Bibleline Radio Show – 2006-08-28 – Faith without works

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Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Hank Lindstrom. Coming to you from Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida. Declaring God’s love through radio and television. Providing real answers to an ever searching world. Got a question? Dial toll free at 1-800-576-3771. That’s 1-800-576-3771. Now here’s the host of Bibleline, Dr. Hank Lindstrom. Well good morning and welcome to Bibleline great to be with you today. Thanks for tuning into the broadcast We look forward to being with you every day Monday through Friday And we hope you’re enjoying Bibleline as often as you can tune it in by the way We’re streaming to the internet which means you can get us anytime of day 24 hours a day seven days a week from anywhere in the world 142 countries so far have logged on last month.

We had 13,045 listeners to the radio program on the internet. Isn’t that exciting? Tell your friends in other countries and in other parts of this country and let them know how they can also get Bible and television and Bible and radio on the internet. Just go to my home page, click on that spinning globe or actually better click on the little TV setup in the upper right hand corner and that will give you the page that will give you both radio and television.

We’re going to talk about the Scriptures for a little bit, and we’re going to get into taking our calls, and we hope that you have your Bible handy. If you want to write down the phone number, the number is 1-800-576-3771. That’s 1-800-576-3771. James 2 causes so many people a lot of confusion. We’re going to say a few words about it. No passage in all of scripture has been so misunderstood as James chapter 2. The phrase Faith Without Works is dead.

It is used again and again by those who would add works to salvation and they use it as their proof text. Most Christians don’t know how to explain James too. Therefore, when those who teach falsely use James to prove their point seldom does anybody ever refute them. need to know the answer. And you know the cults all go to James 2 and those that are teaching a false gospel in mainstream Christianity go to James 2. Do you know how to explain James 2?

Well, not being able to explain this passage is going to hinder your effectiveness as a Christian witness. So often the lost will object to the true gospel by saying, hey, where the word is dead? And if you can’t explain that phrase, then you’re probably going to make no further progress with the one to whom you are witnessing. A new twist also false is to say that if you do not have works, you have no faith, and therefore you are not saved.

Many Christians have been confused and robbed of their assurance of their salvation by this presentation. Works are subtly added to the plan of salvation by this misteaching on the book of James. First of all, James is written to the saved. You will find he is writing to the believers. Note the phrase, my brethren, my brethren, my brethren, in James 1-2, in James 1-16, in James 1-19, James 2-1, James 2-5, James 2-14, James 3-1, and on and on and on.

He says, my brethren, my brethren, my brethren. James writes toRuss the people who are already saved, and the subject is not how to be saved, but the Christian life and how to receive rewards in heaven. James is writing to those that are born again. Chapter 1 verse 18, he says, of God’s own will, begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures, James 1 18. The question is not loss of salvation, which is impossible, but the loss of reward, blessing.

Not salvation is what is promised to the doer of God’s work in James 1 25. Salvation in the The Bible is without exception the gift of God, the gift of God. Romans 623 says, The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God, the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Ephesians 2 8 says, By grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. It is the gift of God.

Not of work, so standing man should boast or brag. Wherever you look you’ll find that is true. But in James James is talking about profit profit is something earned something deserved Salvation cannot be earned and is not deserved Paul uses that word profit in first Timothy 4 8 where again the topic is reward He says bodily exercise profit a little but godliness is profitable unto all things having the promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come James is talking about the judgment seat of Christ where believers will stand and where reward, gain, profit, treasure or the loss of it is determined.

James is talking to believers but have faith but have no works and telling them that their faith will not save them from the embarrassment that regret the loss of reward that he will experience at the Judgement Seed of Christ. Every believer is going to stand there, and if they have done no work, they will suffer the loss of reward. How do we know this? We will look at James 2, verse 12. James says, So speak ye and so do as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.

This could only be referring to the Judgement Seed of Christ. In James 2.14, we find no believer will be saved exempted from the believer’s judgment of works. No works will bring about no profit, no reward. Don’t you see James is not talking about can faith save you from hell. Obviously, when you place your trust in Christ, you are saved from hell. You have eternal life and you’ll never go to hell. But James is talking about what will happen at the judgment seat of Christ and can faith save you from the consequences of the judgment seat of Christ and the answer is no.

