Very good advice, especially when you say, “Do not get hung up on all the little intricacies people have introduced concerning salvation.” People have added many things to salvation by faith alone in Christ alone. We need to know what the Bible teaches us.

There are many scriptures (verses) that tell us that if we die in the same spiritual condition that we were born with, we will perish, be “cast into the lake of fire”, be condemned, etc. Everyone knows what John 3:16 says. John 3:18 says: “He that believeth (in Him) is not condemned (At the final judgement)but he that believeth not is condemned already (At the final judgement) because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten son of God (Jesus). We must be born again.(Of the Spirit). In other words “born once, die twice, born twice, die once”. There is nothing to be confused about. God is not the God of confusion! There are far more Scriptures that speak very clearly about being saved than those which we don’t understand. Yes you must confess (preferably in the presence of witnesses) that you are a sinner. Otherwise, there is no reason to get saved in the first place. That’s why Jesus died for us. Because the wages of sin is death. Jesus took your place and paid the wages of your sins. To not accept and confess Jesus as your loving Saviour is to accept eternal death. (spiritual death) We are all born; by sin; spiritually dead and out of favor with God, and the only way to get back on good terms with God is the way He tells us to; through Jesus Christ. Do not get hung up on all the little intricacies people have introduced concerning salvation. It is clear “He that believeth (on Jesus, and receives Him as Saviour)shall be saved, he that believeth not shall be damned”. I strongly suggest that you join a Bible study group of your age or with whomever you are comfortable. Prayerfully (yes pray) and ask God the Holy Spirit to teach you and remove confusion from your study of His Word. In time you will have the basics and can move on to more difficult subjects.

God Bless You,
Rene Melendez

Aunonymous

“Well then, why was the law given? It was given to show people how guilty they are. But this system of law was to last only until the coming of the child to whom God’s promise was made” (Gal 3:19a).

Then Paul answers an important question:

“Well then, is there a conflict between God’s law and God’s promise? Absolutely not! If the law could have given us new life, we could have been made right with God by obeying it. But the Scriptures have declared that we are all prisoners of sin, so the only way to receive God’s promise is to believe in Jesus Christ” (Gal. 3:21-22).

If we could keep the law perfectly, that would be great. We would be justified and made right with God. But nobody can keep the law. All have sinned. So it was necessary for God to send Jesus Christ as our substitute law-keeper. Jesus lived a perfect life, and He was the perfect sacrifice for sin on our behalf, so that we are justified, not by keeping the law, but by believing in Jesus Christ.

So it’s not that the law is void. The point is that the law can’t save us. All it can do is show us that we are sinners. Besides that, Jesus came to set a higher standard. Here’s an example. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount that the law says, “Do not commit adultery” (in fact, that’s one of the Ten Commandments). But Jesus raises the standard when He says, “anyone who even looks at a woman with lust in his eye has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matt. 5:28). Jesus isn’t doing away with the law (we still shouldn’t commit adultery), but we shouldn’t take pride in keeping that law. We need to examine our hearts to see if we violating the higher standard set by Jesus.

Now, let’s apply tithing to this principle. It’s not that tithing isn’t a good idea. But if we think that by giving God our 10%, we have fulfilled the law, and therefore God is pleased, then we are only fooling ourselves. Jesus would say that the attitude of our heart is more important than “giving the minimum.” That’s why Paul said:

“You must each make up your own mind as to how much you should give. Don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves the person who gives cheerfully. And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others” (2 Cor. 9:7-8).

Stan

Nowhere in Scripture does it say that God will punish us if we don’t tithe ten percent of our income. In fact, the ten percent tithe is an Old Testament principle that applied to the nation of Israel. In the New Testament age–the age of the Church–there is a new principle that supersedes the Old Testament “law,” and it’s this: God loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor. 9:7). God wants our giving to be a matter of the heart. He wants us to give willingly out of a grateful heart, not because we are obligated.

Now, having said that, there are benefits to giving to the Lord and His work. First, there is the benefit of seeing our resources help others in ministry. Second, God will muliply what we give, no matter what the amount. Third, the Lord will bless us if we give, maybe not with direct financial benefits, but with spiritual blessings. Not giving to God means we don’t enjoy these benefits and blessings.

Stan

I’m Shelia Pipkin and I have a question but it does not concern the question of the week. will we be punish by God if we do not tithe ten percent of our income. Please give me some insight on this issue.

Sincerely,
shelia Pipkin

July 20, 2006

Now, if you are referring to the baptism of the Holy Spirit, that is definitely required, but everyone who calls upon the name of Jesus for salvation is baptized into the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13). In other words, you can’t be saved without this Holy Spirit baptism! Jesus affirmed this when He said, “the Holy Spirit gives new life from heaven” (John 3:6). And you experienced this yourself.

As for why you got baptized, you did it for the right reason. What to go! It shows what you can do when you seek God’s wisdom through His word and through prayer.

Stan