Goshen360: Messages like this will always stir up religious spirit among Christians. Not everyone who reads will "understand". Do you\we "understand" what you\we read in the OP?

Anyway, that's the revealed message of the new testament taught in the OP. He had only pointed out forgiveness but, God will, I will come back and finish the rest.

Bless God for revelational teachings.

At last.

You need to read this with an open mind leaving out any form of indoctrination. So here we go:

Some people still pray this prayer:

'And forgive us our trespasses...AS WE...forgive those who trespass against us'! (Matt 6:12)

I once thought that was the perfect way to ask God for mercy since it was generally referred to as 'The Lord's Prayer'!

But I was surprised to find out that it was the church that generally refers to this prayer as 'The Lord's Prayer'!

Now listen carefully: this prayer is NOT meant for believers!

Have you ever come across a verse in the New Testament after the resurrection of Jesus where any disciple of Christ prayed the so called "Lord's prayer"?

This prayer was a perfect prayer for people in the days of Jesus who believed Jesus was the Messiah but had not become beneficiary of the New Covenant yet because the Holy Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus had not yet been GLORIFIED! (John 7:39)

That is why the prayer begins with:
Our Father
who ART IN HEAVEN...

This implies a sense of distance between 'those who are praying' this prayer and the 'Father' they are praying to!

Listen; the day you became born again, God made you SIT together with Jesus in HEAVENLY PLACES at the RIGHT HAND of God!!! (Eph 2:6, Heb 1:3, Heb 10:12)

If you are a believer, you are not praying to a Father 'who art in Heaven'!!!

You are praying to....ABBA Father!!!

The Bible says:
'And because ye are SONS, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, ABBA FATHER. Wherefore thou art NO MORE a servant, but a SON; and if a SON then an heir of God through Christ'! (Gal 4:6-7)

The word 'ABBA' implies that you are now SO NEAR to your Father! (these are not made up words)

The Bible says:

'But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes WERE FAR OFF ...are made NEAR by the blood of Christ'! (Eph 2:13)

Stop having a sense of distance between you and your Father!

It is good we learn to rightly DIVIDE the word of Truth whenever we read the Scriptures.

Let's get back to where we started from on the prayer of forgiveness.

'And forgive us our trespasses...AS WE...forgive those who trespass against us'! (Matt 6:11)...AS WE...

Before Jesus died, He said to His disciples:

'I have yet many things to say unto you, BUT YE CANNOT BEAR THEM NOW.' (John 16:12)

You see, one of the Truths which Jesus deferred to tell the disciples was the Truth of ...PERFECT FORGIVENESS...as a result of His death on the cross! (read further before you call for my head)

He told them in the next verse:

'Howbeit when He, the SPIRIT OF TRUTH, is come, He will guide you into ALL TRUTH...' (John 16:13)

Now let us see how the Spirit of Truth taught us about the forgiveness of sins in the New covenant.

'...forgiving one another, EVEN AS God for Christ sake HATH FORGIVEN you'! (Eph 4:32)

Did you see that?

Before Jesus died, He said....'And forgive us....AS WE...forgive those who trespass against us'!

When the Spirit of Truth came, He said....'forgiving one another, EVEN AS God for Christ sake HATH FORGIVEN you'!

Wow!

The former teaches that....you should forgive others SO THAT God will forgive you....

The latter teaches that....you should forgive others BECAUSE God has forgiven you!

The reason you find it difficult to forgive is that you are yet to understand how much God has FORGIVEN you!

When you understand that on the day you became born again, God did not only forgive you of your past and present sins alone...but also your FUTURE sins (Col 2:13-14), you will begin to forgive others even before they offend you!!!

'We love....BECAUSE....HE first loved us'! (1john 4:19)

Do you believe He loves you unconditionally?

If yes, then you will be empowered to LOVE others unconditionally! (Luke 7:47).

Remain in His Grace.

bizmahn: Perverted "grace" gospel being sold among carnal,lazy,sinful,prayerless,self centred christians these end times.Make no efforts to live right,you don't even have to do anything cos christ has done it all.Even if you like remain prayerless,skip bible studies,keep lying,stealing,cheating,fighting,fornicating etc, you still get to make heaven as long as you believe in the finished work of christ.
Doctrine of the first born sons of lucifer.
@OP/Poster can you honestly say that since you started believing in the finished work of Christ "without any efforts" you've achieved sinless life in Christ? Fallacy.
.
Don't be decieved all the apostles & disciples of Christ made conscious,rigorous,sacrificial,self denying efforts to live right with fastings,prayers,self denials,sufferings,chastisements,preaching etc.It takes a spiritually dead christian to deny this fact that is littered all over the new testament scriptures.It is still a narrow way till Christ comes.

Thanks for your comment. So you think by avoiding all you wrote up there you'll qualify for heaven? Being born-again is the only visa into heaven..more so if you really love God, you won't do what He dislikes..and that's the basis for this message. For more on what Grace can do, even when you're in sin ask Barabbas what qualified him for freedom!

Wait till tomorrow morning for the Shocker post!

Peter shared a strong revelation concerning a believer who lives in sin. He explained that when you see a believer who lives in sin.....it is because he is.."...BLIND....and cannot see afar off,....and HAS FORGOTTEN that he was PURGED from his old sins"! (2Pet.1v9)

But unfortunately, instead of the 'church' to remind such believers that they have been FORGIVEN and that they are the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF God in Christ Jesus, the 'church' tells them that they have FALLEN from Grace and that they should expect the Judgment of God!!!

There was a time the Corinthian church was deep in sin. They committed ALL manner of sins: Envy, lust, strife, misuse of spiritual gifts, sexual immorality, etc. All these sins were present in the Corinthian church!

But how did Paul correct them?

'KNOW YE NOT....that your body IS the temple of the Holy Ghost ? (1Cor 6:19)

Paul did NOT say: "you these sinners! Your body was ONCE the temple of the Holy Ghost but ever since you committed fornication it BECAME the temple of the devil"

What Paul said is this: "KNOW YE NOT that your BODY IS (not 'was') the Temple of the Holy Ghost?"

Now listen carefully: The reason why you are not yet EMPOWERED to live above that sin in your life is that you keep believing the LIE of the devil that tells you "you are DOOMED for eternal judgment because of your sins"

Stop believing that LIE. The devil will do ANYTHING to make you FORGET that you have been PERFECTLY forgiven by God!

This is because the devil knows that you will STOP sinning when you REALISE that you are the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD in Christ Jesus!

