Jesus Christ's Grace Is Sufficient

2nd Corinthians 12:9-10, “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”

We have a wonderful PROMISE from God in the Bible that His grace will always be enough to match our burdens, hardships and suffering in life. As a Bible preacher with a social media ministry (since April of 2002), I have received tens of thousands of emails over the past 21 years. I love helping people. God knows that I am not a respecter of persons, I treat everyone the same. It matters not if you are a successful pastor, or a poor person living in Africa, I view everybody as someone for whom Jesus Christ died.

Our dear risen Savior told the Apostle Paul that His grace is all we need. Christ is all I need! The Lord wants us to know that His strength is perfected through our weakness. This is totally contrary to the heathen world's way of thinking. The theme song of the 1976 movie, Rocky: “Gonna Fly Now” contains the lyrics, “Getting strong now.” That's fine for Rocky, but in the spiritual realm we win by Jesus' strength through human weakness, not our human strength. The famous soulwinning preacher, Dwight Lyman Moody (1837-1899) said:

“God had no children too weak, but many too strong to make use of.” —Pastor Dwight Moody

2nd Corinthians 12:9-10, “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”

Pastor Moody rightly understood that it is not our human strength that accomplishes the work of God; but rather, Christ's strength which is attained through childlike faith in God. Matthew 17:20, “And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” Faith can move mountains! ...

“The world has yet to see what God can do with a man fully consecrated to him. By God’s help, I aim to be that man.” —Pastor Dwight Moody

Dear reader, you will never know that Christ is all you need, until Christ is all you have left. Unshakable faith comes from having our faith shaken. Faith is like film, it develops in the dark. 

The Charismatic lying health, wealth and prosperity movement has corrupted American's thinking. It is because of ungodly Charismatic false prophets like Pat Robertson and his 'The 700 Club' clown circus, that millions of Americans now foolishly associate financial prosperity with being right with God, but this is a deception of the Devil. ...

1st Timothy 6:5-12, “Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.”

BEWARE of Satan's Charismatics; namely, Benny Hinn, Peter Popoff, Pat Robertson, John Hagee, Jimmy Swaggart, Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), Kerney Thomas, Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), Paula White, Paul and Jan Crouch, Robert Tilton, Bill Hamon, Oral Roberts, Joyce Meyer, Joseph Prince, Beth Moore, Jim Bakker, Mike Murdock and countless other damnable false prophets (Matthew 7:13-15).

By the way, GodTube banned my Jesus-is-Savior.com ministry. What wicked apostasy! GodTube is okay with hellbound Lordship Salvation occultists like Ray Comfort, John Piper, Kirk Cameron and John MacArthur, but they rejected me as a Bible preacher because I am a truth-teller. SHAME on GodTube!!! The time of reckoning is soon coming for all humanity, when every human being will stand before God and be held accountable for every word (Matthew 12:36), every thought (Proverbs 24:12) and every deed (Ecclesiastes 12:14). If it weren't for God's mercy we'd all immediately plunge into the fires, torments and depths of Hell below. Lamentations 3:22, “It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.” We are all so blessed by God our Creator.

God's wondrous grace is sufficient for you and me dear reader. Someone has rightly said that G.R.A.C.E. can be expressed in acrostic form as GOD'S RICHES AT CHRIST'S EXPENSE. I like that. And also, G.O.S.S.I.P. can be acrostically expressed as: GOING OVER SOMEONE SINS IN PULIC. That is so true!

Some critic's of a free grace Gospel wrongly accuse us of preaching “Greasy Grace” or “Cheap Grace.” Dear friend, God's grace is not cheap, it is totally free. As we know, there are no free meals in life. That is, everything must be paid for by someone. Bleeding heart Democrats are often accused of giving away a bunch of freebies to the poor, but dear friend, none of those social giveaway programs are “free.” Someone has to pay for all that! Yes, you and I as taxpayers have to fund the Democrat's reckless philandering. Likewise, God's gift of forgiveness of sins and eternal life cost the broken body and shed blood of His only begotten Son.

