Romans 8;18-39, The Old Earth Position (when subjected); Our Freedom In Christ; Pray; “the called”; God's Purpose?; Why Do You Love God?; Conforming Into Christ Likeness; Justified, Justification; Who Can Overcome God?

1. Romans 8;18-39
Old Earth Position; Freedom In Christ; “the
called”; God's Purpose; Love God?;
Conformed Into Christ; Who Can Overcome
God

2. BIBLE IN FIVE
Pastor Dave Kooyers
Valley Bible Fellowship
Box 433
Boonville CA 95415
http://www.slideshare.net/dkooyers
www.ValleyBibleFellowship.org
(707) 895-2325
God bless you as you examine His Word,
Your servant in Christ, 2Cor. 4:5
These Microsoft PowerPoint presentations are provided "for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ"
(Ephesians 4:12-15). To help Christians to "to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ." So that "we are no longer...tossed here and
there...by every wind of doctrine." They may be downloaded and modified free of charge.
Matthew 10:8 …Freely you received, freely give.

3. Review of last time, Romans 8:1:18
• Romans 8:1 …there is now no condemnation
• Paul’s theology summarized in 2 words, in Christ.
• Romans 8:2 For the law of… Christ…
• Our freedom in Christ
• Don’t walk according to the flesh
• It is possible to please God
• God dwells in you, Holy permanently in believers
• Who Raised Jesus?
• Led Of The Spirit
• “sons of God”?
• Is God My Friend?
• Heaven Is Beyond Your Expectations

4. Let's read Romans 8:18-39
4

5. Romans 8:18
Heaven Is Beyond Your Expectations
• NAU Romans 8:18 For I consider that the
sufferings of this present time are not worthy
to be compared with the glory that is to be
revealed to us.
• No matter what we suffer while we're here on
earth, in enemy territory, that is under the
devil, our future is promised to be better.
Keep your hopes, dreams, and aspirations, on
your eternal destiny.
• NAU Romans 7:25 Thanks be to God through
Jesus Christ our Lord!…

6. Romans 8:18
Heaven Is Beyond Your Expectations
• NAU James 1:2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when
you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the
testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let
endurance have its perfect result, that you may be
perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
• NAU Hebrews 12:2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the
author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set
before Him endured the cross, despising the shame,
and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of
God. 3 For consider Him who has endured such
hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may
not grow weary and lose heart. 4 You have not yet
resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving
against sin;

7. Romans 8:19–23, The Old Earth Position on
Creation, Corruption, “subjected”
• NAU Romans 8:19 For the anxious longing of the creation waits
eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation
was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who
subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself also will be set
free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory
of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation
groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.
• The entire creation was perfect, has been totally corrupted, and
will be restored to perfection.
• NAU Genesis 1:31 God saw all that He had made, and behold, it
was very good…
• NAU Genesis 3:17 …Cursed is the ground because of you…
• NAU Revelation 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new
earth…
• The Old Earth Position places the corruption before Genesis 1:31
and 3:17. Verse 20 says “subjected;”

8. Romans 8:19–23, The Old Earth Position or
Creation “subjected”, Bible And Spade
• Bible and Spade magazine comments on verse 20, Henry Smith
says, "The subjection described in verse 20 could be could have
occurred at two possible points in biblical history. Either the
creation was subjected to both futility and the bondage of
corruption at the moment God spoke it into existence, or the
creation was subjected to futility at the bondage of corruption by
God at the time of Adam's fall in Genesis 3:14–19. There are a
couple of salient points to be made regarding the time of this
objection.
• 1. If the creation was in the futile stayed at the initial moment of
its existence, it technically could not be subjected to corruption
and decay. It would simply come into existence in that state. It's
natural and initial inclination would be toward futility and
corruption. When a thing or person is acted upon--in this case,
"subjected to futility-- it already exists. If God subjected the
entire sub–human created order to futility at the time He created
the

9. Romans 8:19–23, The Old Earth Position or
Creation “subjected”, Bible And Spade
• universe. If the text of Romans 8:19 – 23 is teaching us that
God subjected the created order to futility and the bondage of
corruption at the time of creation, then something should be
found in the text of Genesis 1 to justify that understanding.
The summary statement regarding the days of creation in
Genesis 1:31 indicates the exact opposite: "And God saw
everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good..."
• 3. The phrase "in hope" entails a subjection by God with a
purpose in mind. He is subjecting creation to futility as a just
response to Adam's transgression. But God is also doing such
for the purpose of redeeming it. The original promise of
redemption given in Genesis 3:15 includes not only man, but
all creation as well.
• 4. Paul here describes a threefold, desperate and futile
condition in the created order, which is

10. Romans 8:19–23, The Old Earth Position or
Creation “subjected”, Bible And Spade
• quite antithetical to the description found in Genesis 1:31: 1-
"the creation was subjected to futility" 2 – "the creation will
be liberated from the bondage of corruption" and 3 – "the
creation groans together and suffers together". We can
therefore conclude, along with the vast majority of
commentaries on Romans, that the subjection which Paul
speaks of can only refer to the fall of Adam in Genesis 3:14–19.
Genesis 1 is at complete odds with Romans 8:19–23, and
therefore, futility enters at the time of the fall, not during the
creation week.”
Bible and spade volume 26, Winter 2013 page 11 , by Henry B. Smith Jr., Subjected To Futility":
Adams Fall Or Creation?
Bible and Spade magazine, under the subtitle "Translation of Romans 8:19 – 23 And It's Context".

