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Topic: Precious (11/14/24)
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TITLE: Our Precious Departure | Previous Challenge Entry
By Doug Laird
11/18/24 -
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Yet, divine viewpoint, expressed in Psalms 116: 15 NASB2020, tells us that, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones.”
This concept reflects the, “mind of Christ (1Cor. 2: 16), but will only be understood and appreciated by advancing disciples who have reached a high level of spiritual maturity.
As of the Church Age, the “godly ones” would be those who have been born-again.
One is born-again if he or she chooses to believe the unadulterated Gospel Message when he or she is presented with it.
The unadulterated Gospel Message, encapsulated in John 3: 16, 18, explains why one MUST be born again (1), and the one and only way (2) to do so.
One becomes, and permanently remains, to be a “godly one” the moment he or she is born again.
The sealing (3) and the regeneration (4) that takes place the moment that one is born-again is the exclusive Work of God the Holy Spirit.
As a result, the believer’s salvation is eternally secure (5), and has, then and there, become the recipient of the irrevocable (6) gift of eternal life.
Man-made religion, encouraged by the devil (7), would have us believe that the salvation process has not been completed until one participates in follow-up religious ceremonies and rituals to finish the job.
The same religious systems promote the erroneous need for one to participate in their religious ceremonies and rituals in order to retain or to regain salvation.
The devil, with the unwitting assistance of the “religious” community, produces and promotes counterfeit means for one to obtain and retain salvation.
Some religions go as far as engineering rituals to “regain” salvation (that can not be lost).
ANY teaching (or accompanying activity), regardless of who or what they claim to be (8), that implies that faith alone in the Person and the Work of the Lord Jesus Christ is not enough to become and to remain eternally saved, amounts to blasphemy.
Granted, there are many more requirements if a born again believer is going to advance in the post (after) salvation spiritual life of discipleship, but the post salvation spiritual life of discipleship is NOT for the purpose of improving or retaining salvation.
The preciousness of a believer’s home-coming is based on the Father-child relationship that was established when one was born again. Nothing more; nothing less.
Rewards and privileges (relating to post salvation discipleship) that will be received or forfeited in Heaven, have got nothing to do with the security of the Father-child relationship, or retaining one’s place (9) in Heaven.
Like the earthly homecoming of the prodigal son in Luke 15, there are earthly and heavenly consequences (10) still to be experienced for the negative choices made by a back-sliding believer, but he himself or herself will be welcomed home in Heaven by his or her Father (11).
This grace and mercy of the father didn’t set well with the prodigal son’s older brother, and the grace and mercy doesn’t set well with the “holier than thou” crowd of our day who consider themselves to be “a cut above” others, and want to see back-sliders pay for sins they commit.
They seem to forget that as far as salvation is concerned, the sin debt was already been paid in full by the atoning Work of Jesus on the cross (12).
James 2: 10 places ALL if us in the same, stinking, sinking, boat of sinners.
“For whoever keeps the whole Law, yet stumbles in one point, has become guilty of all (James 2: 10 NASB2020).”
Note that the father pointed out that all of the blessings of what he (the elder son) has coming had not and would not change (13).
Be it in this life or the next, we will all get what, and only what, we have coming, be it good or bad (14).
For many, just how precious our entry into in eternal state (15) will be, will not be appreciated until after they leave all the pain and heartaches of this life behind.
Mature believers have already experienced a taste of the precious moment of departure awaiting them, having established an intimate walk with the Lord, here on Earth.
(1) John 3: 5, 7 (2) John 14: 6 (3) Eph. 4: 30 (4) Titus 3: 5 (5) Romans 8: 1 (6) Rom. 11: 29 (7) 1Tim. 4: 1 (8) Gal. 1: 8 (9) John 14: 3 (10) Heb. 12: 6/1Cor. 3: 15 (11) Luke 15: 20 (12) 1John 2: 2 (13) Luke 15: 21 (14) Gal. 6: 7 (15) 2Cor. 5: 8
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