And by the way, while I'm on the subject of the blood of Jesus, I'm sure you've heard some preachers use the phrase: “Jesus' spilt His blood on Calvary's cross.” No dear reader, to “spill” something implies that it was an accident. Jesus did not spill His blood, He knowingly and intentionally shed His blood on Calvary's cross, to pay down our massive debt of sins, because He loves us. Romans 5:8, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Knowing how rotten and wicked you and I would be, Jesus gladly laid down His life to pay for our sins, so that we could live with Him in eternity.

Look what the Bible says in Hebrews 12:2, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Jesus had JOY the Bible says, knowing what it meant by sacrificing Himself as a Lamb on the cross for everyone's sins. John 1:29, “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”

We serve such a wonderful and faithful Savior, Lord and God.

Salvation = Jesus died on your behalf

Service = Holy Spirit works on your behalf

Keywords: on your behalf.

The flesh profits nothing

All by faith alone ❤️ amen

Literally, “My grace is sufficient for thee” (2nd Corinthians 12:9b), means that you and I can make it day-by-day through life. And that is a very important truth to learn friend—that we must take life in 24 hour segments, which is how God distributes it. Have you ever thought about that? Have you ever wondered why God made a day 24 hours long? There are 86,400 seconds in one day. There are 10,080 minutes in one week. Interestingly, the human heart on average beats once a second. Wow! Yes, our heart beats approximately 86,000 beats a day! Oh reader, have you thanked God with just one of those seconds today?

During my first year as a student at Hyles-Anderson College (HAC) in 1985-1986, I became discouraged one day. I opened my inspired King James Bible randomly to Hebrews 4:13-16, “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Oh how the Holy Spirit comforted my aching heart that day in 1986. Unto this day I still feel peace and joy in my soul when I read this Scripture passage. What a precious PROMISE from God!!!

As we just read in Hebrews 4:14, Jesus is our heavenly High Priest. Christ died on the cross as our sacrificial LAMB, but He raised up three days later as our HIGH PRIEST. Romans 8:34, “Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” Jesus is in Heaven now, seated on the right-hand of the Father, interceding for every saint. ...

1st Timothy 2:3-6, “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”

I love this truth-packed passage of Scripture! The phrase in verse 4, “Who will have all men to be saved,” refutes the Calvinist heresy of Limited Atonement (the heresy that Christ only died for the saints, not all humanity). If God wants “all men” to be saved, then logically ALL MEN CAN BE SAVED!!! The “knowledge of the truth” is THE GOSPEL.

Since God is 100% holy, but humanity is 100% sinful, we cannot fellowship together. That is why the Godhead needed to become incarnate (i.e., become flesh), in the form of the only begotten Son of God. ...

John 1:1-3 and 14, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. ...And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

Jesus Christ is the Word of God incarnate. Dr. John R. Rice calls Jesus and the Holy Bible “twins.” Jesus is the Living Word, and the Holy Bible is the Written Word. John 6:63, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” This is a good verse to evidence that our beloved King James Bible today is still inspired, for if it is not then the words cannot be Spirit and life as Jesus said. The Bible is a Living Book!!! Napoleon understood this fact...

“The Bible is no mere book, but a Living Creature, with a power that conquers all who oppose it.” —Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821)

I hope the truths I have shared with you in this blog are edifying friend. The Bible says that as humans we all share the same temptations (1st Corinthians 10:13) and same afflictions (1st Peter 5:8-9). More times than I can remember in life, I felt like I couldn't face another day. I felt like dying, dreading to face today, let alone tomorrow. Life has a way of knocking you to your knees, and it will keep you there if you let it. The world doesn't care about you. Nobody is coming to rescue you (and if someone does you should love them with all your lucky stars).

