"What is cheap grace?"



Answer: The term “cheap grace” can be traced back to a book written by German theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, called The Cost of Discipleship, published in 1937. In that book, Bonhoeffer defined “cheap grace” as “the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline. Communion without confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ.” Notice what is emphasized in Bonhoeffer’s definition of cheap grace and what is de-emphasized. The emphasis is on the benefits of Christianity without the costs involved; hence, the adjective cheap to describe it.



A similar debate regarding cheap grace erupted in the 1980s and 1990s in the Lordship Salvation controversy. The controversy began when pastor and theologian John MacArthur objected to a teaching that was becoming popular in evangelical circles called “carnal Christianity.” The reference is to a statement that the apostle Paul made in his first letter to the church at Corinth: “But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:1). The phrase “of the flesh” is the Greek word sarkinos, meaning “flesh.” The word carnal comes from the Latin word for “flesh.” In the New Testament, flesh can simply mean “skin, flesh, body.” However, Paul often uses it to speak of our sinful nature—that unredeemed part of man with whom the new man in Christ must battle daily (Romans 7; 1 Corinthians 3:1-3; 2 Corinthians 10:2; Galatians 5:16-19).



The idea of carnal Christianity essentially teaches that as long as one makes a profession of faith in Christ, he or she is saved (Romans 10:9), even if there is no immediate obedience to the commands of Jesus and the apostles to live a life of holiness. It is the idea that we can have Jesus as Savior, but not necessarily as Lord. People who advocate for carnal Christianity, or “free grace” as it’s often called, do not deny the necessity of good works (i.e., holy living) for sanctification, but they distinguish the call for salvation from the call to sanctification (or discipleship).



There are many Scripture passages that free grace advocates use to support their position. It is not necessary to cite them all, but two of the most popular and forceful passages are John 3:16 and Romans 10:9.



• For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)



• Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)



Clearly, these passages, and others, teach that the one who believes in Jesus Christ “has eternal life” and “will be saved.” There is no disputing this. However, what people like John MacArthur and others were objecting to is not that salvation and eternal life are free gifts of God’s grace, but rather the teaching that the call to salvation does not also include a call to repentance and holy living. In other words, they were objecting that the doctrine of free grace was becoming a doctrine of cheap grace. What the proponents of Lordship Salvation assert is that salvation is a call to discipleship, that one cannot have Jesus as Savior without also acknowledging Him as Lord.



The New Testament uses the word for “Lord” (kurios) 748 times, and 667 of those times it is used in reference to God or Jesus (e.g., “Jesus Christ our Lord,” Romans 1:4). In contrast, the New Testament uses the word for “savior” (soter) only 24 times. It seems clear that the emphasis in the New Testament is on Jesus Christ as Lord, not as Savior. Now in saying that, it is not meant to downplay or denigrate the saving work of Jesus Christ on the cross. What a glorious and gracious provision God has made for His people in providing Jesus Christ as our atoning sacrifice who thereby guarantees salvation and eternal life for those who believe in Him. Jesus Christ is most certainly our Savior, but this cannot be separated from the fact that Jesus Christ is Lord, and as Lord, He commands and we obey.



Jesus, in His Great Commission to the 11 remaining disciples, commanded them to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to observe all that He had commanded them (Matthew 28:19-20). Evangelism and discipleship go hand in hand. A disciple is one who observes (keeps, obeys) all that Jesus has commanded. There is no two-stage process in Christianity—first, be saved; then become a disciple. This arbitrary distinction is foreign to the New Testament and therefore foreign to Christianity.



To play off the title of Bonhoeffer’s book, let’s look at what Jesus said to His disciples about discipleship in Luke 14:25-33. In that passage, Jesus says to the crowds that no one can be His disciple unless they first hate their family (v. 26). Furthermore, the one who cannot bear his own cross cannot be His disciple (v. 27). Two conditions are given by Jesus in order to be His disciple. The first is to be willing to renounce family in order to follow Jesus. The second is to be willing to die, both literally and metaphorically (“die to self”) in order to follow Jesus. Jesus then gives two examples of “counting the cost.” The first is an example of a man who desires to build a tower without first counting the cost of building the tower. After realizing he cannot complete it, he gives up in shame and embarrassment. The second is that of a king preparing to go to battle and making sure he can defend against the superior foe. The point Jesus is making is that discipleship has a cost.



