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Monday, January 5, 2026
The Rock Almighty: Achieving Peace Through War and Monday. Jesus' Big Moves In 2026
Peace is the result of a total embrace of love. Peace is being open to truth and seeing all things new. Peace results in healing, joy, love, and total bliss. Peace is natural and only appears to leave when we purposely turn our eyes away from it, but it's always still there.
War is all that peace is not. War is an attempt to force a condition. War is an attempt to make something exist which is not natural and will not last. War is pursued only through fear and a total misunderstanding of how we are connected to those we choose to war against.
History appears to have provided many examples of where war has eventually resulted in peace, but this is an error of perception. The end of war does not bring peace, it just brings about the end of war. This confusion of defining the result of winning a war as an indication we have achieved peace, can be corrected by being willing to see things differently and more clearly.
Webster's definition of an 'oxymoron' states it as being a situation where opposite or contradictory ideas are combined. The title of this article is an oxymoron...'achieving peace through war'. Peace will never result from war because war is a total contradiction of peace and peace is a total contradiction of war. One cannot exist with the other, nor could one ever lead to the result of the other. They are opposites that can never interact.
Being at peace is not just a ceasing of hostilities, but is a characteristic of how you live and how you treat others within the world. Being at peace is not about not waging war, but is about embracing and extending peace by being peaceful and pursuing peaceful methods of existence. When we are not doing so, we are not at peace, whether there is an active war underway or not.
There are almost endless examples of where we think war was necessary in our past to bring about peace and it's hard to fathom how we could have survived without engaging in war to either protect ourselves or gain something we valued or believed we needed. This method of thinking only exists because we go far, far out of our way to not see that there is always a peaceful solution. The peaceful solution is often not politically correct and may not bring immediate results, however, the pursuit of peace will always result in peace. Quite the contrary, the pursuit of war will never result in peace and will usually only result in additional war, pain and suffering.
Peace is not the act of not fighting or not demanding vengeance. Peace is the result of having removed the anger and fear that brought about what we feel is the need for war or vengeance in the first place. War does not stop this anger or fear, it just results in the anger or fear of the stronger army, overpowering the anger or fear of the lesser army. There is no winning, there is simply the error in thinking that somehow we have gained control, but control is not victory. Control is bondage through fear, and peace will never exist where bondage and fear reign.
Recent history has given us a blatant example of how war does not bring about peace. Our nation experienced a major terrorist attack several years ago and our response was to seek vengeance and wage war. Is the world a better place today because of the war we waged? It is not. From an objective view, not only is the world today not a better place, but it is now more volatile than before the attacks occurred. War engenders more fear and more war. The only way to 'Win' through war is to totally obliterate your enemy, but that does not bring peace, just the end of war. When your goal becomes one of 'winning a war' as compared to 'bringing about peace', peace will never occur because it is not part of the goal and can never be the result of war.
So, what were our other options when the terrorists made their play? What else could we have done to bring about peace....just fold up and ignore what happened? Where we supposed to just turn the other cheek and say 'please, hit me again'?
Peace is not about inaction, but about peaceful thinking with resulting peaceful actions and effects. Peace is not about giving up but about becoming open to allow healing to occur in any situation and within any event. Peace neither looks to find blame nor does it care to determine who started a problem. Peace looks past all judgement and simply chooses to apply healing to all sides of the perceived problem so that the issue can be seen truthfully and fully resolved to where everyone wins.
When any form of attack appears to occur, we can choose to accept the attack and then attack back, or we can choose to see the attempt of attack as a cry for help that indicates a healing is necessary for the situation. When the terrorists attacked, instead of embracing thoughts of vengeance and war, our thoughts could have been focused on providing healing to the situation that allowed the attack to happen in the first place. Then our minds and hearts would be open to say things in the spirit of truth and peace, such as:
"Our actions in the past have provoked you to fear us so greatly that you eventually felt you had no choice other than to attack us so that we might stop affecting you in the future. Neither of us has done the better thing and we are both responsible for a world situation where great healing is necessary so that peace can return."
"As a first step towards healing and peace, we are going to immediately change our motivations for how we interact within this world. We have no right in playing the worlds police and meddling in the relationships between other nations and we will stop doing so immediately. With the exceptions of countries currently under attack that need military defensive aid, all our troops are coming home. We will only use our military defensively from this time forward."