When I was at the lowest point in my life, nobody cared about me! Psalms:142:4, “I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul.” Of the churches I attended, nobody befriended me at the Bayview Baptist Church on Guam, so I left; and the ungodly senior pastor at the Agana Heights Baptist Church on Guam mistreated me on purpose so that I would leave and never return, and so I did. I handed him my phone number and home address, but he never contacted me. And then I was forced out of the ungodly Harvest Baptist Church on Guam by their wicked senior pastor, Marty Herron. They all threw me under the bus and left me for dead! God will be their Judge!!!

Dear reader, I have been to the bottom of life. My former wife cruelly abandoned and divorced me in 2006. We've never as much as held hands since. I cannot put into words the inexplicable emotional pain of soul and overwhelming trauma that I endured during and after the divorce, and the hell on earth that ensued for the next several years. You wouldn't believe the things that I have suffered through, which I don't even want to talk or write about. I have been in painful loneliness all these many years since 2006, without a wife or girlfriend.

I lost my home in the divorce, and my retirement at work, and my pets and possessions. If you've never been the victim of betrayal from a divorce, you cannot possible even imagine what it feels like. If you have seen a friend or family member suffer through a divorce, you still haven't a clue. It's like seeing someone get hit by a speeding truck, versus you personally getting hit by a truck and then left on the road dying as roadkill.

And then when I moved from Guam to Pensacola in 2021, I poured out my broken and hurting heart with senior pastor Jeff Redlin at Pensacola Christian College's (PCC) Campus Church. To my shock and horror, Pastor Redlin belittled me as a divorced person, caring not that I told him I am very lonely, and he was insensitive and cruel when I mentioned that I hoped to find a wife. The problem is that Jeff Redlin (and all of PCC leadership) have never suffered through the inexplicable pain of betrayal, abandonment and divorce, so they couldn't care less. There is no sympathy or empathy in the PCC camp, only self-righteous religious hypocrites who fall all over each other with self praises and glorification. There is no love or compassion at PCC, only a cult system that always comes first, but individual people don't matter at all.

I felt like taking my own life in 2021 (after all the suffering that I've been through), because of Pastor Jeff Redlin's cruel hatred, insensitive rude remarks, woeful lack of consideration or love, and that he has literally banned me in writing from even attending Campus Church. It hurts much more when professed men of God, self-ordained pastors, crap on hurting people like Redlin has done to me again and again. I pray for God to avenge me of his hatred. If I had my way, Jeff Redlin would be stripped of everything near and dear to him, which misfortune has happened to me, and only then would he know and understand what I have been through. 

Instead, he is cocky, arrogant, filled with hubris and self-righteous hypocrisy, having no regard for his Christian brother in need. The PCC camp are pulling on the same rope as the Devil, by throwing divorced and hurting sinners under the bus, and leaving them there. I only shared these painful things in my life with you, so you can see that I need God's sufficient grace to keep my sanity day-by-day. If I didn't claim God's PROMISE of sufficient grace (the same free sufficient grace that saved me at age 13 in 1980), I wouldn't have made it this far.

If it were not for God's blessed indwelling Holy Spirit, and the grace He has bestowed upon me in my life and soul over the years, I would have taken my own life, or started drinking booze and become a drunk, or sought relief in others sinful vices. If it weren't for God's sufficient grace, I would have quit church and never donned the doorsteps of any church again, because of ungodly abusive religious leaders like Marty Herron, Jeff Redlin and Sean Quinlan (the shameful pastor of the Lighthouse Baptist Church on Guam who belittled me for exposing the Devil's bibles, and the Lordship Salvation preaching Calvinist Bob Jones University camp).

“The world will go to Hell unless somebody is authoritative!”

