Am I Going to Heaven ?

[The Crusader]

I believe that all who put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior, believing that He died to pay for their sins on the cross (1 Cor. 15:3), are saved by the grace of God through faith alone (Eph. 2:8-9) and are baptized into Christ by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13) and sealed in Him for the day of the rapture (Eph. 1:13, 4:30).

Your friend and brother

The Crusader
<))><

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMEN!!!!!

 

and AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMEN!!!!

[The Crusader]

WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?

BY RUSSELL S. MILLER

Thank you for that "good" question.

God’s plan of salvation today is not difficult to understand.

"For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). There is no one exempt from sin. We are ALL guilty of breaking the Laws of God. We are sinners by nature and by choice, because we also choose to sin.

"The wages of sin is death..." (Romans 6:23). There is a penalty for sin. You go to work every day and at the end of the week you receive your wages. "The wages of sin is death..."

"...But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23). Eternal life is a gift. You cannot buy it, or earn it, or deserve it. It can only be received as a free gift because Christ paid the penalty of sin with His own blood. The love of God, therefore, has provided a way back to God in the person of Jesus Christ our Lord.

"...CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS...was buried, and rose again the third day..." (I Corinthians 15:3,4).

He died for our sins because there is no other way in which man could be redeemed.

He was buried that our old Adamic nature "might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin" (Romans 6:6).

He arose from the dead to prove that our debt of sin, and its penalty, has been FULLY paid (Romans 4:25).

"Therefore being justified BY FAITH, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1).

Does it get any better than this? Yes, indeed it does, for we read in Ephesians 2:7:

"THAT IN THE AGES TO COME HE MIGHT SHEW THE EXCEEDING RICHES OF HIS GRACE IN HIS KINDNESS TOWARD US THROUGH CHRIST JESUS".

God is very patient, kind, and loving, and longsuffering, but He will not be mocked of men. Consequently there is a "Hell" and "the Lake of Fire" awaiting all who reject this gift of salvation in the person of His Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. This is clearly taught in Revelation 20:11-15.

When the Philippian jailor asked, "What must I do to be saved?", the Apostle Paul answered: "BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, AND THOU SHALT BE SAVED..." (Acts 16:30,31).

This is the one really important issue of life, and there is no time like the present, to make that decision to trust Jesus Christ as your own personal Saviour and Lord.

If you cannot say, "I know I am saved and I'm going to Heaven", then I exhort you to trust Christ as your Saviour, right now, and God will bless you with all the bounty of Heaven, and more.

"BUT GOD COMMENDETH HIS LOVE TOWARD US, IN THAT, WHILE WE WERE YET SINNERS, CHRIST DIED FOR US" (Romans 5:.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Subscribe at:
http://www.bereanbiblesociety.org/twominut.html
Two Minutes With The Bible By Pastor Stam

Mailing Address:
Berean Bible Society
N112 W17761 Mequon Road
P.O. Box 756
Germantown, WI 53022

Web Site:
http://www.bereanbiblesociety.org/
Gospel Books, Materials, & Free Mailings

Email: berean@execpc.com

[The Crusader]

If you were to die right now, where would you spend eternity?

A: What a question! This is a question that you should consider very carefully. Wherever you are in your life, the only thing that matters to God today is if you are in Christ. When God looks at your heart, He wants to see your faith resting in what His Son did on the cross for you. The Lord Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. That is you and me. Consider these sciptures:

Romans 3:10-11 "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God"
Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God:"
Romans 5:6 "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly."
Romans 5:8 "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
I Cor. 15:1-4 1 " Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:"

The moment you place your faith in Christ alone, God will save you.

Romans 4:5 "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness."

He will place you into His Son and make you complete in Christ. God does it all!!

Ephesians 1:13 "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,"
Colossians 2:9-10 "9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:"

My dear friend you do not need to go anywhere, pray a prayer, join an organization, or even move a muscle. You don’t have to do anything. Christ did it all. Make the decision to trust Christ and His finished work at the cross. It’s your choice.

<))><

[Ambassador4Christ]

If you were to die right now, where would you spend eternity?