A true teacher of the Gospel REMINDS...believers of their irreversible position in Christ! That was why Paul corrected the Corinthian Church by saying "KNOW YE NOT". And what does "know ye not"? It simply means...."have you forgotten?". Paul was a 'REMINDER'....not a 'CONDEMNER'!

In fact, Paul reminded them in the next verse that "YE ARE BOUGHT WITH A PRICE" (1Cor 6v20).

Paul did not say: "you WERE bought, but now God has SOLD you back"!

The devil will do anything to make a believer not to rest in the finished work of Christ on the cross. (Heb 4v1)

In conclusion, let's see how Paul related to the churches in the Bible:

Although the Corinthian church was filled with believers who had weak moral characters you will never hear Paul say to them O FOOLISH CORINTHIANS!

In fact, Paul told them that Jesus would CONFIRM them to the END BLAMELESS IN THE DAY OF JESUS CHRIST'! (1Cor 1:8-9)

But there was another kind of believers who Paul got seriously ANNOYED with! Funnily enough, these believers had STRONG moral characters!...they were the Galatian Church! (Gal 3:1)

These group of believers believe that although you were saved by Grace, you must continue in the works of the Law in order to qualify for God's promises! (Gal 3:2)

You see, people always find the Gospel of Grace difficult to believe because it always sounds too ILLOGICAL! -- "how can you say that a believer is judged as RIGHTEOUS before God..even though he has sins in his life'?

Answer: "How was Jesus judged as a SINNER by God on the cross even though He NEVER committed any sin" (2Cor 5:21).

Now listen carefully: Stop trying to understand how Grace will empower you over sin! Hmm....just BELIEVE!!!

Peter walked on water when he was looking at Jesus but the moment he tried to 'logically reason' about how possible it is for a man to walk on water he began to sink. (Matt 14:30)

The reason you are SINKING in SIN is that you are THINKING on how possible it is for you to have dominion over sin simply by BELIEVING!

'For sin shall NOT have dominion over you; for you are not under Law...but under GRACE'! (Romans 6:14)

If you can get to a point of BELIEVING that Jesus is your righteousness before God and that God is not looking at you to judge you but He is looking at Jesus to judge you, you will be EMPOWERED to effortlessly TRIUMPH over that sinful habit that is confronting your glorious destiny in Christ!

GRACE is the ANSWER to a SINFUL lifestyle! (Romans 8:2)

Amen.

jnrbayano:
Ok, how many times do u yield to d spirit in 24hours?

its not about how many times, it's about who I yield to most of the time. Of course you know the answer.

jnrbayano:
@Op, does that mean u don't sin cos I know you are a believer?

I am alive to the spirit and dead to flesh. When I yield to the spirit I do not sin but when I yield myself to the flesh I have the tendency to sin, now it's a matter of who I yield myself to..but I rather yield to the spirit so as not fall short..it's a choice we all make every minute of our lives.

Goshen360:

Blessed are you among all women for the above comment.

You see, people need to get out of religious mind set and sin consciousness whereby we see virtually everything as sin.

Such is the mindset of the law and sin nature. A Christian asking, is it a sin to drink some wine instead of telling the Holy Spirit, can I have some wine? Do you see the difference? A Christian asking, is it a sin to wear trouser, instead of saying to the Holy Spirit, can I wear this trouser today? Do you see the difference?

One is still carrying sin consciousness all about and will see everything he or she does as sin but the other accept the righteousness of God through Christ and live by faith from that righteousness of Christ. I don't seem to understand what people are hearing every Sunday if the cannot understand simply message such as with the OP even though I don't agree to once saved forever saved.

Bros, I appreciate you contributions on this thread. Concerning the "once saved forever saved" clause, it's not my own word...kindly meditate on the following verses: Rom.6:10-11, Heb.10:10, 14, 5:9, then crown it with what Jesus said concerning those who are saved in John 10:28-29. The truth is that if a man calls himself a believer and he doesn't have that innate desire to please God at all times or an internal repelling spirit for sin, his salvation is questionable.

Waiting to hear from you sir.

Alwaystrue: @OP,
Thanks for this message. May His grace continually speak for us:
Concerning the scripture:

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

There is something called secret sins which are lust and unbelief based which men don't get to see at all even before any act is carried out. That is what Jesus spoke about. It is possible for someone to sit at a table without doing anything and have sinned since his heart is full of anger, hatred, lust, envy and another person sits doing nothing and is righteous for his thoughts are on love, forgiveness, mercy and so on.

Psalm 19:12
Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults

Sin is always first conceived in the heart:

James 1:15
Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Belief involves renewing the mind to accept all of God...hiding the word of God in our heart so we do not sin against Him. Psalm 119:11.

So it is possibly not to work (this means both good or bad work...total no work) but believe only to be counted for righteousness just like Abraham did. He had already signed His total acceptance to God of all He says in His heart, therefore this is what propelled His actions.

The thief of the cross believed without any work for he was nailed to the cross anyway but his heart had fully accepted all of Jesus and what Jesus told Him so he was counted able to be with Christ in paradise. It would however have been quite strange if the robber had cause to be set free and gone to do wrong willingly with that belief. For believin in Jesus makes us do right.

Our prayer is for grace to always have a renewed and refreshed heart always towards God.

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise- Phil.4:8

God alone be glorified. Thanks.

Kay 17:

However, no matter how much one detests sin, one is still frail to it, since it is a fundamental part of man. So my question still stands, can a rapi.st, murderer, cannibal be believer inspite of detesting his sins?

A rapis.t, or murderer needs to come to the truth that they can live above those sins that has taken hold him..if truly he is a believer..however, moral-uprightness is not equivalent to being born-again (more on that in my next post).

When a man give his life to Christ, he also take up the life of Christ into himself, what a sinning-believer needs is the knowledge of how much God wants them to live above that sin..the more he is exposed to this knowledge the more he is empowered to loose interest in sinning.

You can't love someone and keep doing what that person does not like, will you?

F00028: @OP

how do you reconcile all that with this:
Deuteronomy 24:16 (International Standard Version):
"Fathers must not be put to death on account of their children's sin; nor shall,children die,on account of their fathers' sin. Each person is to be put to death for his own sin."

Not only that..how about this:

"If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell."

That was spoken by Jesus Himself. I'll ask, how many times have you observed this great commandment?

Kay 17: @oP

Is it now permisssible for me to rape kill and destroy and yet be a believer?

