The Inner Circle                            10-28-26 

Have you ever wondered why Jesus chose Peter,James and John to witness miracles that the other Apostles were not invited to? This happened not once, but on three separate occasions.And how grand were these occasions!!Look. 

51 And when he came to the house, he allowed no one to enter with him, except Peter and John and James, and the father and mother of the child. 

 Lk 8:51.

 

 This was the raising from the dead of Jairus' daughter. Here's another.

 

 36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” 37 And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled.

 Mt 26:36–37.

 

 On the very night that Jesus went to the cross,He withdrew to talk with the Father about the trial He was soon to face. At this pivotal point in human history, only Peter,James,and John were included. Hmmm.

 

 How about this one.

 

 17 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.

 Mt 17:1–2.

 

 Where were the other Apostles? Why were they not included? Surely when the Lord Jesus was to appear in His Glory,(I believe the only time outside of the Book of Revelation)He would reveal Himself to the 12?

 

  On all of these momentous occasions, one would think that all of those chosen to spread His name to the entire world, would have been included. Right? But,they were not.Jesus purposely pulled those three Apostles out of the group to witness something miraculous. 

 

  Jesus chose a smaller group, an inner circle, to experience three pivotal events of revelation, divinity, and human suffering. Why those particular three? I don't know. However,I think the Bible teaches why He chose an inner circle. Look at this.

  

  In the last post, we referenced a verse in Psalms 45.Look at this.

  

      6       Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. 

      The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness; 

            7       you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. 

                  Therefore God, your God, has anointed you 

      with the oil of gladness beyond your companions; 

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Ps 45:6–7.

  

  What makes this verse so interesting snd relevant to our study is the fact that the writer of Hebrews quotes it in Hebrews 1:8.Both verses are talking about Jesus.However,the phrase "beyond your companions" is talking about Christians; and not just Christians but FAITHFUL Christians.How so Ronnie? Well,the word 'companion"is speaking of a partner, an associate if you will.

 

 When I was young Christian the prevailing view of the Kingdom of God(we called it heaven) as I remember was a concept where no one really knew what we would be doing.We just knew that we would be with Jesus forever.Everyone would be equally blessed, no one would shed any tears and so on.There was no concrete vision of what heaven was like; or what we would be doing.

 

 But,if you read what the Bible has to say ,you will find out that the scripture says a good bit about the Kingdom of God.One of the most striking things about the Kingdom is where we are going to spend it.It looks like we will be right back here on earth when all is said and done.

 

 But,the point of this post is to deal with the question of equality in the Kingdom.I believe this verse and others preach that there will not be an equality among believers when the Lord Jesus establishes His throne in Jerusalem.

 

 Look at Hebrews 3:14.

 

 14 "For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end."

 

 You see the word"if"up there.That is an important word in Kingdom language.It specifies a condition.We will share.....if indeed we hold..."

 Without getting bogged down in detail, there is something that we need to know about the Book of Hebrews. The author is speaking to Jewish believers. These folk were already saved.

 

 The book can actually be verified historically. The book is an exhortation to these believers to not go back into Judaism because of persecution.It uses Old Testament examples as analogies of what these people should not do.It encourages these believers to move into spiritual maturity by enduring persecution and difficult times.

 

 If they will hold on and not return to Judaism to escape persecution, then they will share in a partnership with Jesus when He establishes His kingdom. They will hold positions of authority.They will have a richer experience in the Kingdom and beyond IF(caps mine)they hold their original confidence. They will become part of an inner circle of believers from all ages who remained faithful to their call.

 

 Like Jesus,they will be anointed with the oil of gladness beyond their companions.This concept of inner circles,being a partaker with Jesus in His kingdom, and having a richer eternal experience is what the Book of Hebrews is about.This experience is linked with the doctrine of rewards.

 As we shall see in the next postal believers belonging to the church age are going to stand before Jesus and their works are going to be judged. More on that later.

 

 There are other verses that speak to this rewarding of believers.I will share one more. Look at 2 Timothy 2:12. Remember salvation is by faith alone. To be transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light, all we must do, all we can do is believe. John1:12.3:16 and hundreds of others speak to the freeness of salvation. 

 

 However,that salvation (past tense salvation)is not what we are talking about here.The vast majority of the New Testament is written to believers.They don"t need to "get saved." What they need is to learn to walk in the light as He is in the light.They are "working out their own salvation"(Phillipians 2:12,present tense salvation or sanctification)

 The concepts we are speaking of here have nothing to do with eternal destiny. You with me on that?

 

 Nowhere was I? Oh yeah 2 Timothy 2:12 Look.

 

 

            If we have died with him, we will also live with him; 

            12       if we endure, we will also reign with him; 

                  if we deny him, he also will deny us; 

            13       if we are faithless, he remains faithful—

Pay especial attention to v.12b "if we endure, we will also reign with Him;

There's that word "if"again.A condition of endurance is required to reign.

One last one.Romans 8:16-17

16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. 

Do you see a distinction in the verses?Look at v.17. "heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ,provided we suffer....." 

For now suffice it to say that heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ are two different people groups. We will look at that distinction a little later.But,a condition exists for being a fellow heir with Christ.See the word "provided?" 

WE are heirs of God through faith alone in His Son.However,to be fellow heirs with Christ we must suffer with Him.This can't be talking about salvation from the Lake of Fire.No.no.That salvation is conditioned on faith alone.Has nothing to do with suffering.Suffering is optional.Believers can walk away from suffering; just like the Hebrew believers were thinking about doing.

What I want you to see here is the fact that not all believers will share the same authority in the Kingdom.Not all believers will receive crowns in the Kingdom.Not all believers will have the same richness of experience in the Kingdom. Think back to Peter,James and John. Inner Circle.