Furthermore, discipleship requires repentance and obedience. At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, the message He preached was a message of repentance (Matthew 4:17). The message of the apostles after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension was also one of repentance (Acts 2:38). Along with repentance comes obedience. Jesus told a crowd of listeners that salvation and obedience go hand in hand: “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” (Luke 6:46). Jesus then goes on to differentiate the one who builds his house on the sand from the one who builds his house on the rock, that is, the man who not only hears the words of Jesus, but does them, too.



Cheap grace seeks to hide the cost of discipleship from people. It seeks to claim that as long as we make a profession of faith, we are saved. God’s grace covers all our sins. Again, that is a wonderful truth! The apostle Paul says as much when he writes, “Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 5:20-21). Yet, right after writing that, Paul follows it with this: “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:1-2). Salvation by grace alone through faith alone is so much more than simply mouthing the words “Jesus is Lord.” We are not saved by a profession of faith. We are not saved by praying the Sinner’s Prayer. We are not saved by signing a card or walking an aisle. We are saved by a living and active faith (James 2:14-26), a faith that manifests itself in repentance, obedience and love of God and our neighbor. Salvation is not a transaction; it’s a transformation. Paul says it best when he says we are “new creations” in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). There is nothing “cheap” about grace!

He is a King, a Lion and the Lamb of God and our Judge and our Creator...He is God like His Father.


Jesus fought unbelievers and cleansed the Temple from business men...lol
He also said BOLDLY that people will get to hell.
This was His message and this is His MESSAGE.
He also called by "bad" words some unbelievers:
He called unbelievers as DOGS!!! and swine and foxes!!
He replied, "Go tell that fox, 'I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.'
Luke 13:32
NOTE:
Jesus called the Scribes and Pharisees "fools, hypocrites, blind guides, whited sepulchers, murderers, a generation of snakes," and many such epithets. Jesus called them "hypocrites" seven times in one chapter. He spoke with scathing derision to the Scribes and Pharisees throughout His ministry; very few of them received a kind word from Him.
Do any believe Jesus was referencing farm animals when He said not to cast pearls or give what is holy to "the DOGS and PIGS?"
Jesus referred to the recalcitrant Jewish leaders as, "an EVIL and ADULTEROUS generation," "SERPENTS and SNAKES," and "children of the DEVIL." Why He even told the Scribes and Pharisees regarding the royal and mighty King Herod: "Go ye, and tell that FOX [that JACKAL]…"
WOE unto you, ye BLIND GUIDES…

You FOOLS AND BLIND…
You SERPENTS, you GENERATION OF SNAKES… you KILL AND CRUCIFY… you SCOURGE in your synagogues… Behold your house is left unto you DESOLATE"!!
This is the TRUE Jesus...not kind but He is JUSTICE!
He is the God of Justice and our Judge during the Judgement Day that is why He will CONDEMN people for their crimes and send them to the LAKE of FIRE!
You should know this Jesus and read the Bible DAILY to IMPLEMENT it and be like HE is!
Look how God will judge christians soon too:
"For the time is come that JUDGMENT must begin at The House of God…" (I Pet. 4:17).
From the Church...i.e. christians!
"Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do THESE [these vessels of dishonor in God’s House] also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the truth. But they shall proceed [Gk: ‘increase, advance, grow’] no further [Just as Jannes and Jambres could resist God only so far and no further, so too, will these corrupt-minded reprobates in God’s House cease to deceive God’s church, when God makes all secrets known to all]: for their folly shall be manifest unto all, as theirs [Jannes & Jambres] was." (II Tim. 3:8-9).
Notice this warning:

"For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you (CHRISTIANS!!!), not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them" (Acts 20:29-30).
"…there shall be false teachers among you, who privily [smuggle] shall bring in damnable heresies…" (II Pet. 2:1).
"Yes, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But EVIL MEN AND SEDUCERS [Gk: ‘imposters’] SHALL WAX [grow] WORSE AND WORSE, deceiving, and being deceived" (II Tim. 3:13).
And just who is it that grows "worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived?" The men and women of the world? The pagans and heathens? Is this what Paul means? Of course not. These are the leaders of the Church.