If you 're really a believer you won't permit yourself to sin. Under Law you avoid sinning in order not to go to hell (because your salvation is strictly by your works), but under Grace, you detest sin because

1. you love God so much that you don't want to offend Him.
2. you appreciate the works of Christ on the cross, and
3. you have been empowered to live above ANY form of sin.

If only you can walk with the mentality of these 3 points, sin will become distasteful to you forever.

In conclusion: stop having more faith in the disobedience of Adam....than in the obedience of Jesus!

'For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; ....MUCH MORE...they that receive the 'abundance of Grace' and of the GIFT of righteousness shall reign in life by ONE, Jesus Christ'! (Rom 5:17)

If you are saved; you are saved, ONCE AND FOR ALL!!! (Heb 10:10, 14)

Can you take this TRUTH!!!

Nobody goes to hell because he SINNED!!! (1cor 3:15)

If people go to hell because they 'sin'.....then.... everyone (including your pastor) goes straight into hell...for everyone is a 'SINNER'!!!

People don't go to hell because they sinned....but....people go to hell because they REJECTED THE PAYMENT for their sins!!! (Rom 3:23-26)

The payment is called JESUS!!!

'...and thou shall call His name JESUS:...for He shall SAVE His people...FROM THEIR SINS'! (Matt 1:21)

Hallelujah!

Many people don't have a problem believing that they 'became' sinners simply by what Adam did in the Garden of Eden!

People find it easy to believe that the 'disobedience' of Adam in the Garden of Eden....made every human being a 'sinner'!

In other words....we all believe that....even though a child is born today....he is ALREADY a sinner.....not because he committed any sin....but simply because all human beings with flesh and blood are already sinners ...as a result of the 'act' of Adam in Eden!

Even David said:

'IN SIN...did my mother conceive me...' (Psalm 51:5)

Right from conception....every human being is a sinner! Thanks to Adam!

Let me put this straight: ....we all believe that the act of one man many years ago....has an EFFECT on the status of any man many years after!

keep following carefully!

We all believe that the disobedience of ONE man in the PAST....affected the FUTURE status of every man!!!

But.....

why then do we find it difficult to BELIEVE that the obedience of ONE MAN in the PAST...has made believers eternally RIGHTEOUS before God!!!

The Bible sounds this so clearly:

'For as by one man's (Adam) disobedience many were MADE sinners,....SO by the obedience of ONE (Jesus) shall MANY be made RIGHTEOUS!!! (Romans 5:19)

If the sin of Adam made man who is in the future a 'sinner'....even so ...the RIGHTEOUSNESS of JESUS made every believer eternally justified!

Why do we seem to have more faith in the 'disobedience' of Adam....than in the 'obedience' of Jesus!

In fact, the Bible uses the word.. 'MUCH MORE'.. to explain that the effect of Jesus' obedience is MORE POWERFUL than the effect of Adam's disobedience!

'...For if through the offence of ONE, many be dead,...MUCH MORE...the Grace of God, and the gift by Grace, which is by ONE Man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto MANY'! (Rom 5:15) Wow!

Now listen carefully: if you are a BELIEVER; ....you can NEVER come under God's judgment anymore!

Was that statement so difficult for you to swallow?

'Verily verily I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and BELIEVETH on Him that sent me, hath EVERLASTING life,...and SHALL NOT come into condemnation; but is PASSED from death to life'! (John 5:24)

Wait a minute!

What do you even think it means to be called a 'believer'? What do you even 'believe'?

I mean 'why' is a Christian even called a 'believer'?

Listen: a believer is someone that BELIEVES something!

So tell me: What does a Christian 'believe' that makes God to call him a 'believer'?

Here it is:

'But to him that WORKETH NOT.....but BELIEVETH on Him (God) that JUSTIFIETH THE UNGODLY (not godly)....his FAITH is counted for righteousness'! (Romans 4:5)

If you open your Bible, you will see clearly that I did not frame up the above verse! That is what is there!

It is when you BELIEVE....that God justifies the UNGODLY....hmm....based on the GODLINESS of His beloved Son Jesus Christ.....then your FAITH is counted for RIGHTEOUSNESS!!!

If after all this......you still believe there is no such thing as 'eternal security'...then I guess....you need to check if really you are a 'believer'!!!

Nicodemus was not a sinner......yet Jesus told him.....'Marvel ye not that I said to thee...Ye MUST be born again'!!! (John 3:7)

Today, people use the word 'born again' as if it means you must fulfil the Law!

Nicodemus was a Pharisee!!! A full practitioner of the Law! (John 3:1)

Yet he was the ONLY one in the Scripture Jesus told to be BORN AGAIN!!!

Amen

In conclusion: never you allow the devil deceive you to believe ANYBODY..simply because they said they went to heaven and came back to life! No believer is under ANY obligation to believe anybody that does not glorify the finished work of Christ! (1thess 5:21)

Paul said to the Galatian Church:

'I marvel that ye are so soon REMOVED from Him (God) that called you into the GRACE OF CHRIST....unto another gospel! (Galatians 1:6)

Did you see that? listen attentively: ANY GOSPEL that does not make you see the GRACE of Christ which is what brought your eternal salvation (eph 2:8-9) but that tells you that you must DO THIS...or DO THAT in order to enter heaven is classified as 'another gospel'!

Now see what Paul said 2 verses later:

'But though we (including Paul himself), or an ANGEL FROM HEAVEN, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be ACCURSED'! (Gal 2v8)

Did you see that? even if an ANGEL from Heaven or someone went to heaven and came back only to tell you that your salvation is not based on GRACE alone, let that angel or that person be ACCURSED!

Paul did not take this matter lightly at all! In fact, he repeated this statement again:

'As we said before, so say I now again, if any man (no matter who the man is)...preach any other gospel unto you...than that ye have received...let him be accursed'! (Gal 1v9)

You might want to ask: 'what then was the Gospel that Paul preached'?

Acts 13:39....

'And by HIM (Jesus)...all that BELIEVE (not all that fulfil the law)......are Justified from ALL THINGS (not 'some things')....from which ye could NOT be justified by the Law of Moses'!

Hope you can see the Law of Moses mentioned in that verse!

Therefore, I put it straight to you: that if ANYBODY pick out a law....from the Law of Moses....and uses that as a YARDSTICK....to qualify those who will or will not enter Heaven...

LET HIM BE ACCURSED!!!