11. Romans 8:2+21,
Our Freedom In Christ
• NAU Romans 8:21 that the creation itself also will be
set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom
of the glory of the children of God.
• Remember our freedom in Christ;
• NAU 1 Corinthians 10:23 + 6:12, All things are lawful
for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are
lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.
• NAU Galatians 5:1 It was for freedom that Christ set us
free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be
subject again to a yoke of slavery.
• Galatians 5:1+13, Romans 7:24, 8:2+21, 1 Peter 2:16, 2 Peter 2:18-22
1
1

12. Romans 8:21, Happiness, Freedom
• There is a wonderful law of nature that the three things
we crave most- happiness, freedom, and peace of mind-
are always attained by giving them to someone else.
Unknown
• Isaiah 52:7 How lovely on the mountains Are the feet of
him who brings good news, Who announces peace And
brings good news of happiness, Who announces
salvation, And says to Zion, "Your God reigns!”
• Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news
to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the
brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And
freedom to prisoners;

13. Romans 8:21, Biblical Freedom
• Jerusalem Inspiration
• “…The Hope’ in Hebrew, Hatikva expresses the
Jewish desire to “live in freedom.” However the
Biblical notion of freedom is quite different from
how others define it. In the modern world, people
fight for freedom from some undesirable entity
while the Torah stresses that true freedom is the
freedom to follow one’s own intellectual and
spiritual pursuits. In fact, the loftiest goal in the
Bible is for a person to relinquish their freedom
and become a ‘servant’ of the Almighty…”

14. Romans 8:22, Pains
• Romans 8:22 For we know that the whole
creation groans and suffers the pains of
childbirth together until now.
• C. S Lewis said, “God whispers to us in our
pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but
shouts in our pains; it is His megaphone to
rouse a deaf world.”

15. Romans 8:24, Heaven on Earth
• NAU Romans 8:24 For in hope we have been saved, but hope
that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already
sees?
• 1 Corinthians 2:9 but just as it is written, "THINGS WHICH EYE
HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND which HAVE
NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS
PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM."
• 2 Corinthians 5:2 For indeed in this house we groan, longing
to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven,
• While leaving our small-town carnival, our sons, ages six and
two, were walking hand-in-hand behind my husband and me.
We overheard Tyler tell his younger brother, Cory,
• "This is what heaven is like—except it's free!“ Sandra Cox

16. Romans 8:26, Pray
• NAU Romans 8:26 In the same way the Spirit also
helps our weakness; for we do not know how to
pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes
for us with groanings too deep for words;
• Only 109 uses of the word “pray” in the NAU, and
this is the only use in Romans.
• Billy Graham once said, “Every day has exactly 1,440
minutes; can’t you find even ten of them to be with
your heavenly Father? Doesn’t God deserve the
best minutes of your day?”
16

17. Romans 8:28, “the called"
• NAU Romans 8:28 And we know that God
causes all things to work together for good to
those who love God, to those who are called
according to His purpose.
• GNV NAS YLT NET ESV CSB NAU …are called…
• KJG NKJ KJV …the called…
• NIV NJB NIVO …been called…
• BYZ BGT …τοῖς …κλητοῖς…

18. Romans 8:28, Good Out Of Evil
• Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes all
things to work together for good to those who
love God, to those who are called according to
His purpose.
• “God Almighty would in no way permit evil in
His works were He not so omnipotent and
good that even out of evil He could work
good.” Augustine

19. Romans 8:28, God's Primary Purpose
• “Trusting God to accomplish His primary purpose through our pain
was eloquently expressed by the widow of Todd Beamer. Todd
was a passenger on the fateful United Flight 93 when it was
hijacked by suicide bombers on September 11, 2001. He and other
passengers overpowered the hijackers, thwarting their use of the
plane as a flying missile apparently aimed at the very heart of
Washington, D.C. But the passengers were unable to prevent the
plane from a nosedive crash into a vacant field in Pennsylvania, so
September 11, 2001, was the date of Todd Beamer's entrance into
heaven. Lisa Beamer gave us a snapshot of her faith that is being
developed through suffering when she told an interviewer, "God
says, 'I knew on September 10, and I could have stopped it, but I
have a plan for greater good than you can ever imagine.' I don't
know God's plan, and, honestly, right now I don't like it very much.
But I trust that He is true to His promise in Romans 8:28.”
• Thank you, Lisa, for trusting God when you don't understand why!
• Blessings, Anne Graham Lotz, AnGeL Ministries Website

20. Romans 8:28,35,37,
Loved, Called, Secure
• gracethrufaith.com says, “…We love the promise
from Romans 8:28, …But how many of us know that
the word translated “love” in that verse is agape?
It’s the highest form of love in the Greek language
and it means to be totally given over to the object
of one’s love regardless of the outcome…”
• “We can all humbly say in the sincerity of faith, "I
am loved; I am called; I am secure.” Franklin
Graham

21. Romans 8:28, Why Do You Love God?
• Romans 8:28 ..those who love God…
• NAU 1 John 4:19 We love, because He first loved
us.
• 1 John 5:2, 4:20 If someone says, "I love God," and
hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does
not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love
God whom he has not seen.
• During a visit to the children's Bible class, my
preacher friend looked into their serious faces and
asked, "Why do you love God?" After a moment a
small voice came from the back:
• "I guess it just runs in the family.“ David L. Roper

22. Romans 8:28,
God Is Sovereign, A Chinese story
• “An old man lived with his son in a fort. One day the son
lost his horse. The neighbors rushed into the house to
express their sympathy, but the old man said: "How do you
know that this is bad luck?" A few days later, the horse
came back with a number of wild horses. So the neighbors
flocked indoors to congratulate him, but the old man said:
"How do you know this is good luck?" Now that he had so
many horses to ride, the son one day rode away on one of
the wild horses. He fell off, breaking his leg. Again the
neighbors knocked at the door to say: "Alas! Alas!" but the
old man said: "Tut! Tut! How do you know this is bad
luck?" Sure enough, before many weeks had passed, there
was a great war in the Middle Flowery Kingdom, but
because the old man's son was crippled, he did not have to
go off to fight.”