"Preach the word; [the WHOLE Word of God]; be instant in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine [Who? The world? The pagans? The atheist? Why they have never had sound doctrine in the first place] but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables" (II Tim. 4:2-4).
God commands us ALWAYS:
"Cry ALOUD, SPARE NOT, lift up your voice like a TRUMPET, and show my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins" (Isa. 58:1).
"Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us SMOOTH things, prophesy DECEITS" (Isa. 30:10).
I would rather sound a little angry or sarcastic than to teach smooth and deceitful things. Even Isaiah used colorful language, "speak unto us smooth things."
"Then began He [Jesus] to UPBRAID [Greek: oneidizo] the cities wherein most of His mighty works were done, because they repented not" (Matt. 11:20).

"Blessed are ye, when men shall REVILE [Greek: oneidizo] you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you FALSELY, for my sake" (Matt. 5:11).
HOW JESUS ‘UPBRAIDED’ THE CITIES?
"‘Why are you asking Me this question? Ask those who heard me. You have some of them here. They know what I said.’ One of the soldiers standing there struck Jesus WITH HIS FIST. ‘Is THAT THE WAY to answer the High Priest?’ he demanded" (John 18:21-22, The Living Bible).

One of the guards felt Jesus was so contemptuous and out of line, that he slapped Jesus in the mouth with the palm of his hand and told Him to WATCH HIS MOUTH when speaking to the High Priest! The guard was letting Jesus know in no uncertain terms that one does not speak to such a dignified person as the High Priest with such a demeaning tone of voice!
…because AS He [Jesus] is, SO ARE WE in this world" (I John 4:17),
"Let this MIND be IN YOU, which was also in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 2:5)?
Do u know why we should be like Jesus?
Because we HATE sins like Jesus and LOVE people.
Remember that my friend.
"Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword" (Matt. 10:34).
"For THE WORD OF GOD is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any TWO-EDGED SWORD, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Heb. 4:12).
CHRIST DEMANDS MORE THAN EQUAL LOVE!!!!

"He that loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me: and he that loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me" (Matt. 10:37).
JESUS CALLS THE JEWS WOLVES

"Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves…" (Matt. 10:16).
"But He answered and said unto them, Why do YOU ALSO transgress the commandments of God by YOUR TRADITIONS?… You HYPOCRITES…" (Matt. 15 & 7).

"They PROFESS that they know God; but in works they deny Him, being ABOMINABLE, and DISOBEDIENT, and unto every good work REPROBATE" (Titus 1:16).
ABOMINABLE, DISOBEDIENT, REPROBATE! Are these words strong enough to make Paul’s point? Many, many pastors of the Church profess that they LOVE GOD; they profess that they LOVE THEIR NEIGHBORS; then even profess that they LOVE THEIR ENEMIES, but in works they deny Him:
"Therefore when you do your alms, do not SOUND A TRUMPET before you, as the hypocrites do in the SYNAGOGUES and in the STREETS, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward" (Matt. 6:2).
"Give not that which is holy unto the DOGS, neither cast your pearls before SWINE, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and REND you [‘tear you in pieces’ Goodspeed Translation]" (Matt. 7:6).
"It is not meet to take the children’s bread and to cast it to DOGS."
This is the TRUE Jesus! Remember Him.

Deliverance does ONLY God when we ABANDON sins and TURN from them..ABANDON them..all other "deliverance" is MADNESS and heresy in our churches.

If we live in sins then we will die in sins.

Illustration for you:

I was a killer-fighter in Syria.
I repented of my mass-murders I commited, however I often like to cut off heads of Arabs in Syria.


Who am I in this case? A Christian or a killer? A killer. For God and people. We cannot fool God. You are a killer/sexual immoral sinner or a HOLY son of God..there is NO THIRD option for you.


Die for your sins or be a pig and dog returning to your vomit and mud pit...We prefer to be sons of God.

More Bible references to ponder:



To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:



2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.



5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.



8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his OLD sins.



10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; 11 for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.



2 Peter 1



Let's analyze what we all have to possess?



God's divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness!!!

HOW? Through the knowledge of God in the Bible.



God called us by glory and virtue!



God gave us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be PARTAKERS of the DIVINE nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.



What we all have to do?



Giving all diligence, add to your faith (1) virtue-behavior showing high moral standards of God

(2) knowledge of God

(3) self-control

(4) perseverance

(5) godliness

(6) brotherly kindness

(7) love .



For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.



He who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to BLINDNESS, and has forgotten that he was CLEANSED from his OLD sins.



If you do these things you will never stumble!



And your entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I mean it is our responsibility to live in sins or with God.



If we will live in sins then God does not live with us.