For those who are not tired of the teachings on Grace a!here is another piece for you:

Have you noticed that most of the people who claim to die, go to heaven, go to hell, and come back to life..never come back to say that...many people will not make it to heaven because THEY REFUSE TO BELIEVE IN JESUS

Instead, what you hear is: "many people will not make it to heaven because ladies put on trousers or they do braided hairs or they wear earrings or they do 'make-up'"etc! What a PARADOX!!! (Gal 2:21)

Now listen carefully, NO WHERE in the BIBLE was it written that ANYBODY will miss heaven BECAUSE of what they wear. NO WHERE.
I wonder why many people have more faith in the words of men than in the words of the Scriptures!

The Bible only gave ONE criteria to making it to heaven! ....ONLY ONE:

'If thou shall confess with your MOUTH the LORD JESUS and shall BELIEVE in your heart that GOD has raised Him from the dead THOU SHALL BE SAVED' (Romans 10:9)

Is that verse not clear enough?

Many believers prefer that the verse read this way:

'That if thou shall stop wearing trousers and earrings but shall commit thyself to the fulfilling of the Ten Commandments thou shall be saved'!

The Bible says it CLEARLY:

'Therefore by the DEEDS of the Law there shall NO FLESH BE JUSTIFIED IN GOD's SIGHT'! (Romans 3:20)

Is that not clear enough?

Nobody, I repeat, nobody will enter heaven based on what he DID or DID NOT DO!

'If thou LORD shouldest MARK iniquities....O LORD....who shall STAND'!!! (Ps 130:3)

Not even those who claim to be under Law can STAND!!!

That is why Jesus came as OUR SAVIOUR 'that WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM (not fulfilleth the law but believeth) shall NOT perish but have EVERLASTING LIFE'! (John 3:16)

>It is the devil that always make it look as if the Gospel is too simple to be true!!!

The devil whispers these kind of thoughts into the hearts of men:

'How can you say....it is only by believing in Jesus that people will make heaven'.....'Do you think the Christian life is that simple'?

Anytime you think this way then know that the DEVIL is already playing on your mind so as to push you into a state...where he would be able to deal with you!

That was what he did to Eve!

Paul said:

'But I fear...lest by any means...as the serpent beguiled Eve...through his subtlety...that your minds should be corrupted from the...SIMPLICITY...that is in Christ Jesus'! (2cor 11:3)

But how did the serpent beguile Eve? Read between the lines:

'Has God made it so simple that you will have dominion over every creature...simply by partaking of the Tree of Life and other trees in this garden'? ...are you sure God did not put a ban on ALL the trees of the garden?...or don't you know you must partake of the Tree of KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL (law)....if you must be like God?'

Hmm....I just paraphrased the serpent's statement in Genesis 3:1-5.

The devil made Eve have ANOTHER perspective about God! Hmm....'God can't be this GRACIOUS...'!!!

That was the beginning of the fall of Eve! In fact, what the devil said was this:

'Has God said...ye shall NOT eat of EVERY tree of the Garden'! (Gen 3:1)

Take a look at that question again! The devil was playing on the mind of Eve to believe God actually RESTRICTED them from EVERY tree of the Garden!

What God actually said was this:

'...of EVERY tree of the Garden...thou mayest FREELY eat'!!! (Gen 2:16)

Can you see how the devil deceives believers?

Adaeze003:

Every time you'll bring up the thief on the cross and the prostitute. That's fine but you forget what Jesus said to the adultrous woman(hope she's who you refer to) which was 'go and sin no more' or does that mean nothing? Because you 'grace preachers' just don't it. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we,that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? (Rom 6:1-2). You pick pieces from a whole book and pin your claims on them.

About the peter issue, I was only trying to point out an error. He made a promise and he failed, does it mean anyone who makes a promise would? Hehe

I'm happy that you realise that our works are also by grace but don't you also know that grace is required to keep a vow? If we rely on our human strenght alone it is next to impossible as temptation will surely come. Gace does not nullify vow my friend. Sure, Jesus has already saved us and no vow can save us again but again I ask, if I promise God something and by His grace I'm able to fulfill it how does it go against Christ's death on the cross?

I believe in grace, that I'm alive is by His grace but the way it is preached on nl baffles me!

My brother, your vow doesn't place you in a better position to serve God more than the person who did not vow. When you purpose in your heart that you'll do something for Him and then praying for the grace to do you mix law with grace. The truth is that, when you vow you gave the devil a kind of alert to come and monitor your life, how? throughyou have just reactivated the law thru your vow. The devil will keep bringing to your notice what you vowed not to do again until you see yourself doing it again. Whereas, by not vowing at all and relying on God's grace you will shut out the devil permanently from your decision-making process and you will see yourself obeying God out of love for Him and willingly,

If commandments are to be strictly kept, the youngman that kept ALL the commandments from his youth could've won Christ's approval of Job welldone - instead Jesus told him one thing is still needful. One thing will always be needful in the life of any commandment-keeper and that is Grace of God., by which we were saved..
Shalom

Baybe: You cannot vow not to sin again because you'd still sin. That is why we are human. We only strive towards perfection but no one is perfect. No one is immune to sin. Sometimes we sin without actually knowing it. We can only pray for God's grace to overcome temptations. Don't ever vow not to sin again.

On point.

'For they being IGNORANT OF GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS, and going about to ESTABLISH THEIR OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS, have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God! (Romans 10:3).

Wow! Did you read that! Whenever you make a VOW in order to live holy, it is a sign that you are IGNORANT OF GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS! You don't yet understand the Gospel of Grace! You still have not submitted yourself to the very reason Jesus came to die for you! You are ESTABLISHING YOUR OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS, thinking God needs your vow in order to bless you! Hmm...

Have you ever considered why peter denied Jesus 3times? Hmm...The reason Peter denied Jesus three times was not that he was afraid! No! It was because Jesus had earlier PRONOUNCED over him that he would deny him three times! Hmm.....the question is this: why would Jesus make such a declaration over Peter?

Listen: peter was trying to prove to Jesus that he would NEVER deny Jesus no matter the circumstance! See how he said it;

'Though ALL MEN shall be offended because of thee (Jesus), yet WILL I NEVER be offended!' (Matt 26:33)

Aba! Brother Peter!

Now to a religious mind, Peter had just proven how much he loved the Lord! But NO! Peter had just demonstrated how much he trusted in his SELF EFFORT! If that statement was okay, Jesus would have commended him! But see what Jesus said:

'Verily I say unto thee, that THIS NIGHT, before the cock crow, THOU SHALL DENY ME THRICE.' (Matt 26:34)

Oh! Instead of 'commending' Peter, Jesus was 'condemning' peter!