"Our actions in the past have included deliberate ignorance of areas of the world that are truly in need, but had no natural resources we desired. Our goal from this point forward is to provide financial, technical and educational support to the starving nations and struggling people throughout the world and help stimulate new growth and true hope."
"We will also work with all nations to help best distribute the resources of the world as equally as possible amongst all nations so that the seeds of war are not watered in the first place. Feeding, housing and educating our brothers and sisters of the world is all that matters now."
"The terrorist attack upon our country has awoken a sleeping giant who was dreaming of war, but inherently knows only of peace. We are awake once again and will not behave foolishly and warlike again. We are not at war, so please stop any future attacks and let's sit down and truly heal the rift that has allowed this situation to fail so poorly. All is forgiven because we have all contributed to this state of the world, so there is no blame to cast and no guilty party to destroy. We extend our peace to you, and whether you believe it or not or initially accept it or not, you will see it within us as we so dramatically change how we treat all nations and people of the world."
Granted, some of those statements might be a little 'utopian', but I was just looking to make a clear point that the idea of pursuing peace instead of war is always an option and is possible. We can be a nation of peace. We can be a nation that uses our resources to extend blessings instead of a nation that uses our might to inflict a misguided concept of world order.
We are mighty spiritual beings that have a powerful capacity to bring about that which is our greatest thought. If the greatest thought within you is of an inevitable world war, catastrophes, economic collapse, poverty, starvation, disease and a government controlled by a war-like leader... then that is what you will help bring about, and are already supporting. Likewise, if the greatest thought within you is a love and desire that all people and nations pursue peace, along with a sincere desire to work fairly with all nations of the world... then that is what you will help bring about...and are already supporting.
Perfect love casts out fear. Perfect peace casts out war. Concluding a war does not bring about peace, but by pursuing peace, you remove the need for war and it simply vanishes. The result of peace is the total rejection of the concept of war. The result of peace is the absolute dismissal that war is even a slightest part of the answer because war and peace cannot exist at the same time and will only ever annihilate each other.
This world has always had two choices...war or peace. You can side with war or you can side with peace. Which side are you on? There is nothing in between because you can embrace only darkness or light, but never both. Do you welcome peace or do you welcome war? Which do you believe will provide answers in the world? Which do you believe a truly loving God would embrace as an answer? Which do you believe a truly loving God would reject as an answer? Which cannot exist where there is a God of perfect love?
You can be a part of ridding this world of war. Instead of seeing war as inevitable, prophesied or even divinely necessary, choose instead to see peace as the only solution and be open only for what it will bring. Look away from all other ideas and options and choose peace. Be open for answers. Be open for peace. By being willing to see the future of this world as more peaceful, you will be part of the reason that peace spreads more quickly around the world. Be peaceful...and support the concept of Achieving Peace Through Peace.
(You can find this publication online at http://www.beingwilling.com/articles/achieving-peace-through-war.html )
You can visit David's website at: http://www.BeingWilling.com
This article Copyright ©2007 - David Nelmes. - Reproduced with Permission.
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Sunday, January 4, 2026
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The Rock Almighty Sunday - GOSPEL MESSAGE #4 – Is there such a thing as HOUSEHOLD SALVATION? And Bishop T.D. Jakes & Tyrese Dodge the Truth
17
SALVATION BY WATER BAPTISM: IS THERE SUCH A THING AS HOUSEHOLD SALVATION?
What we’re going to investigate here is whether a baby’s parent’s faith would provide repentance for their sins and belief in Christ. We could extend this by asking whether the head of a household could repent and believe for their family, friends, or relatives. Are you ready to begin?
Let’s start by going to the book of Acts, chapter 11.
Suggested Reading: Acts 11:1-18
The Apostle Peter has left the house of a Gentile named Cornelius and was on his way back to Jerusalem. When he returned to the Jerusalem church, he was met by Jewish Christians who were upset with him because he went into the house of a Gentile and ate food, which was forbidden for any Jew under the tenets of the Mosaic Law. Peter answered them by explaining the unusual circumstances that took place before he arrived at his house.
He said that he saw a vision, and immediately after it ended, three men from Caesarea arrived where he was residing who conveyed to him to come to the house of Cornelius, the confirmation of such being given to Peter by the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, he recounted that when he entered Cornelius’ house, he was told by him that an angel had appeared to him and said to send men to Joppa for a man called Simon (analogous to Peter), which he proceeded to do.