A: What a question! This is a question that you should consider very carefully. Wherever you are in your life, the only thing that matters to God today is if you are in Christ. When God looks at your heart, He wants to see your faith resting in what His Son did on the cross for you. The Lord Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. That is you and me. Consider these sciptures:

Romans 3:10-11 "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God"
Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God:"
Romans 5:6 "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly."
Romans 5:8 "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
I Cor. 15:1-4 1 " Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:"

The moment you place your faith in Christ alone, God will save you.

Romans 4:5 "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness."

He will place you into His Son and make you complete in Christ. God does it all!!

Ephesians 1:13 "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,"
Colossians 2:9-10 "9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:"

My dear friend you do not need to go anywhere, pray a prayer, join an organization, or even move a muscle. You don’t have to do anything. Christ did it all. Make the decision to trust Christ and His finished work at the cross. It’s your choice.

<))><

Good post Crusader, thanks for posting it on this thread.

My Gospel

I Cor. 15:1-4 1 " Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:"


Grace & Peace

[The Crusader]

God, out of His great love for us, has provided complete redemption through Christ's death, burial, and resurrection in our place. He offers to justify anyone freely by His grace through faith in Christ as one's all-sufficient Savior. (Romans 3:21-26)

Faith in Christ is the issue of trusting exclusively in His redemptive work on the cross for one's acceptance with God and not in any of one's own works of any kind. This act of faith is the decision of one's own will in response to the gospel of Christ.

The purpose of God in election declares that it is the plan of God to provide salvation for all men, but in accordance with men's own free will, to save those that believe.

<))><

[Ambassador4Christ]

"The righteous standing before God, which Christ purchased for all men, is of no avail to the sinner until it is accepted by faith."
--C.R. Stam

[The Crusader]

"The righteous standing before God, which Christ purchased for all men, is of no avail to the sinner until it is accepted by faith."
--C.R. Stam

Amen

Your friend and brother

The Crusader
<))><

[The Crusader]

The Wonders of His Grace

By Paul M. Sadler

Scripture Reading:
"For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich."
-- II Corinthians 8:9

Whether the occasion is a holiday, a birthday celebration, or a graduation, it is customary to give a gift.  While some gifts are given out of necessity, for the most part, a gift is an expression of our love.  We normally bestow these tokens of our affection on those whom we feel deserve the honor.  But God's ways are not our ways.  He gave the gift of His beloved Son to His enemies.  That's a true love story!  Oh, the wonder of His grace that God sent His only begotten Son, the Son of His love, to save sinners like you and me while we were fleeing from the glory of His presence.  Little wonder the Apostle Paul says, "Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift" (II Cor. 9:15).

The word "unspeakable" here has the idea of "indescribable."  The gifts I've received through the years were all describable.  Some may have been a little harder to describe than others, but describable nonetheless!  But the gift of God's dear Son is indescribable.  Who can explain the incarnation, how the eternal Son of God left heaven's glory and took upon Himself the form of human flesh, yet was not tainted with our sin.  Who can explain how Christ was wholly God and wholly human in one person?  These wonders can only be received through the eye of faith.

The manger and the Cross stand at the two extremes of our Lord's life, but they are connected by the tapestry of redemption.  Hence, "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners."  A love story that ends with a death is tragic; in contrast, the death of Christ is the greatest demonstration of love this world has ever seen.  How much does God love you?  He gave His only begotten Son to die on your behalf.  You see, Christ wasn't dying for His sin, He knew no sin; He was dying for your sins and my sins at Calvary.  He was made sin for us that we might receive the righteousness of God in Him.  Have you trusted Him?

Surely you would never think of paying for a gift; why, the giver would be highly offended -- how much more so with God.  The payment for your sins has already been furnished by the Giver; simply receive Him as a gift from God.  If you have, then why not thank Him today for His unspeakable gift?  After all, this is the Gift that includes all others!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Subscribe at:
http://www.bereanbiblesociety.org/twominut.html
Two Minutes With The Bible By Pastor Stam

Mailing Address:
Berean Bible Society
N112 W17761 Mequon Road
P.O. Box 756
Germantown, WI 53022

Web Site:
http://www.bereanbiblesociety.org/
Gospel Books, Materials, & Free Mailings

Email: berean@execpc.com

[The Crusader]

The Abiding Evidences of Salvation
By Cornelius R. Stam


Your faith in Christ Jesus,

The love which ye have to all the saints,

The hope which is laid up for you in heaven (Col. 1:4,5).