—Pastor Jack Hyles, “I Shall Not Be Moved”

I heard Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001) say in a sermon toward the end of his life, that as he grows older he runs to the inspired Holy Bible like a starving man. I couldn't agree more with Brother Hyles!!! Dear reader, Jesus Christ is the answer to ALL our problems!!! I challenge you to not just read the Bible, but LIVE IT! As you read, hear and study the Bible, ask God to give you the wisdom to see how you can apply the Scriptures to your life.

Without faith the Bible won't work for you or anybody else. Why is it that two men can read and study the same inspired King James Bible, but only one believes, while the other disbelieves. To him that believes no explanation is necessary, but to him that believes not no explanation is possible. Faith is the candle that lights our way in this dreary dark world of sin. Mark 11:22, “And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.”

 

We Groan In This Earthly Body With Our Burdens

2nd Corinthians 5:4-10, “For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”

I am often reminded of the simple yet profound small phrase in 2nd Corinthians 5:7, “(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)” What a beautiful truth! I don't know about you, but there have been umpteen times in my life when I just didn't feel like praying anymore. In my utter frustration I said: “God, I'm done praying! Why should I keep praying when you never answer my prayers?” What I was doing is walking BY SIGHT, when I should have been walking BY FAITH. One of my favorite Gospel preachers is Evangelist Lester Roloff (1914-1982), who said: “You're going to have to learn to "faith" Him when you can't feel Him.” Amen!

The Apostle Paul said in our text passage that we all GROAN IN THIS TABERNACLE. Paul is speaking about our human body, which he likens to a tabernacle (a temporary tent). The apostle says that as believers we look forward to the future with confidence, KNOWING that once our earthly body is no longer able to house our soul and spirit, we will BE WITH THE DEAR LORD. Halleluiah! 

Therefore, Paul says that we labor to PLEASE THE LORD, knowing that we we someday stand at the JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST (2nd Corinthians 5:10-11). Oh how we have such a great responsibility as God's children to serve Him. It is not required to get to Heaven, but serving God is our reasonable service. Romans 12:1, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” What saith the Scripture? 1st Corinthians 6:20, “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.”

Do you groan dear reader? Sure you do, and so do I. As a pastor I receive countless emails from hurting people. One dear lady recently told me that her adult daughter is talking about suicide. Another dear man just found out that a MRI brain scan came back positive (i.e., negative results). He asked me to pray for him, and I am doing just that! All we have is each other. If we don't pray for each other, then who will? We need each other's prayers.

Americans are confused like never before. They are tired. People are weary with all the insane gender-bending garbage, feminism, homosexuality, gender reassignment surgery for children, et cetera. These demonic agendas are being forced on young people by ungodly liberals lurking in social media, the entertainment industry and in the Devil's public schools. This country needs a revival toward the holy God of the inspired King James Bible. We need Bible-preaching like never before!!! The weak-kneed, shallow, neo-evangelical, wimpy, watered-down, theologically deficient and lame sermons being given in mega-churches today are impotent, woefully lacking the power of God's Holy Spirit to change lives. There is no Holy Spirit conviction anymore in churches, because there is no preaching against sin.

The Preaching That Produces Repentance

(chapter 16 from the classic book by Pastor Harry A. Ironside, "Except Ye Repent")

We all have burdens that make us GROAN! I sure do. I was severely rear-ended by a church bus (of all things...lol) in 1992, which messed up my neck for life. I suffered severe whiplash that over time caused my neck to develop Cervical Degenerative Disk Disease by 2004. I then fell at work, which worsened my injury, causing sharp radiating pain down my arms and legs (mostly my right side). I reluctantly underwent two neck surgeries in 2009 and again in 2010, the second of which made me 100% worse. Unfortunately, my agonizing chronic neck pain is HEAR TO STAY. You better believe that I GROAN!!!