14 Who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved.
And then the angel made this astounding statement to him. This man Peter, when he comes to your house, will announce to you these words (all the doctrine of salvation143) whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved. One might conclude from this rendering, and many churches have, that when Cornelius got saved, he repented and believed not only for himself but also for his kinsmen (relatives) and close friends. Is this supported by Scripture?
Let’s find out and go back to the original story of this incident from the book of Acts chapter 10.
Suggested Reading: Acts 10:1-48
43-44 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.
Peter told everyone clearly what they needed to do to be saved and that was to believe in Jesus. As he was speaking, the Holy Spirit fell (indwelt) on all those who heard the word (the gospel; the salvation message). What I wanted you to notice was that for anyone in the house to receive the indwelling Spirit, they had to personally believe in Christ. And if there were young children present, they had to be able to comprehend (some would call this having reached the age of accountability) what was said, and likewise repent and believe for themselves.
Let’s take a look at another section of Scriptures that are used to support the idea by some churches that if the father of a household gets saved, his whole house (family) will be saved. Stay in the book of Acts and proceed ahead to chapter 16.
Suggested Reading Acts 16:16-34
16 And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:
This story begins right after a woman named Lydia received the Word (the gospel) spoken to her by the Apostle Paul and was baptized in water. Apparently, Paul and Silas decided that they needed to go to prayer. They knew of a place which they had gone to earlier, which was by a river. While they were on their way, a damsel (a slave girl) possessed with a spirit (an evil spirit) of divination (who told people what would happen in the future144) followed them around for many days.
Paul, sensing that she was demon-possessed, commanded the demon, who was residing in her, to come out, which he did. Her masters, who made a profit off of the spirit’s soothsaying, saw that their money-making scheme was now over. So, they proceeded to stir up the city, making accusations against Paul and Silas, who were apprehended and cast into prison.
While in the jail, they decided to sing psalms as prayers to God, when all of a sudden, an earthquake happened, causing the prison doors to open. The keeper of the prison, who was awoken from sleep, saw the open doors and thought that everyone had escaped. Realizing that if this was the case, the penalty that would be inflicted upon him was death, he took out his sword to kill himself. But Paul, aware of what was taking place, cried out to him and said, Do yourself no harm: for we are all still here.
Acts 16:30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
It’s interesting what happened next. The keeper went to their cell and asked them what he must do to be saved. This tells me that he must have received some knowledge beforehand about Paul and Silas in that they were Christians.
31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
It appears that both of them, at the same time, said, believe in Jesus, and you shall be saved, and your house (your family). Here we go again. Some churches would teach that what this was saying is that if the father or head of the household gets saved, they can repent and believe for their entire family. This interpretation sounds correct, doesn’t it? Well, let’s dig further.
The phrase and thy house in Greek means that [your] household will be saved if [they’ll] also believe.145 There it is! The idea expressed is that each person in the house must hear the gospel and decide for themselves.
32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.
And not only did both of them speak to the jailor, but afterward to all that were in his house, which could have included slaves and children. Again, as we’ve said earlier, if there were children involved, then they would have to be able to hear the message and understand it in order to respond to it. What we’ve learned is that so-called "household salvation" has no basis in the Word of God - that is, that the decision of the head of the household brings salvation to the members of the household.146 This perspective also believes that when a child reaches the age of reason, if their family has already repented for them beforehand, then they don’t have to respond to the salvation message at this time because they’re already saved. The conclusion of which has no basis in the Word of God. This leaves us with an intriguing question.
What would happen to a child in terms of their eternal destiny if they died before reaching an age where they could understand and respond to the salvation message?
I think the answer to this is found in the book of 2 Samuel. If you have your Bible handy, please turn there.
Suggested Reading: 2 Samuel 12:1-23
King David had just committed two egregious sins, each of which constituted a sentence of death under the Mosaic Law. He had an affair with another man’s wife and subsequently had her husband killed so he could have her all to himself. After he took her to be his wife, she subsequently bore him a son. However, this was not the end of it all as far as God was concerned.
God sent the prophet Nathan to talk to him about what he’d done. He began by presenting a story to him about a rich ruler and a poor man. Evidently, the rich man had many flocks and herds while the poor man had only one little ewe lamb, which he brought up, nourished, and treated as one of his children. We’re told that when a traveler came to the rich man, instead of killing one of his own animals to provide physical nourishment, he took what was most precious from the poor man, his one and only lamb.