Evidently Paul had never yet seen the Colossian Christians when he wrote to them (Col. 2:1). He had only heard of their conversion to Christ (Col. 1:4,5).

But what had he heard that had convinced him that they were genuinely saved? Our opening passage gives us the answer:

"We heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, for the hope which is laid up for you in heaven...."

But was this sufficient evidence that God had worked in their hearts? Would it be evidence enough today?

Some answer: "No. We must have the gift of the Holy Spirit and speak with tongues, or work miracles." And this writer must admit that this once was conclusive evidence of salvation. Our Lord's great commission to the eleven clearly states:

"And these signs shall follow them that believe: In My name shall they cast out devils [demons], they shall speak with new tongues;

"They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover" (Mark 16:17,18).

This is the clear Word of God on the subject, and too many confused fundamentalists and evangelicals run in circles trying to explain it away.

When Peter preached to Cornelius and his household, "the Holy Spirit fell on all them which heard the Word" (Acts 10:44). But how did Peter and his companions know that those of Cornelius' household had received the Spirit? Verse 46 provides the answer: "For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God." It was this that settled the matter for Peter according to his own testimony in Acts 11:17:

"Forasmuch, then, as God gave them the like gift as He did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, what was I, that I could withstand God?"

And it was this that settled the matter for the apostles and elders in Judaea too, for we read in the next verse:

"When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life."

Ah, but there has been a change in dispensations since that time. In I Corinthians 13:8 we read:

"Whether there be tongues, they shall cease...."

In this same part of I Corinthians we read of other signs1 that were to be done away, but the closing verse of I Corinthians says:

"And now abideth faith, hope, charity [love], these three; but the greatest of these is charity [love]."

These, then, are the abiding characteristics of the true Church in this present dispensation.

The problem with our Pentecostal friends and confused fundamentalists in general, is not that they are not Scriptural in their teachings, but that they are not dispensational; they have failed to "rightly divide the Word of truth."

The first of these three "abiding" characteristics is faith. This is of primary importance, for, "without faith it is impossible to please God" (Heb. 11:6). And faith produces hope . In a world of hopelessness and fear, the believer may "abound in hope." And this hope is no mere wish, for it is founded on the Word of God, "an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast..." (Heb. 6:19). It is the enjoyment, here and now, by faith, of the blessings which are ours in Christ and shall some day be fully realized.

And hope, in turn, produces love. The very passage we are studying speaks of "the love which ye have to all the saints, for [because of]2 the hope which is laid up for you in heaven." The blessings which are ours in Christ draw us—certainly should draw us—closer together. The closer we are drawn to our blessed Lord, the closer we are drawn to each other.

Faith, hope and love, then, are the three abiding evidences of salvation. Any local church where these three characteristics abound is a full church, even if it is composed of only a few members. Any believer possessing these three characteristics in abundant measure experiences a full Christian life.

Water baptism was once required for salvation, and miraculous signs were the evidences of salvation (Mark 16:16-18; Acts 1:8; 2:38), but let us not create confusion and division by efforts to continue on in a dispensation which God has replaced by something better.

The simplest believer in this dispensation of grace is complete in Christ (Col. 2:10), crucified (Gal. 2:20), resurrected (Col. 2:13), and seated in the heavenlies (Eph. 2:6), IN CHRIST. And the genuineness of conversion to Christ is attested by "faith, hope, love, these three," rather than by miraculous signs or demonstrations.

Shall we then seek to restore what God has "done away"? Shall we say, Let us be baptized with water as a testimony and seek the signs for spiritual renewal, even after God has provided something better? Shall we retreat from the substance to the shadows? No! God says: "When that which is perfect [i.e., complete]3 is come, then that which is in part shall be done away....And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three..." (I Cor. 13:10-13).