He abandons sinners (sexual immoral people..)



If we live in sins, we will die in sins and after death God will judge us for our sins.



That is CLEAR.



What is the result of such sins/life style? Sexual immoral people do NOT inherit the Kingdom of God, unbelievers/in-the name-only believers too.



That is why it is OUR responsibility to COOPERATE with God and ABANDON our sins in repentance to live with God...



Or we have the second option: ungodly life, leading us to the Lake of Fire.

God imputed us the righteousness of His Son to live a GODLY/HOLY life.



This is Christianity.

Our Churches do not teach it.

But that is the main topic of the NT and Jesus in His teaching: HOLY and GODLY life of Christians.





If we do NOT live a godly life then we live in sexual immorality and other sins.

Is it ok to be a son of God and commit such sins?

If it is ok for you then you should know what our God Jesus said:



SEXUAL immoral people do NOT inherit the Kingdom of God!



For I tell you that unless your righteousness SURPASSES that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly NOT enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matth 5:20

I want to quote what my friend Ella said:



In Jesus you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit Ephesians 2:22



We must continue to allow God to create in us a clean heart and renew the right spirit in us.



God can only tear down the building that we have build within ourselves as we give Him permission and allow the Holy Spirit to do His work in us.



Once God has torn down what we have built on the wrong foundation, He begins a new work of reconstruction and restoration in us, rebuilding and remodeling our old structure removing ourselves as the old headstone, and replacing it with Jesus Christ as our new head cornerstone....



But this can't be done without us totally surrendering to the Holy Spirit, giving Him permission to do so, converting our old building into new creations and new creatures in Christ thus, presenting us before God as a new place acceptable for His holy and pure dwelling place.



he who began a good work in us, will not have this building competed until Jesus comes



and in the words of Madear...HA-LA-LU-JER!!

Can a genuine Christian commit apostasy?

Yes.

God said that during the end time before the return of Jesus to our planet many will abandon faith!



But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron

1 Timothy 4:1



Jesus prophesied that "MANY will fall away" (Matt. 24:10). Likewise, Paul said the Anti-Christ cannot be revealed until "the great apostasy" takes place (II Thess. 2:3).

II Timothy 3:5 - "Men will hold to form of religion but will deny its power."



In II Timothy 4:3-4, Paul says: "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths."



Jesus warned:

Matthew 18:7

Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!



2 Peter 2:1

But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers AMONG YOU (Christians!!!). They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them--bringing swift destruction on themselves.



1 John 2:18

Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.



1 John 4:6

We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.



Jesus WARNS us:

"All this I have told you so that you will not fall away.



1"These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling. 2"They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God.�

John 16:1



Jesus says:

Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe FOR A WHILE, but in the time of TESTING they FALL AWAY.





NOTE Christians: Judgment will begin in the House of the Lord/the Church of God, where it always begins (Ezek. 9:6 and I Peter 4:17).

For it is time for judgment to begin with God's household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?

AND IF IT IS WITH DIFFICULTY THAT THE RIGHTEOUS IS SAVED, WHAT WILL BECOME OF THE GODLESS MAN AND THE SINNER ?

1 Peter 4:17

Guys, try always to MEDITATE on the words of GOD and NOT 'teachings' taught by your 'teachers'!!!



Read again:

Jesus prophesied that "MANY will fall away" (Matt. 24:10). Likewise, Paul said the Anti-Christ cannot be revealed until "the great apostasy" takes place (II Thess. 2:3).



MANY will fall away..From what? From the Church! From believers! From Christians!

Re-read my post again to see how Jesus WARNED us that some people will NOT believe for all their life time!

Read the warnings of God about FALSE teachers/FALSE doctrines spread by some Christians in OUR CHURCHES!!!



Jesus says:



Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe FOR A WHILE, but in the time of TESTING they FALL AWAY.

Our God Jesus does not allow to marry divorced people!



He says:



"It was said, 'WHOEVER SENDS HIS WIFE AWAY, LET HIM GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE'; 32 but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, EXCEPT for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. Matthew 5



He also says that sexual immoral people (who commit adultery and ANY sexual immorality) do NOT inherit the Kingdom of God! Revelation 20-22

****
I said the other day:
If you will disobey our God Jesus then in this case it is a sexual immorality and He says in Revelation that sexual immoral people do NOT inherit the Kingdom of God!

