Sanctified and Justified

  • Welcome to Christian Forums, a Christian Forum that recognizes that all Christians are a work in progress.

    You will need to register to be able to join in fellowship with Christians all over the world.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon and God Bless!

HeRoseFromTheDead

Not So Advanced Member
Jan 6, 2012
1,727
62
48
logabe said:
Not at all... the key to understanding what Paul just said, is knowing what "in Christ" means. When you believe on the Lord, he comes and resides inside of you, but in order for you to be in Christ, you have to learn his ways, or Jesus will tell you to depart for I have never known you. Why? Because you did it your way... you did what you thought was right in your lifetime, but
you were wrong.

Will God throw you away? No... He will raise you in the 2nd resurrection and correct your way of life. You will lose your reward of the 1st resurrection and be raised with the unbelievers in the 2nd resurrection (Luke 12:46), because you didn't learn how to forgive.
Those who repent and believe into Christ are in Christ. Period. Those who are just actors going through the motions are not in Christ, and neither is he in them. Thus, 'I never knew you'.

Your doctrine is based on Revelation 20:4. But that verse says nothing about 'doing it your own way' or 'didn't learn how to forgive'. It says those who reign with Christ for 1000 years:
  • had been beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God
  • had not worshipped the beast, neither his image
  • had not received the mark of the beast upon their foreheads, or in their hands
Taken at face value, that leaves out a lot of very godly people including Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; Mary the mother of Jesus; Elijah and Elisha; Noah; Adam; etc., etc.

What is the fate of these people?
 

logabe

Member
Aug 28, 2008
880
47
28
67
ChristRoseFromTheDead said:
Those who repent and believe into Christ are in Christ. Period. Those who are just actors going through the motions are not in Christ, and neither is he in them. Thus, 'I never knew you'.

Your doctrine is based on Revelation 20:4. But that verse says nothing about 'doing it your own way' or 'didn't learn how to forgive'. It says those who reign with Christ for 1000 years:
  • had been beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God
  • had not worshipped the beast, neither his image
  • had not received the mark of the beast upon their foreheads, or in their hands
Taken at face value, that leaves out a lot of very godly people including Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; Mary the mother of Jesus; Elijah and Elisha; Noah; Adam; etc., etc.

What is the fate of these people?
Brother... I believe that many people have a real genuine experience with Jesus Christ
@ Passover (justification). The problem occurs when they are not taught the right way
and they become confused in their relationship with God. Will God take that experience
away from them? As I said in an earlier post... No, but He will take their reward of the
birthright (immortality in Tabernacles Age), and they will have to await their immortality
a thousand years later (1st Cor. 3:15).

If he/she rejects God working in them on a daily basis through santification, they will not
be thrown in the Lake of Fire, but they will prolong receiving their immortal body by one
thousand years, or as Paul says, they will suffer loss, because they built upon their Pass-
over experience things that were not of the Spirit, but of the flesh. Their experience or
their foundation as Paul calls it, was sure, but they built upon it the wrong things during
their lifetime.

In sanctification a christian has to behead the old man daily, so he can keep from walking
in the beast nature, which will cause him to worship the beast and his image. The point is,
we have to overcome the works of the flesh (Gal. 5:19-21), in order to inherit the Age or
the Kingdom of God. We do this by submitting to the Spirit of God, and learning that it is
God doing the work inside of us, because we use the faith that He has given us, and all
the Glory goes to Him. The bottom is, you can't do it without allowing God to do it for
you.

As I said before... do you want to inherit the first resurrection and come into immortality a
thousand years earlier? Then learn how to submit to the Holy Ghost, so you can be chosen
to walk with Jesus in this next Great Age to come!!!

What a God! What a Plan!

Logabe
 

HeRoseFromTheDead

Not So Advanced Member
Jan 6, 2012
1,727
62
48
logabe said:
He will take their reward of the birthright (immortality in Tabernacles Age), and they will have to await their immortality a thousand years later (1st Cor. 3:15).
This is just your opinion. I would like to see it supported scripturally. Until that happens, it is my conviction that it is satanic in origin.
 
  • Like
Reactions: dragonfly

JB_Reformed Baptist

Many are called but few are chosen.
Feb 23, 2013
860
24
18
AUSTRALIA
ChristRoseFromTheDead said:
This is just your opinion. I would like to see it supported scripturally. Until that happens, it is my conviction that it is satanic in origin.
You know you're going to be going around in circles, don't you. I'm not sure if our "learned friend" is going to find anything but his tale once he's finished his argument with himself. :)
 

logabe

Member
Aug 28, 2008
880
47
28
67
ChristRoseFromTheDead said:
This is just your opinion. I would like to see it supported scripturally. Until that happens, it is my conviction that it is satanic in origin.
I would comment on this, but they have already blocked 2-post, so sorry.