To make matters much worse, the cruel U.S. government is so incompetent, that they cannot figure out a way to get the much needed prescription pain medications, to those who genuinely need it (like me). So I needlessly suffer 24/7 from horribly neck pain, in the bony area of the back of my neck, which feels just like a horrible, bone-gnawing, toothache all the time. It prevents me from carrying on normal conversations with people. I often have to apologize for not being able to listen without putting my head down, squinting my eyes in response to the acute stuff tension and pain in my neck. It feels like a gold ball in my neck, pressing on my spinal cord. The doctors whom I have consulted about this diagnosed me with a pinched spinal cord (stenosis and radiculitis). Consequently, I have neuropathic nerve burning, especially in my arms and upper body, which makes me GROAN!!!

But praise the Lord, God is always good. I thank God that I can walk, drive and take care of myself, because a lot of disabled people can't. Whenever I get discouraged, I am reminded of this poor girl, Katie Stubblefield, who attempted suicide at age 17, but blew her face off instead. She was a very gorgeous young woman, but another female student in high school hurt her feelings deeply. Like me and a lot of people, Katie is intensely passionate about her feelings, so she over-reacted (I've done that more times than I can remember). That is why I will NEVER own a gun. No way Jose!

That is also why I have never started drinking booze. It will NEVER happen. You cannot become a drunk if you don't take the first drink. Amen and amen! I wish Mothers Against Drunk Driving (M.A.D.D) would stop teaching young people not to drink and drive. That is a very wrong message! If you drink booze, at some point you WILL drive! A much better message is that: You cannot become an alcoholic, if you don't take the first sip of beer! There is no need or reason to drink alcohol, except that people like to get buzzed and drunk. Alcohol has been a menace to every society since the begging of human civilization.

I often claim the PROMISE of God in the following Scripture passage:

Philippians 3:17-21, “Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.) For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.”

I love that PROMISE! Jesus, who raised the dead back to life, will someday give IMMORTALITY to every believer. I can't wait! KNOWING this truth comforts me greatly as I GROAN in my bodily pain, discomfort and suffering. God will someday rectify all wrongs! So when you GROAN dear child of God, as we all do, hurting emotionally and physically in your body and soul, KNOW that this suffering is only temporal. What saith the Scripture? Romans 8:17, “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”

Now, dear friend, if you have never been born-again by placing your childlike trust in the Good News of Jesus Christ crucified, buried and risen from the dead the third day, then you desperately need to get saved right now. You need to settle the matter of your eternal destiny right now, while you still can. Proverbs 27:1, “Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” Today might be your last day on earth.

To be saved, you must know some facts. First, you must know that you are a guilty sinner (Romans 3:19-20). There is a penalty for our sin, which is death (Romans 6:23). This includes a second death, burning in the fires of Hell for all eternal without hope, rest or end (Revelation 20:11-15; 21:8). But the GOOD NEWS (or, GOSPEL) is that God sent His only begotten (biological) Son, Jesus, into the world to die on a cross to pay for our sins (John 3:16). Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, in whom anyone who places their trust (total confidence) is saved (John 20:31). What saith the Scripture? ...

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

There we have it, THE GOSPEL:

1. Jesus DIED on the cross for our sins.
2. He was BURIED.
3. Christ resurrected physically from the dead three days later.

If you'll simply BELIEVE this Good news, making it your own by faith in it, you will be immediately, irrevocably and forever born-again by God's Holy Spirit. Acts 16:30-31, “And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” Paul and Silas extended the invitation to the Roman jailer's entire family. God desires to save all men (2nd Peter 3:9), but will only “SAVE THEM THAT BELIEVE” (1st Corinthians 1:21b).

Simply BELIEVE the Gospel friend and God will save you. Just receive Christ's sacrifice on the cross as payment for your sins, believing that He died in your place and raised up three days later from the dead, by faith taking God at His Word as recorded in the Holy Bible, and He will save you now. Thank you for reading my blog.

2nd Corinthians 1:20, All God's Promises Are Fulfilled In Jesus

2nd Corinthians 1:19-20, “For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea. For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.”