But why?

The answer is simple! It was because Peter was making a 'VOW'! What should have been peter's reaction to what Jesus just proclaimed over him? I would have thought he would go on his knees and asked why the Lord would say that to him. Now see peter's response to what Jesus just said!

'Peter said unto Him, though I should die with thee, yet will I NOT DENY THEE'! (Matt 26:35)

This guy was just too confident! He was 'arguing' with Jesus! See, making a vow is an expression of how over CONFIDENT you are in yourself!

Under Law: you make a vow to live holy.

Under Grace: you rest in Christ's love and remain holy!

The Bible says: 'for it is GOD that works in you both to WILL and to DO according to HIS good pleasure'! (Phil 2:13). It is not your VOW that works in you! It is GOD that works in you! Stop making VOWS to please God! Under Grace, God NEVER asked you to make a VOW!

Do you want to reign over that sin? Hmm...VOW is not the answer! The Bible gives us the right prescription to reigning over sin in life!

'...much more, they that receive the ABUNDANCE OF GRACE and the GIFT (not work) OF RIGHTEOUSNESS....shall REIGN IN LIFE, ....by one, JESUS CHRIST'! (Romans 5:17).

The problem with many believers is that they are not RECEIVING the abundance of Grace! Instead they are receiving the abundance of LAW! That is why they keep making VOWS.....thinking that is the way to please God! Listen: God is only pleased by ONE THING!......God is only pleased when all you do shows that you BELIEVE IN THE FINISHED WORK OF HIS BELOVED SON ON THE CROSS! (Rom 3:26). Any other thing apart from this is classified as 'Zeal without knowledge'!

It is not your vow that makes you righteous! If you are a believer, you are ALREADY righteous before God! Instead of making a vow, simply tell God to enGRACE you over that sin! Don't make VOWS! It does not make you special to God! Please!!!! DON'T MAKE VOWS! Instead, say by GOD'S GRACE, I will live holy!

Vows make the devil happy! Because he knows you will definitely fall! Because you can NEVER be perfect! You will end up condemning yourself! The devil knows that when you vow, you have given him the right to TEMPT you successfully in that area you just made a vow!

'....the STRENGTH OF SIN is the LAW'! (1cor 15:57)

Stop strengthening sin in your life by making vows! Live constantly under GRACE and sin shall NOT have dominion over you! (Romans 6:14).

You are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus! You are His beloved already! This is the Truth that would make you free!!! (John 8:32)

In a bid to live a life of holiness unto God, many Christians end up making vows to God NEVER to commit a particular sin anymore!

Have you ever made a 'vow' never to commit a sin again? Hmmm....

Now listen carefully: making VOWS to God never to commit a sin anymore is one of the EASIEST way of coming UNDER LAW!!!

The Bible says:

'Better is it that thou should NOT make a vow, than to make a vow and not pay'! (Eccl 5:5)

When you make a VOW to God, you have just told God not to judge you based on HIS own righteousness anymore! You have just told God to start judging you based on YOUR own righteousness!

The children of Israel would have enjoyed the Grace of God all through their sojourn from Egypt to the promise land, if only they never made a COMMITMENT to obey all of God's commandments!

Hmm...now you might be wondering what I mean. Now follow this 'chapter by chapter' exposition carefully.

In Exodus 14:10-22, After God brought them out of Egypt, they MURMURED against Moses that he had brought them to drown in the Red Sea. Now note that 'murmuring' is a sin. (Ps 78:17-19). But instead of God judging them, He told Moses to stretch his rod to the Sea and it parted into two! Hmm...

In Exodus 15:23-25, they MURMURED against Moses for bringing them into a place filled with bitter waters to drink. Yet God overlooked this sin and converted the water to sweet water! Hmm....

In Exodus 16:2-5, they MURMURED against Moses for bringing them into the wilderness with nothing to eat! Yet God overlooked this sin and 'rained' bread to get them well fed! Hmmm....

In Exodus 17:2-6, they MURMURED thoroughly against Moses for bringing them to a place with no water at all! Yet God overlooked this sin and brought out water out of the rock for them! Hmmm...

God was being Gracious to them! He wasn't judging them by their ability to keep any Law!

But something happened in Exodus 19. God told Moses to ASK the children of Israel if they were ready to OBEY ALL THE COMMANDMENTS He would give to them. Now listen carefully: BEFORE YOU SIGN AN AGREEMENT, READ THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS FIRST!

See their response:

'And all the people answered together, and said, ALL THAT THE LORD HATH SPOKEN WE WILL DO'! (Exodus 19:

Now it is very easy for us to think this statement is a proclamation of how much they love God! BUT it was a complete demonstration of their CONFIDENCE IN THEIR SELF EFFORT! According to the original hebrew intonation for this statement, they just made a 'proud' statement!

JFB Bible commentaries explains this verse thus: --- "Ah! How much confidence did their language betray! How little did they know what spirit they were of!"

Hmm...This was what led to the giving of the TEN COMMANDMENTS!

The next time they dared to complain again, it was not funny at all!

'And when the people COMPLAINED, it displeased the Lord...and his ANGER was kindled; and the FIRE of the Lord burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost part of the camp'! (Numbers 11:1)

Ah! Where did this anger come from! So there was FIRE all this while! But why did it not burn them when they were complaining before? Hmm.....it was their COMMITMENT to the Law that brought them under this condemnation!

Whenever you make a VOW to obey God, you have brought yourself on a platform of CURSES! (Gal 3:10). You have just established your OWN righteousness!

In Romans 10:2-3, the Bible referred to what the children of Israel did by agreeing to be under Law. The Bible stated that '....they have the ZEAL OF GOD, but not according to KNOWLEDGE'! (Romans 10:2)

They were actually zealous for God to have made that statement of agreement BUT it was not according to KNOWLEDGE!
It is true that when you make a VOW to God, you are actually expressing your zeal for God! But the Truth is that your zeal lacks KNOWLEDGE! Do you want to know the knowledge the israelites lacked? Then read the next verse!

Jesus wasn't even a Christian in the first place. Try and distinguish between Christian and a Believer then you'll know we're not talkin religion here. okay?

mahdino:

Sshush, u are just beating. Around the bush, concocting, formulating and propagating a false and man made religion. U don't know what Jesus wrote. Jesus said u should keep The commandments in Matt : 5:17 that is salvation.