Logabe
 

logabe

Member
Aug 28, 2008
880
47
28
67
ChristRoseFromTheDead said:
This is just your opinion. I would like to see it supported scripturally. Until that happens, it is my conviction that it is satanic in origin.
ChristRoseFromTheDead said:
This is just your opinion. I would like to see it supported scripturally. Until that happens, it is my conviction that it is satanic in origin.
Let's get my opinion out of the way, and let's see what Paul says about it. As I have said before,
most Christians don't know the purpose and the plan of God. Why? Because God has hidden His
Plan in plain veiw. Look what Paul said in Eph. 1:9-10. What is the secret of His Will?

The will of God is to restore all things back to God through the blood of Jesus Christ. Paul clearly
told the Colossians that God created the whole universe, visible (people) and invisible (authority),
and He would reconcile the whole universe back through His Son (Col. 1:20).

Paul told the Philippians that every knee would bow and every tongue would confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord (Phil. 2:9-10). How can that happen? It must be in the future. These people that
rejected Jesus Christ will one day bow their knees and confess with their mouth, that Jesus is the
Lord of the universe.

John saw every created thing in Rev. 5:13, worshipping the Lamb that was sitting on the throne.
How plain can that be? It would be hard to twist the words of Paul and John in these scriptures,
but the carnal mind does a very good job when it comes to deception.

Paul told Timothy in 1st Timothy 4:10-11, to teach that Jesus is the savior of all men, especially
those that believe. How could he be the savior of all men, if he don't save everybody? What does
he mean by especially those that believe? If you don't understand the plan of God restoring all
things, then you want understand that statement either. God will save all men, but He will save
some @ the 1st resurrection, and the others in the future. In order to qualify for the 1st resurrection,
we must believe and come into agreement in all that God has said.

As I have said in other post, if you want allow God to work in you today, then you will give up your
birthright in the 1st resurrection. You will have to await the 2nd resurrection before you can put on
your new body. Paul said, we are waiting for the redemption of our body (Rom. 8:23), and that will
take place @ the 2nd coming of Christ. Paul told the Eph. to not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, whereby
you are sealed unto the day of redemption (Eph. 4:30).

Through the process of sanctification on a personal level, God is changing our character and nature by
us surrendering our lawlessness and allowing God to give us the mind of Christ. The carnal mind will
always see the scriptures in a negative way. That's why in order to see what God's Will is, we must die
daily, then the scriptures become plain.

In essense, Paul told the Philippians every knee would bow, he told the Colossians he would reconcile
the all of creation, he told the Romans he would justify all men, and he told the Ephesians that this is
the secret that Jesus told him while he was in the desert for three years. It is a secret, in other words,
Jesus can hide it in plain sight. Jesus told his disciples, that seeing they might not see, and hearing
they might not hear, that they may fall back and be broken that I might heal them (Matt. 13:14-15).

16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

What a God! What a Plan!

Logabe
 

HeRoseFromTheDead

Not So Advanced Member
Jan 6, 2012
1,727
62
48
logabe said:
Paul told Timothy in 1st Timothy 4:10-11, to teach that Jesus is the savior of all men, especially
those that believe. How could he be the savior of all men, if he don't save everybody? What does
he mean by especially those that believe? If you don't understand the plan of God restoring all
things, then you want understand that statement either. God will save all men, but He will save
some @ the 1st resurrection, and the others in the future. In order to qualify for the 1st resurrection,
we must believe and come into agreement in all that God has said.
OK, I see now that you don't have any scriptural support. What you have provided is an inference based on your belief in universalism. In other words, one has to believe what you believe to arrive at your conclusion.Since I know universalism is false, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that your theory is false too.
 

Alanforchrist

Member
Dec 25, 2007
502
9
18
75
NetChaplain said:
I believe born again includes sanctification unto justification (1 Cor 6:11). Many have the idea that sanctification is an ongoing process, but it involves a single act which never needs to be repeated. Same as salvation, which is eternal, or it isn’t salvation (Heb 5:9).

The believer is maturing or being conformed continually but it's not through sanctification, which has already taken place, "For both He that sanctifies and they who are sanctified are all of one" (Heb 2:11).