23. Romans 8:28, God's purpose?
• NAU Ephesians 2:7 so that in the ages to come He
might show the surpassing riches of His grace in
kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
• Oswald Chambers has said, “The destined end of man is
not happiness, nor health, but holiness. God's one aim
is the production of saints.”
• NAU 1 Peter 2:19-21, …21 For you have been called for
this purpose [suffering], since Christ also suffered for
you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His
steps, [also 1 Peter 3:9, 1 Peter 4:1, 6-7]
• 2 Corinthians 5:4-5, Ephesians 1:11, 3:11, 2 Timothy 1:9, Hebrews 6:17, James 4:5-7, 1 John 3:8
23

24. Romans 8:28, God's purpose?
• 1 Thessalonians 4:7 For God has not called us for
the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification.
• Acts 13:36 "For David, after he had served the
purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep,
and was laid among his fathers and underwent
decay;

25. Romans 8:29
Conforming Into Christ Likeness
• Romans 8:29 For those whom He foreknew, He also
predestined [indicative aorist active] to become
conformed to the image of His Son, so that He
would be the firstborn among many brethren;
• Billy Graham said, “Being a Christian is more than
just an instantaneous conversion; it is like a daily
process whereby you grow to be more and more
like Christ.”
• Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this
world, but be transformed by the renewing of your
mind, so that you may prove what the will of God
is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

26. Romans 8:29, Be Transformed
• 1 Peter 1:14 As obedient children, do not be
conformed to the former lusts which were yours in
your ignorance, [Philippians 3:10, also]
• Philippians 3:21 who will transform the body of our
humble state into conformity with the body of His
glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even
to subject all things to Himself.
• A. W. Tozer (1897-1963); “Religion today is not
transforming people; rather it is being transformed
by the people. It is not raising the moral level of
society; it is descending to society's own level, and
congratulating itself that it has scored a victory
because society is smilingly accepting its surrender.”

27. Romans 8:29, Who, Image Of God?
• A little girl asked her mother, “How did the human race
appear?” The mother answered, “God made Adam and
Eve and they had children, and so was all mankind made.”
• Two days later the child asked her father the same
question. The father answered, “Many years ago there
were monkeys from which the human race evolved.”
• The confused girl returned to her mother and said, “Mom,
how is it possible that you told me the human race was
created by God, and Dad said it developed from
monkeys?”
• The mother answered, “Well, dear, it is very simple. I told
you about my side of the family, and your father told you
about his.”

28. Romans 8:30, Justified
• NAU Romans 8:30 and these whom He predestined, He
also called; and these whom He called, He also justified;
and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
• Acts 13:39 Through him everyone who believes is justified
from everything you could not be justified from by the law
of Moses.
• Justified is a legal status, To demonstrate or prove to be
just, right, or valid;
• 1344 δικαιόω dikaioo {dik-ah-yo'-o}
• Meaning: 1) to render righteous or such he ought to be 2)
to show, exhibit, evince, one to be righteous, such as he is
and wishes himself to be considered 3) to declare,
pronounce, one to be just, righteous, or such as he ought
to be…

29. Romans 8:30, Justified
by Ron Merryman
29
Ron's books are excellent, and
available for a donation on his
website;
http://merrymanministries.com/Ord
erForm.aspx

30. Justification By Faith Alone & Its Historical Challenges, by Ron Merryman, pg 19
30

31. Romans 8:31, God is Greater
• NAU Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these
things? If God is for us, who is against us?
• 1 John 4:4 …because greater is He who is in you than
he who is in the world.
• 2 Chronicles 32:7 "Be strong and courageous, do not
fear or be dismayed because of the king of Assyria,
nor because of all the multitude which is with him;
for the one with us is greater than the one with him.
8 "With him is only an arm of flesh, but with us is the
LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles…
• 2 Kings 6:16 So he answered, "Do not fear, for those
who are with us are more than those who are with
them."

32. Romans 8:34, Wedding Clothes?
• Romans 8:34 who is the one who condemns? Christ
Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised,
who is at the right hand of God, who also
intercedes for us.
• Matthew 22:12 and he said to him, 'Friend, how did
you come in here without wedding clothes?' And
the man was speechless.
• Revelation 19:7 "Let us rejoice and be glad and give
the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has
come and His bride has made herself ready." 8 It
was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen,
bright and clean…

33. Romans 8:35
Who Can Overcome God?
• Romans 8:35 Who will separate us from the love of
Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution,
or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
• Hannah Whitall Smith; “Nothing can separate you
from His love, absolutely nothing. God is enough
for time, and God is enough for eternity. God is
enough!”

34. Romans 8:37
Rejoice in Christ’s victory
• NAU Romans 8:37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly
conquer through Him who loved us.
• Whether you are fasting or serving the Lord, “do not put on a
gloomy face” (Matthew 6:16) because;
• We should rejoice in Christ’s victory and charge forward like an army
guaranteed victory.
• NAU Philippians 3:13 …forgetting what lies behind and reaching
forward to what lies ahead,
• NAU Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say,
rejoice!
• NAU 1 Thessalonians 5:16 Rejoice always;
• If you're going to heaven, act like it! No Gloomy Faces!

35. 35

36. • NAU 2 Timothy 1:12
…I know whom I have
believed and I am
convinced that He is
able to guard what I
have entrusted to Him
until that day.

38. Amen!
38

39. THE
END
IS
NEAR
39

40. 2 Timothy 1,
Gal 2:9-12
Justification By Faith
Alone & Its Historical
Challenges, by Ron
Merryman, pg
40

41. Romans 8, 2 Timothy 1, Gal 1:18-19, 2:9-12,
Acts 12:17 1Cor 15:7-8, Peter The 1st Pope?
• Peter the 1st pope?
• NAS Acts 12:17 But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had led
him out of the prison. And he said, "Report these things to James and the brethren." And he departed and
went to another place. (Act 12:17 NAS)
• Act 15:13-31 When they finished, James spoke up: "Brothers, listen to me.....
• 18 The next day Paul and the rest of us went to see James, and all the elders were present.
• 19 Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.
• 20 When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul:.... (Act 21:18-20 NIVO)
• 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles,
• 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
• (1Co 15:7-8 NIVO)
• NAS Galatians 2:9 and recognizing the grace that had been given to me, James and Cephas and John, who
were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we might go to the
Gentiles, and they to the circumcised. (Gal 2:9 NAS)
• 12 For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came,
he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. (Gal 2:12 NAS)
• James, the Lord's brother
• 18 Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter and stayed with him fifteen
days. 19 I saw none of the other apostles--only James, the Lord's brother. (Gal 1:18-19 NIVO)
41

