A person can go to heaven by living and dying in sin. But, according to
God's word it won't happen. Those who live according to the lusts of the flesh
will not go to heaven. "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the
kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters,
nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor
slanderers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God." (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
"Now the works of the flesh are plain: sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery,
idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition,
dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I
did before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."
(Galatians 5:19-21) God says a person cannot go to heaven by living and dying
in sin.
This earth will be the eternal home of the saved. There are some religious
groups, sects, and cults that teach people to prepare for eternity on a renovated
earth. They are longing for a utopia on this planet. Their longing will never be
satisfied because God's word teaches that the saved will dwell in heaven forever.
First, when the Lord appears for the second time (Hebrews 9:28), the earth
along with the whole universe will be destroyed. So there will be no earth for the
saved to live on in eternity. (2 Peter 3:10-12) Second, in his first letter, Peter said
we have "an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in
heaven for you." (1 Peter 1:4) This is exactly what Jesus taught; "for your reward
is great in heaven." (Matthew 5:12) Third, Paul's teaching was in perfect
agreement with both Peter and Jesus. He wrote that those who are "in the Lord"
(both the dead and the living), "will meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be
with the Lord forever." The place that we will be forever, is the place from which
the Lord will descend on the last day, and that place is heaven! "For the Lord
himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command." (1 Thessalonians 4:16)
The earth will not be the eternal home of the saved.
Jesus established more than one religious group. Jesus, the Son of the
living God said, "I will build my assembly." (Matthew 16:18) The word church or
assembly is singular. Paul said "there is one body." (Ephesians 4:4) We all know
the significance of "one." One is one more than zero and one less than two. It's
just that simple. God planned the existence of only one "church" or religious group.
Through the "assembly" the manifold wisdom of God is made known. (Ephesians
3:9-11) The Lord's body of saved people is loved by Christ. He died for her and
"he cleansed her by the washing of water with the word." (Ephesians 5:26) Paul
clearly says that the Lord's body is the "assembly" or church. (Colossians 1:24)
Therefore, we must conclude that inasmuch as the Lord's body is the church, and
since there is one body, there is only one church or assembly of saved people.
Jesus did not establish more than one religious group.
According to God's word, a person cannot go to heaven by living and dying
in sin. Neither will the earth be the eternal home of the saved, and Jesus did not
establish more than one religious group. Since these things are true roosters will
never lay eggs!
RD
Copyright 2010
I agree with all of what you say. One question I want to ask.
ReplyDeleteIsn't there a word for church that means 'called out' - meaning that the church is the 'called out' of the world?
This would fit totally what Peter said on Pentecost:
'39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off , even as many as the Lord our God shall call . '
God calls people out of the world into the church by the gospel. He adds those being saved to that church, or the 'called out' group.
The word I may be thinking of is: 'eklesia'- though I may not have spelled it correctly.
Hello Cherchura:
ReplyDeleteThe word to which you are referring is
ekklesia. It means congregation, assembly,
or group. It is sometimes assumed that it
means "called out." Instead, it refers to
that which has been called out. And, yes
as you have said, people are called out
of the world by means of the blessed
gospel of God. (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14)