WE will look at The Judgment Seat of Christ in Corinthians next time.

There is a motivation for living for the Lord.His salvation is free of charge.However,He will pay wages or withhold the same based on our level of service and obedience in this life.

When you get a chance,get a concordance and count the number of times "reward" is used.Pay attention to the Gospel of Matthew.Reward is mentioned more times in he Gospel of Matthew than any other book in the Bible.There is a reason for that.Matthew is the book that explains the Kingdom.It was written to Jewish believers who were questioning the Apostles about Jesus.They asked "if Jesus is the King where is His Kingdom?" The Book answers that question.

All we must do is believe.

God Bless.

 

 

  

   

 

 The Two Judgments          Part 2

We spoke about the absence of sin as a basis for judgment last time. I hope you gave it some thought.However,in this post we are going to look at some foundational principles of this Bema judgment.

There is a lot more out there than what we will look at; including some contrary views.This study hopefully  gets you to look a little deeper at this judgment.There is a very good reason to study this judgment.What's that Ronnie?

 Just this.If we get a grasp that this judgment is for the sole purpose of rewarding or not rewarding believers, then we don't make it about salvation.It maintains the integrity of "faith alone in Christ alone" as the sole requirement for eternal life.You will be surprised that although the overwhelming majority of Protestant churches will have that{faith alone...} in their statements of faith, most{at least in America} do not preach it from their pulpits.Another discussion.

 

 You know the prevalent view of heaven is that we will be with God doing all sorts of things.There will be no big I's and little you's.God is fair and He is no respecter of persons.It may or may not surprise you to learn that is not an accurate representation of the Kingdom of God.

 

 Indeed, there will most certainly be inequality in the Millenial Kingdom and maybe....no,probably throughout eternity.Huh?What are you saying Ronnie? Well,let me try and explain.Remember we are not talking about a free gift here,no,no.We have moved into the area of wages paid for work done.Our study will be mostly in Hebrews with a couple of verses in Timothy, Romans,and Psalms.Look at this.  

 

 16 "The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him." 

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Ro 8:16–17.

Look at that word "provided"It is translated in many versions as"if" 

there are two important things to remember concerning this verse. One,there is a distinction between being an heir of God and a fellow or joint heir with Christ.

There is a joint or double heirship in view here. The Greek guys say that a clearer Greek construction would be "on the one hand heirs....and on the other hand fellow heirs.....

If we believe, then we are children, if children,then heirs of God.But,in order to be a "fellow"or "joint" heir with Christ there is a second requirement beyond simple belief or faith.

We must suffer together with Him.The conditional nature of this co-heirship is tantamount to understanding the nature of the Bema.

This co-heirship, predicated on suffering, leads to co-glorification.As we shall soon see this co-glorificatiom will allow us to co-reign with Him.

Remember we are looking at the basis and purpose for the Bema.

Here is another one.

 11 The saying is trustworthy, for: 

                  If we have died with him, we will also live with him; 

            12       if we endure, we will also reign with him; 

                  if we deny him, he also will deny us; 

            13       if we are faithless, he remains faithful— 

for he cannot deny himself. 

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), 2 Ti 2:10–13.

In v.11 Paul is describing a believing Christian who has died with Christ at the moment of belief or salvation.(see Romans 6:5)If they have died, they will also live with Him through His resurrection eternally.

 V.12 is the verse that is relevant for our study here."IF(caps mine)we endure...will also reign..."Here the condition of reigning with Jesus is endurance" Not sinlessness but faithfulness.This idea is all through the New Testament.One such example is Jesus'teaching on discipleship.Taking up our cross and following.

 

 Now,with these two verses we are co-heirs with Jesus and we will co-reign with Him.Remember the conditions.Suffering,endurance.Both human works.We are not working for eternal life, but for reward in His Kingdom.Very important to keep the distinction.

v.13 characterizes an unfaithful believer.It has nothing to do with one's eternal security..that would contradict v.11.

SCRIPTURE HAS NO INTERNAL CONTRADICTION.JESUS CHRIST THE LORD SAID THAT IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN.IF ANYWHERE THE BIBLE SAYS THAT IF WE BELIEVE WE HAVE ETERNAL LIFE... THAT CANT BE CONTRADICTED.THERE MUST BE A HARMONY AMONGST THE SCRIPTURES.EX.REPENTANCE,CONFESSION,OBEDIENCE CANNOT BE ADDED ON TO THE SIMPLE MESSAGE OF BELIEF.FAITH IN CHRIST ALONE.

The believer is secure even if he falls and stays fallen.Hopefully that will not be the case but faithfulness is not guaranteed.(see 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 even Paul said it would be possible for him to be disqualified)

Now this denial will be a denial of the reward of co-reigning with Jesus.The Bema,I believe will be the apparatus for determining the faithfulness of every believer based on their faithfulness in life. BUT,the believer's eternal life is in no way threatened.Last clause says if we are unfaithful,He is faithful and cannot deny Himself.Actually the Scripture takes it a bit further with the word "faithless" not unfaithful.

Are you seeing a pattern here? While salvation is absolutely free,co-heirship,co-reigning is not.I will stop here. Next time we will get a little deeper when we see the claims that the Book of Hebrews makes.Here's a hint.Psalms 45:6-7 is quoted by the author of Hebrews in 1:8-9.Pay especial attention to the phrase "beyond your companions."

I will show in coming posts that the Bema will be public, with grief and sorrow; but, also with great joy.Some will shrink back in shame others will be overjoyed.

 The overshadowing purpose of this study for me, is not the possibility of great reward as a motivating force for living a life that is pleasing to the Father.That is important no doubt.But,my primary purpose is to hopefully show what the Gospel message of the Lord Jesus Christ. So,often we are tempted to add to the simple message of faith alone.

