Eternal Life and Reincarnation

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Eternal Life Blog

As a Christian, it is very disturbing for me to hear Biblical terms related to salvation that are are grossly twisted from their intended meaning. One such example is done by those who try to connect eternal life to reincarnation, such as here:Buddha

Humans are essentially spiritual beings that possess eternal life and reincarnate many times between the Real World and this world. (www.happy-science.org/)

The Biblical truth is categorically clear: all humans do NOT possess eternal life. In fact, since only the minority of people are real Christians, then only the minority possess eternal life. It is impossible to have eternal life without having the Lord Jesus as our own personal Lord and Savior (1 John 5:11-13). Narrow is the way to God’s Paradise kingdom. Also, a follower of Jesus has eternal life this side of the grave and at the point of a trusting and submitting faith in Jesus. Here are more wild details about reincarnation:

The cycle of reincarnation does vary according to the individual soul, however it is said to be on average once every 300 to 400 hundred years. Souls of a high spiritual grade are reincarnated in longer cycles but the cycle of reincarnation is short for souls of a low spiritual grade, because those souls have strong attachments to this world. However, when a great soul is born onto earth, reincarnation is planned at a different pace from the usual cycle. Souls are only reincarnated from heaven as they cannot be born from hell. This is because the earth would turn into hell if hell spirits were able to be born here. Hell spirits are only able to reincarnate after they have reflected on the errors of their own minds and have returned to heaven. Thus, everyone who is born on earth has been reincarnated from heaven. (ibid.)

What strangeness, yet taught with conviction, as the terms heaven and hell are used! Though the article doesn’t mention it there, that is Buddhism and its so-called “enlightenment.” Buddha predated Christianity and his name is supposed to mean “Enlightened One.” That is important because when the Lord Jesus later taught he himself is the “Light of the World” (John 8:12), he just denied Buddha’s claim and his contradictory teachings! For us today it comes down to who has the greater credentials and authority to represent truth? Is it Jesus of Nazareth or Gautama Siddhartha, Shakyamuni Buddha of 2500 years ago from India? Since Jesus of Nazareth is the proven son of God and God the Son, who raised from the dead in a body never to die again and was even endorsed by the heavenly Father as the one we should listen to (Mt. 17:5), we are wise to put into practice what he taught. Gautama Siddhartha has no such credentials, endorsements from the Father and never rose from the dead! Jesus of Nazareth even taught about eternal life himself, but certainly never connected it to reincarnation:

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:14-16)

We should, therefore, reject reincarnation and their bogus usage of eternal life. Do you know Jesus?

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According To What He Has Done and ETERNAL LIFE

Posted on February 5, 2012 by Eternal Life Blog

God will give to each according to what he has doneHow often we have been taught by today’s popular “Bible” teachers that our deeds are not important for salvation, as the same teachers stress faith in Jesus for eternal life. The uninformed listener concludes his behavior (even sinful behavior) is inconsequential, especially since Jesus’ death on the cross. The popular teachers have thrown the word grace around like it is the catch-all remedy for “sinful” behavior, especially if one has been previously saved. The word of God gives a totally different report, which should cause many professing Christians to tremble in their shoes! Here are the eternal facts:

And that you, O Lord, are loving. Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done. (Psa 62:12)

If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has done? (Prov 24:12)

For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. (Mat 16:27)

God “will give to each person according to what he has done.” (Rom 2:6)

Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. (Rev 22:12)

The typical churchgoer is probably thinking that deeds are important only for rewards and that is how those verses should all be understood. Is that really what they are saying? The Rom. 2:6,7 passage is most clear and shouts out the answer – NO!

God “will give to each person according to what he has done.” To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. (Rom 2:6,7)

The words eternal life clearly make the subject salvation, not rewards! As the Bible teaches elsewhere (especially in James 2), we see it again that a saving faith in Jesus has good works (good deeds) with it. If not, it is only the faith of demons. Therefore, what we DO is vitally connected to both salvation and rewards and not just rewards alone! To disconnect saving faith and behavior for salvation under grace is a glaring DEADLY error!

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (Gal 6:7-9)

Please note that Rom. 2:6,7 and Gal. 6:7-9 did not originate with me. They are NOT my teachings. They are the teachings of the Apostle Paul, who was communicating God’s truth to others. Remember, YOUR future is being determined now based on what you do (and according to what you have done). Don’t be deceived.