Our God Jesus speaks:
(Mat. 19:9) "I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and he who marries her when she is divorced commits adultery."
What is "sexual immorality"? That is all sexual sins and "fornication" and "adultery".
Jesus said here in this verse above: Any divorce which is not sexual immorality is an adultery.

What to do if this sexual immoral person is you as our God Jesus called you?
(1) First you have to repent of this sin
(2) Return to your LEGAL wife whom you divorced illegally as God said and FIX the situation. If she is married then God Jesus forbids you to remarry!
Stay then single!

NOTE again: Any divorce which is not sexual immorality is an adultery!!
And punishment for sin is DEATH.

GOD HAS PROMISED IN JEREMIAH 29:13: YOU WILL FIND ME WHEN YOU SEEK ME WITH **ALL YOUR HEART**.”

John 14:23: Jesus says, “If anyone loves Me, he will obey My teaching, My Father will love him, and We will make Our home with him.”

Matthew 28:19,20: Jesus commands, “Go and make disciples of all nations... teaching them to *OBEY EVERYTHING I have commanded you!”

I John 2:3-5: “We know that we have come to know Him **IF** we obey His commands. The man who says, “I know Him,” but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the Truth is not him. But if anyone **OBEYS HIS WORD**, God's **LOVE** is truly made complete in Him!!”

So let us read God's Word daily and then *DO WHAT IT SAYS*! {James 1:22,25}

Acts 17:11: “The Bereans were of noble character, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures *EVERY DAY*!”

James 1:22,25: “Do not merely listen to the Word. *DO WHAT IT SAYS*!... and he who continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but *DOING IT*—will be blessed in what he does.

2 Peter 1:3-11: “His Divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this reason, make every effort to add to your faith; goodness, and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness, LOVE. For if you possess these qualities in INCREASING MEASURE, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a **RICH WELCOME** into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!!”

Matthew 16:27; Jesus says, “The Son of Man is going to come in **HIS FATHER'S GLORY WITH HIS ANGELS** {See Matt 24:30,31 & 2 Thess 1:6-10}, and *THEN* He will reward each person according to what he has done.”

Revelation 22:12: Jesus says, “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with Me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done!”

2 Corinthians 5:10: For we must all appear before the Judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, {When Jesus comes in His Father's glory with His angels} whether good or bad.”

Ephesians 2:8-10: It is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is NOT from yourselves, it is the GIFT of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. So Salvation is the ***FREE GIFT*** of God's grace and good works can only be performed by the saved.

Salvation is a 100% Free Gift and REWARDS are 100 % earned.

Matthew 5:14,16: Jesus says, “You are the LIGHT of the world...Let your LIGHT shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

I Corinthians 3:6-9: Paul says, “The Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed. Apollos watered it, but God made it grow... The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers!”

Daniel 12:3: “Those who impart wisdom will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever!!”

So let our lights *SHINE* with the many gifts God has given us and we can have a REVIVAL with the hope of countless eternal rewards for faithful and loving service.

I Corinthians 1:7: For “You do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be *REVEALED*!”

But who are you?
What are the fruits of the Holy Spirit in your life?
Guys, all check the fruits of the Holy Spirit in your lives because God is going to look at them too and judge us accordingly!
He is the Judge!
What are the fruits of the Holy Spirit?
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (Galatians 5:22)

Love
Joy
Peace
Longsuffering
Kindness
Goodness
Faith/Faithfulness
Gentleness
Self-control


Let me remind you how God is going to gather the fruits of our lives:

Brothers, God sent prophets to Israel to save all people from His coming WRATH against their crimes/evil deeds.

Background: There are 5 main characters in this parable: 1) the landowner—God, 2) the vineyard—our world, 3) the vinedressers — all people, 4) the landowner’s servants—the prophets who remained obedient and preached God’s word to the people of Israel, 5) the son—Jesus who existed always and came to our world to dwell among us and save us. Let’s read now the parable/story said by Jesus to see who can enter into the Kingdom of God.

The Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers

“Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them. Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’

But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves,
‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’
So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.
“Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?”
They said to Him, “He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.”
Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:

‘ The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone.
This was the LORD’s doing,
And it is marvelous in our eyes’?
“Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”

Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them. But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet. Matthew 21:33-46

Jesus said here that He is the Stone rejected by people. He came to them from His Father. But they killed Him. God wants to receive our fruits/holy life but if you kill and commit violence you will NEVER inherit the Kingdom of God. You, a killer, will NEVER be accepted by God to His HOLY dwelling place. God came to gather fruits of our life. If there is only violence, He will judge us for violence. The Son killed by people become the Chief Cornerstone. He is God Himself and equal to His Father. Moreover He is the Judge during the Judgment Day.