Absolutely not. You will not be saved the embarrassment, the regret, the sorrow, the humiliation, the ashamedness, the loss of reward that will occur if you have not served the Lord after your save. There are two decisions facing every Christian, number one or the every-loss person. Number one you need to get saved. You need to trust Christ as Savior and receive His free gift of everlasting life. Number two, make that decision to live for Christ, which brings about reward. And obviously, if you don’t live for Christ, you’re still saved.

But faith without works cannot save you from the loss of reward, cannot save you from being ashamed. It will not save you from the embarrassment that will occur for the believer, and it will not save you from the no-profit, the no-rewards that you’ll experience when you stand before the Lord. I hope that that is helped make it clear. And James chapter 2 is talking to believers about rewards and about service after you’re saved. My brethren, what does that profit?

Well, men say you have faith and have not works. Can faith save him? And the question is, can it save him from the consequences of the judgment seat of Christ, where believers will be examined as to their works, after their salvation experience? And even if their works are burned up, they’ll still be saved, but they’ll suffer the loss of reward. Let me quote 1 Corinthians 3.15 where it says, If any man’s works shall be burned at the the judgment of Christ, he shall suffer loss that is loss of reward, but he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire.

He will still be saved, but he will suffer the loss of reward. I believe for all eternity. I believe that this is a serious matter for the believer, that we don’t want to stand before God, ashamed, and suffering loss of reward for eternity. I believe whatever we do now is going to count forever. Our salvation is a gift and can’t be lost. It’s given by God, purchased by Christ, effed shed blood. But our Christian life brings about rewards in heaven.

Yes, there are degrees of reward in heaven. Yes, there are at least five crowns that the believer can earn. And I have a sheet that I’ve written. You can download it off my website called Getting Your Crown. we list the five crowns and how you can earn each one of those crowns. One of them should be a piece of cake. It’s for those who love Christ appearing that look forward to Christ returning and living their life in that expectancy.

I think anybody should be able to earn that crown. It ought to be easy. I’m Dr. Englund, this is Bible and we’re going to go to the The phone lines number is 1-800-576-3771. We’re going to go to Walrika, Oklahoma and we have Jim and he’s listening on the internet out there in Oklahoma and Jim, welcome to Bibleline You’re On The Air. Thank you Dr. Nastam. I’m a daily listener to your program and actually through your program.

Praise the Lord. And I had two quick questions. One of them, because I did learn from this Sunday in a nearby town, and at the end of the service, the pastor asked everyone to close their eyes, and if anyone did not know Jesus or not accepted Jesus as a Savior, to slip their hand up. And a gentleman did that. And then he liked that person to take another step into comfort. And apparently, the other speaking before a group of people are coming up before a group of men he couldn’t he didn’t come forward so then the pastor gave and i was thinking maybe he could tell the person that Reader and Private Afterwards and that he could lead them to the Lord then instead of just letting them walk away.

I don’t wonder what your comment was on that. I just have a quick question to you’re here absolutely agree with you i i think this whole thing about forcing people to come forward i’ve had people tell me that if they had to walk forward from a congregation they would rather go to hell and that’s unfortunate but obviously it’s not an issue i mean it shouldn’t be an issue because salvation can be received where the person is sitting at the moment they trust Christ.

And in my services, I invite people to trust the Lord right where they are and they don’t have to tell anybody. But obviously, as a believer grows, they certainly ought to come out of the closet and publicly declare that they are Christian by water baptism and by telling other people that they know the Lord. But I think that initially that we shouldn’t make that an issue in the part of their plan a salvation. We should just say you can be saved right where you are.

And I have preached in churches where they have people come forward. I was preaching up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for a week of revival and they had people come forward in that church. But I told people that you could trust the Lord right where you are and that if you did, I’d like to be able to pray for you. And we had a lot of people trust the Lord. Then I said, now this church would like to give you literature and they’d like to tell you how you might become a member of this church and they’d like to have you come forward where you can talk to a counselor and we would sing an invitation on him and we had lots of people come forward but we were honest and straightforward up front that they had did not have to come forward for receiving salvation they could receive in their seat but then if they wanted to know more about

that church and if they wanted to maybe get questions answered or talk to an individual about it they could come forward and we had lots of people come forward that week it It was a great week of revival in that church. But I don’t like to make it an issue for salvation. I tell people you can get saved right where you are. And I love that hymn. Just as I am, I come without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me.