I see it all the time.Telling people that thymus stop this or start that in order to stay out of hell.Usually there is is no resistance or opposition to the freeness of eternal life until we enter into those behaviors and lifestyles that are deemed heinous or perverted etc.,It is then that the "turn or burn" signs come out of the woodwork.Or the "you can't be a Christian unless....."

This study I believe will show that God will adjudicate our good and bad works, sins whatever at the Bema.But,I can absolutely assure you that there is absolutely nothing you must do, indeed there is nothing you CAN do to enter into God's presence of your own accord or merit.NOTHING!!!

Finally the end of my rant.If we as Christians did not have a "license to sin" we would be burnt to a crisp 5 minutes after we woke up in the morning.

I am over the "license to sin" argument.It is nothing more than human pride, first exhibited with he fig leaves in the garden. Trying to make ourselves presentable to The Holy God of all creation. 

He didn't accept it then... and He ain't accepting it now!Eternal life is free of charge, if it was not, wouldn't NONE of us make it.

All we must do is believe.  

God Bless

 The Two Judgments 

I was asked the other day about whether I thought a racist could get into heaven.The person who asked is a friend from work and my answer took him aback.

I said absolutely yes. I then explained my position that belief in the Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life was all that was required to enter into the Kingdom of God.To have eternal life.(John 3:16,5:24,6:47,Ephesians 2:8-9)

He was not persuaded and we kind of drifted away for a while.His problem was my stance on sin and lifestyle.

I do not believe that the Bible teaches(in context of course) that sin as we usually think of sin, will exclude anyone from being born again, or acquiring eternal life or entering the Kingdom of God.

 SIN,as most of us define it, does not and will not exclude us from heaven.Although we are not going to be there(heaven) very long.(smile another post)

I felt that a look at the judgments of God that await humanity might provide a clearer picture on God's salvation.

In addition, I would hope that it would answer the recurring accusation that all I am doing is providing people with a "license to sin."Which,by the way, my friend from work stated that same accusation in our conversation.Let's take a look.

Three biblical judgments await humanity.

All three occur at the end of the Tribulation.One is for a specific people group(the Sheep and Goat Judgment in Matthew 25:31-46) which concerns survivors of the great tribulation and how they treated the Jewish people during the persecution of the tribulation.

Might want to think about where America is headed as it concerns antisemitism.

A second judgment, probably during the 75 day period between Jesus' second coming and the inauguration of the Millenial Kingdom.(Daniel 12 more on this later)

This judgment(2 Corinthians 3:10-15)is for believers only.It has been called The Judgment Seat of Christ.(Romans 14:10-12,2Coronthians 5:10) It is also known as The Bema Seat judgment.This is the focus of this particular post.

A third and last judgment occurs after the thousand year reign.(Revelation 20:11-15) This is commonly known as The Great White Throne Judgment or The Second Death.It will concern only unbelievers.

That said, let's look at the subject of our post today.

10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. 11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 

12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13 each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 

14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. 

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), 1 Co 3:10–15.

The first item of interest that we will notice in this judgment passage, is the absence of the word "sin." No mention of sin anywhere.

Oddly enough this word(sin)is absent from the other two judgments as well.Doesn't that seem odd? All three judgment passages, sheep and goats, believers, unbelievers and not ONE mention of the word sin.Fascinating.

So then Ronnie,what are we being judged or evaluated for? Glad you asked.Look at verses 13,14,15.Do you see the word

"work" anywhere.

This is a judgment of the believer's works.NOT of his or her SINS.And you thought that once you got to heaven your problems were over.(smile)

What is the purpose of this works judgment? Verse 14 gives us the answer."...if the work.....survives,he will receive a reward."Wow that is great Ronnie!!Yes it is! Unfortunately there is a verse 15."..IF......burned up, he will suffer loss. 

I am going to break this study up into parts and I will close this one momentarily.Before I do,I want to pose you a question to ponder until next time.Why is sin nowhere to be found? Why is sin not being judged in these judgments?

This is extremely important.You must answer this question to have an understanding of these judgments; and a clear picture of the just what the Gospel of Salvation is.

All three have eternal ramifications!WHERE IS THE JUDGMENT FOR OUR(YOURS AND MY)SINS? If our eternal destiny is based on our sin, forgiven and unforgiven, why are they totally out of sight in all three passages? Here is a hint.

Look at this.

 for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. 

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Jn 16:7–11.

This is Jesus's famous Upper Room Discourse.In this part of the discourse Jesus is explaining the work of 

the Holy Spirit when He is sent to earth.He convicts the unbelieving world-(humanity in rebellion and opposition to God through the rejection of Jesus) of three things.

For purposes of our study look at Jesus's definition of the sin that the Holy Spirit is convicting unbelievers of.

Vs.9 .."concerning sin because they do not believe in me...'

PONDER VERSE 9! Jesus said Scripture cannot contradict.There is no,NO internal contradiction of Scripture.Think about that.

What is the sin the world is being convicted of? Think about it.

So Ronnie when will this believers judgment take place?

What does it mean when it says "revealed by fire" "fire will test" "work is burned up...suffer loss"

What are the rewards? How long do they last? What will we lose?(suffer loss)

We will look at these in the nest post or posts.

All we must do is believe.

God Bless.

 "If you knew the gift..." 06-13-26                        

Introduction

"The Gospel of John was written to persuade people to believe in Jesus" 

The Purpose of This Book

30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. 

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Jn 20:30–31.

I copied and pasted the first sentence of the "Introduction to the Gospel of John" from the ESV version of the Bible on the Logos software platform. That sentence, in essence covers the content of my entire post.The purpose of John is to tell people how to be born again.