What a beautiful passage of Scripture! All of God's promises to man are rooted in faith in Christ. Romans 8:32, “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” Dear friend, when you accept Jesus as your personal Savior, all the blessings of God comes “WITH HIM.” We receive the blessed promise of eternal life immediately when we get saved. Our names are preserved in Heaven, recorded in the Lamb's Book of Life. We are indwelt and sealed in an instant, by faith alone in the only begotten Son of God. John 3:36, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”

1st John 5:20, “And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.” We don't earn eternal life, God gives it to us freely by faith alone in His Son. All of God's promises center around Christ. No unsaved person has any right to claim the promises of God.

I get tired of hearing bad preachers teach the heresy of Zionism. What is Zionism? This is the false teaching that unsaved Jews are still blessed by God, and that believers who give money and support to heathen present-day Israel will be blessed by God for doing so. That is unbiblical. Luke 21:24, “And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.” As you just read, Jerusalem has NO promise of divine protection today. Israel could be nuked by Russia tomorrow, and it would not violate Bible prophecy.

God's blessings have ALWAYS followed a line of faith from the beginning of human civilization. God has NEVER blessed Christ-rejecting Jews or Gentiles. God is no respecter of persons! In the Old Testament, we see that God blessed Jacob for his faith, but not carnal Esau. God raised up pagan nations to judge His people when they disobeyed. There was never a time when God blessed wicked unbelieving Jews (Exodus 19:5-6). Likewise today, God will not bless wicked Jews or Gentiles. God only saves those who believe on His Son (John 3:18).

Galatians 3:26-29, “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

Carefully notice that ONLY those Jews and Gentiles who believe in Jesus Christ are of Abraham's seed, and heirs according to THE PROMISE. Here we see our text verse from 2nd Corinthians 1:20 explained. 2nd Corinthians 1:20, “For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.” All of God's promises are only applicable to Abraham's spiritual seed, to those who have faith in Jesus Christ. Have you been born-again dear reader? There are billions of religious people in this world, hundreds of millions of which live the Christian life, but have never been born anew by the Holy Spirit of God.

What does the Bible mean by being “born again”? John 3:7, “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” Evangelist Ray Comfort gets it horrible wrong, who says being born again refers to a radical change in one's behavior. On page 1529, under the commentary section, “How Can You Know That You Are Saved?,” 'The Evidence Bible' states:

Christians believed in God's existence before their conversion, however, when they obeyed the Word of God, turned from their sins, and embraced Jesus Christ, they stopped merely believing. The moment they reached out and touched the heater bar of God's mercy, they moved out of belief into the realm of experience. This experience is so radical, Jesus referred to it as being born again. [emphasis added] SOURCE: The Way of the Master Evidence Bible, by Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron, page 1529; ©2003 by Bridge-Logos Publishers.

May I say, being born again is NOT an “experience.” Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron wrongly understand being “born-again” as an EXPERIENCE that involves forsaking one's sinful lifestyle and “EMBRACING” Jesus Christ. Ray Comfort gets this idea from an errant understanding of James 2:19, “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” Many foolish Bible teachers misinterpret James 2:19 to mean that simple BELIEF on Christ is insufficient to be saved. This is not what the Bible is saying here. It simply means that no one is going to Heaven just because they believe there is a God.

This is why Jesus told His disciples in Luke 13:23-24, “Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.” You can believe in God all you want—you can serve Him, go to church, tithe, sacrifice and do good all your life, and then go straight to the Lake of Fire forever to burn!!! Jesus said, “Ye must be born again” (John 3:7).

What did Jesus mean by “born again?” The question is answered in John 3:6, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” When you were born the first time into the world, that was of the flesh; but the new birth (or second birth) is when the Holy Spirit of God comes inside your body to indwell you (upon your faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ). Being “born again”? means that you have been born into God's family! Whereas all men are born spiritually DEAD from birth (Romans 5:15), in order to enter into the Kingdom of God a person must be born for the second time, spiritually (John 3:6-7). The first birth is PHYSICAL, earthly; The second birth is SPIRITUAL, by the Holy Spirit of God (John 1:12-14).