We get saved just as we are, wherever we might be. And when we trust Christ, we’re saved. And then that second choice is really where the blessings come forward, where we decide that we’re going to let people know we’re a Christian and decide to serve Him and tell people that we have come to know Christ. of our Savior. Hopefully that helps a little bit. But I really cringe because I know a lot of people have told me that they won’t go forward period, no matter if it took them to hell.

They’re just so frightened about coming before a crowd. Engineers Thank you, Dr. I thought that probably would be your answer. I pray every day that the Lord will put someone in my path that he’s prepared to hear the gospel. And to see that gentlemen, you know, get up out to church and walk out was just the other question I had is, you know, you teach that the gospel is that Jesus died on the cross, shed his blood, was buried in rose again in the third day, one Corinthians.

Another scripture that I read, it’s not as clear and I thought, maybe you could tell me the meaning is John 524, where Jesus says very, very, I say unto you, he did heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me, has everlasting life and passes from instead of the gospel as I understand it, he’s saying that I believe in on him who sent me. Well, there in this course context, the father is the one that sent the son, but if you believe what the father has said concerning the son, then you’re believing on the son that he sent.

So it kind of goes together in this chapter. He is pointing out here that he is God revealed in human flesh and that the Father have sent him and whatever the Father tells him to do, he does and that Jesus Christ is the Savior that was sent by God the Father. So just like John 3 16 for God’s soul of the world, he gave his only begotten son. If you believe that God did send His only begotten Son. No, it is Christ and that whosoever that believeth in him should not perish would have everlasting life.

Then you’ve believed the Father concerning his son. Oh, I see. Huh? Oh, that makes it clear. Well, good. Jim, it’s so good to have you listening out there in Oklahoma. I hope you can tell other friends out there to get us on the Internet as well. Maybe one day we’ll be actually on a live broadcast out there somewhere. Yes, I do. I’ve told a lot of people about you and I’ve given them the URL so that they can listen to you.

to you. Send an email with your URL. Good. Oh, that’s wonderful. Well, God bless you and keep listening. God bless you. Thank you, Dr. Eiffel. All right. Would you like to get a first time packet, first time polar packet from us? I can give you over to my operators and they’ll be glad to do that. Okay, great. All right. They’re going to do that right now. All right. Thank you. Thank you very much. And that was Jim and Walrika, Oklahoma.

I don’t even know where that is. I have to get my map out and take a look here and see if I can find that. We’re going to go now to Gary down in Bradenton, Florida. Gary, welcome to Bible End. You’re on the air, Gary. I’d like to continue our discussion on the Trinity. And this is a difficult subject to deal in piecemeal as we have. I know. It’s just such a complex subject. But again, all I’m saying is that Trinitarian doctrine is not a clear doctrine.

And I brought some verses up before stating that, you know, there isn’t really one verse that says these three persons are one God, but yet there are other scriptures that the Father is the one true God. But in response, you had brought up four points. The first point you brought up was the scripture in the Gospel of John where Jesus said, I and the Father are one. And you’re using that to support the Trinitarian or the deity of Jesus.

I think if you look at one question, it does beg the question, one what is he saying, I and the Father are one God or could he be saying something else? I think if you look at John 721, Jesus is talking and he says that he prays that we all be one even as you and the Father, me and I and you and they also may be in us so so that the world may believe that you have sent me and uh…

again that you know i think it’s called and i think that is indicative that he’s referring to one in purpose he think that we may all be one so obviously we aren’t having a using trinity in hermeneutics we are we’d be using that first and they will then we’re all part of the godhead and we know that well that really is the the position of the chose witnesses who denied the eighty-frize they say that they are one purpose But obviously if you read John 10 in the context there, the Jews clearly understood what he was saying.