Look at these Scriptures.

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

 Jn 3:16.

24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. 

 Jn 5:24.

47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life

 Jn 6:47.

 

 Do you see a trend here? The Apostle John uses the word "Believe" 53 times in His Gospel."Believed" is used 27 times,"Believes"is used 15 times.Finally"Believing" is used twice.

 

 I believe the Apostle is trying to tell us something here.What's that Ronnie? Just this.The way to be born again,the way to go to heaven, the way to get saved(does that cover all the ways we put it? lol.The actual legal term is to be justified.That's another post. )The way to ETERNAL LIFE is to believe.That's it! Simply to believe.... BELIEVE!

 

 Ronnie,that's too easy.That's not enough.We have to do more.IT CAN'T BE THAT EASY! The terms used to express those arguments are"easy believism""cheap grace""license to sin"etc.,etc., 

 

 My response to those arguments is simple.As one preacher put it,"it is so simple a five year old can understand it."God had to make it EASY for us or none of us would have made it! (smile)

 

 Listen,in this post I only have one technical concept to offer.Hear me out please.Look at this.

 

 35 If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken—

 Jn 10:35.

 

 When Jesus spoke those words,"and Scripture cannot be broken,"He was saying something about the nature of Scripture.Jesus was saying that Scripture was infallible.It cannot be altered.There is no internal conflict or contradiction.

 

 So,without diving in, we can conclude one truth.Scripture does not contradict itself.You ever hear someone say that? Me too.lol

 

 Listen VERY carefully.If the Scripture says "...whoever believes has eternal life" that Scripture can not be altered, nor will it contradict itself.There will be a harmony.

 So,when you come across a Scripture that appears to say something else(and you will)what do you do? That also is another post. 

 

Let's move on.

 

Have you ever thought about what it means to "believe in Jesus?"

We say it all the time."Ya gotta believe" 

Well,just WHAT do you have to believe?

 

Here is my take on that.

When you look up what is it that you see? If you said "the sky" you are absolutely right!Why do you believe that? My bet is that one day long ago,you asked mommy or daddy what was that up there? And they told you that it was the sky.Now,today whenever you look up,you are looking at the sky.You have been persuaded that what you were told is true.You have head knowledge.Same thing with the clouds, sun, moon, stars etc.,etc.

You are convinced those entities are exactly what you have been told.Those are the FACTS.The sun is that yellow, hot ball.The moon is the cool ball in the night sky.The stars are the barely visible lights in the same night sky.The clouds are those white fluffy things or dark menacing things that are in the space that we call the sky. You are persuaded that those observations are true.Those are the FACTS.You have head knowledge.

You are simply persuaded those observations are true. THAT, dear reader,is the essence of Biblical belief.

Now that we know WHAT belief is, and we know WHO we have to believe in.... just WHAT is it that we have to believe? What is the content of our faith?

  

Let's take a look.In the fourth chapter of John,the Lord Jesus makes a statement to a Samaritan woman at Jacob's well. Look at this.

10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”

Jn 4:10.

Then Jesus said this.

13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Jn 4:13–14.

Finally,the clincher.

25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.” 

 Jn 4:25–26.

Jesus said "if you knew the gift of God...?"

 

What is the "gift of God?" In John 4 Jesus describes it as "living water." As we read the Gospel further,Jesus will give us a fuller explanation of the gift. Look at this.

21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.

 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”

 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,

 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

Jn 11:20–27.

 

In this conversation with Martha,Jesus elaborates on the conversation with the Samaritan woman.

 

In chapter 4,at the very end,Jesus declared to the Samaritan woman that He was the Messiah(4:25-26)

 

Here with Martha He declares that He is the resurrection and the life.He goes further and says that whoever believes this will never die.Even if someone dies they will live.He then says that He is that life.He has life in Him(John Chapter 1)and whoever believes this promise of eternal life has eternal life.(Chapter 3)

After explaining this to Martha,He asks her a question."DO YOU BELIEVE THIS?" Martha's answer is instructive.She basically quotes 20:31(the purpose statement of John's Gospel) before the Apostle wrote it.Compare her reply(11:27) with the purpose statement of the Book.(20:31)

 

Listen folks the saving message has not changed since the Garden of Eden.Old Testament saints got saved the same way New Testament saints did and still do get saved.Grace alone through faith alone.It hasn't changed.

 

The only thing that changed is the content of their faith.What Old Testament saints had to believe was different from what we, as New Testament saints have to believe. Jesus wasn't walking around in Old Testament Israel. They didn't know about Jesus.The content of their faith was different. But,BUT,salvation was still by faith.All they had to do was believe.

 

 6 And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness. 

Ge 15:6.

This verse spoken to Abraham declared Abraham righteous.This was the moment that Abraham"got saved."What did Abraham "do" to get saved? BELIEVE.

Dwight Pentecost says that this verse above is the most important verse in the Bible.

Lots more to say but will stop here.

All we must do is believe.

God Bless.

 

 

 

 

Repentance

 Repentance                             01-25-25

I had intended to post this blog yesterday, but about half way through I hit the wrong key and lost everything.LOL So,I am trying again today! LOL!I still have some information about rewards and the judgment seat, but I thought I would look at one of the "problem"verses today before going on.I had a friend that brought this verse up a while back,so I thought I would give my take on the verse.The verse in question is Luke 24:47. Look at this.