These three abiding evidences of salvation are brought together in I Corinthians 13:13; Gal. 5:5,6; I Thes. 1:3; 5:8; II Thes. 1:3; Heb. 6:10-12 and many other places in Paul's epistles. Why not look them up, study them prayerfully, and rejoice in the riches of God's grace.


Endnotes
1. In Mark 16:17, et al, these miraculous demonstrations are called "signs," because they confirmed the Messiahship of the Lord Jesus. They were signs of the validity of His claims.

2. This is the sense in the Greek.

3. Referring to the full "revelation of the mystery."


<))><

[The Crusader]

The Cross
By Quinn McAuley
mcauley@gracepoints.com

The cross, truly a mystery. Who was it that hung upon that cruel cross on golgotha nearly 2,000 years ago, and what was it that was accomplished?

Accomplished? There were many crucified by the Romans before Jesus of Nazareth, and the only thing those crucifixions accomplished was the brutal, torturous death of yet another miserable sinner.

So why was this crucifixion different? What qualifies this particular crucifixion as a mystery?

Well, it is a mystery because this particular casualty not only did nothing to deserve such a horrible execution, He had no sin whatsoever. He was made in the likeness of sinful flesh, yet without sin (Romans 8:3 & Hebrews 4:15). He was truly a spotless lamb. Indeed, He was THE one and only spotless Lamb.

This crucifixion marks the greatest single event in human history. God the Son going voluntarily to the cross to bear all of mankind's sins upon Himself: a great sin offering for all of humanity, once for all
.
"And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified" (Hebrews 10:11-14).

At the cross of Calvary, the grace of God far eclipsed the sin of man.

What does all of this mean to us? The Bible says that all of us have sinned, and are continually falling short of the glory of God. That's the bad news. The good news is that God is declaring wrong people right because He is completely satisfied with Christ's sacrificial death on the cross. This Godly righteousness becomes ours through faith, and faith alone, the moment we accept Christ's death as our own. Won't you accept Christ's death as your's right now?

"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved." Acts 16:31
 
 

[Ambassador4Christ]

The Abiding Evidences of Salvation
By Cornelius R. Stam


Your faith in Christ Jesus,

The love which ye have to all the saints,

The hope which is laid up for you in heaven (Col. 1:4,5).

Evidently Paul had never yet seen the Colossian Christians when he wrote to them (Col. 2:1). He had only heard of their conversion to Christ (Col. 1:4,5).

But what had he heard that had convinced him that they were genuinely saved? Our opening passage gives us the answer:

"We heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, for the hope which is laid up for you in heaven...."

But was this sufficient evidence that God had worked in their hearts? Would it be evidence enough today?

Some answer: "No. We must have the gift of the Holy Spirit and speak with tongues, or work miracles." And this writer must admit that this once was conclusive evidence of salvation. Our Lord's great commission to the eleven clearly states:

"And these signs shall follow them that believe: In My name shall they cast out devils [demons], they shall speak with new tongues;

"They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover" (Mark 16:17,18).

This is the clear Word of God on the subject, and too many confused fundamentalists and evangelicals run in circles trying to explain it away.

When Peter preached to Cornelius and his household, "the Holy Spirit fell on all them which heard the Word" (Acts 10:44). But how did Peter and his companions know that those of Cornelius' household had received the Spirit? Verse 46 provides the answer: "For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God." It was this that settled the matter for Peter according to his own testimony in Acts 11:17:

"Forasmuch, then, as God gave them the like gift as He did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, what was I, that I could withstand God?"

And it was this that settled the matter for the apostles and elders in Judaea too, for we read in the next verse:

"When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life."

Ah, but there has been a change in dispensations since that time. In I Corinthians 13:8 we read:

"Whether there be tongues, they shall cease...."

In this same part of I Corinthians we read of other signs1 that were to be done away, but the closing verse of I Corinthians says:

"And now abideth faith, hope, charity [love], these three; but the greatest of these is charity [love]."

These, then, are the abiding characteristics of the true Church in this present dispensation.

