Spiritual Nuggets to

Ponder 06-15-08

56. James was written to people who were believing in the Lord Jesus:

My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism. (2:1)

James also wrote this to the same group of believers:

Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. (James 1:21)

The conditions for them to be saved, based on v. 21, were: (1) get rid of all moral filth and evil and (2) humbly accept the word already planted in them.

There is no shred of a past moment of faith in Christ that produced regeneration and you’ll go to heaven after death. They were present tense believers in the Lord Jesus yet they themselves were responsible to do something about moral filth and evil and humbly accept the word. That is all under grace.

57. It is so important to the Lord Jesus to feed (teach) the Christians the truth of God’s word (spiritual food) so they can grow, be on their guard, be encouraged, etc., that Jesus magnified this to reflect a teacher’s love for Jesus:

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.” (John 21:15-17)

In general, all Christians show their love for Jesus by obeying his commands (John 14:15):

If you love me, you will obey what I command.

The grace changers in Jude’s day couldn’t feed the sheep because their doctrine was false and poisonous. Those false pastors (shepherds) fed only themselves at the expense of the sheep:

These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead. (v.12)

How did they feed only themselves at the expense of the sheep? Because they were also experts at greed (2 Pet. 2:3,14) and rushed for profit into Balaam’s error (Jude 11). It is implied it was materially.

58. It is always God’s will for Christians to remain in Jesus. In fact, such is even a command:

Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. (John 15:4)

In spite of this truth, the Father will remove (cut off so that he can’t remain) the same Christian/s from the Vine (Christ), if fruitless.

I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. (John 15:1,2)

The branch, after being severed from Christ, withers, gets thrown into the fire and burnt:

If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. (John 15:6)

This is another clear and devastating refutation to the Calvinism’s eternal security and their argument that God would never save you to later have such become lost.

In Jesus’ teaching it was the Father himself who cut off the fruitless branch in Christ. That branch was not a counterfeit Christian because it was definitely in the Vine (Christ) where it had life at that time. That life, however, ended after the Father removed him from Christ, even though it was the Father’s will for that branch to remain! That life would have to be spiritual life, which came to an end.

59. The prophet Jonah got in serious trouble for his disobedience to God to the point where he was dying inside the belly of a great fish specially prepared for that occasion:

When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. (Jonah 2:7,8)

On the other hand, Paul got in serious trouble for being in the will of God. His beatings, imprisonments, etc,. reflect the problems he had with religious people and others as he obeyed. See 2 Cor. 6:4-10 and 11:23-27.

Job was another holy person, like Paul, who went through a very rough and painful time. It is, therefore, unscriptural to evaluate a person spiritually by their present problems and troubles.

60. True repentance that brings salvation is proven by deeds, that is, by turning away from sin and obeying God:

First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds. (Acts 26:20)

True repentance is preceded by sorrow over wickedness:

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. (2 Cor 7:10)

When one truly repents he will view his past life of sin with shame and deep regret:

What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! (Rom 6:21)

True repentance is shown in various passages, especially in this one with the words never again:

Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God. Your sins have been your downfall! Take words with you and return to the LORD. Say to him: “Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips. Assyria cannot save us; we will not mount war-horses. We will never again say ‘Our gods’ to what our own hands have made, for in you the fatherless find compassion.” (Hosea 14:1-3)

One must be both sincere and humble when he repents and asks God directly for mercy because of his wickedness, which was dragging him to hell:

But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. (Luke 18:13,14)

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