Luke 24:47

Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead,and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

This verse is Luke's version of the Great Commission texts found in all the Gospels and maybe in Acts.Jesus is indeed commanding His disciples to proclaim repentance and forgiveness of sins.The question however is this:Is Jesus speaking of eternal life here? I do not believe that He is.This is a discipleship verse meant for believers.In the great commission,Jesus not only spoke about eternal life,(Mark's Gospel) but He instructed His disciples to make other disciples.(Matthew's Gospel)He said that after we share the Gospel with someone, we should take them under our wing and teach them how to walk out their new found life.He is making a distinction between eternal life by grace through faith and discipleship through obedience. Hear me out.

If you study the Gospels,one of the first truths you encounter is what is called the"Synoptic Problem." Now,I only have the basics on this, but that is enough for our purposes.Matthew,Mark,and Luke are called the Synoptic Gospels.Synoptic means "same sight, or"seeing all together."They are similar in structure, content, and wording.The Gospel of John,on the other hand,is the only Gospel to have a stated purpose.John wrote the gospel so that people might believe in Jesus and by believing in Jesus might have eternal life.(John 20:31)Let me illustrate this with a look at word usage in all the Gospels. Let's look at a few words and their usage by the Gospel writers.I am using a concordance based on the ESV.The numbers may vary due to the version that you read but not significantly.Look at this.

1)Repent or Repentance. Matthew 5 times. Mark 3 times. Luke-Acts.(Luke wrote Acts)20 Times.9 Times in Gospel. John 0 times.

2)Kingdom. Matthew 54 Times Mark 20 Times Luke-Acts 53 Times 45 Times in Gospel. John 5 times.

3)Believe.Matthew 8 Times. Mark 11 Times. Luke-Acts 16 Times 8 Times in Gospel. John 54 Times. If you look at the other forms of believe such as believes or believed, the numbers become more pronounced.

4(Life) 17 Times. Mark 8 Times Luke-Acts 26 Times 14 Times in Gospel.

John 47 Times

5)Eternal. Matthew 6 Times. Mark 3 Times. Luke-Acts 6 Times. 4 in Gospel.

John 17 Times.

6)Eternal Life. Matthew,Mark,Luke-Acts combined 8 times. John 17 Times.

Can we draw a conclusion here? I believe we can.The Synoptics-Acts are primarily focused on the ideas of Kingdom and Repentance.John,on the other hand,is directed to matters of belief and eternal life.This can be borne out even more as one looks at the different audiences of the writers.Suffice it to say Matthew is writing to Jewish believers,Mark to Gentile believers, especially Roman and possibly Greek believers,Luke is writing to a new believer named Theophilus to assure him in his new found faith.John's audience however is undefined.Maybe written to Jews but there is evidence that may contradict that.The point is that the only evangelistic book in the New Testament,has an undefined audience.Why? it was written to all mankind to explain the truth of the gospel of belief in Jesus for eternal life.One final point before we move on.If repentance is a condition for eternal life, why is the writer of the book about eternal life absolutely silent on the matter? Not once does John mention the word repentance or any of it's verbal forms.Not one single time.You can make up your own mind on that one. Now let's take a look at what Luke 24:47 is saying.

To begin, not one single, solitary time in the New Testament is there a direct connection between repentance and eternal life. Not one.Acts 11:18 included.Luke is making a connection between repentance and forgiveness.We tend in our reading to make "forgiveness of sins' a part of being born again.Jesus forgives us our sins and gives us eternal life.That can be misleading.I want to show you something.Sin is not the problem when it comes to obtaining eternal life.What Ronnie!!?? Have you gone off the deep end? No,I don't think so. Look at this.

Colossians 2:13-14

13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands.

The record of debt with it's legal demands was our sin that separated us from a Holy God.Jesus's work on the cross provided forgiveness for our sins before God.But,more importantly it cancelled the legal requirements, we owed a debt that could only be satisfied by our death.Look again.

Romans 3:23-25

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.

Look at the word propitiation.That word means satisfaction or appeasement.Because of our sin God was angry with the whole human race.Jesus,on the cross not only cancelled our debt by paying it Himself,He also satisfied God's sense of judgment and appeased His anger.Remember what Paul said in Corinthians? We have been reconciled through the blood of Jesus.Once again, as it pertains to eternal life, sin is not the problem.

Wait a minute Ronnie,we all still sin after being born again.Yes,I know and that is what Luke 24:47 is about.But,hold on I am getting ahead of myself.Look at this.

John 16:7-11

7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

When Jesus was about to leave the earth,He told His disciples the above words.When Jesus left He would send the Holy Spirit.Now,here is where it gets interesting.The Spirit was going to convict(convince) the world of three things.Sin,Righteousness,Judgment.Only those three as it pertained to the unbelieving world.Now look at verse 9.What does it say? Concerning sin, they must repent and clean up their lives....

Wait a minute Ronnie! It doesn't say that!! Oh,my bad. I meant to say that ...concerning sin they must confess and continue for the rest of their lives in doing good works, and if they fail in those works then they are not saved...Ronnie it doesn't say that either.NO IT DOES NOT.What does it say?

"....concerning sin, because THEY DO NOT BELIEVE IN ME..."(CAPS MINE) The only sin that the Holy Spirit is convicting the world)unbelievers) is unbelief.No play on words intended."Because they do no believe in me."

This passage goes on to say that the Spirit convicts(convinces)us of our need before God Almighty of the transferred righteousness of Jesus.Our righteousness doesn't cut it.Also that the ruler of this world is judged.

Only ONE sin.Sin is in the singular in the Greek.Not SINS plural.Not the multitudes of sins that we as human beings, believer and unbeliever commit every single day.NO! Not those sins.Why? Because Jesus cancelled those sins and the debt and the legal requirements of the Law that they put us in bondage to.Jesus Christ the Lord PAID for all those sins. If those sins still stand between us and the Father,we are,as the Apostle Paul put it,"without God in the world." We would still be "dead in our trespasses and sins..."