The problem with our Pentecostal friends and confused fundamentalists in general, is not that they are not Scriptural in their teachings, but that they are not dispensational; they have failed to "rightly divide the Word of truth."

The first of these three "abiding" characteristics is faith. This is of primary importance, for, "without faith it is impossible to please God" (Heb. 11:6). And faith produces hope . In a world of hopelessness and fear, the believer may "abound in hope." And this hope is no mere wish, for it is founded on the Word of God, "an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast..." (Heb. 6:19). It is the enjoyment, here and now, by faith, of the blessings which are ours in Christ and shall some day be fully realized.

And hope, in turn, produces love. The very passage we are studying speaks of "the love which ye have to all the saints, for [because of]2 the hope which is laid up for you in heaven." The blessings which are ours in Christ draw us—certainly should draw us—closer together. The closer we are drawn to our blessed Lord, the closer we are drawn to each other.

Faith, hope and love, then, are the three abiding evidences of salvation. Any local church where these three characteristics abound is a full church, even if it is composed of only a few members. Any believer possessing these three characteristics in abundant measure experiences a full Christian life.

Water baptism was once required for salvation, and miraculous signs were the evidences of salvation (Mark 16:16-18; Acts 1:8; 2:38), but let us not create confusion and division by efforts to continue on in a dispensation which God has replaced by something better.

The simplest believer in this dispensation of grace is complete in Christ (Col. 2:10), crucified (Gal. 2:20), resurrected (Col. 2:13), and seated in the heavenlies (Eph. 2:6), IN CHRIST. And the genuineness of conversion to Christ is attested by "faith, hope, love, these three," rather than by miraculous signs or demonstrations.

Shall we then seek to restore what God has "done away"? Shall we say, Let us be baptized with water as a testimony and seek the signs for spiritual renewal, even after God has provided something better? Shall we retreat from the substance to the shadows? No! God says: "When that which is perfect [i.e., complete]3 is come, then that which is in part shall be done away....And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three..." (I Cor. 13:10-13).

These three abiding evidences of salvation are brought together in I Corinthians 13:13; Gal. 5:5,6; I Thes. 1:3; 5:8; II Thes. 1:3; Heb. 6:10-12 and many other places in Paul's epistles. Why not look them up, study them prayerfully, and rejoice in the riches of God's grace.


Endnotes
1. In Mark 16:17, et al, these miraculous demonstrations are called "signs," because they confirmed the Messiahship of the Lord Jesus. They were signs of the validity of His claims.

2. This is the sense in the Greek.

3. Referring to the full "revelation of the mystery."


<))><

I Love Cornelius R. Stam, and I love this message.

[Warrior For Christ]

Top Ten Ways to go to Heaven?

Many think that there are different ways to go to heaven. The following are ten ways that many believe will lead to heaven:

1. Believe in God.
2. Get water baptized.
3. Do the best you can.
4. Join a church.
5. Quit all your bad habits.
6. Start lots of good habits.
7. Live by the Golden Rule.
8. Make Christ the Lord of your life.
9. Ask Christ into your heart.
10. Confess your sins and turn from them.

The truth is that you could do all of the ten items listed and still go to hell instead of heaven. There are not different ways to heaven but only one.

What is the one way to heaven?

You must recognize that you are a sinner and trust only in the blood that the Lord Jesus Christ shed for your sins on the cross.

Because you are a sinner, there is nothing that you can do to please God. That is why the ten ways listed above will take you to hell instead of heaven: they are things that you do, and your works cannot earn you a trip to heaven.

To get to heaven, you need to stop trusting your own works and instead trust what Christ did for you on the cross.

Salvation is nothing more than your faith in what Christ did to pay for your sins.

For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: (1Corinthians 15:3,4)

You must settle the matter for all of eternity. Put your faith in Christ's payment for your sins and be saved today.

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. (Acts 16:31).

[darby]

Warrior, how do you know?  Have you been there?

[Warrior For Christ]

Warrior, how do you know?  Have you been there?

Yes, I just got back yesterday

Where Will You Spend Eternity darby?

[darby]

I try to make it a point to not think I'm always right about everything.  Perhaps a little vitamin humility is what you could use.