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As A Dog Returns To Its Vomit

Posted on February 4, 2012 by Eternal Life Blog

dog and his vomitAs a dog returns to its vomit is how Peter actually likened certain backsliders who return to sin. Sometimes the eternal security teachers will say if that occurs, such a backslider was never saved and is usually how they try to explain away the following clear passage, which states otherwise. Read this carefully:

A Dog Returns To Its Vomit

If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.” (2 Pet 2:20-22)

So, at a past point the unnamed people escaped the corruption of the world by knowing the Lord Jesus (which can only be the language of true salvation and receiving eternal life), but now they were entangled and overcome again and even in a worse way than before initial salvation. They backslid as they also turned their back on the sacred command.

In defense of the eternal security position, such proponents say they were always dogs and hogs, but never sheep. In other words, they were never saved. Let’s look at the Scripture from which Peter quotes:

A Dog Returns To Its Vomit = Fool

As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly. (Prov 26:11)

It says a fool repeats his folly, but doesn’t say he was always a fool. To come to that conclusion is to read into that passage something which is not there. The truth is, one’s spiritual identity changes, based on his present tense faith and beliefs. For example, King David was a fool, when he backslid into adultery and murder (and became an adulterer and murderer). Before that time, he was a very godly, faith-filled man, but sin changed that! Here is Scripture to prove one becomes a fool by backsliding:

Some became fools through their rebellious ways and suffered affliction because of their iniquities. (Psa 107:17)

2 Peter 2:20-22 is About Backsliders

Again, for anyone to read about a dog returns to its vomit in 2 Peter 2:20-22 and conclude it doesn’t refer to backsliders (people once truly saved) is terribly unscriptural. Just because Peter quotes proverbs about them — a dog returns to its vomit — and there they are compared to a fool doesn’t mean such were never saved. Moreover, the truth is, such a backslider is in a spiritually worse condition than he previously was before salvation! This should make the Christians more guarded than ever, but because dangerous false teachers have distorted Peter’s intended meaning, the warning is hidden from some. Don’t play with sin and don’t let the phrase as a dog returns to its vomit describe you!

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Do Not Conform To Past Evil Desires

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Eternal Life Blog

do not conform to past evil desires The Christian life is an ongoing battle. The devil never gives up with his deceitful schemes to recapture the saints he lost. Besides false teachings, he can present the Christian’s past life (when he was a child of the devil, enslaved by sin and evil desires as he traveled on the road to hell) as something exciting, beneficial and glamorous. The devil does that through a combination of temptations with discouragement and distorted imaginations and fantasies regarding evil desires! The Tempter is and has been very successful with deceptive evil desires because there are so many backsliders and Scriptural teachings related to backsliding.

On occasions, the Christian race is described by false teachers as though he can’t ever backslide into serious sin, and if a professing Christian does, he is then sometimes referred to as a false convert or never really saved. However, when King David and Peter backslid and fell away for a time, the same false shepherds never say that such is proof they were only a false convert! Let’s step away from such religious fairytales and take a stern look at the subject of evil desires and their danger. Peter wrote:

As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. (1 Pet 1:14)

Just a few verses later the ones addressed are shown to have been redeemed by Jesus’ blood and born again (1 Pet. 1:18-23), but according to what he wrote, it was still possible for them to conform to the evil desires they had when they lived in ignorance. They could go back like a dog returns to his vomit and be overcome (2 Pet. 2:20-22). When one yields to sinful and evil desires, he also conforms to them! That means when tempted, the man once set free from alcoholism better resist the devil. If he yields to the temptation of sins from his past life, he also conforms to those same evil desires again! His spiritual identity gets reversed, as he becomes a drunkard and passes from life to death. (No drunkard will inherit God’s kingdom, 1 Cor. 6:9,10.) The same is true regarding evil desires associated with lust, greed, hate, lying, theft, unforgiveness, swindling, murder, etc. A set-free-from-sin holy servant of God can again be bound by sin. Hence, for a very good reason Peter wrote the saints, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. It doesn’t have to happen. You can live holy. You can obey, put God’s word into practice and do his will to the end, but the devil will try to get you to return through your own free will! You must, therefore, get very serious about living holy. Paul did, even to the point of taking captive every thought (2 Cor. 10:5). See also 1 Cor. 9:27. Do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.

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Your First Love

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Eternal Life Blog

The Lord Jesus wants Christians to continue to have God as their first love. Jesus knows who your first love is and if it no longer is God, then he is calling you to repentance! (The first and greatest command is to LOVE GOD with all of our heart, soul and mind, Mt. 22:37,38.) That issue is supremely important and will not be overlooked or cancelled out even for those who work hard, persevere, cannot tolerate wicked men, have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, have endured hardships for Jesus’ name, have not grown weary and hate the practices of the Nicolaitans! (Those are also important issues Jesus notices, besides our first love.) How do we know that? That was his message to the church at Ephesus (Rev. 2:1-7), after he ascended into heaven. NOTE: That is the same church Paul wrote his epistle to. So even though there were many very commendable godly traits among the Ephesians, who were previously saved by grace (Eph. 2:8,9), the Lord Jesus said the following to them:

First Love

Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. (Rev 2:4,5)

That is the real Lord Jesus, but far from the one many have been wrongly taught about. The real Lord Jesus held their forsaking their first love against them! He could see their sin and wasn’t automatically pleased with them, because they had been saved by grace in the past, as eternal security imputed righteousness declares! Jesus told them to R-E-P-E-N-T or else!