Well,why did Jesus tell us to repent for the forgiveness of sins? It must be kept in context.Jesus is giving us the key to living for God in this world.He is showing us God's formula for fellowship with Him.Remember Matthew's version of the Great Commission? Let's look.

Matthew 28:18-20

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” 

Look at the language."Make disciples..." "teaching them to observe...."

Folks that is not the language of believing for eternal life.Once again, if observance of the commands of Jesus is required for eternal life, we are all in trouble.Luke 24:47 is just one among many verses that present difficulties for us laymen.HOWEVER,if we can keep the context of the verses in front of our eyes,most if not all can be harmonized.There is no contradiction in Scripture.

We do a Bible study every Sunday morning up here.We are in the Book of Isaiah and probably will be there until Jesus comes back.Right Todd? Right Anthony?lol Anyway,in Isaiah one of the themes of the book is God's desire to keep the children of Israel out of His courtroom.Why? Because if they enter His courtroom in a legal proceeding, they are going to be found guilty and judged.Well,in Isaiah as well as the contemporary prophets,Hosea,Amos,Micah they did not heed God's warning.They contended with God and were found guilty and eventually went into captivity. 

The same principle applies here today.We must approach God on His terms or not at all.If we require repentance or any other good work for obtaining or maintaining right standing before Him,we will be found guilty and suffer His judgment.Only faith(Paul) or belief(John) in Jesus as the Son of God and the giver of eternal life,will satisfy the Father.Reading the Bible in this context will alert you to verses that seem to require something other than belief.You can then begin to look at what these verses are saying.If it is not about eternal life,then what is it about? Repentance,confession of sin, praying, giving, on and on are good works.It is what God requires to maintain fellowship with Him.It is what makes us pleasing in His sight.

Look at this.

Ephesians 2:8-10

 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. 

 

 Look at the language once again.Verses 8 and 9 are adamant.We do nothing for our salvation.Why? Goes all the way back to Genesis.Pride.Pride that leads to boasting.God will allow no boasting in His presence.A gift of God,NOT A RESULT OF WORKS.(CAPS MINE)

 

 Now look at the language of verse 10....created in Christ Jesus for good works."And now the show stopper."..which God prepared beforehand,that we should walk in them." We don't even plan the works ourselves, all we do is walk where God tells us to walk.Except the Lord build the house they labor in vain that build it.What else does it say here?

 We should walk in them.Should being the key word here.This word, according to the smart guys signifies "a clear obligation or divine attention.'We are expected to walk in good works.However,it is our choice.We can choose whether or not to walk in them.Our choice.

This choice is what this study on rewards is all about.We are going to be rewarded, paid wages for all of our good works that we walk in.But,in no way imaginable are we to even think that we can offer something of our own righteousness before God as a means of justification.As it pertains to entrance into His presence and His kingdom, the only standard is perfection.Holy,Holy,Holy is the Lord God Almighty.Only perfection will satisfy.That is what the Lord Jesus did.That is why they call it the Good News,the Gospel.

A last word.You can answer those two questions in the negative.What two questions Ronnie? 1)Is eternal life free? 2)Is eternal life eternal.One or both of these questions can be answered in the negative.But,and this is a big but.If you take that course, you are burdened with harmonizing all the verses that do speak to eternal life being free and being eternal.Scripture cannot be broken.That is out of the mouth of the Lord Jesus Himself. 

We will take a look at the Judgment Seat of Christ in the next post.Hope you are enjoying it.

All we must do is believe.

God Bless.

No Accident

 No Accident                       1-11-2025

It has been said that"spiritual victory"is no accident.It is the outworking of fundamental truths taught in God's Word.It requires effort.In Matthew 8 an example of these truths is explained.Look.

Matthew 8:5-13

When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

 It is important to note that the Lord Jesus is not saying He had not found faith in Israel.Indeed He had found it multiple times before this encounter.But,He had not found such great faith.The Bible says that "He marveled.."Most versions use the word 'great'in place of 'such.' The point is this.Jesus is making a marked distinction between the faith that He had so far encountered in Israel and this Centurion's "great faith."

In Matthew 22 and 25,we have two parables which further explain the distinction in chapter 8.All of these passages are describing who will gain access to or exclusion from being a co-heir with Jesus.In chapter 8 the Patriarchs and the Centurion were people of great faith.In Matthew 22,an INVITEE to a wedding feast has not properly prepared himself to attend the feast,consequently he is not allowed to partake of the festivities and joy of the son's feast. In Matthew 25,three SERVANTS are given authority over their Master's property and are judged according to the return they provide the Master at His return. The most productive receives a commendation and a reward of more authority,on down to the non productive servant.This last servant loses his initial talent and is cast out into outer darkness.(though not relevant now,the outer darkness is not hell.)

 

 There are libraries written on these passages, but our intent here is simply to recognize a distinction.A distinction being made between believers and the manner in which they conduct their lives; which will lead to a distinction in their reward for service or lack thereof.That is all.We can leave the volumes of theological discussions for another day.

 

The Book of Hebrews was written in an attempt to persuade a group of Hebrew believers from apostasing because of intense persecution.There are two themes in Hebrews for our discussion.A distinction is made in the first chapters.The distinction being the superiority of Jesus as opposed to the angels or even Moses.Jesus,is the way to God's blessing and reward.They are being warned that if they apostasize,they will face judgment.They are given a choice in chapter 3 of becoming partakers or companions of Christ and entering His rest.If they reject the offer of being partakers and  choose to go back to Judaism, they will fall into a state of immaturity, described in chapters 5 and 6.Chapters 7-11 talk about Jesus's better sacrifice, then another offer of a "festal gathering" and the "assembly of the firstborn" in chapter 12.Let's take a brief look. Remember our focus is on the distinction.Look at this.