I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb (the SON of GOD Jesus) For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?
Revelation 6 : 12-17


Matthew 7:17-19

"So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. "A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.


Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, SELF-CONTROL.
Galatians 5


Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

For the wages of sin is death
Romans 6

Romans 1:32
Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.


The Son of God says to sexual immoral christians:

And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent.
Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.
Revelation 2

But SEXUAL IMMORAL shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.

It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.
Revelation 21

And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it (the new Jerusalem city). But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book (Jesus'book) of Life.


I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb (the SON of GOD Jesus) For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?
Revelation 6 : 12-17


Matthew 7:17-19

"So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. "A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.


Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, SELF-CONTROL.
Galatians 5


Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Let's analyze the Scripture more saying about trees and dry trees...

Give us your input brothers.

Thank you sis.

Punishment for sin is DEATH no mater if you are a christian practicing sexual immorality in Christianity or a muslim in Islam.

For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?

Jesus says:
Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!’ 30 Then they will begin ‘to say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!”’ 31 For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?”

Why?
Because the Son of God will return to our planet soon.

Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; 16and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb 9the SON of God) ; 17for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?"
Revelation 6



The King Jesus on a Cross

26 Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus.

27 And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him. 28 But Jesus, turning to them, said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!’ 30 Then they will begin ‘to say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!”’ 31 For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?”

32 There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death. 33 And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. 34 Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”

And they divided His garments and cast lots. 35 And the people stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God.”

36 The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, 37 and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself.”

38 And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew:

THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.


23:26-31 We have here the blessed Jesus, the Lamb of God, led as a lamb to the slaughter, to the sacrifice. Though many reproached and reviled Him, yet some pitied Him. But the death of Christ was His victory and triumph over His enemies: it was our deliverance, the purchase of eternal life for us.

Therefore weep not for Him, but let us weep for our own sins, and the sins of our children and weep for fear of the miseries we shall bring upon ourselves, if we slight His love, and reject His grace and salvation. If God delivered Him up to such sufferings as these, because He was made a sacrifice for sin, what will He do with sinners themselves, who make themselves a dry tree, a corrupt and wicked generation, and good for nothing!?

The bitter sufferings of our Lord Jesus should make us stand in awe of the justice of God. Who are dry trees? Are you among them? And what then shall the damnation of sinners be! Even the sufferings of Christ preach terror to obstinate transgressors.

No one who has been emasculated by crushing or cutting may enter the assembly of the LORD.

Deuteronomy 23:1


Mutilation was performed by the two methods here specified - crushing and excision.

Why did God say that?

It was due to the priestly character of the Jewish nation. Israel was a kingdom of priests (Exodus 19:6) and the admission into it of one in whom the nature of man, as made by God, had been degraded and marred, would have been unfitting; just as all bodily blemish unfitted a man for being a priest, though otherwise qualified (Leviticus 21:16-24).

What does "the assembly of the LORD" mean or refer to?

According to the Sages of the Talmud, "entering into the assembly" means marriage to become a Jew!

Any gentile who converts to Judaism and accepts upon himself all the commandments of the Torah and slaves who are freed from slavery, attain the status of a Jew as the verse says: 'As for the congregation, there shall be one statute, both for you and for the stranger that sojourneth with you' (Numbers 15:15). And such a person is allowed to enter the congregation immediately except for an individual of the following nations: Amon, Moab, Egypt and Edom. When an individual from one of these nations converts to Judaism, he is a complete Jew in every respect except for the aspect of marriage into the congregation.

Why these nations were Excluded from the Congregation?

Deuteronomy 23:1-8 lists some people that are forbidden to enter "the assembly of the LORD".

Those Excluded from the Congregation

1 “He who is emasculated by crushing or mutilation shall not enter the assembly of the LORD. 2 “One of illegitimate birth shall not enter the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the LORD. 3 “An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the LORD forever, 4 because they did not meet you with bread and water on the road when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you. 5 Nevertheless the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam, but the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God loves you. 6 You shall not seek their peace nor their prosperity all your days forever. 7 “You shall not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother. You shall not abhor an Egyptian, because you were an alien in his land. 8 The children of the third generation born to them may enter the assembly of the LORD.