They said, they were going to stone you now because you’re claiming to be God and you’re only a man. That was what they thought about Christ. And Jesus had every opportunity to correct them. He could have said, no, no, no, you misunderstood me. We’re just one in purpose. We’re not one in the same. But Jesus did not correct them. In fact, he went on to confirm that yes, indeed, he was God. And then they tried to stun him, but of course he walked right out to their midst because they were not able to take him until he was ready to be taken.

And when you go to John 17 in this prayer, Jesus says in verse 5, and now O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world began. So here he talks about himself being weak with God and being around before the universe was created and sharing that glory again. He wanted that restored as he became a man and lowered himself and humbled himself to go to the cross to die for us.

But he was going to be after his death at Calvary to be restored to that position of being equally sharing the glory with the Father in heaven again. And so I believe this chapter is also saying without a doubt that he is actually God. But there are numerous Old Testament passages as well that give us all three members of the Godhead in one verse and it’s very clear there’s only one God. Can I respond? Go ahead. Okay. You know, again, the subject is a deep subject and I am not a Jehovah’s Witness.

I think though, interpreting the scriptures is an important thing for anyone to do, but you mentioned what the Jews were perceiving. So you are utilizing, we all know the Jews according to the scriptures were in darkness, so you’re using how they perceive certain words. of Jesus to demonstrate that there somehow is a trinity and I don’t think that is a fair rendering of a fair interpretation of those scriptures. The Jews were wrong, everyone agrees on that and you’re using that they perceived in the beat claiming he was God that in fact he is God.

I don’t think the Jews should be the ones that we determine what Jesus is status is. Also, you brought up. I think what you’re missing there is this was an opportunity for Christ to correct them If they misunderstood if their perception was wrong, he could have said you’re right guys. I’m not God I’m sorry. You got that impression. I misled you. Let me just tell you. I’m just a man But he didn’t he he let it stand and he continues to tell us especially in John 5 He goes on to almost an entire chapter telling us that he is God I’m their perception was that he was claiming to be God and he didn’t correct them and that is a numerous passages where he doesn’t correct How many says that?

He says, exactly, you’re right, guys, you’re understanding exactly what I’m saying. But we can point to other scriptures too, where Jesus is accused of certain things at the time of the crucifixion and He didn’t respond either. So again, it’s not a clear doctrine. And again, you brought up Philippians 2. Now that one, I would agree that Philippians 2 is one of those verses that we be indicative not of a trinity but of the deity of Jesus. If you look at it, it’s still not that clear.

It says, although he existed in the form of God, then say he was God. He’s in the form of. And then it says in verse seven, being made in the likeness of men. And then if you look at verse nine, for this reason, God highly exalted him. Again, so it’s God giving him. It’s the Father, just like in chapter five with the previous color. It’s always God giving him these powers, giving him judgment. It’s more of an agency. He is God’s representative as it fits in other scriptures as like the mediator between God and man.

By the way, one other last point and then I’ll let you go. We can continue this another day. And I think this is a perfect example because Trinitarians use verses like he who has seen me has seen the Father, I and the Father are one as indicative of a Trinity. But if you use that type of logic, if you look at 2 Samuel 24-1 and 1 Chronicles 21-1, One verse says that God ordered the numbering of the Israelites and the other verse says, Satan numbered the Israelites or calm number of the Israelites.

Now using Trinitarian logic, then God and Satan must be one. But we know that is not the case and what other explanation can be is that Satan was just acting at the command of God Almighty and that’s why he can be the same person, can be referred to doing the same thing. more of a representative capacity, not as they are co-equal as one. And I think that same type of logic needs to be applied in the New Testament Scriptures as wellAdding my beef.

Thank you, Doc. Okay, Gary. Gary and Braden, you know, you have to also, Gary, separate the fact that Jesus is also a man as well as being God. This was understood by the early Christians and in the first councils when they got together they said Jesus Christ was very God a very God and very man a very man. So we have a man that is absolutely sinless that like you say is an agent to carry out God’s will and at the same time he is the God of the universe.