Everything from Christ (sanctification, justification, righteousness, holiness, etc.) is fully supplied to the believer (2 Pet 1:3) and it's now a matter of the maturation from these things. They are all-inclusive in our salvation which now has become a matter of "working out your own salvation" (Phil 2:12); again, not to produce these things (already supplied) but to mature in them. The idea of "working out" has to do with figuring out, as in understanding by learning an equation which has been solved.

Once the believer has been "set apart" (sanctification), it becomes solely a matter of conformation (Rom 8:29) and transformation (Rom 12:2)--which are ongoing processes by the Spirit of God.
-NC
God has given us the power to be sanctified, But we have to live it out, We have to chose to be seperated from the world,
2 Cor 6: 17.
Sanctification, Holiness and a saint are the same things, They just mean set apart from the world and set apart for God.
Yet there are many born again Christians who are worldly, In fact the modern day Christian is just adding Jesus to their lifestyle.
 

Netchaplain

Ordained Chaplain
Oct 12, 2011
2,351
877
113
Missouri
Faith
Christian
Country
United States
Alanforchrist said:
God has given us the power to be sanctified, But we have to live it out, We have to chose to be seperated from the world,
2 Cor 6: 17.
Sanctification, Holiness and a saint are the same things, They just mean set apart from the world and set apart for God.
Yet there are many born again Christians who are worldly, In fact the modern day Christian is just adding Jesus to their lifestyle.
Hi AFC - I like seeing it that the believer can only choose (as God gives us the desire initially and continually--John 6:44) to be sanctified because it's the Holy Spirit who does the sanctifying. I don't believe this setting-apart comes as we decide to live according to His Word, but rather the Word-living is the result of His sanctifying us and all is done by the Spirit who has the power, which is not given to us but is used by Him in us (same for all God's attributes i.e. righteousness, holiness. etc.)

Concerning worldliness (carnality), I've found it helpful to understand that regardless of our zealous desire to be completely void of it, no believer can be (1 John 1:8), because of the ongoing indwelling of the "old man," by which one cannot avoid being affected in some degree. Just as, "Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned" (Pro 6:27), even so, one cannot possess the sinful nature and not be affected (just free of its guilt and rule but not its presence--Rom 6:12, 14).

There is also a difference between being carnal and being carnal-minded. Being carnal-minded means death (Rom 8:6), so one who is carnal-minded is unregenerate and does not have the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16; Phil 2:5) and thus, is still guilty of the sin nature and is ruled by it. A believer can be carnal (but not completely void of it) but not carnal-minded and this is just until God causes (Phil 2:13) a growth from the carnal lifestyle (unless such a one is just a professor but not a possessor; Jam 2:14; 1 John 2:19).

"And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ . . . For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men" (1 Cor 3:1, 3).

The lifestyle of a believer is not sinless but he will increasingly sin less!
 

logabe

Member
Aug 28, 2008
880
47
28
67
ChristRoseFromTheDead said:
OK, I see now that you don't have any scriptural support. What you have provided is an inference based on your belief in universalism. In other words, one has to believe what you believe to arrive at your conclusion.Since I know universalism is false, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that your theory is false too.
No... one has to believe what Jesus believes to arrive in His conclusion. Jesus
said, there's not but one way and he is that Way. Jesus said, he that overcomes
and keeps my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations
(Rev. 2:26).Do you believe that? I believe you do. So my next questions is, what
if you don't keep His words?

My point is, Jesus was talking to justified people, or the seven churches in Rev. 2
& 3. He was encouraging them to overcome, so they could take part in what God
would be doing in the future Ages (Rev. 20:6).

In order to qualify for this leadership position, one must be sanctified daily, so he
or she can have the ability to change their works. Jesus gave us some examples
of the works He is looking for in Rev., such as, allowing Jezebel to teach and
seduce my servants to commit fornication (Rev. 2:20). As overcomers, we must
change those habits by submitting to the Holy Ghost.

Jesus was concerned with their works (Rev. 2:2; Rev. 2:9; Rev. 2:13; Rev. 2:19;
Rev. 3:1; Rev 3:8; Rev. 3:15;). Your works don't save you, but they will qualify
you for the greatest Age to date. As I said before, God does the works if you allow
him to work His works inside of you. But if you are rebellious and don't listen and
learn the ways of God through day to day sanctification, then you will find yourself
unemployed in the Tabernacles Age to come.