When King David heard this, he was incensed as if to question how the rich man could have committed this act of selfishness. Then, the prophet Nathan said to him, Thou art the man. He proceeded to tell him that God would impose judgments upon him; however, his life would be spared. One of the judgments would be that his newly born son with his new wife, Bathsheba, would die.
It appears that as soon as David’s son was born, he became sick. David proceeded to fast and intercede to the Lord for him so that He might revert this sickness. Sadly, this wasn’t to be so. On the seventh day, his son died. After which, David stopped fasting, washed and anointed himself, changed his clothes, and went into the house of the Lord and worshipped.
When his servants saw that he stopped fasting, they replied to him in a scolding manner, thou didst fast and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread. Apparently, fasting after the death of a loved one was considered a cultural practice. Then, the king responded to them with a remarkable statement concerning the status of his son’s eternal state.
23 But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.
Basically, he said, there’s nothing else I can do. My son is dead, and I can’t bring him back. However, I shall go to him. There we have it. David was saying that when he dies, he’ll be with his son, wherever he’s residing. And where will both of them reside at physical death? Remember, we looked at this earlier in this study.
Scripture tells us that the Old Testament saints who believed in Jehovah (Yahweh) at physical death (their spirits) would go to a compartment of hell called Abraham’s bosom. Luke 16:22And likewise, his son, who was too young to personally believe in Jehovah, would go there also. I hope this clears this up.
Based on the research that confirms what constitutes salvation is the gospel of Christ and the Holy Spirit, along with the conclusion that salvation is a personal decision that no one can make for someone else, we can surmise that the gospel of water baptism isn’t scriptural.
Believe it not, we’re not done. There’s another gospel message that’s a lot more prevalent than one might be aware. This I’ll call the salvation of repentance, belief, and good works. What I’d like us to do before turning to the next chapter is read an interesting article on water baptism regeneration.
CAN YOU GO TO HEAVEN IF YOU’RE NOT BAPTIZED?
I saw your comments regarding [baptism,] and you said baptism [isn’t] necessary to get to heaven…but its Jesus’ commandment for us to be [baptized]. If we don’t, aren’t we disobeying? Isn’t disobedience a sin? How can we get to heaven without baptism?
Aaron
You ask an interesting question, and it’s one that puzzles a lot of people. Your question isn’t really about [baptism] but about salvation. How, you ask, can a disobedient person go to [heaven]? You may be surprised at the answer:
Sin isn’t what sends people to Hell, so it’s not the disobedient who go there. I know: that’s not what you’ve heard before. Let’s walk through it together…
●The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). The Bible is very clear on this. There’s a penalty for sin.
●Jesus paid the penalty for all sin, for all people, for all time. 2 Corinthians 5:14 tells us this very clearly: ‘one died for all, therefore all [died.’] Jesus died to take our place…He paid the penalty for ALL of our sin. There’s no sin that His death [didn’t] cover.
●Because #1 is true, and because #2 is true, then #3 is equally true: were you to sin by never being baptized, that would not send you to Hell. God would not make you pay the penalty that Jesus paid for you!
Now, that leads us to another question: why does anyone end up in Hell? The Bible is abundantly clear that some people will be there, but it’s not because of their sin. Read more in 2 Corinthians 5: “[We’re] therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.” Those who are reconciled to God go to Heaven. Those who [aren’t] reconciled to God go to Hell.
Sin is no longer the issue because, as that passage tells us, “all died” when Jesus died for us. There’s no penalty left to pay. So: because all sins for all time were covered by Jesus’ death, nobody would go to Hell for not being baptized. They’d only go there for not being reconciled to God.
Let me ask you: are YOU reconciled to God? We’re not perfect, but God’s children will naturally mature and look for ways to please Him. If you’re a Christian, you should be baptized…not so you can go to Heaven, but because you want all that God has for you. If God thinks baptism [is] important enough to command it, then we should do it.147
Endnotes
143Adam Clarke.
144UBS New Testament.
145The Bible Exposition Commentary/New Testament.
146The Bible Exposition Commentary/New Testament.