And of course obviously this is difficult as a concept for us to comprehend and it tells us that in 1 Timothy 3 16 without controversy Great is the mystery of godliness that God was manifest in the flesh and goes on then to describe many of the things that he did. But when you talk about the crucifixion and about the substitution of work at the cross, the Bible focuses on the manhood of Christ. It says that this man, Hebrews chapter 10 verse 12, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God.

So here you have the man Jesus in heaven and he is also God. So Jesus is both. And of course the Jehovah’s Witnesses focus on the humanity of Christ and fail to see his deity. And then there are others who sometimes focus on the deity of Christ and fail to recognize his humanity. But as a man he got tired, he got hungry, he weft, Jesus weft the shortest verse in the New Testament. Because he was a man. But as God, He could raise the dead, He could walk on the water, He could multiply the loaves and the fishes and forgive sin.

All of these were proggities of only God. But so Jesus is the God-man and clearly John’s gospel begins right off. Tell us that. It says, in the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Then you dropped to verse 14, it says, and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. And John says, we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

So Jesus Christ is God, and He is a man, and as a man He is, you might say, an agent, and has separate from the Father. Father. That is something that will have difficulty understanding. But I believe we see it in the furniture, in the tabernacle, in the temple, the wood, speaking of the flesh, the God would take upon himself overlaid with gold, a picture of the deity of God, and that he was the God-man combined flesh and deity, and the wood and the gold overlay was a picture of Christ.

incarnate in human flesh. Gary, thanks a lot. We’ll talk again. We’re going to have to go to our break time. We have other people waiting to get on the line. We have all fair callers. We’ll try to catch as many as we can in part two. So keep your radio dial tuned right where it is and we’re about ready to go to break and then we’ll come back and do the second half of Bibleline. So don’t change that radio dial.

Stay tuned right here on Dr. Englunds from we’ll be right back. Don’t go away Bibleline will be back in a moment. Give us a call at 1-800-576-3771. That’s 1-800-576-3771. Welcome Dr. Engleman Stearman. This is Bible and it’s always wonderful to be able to be with you. Thanks for being there. Got a letter from one fellow and he says that thank you for inviting me into your living room. He is sitting there and invited to come in and sit down with me and have a discussion about the Bible and enjoys listening to others discuss as he feels like he is just sitting around, enjoying a great discussion on the Word of God.

We hope that you feel the same and we thank you and we get so many wonderful letters. I am going to have to take a letter day and read some of the great comments we get from listeners who are appreciative of some of them trusting Christ’s Savior through hearing this program. And like we had the fellow from Oklahoma today said that he understood what the gospel is by listening to Bibleline. And he’s one of those internet listeners that we said to, we had 13,045 listeners last month that listened to Bibleline on the internet.

And we need to get more of you that are listening by the internet to call in and let our people know how many of you are really listening and enjoying this program for many different parts of the world. Of course, our 800 number probably only works within this country, so you might have to make it an expensive call to be able to pull that off. In any case, we want you to know that the Bibleline is listeners supported and we can use your help in order to do that.

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You can look at those on our online bookstore on our website. And also, you can call and ask for a resource sheet to be sent out to you. We are excited about being with you today and we’re going to rejoin our stations now that have been on break and do Bible End Part 2. If your station doesn’t carry the second half of Bible End, you can go to the Internet and catch the full program. And of course, you can do that at your leisure, whatever you decide you want to do it, or you can do it right now live.

So keep your radio down tuned right where it is. We’re about ready to rejoin the other stations and do the second half of Bible End. So keep your dial tuned right where it is. We’ll be right back. Would you like to call Bibleline and ask Dr. Lindstrom a question? You can. Just pick up your phone and dial 1-800-576-3771. Now here again is Dr. Hank Lindstrom. All right, we’re back from that break. This is Bibleline of Dr. Hank Lindstrom and it’s sure wonderful to be able to be with you and we thank you for tuning in every day.