What a shock to many who have been dangerously taught by a false teacher. Again, Jesus told them to repent, who previously had already repented to get born again (Acts 20:21; 2 Pet. 3:9; Lk. 13:3; etc.)! If they chose not to return to their first love (God), then Jesus would remove their lampstand! Their lampstand was their church (Rev. 1:20) and would be taken away. Hence, their offense of forsaking their first love was very serious, but was amendable through repentance. For those who would, in the end, overcome forsaking their first love, Jesus said:

To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. (Rev 2:7)

Making God your first love is a salvation issue and those who will eat from the tree of life in the paradise of God do love God first! Do you love God first? If not R-E-P-E-N-T. Jesus said:

Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. (Mat 10:37,38)

Since Jesus is eternal life (1 John 1:2), to not be worthy of him is to not be worthy of eternal life. This makes that a salvation issue. So, who is your first love above all others?

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Dan Corner Former Roman Catholic Testimony Video

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Eternal Life Blog

Dan Corner is a former Roman Catholic, who wanted to stay a Roman Catholic, but was changed by reading the Catholic Bible! Dan Corner once wore the brown scapular, purchased masses to get people out of Purgatory sooner, bowed before and kissed images, etc. Now he is a Bible-defined Christian and has Scripture for backing. (If you know a Catholic, please have him/her listen to this testimony.)




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Be Slow To Speak

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Eternal Life Blog

One of the best ways to keep yourself pure (1 Tim. 5:22) and to guard your heart (Prov. 4:23) is to be slow to speak. Being slow to speak is an important spiritual safeguard and takes self control. James said this about being slow to speak:

Be Slow To Speak

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry (James 1:19)

Sinning with words is very common and must be guarded against. Job, who feared the LORD and shunned evil (Job 1:8), knew about the danger of words. He was very guarded with his words so he wouldn’t sin:

As long as I have life within me, the breath of God in my nostrils, my lips will not speak wickedness, and my tongue will utter no deceit. (Job 27:3,4)

Job had Godly determination, knew the power in words and how a person can sin in that manner! People who fear the Lord in our day are careful with their words too! Jesus said:

But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned. (Mat 12:36,37)

YOUR WORDS will make the difference for you! If you aren’t slow to speak, you will probably be speaking the wrong words! If you aren’t yet convinced about being slow to speak, perhaps this fact will help:

He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin. (Prov 13:3)

To speak rashly will bring you to ruin, just it has many others! It won’t be different for you. Control your tongue and you’ll control your life’s direction. The tongue is likened to a rudder on a big ship (James 3:4) steering it around. James also stated :

If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. (James 1:26)

We must keep a tight rein on our tongue. According to that verse it is VITAL! Your Christian “religion” is worthless, if you aren’t! Hence, you must be slow to speak. So, are you keeping a tight rein of your tongue?

Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. (James 3:5,6)

Christians are to be sin conscious and being slow to speak is important:

When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise. (Prov 10:19)

You are battling for eternity. Be slow to speak!

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Fruit | Spiritual Fruit | Fruitlessness | Got Fruit | Fruit Or Fire

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Eternal Life Blog

A definite fact about God is, he wants fruit from his children and bearing such is definitely necessary to maintain salvation, according to the Lord Jesus. In fact, Jesus reveals that the heavenly Father will see to it those previously born again do NOT enter his heaven, if they bear no fruit:

fruit

He [God the Father] cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. (John 15:2-6)

Without question the subject is branches of a fruit tree (or people) in Christ. There should be no quibbling over this, since it is so clear. Regardless the clarity, since certain teachers would have to surrender their eternal security doctrine to accept that, they instead will distort the word to weird absurdities. One example comes from popular once saved always saved teacher, Bruce Wilkinson.

Jesus said the branches are “in me.” It is fruit or fire for the Christian, but there is more detail. For the Father to cut a branch from the tree means that branch will wither, since it is no longer attached to the life source. NOTE: The Greek word “withers” in John 15:6 is also found in Lk. 8:6, where Jesus taught the parable of the sower. Luke 8:6 and Luke 8:13 refer to the same person and the latter verse shows the plant withers when it stops believing, and that occurred because of persecution over the word of God! In other words, the Christian experiences spiritual death when his faith is destroyed. The only way a person can experience spiritual death is to first be alive. Hence, in both passages loss of salvation is taught by the Lord Jesus, with the former passage stating it’s over bearing no fruit!