147Tony Scialdone. “CAN YOU GO TO HEAVEN IF YOU’RE NOT BAPTIZED?” GODWORDS 24 March 2022
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New Covenant Ministries - Ministerios NuevoPacto - Harbor Church, Block Island
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Saturday, January 3, 2026
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US Sports Lacrosse: Lacrosse Strength and Conditioning Academy and (NLL) WEEK 5 BANDITS VS. ROUGHNECKS
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Friday, January 2, 2026
US Sports Basketball Kelvin Sampson - Building and Practicing Toughness and KNICKS at SPURS FULL GAME HIGHLIGHTS
The Coach
Kelvin Sampson is a highly accomplished basketball coach with over three decades of experience at both the college and professional levels. Known for his success in building winning programs, Sampson has consistently guided teams to new heights throughout his career.
Coaching Experience:
- University of Houston (Head Coach, Since 2014)
- Led Houston to four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, including the 2021 NCAA Final Four
- Secured five American Athletic Conference titles
- First coach in school history to lead Houston to seven straight 20-win seasons
- Became the second-winningest coach in program history with a .740 winning percentage
- Former Head Coaching Roles:
- Indiana University
- University of Oklahoma
- Washington State University
- Montana Tech
- NBA Experience:
- Former Assistant Coach with the Houston Rockets
Career Achievements:
- 699-340 career record over 33 seasons
- 17 NCAA Tournament appearances
- One of only 15 coaches in NCAA history to lead four or more schools to the NCAA Tournament
- One of only 16 coaches to lead multiple programs to the NCAA Final Four
- Six-time National Coach of the Year
- Six conference Coach of the Year awards across four different leagues
Off-Court Contributions:
- Strong focus on academic success with numerous players earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees
- Actively involved in community service, including:
- Hosting Thanksgiving lunch events for Star of Hope Mission residents
- Leading Texas Special Olympics activities at Hofheinz Pavilion and the Guy V. Lewis Development Facility
- Book this course.......
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Thursday, January 1, 2026
The Rock Almighty: Is Salvation Conditional Based on Obedience to the Commands of the Mosaic Law During the Church Age? And Happy New Year! Classic Concert with The Galactic Cowboys!
Is Salvation Conditional Based on Obedience to the Commands of the Mosaic Law and/or the Directives of Those in Leadership During the Church Age?
Well, here’s a million-dollar question for you to consider. Is continual disobedience to various aspects of the Mosaic Law and/or church-related directives the basis for the removal of the indwelling Spirit along with the Spirit-produced blessings at salvation during the Church Age? To answer this, we need to look at what forms the basis for the new covenant that followed the Mosaic Law, which is called the compact of grace and truth.
John 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
What we know about the Mosaic law that was given by Moses are a few things. It [provokes sin] and excites the passions [that] it punishes.13 It was a Divine bestowment of entirely unspeakable value to those who were ignorant of the mind and will of God.14 It was but “a figure for the time then [present] that [couldn’t] make the worshippers perfect as pertaining to the [conscience,] because it [wasn’t] possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins” ([Hebrews] 9:9; 10:4).15 It also had a shadow of good things to come, though not the very image of the things ([Hebrews] 10:1); and it was this shadow of Gospel blessings which was given by Moses.16
On the other hand, the new covenant of grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. What is grace,you ask? Grace is God's favor and kindness bestowed on those who [don’t] deserve it and cannot earn it.17 With that said, what is truth? Truth refers to the life, death, and resurrection [of Christ, who] met all the demands of the Law, [and] now God is free to share [the] fullness of grace with those who trust Christ.18 Another way to define grace and truth is to say they’re the highest manifestation and self-communication of Divine love and Divine thought, [which] came into human experience through Jesus Christ.19
What we can now attempt to answer in this dispensation is the following question. What constitutes salvation?
Acts 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
John 3:14-15 … the Son of man … That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
John 7:38-39a He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive:…
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
These verses tell us that the basis for an unbeliever becoming saved in this dispensation is that they must repent and believe in His Son Jesus Christ, who pre-existed time, came to earth, i.e., God incarnate (God come in the flesh), was born of a virgin, never sinned, listened to and obeyed the directives of God the Father, died on a cross paying the debt owed by mankind for the sins of the world, forgave sin (canceled or wiped away the record), rose again after three days never to die again, and ascended into heaven to be seated at the Father’s right hand.
When God the Father witnesses an unbeliever’s confession about their sinful state and their professed faith in His Son, the third member of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit will come into their life, thus indwelling their body. While many churches believe in an unbeliever’s admission of sin, their response to the gospel of Christ, and the receiving of God the Holy Spirit, they’d contend that this salvation is conditional, i.e., it’s based on obedience. Obedience to what or whom? Let’s find out by turning in your Bible to the book of Hebrews.