We have so many who tell us that they listen. listen faithfully every day and we’re just humbled by all of that. We are excited about what God is doing. We started off five years ago as a little 15-minute program and we didn’t know how we were going to be able to pull that off because the expense was so great and we just didn’t have it and we trusted God to supply. In fact, the day that I had to make the decision I said, Lord, how in the world can I possibly raise the money to be able pay for this fifteen minute program you wouldn’t believe what it would cost and you know uh…

that last day that last afternoon when i had to make that decision a fellow drove into my parking lot came and knocked on the door and i had seen him for years he lives in another state and uh… he came into my office and he handed me a check i put it in my shirt pocket and we do we talk for a while he said aren’t you look at that check he says i just thought you had a need and i want you to spend this However you feel it needs to be spent and I opened up that check.

I did it in his presence because he was insisting and it was for $30,000 Wow, and I said Lord you just answered the prayer and I shared with him how we wanted to go on the radio and that he was Going to facilitate that as we began with no supporters nobody even knew who you were and The Lord took that the kid is going and then the opportunity rose to go to a half hour show then an hour show and then to go outside of the Tampa Bay area and then finally up on the satellite and then up on the internet and so many things have happened here.

It’s just a wonderful story of God supplying through people just like you who have caught a vision for what this program can do. You may not be able to do what I’m doing and I really obviously can’t do what you’re able to do and that is to pay these bills without the partnership of our listeners. And so we can work together, which is I think what the Bible teaches we ought to do, and that partnership and teamwork will bring about great victories for God.

You know when Israel went to war, there were people who had to stay home and watch the Fox and watch the kids and take care of the home front. But when the soldiers came back from the war, if they won the war with the spoils of the or they shared equally with those that had stayed home and stayed by the flocks and stayed by the children and took care of things back home. And I believe that is true right now as well, that whatever this program does in the way of victories for Jesus and leading people to Christ and challenging them to live for Christ, that you’re going to share equally with me in whatever rewards we’re going to get from Bibleline.

It is not a wonderful thought that those of you that are standing by whatever you need to do in your work and in your occupation, wherever the Lord has you, are going to share with those of us that are on the front line here, our staff that are actually giving the message out over the year. Pray for us, and God bless you, in advance. We love you and thank you for your prayers and for your gifts to Bible on which keep us on the air.

By the way, we have the 800 number ready to go and people are lined up here. We hope to catch your call in today. 1-800-576-3771, 1-800-576-3771. We’re going to go to Jerry in St. Petersburg and Jerry, welcome to Bibleline You Are On the Air. Jerry are you there? Yeah I’m still here. Okay. You’re on the air. Yeah the question. Yeah you’re up right now live. Everybody’s listening to you everywhere. Oh okay. Hey I would just Pastor Hank. Yes sir.

I just wanted to there’s a verse or one verse 24. Here’s you that when we’re talking about the fact that Christ is God. I always thought that was a pretty good all the others have heard here when you’re talking about the trinity and so forth that we with i’d definitely believe in the trial and god but uh… that one where it says this angry power of god and the wisdom of god so he’s a power of god and wisdom of god he must be god well it’s a good uh…

I had never used it in that way, but certainly you’re right. I think also in verse 30 you have a good one, but of him are you in Christ Jesus who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. redemption. So I mean, that pretty much says it all. Jesus Christ has to be God to be able to provide all of those things for us and become that force as He indwells us. Good point. I like it.

I’ll probably look at that verse differently now because you said that. Okay. Thank you, Jerry. I like the one on 32 that you mentioned. Yeah, that’s a great one. Righteousness and sanctification. Nice talking with you, Pastor. Okay. only God can do that and certainly Jesus Christ has to be God to accomplish that. We’re going to Elizabeth in St. Peter’s Burg, Elizabeth. Welcome to Bibleline You’re On The Air. Oh hi, thank you for taking my call. You’re welcome. I just had a question regarding your discussion on the book of James.

We know that Jesus, we’re taught that he loves us unconditionally and in John 1510 there’s the first if you keep my commandments you abide in my love just as I have kept my father’s commandments and abide in his love but there’s the word if there what that means well it is conditional but it’s not talking here about our salvation this is talking about being fruit bearing as a branch in the vine right and he says if you abide in me and I abide in you then you’re going to be be able to bear much fruit.

It talks about this walk, this fellowship, this intimacy of the believer after we become saved. We become branches by faith. It says, be found in Him and every branch is found in Christ according to verse 2. If you flip in 3, 9 says we are found in Him by faith. But then the Christian walk is twofold there that we need to have his word abiding in us which I think is really talking about memorizing and taking God’s word in on a regular basis.