Hebrews 3:13-14

"But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end."

After being warned about developing an evil, hardened heart because of unbelief, the author of Hebrews makes this declaration.We or they can become partakers or companions in Christ if they hold fast their original confidence. Now some say this sharing in Christ is talking about our position in Him in salvation.Is the author talking about initial salvation here.No,I don't think so.Why?Because of the conditional clause"if" and the warnings that follow in chapters 5 and 6.If this is talking about salvation from hell, then it is salvation by works."If we hold," makes us responsible for our salvation in some form doesn't it.It puts the burden on us to maintain our standing before God.It contradicts among other things the eternality of eternal life.Do you remember in our last post we briefly discussed Psalms 45.A King was getting married.Because of His love for righteousness and hatred of wickedness,He is anointed "beyond his companions."Remember the mention of companions? Turn back to the first chapter once again.In the attempt to persuade these Hebrews of Jesus superiority to all else, the author of Hebrews quotes Psalm 45.We know who the King is, but who are these companions? Well,in this context, they are the ones who will "hold fast their original confidence." These companions in Psalm 45 were an inner circle of the King.The King had a greater anointing and these partakers, these companions in Hebrews are being offered that special status.Partakers of the glory of the King,and all that entails.But,in order to be a partaker of this,they must hold fast.Let's jump to chapter 12 and get a further look at this concept.

Chapter 12 is encouraging these Hebrew believers to endure and run patiently the race set before them.It speaks about the unpleasantntness of discipline.Contextually,this is addressing endurance in the midst of persecution.Difficult times and circumstances if you will.Towards the end of the chapter however, the author speaks about a coming Kingdom that cannot be shaken.In the midst of this discussion we read these words.

Hebrews 12:22-24

"But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel." 

Speaking to the Hebrews,the author envisions a party in heaven.A festal gathering with angels in the heavenly Jerusalem.Then these words....."and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God..."

This is a mention of the inheritance rights of the firstborn.Looking all the way back into the Old Testament.Remember? There was a distinction made of the firstborn wasn't there? The firstborn received a double portion right? A distinction given only because one was the firstborn. 

In this context, we have a gathering of the firstborn with God and Jesus the mediator of a better covenant.This gathering contextually is speaking to the Hebrews IF they HOLD FAST.Is this a literal gathering? I believe it is.But,even if it is not do you see the principle being explained here?Not only here,but I have been persuaded that this is the theme of the entire New Testament.Once we are confident in the freeness and the eternal nature of our salvation, the rest of the New Testament is speaking to living the life to reap the rewards.Some believers will garner more commendation and reward than others.It will be based on the believer's manner of life.However,the judgment will be just.It will be the Lord Jesus Christ Himself judging our deeds along with our motivations.Why we did what we did.That is another post.I have more, but I think I will stop here.

Listen Brothers and Sisters,all I wanted to do here is to show you that the "hard verses"are not necessarily hard.While some still remain difficult to get a grip on, the truth of the matter is this:Scripture does not contradict itself.It cannot be broken.It can be difficult.I still struggle with passages to this day.I know however and have been persuaded that these passages will be revealed to me in due time.I rest in the fact that God's salvation is indeed that..God's salvation.That being said,God has made that salvation conditional.That condition being belief in Jesus.Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.Being persuaded that Jesus is the Son of God,the Messiah,and He will give you eternal life if you just believe that!No work of any kind will suffice to obtain or to maintain that which God has done.And that brothers and sisters is truly good news,That is the Gospel.Once you read the New Testament in that context, the questions start to be answered.The contradictions fade away.

This doctrine of rewards will cause one to reflect on their past.It is good and even spiritually healthy to assess one's past as it relates to living the life.It is not healthy to stay focused on the failings of the past.Don't look too deep or too long, because the deeper you look into your human heart the worse it will get.The doctrine of rewards is designed to have the opposite effect on our outlook.Indeed,it is designed to get us to look away from ourselves, and focus on the Lord God and His will for our lives.As C.S.Lewis said,"It is not thinking less of ourselves,it is thinking of ourselves less."To the extent that we submit and abide in the presence of God,that is the level of our"companionship"that we will be rewarded for.Folks,true humility is not some sort of self abasement or soul annihilation.No,no.True humility is very simple.It is like salvation,a 5 year old can understand it.Humility is simply agreeing with God.It is saying that God is right in all circumstances and we are not.Many,many times that will require us admitting to Him that we are wrong and with His grace and by His power, aligning ourselves with what He says is right and true.There is no contradiction in God.If you don't hear a word I am saying,hear that.

A final word, finally lol.More than anyone else,Jesus Himself encouraged His followers to live in the light of future rewards.It is not selfish, self centered, nor improper for believers to look forward to rewards for obedience.Read these. Matthew 5:10-12, 6:1-6,10:40-42,16:27,24:45-46,Luke 6:23,and 35,12:43-44,14:13-14,19:17,Rev.22:12.

On and on and on it goes.There are many,many more.I leave with a quote from  a 19th century Baptist minister and theologian,Alexander Maclaren.

"I do not need to waste your time and my own in defending Christian morality from the fantastic objection that it is low and selfish because it encourages itself to efforts."

All we must do is believe

God Bless.

 

 

 

The Two Elements of Biblical Inheritance

 The Two Elements of Biblical Inheritance         01-07-25

The first aspect of Biblical inheritance which is guaranteed, is granted because of birthright.Look at Jesus's words in John 3.

John 3:4

Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

In verse 5 Jesus uses the word "enter" instead of see.Entrance,not possession of the Kingdom is granted through birthright.This birthright is obtained through belief or it's synonym, faith in the Son of God,the Messiah,Jesus.As stated above, this aspect of inheritance is guaranteed and secured.Not only that, this inheritance is guaranteed by all three persons of the trinity. Father,Son,and Spirit.Look.