Hebrews 5:9 And being made perfect, he [Christ] became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
As church leaders declare that they operate in Christ’s stead, so they contend that eternal salvation is secured only by those in the congregation who obey them, i.e., likewise, as those who are obeying Christ. This obedience is in regard to whatever those in church leadership declare that the assembly should be obedient to. This begs the question. Is obedience the basis for a believer maintaining their salvation? I’d suggest that there’s a different way of describing maintaining one’s salvation, which is called sanctification. What does this mean, you ask? Let’s take a look at a verse from the book of 1 Thessalonians and find out.
1 Thessalonians 4:3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:
The Apostle Paul was instructing the believers at Thessalonica as to what the will of God is, and, i.e., it’s in regard to a process called sanctification that would help them abstain (become completely set free) from fornication (sexual immorality). Are you aware that there are two aspects to sanctification? The first work consists in cultivating the positive principles of holiness in the soul.20 The second involves overcoming the propensities to evil in our nature, checking and subduing the unholy habits which we had formed before we became Christians21 by applying the principles that were initially learned. What are these principles? They’re found in the book of Galatians. Please go there in your Bible.
Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
So, we could say that sanctification is learning how to think about ourselves, others, and the circumstances of life by cultivating the fruit of the Spirit. It’s not obedience to rules, ceremonies, rituals, or demands but learning how to develop godly character, which is explained to us in the book of Romans.
Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
What helps us in this endeavor is by focusing on being transformed by the renewing of your mind. The Apostle Paul was strongly urging the believers at Rome to not be conformed to this world. The word conformed means to not put on the form, fashion, or appearance of. The appearance of what? The appearance of the world. The word world means the standards of the world; as much opposed to the spirit of genuineChristianity.22
But rather be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. The word transformed means to appear as new persons with new habits. How is this accomplished? This is cultivated by practicing the renewing of your mind.
What these words refer to is a complete change for the better of the believer’s mental processes. Another way to put this is that God transforms our minds and makes us spiritually minded by using His Word. As you spend time meditating on God's Word, memorizing it, and making it a part of your inner man, God will gradually make your mind more spiritual.23
When we confess known sin and learn and apply God’s perspective about any area of weakness, we’ll be operating under the rule of the Spirit. And thus, as the Spirit agrees with what we’re occupied with in our mental attitude, He co-labors with us. This conveys to us that sanctification is not in dos and don’ts but in viewing all aspects of life from divine perspective. Therefore, the inference that the word obey, or being obedient to God’s commands, whether those contained in the Mosaic Law or those of church leadership in Hebrews 5:9, somehow secures a believer’s salvation must mean something else. What else it could mean is found in the book of 2 Thessalonians. Please turn there.
2 Thessalonians 1:8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
The Apostle Paul declared that those who know not God are those that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. We’re also told in the book of Romans that this same gospel is the power of God (God’s spiritual dynamite), which breaks the granite-like heart of the sinner unto salvation (the complete deliverance from sin and eternal death) to every one that believeth in it. So, we can surmise, therefore, that the word obey means believeth. With these thoughts in mind, Hebrews 5:9 could be rewritten as such.
And being made perfect, he [Christ] became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that [believe in] him;
Now that we know that it’s not obedience that secures one’s salvation, another thing we need to make known is that there’s a clear distinction between salvation and sanctification. Let’s begin with salvation. Did you know that salvation occurs at a point in time? It’s based on a one-time decision. The book of Ephesians will clarify this for us.
Ephesians 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
No matter whether someone is spiritually dead in their soul in sin, God the Father will quicken them (make alive; spiritual resurrection; the impartation of divine life) by means of the Holy Spirit together (in union) with Christ, for by grace (a mercy that is rich, exhaustless24) you are saved (by repentance and belief the new believer is justified, i.e., the removal of the guilt and penalty of sin and the impartation of a positive righteousness25). And along with this, positional sanctification has taken place. Positional sanctification? This refers to the act of the Holy Spirit taking the believing sinner out of the first Adam with his sin and [death] and placing him in the Last Adam (Jesus Christ) with His righteousness and life.26
With what we’ve already learned, some might continue to say that this new standing in Christ is conditional based on obedience to thus and such. Well, did you know that the word saved in Koine Greek is in the form of a perfect passive participle? The perfect tense refers to action completed in the past with present results. So, here’s what this is saying to us. When you responded to the gospel in the past, you received a saved state which continues on in the present.