42. Did Peter go to Rome? No!
42

43. What Does it Mean To Be Justified by
God? by Harry A. Ironside
• NAU Romans 8:1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
• What Does it Mean To Be Justified by God? by Harry A. Ironside
• NEW BOOKLET TRACT: What Does it Mean To Be Justified by God? by Harry A. Ironside is our newest Lighthouse Trails
Booklet Tract. The Booklet Tract is 14 pages long and sells for $1.95 for single copies. Quantity discounts are as much as
50% off retail. Our Booklet Tracts are designed to give away to others or for your own personal use. Below is the content
of the booklet. To order copies of What Does it Mean To Be Justified by God?, click here.
• By Dr. Harry A. Ironside
• Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:
and by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. (Acts
13:38-39)
• Justification! It is a big word, and very often people miss its true meaning. What is it to be justified? It is to be cleared of
all blame, to be freed from every charge. It is the sentence of the court in favor of the prisoner. The prisoner stands
there, charged with certain things; the evidence is all heard, and the jury brings in a verdict of “Not guilty.” The man is
justified.
• Notice a most remarkable thing in these two verses. We have two things here, which God does for the believing sinner
that no man could do for anyone else. You could not both forgive a man and justify him at the same time. If you forgive
him, he cannot be justified. He must be guilty, and therefore, there is something to forgive. On the other hand, if you
justify him, then you do not need to forgive him. Suppose, for instance, one had been charged with a certain crime, and
after everything had been heard, the jury says, “Not guilty,” and the judge pronounces him free. As that man comes out
4
3

44. Some Of The Various Aspects Of The Ministry Of
The Holy Spirit In The Believers Life
• Some Of The Various Aspects Of The Ministry Of The Holy Spirit In The Believers Life
•
•
• 1. The Spirit dwells in believers. Jn. 14:6; Rom. 5:5; 8:9: 1 Cor. 3:16
•
• 2. The Spirit gives believers access to the Father. Ephesians 2:18
•
• 3. The Spirit has fellowship with believers. 2 Cor. 13:14; Phil. 2:1; 1 John 4:13
•
• 4. The Spirit teaches believers. 1 John 2:20, 27; 1 Cor. 2:13
•
• The Spirit reveals the glory of Christ to believers. 1 Cor. 2:9-13; John 16:13-15
• 6. The Spirit transforms believers. 2 Cor 3:18; John 17:24; Eph. 2:6, 7
• 7. The Spirit manifests his fruit through believers. Galatians 5:22, 23; John 15:5
•
• 8. The Spirit gifts every believer for ministry. 1 Cor. 12:7,11,27; Eph. 4:7,8,11,12
•
• 9. The Spirit empowers believers. Acts 1:8; Ephesians 3:18
•
• 10. The Spirit fills believers. Acts 2:4; Ephesians 5:18
•
• 11. The Spirit desires against believers' sin nature. Galatians 5:17; Romans 8:13
•
• 12. The Spirit controls the mind of the new man. Romans 8:5, 6; Phil. 2:5
•
• 13. The Spirit frees believers. Romans 8:2; 2 Cor. 3:17
•
• 14. The Spirit guides believers. Rom. 8:14; Galatians 5:18, 25
•
• 15. The Spirit intercedes in prayer for the believer. Rom. 8:26, 27; Eph. 6:18; Phil 3:3
•
• 16. The Spirit is God's guarantee of his promises to the believer. 2 Cor. 5:5; Eph. 1:13,14
•
• 17. The Spirit is the agent in the believer's sanctification. 2 Thess. 2:13,14; Rom. 15:16
•
• 18. The Spirit assures believers. Romans 8:16; 1 John 4:13
•
• 19. The Spirit glorifies Christ through believers. John 16:13,14; 1 Cor. 12:3
•
• 20. The Spirit can be grieved & quenched by the believer. Eph. 4:30; 1 Thess. 5:19
•
• 21. The Spirit is the means by which a believer walks. Galatians 3:2,3; 5:16
•
• The Spirit perfects the believer. Galatians 3:3

45. The Gospel's Promise is Not Conditional
Life, by Mike Gendron
• The Gospel's Promise is Not Conditional Life , by Mike Gendron
•
The apostle John, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, revealed the glorious promise of the Gospel with these words, "I write these things to you
who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life" (1 John 5:13). This verse parallels John's purpose for
writing his Gospel: "these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his
name" (John20:31). John wrote his Gospel so that people would believe and be saved. He wrote his first epistle so that those who believe would know
they are saved.
•
• Ignoring these certain and sure promises of God, over half of professing Christians believe they can lose their salvation. They believe eternal life is
really conditional life and it is based on what they continue to do instead of what Christ has done. They say they believe in Jesus, but they do not
believe what he promises. Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be
condemned, he has crossed over from death to life" (John5:24). Those who are depending on their own righteousness, performing good works, or
adhering to a religious system, can never be assured of salvation. They will never know if they have ever done enough. There is no joy when people put
their faith in what they do instead of what God has done in Christ. When salvation depends completely on God, there is no chance for failure.
Whenever man is involved in attaining and preserving salvation there can be no assurance, only a false hope.
•
True believers have assurance through God the Father. Jesus said: "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish...My Father, who has given
them to Me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand" (John 10:28-29). The life Jesus gives is everlasting, not temporal or
perishable.
True believers also have assurance through God the Son. Jesus said: "This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose
nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have
everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:39-40). "Everlasting" and "eternal" are words that describe not only the life believers
have in Christ, but also the punishment that awaits those who die without Christ.
Born-again Christians also have assurance through God the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul declared: "You also were included in Christ when you heard
the word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation; having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit
guaranteeing our inheritance" (Ephesians 1:13-14). At the very moment anyone understands and believes the Gospel, they are sealed by the Holy
Spirit, who guarantees they will be co-heirs with Christ (Romans8:17).
Assurance is based on God's power and promises (1 Pet. 1:3-5). The gift of eternal life is eternally secure because God's gifts are "irrevocable"
(Romans 11:29). Eternal life can only be received as a gift of God's grace. Anyone who tries to earn or merit the gift nullifies God's grace (Rom.
11:6). Professing Christians who want to be certain of their salvation must believe the promises of the Gospel and repent of any teaching, experience
or feeling that opposes the Word of God. Once they do, they will be more certain of living eternally in heaven than one more day on earth.
• News from Evangelist Mike Gendron, January 2014