Biblically, mere childlike BELIEVING is all that God requires to be saved. This is what Jesus said in John 6:28-29, “Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.”

In Mr. Comfort's thinking, being born again means moving from the realm of merely believing in God, to the realm of leaving one's sinful ways and clinging to Christ. Mr. Comfort recognizes this as an EXPERIENCE, which to him means being born-again.

The Word of God teaches something entirely different. A person is “born again” by the Holy Spirit of God, which is initiated by mere childlike belief in Christ's death on the cross for our sins, His burial and resurrection three days later. The Bible defines this as the “Gospel” in 1st Corinthians 15:1-4. Whereas 'The Evidence Bible' teaches that a transforming “radical experience” is what it means to be born-again, the Holy Bible teaches that it is the transforming power of God's Holy Spirit that produces the new birth . . .

John 1:12-13, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

It is a false plan of salvation to explain the new birth as a mere transforming experience. Any radical transformation is wrought solely by the Holy Spirit of God. It is heresy to require an experience, a radical change, or some transformation from a person in order to be saved. This is because eternal life is a free gift (Ephesians 2:8-9). Salvation is a TAKE proposition, not a GIVE proposition. God will not save anyone who is trying to be saved, He will only save those who are trusting to be saved. It is the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit that changes a person, and not our own human effort.

Ray Comfort understands salvation backwards. He requires a person to commit to leave their sinful lifestyle, and embrace Christ, which is the “radical experience” he requires from people to be saved. Biblically, you don't have to embrace Christ to be saved, you simply need to believe on Him. That's what the Bible teaches. John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Although a person may or may not express emotions at the time of salvation, emotions are not required for salvation. Neither tears, nor any outward manifestation of inner changes, nor a desire to serve God, nor forsake sins, nor any radical experience is necessary to receive the free gift of eternal life. IT IS A GIFT, and a “gift” is free in every sense. For a wonderful presentation of the simple plan of salvation by Pastor Hank Lindstrom (1940-2008), please see Get God's Gift.

Furthermore, forsaking one's sinful lifestyle is NOT what it means Biblically to “repent.” Repentance is “changing one's mind,” that is, realizing and acknowledging one's guilt of sin for breaking a holy God's commandments (Romans 3:19). The only thing you need to repent of to be saved is whatever has been hindering you from coming to Christ to be saved (Hebrews 6:1). The man who BELIEVES the Gospel has repented, otherwise he never would have come to Jesus Christ to be saved (John 3:20). Our part in salvation is simply to BELIEVE on Jesus Christ, and whatever else is a part of our salvation is solely God's department, and you can be assured He will attend to that.

When a group of religious people appeared before Christ in Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus denied knowing them as His sheep! They were bewildered. They boasted in defense of themselves that they had done “many wonderful works” in Jesus' name. They had “prophesied” (preached) in Jesus' name. They had followed Him as “Lord.” But Jesus denied knowing them!!! Dear friend, will that be your fate someday? It will if you follow the Satanic teachings of Bob Jones University, who preach another gospel of Lordship Salvation. Right doctrine matters! Words matter to God. These horrible Bible colleges today, and the corrupt churches that support them, don't care about the purity of God's Word, nor the accuracy of the Gospel, nor the true meaning of repentance, nor do they care about how they treat people. Search the internet for abuse in the Bob Jones University camp and you'll see what I mean. I digress.

All of God's promises are fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Apart from faith in Christ NO ONE can enter into the Kingdom of God. Satan's greatest weapon is to con people into living the Christian life without ever being born-again. YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN!!! Once you become a child of God, you are now a card carrying member of Heaven's family. You are included! You are known by the angels and the saints in Heaven. Jesus is precious!!!