Is eunuch a dry tree for God?

God said that they will not enter the assembly of the Lord.

Isaiah 56

Salvation for the Gentiles

1 Thus says the Lord:

“Keep justice, and do righteousness,

For My salvation is about to come,

And My righteousness to be revealed.

2 Blessed is the man who does this,

And the son of man who lays hold on it;

Who keeps from defiling the Sabbath,

And keeps his hand from doing any evil.”


3 Do not let the son of the foreigner

Who has joined himself to the Lord

Speak, saying,

“The Lord has utterly separated me from His people”;

Nor let the eunuch say,

“Here I am, a dry tree.”

4 For thus says the Lord:

“To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths,

And choose what pleases Me,

And hold fast My covenant,

5 Even to them I will give in My house

And within My walls a place and a name

Better than that of sons and daughters;

I will give them an everlasting name

That shall not be cut off.


6 “Also the sons of the foreigner

Who join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him,

And to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants—

Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath,

And holds fast My covenant—

7 Even them I will bring to My holy mountain,

And make them joyful in My house of prayer.

Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices

Will be accepted on My altar;

For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.”

8 The Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says,

“Yet I will gather to him

Others besides those who are gathered to him.”


Why did God teach us about the assembly of the Lord?

11 Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called "Uncircumcision " by the so-called "Circumcision," which is performed in the flesh by human hands-- 12 remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.…

13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Ephesians 2

Christ Our Peace

14 For He (JESUS) Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, 16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. 17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. 18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

Christ Our Cornerstone

19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Romans 2:29

No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person's praise is not from other people, but from God.

Summary: Gentiles could not enter the assembly of the Lord of the Jewish people in Israel because of their hatred. But the Son of God made them fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God through their faith in the Son of God and His BLOOD shed on the Cross.

They (unbelievers) were strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ becoming believers.

Praise the Lord Jesus for His mercy and death on the Cross and reconciliation with His Father. That is why there are NO dry trees for God among those who believe in the Son of God and OBEY Him.

Are you a dry tree?

The Holy Scripture most frequently pointed to in regards to masturbation is the story of Onan in Genesis 38:9-10 saying about "spilling your seed" on the ground.

6 Then Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. 7 But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord killed him. 8 And Judah said to Onan, "Go in to your brother's wife and marry her, and raise up an heir to your brother. 9 But Onan knew that the heir would not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in to his brother's wife, that he emitted on the ground, lest he should give an heir to his brother. 10 And the thing which he did displeased the Lord; therefore He killed him also.

Matthew 5:27-30: Our God Jesus speaks against having lustful thoughts and then says, "If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away." Are there parallels between this passage and masturbation? Yes...

Masturbation is nearly always the result of lustful thoughts, sexual stimulation, and/or pornographic images. It is these problems that need to be dealt with. We should DIE DAILY TO THESE SINS. If the sins of lust, immoral thoughts, and pornography are forsaken and overcome, masturbation will become a non-issue. Many people struggle with guilty feelings concerning masturbation, when in reality, the things that led to the act are far more worthy of repentance.

There are some biblical principles that can be applied to the issue of masturbation. Ephesians 5:3 declares, "Among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity." It is hard to see how masturbating can pass that particular test.
That is why the Holy Scripture forbids us even to GREET a sexual immoral person from churches. We should expel them from the community to show them that they should repent and abandon their sins an RETURN to God that He would return to them.

The Bible teaches us, "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God"(1 Corinthians 10:31). If you cannot give God glory for something, you should not do it. If a person is not fully convinced that an activity is pleasing to God, then it is a sin: "Everything that does not come from faith is sin" (Romans 14:23). Further, we need to remember that our bodies have been redeemed and belong to God. "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

This great truth should have a real bearing on what we do with our bodies. In light of these principles, the conclusion that masturbation is a sin is biblical. Clearly, masturbation is not glorifying to God but this is a SEXUAL IMMORALITY in its pure form... We should RUN from this sin and avoid immorality.
Why?

Because if we will not die to this sin, we will live in sins...and finally we will die in sins and get reward for this sin- PUNISHMENT and DEATH in the prison hell and the Lake of Fire after hell.
Sexual immoral christians do NOT inherit the Kingdom of God like all sexual immoral people/unbelievers...and this is fair enough.
God is fair.
The Judgement will start from the Church of God...