If it’s written it says if you keep his name on the hand. I know and that’s the way that we abide in him. So he’s saying if I abide in you and you abide in me then you’re going to bear much fruit and the way we abide in him is to keep his commandments. So this is talking about our fellowship, it’s not talking about our salvation, that is eternal and can never be pampered with, but our fellowship can be broken.

And so if you discontinue… So what would it be a result then of a broken fellowship? Well then it would mean certainly no fruit and there are four categories of Christians here, there’s no fruit, more fruit and much fruit Christians. And so it would also bring about perhaps God’s chastisement in your life. It talks about pruning of the vine in the earlier verses where he prunes some of the branches so that they could actually produce even more fruit. And obviously in farming that’s what we do.

We cut back the dead leaves and the dead branches so that the tree can produce lots of new growth and more fruit. And so the Lord wants to work in our lives in the same way. And so He’s always… Those persons who are a Christian who does not keep the commandments or at least attempt to keep them would just not bear fruit and that would be the only result. Yeah, and loss of reward then when they stand before the Lord, all their works will be burned up.

I think verse 6 is really talking about that where they’d be like a branch cast in the fire and of no value, no reward in heaven. But that’s a believer? That’s a believer. these are believers. It’s not talking about a loss of salvation but loss of the consequences of being a fruit-bearing Christian. It says in verse 8, here in my Father glorified that you bear much fruit. The whole parable here is about fruit-bearing and the rewards that come as a result.

James is talking about the same thing. So we can suffer loss of reward, can incur God’s discipline in our life and pruning to make us more fruitful, but if we just don’t keep His commandments. I think these are the commandments of Christ, not the Ten Commandments that it’s talked about. Right. I guess it just wears, you know, I didn’t know quite what it meant when it says they’d be thrown in the fire and burned if they’re Christians. Yeah, I think it’s talking about, it says men gather them.

So it’s not God. men gather them as branches and the picture is that they have no influence upon the world around them because they’re not keeping Christ’s commandments and living for him. So they’re testimonies of no value. I know of Will the people that have no testimony and, because maybe they’re in alcoholic or they are doing drugs or doing other things and yet they’re really a believer? And they try to witness that nobody believes them, nobody, you know, they have nothing to say that people want to hear because of their lifestyle not backing it up.

So, I think we not only need to talk about Christ, but we need to back it up with our life. So you’re saying people that remain in drugs, alcohol, and don’t change, they still remain believers even though there’s no fruit in their lives? Yeah, and oftentimes the Lord takes them home. I’ve buried a bunch of people that are in the 20s that are died of drugs which I believe were genuinely saved. I’ve buried at least two heroin kids that got on heroin is a terrible, terrible addiction, different drugs and they had trusted the Lord but went the wrong direction and their lives ended early.

The Bible talks about in 1 Corinthians 1130 that for this cause because of sin and dealt with in the Christian life, many of you are weak and many of you are sickly and many of you are dead. So the Lord can take you home to heaven early and oftentimes the sin, the result of the sin itself is what will take your life early. I would guess that the people like that, though, the result could easily be that why would an unbeliever want to turn to God if their lives were never?

Well, that’s why they can’t produce fruit in that state. That’s why to be fruit-bearing, you have to have Christ abiding in you and you abiding in Him. And I believe it is Him abiding in us is to have His words abiding in us. And in that way that we have His mind, and we know what he wants us to do, and we’re very conscious of the will of God. And then we go ahead. Let us one more quick question, and regarding that, then how would you know a person like the ones you described that are bearing no food at all?

How do you know for sure that their Christians are saved? Well, you wouldn’t know unless you really asked them, but in those cases, I let them to Christ myself. And they really did understand the gospel, really didn’t know the Lord. So being saved is just a mental understanding. don’t really have to do anything. You don’t do anything but receive it. It’s a gift. And I know that I trusted the Lord and I was a secret believer for a whole year.