Am I a universalist? No... I don't believe everybody is already saved, but I do think
they will be reconciled in the future. I believe in the restoration of all things, and I
believe if a person has the ability to live for God, they will be held accountable at
the Great White Throne. In other words, if they lived in a country such as ours, and
God called them out, but they responded in a negative way, they will have to be in
a correction after the second resurrection. The unbelievers will be in the Lake of Fire
paying for the works that they performed while living their lifetime according to their
own works (Rev. 20:13).

In essense, a Christian can believe Truth or he/she can believe an error. What is
Truth? Jesus said, I am the Way and the Truth, and He will send us the Spirit of Truth,
to teach us all things. Who was Jesus before He was flesh? The Word... so what He
says is Truth. He uses the Holy Ghost to teach us all things that pertain to the Kingdom.
We are responsible for submitting to the Spirit, so we can learn the Truth of the Kingdom.

I can only set forth truth as I perceive it, knowing that I am learning and growing with
everyone else. Those who are like mind will resonate to whatever truth I present and
forgive where I fall short. In other words, God is perfecting His Truth inside of Christians
at His pace and not ours.

What a God! What a Plan!

Logabe
 

HeRoseFromTheDead

Not So Advanced Member
Jan 6, 2012
1,727
62
48
logabe said:
But if you are rebellious and don't listen and learn the ways of God through day to day sanctication, then you will find yourself unemployed in the Tabernacles Age to come.
Yes, that's true, but your spin on it isn't.


logabe said:
Am I a universalist? No... I don't believe everybody is already saved, but I do think they will be reconciled in the future.
Which is universalism


logabe said:
I can only set forth truth as I perceive it, knowing that I am learning and growing with everyone else. Those who are like mind will resonate to whatever truth I present and forgive where I fall short. In other words, God is perfecting His Truth inside of Christians at His pace and not ours.
I encourage you to repent and reconsider this resurrection doctrine that you're teaching. It has the potential to cause weaker brethren to stumble; I know because I've been there.
 

logabe

Member
Aug 28, 2008
880
47
28
67
ChristRoseFromTheDead said:
Yes, that's true, but your spin on it isn't.
Okay... give me your spin on it and I will respond.



Which is universalism
Most universalist, not all, believe that the Law was put away @ the Cross, therefore
there is no judgment or sin. Where there is no Law, there is no transgression, so
how can God judge anyone (Rom. 4:15). In other words, if you repeal all laws, then
there is no such thing as sin anymore, because the law defines sin (1st John 3:4).
This very thing is happening in the United States today, because we have politicians
repealing laws and making the laws of God that were once sin, it has now been
legalized and therefore it is not sin anymore. Men can marry men now... it's legal.
Are we sure we want to do away with the Law (Matt 5:18).

That's why I'm not a Universalist.


I encourage you to repent and reconsider this resurrection doctrine that you're teaching. It has the potential to cause weaker brethren to stumble; I know because I've been there.



Will you please explain how it will cause a weaker brethren to stumble? Also... do you
believe in the 1st resurrection? Give me your take on what you believe the Age to come
will be all about. I'm curious.
 

HeRoseFromTheDead

Not So Advanced Member
Jan 6, 2012
1,727
62
48
logabe said:
Will you please explain how it will cause a weaker brethren to stumble? Also... do you believe in the 1st resurrection? Give me your take on what you believe the Age to come will be all about. I'm curious.
'My spin' is what the bible clearly states. I called your interpretation spin because you couldn't scripturally support your view, but could only do so by inference from your viewpoint.

The bible plainly says about the first resurrection:

If we believe that Jesus died and rose, thus also (i.e., via resurrection) God will bring those who have fallen asleep through Jesus together with him. 1 Thessalonians 4:14

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 1 Thessalonians 4:16

Very plain speech. In Christ means baptized into Christ.

As many as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Galatians 3:27
So also you, consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Romans 6:11
But from him you are in Christ Jesus, who became wisdom to us from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 1 Corinthians 1:30
Therefore if anyone [is] in Christ, [he is] a new creation; the old [things] have passed away; behold, new [things] have come. 2 Corinthians 5:17
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28

However, you spin the meaning of 'in Christ' to mean that only those who meet certain vague obedience qualifications are in Christ. That's hogwash. The only standard of obedience is faith in the death and resurrection of Christ. That is what puts someone into Christ, and keeps them there. Those who keep this faith will be raised at the first resurrection.