In our day, with its flood of false teachings and distorted grace message, bearing spiritual fruit is not even an issue, even though it is vital. It is similar to avoiding lukewarmness, unforgiveness, greed and lust, which will also negate one’s salvation.

BTW, since the Father is so eager to see fruit in our lives, he will prune down our branches to make them more fruitful, if that is possible. That may explain some of the painful times Christians experience. To bear good fruit will take an investment of your time and efforts, which too many think belongs all to themselves instead of God. Got fruit?

Print out our Fruit or Fire pdf tract

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It Is Also Written

Posted on January 29, 2012 by Dan Corner

A surprising detail about the devil is, he can actually quote Scripture! He did that when he tempted Jesus! Imagine that! The evil one, who hates God’s word and steals it away from some (Mt. 13:19), will also quote Scripture to tempt, if necessary:

It Is Also Written

Then the devil took him [Jesus] to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered him, “‘It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” (Mat 4:5-7)

Jesus’ words, “It is also written” need to be remembered by the righteous for there are many who, like the devil, will misuse Scripture to try to influence us! The devil quoted Psa. 91:11,12, but misapplied it! When Jesus said, “It is also written” he quoted another Scripture, which showed he would be testing God to deliberately throw himself down from the top of the temple. That is very important to remember. We need all the related Bible truth on any given subject, before we can accurately make a sound conclusion. To walk in a more spiritually guarded manner, we need to be aware of the it is also written example the Lord Jesus gave! There are too many who are swayed in the wrong direction, because they hear a Scripture misapplied. Folks, there are many lethal doctrines, which claim support from the Scriptures, but they are misapplied somehow!

One glaring example is the way the Jehovah’s Witnesses stress the humanity of Christ, as they endeavor to disprove the deity of Christ. What they do is magnify the former and avoid or try to explain away the latter! Since the Lord Jesus is both God and man, a Christian could say to them, “It is also written,” then give an argument and Scripture for his deity. The fact of the humanity of Christ doesn’t nullify the fact of the deity of Christ. Jesus is both God and man.

Another example is how Roman Catholics cite 2 Thess. 2:15 for their traditions, which they equally exalt in authority to the Scriptures:

So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.

They seem oblivious to the fact that the burden of proof is on them and they can’t prove the traditions referred to by Paul are the same ones they are embracing, while they also ignore 2 Tim. 3:16,17, which state Scripture alone is final authority. So the Christian should say to a Catholic, “It is also written” as he/she would quote an appropriate Scripture on salvation, Mary, prayer, bowing before graven images, etc. Following Jesus’ example to say, it is also written is very important, as we test everything and hold on to the good (1 Thess. 5:21).

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Righteousness

Posted on January 28, 2012 by Eternal Life Blog

righteousnessNo one who believes the Bible is God’s word should try to dispute the clear fact that JESUS is our righteousness, holiness, etc. (1 Cor. 1:30; etc.) and he becomes our righteousness through a submissive faith in JESUS (Rom. 3:22; 9:30-10:4; etc). That is basic, but what that doesn’t mean is also significant! Many wrongly think a moment of saving faith means a forever righteous standing before God regardless if one obeys or not. That couldn’t be further from true grace teaching! Paul, who taught the above concepts, also taught about another type of righteousness, related with salvation, of which many people have no clue:

Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey–whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? (Rom 6:16)

Too bad people don’t know Rom. 6:16 like they do John 3:16! It would help clear up some of the problems among evangelicals in our day. According to Rom. 6:16, death is contrasted to righteousness and righteousness there comes from obedience! Since being a slave to obedience leads to righteousness, people who say they sin all the time (and therefore are not obeying) have no Biblical right to claim to be righteous. The shocking thing is, many of the same people (who wrongly think they are Christians) would openly say they are NOT righteous, but instead are sinners – not even realizing that Christians are righteous and sinners are spiritually lost!

Paul taught about a righteousness connected with obedience and which is the opposite of death. In other words, righteousness and eternal life are related, just as sin and spiritual death are.

I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. (Rom 6:19)

So just as Paul taught JESUS is our righteousness and holiness, he also taught obedience for righteousness and holiness! He then capped it off with this bombshell in our dark day:

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. (Rom 6:22)

Roman 6:22 implies the new creation in Christ and states holiness comes from being a slave to God and the final result is eternal life! That is pure grace teaching from the original source.

BTW as 1 Cor. 1:30 states Jesus is our righteousness, other Scriptures state YHWH is our righteousness (Jer. 23:6; 33:16). As with other scriptures, that proves Jesus is YHWH.

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