So, your salvation, your saved state, and your positional sanctification are secure and not dependent on another way to describe sanctification, that’s called progressive sanctification. What is progressive sanctification? This pertains to a believer’s walk with God in time. It’s the process by which the Holy Spirit eliminates sin from the experience of the believer and produces His fruit, gradually conforming him into the image of the Lord Jesus.27 This is found in the book of Galatians.
Galatians 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
If we live (wherein we are continually alive though sometimes inactive;28 the new divine life resident in their beings29) in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit (to conduct themselves under the guidance, impulses, and energy of that life30). The word walk in Koine Greek is a present active subjunctive. The present tense denotes continuous action in the present. The active voice indicates that the subject produces the action. And the subjunctive mood denotes possible action of the verb if certain existing facts take place. Putting these together, here’s what we could deduce.
Whether these believers continually walk in the Spirit is a decision they’ll have to make. Exercising judgment to grow spiritually is a choice that each of us must determine on a daily basis. Therefore, progressive sanctification is conditional. This confirms that salvation is once and for all and is not affected by the choices a believer makes in time.
There are those who still might believe that obedience to the Mosaic Law or whatever leadership says that’s needed to be obeyed in order to secure one’s salvation is supported by a verse that’s found in the book of Hebrews. Please turn there.
Hebrews 13:17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.
The Jewish converts to the Christian faith were asked to obey (follow their orders; do what they tell you to do) them (the overseers or leaders of Christian churches) that have the rule (authority) over themand submit themselves(yield themselves trustfully to their teaching;31 submit to their authority in all matters of doctrine and discipline32). Based on the way this verse was translated, it appears that those in church leadership are to be obeyed and submitted unequivocally by the congregation. Is this true? A verse from 1 Peter will help to clarify this.
2 Peter 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
This clearly tells us that some in leadership can be described as false prophets or teachers. So, should we be submissive to what they have to say? Absolutely not! How can we discern such? 1 Timothy is where we’ll go next.
1 Timothy 3:1-7 1-2a This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. A bishop then must be …
If someone wants to be a leader in the church, then there are qualifications that need to be met. And there’s something else we should be aware of concerning those in church administration that a few verses in 1 Peter will unveil to us.
1 Peter 5:1-3 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.
Besides the qualifications, there are elements of Christian character that should be evidenced to the congregation.
With that said, let’s take a closer look at something that was mentioned in the verse from Hebrews 13:17 that’s of paramount importance as to what should be one of the main focuses of the ministry for those who are in church authority, i.e., they should watch for your souls. The word watch means to exercise constant vigilance over. Over what?
Obedience to the Mosaic Law? No. Obedience to rules and commands? No. But rather over continuous concern for your souls. The word souls can mean the salvation of the [people, and] all the arrangements should be with that end.33 It also characterizes a person in the comprehensive [thorough understanding of vitality (the power to live or grow];34 [mental vigor] through which he really is himself.35 Did you get what was just said? The following verses will clarify.
Colossians 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
Romans 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
That is what all of the doctrines of the Christian faith should be, i.e., to this end, to know who we are in Christ and be conformed to the image of God’s Son. This should be the main reason why we obey those in church leadership. And the rest will take care of itself.
Well, there’s one more reason that some are convinced will cause a believer to lose their salvation. What is it, you ask? The next chapter will disclose this.
Endnotes
13The Pulpit Commentary.
14The Pulpit Commentary.
15Jamieson, Faucet, and Brown Commentary.
16Jamieson, Faucet, and Brown Commentary.
17The Bible Exposition Commentary/New Testament.
18The Bible Exposition Commentary/New Testament.
19The Pulpit Commentary.
20Vincent’s New Testament Word Studies Pc Study Bible version 5, 2005. BIBLESOFT. WEB.
6 October 2022
˂http://www.biblesoft.com>.
21Vincent’s New Testament Word Studies.
22Adam Clarke’s Commentary.
23The Bible Exposition Commentary/New Testament.
24Weust’s Word Studies.
25Weust’s Word Studies.
26Weust’s Word Studies.
27Weust’s Word Studies.
28Jamieson, Faucet, and Brown Commentary.
29Weust’s Word Studies.
30Weust’s Word Studies.
31Weust’s Word Studies.
32Adam Clarke’s Commentary.
33Barnes’ Notes.
34Dictionary.com.
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