The teaching that only a select privileged few will be resurrected at the first resurrection is a stumbling block because it creates the false impression that some are more special to GOD than others. That is extremely offensive to GOD; he is no respecter of persons. He loves all equally, and we are all one family. Some are able to do more than others (and will be rewarded accordingly), but we are one body. I say woe unto the man who teaches this teaching and causes the heart of any little one who trusts in and loves GOD, to be hurt and stumble because they are tempted to think that GOD doesn't love them as much as anyone (which from my personal experience, is basically the effect of your teaching).

I'll try to convey what I think about the coming age in another post.
 

logabe

Member
Aug 28, 2008
880
47
28
67
ChristRoseFromTheDead said:
'My spin' is what the bible clearly states. I called your interpretation spin because you couldn't scripturally support your view, but could only do so by inference from your viewpoint.

The bible plainly says about the first resurrection:



If we believe that Jesus died and rose, thus also (i.e., via resurrection) God will bring those who have fallen asleep through Jesus together with him. 1 Thessalonians 4:14

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 1 Thessalonians 4:16
Very plain speech. In Christ means baptized into Christ.


As many as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Galatians 3:27
So also you, consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Romans 6:11
But from him you are in Christ Jesus, who became wisdom to us from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 1 Corinthians 1:30
Therefore if anyone [is] in Christ, [he is] a new creation; the old [things] have passed away; behold, new [things] have come. 2 Corinthians 5:17
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28
However, you spin the meaning of 'in Christ' to mean that only those who meet certain vague obedience qualifications are in Christ. That's hogwash. The only standard of obedience is faith in the death and resurrection of Christ. That is what puts someone into Christ, and keeps them there. Those who keep this faith will be raised at the first resurrection.

The teaching that only a select privileged few will be resurrected at the first resurrection is a stumbling block because it creates the false impression that some are more special to GOD than others. That is extremely offensive to GOD; he is no respecter of persons. He loves all equally, and we are all one family. Some are able to do more than others (and will be rewarded accordingly), but we are one body. I say woe unto the man who teaches this teaching and causes the heart of any little one who trusts in and loves GOD, to be hurt and stumble because they are tempted to think that GOD doesn't love them as much as anyone (which from my personal experience, is basically the effect of your teaching).

I'll try to convey what I think about the coming age in another post.
Was Israel saved when they came out of Eygpt? God had chose them to be His
people, but when they went to Mount Sinai (Pentecost), they rejected the Law
being written on their hearts, so they had to settle with the Law being written
on stone tablets.

What does that mean? It means they had FAITH in the Lamb @ Passover, which
gave them the ability to leave Eygpt, but they rejected the Law being written on
their hearts, which disqualified them from entering the Promise Land. As Paul says
in Hebrews 4:11,

11 Let us labor therefore to enter that rest, lest any man
fall after the same example of unbelief.

Paul uses the Israelites as an example of being disqualified to enter the rest. My
point is, we know that the only ones that went into the Promise Land (rest) was
Joshua and Caleb, because they still believed God and His Promises.

This is a type and shadow of the church today. We have been justified (saved) by
faith in the Lamb (death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus), and God has imputed
righteousness to us. Now, He brings us to Pentecost (Sinai), so we can learn how
to become obedient to the scriptures. The purpose of santification is to teach you
how to hear from God (Deut. 29:4), just as the Israelites were in the wilderness 40
years, and Moses said, God still hasn't given you ears to here.

We're not saved by works, we are saved by FAITH, but if a christian allows unbelief
to overcome them in the wilderness of this life, he/she will die in the wilderness, and
be disqualified to be a leader in the Plan of God. Just as the Israelites will be raised
in the 2nd resurrection, so also will the christians that had a Passover experience.

They had enough faith to leave Eygpt, but they didn't have Pentecost FAITH, by
allowing God to train them in His Ways. Everyone that God calls out will have the
opportunity to increase their Faith, but as I said in an eariler post, most will become
disobedient through unbelief. Most will murmur and complain, tempt Christ, they will
lust after evil things. All of these things happened to Israel, because they rejected God
working inside of them (1st Cor. 10:11-12).

Were they still justified? Yes they were... they were God's chosen people, but they lost
their ability to become a leader in the Kingdom of God. God has been looking for leaders
the last 6000 years to prepare for the coming REST that will flood the earth with the mercy
and grace of the Almighty. He is looking for that remnant, 144000, manifested Sons of God,
For the purpose of teaching the rest of the Church and the world the Ways of God.

We aren't any better than anybody else, but we allowed God to do His Work inside of us,
which is, our Pentecostal experience of learning how to hear from God. If I think I am better
than someone else, I will be disqualified just like the Israelites, and my rest will come a 1000
years later.

If we reject the correction of God, our hearts will become hard, and when it is time to go into
the Promise Land, we will be rejected, because of unbelief. If we hold fast the confidence and
hope firm unto the end (Heb. 3:6 & Heb 3:12), God will give us that REST we are all looking
for in the 1st resurrection.

This is people who have submitted to the chastening of the Lord, and have been changed by
Faith in believing God knows what He is doing. As I have said before, everyone that God calls
has that opportunity.

Am I better than anyone else? No... a thousand times NO... I know what God pulled me out of,
and it wasn't pretty. God reminds me of the world I left, when I forget to be humble before
Him. He knows exactly how to correct my thinking, when I think I am pretty good. I'm pretty
good because of Him, not because of me.

What a God What a Plan!

Logabe
 

HeRoseFromTheDead

Not So Advanced Member
Jan 6, 2012
1,727
62
48
logabe said:
... if a christian allows unbelief
to overcome them in the wilderness of this life, he/she will ... be disqualified to be a leader in the Plan of God. Just as the Israelites will be raised
in the 2nd resurrection, so also will the christians that had a Passover experience.
I agree with everything you said up to this point. IMO, you're indulging in an idolatry of imagined obedience, and conform your resurrection doctrine to it. There is no scripture to support the idea that all who truly believe in Christ won't be raised in the first resurrection. The first resurrection is about faithfulness to Christ, not works. The idea that the first resurrection is based on works is idolatry.
 

logabe

Member
Aug 28, 2008
880
47
28
67
ChristRoseFromTheDead said:
I agree with everything you said up to this point. IMO, you're indulging in an idolatry of imagined obedience, and conform your resurrection doctrine to it. There is no scripture to support the idea that all who truly believe in Christ won't be raised in the first resurrection. The first resurrection is about faithfulness to Christ, not works. The idea that the first resurrection is based on works is idolatry.
In 1981, I seen a picture on the cover of a magazine, where a man had dug a hole
in the desert. He was completely covered with sand, except the top of his head was
exposed, and his head was also shaved. He believed (had FAITH in) that God wanted
him to do this in order to gain an entrance into heaven.

I really believe this man had an enormous amount of faith in what he was doing. Why
do I believe that? Because of his actions. If you really believe something it will show
in the way you do things. I say this not to condemn him, but to show how this man's
faith caused him to do this extreme act.

When we hear the word of God @ Passover, our faith brings us to realize we need a
savior. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. We can't please God
without faith and if we don't hear the word, we can't grow. If we can't grow, we will
interpret the word into something we can understand, whether it is truth or error.

My point is, if we truly believe that the Word increases our faith, then we need to take
the time to study, not to be saved, but to understand what God's Plan is. The scriptures
explain the plan of God, so we can have hope now and for the future (Rom. 8:24). Paul
says, we are saved by hope. Where did our hope come from? I thought we were saved
by grace through faith. Yes... through faith in the Word of God. It all works together, but
the root is the Word, and that's where it all begins.

Abraham was one man that God chose to be an overcomer, not to just bless his family
and friends, but all the families of the earth (Gen. 12:3). Was Abraham a special person
because of his calling? God chooses the few to bless the many. The untimate goal is to
bring all into the unity of the FAITH and the full measure of Christ.

The Elect is not the few privileged people separated from the rest of the doomed and the
damned. The callings of God is not to divide people, but to train them to bring ultimate
unity to all men.

Hence, the overcomers, are chosen for responsibility to bring the rest of the church and the
unbelievers into revelation and maturity in Christ. We continue what Abraham started in the
beginning of his calling.

There's a million ways to divide people, but that is the way the carnal mind thinks, it's dualistic
in nature. The carnal mind sees chosen and unchosen, valued and unvalued, good and evil.

But the spiritual mind sees "chosenness" in a different light. It sees it as having the opportunity
of blessing others. Therefore being an overcomer is not a privilege, but a responsibility to serve
others. The Arab people have not yet seen how great they shall be, neither the Jews, or the ones
who have not yet overcome as christians, but they will see it when the Sons of God are manifested
to the rest of the creation. God has been training for thousands of years to manifest Christ as he
really is. When they are manifested, all others will realize this is what they wanted all along.

What a God! What a Plan!

Logabe