Watch out for my next post..,you will see how decision or swearing to keep commandments can put one into a dangerous position. By the way you could have pass your comment without telling another person to shut up.

onetrack:

OK, if you take a Spinozist view of such a god, well, I can accept that though I don't really believe that myself. Spinoza's god is about the only version that I cannot really argue against. But to say "the beauty of creation is proof of god, therefore the Bible/Quran is the word of god" is a giant, illogical leap.

In any case Spinoza's god has no need for anything, he doesn't even care if we believe in him or not since we are essentially just one part of him...so worship is useless.

Hey, I don't want to go the religious way because previous pages have handled that. It is time to reason like illuminated minds. By the way, why is it not possible for man to create or make a natural object, I mean as simple as hair is man still can't make it in the lab? Why do we have natural and artificial, if man is responsible for the artificials who then is responsible for the naturals? I need logical and reasonable answers.

Simple..Procreation is the prove of God. Science is a study of His handi,works: Science calls it Divine Proportion...Evolution..etc. Seven wonders showed more of His awesomeness. Need more proofs? try and couple an ant.

Did you notice anything? Jesus first gave her the gift of NO CONDEMNATION.....before He told her to go and sin no more!

Today, people have it the other way round! They tell people to '...go and sin no more....before assuring them that Jesus will not condemn them'!

When Paul had struggles with sin...(Rom 7:19-25), ...he first received the gift of NO CONDEMNATION...(Rom 8:1)....before he was made free from the LIFESTYLE of sin and death! (Rom 8:2).

Listen: when Jesus told the woman to GO and sin no more.....He was NOT warning her! Hmmm.....He was EMPOWERING her! And this empowerment came by first releasing unto the woman the gift of NO CONDEMNATION!

The Truth is this: It is ABSOLUTELY impossible to live under Grace.....and be dominated by sin!

'For sin shall NOT have dominion over you...for ye are NOT under Law..but ye are under Grace'! (Rom 6:14).

It is only when you are under Grace that sin cannot have dominion over you!

Hmm...I'm sure you have been blessed by these series of teachings on what Jesus wrote on the Ground. Never forget....that no matter the sinful addictions battling your life....the power to sin no more lies in your knowledge that you can never come under CONDEMNATION because of the finished work of Christ for you! Hallelujah!

Now we have seen that when Jesus stooped down to WRITE on the GROUND with His FINGER, He was actually writing the LAW.....which God WROTE for Moses on the STONE with His FINGER! (John 8:6, deut 9:10)

Now after Jesus wrote on the ground and said to the Pharisees;

'...he that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.' (John 8:7)

The Bible reveals something very interesting about the reaction of the Pharisee.

'And they which heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one...' (John 8:9)

Hmm...! These are the very people who furiously brought this woman to Jesus with an intention to stone her to death. Now Jesus wrote the LAW on the ground and asked that only he who has perfectly fulfilled all He just wrote on the ground, should cast the first stone! But NONE of them could boast of perfectly keeping ALL the Law!

Hmm....what marvels me most is that the Bible was so detailed to show us the ORDER with which they were convicted of sin! Hmm...let's look at vs 9 carefully:

'And they which heard it, being CONVICTED by their conscience, went out one by one.....BEGINNING AT THE ELDEST, even unto the Last....!' (John 8:9)

Lol...! Did you see that! The conviction of sin started from the ELDEST of the 'righteous pharisee'! The deeper they went into LAW.....the deeper they went into sin!!!

Many believers think it is being under law that guarantees a righteous life! Oh....what a deception!

Now listen carefully: the Law was not given as a standard by which we would be SANCTIFIED!!! Hmm....neither was the Law given as standard by which God would be SATISFIED!!! Hmm...

Why then was the Law given!!!

You would be really surprised to know why the Law was given!!!

Listen carefully: the Law was given so '....that every mouth may be STOPPED, and all the world may become GUILTY before God'! (Romans 3:19)

Ah! Did you see that! I did not frame up those words. Open your Bible and you will see those words verbatim!

The Law was given to make men GUILTY before God! This is because in the book of exodus 19....man presumed on his ability to fulfil the Law in the power of the flesh! (If you really want to learn more on this.....then start planning to be at the GOSPEL OF GRACE conference 2013).

That was why even the chief Pharisees were the first to be GUILTY when Jesus presented the Law to them!

See, the Law was given to teach you that you can NEVER be perfect by your ability!!!

Hmmm....the Law was given to expose the sinful weaknesses HIDDEN in your flesh! (Rom 7:7-9)

In fact, I really love the way the Scriptures explain this in the book of Galatians:

'Wherefore the Law was our SCHOOLMASTER to bring us to Christ...that we might be justified by Faith'! (Gal 3:24)

Wow! The law was given to be our SCHOOLMASTER! Do you know what that means? The law was given to TEACH us that we need a SAVIOUR!!! Hmm....now listen; after you have believed in this Saviour....you NO LONGER need the SCHOOLMASTER!

Aba! Dami! Why would you say that?

I'm not the one who said so! Read the next verse!

'But after that FAITH has come,...we are NO LONGER under a SCHOOLMASTER'! (Gal 3:25)

Hmm....funnily, many believers today are still under this SCHOOLMASTER...thinking that is the way to please God!

I'm really getting too excited to teach on the PURPOSE of the Law vs the POWER of Grace! The conference will take care of that!

Now let's see what happened to the woman after Jesus wrote on the Ground the second time. Note that after God gave the Law to Moses the second time, God asked Moses to keep it UNDER the Mercy Seat!!! (Deut 10:2, exo 26:34)

The condemnation that should have come on this woman has been put under the Mercy Seat! Grace was in action for her. After everyone left, Jesus said to her:

'...woman, where are those thine accusers? Hath no man CONDEMNED thee? ...she said, no man, LORD...' (John 8:10-11)

Hmm...Now its time for this woman to be EMPOWERED to go and sin no more! See the sequence of Jesus' next words:

'....neither do I CONDEMN thee: Go and sin no more'! (John8:11)

We have seen that the Pharisees were actually tempting Jesus by bringing this woman for Him to judge her. They knew He teaches GRACE radically and NEVER condemns a sinner!!! In fact, Jesus moved with sinners so much that the Pharisees gave Him a name I love so much:

'...the FRIEND of publicans and sinners...'!!! (Luke 7:34)

What a name for my loving Saviour! Sinners flowed well with Jesus! What marvels me is that the Bible is so specific to let us know the group of people Jesus was comfortable moving with!