46. Daniel 9:21, 10:12-13, How far away is
heaven?
• How far away is heaven? It is not so far as
some imagine. It wasn’t very far for Daniel. It
was not so far off that Elijah’s prayer, and
those of others could not be heard there. Men
full of the Spirit can look right into heaven.
• Dwight L. Moody

47. The Holy Spirit’s Ministry, Purpose And
Work
• John 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He
will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.
• John 15:26 "When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is
the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness of Me, 27 and you
will bear witness also, because you have been with Me from the beginning.
• John 14:17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does
not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in
you.
• John 16:13-15…13 "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the
truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak;
and He will disclose to you what is to come. 14 "He shall glorify Me; for He shall take of
Mine, and shall disclose it to you….
• 1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they
are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

48. Prosperity Gospel,
The Way It Was Meant To Be
Commentary by Jack Kelley
• The Way It Was Meant To Be
• Wednesday, April 2nd, 2014 Past Featured
• Spiritual Life
• Commentary by Jack Kelley
• The Prosperity Gospel teachers are right when they say the Lord intended for us to live abundant lives. The problem is, they have misrepresented the Lord’s promise of abundance, turning it into a false teaching where the motive is greed and not gratitude. Because of this only the teachers themselves are awash in
material wealth, while as a group their followers rank 2nd lowest of all American Christians in average income. (Source: Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life) The Lord intended for us to be financially secure so we could be generous to a fault, not so we could live a life of excess while ignoring the needs of others.
•
But that’s a story for another day. Our topic here is the way it was meant to be. In spite of current evidence to the contrary the Lord always intended for our lives to be much better than those of the pagan/secular world. I’ll show you what I mean. Here are some of the things God had Moses tell the Israelites when He
was preparing them for their life in the Promised Land,
• If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the LORD your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your forefathers. He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land—your grain, new wine and oil—the calves of
your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land that he swore to your forefathers to give you. You will be blessed more than any other people; none of your men or women will be childless, nor any of your livestock without young. The LORD will keep you free from every disease. He will not inflict on you the horrible diseases
you knew in Egypt, but he will inflict them on all who hate you. (Deut. 7:12-15)
• Their crops would never fail and would always be abundant. Their flocks and herds would grow in number season after season. Every marriage would produce happy healthy offspring. There would be no disease. In modern terms, this means job security and steadily increasing household wealth, in addition to being
blessed with great kids and good health. In short, they would live long and happy lives, secure in the Lord’s blessings.
When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. (Deut 8:10-11)
• He also admonished them never to forget the source of their prosperity,
You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today. (Deut. 8:17-18)
• and not make the mistake of thinking they had created their own success. There were to be no self made men in Israel. He would bless them beyond measure, but He wanted all the credit for doing so.
• At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel the loan he has made to his fellow Israelite. He shall not require payment from his fellow Israelite or brother, because the LORD’s time for canceling debts has been proclaimed. (Deut 15: 1-2)
• If a person did come upon hard times and had to borrow money, any balance remaining after seven years had to be forgiven. (By the way, according to Deut. 23:19, it was also forbidden for a lender to charge interest on these loans.) There was no long term debt. And once every generation not only were all debts
forgiven, but any who had sold themselves into servitude to pay their debts were set free, and any real property they had sold or lost was returned to them. There was no incentive for empire building, or enriching one’s self at the expense of the less fortunate. (Leviticus 25:8-55)
• However, there should be no poor among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, if only you fully obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today. (Deut. 15:4-5)
• Having to go into debt because of personal hard times should have been an almost unheard of situation. He promised them uninterrupted prosperity in exchange for obedience.
• If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs. Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the
LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. (Deut 15:7-8,10)
• He wanted them to demonstrate their generosity toward each other out of gratitude for the generosity He had demonstrated toward them.
• During the reigns of David and Solomon, these promises came true in a way never before seen on Earth. Israel was blessed with a standard of living that was the envy of every nation. Especially during the reign of Solomon, Israel was the healthiest, wealthiest, and happiest nation on Earth.
• That Was Then, This Is Now
• Now I know what you’re thinking. All that was in Old Testament times. But before you say that these promises were only for Israel, think about this. I’ll show you that all these promises are repeated in the New Testament, only now they’ re directed toward the Church. American Christians need to remember
this. America didn’t become the wealthiest nation on Earth because the Lord promised to bless our nation like He did Israel. There is absolutely no Scripture to support such a view. America became wealthy because the freedom to pursue the Christian religion without government interference (separation of Church and
State) attracted so many faith filled Christians to its shores that for all practical purposes America became the headquarters for the Church on Earth. As He had promised, God blessed these believers. It’s what came to be known as the Protestant work ethic that produced America’s wealth, and made even average
Americans wealthy beyond the fondest expectations of average non-Americans.
• Even a cursory study of American history will show that with few exceptions our government has always been corrupt, big business has always taken advantage of the little guy, and there’s always been an elite group lurking in the shadows, enriching themselves from the sweat of the common people. Some of our
founding fathers were deists. That means they believed in God, but rejected the notion that He would ever involve Himself in human affairs. In spite of their lip service, they never expected God to bless America because deists don’t believe God blesses any nation. They think He just observes His creation from afar. It
was the Church who started thinking of itself as the new Israel, not the government, (and certainly not God). What the politicians did was to play up to that false doctrine, blurring the distinction between religion and patriotism as a way to get re-elected.
• America’s decline began when separation of Church and State was re-interpreted to mean that the government could not do anything that was perceived as favoring one religion over another. Having divorced itself from the Church, America no longer had any right to the blessings that had come to it because of the
Church. In seizing the philosophical control of the government, non-believers succeeded only in killing the goose that been laying America’s golden eggs, and in the span of a generation or so America went from being the world’s largest lender to becoming its largest borrower. It was a stunning reversal of fortune.
• But that doesn’t mean God’s promises to the Church were rendered null and void. God’s word can’t be broken by the actions of a corrupt government. Consider these.
• So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about
tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matt. 6:31-34)
• This is the New Testament equivalent of the promises of Deut. 7:12-15. The difference is that it was not made to a nation, like it was in the Old Testament, but to the Church. And the condition is not obedience, it’s faith. When we seek the righteousness imputed to us by faith and focus on the coming Kingdom in which
our true citizenship is vested, the Lord has promised to meet all our Earthly needs.
• “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt. 6:19-21)
• So many Christians live lives indistinguishable from their worldly neighbors because over 90% of Christians have a secular world view. Like their unbelieving neighbors they’re storing up treasure on Earth where the moths and rust of inflation and interest destroy, and the thieves of government and banking break in and
steal.
• “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luke 6:37-
38)
• Once again, the focus here is on individuals. Instead of the polarizing (and largely futile) effort to force non-believers to live by our standards and condemn them to Hell when they don’t, each and every one of us can follow these admonitions regardless of what our country or our neighbor does. If we don’t judge others
for their sins, we won’t be judged for ours. If we don’t condemn them we won’t be condemned. If we forgive others when they sin against us, we’ll be forgiven for our sins against God. And even while the entire world goes to hell in a hand basket, our generosity toward others will be matched by God’s generosity toward
us.
• Please remember, these admonitions were given in a relational sense not in a judicial one. We’re saved by grace because of our faith, but remaining in fellowship with God requires that we be merciful to others in the same way that He’s been merciful to us. (Matt. 18:23-35)
• Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your
minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:4-7)
• The City of Philippi was a Roman colony, populated largely by former members of the military who had been given land there as a reward for service. They were proud of their Roman citizenship, loved being Romans, and tolerated no threats that could disrupt the status quo. They viewed the Church as such a threat, so
believers were persecuted. Many Christians lost their jobs and most were ostracized by the community at large and deprived of their right to worship in peace. In the midst of this Paul, himself imprisoned for his faith, exhorted them to maintain an attitude of joy in the face of persecution, in effect saying that none of
this could prevent God from meeting their needs. (Phil. 4:19)
• So many ask me questions these days about how bad things will get before the Rapture. Some send me reports of concentration camps being built to house Christians and other potential “terrorists”, and of a special branch of the US army being trained for use against the civilian population in cases of public protest
against government policy. Others wonder if they should start hoarding food as a hedge against coming shortages. And still others warn of a Great Depression style bank holiday that could deny us access to our money for weeks or months and cripple our economy.
• My response is that the parallel between the Church in Philippi then and the Church in the world now is obvious. Like them, our destiny is not dependent on the favor of any human government, but upon the immutable promises of God. We should rejoice in our salvation, pray about everything, be fearful of nothing,
and give thanks for anything. This alone will give us peace.
• For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. (Romans 8:15) We are the children of the Most High God, Creator of Heaven and Earth. He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
(Romans 8:32) These fears are born of our humanity, not of our spirituality.
• If you want a strategy for the days ahead try this.
• Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously … for God loves a cheerful giver. Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every
way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. (2 Cor. 9:6,7-10,11)
• As you can see from Deut. 8:17-18, it’s God who has supplied the seed. Within your circle of acquaintances there’s someone in need. Sow generously to help meet that need and you’ll reap accordingly. First, you will experience the joy that comes from giving, followed by an increase in your store of seed. You may
actually find that you’ve wound up with more at the end than you had at the start. Next you’ll discover that you’ve begun a chain reaction. As long as you keep sowing the seed the Lord will keep increasing your supply so you can sow still more. This is what it means to be made rich in every way so you can be generous
on every occasion. And as a special bonus, each time you sow you’re also storing up treasure in Heaven that nothing can ever devalue. These are My Thoughts. 07-04-09