John 6:39-40

"And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and *I will raise him up on the last day.”*(Italics mine)

John 10:27-28

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand."

Ephesians 1:13-14

"In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory."

A question for you to kick around.If God is guaranteeing this inheritance of entrance into His Kingdom,that makes Him responsible for your safekeeping doesn't it? It exalts the Work of the Cross..yes? 

God gets all the glory...right? If that be so, then how can we,as fallen creatures, endeavor to claim responsibility for our salvation? Are any of the various requirements(works)either before we believe(repentance)or after we believe(obedience)sufficient?Think about that.What is the mentality that assumes we can offer anything of ourselves to a perfect God,ANYTHING that would be considered worthy in His courtroom?Because according to His Word,that is exactly where we stand outside the shed blood of Jesus.In a courtroom, before a perfect,just Judge.Just sayin"

This inheritance, obtained through spiritual birth by faith,is guaranteed by God and God alone.We must approach Him on His terms,for no other approach will be accepted.One last verse on this guarantee.

1Peter 1:4-5

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."

This is the Good News,the Gospel.It,being salvation,is absolutely free;and it is absolutely eternal.All we must do is believe. However,there is a second element to this inheritance.This guaranteed, secure inheritance isn't all God has for us.A second aspect awaits us and indeed it will require some work.The good news is God's willingness to pay or reward us for all our labor in carrying out His directives.This inheritance is available to every believer entering the Kingdom. Vine's Expository Dictionary explains this element this way.

"It is conditional on obedience to precepts and faithfulness to God 'amidst opposition'" It is a reward in the coming age.It is an offer to share in the Messiah's glory.

A conditional aspect is found in the 8th Chapter of Romans.Look at this.

Romans 8:3-5.A choice is given to believers.We can live our lives according to "the flesh',or according to "the Spirit.'One empowered by the Spirit,the other,by the "flesh" or the old nature, like an unbeliever.We all have that choice;and,either choice will have consequences in this life and the life to come.Before we look at the 17th verse, we must be mindful of the fact that Paul in this chapter is speaking to believers.These folk have believed in Jesus,have eternal life, and have been transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light.Let's look at verse 17.

Romans 8:17

"The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him."

Both inheritances are seen in these verses.In this text,Paul has two forms of heirship in mind.In the Greek construction an acceptable English rendering could be,......heirs,on the one hand-of God,and on the other hand,co-heirs with Christ if we suffer...."

Guaranteed because we are children-heirs of God first, however a second heirship offered to those children who co-suffer with Christ as co-heirs.

This brings up an important truth to be examined.Is there a distinction made here and elsewhere between children, based on the quality of their lives here on earth.I turn your attention to Psalm 45.This Psalm,very high, exalted language.It is a marriage-love song.A king awaiting his princess bride.One verse is especially relevant to our discussion.Look at verse 7.

Psalm 45:7

"you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.

Therefore God, your God, has anointed you

with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;"

Because this King loved righteousness and hated wickedness,....God anointed Him beyond that of His companions.See the distinction? The anointing was of greater value or it was an anointing that was not given to His companions. Have you ever wondered why Peter,James,and John were the only apostles to witness the glory of Jesus at the transfiguration? Why were Peter,James and John being pulled aside from time to time to witness great events?(Transfiguration,Jairus's daughter)They were also called out in some of His darkest times.(Gethsamane)The Bible does not give the answer.But,there is no doubt that these three apostles formed an inner circle.They seemed to have been given a special privilege of relationship with Jesus that the other Apostles were not given.That being said, look at 2 Timothy for a sec.

2Timothy 2:11-13

"The saying is trustworthy, for:

If we have died with him, we will also live

with him;

if we endure, we will also reign with him;

if we deny him, he also will deny us;

if we are faithless, he remains faithful—

for he cannot deny himself."

Contextually,in chapter 2 Paul is talking about walking the walk.Living the Christian life.Not too much about salvation here.Look closely at vs.12

"IF(caps mine)we endure, we will also reign with Him;if we deny...."

There is a reward awaiting those who endure. a co-heirship which amounts to at least a position of authority in Jesus's Kingdom.Those who endure are also going to reign.Not just live in or occupy, but reign in this coming kingdom.There is going to be honor,authority,and special privilege for those whose lives on this earth are judged worthy of such.We have seen two such examples of elements of a "worthy" life;Suffering and endurance, there are more.A distinction indeed between the children of God. Now,we can go on ad infinitum,in speculation about how this all works out.Not our purpose.All we need know for our purposes is this.There is a reward(s)awaiting believers at the Bema seat judgment.The details are not really described.There are different levels of reward, authority, opportunity based on our obedience and accomplishments for God's Kingdom and Glory.But,there is a negative side to this picture.According to the Word of God,these rewards,inheritaces can be forfeited.To be sure, lest there be confusion, the inheritance of entrance into God's Kingdom cannot,I repeat,CANNOT be forfeited or lost.It is eternal in nature and forever free of charge,for anyone who will believe or have faith in Jesus as THE giver of eternal life.Remember this please, this study is meant to show a differences distinction if you will, between what the Bible calls justification(salvation from hell)and sanctification(living the Christian life).The aim is to help recognize the difference between the two, when reading God's word.It is also of utmost importance, that when God gives us the opportunity to share the Gospel with an unbeliever,if it is only once!That we share with that unsaved one the accurate Good News of what God has done for man and woman.That being said, in our study, we will take a look at the negative aspect of possible loss of reward next time out.

Brothers and sisters,All we must do is believe.

God Bless.