'Then drew near unto Him (Jesus)...all the PUBLICANS and SINNERS...for to hear Him'! (Luke 15:1)

'Many PUBLICANS and SINNERS sat also together with JESUS...'! (Mark 2:15)

The Bible does not always say the MULTITUDES drew unto Jesus. Once in a while, the Holy Spirit is so specific to let us know who this multitudes were! They were the publicans, tax collectors, prostitutes etc!

But a group of unbelievers known as the 'Pharisees' were always uncomfortable with Jesus moving with sinners!!!

'...how is it that He (Jesus) EATETH and DRINKETH with sinners'!!! (Mark 2:16)

Aba! The Jesus I read about in the Bible is just so different from the Jesus I hear many preachers talk about today!

Hmm....Jesus is so 'Holy' that sinners were His companion! They were not only His companion....they all received miracles and healing for free!!! (Mark 6:56)

But you will never find it written anywhere in the Bible that Jesus healed a 'sick' Pharisee!!! For your information; the Pharisees were NOT sinners!!!

One marvelous Truth is that....any sinner that encountered Jesus....never remained a sinner!!! They always wanted to follow Him wherever He goes! (John 6:24)

That is what GRACE does! Effortless evangelism....effortless dominion over sin!
Now the Pharisees made a statement in order to trap Jesus. They said;

'Now Moses in the LAW commanded us, that such should be stoned:....but WHAT SAYEST THOU'? (John 8:5)

The emphasis here is the LAW!!! That was the tool they employed in order to trap Jesus!

The first response of Jesus was this:

'...but Jesus stooped down...and WITH HIS FINGER WROTE ON THE GROUND...' (vs 6)

In the previous post (part2), we have seen that Jesus wrote on the STONY ground. Now take note of the following words in the verse above: 'FINGER', 'WROTE', 'GROUND' (which means STONE).

Gotten that? Hmmm....now let us see what Jesus wrote on the ground.

In Exodus 31:18, the Bible says God...'Gave unto Moses,...tables of STONE, WRITTEN with the FINGER of God'.

Hmmm.....something must be going on here! What did God give to Moses that was on STONE....and WRITTEN with the FINGER of God?

The answer is the LAW!!!!!!!!!!

The pharisees said to Jesus: 'Now Moses in the LAW commanded us, that such should be stoned:....'! (John 8:5)

In order words, they were using the LAW to threaten Jesus and also boasting about Moses as their prophet! Jesus therefore stooped down and with His FINGER wrote the LAW!!!

Hmmm....By this action, Jesus was actually saying:

'I WROTE this LAW that you brought to threaten Me'!!! Hmmm...I was the One who even gave it to the Moses you are boasting about!!! Hmmm....

After He wrote on the ground, He lifted up Himself and said unto the Pharisees:

'...He that is without sin among you, let Him first cast a stone at her'!!! (John 8:7)

Wow!!! Do you know what that implies! Jesus was actually saying:

'Anyone of you who has not broken at least ONE of all that I just wrote on the ground....cast the first stone at her'!!!

Hmmm....I love the way James 2:10 helps to interpret this matter!

'For whosoever shall keep the WHOLE LAW...and yet offend in ONE point...he is GUILTY OF ALL!!!

Did you see that! Jesus was simply saying that ....anyone of them that can stand boldly not to have offended in at least ONE point....should throw the first stone!

Funnily, none of them had fulfilled all Jesus wrote on the ground!

Listen: after God gave Moses the tables of STONE, the Israelites were already breaking the first Law even before the Law arrived!!! They made a god in the form of a golden calf! And the first Law says....thou shall have no other gods before me! (Exo 20:3). Hmmm...

You don't know what you have signed for when you agree to be under LAW! You will keep breaking the LAW unconsciously and uncontrollably!

Paul once thought being under Law was the solution to his sinful habits. Hmm.... Little did he know that he has signed for an EXCEEDINGLY SINFUL lifestyle! (Rom 7:13)

Hmm....

Moses had to scatter the stone on the ground and went up to collect another tables of STONE written by GOD! (Exo 34:1)

Now follow carefully: After Jesus said: '...He that is without sin among you, let Him first cast a stone at her'...the next verse says

'And again He stooped down, and wrote on the GROUND'! (John 8:

So Jesus wrote on the ground twice just as God gave the Law twice! Can you see that Jesus was actually writing the LAW?

But there is something very significant about Jesus stooping down the second time to write on the Ground!

Hmmm....stay tuned for the concluding part of this interesting story as you will see how the 'second' writing of Jesus on the ground introduced GRACE into the matter which super-naturally destroyed the yoke of sexual immorality in the life of this 'adulterous' woman!!!

After the Pharisees brought the 'adulterous woman' to Jesus, they said;

'Now Moses in the LAW commanded us, that such should stoned:....but WHAT SAYEST THOU'? (John 8:5)

The Pharisees were all out to get Jesus. They also had a powerful tool with which they planned to get Jesus! The tool is called the LAW! Hmm....Take note of their statement:

'Now Moses in the LAW commanded us....'

I will like you to follow very carefully at this juncture! They brought the LAW to Jesus as a means of accusing Him and also stoning the woman!

But what was Jesus' reaction to the subtle accusation of the Pharisees?

'...but Jesus stooped down...and WITH HIS FINGER WROTE ON THE GROUND...' (vs 6)

Now many people have speculated that Jesus was 'meditating' on what answer He was to give to the Pharisees! Hmm....I DON'T think so!

Jesus could not have been taken by surprise! He could not have been bothered about the answer to give to the Pharisees!!! NO!

The Bible refers to Jesus as the 'WISDOM OF GOD'! (1cor 1:24). How can the WISDOM OF GOD be trying to figure out what He will answer to a group of unbelievers!

In fact, the Bible has a wonderful comment about Jesus when He was once faced with an 'tough' situation:

'...for He Himself KNEW WHAT HE WOULD DO'! (John 6:6)

Jesus is 'ALL-KNOWING'! He is referred to as the...'ONLY WISE GOD'! (Jude 1:25). No situation gets Him unaware! Listen: He was NOT meditating on what answer He would give to the Pharisees! NO!

What then was Jesus writing on the ground?

Hmm...Now let's see that verse again:

'...but Jesus stooped down...and WITH HIS FINGER WROTE ON THE GROUND...' (vs 6)

Take note of how the Bible puts it: '...WITH HIS FINGER WROTE ON THE GROUND...'

