if someone isn't justified, then
they cannot be saved (i.e. enter heaven), and non-Catholics reject the Catholic
teaching on justification. Thus, they
cannot be saved as they are rejecting this creed, or any dogma of the Catholic Church.
I’ve
spoken to many a catholic who is “hoping” to go to heaven! I used to be a Roman Catholic. Count me as one of those who used to follow
all the orders that came from the Pope who believes he is Jesus Christ on this
earth such as: believe in Jesus Christ
AND be baptized AND receive the Eucharist along with the other sacraments AND
obey all the decrees of the Roman Catholic Church AND perform meritorious works
AND do not die with any mortal sins AND etc…
I
had to bear all these burdens and then hope God would let me into His heaven.
At
present, there are approximately 1.2
billion Roman Catholics in the world who are “hoping to go to heaven.”
Are
you beginning to understand the scope of this problem? If a person believes what the Catholic Church
officially teaches, they will not be saved. Simply put, any claim that works or rituals
must be added to faith in order for salvation to be achieved is a claim that
Jesus’ death was not sufficient to fully acquire our salvation.
Jesus
said, “Do not be deceived… (Matthew 24:4).
He also said,
Matthew 7
13: “Enter
through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads
to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.
14: “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life,
and there are few who find it.
Before
I close please note this is not an attack on the Catholic Church or their
beliefs.
I
am a Bible teacher. It is my
responsibility to bring these things into the light.
(To
be continued)
©
Copyright 2011
GJ
Heitzman’s Ministry
All
Rights Reserved
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