I did nothing. And then the Lord of course brought me to the place where I dedicated my life. Oh yeah. You have to bear a lot of fruit and so it’s obvious. But the point is that you can be a believer and not serve the Lord. And that’s what James is addressing. He says, Hey, wake up Christian. What property are you going to have? If you live out your life and you have no works, will it save you from the consequences when you are standing before God and he says, what did you do for me?

You’re still saved from hell, but you won’t be saved from the loss of reward and the embarrassment and the ashamedness that you’ll have when he says, why didn’t you do anything? I wanted you to serve me and they don’t have any fruit. They don’t have any reward in heaven. Well, thank you very much. That explains a lot. I thank you for taking my call. You’re very welcome. Thank you, Elizabeth. That was Elizabeth in St. Petersburg, Florida. We have, let’s see here, we have Mike in Lakeland, Florida.

Mike, welcome to Bibleline you’re on the air. Good morning, Dr. Hank. I wanted to, I guess, get back on the subject of the Trinity just briefly and I have a question for you. You know, when the fellow was calling in talking about the Trinity, you know, in order for me to be saved, I have to believe really two things. I have to believe who Christ was and that He did what He said He did. And I believe that by faith.

And I don’t think the Bible sets out Trinity anymore than the Bible sets out to prove there’s a God. I think the Bible makes a statement in Genesis 1 in the beginning God. the Bible says in John 1 1 in the beginning was the word the word was with God the word was God. There are proofs all through the Trinity and if Christ was not who He said He was if He was not God then His sacrifice on the cross was ineffectual and you and I might as well pack it in and go to the house.

I guess my question to you is do you think that God in the Bible was trying to prove? Do you think He just is like in Genesis where it says in in the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. I think the latter, obviously, the book wasn’t really just to be a proof text to try to prove different doctrines. It really just does. In unfolding the story, we learn about the Godhead and we learn about who Christ is, but it’s not set up directly to do that.

Except, you know, in some cases, there are, like John’s Gospel definitely is a Gospel to, I think, establish the deity of Christ. That’s one of the major themes in John’s Gospel, but that is a natural flow of the revelation of who he is. It is not something manufactured that is not true, but certainly is depicting of where Christ began. He began before the foundations of the earth as being God himself, the word the Lagos, and then he is involved in the creation in verse 3 that all things were created by him.

And in verse 14 he then became flesh, which is what happened at Bethlehem when God took on a human body and we see his life depicted and we see how that the things that he did could only be done by God walking on the water and multiplying the loaves and the fishes and raising Lazarus from the dead, forgiving sins are all things that only God can do. Jesus Christ clearly therefore must be the very Creator himself as described in the Bible.

Amen. Amen. your defense of the gospel and we appreciate your right standing on who Christ is and we support your ministry and definitely thank God for you Dr. Hank. Well God well thank you Mike from Lakeland Florida calling in today on Bible and we now have Lillian in Tampa Florida and Lillian welcome to Bibleline you’re on the air. Yes, um, then my doctor Hank, um, sorry I was being interrupted and I wasn’t ready I was here waiting. I wanted you to actually, I had a comment about that guy.

I’m glad the other gentleman that is called, try to clarify. That’s going to be after, but please hear me out because you’ve always cut me short. I love you, but anyway, it’s on your sessions. six, which the whole arm is fine. Okay. Hold on. What is your question? Yes. I’m trying to freeze it. I don’t see it here. Oh, Lord. I just had it. I see a situation where I don’t see the stakes. Well, you’re just going to have to get back with me because again we have to get you because you don’t have the question ready for us.

Lily, I’m very sorry. We’re gonna go now to Lily in a rather vivvy in Hudson, Florida. Vinnie, welcome to Bibleline your On the Air. Hey Hank, how you doing? Good. Good, I’ve got a quick question and so somebody else can get on. I was studying in Revelation for me, where say it seems like these people were not written in the world. I’m wondering if you can maybe clarify that. Right. All right. The key there is the is looking for the time words because if you look at the verse carefully, it is really talking about once we get through the millennium and at the end of the thousand year ran of Christ, when it is their names are looked for, they’re not there.

So it’s at the point in time when after the beast has already been cast into hell and then when their names are looked for they’re not there. So it has to be the time and what it happens. