We Are Kept By The Power Of God Through Faith Unto Salvation

Who Shall Separate 

us from the 

love of Christ?

Shall tribulation, or distress,

or persecution, or famine,

or nakedness, or peril,

or sword?

Romans 8:35

     Paul writing to the Roman Christians determined to bring forth the truth that there is nothing that can take away our salvation, a salvation to all who believe. Salvation is certain as he states: "There is therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit" (Romans 8:1).  The Law condemned and only by continually bringing a sacrifice to the temple could sins be atoned, but now under the New Covenant in Christ we are under Grace and not under the Law: "For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace" (Romans 6:14). We are delivered from the Law by the oblation, and the passion of Jesus Christ. Now, if being under the Law brought forth condemnation, death, and needed sacrifices for atonement, we being under the New Covenant cannot be condemned because the Law had run its course under the Old Covenant and now it has been satisfied by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is Jesus Christ that is the end of the Law for righteousness to every one who believes. Jesus Christ renders everyone righteous, in the sight of the Law, to him who believes. Jesus did not destroy the Law, He fulfilled the Law and its requirements. Therefore, Paul, in writing to the Romans gives this as a reason why those who are in Christ shall never perish by being condemned.

     How can this be, you may ask? It is because as true believers in Jesus Christ we have within the principle of eternal life. That principle being the Spirit of God: "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh" (Romans 8:2-3). This is the axiom that applies; to be carnally minded is death, but, to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Sin equals death; holiness equal life. If the Holy Spirit dwells in you then it would be a contradiction to say that those whom the Holy Spirit dwells can die: "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. so then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God" (Romans 8:6-8),  Far too many people who claim Christ as their Savior attempt to walk the fence, so to speak, believing that they can live carnally and still have heaven as their home. It is not that we cannot sin, it is what is in our hearts, it is that which we allow to turn us away from the love of the Son of God, His bride. Yes, our sanctification is progressive in this life, but that does not mean that we are not responsible for its growth: "But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His." (Romans 8:9). The promises of God are "yea" and "yea" and cannot be broken, therefore is Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, and He was, then those who have the Spirit of God dwelling in them are also recipients of that resurrection and will be quickened, that is brought to life in our mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwells in you, on the last day, He comes and secures everlasting life for His Church: "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you" (Romans 8:11). We are secure not only by the life of the soul, which enters heaven upon death, but the raising of our mortal bodies, entering into this glorious eternal life. 

     We are secure, our salvation is secure, not as some teach that a person can fall away and lose their salvation, this is not possible according to the Scriptures: "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then hears--hears of God and joint hears with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together" (Romans 8: 15-17). We are led by the Spirit and are sons and daughters of God. We partake, as special objects of His love, His nature and are entitled to the inheritance which He gives. Be being sons of God we are joint heirs with Christ. This being true then as sons of God, joint heirs with His Son Jesus Christ it is impossible to perish, be eternally removed from God; for as sons and daughters we are saved, saved eternally, as His intercession for the sons of God is infinite, eternal, so then our life with Him is eternal, infinite. Paul admonishes to live as children of God, as this is enabled by the Holy Spirit living within us, there is no excuse that the "Devil made me do it" for the Holy Spirit is greater, and by the resurrection of Jesus Christ Satan has been defeated, only we allow ourselves to be carnally minded when we take our eyes off of Him. It is not easy, for we are still sinful, we are not what we will come to be when we are with our Lord: "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" (Romans 8:18). 

For Your sake

     we are killed

all day long;

     we are accounted

as sheep for the 

     slaughter.

Yet in all these things

     we are more than

conquerors through Him

     who loved us.

              Romans 8:36-37

In Christ we Live

Richard L. Crumb

    

The Certainity Of Salvation

All that the Father

gives Me

Will come to Me,

And the one who 

comes to Me I will

by no means cast out. 

For I have come down

 From heaven

not to do My own will,

but the will of Him

who sent Me.

John 6:37-38

     Another effect of faith in the Scriptures is security, or certainty of Salvation. A most familiar passage, often seen worn on shirts, and on banners at football games, etc, and is found in the writings of John; here I will give the literal Greek translation: "For God so loved the world, so as the Son of Him, the only-begotten, He gave, that everyone believing into him may not perish, but have life everlasting" (John 3:16). Notice that not everyone is saved, only those "believing" and those saved are saved for eternity. How does one come to believe? It is by the Word of God that enables them by the power of the Holy Spirit that has given to them the ability by giving faith to them because without faith hearing is as if they were mute. But those enabled hear and are saved: "Truly, truly, I say to you, the one who hears My word, and believes the One who sent Me, has everlasting life, and does not come into judgment but has passed our of death into life. Jesus makes this clear when He said: "I am the Living Bread coming down out of Heaven. If anyone eats of the Bread, he will live forever. And indeed the bread which I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world" (John 6:51).  It is only those who eat this Bread who are saved and it is those who do eat that He came to save, He did not come to save those who will not hear His Word and eat of His flesh. This teaching some Churches refuse to believe, for they understand and teach that Jesus Christ came for everyone, He did not, for if that were true then all would be saved. But as we know from Scripture there are some who will be cast into the Lake of Fire, eternal death awaits them, they are judged already. Jesus makes this so clear so that there can be no misunderstanding that He came for His own: "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish to the age; and not anyone shall pluck them them out of My hand. My Father who has given them to Me is grater than all, and no one is able to pluck out of My Father's hand. I and the Father are one" (John 10:27-30)!

     How is it that we hear the Savior's voice? It is by the Word of God, His Word, and it is that Word that by faith we believe that He is the One sent by God to save all those who have been given to Him, those chosen before the foundation of the world (Romans 8:28-2). The Good News is: "And this is the will of the father who has sent Me, that of all that He has given Me, I shall not lose any of it, but shall raise it up in the last day. And this is the will of the One who sent Me, that everyone seeing the Son and believing into Him should have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day" (John6:39-40). Notice the importance of Jesus' words for twice does He remit this doctrine that He will not lose any that God has given Him and that this is the will of the Father and it is He who will raise up those believing. When will they be raised up? Not as so many pastors are teaching that there will be a "rapture" of the church, those believing such a believing a teaching not to be found in the Scriptures, in fact it is inconsistent with all clear teaching of God's Word, for it is on the "last day" that the church is raised to heaven, there is no plan "B" only plan "A" and that is He is coming once to this world to end evil and bring His sheep into a life incorruptible. You may rightly ask: "How does one see Him?" Is not Jesus in heaven? Yes! We see as the Greek word used in John 6:40 does not mean to see with our literal eyes, it can but there are other Greek words that clearly are used to see with the literal eye; it is the word "θεωρῶν" and the word in the two manners of translation as to the first manner is to: 1) to be a spectator, look at, behold
1a) to view attentively, take a view of, survey
1a1) to view mentally, consider
This viewing is as "1a1" states: mentally, to be considered, there will come the time when we will see Him literally, but until then we see Him through our reading and considering Him by means of His Word.  These words when spoken by Jesus caused those Jews hearing Him to murmur (John 6:41). Jesus makes it very clear and plain: "Then Jesus answered and said to them, 'Do not murmur with one another. No one is able to come to Me unless the father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up in the last day" (John 6:43-44). 

      This is our work, this is our life, this is the will of God, that we should take this Good News to all the world, and then He will enabled His sheep, and draw them to Him. Then on the "last day" He, Jesus Christ will come and take His sheep, His people, all those given to Him by the Father, home, an eternal home. Rejoice, our salvation is eternal, and we persevere until He comes again.

Now, therefore, 
     you are no longer
strangers and foreigners,
     but fellow citizens
with the saints, and members
     of the household of God,
                                Ephesians 2:19
Grace by to All those who love God


Richard L. Crumb

Good Works Are The Certain Effects Of Faith

Come, my beloved,

Let us go forth to the field;

Let us lodge in the villages.

Let us get up early to the

vineyards;

Let us see if the vine has

budded,

Whether the grape blossoms

are open,

and the pomegranates are in 

bloom.

There I will give you my love.

Song of Solomon 7:11-12

     James the writer who admonished us and taught us an old adage from God that faith without works is dead: "Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead" (James 2:17). As the writer, probably Solomon, wrote that we show love when we actively go to the fields to examine them and see if any good fruit is beginning to come forth. Jesus pointed out the fact that there is work to be done: "Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest?' behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest" (John 4:35).  Paul adds: "For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field,you are God's building" (1 Corinthians 3:9). This field will not sit idle waiting forever for there will come a time when the owner of the field will come and harvest His field: "And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, 'Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe" (Revelation 14:15). The question that might be asked is: Are you one of God's fellow workers? or Are you just holding on to some ticket you believe you have, a one way ticket to heaven? 

     Yes, faith does sanctify and is the necessary condition of the efficacy of the means of Grace. We are supplied grace by His Word, sacraments, and prayer. This is how God communicates to us. Grace is supplied by means of the calling of the activities of spiritual life into exercise. A note: far too many churches make the sacrament of communion to be nothing more than an ordinary, common place event. They do not follow the manner given to us, the importance is reduced and  the sacraments have no special quality, they are not received as being a holy time, a time of reflection, a time to come before God with a clean heart, to have examined ourselves before partaking of the bread and the cup. Children who have not been confirmed, baptized, are allowed to partake, they even go and get the bread and the cup and bring them back to parents. Where is there in this manner any solemnity and reverence for our God and Savior? Yes, we are to exercise or faith, but not in this manner. The only institution given by God is marriage, the only sacraments are baptism and communion let us hold them with all due respect to the giver, God. You see, these means of Grace are inoperative unless they are received and used by faith. Faith does not give them power, but it is the condition on which the Spirit of God renders them efficacious.

     It is good works that are the certain effects of faith and shows that we are sanctified by faith. How can we show inward holiness, love, spirituality, brotherly kindness, and zeal, without an external manifestation of theses graces in the whole of our outward life? Therefore, faith without works is dead. We are saved by faith. It is important to remember that salvation includes deliverance from sin. If faith does not deliver us from sin then we are not saved. Think upon this fact, we are saved, not by anything we have done, rather by the mercy and love of God towards His children, this ought to drive us to work for Him and bring this good news to everyone. We do not know who are the children of God, we have no need to know, we only follow what we have been commanded to do and that is to go into the field, a field ripe for harvest and take the Words of God, that He sent His Son Jesus Christ to save them. They will come, they will obey the Word, they have the faith given to them and will be drawn to God, enabled to accept Him and this is our work, this is why we are here on earth. If we are not able to become fellow workers of God then we are antinomian, and this is a contradiction in terms, we cannot embrace antinomianism, and the grace of God.

And He has on His robe

     and on His thigh

a name written:

KINGS OF KINGS

AND LORD OF LORDS.

                       Revelation 19:16

May God Bless Your Efforts To Serve Him

Richard L. Crumb