49. When evil happens, " Where Was God?"
• Solid Ground, March/April 2014, by Greg Koukl, Where Was God
• What should God do?
• “…When people ask "Where was God?" I ask "What precisely do you expect God to do?
If you were in His place, what would you do?" If you would use your power to stop evil,
would you punish it or prevent it? Either choice presents you with problems. One reason
God doesn't wipe out all evil immediately is that the alternative would be worse for us.
This becomes evident by asking a simple question: If God heard your prayer to eliminate
evil and destroyed it all at midnight tonight, where would you be at 12:01?
• The discomfiting reality is that evil deeds can never be isolated from the evil doer. Each
one of us is guilty in some capacity, and we know it. That's the problem….
• Evil is spoiled goodness… Simply put, humans – you and I – make choices that cause evil.
Consequently any judicial action by God might take today would pin us all under the
gavel. When God wipes out evil He's going to do a complete job…”

50. Isaiah 46:9-10, Open theism, Declaring
the beginning from the end
• NAU Isaiah 46:9 "Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no
one like Me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning And from ancient times
• Did God create an ‘open’ universe?
• Theistic evolutionists take God out of the driver’s seat
• by Lita Cosner and Keaton Halley
• Published: 2 June 2015 (GMT+10)
• iStockphoto
• world-in-hands
• Christians, especially those facing difficult circumstances, take comfort in the fact that God knows everything that will
happen in advance and that He sovereignly directs all things. But theistic evolutionists are compelled by the logic of their
own arguments to deny these biblical teachings and embrace something akin to open theism.
• Open theism is the unbiblical idea that God does not completely know or control the future, because He endowed
human beings with free will and cannot predict for certain what choices they will make.1 Theistic evolution takes this to
a cosmic level. Although theistic evolution is sometimes described as “God used evolution” or “God directed the
evolutionary process”, many theistic evolutionists deny that God guided the evolutionary process in such a way as to
guarantee its specific outcomes. Rather, they believe nature was given a measure of ‘freedom’ to set its own course. As
Brown University professor, textbook author, and vociferous anti-creationist Kenneth Miller puts it:
• Many theistic evolutionists deny that God guided or directed the evolutionary process in such a way as to guarantee its
specific outcomes.
50
iStockph

51. Numbers 23:19, God Will Do It
• NAU Numbers 23:19 "God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor
a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He
not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
• What God says He will do! it's a done deal.
• In the USA, where morality is relative and truth is subjective,
Christians should know God is immutable, He never changes
and His promises will be kept. Our eternal security is kept by
Him, and He is able. God has not only made great promises to
us, His promises are eternal and unalterable., and as certain as
He is trustworthy.
• NAU Jeremiah 1:12 Then the LORD said to me, "You have seen
well, for I am watching over My word to perform it.“

52. Numbers 23:19, God Never Changes
• Numbers 23:19 …Has He said, and will He not do
it?...
• God never changes and His standards never change
• James 1:17 Every good thing given and every
perfect gift is from above, coming down from the
Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or
shifting shadow.
• Romans 11:29 for the gifts and the calling of God
are irrevocable.