First, may I let you know that the ground mentioned here was the ground of the temple. This temple floor was not a 'sandy' floor. It was paved with stones. According to Albert Barne's commentary of the Bible, the ground here means the PAVEMENT (which indicates that the ground was STONY). Hmm....so we can therefore paraphrase that verse this way: '...WITH HIS FINGER WROTE ON THE STONY GROUND...'! Hmmm....

I'm sure you are wondering where all this will lead to. Lol....just keep following!

Now listen carefully: we must learn to always let Bible interpret Bible. Hmm...don't just conclude on what a verse means by your intellectual ability. Let the Bible interpret Itself.

Jesus only wrote ONCE in the new testament! Hmm... But God also wrote ONCE in the old testament too!

Wow! There must be a link here!!! Let us see how God was described to have written in the Old Testament. Moses said:

'And the Lord delivered unto me two tables of STONE WRITTEN WITH THE FINGER OF GOD...'! (Deut 9:10)

Are you seeing what I am seeing?

Do you remember the story of the 'adulterous' woman who was brought to Jesus by the Pharisees in order to see how He would judge her?

'....Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the VERY act'!!! (John 8:4)

Hmm....the Pharisees must have thought that mentioning the fact that this woman was caught in the VERY ACT of adultery...would intensify the punishment Jesus would declare over this woman. Lol...

This group of unbelievers were so subtle. See what they said in the next verse!

'Now Moses in the LAW commanded us, that such should be stoned:...but WHAT SAYEST THOU'? (vs 5)

Now listen carefully: The Pharisees knew that Jesus NEVER condemns a sinner! That was why they brought this woman to Jesus! They knew He would DEFINITELY justify the sinner! Hmm...in case you are not getting what I'm saying yet, then see the next verse:

'This they said TEMPTING Him, that they might have to ACCUSE Him'! (vs 6)

Did you see that? They thought they had gotten the perfect opportunity to ACCUSE Jesus! They knew Jesus would never dispense punishment on a sinner! NO! NO! NO! He came to die for SINNERS!

It is a FOOLISH move for the devil to throw you at the feet of Jesus for the punishment of your sins! Hmm...

It is also a WISE move for you to throw yourself at the feet of Jesus when sin is attacking your destiny!

Listen: Jesus DEALS with sin...and not the sinner!!!

If you can understand what I just wrote above, then you will begin to live a supernatural life above your sinful addictions! PANADOL deals with Headache ....and not with the person carrying the Headache! Do you get that?

The Bible says: '...where SIN abounds, ....GRACE much more abounds'! (Romans 5:20)

Do you know what that means? it simply means SIN does not have the ability to swallow up the GRACE of God in the life of a believer!!!

Yes, you heard me right! God's Grace is GREATER than ALL yours sins! Take note of the words...'Much more'....in Romans 5:20.

'Where sin abounds....Grace MUCH MORE abounds'! (Romans 5:20)

To enhance your understanding of the above verse, let me paraphrase it:

'For where sin ARITHMETICALLY abounds,....Grace GEOMETRICALLY abounds'!

Sin does NOT swallow up God's Grace in the life of a believer! Instead, it is God's Grace that swallows up sin in the life of a believer!

The magicians serpent(s) cannot swallow Moses' serpent! No matter how many serpents the magicians threw to the ground....MOSES ROD (grace) super-swallows the RODS (sin) of the magicians!

Jesus is not the JUDGE of believers! This is where many believers miss it. They think that Jesus has withdrawn His salvation from them because they committed a particular sin! That is why the devil converted that sin into an addiction! Because instead of them seeing Jesus as a SAVIOUR....they see Jesus as a JUDGE! (Heb 9:28)

Let's go on with our topic (as I'm getting excitedly distracted to teach on sin vs Grace)! Now let's see Jesus' first reaction to what the Pharisees said:

'....but Jesus stooped down, and WITH HIS FINGER WROTE ON THE GROUND...'! (vs 6)

Wow! Now this is what we want to discover! What did Jesus write on the GROUND!

Hmm...do you want to know what Jesus wrote on the ground?

Then STAY TUNED for the next post...as we unravel a mystery that will loose you from the shackles of sinful addictions and desires the remaining days of your life!

Eureka007: peter repented from dat sin of denial,sarah must ve repented as well....now ear this my brother in d lord,judas never repented hence his portion was hell fire,,,,.do u know anything about the sactification of d hearth??it a miracle that happens after we are born again.dis is d removal of d adamic nature.d nature of sin in man.the very root of sin which salvation did not remove.wen u re sanctified d righteosness of god comes upon u and u will see how perfection is easy.....thats the easy yoke of jesus.many christains remains at d level of salvation hence they strugle with sin and begin to claim we can not be totaly free from sins

Peter and Sarah repented? what of the thief on the cross? what qualified him as a heavenly candidate? Pls, stop making it look like God is just up there looking for only Jesus-like Christians, because that means Jesus died and resurrected in vain.

niggadee: do u know that non Muslims and Christians with good heart are going to heaven too

Bros forget that one, without Christ no heaven, the works of those with "good heart" is in futility if they refuse to receive Christ into their life while they are still living. No sinner shall inherit the kingdom of God of which these good-hearted people are still sinners, not because of what they do or didn't do, but because of the nature they are born with - the nature of sin - they need Jesus so their good works can earn them rewards in Heaven. Good work doesn't save, it's Christ that saves.

Eureka007: I pity all of u trowing coments in dis forum saying no one can be perfect,d scripture states clearly be perfect even as ur father in heaven is perfect....wot is not clear here.......again d bible says d kingdom of God suffereth violence,but d violent take it by force.99.9 persent of christain are jokers..the standard of heaven is so high that once u re guilty of one sin den u are guilty of all.dis is hardsaying but thats d narrow way d bible talked about...keep on biliving their is eternal security....only those dat strive to perfection will get to heven....keep on commiting "little little sin"keep teling white lies or little gossip and keep bilivin we cant be perfect......den u end up in hell.may God open our eyes.

You're right by saying we must be perfect just as our Father in Heaven is perfect, but if we are to go live according to your definition of Being perfect, no man will enter Heaven, John 3:18 clearly stated that your believe in Christ and total dependence on His finished work on the cross is your visa into heaven, not by your works of self-righteousness (that in itself is a sin). Perhaps you need to start asking yourself whether Peter missed heaven for denying Christ three times or Sarah that laughed within herself at that Angels was still listed among the "Heroes and Heroines of Faith", that is the Gospel of Christ, the Gospel of Grace. He is our Lord and Saviour, not our punisher, Satan is.