53. • NAU Romans 4:21 and being fully assured that
what God had promised, He was able also to
perform.
• Job 24:22 "But He drags off the valiant by His
power; He rises, but no one has assurance of
life.
Romans 4:21, Assurance The Certainty Of
Salvation, by James McDonald

54. Romans 4:21, Assurance The Certainty Of
Salvation, by James McDonald
• NAU Romans 4:21 and being fully assured that
what God had promised, He was able also to
perform.
• Job 24:22 "But He drags off the valiant by His
power; He rises, but no one has assurance of
life.

55. “in Christ”
• Dr. Dwight J. Pentecost says that Paul's entire
theological System rests on the phrase “in Christ.”
• “In Christ by J. Dwight Pentecost on August 27, 2010 in
DTS Chapel
• Dr. J. Dwight Pentecost, distinguished professor
emeritus of Bible Exposition, reflects on the Apostle
Paul's theology of what it means to be "in Christ”…”
• http://www.dts.edu/media/play/in-christ-pentecost-j-dwight/
55

56. Romans 8:21, freedom
• Jerusalem Inspiration
• Today’s section comes from Naftali Herz Imber’s 1878 poem
“Hatikva” which later became Israel’s national anthem. Meaning,
‘The Hope’ in Hebrew, Hatikva expresses the Jewish desire to “live
in freedom.” However the Biblical notion of freedom is quite
different from how others define it. In the modern world, people
fight for freedom from some undesirable entity while the Torah
stresses that true freedom is the freedom to follow one’s own
intellectual and spiritual pursuits. In fact, the loftiest goal in the
Bible is for a person to relinquish their freedom and become a
‘servant’ of the Almighty.
• Jerusalem Daily Photo
• Today's photo by Igor Farberov features a beautiful neighborhood of
Jerusalem.

57. Romans 8:28, According To His Purpose
• Q. Romans 8:28 tells us God is working everything together for the good of those who love
him and “are called according to His purpose” What does “his purpose” mean? Do all things
work for the good only for those for whom God has a special purpose; a special task?
• A. Ephesians 3:10-11 gives us the answer to your question. “His (God’s) intent was that now,
through the Church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and
authorities in the heavenly realms, according to His eternal purpose which He accomplished in
Christ Jesus our Lord.”
• When sin came into the world, God had a huge problem. His righteousness demanded that
every sin be punished, but His love wanted every sin to be pardoned. God can not express
one of His attributes at the expense of another. Everything has to be reconciled. There had
to be a way that would both meet the requirements of His righteousness and the desires of
His love.
• His intent was to demonstrate to the angelic realms that He could solve this seemingly
unsolvable problem. The solution was for Him to send His own perfect son to pay the
penalty for all the sins of mankind. Then everyone who accepted that payment in faith would
receive a full pardon for their sins and inherit eternal life. Perfect righteousness would be
achieved in the death of His son. No sin would remain unpaid. Perfect love would be
achieved in the free gift of salvation to all who believe. Everyone who asked would receive.
No one would be turned away.
• He accomplished this through the Church, the body of believers. We have expressed our
love for Him, and we have been called according to His purpose. Everyone of us can be
certain that the promise of Romans 8:28 was intended for us.

58. Romans 8:28, Distressed, stressed
• In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a
little while, if necessary, you have been distressed
by various trials, so that the proof of your faith,
being more precious than gold which is perishable,
even though tested by fire, may be found to result in
praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus
Christ; —1 Peter 1:6-7
• Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be
content in whatever circumstances I am. —
Philippians 4:11

59. Rom 8:28, Assurance Of Salvation
• You knowQuestion: "How can I have assurance of my salvation?"
Answer: How can you know for sure if you are saved? Consider 1 John5:11-13: “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is
in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of
the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” Who is it that has the Son? It is those who have believed in Him and accepted Him
(John 1:12). If you have Jesus, you have life. Not temporary life, but eternal.
God wants us to have assurance of our salvation. We cannot live our Christian lives wondering and worrying each day whether or not we are truly
saved. That is why the Bible makes the plan of salvation so clear. Believe in Jesus Christ and you will be saved (John 3:16; Acts 16:31). Do you believe
that Jesus is the Savior, that He died to pay the penalty for your sins (Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21)? Are you trusting Him alone for salvation? If your
answer is yes, you are saved! Assurance means “having been put beyond all doubt.” By taking God's Word to heart, you can “put beyond all doubt” the
fact and reality of your eternal salvation.
Jesus Himself affirms this regarding those who have believed in Him: “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out
of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand” (John 10:28-29). Eternal life is
just that—eternal. There is no one, not even yourself, who can take Christ's God-given gift of salvation away from you.
We hide God's Word in our hearts so that we do not sin against Him (Psalm 119:11), and this includes the sin of doubt. Take joy in what God's Word is
saying to you, that instead of doubting we can live with confidence! We can have the assurance from Christ's own Word that our salvation will never
be in question. Our assurance is based on God's love for us through Jesus Christ.
Recommended Resources: Logos Bible Software and The Assurance of Our Salvation: Exploring the Depth of Jesus' Prayer for His Own by D. Martyn
Lloyd-Jones.
What's new on GotQuestions.org?

60. Romans 8:29-30, Who Does The Father
Draw? gracethrufaith.com
• Who Does The Father Draw?
• Tuesday, December 31st, 2013Once Saved Always Saved
• Salvation
• Q. John 6:44 says, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.” Are there people
who are eternally lost because the Father has not drawn them to himself?
• A. First of all, God doesn’t want any to be lost, but for all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). In 1 Tim. 2:3-4 Paul confirmed that God wants all men
to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. Therefore the door to salvation stands open to every person for the duration of his or her
lifetime.
• We know this because Jesus said God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him would not perish but have
eternal life (John 3:16). From this and other passages, it’s clear that we decide whether or not God will draw us to Him. Everyone who asks, receives
(Matt. 7:7). Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:13).
• Romans 8:29-30 explains how the process works.
• For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those
he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
• Knowing the end from the beginning, God knew the name of everyone who would accept the remedy He would provide for their sins before the first
man was created. (He foreknew.) He made a reservation for each one of them in His Kingdom. (He predestined.) At some point in their lives He calls
them and He keeps calling until they respond. (He called.) When they respond, and they all do, He applies His blood as payment in full for their sins
rendering them clean. ( He Justified.) At the Rapture / Resurrection He will give them glorified bodies to dwell in His presence for eternity. (He
Glorified.)
• In John 6:44, Jesus was referring to the fact that the Father only calls those He already knows will come, having seen them do so. He doesn’t call any
who won’t come (John 6:37) and He doesn’t lose any who have come (John 6:39).
• DLK responds to “the Father only calls those He already knows will come”. This is not what I see in Matt. 23:37. Also, John 6:37 says nothing about
how many God calls.
• http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bible-teacher/who-does-the-father-
draw/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Gracethrufaith+%28GraceThruFaith%29

61. Romans 8:29-30, A Glorified Body?
• A Glorified Body?
• Thursday, June 26th, 2014Resurrection
• Q. Do non- believers get a glorified body at their resurrection as well as believers? If
they don’t get an eternal body, how do they survive the eternal torment of the Lake of
Fire without being consumed and annihilated by the fire?
• A. The Bible doesn’t say what kind of resurrection non-believers will experience. They
may or may not may get some kind of physical form. But one thing for sure is that it
won’t be a glorified body, like the one we will receive (Romans 8:29-30). A glorified
body is one made glorious, as if clothed in light itself. It will be similar in appearance to
the one the disciples saw in Matt. 17:2 when Jesus was transfigured before them.
• “There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes
became as white as the light.”
• http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bible-teacher/glorified-
body/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Gracet
hrufaith+%28GraceThruFaith%29

62. Romans 8:29-30, Called Or
Drawn By God, gracethrufaith.com
• Who Does The Father Draw? Follow Up
• Wednesday, January 8th, 2014Salvation
• Q. Concerning “Who Does the Father Draw?”…I totally agree with you except for the part that God doesn’t call everyone. I believe He does, either
through hearing the Word or through observation of creation (Romans 1:18-20; Psalm 19:1-4; Job 12:7-12). Also John 12:32 says “When I am lifted up I
will draw all men unto Myself”. I truly believe that every lost person has been drawn by the Holy Spirit at some point in their lives, probably several
times, but continued to reject that calling. Therefore, at the Great White Throne judgment no lost person will be able to accuse God that He isn’t fair
because He never called them. Actually, I think we are in agreement that people send themselves to eternal judgment and that they did indeed have a
choice.
• A. Like you, I believe the door to salvation is open to everyone during their lifetime. We know that God wants everyone to be saved (2 Peter 3:9) and
Paul said everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:13). My point in saying God only calls those who he knows will
respond comes fromRomans 8:29-30.
• “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.”
• Notice there’s no fallout between any of the steps from foreknowledge to glorification. The ones He foreknew He predestined. The ones He
predestined He called. The ones He called He justified, and the ones He justified He glorified. The process begins with God, who knows the end from
the beginning, seeing in advance those who will become His. And everyone who enters the process completes it. Based on that, it would seem that if
He were to call everyone, then everyone would be saved.
• But as we know that’s not the case. Therefore, I can only conclude that there must be a difference between being drawn by the Holy Spirit and being
called by God. It must be that although the Holy Spirit draws all men, some harden their hearts against this and resist. At the GWT judgment I believe
those who resisted unto death will be enabled to recall all the times in their life when this happened, until finally their hearts became too hard to
penetrate. This will show them to be without excuse.
• After years of study I’ve become fully persuaded that each of us controls our own destiny where our salvation is concerned. Otherwise God is neither
fair nor just.
• http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bible-teacher/father-draw-follow/

63. Romans 8:31, If God is for us
• Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who
is against us?
• Ezra 8:22 For I was ashamed to request from the king troops and horsemen
to protect us from the enemy on the way, because we had said to the king,
"The hand of our God is favorably disposed to all those who seek Him, but
His power and His anger are against all those who forsake Him.“
• Mark 9:40 "For he who is not against us is for us.
• Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by
the opposition of men and devils. But if God be for you, who can be against
you? Are all of them together stronger than God? O be not weary of well
doing!
• -- John Wesley (1703-1791, Anglican cleric and Christian theologian.
Wesley, along with his brother Charles Wesley, is largely credited for the
Methodist movement, which began with open-air preaching similar to
George Whitefield)

64. Romans 8:38-39
• OSAS And Romans 8:38-39
• Tuesday, February 25th, 2014Q. I noticed that you use Romans 8:39-39 in justifying OSAS. I’ve been told that this verse lists
only external factors and doesn’t include anything internal to us. This means while nothing external to us can cause us to lose
our salvation, we can either forfeit or give back our salvation by things we do ourselves. Is this true?
• A. Let’s look at Romans 8:38-39 and see.
• For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ
Jesus our Lord.
• We are covered in the phrase “nor anything else in all creation”. This phrase literally means “any created thing”. Since we are
a “created thing” we are included. To exclude us the phrase would have to read “nor anything else in all creation except us.”
• Even if that was Paul’s only comment on the subject we can see it was not Paul’s intent to exclude us. But in fact he made
several other statements that are even more specific in denying the opinion that we can lose our salvation. For example, in 2
Cor. 1:21-22 and Ephesians 1:13-14 he said our salvation was guaranteed the moment we believed. In 2 cor. 1:21-22 he said
God has taken ownership of us and it is He who makes us stand firm in Christ.
• And in 2 Cor. 5:5 he said,
• Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is
to come.
• He was talking about the fact that when we die we will give up our earthly bodies for a heavenly one, something we long to
do. The Greek word translated “fashioned” in the above verse means “to accomplish or bring about”. By sending His son to
die for us God accomplished His goal of making us fit to dwell with Him and sent His Spirit as a deposit to guarantee this will
happen.
• Put these verses all together and it becomes clear that Paul meant to include us in Romans 8:38-39.
• http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bible-teacher/osas-romans-838-39/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Gracethrufaith+%28GraceThruFaith%29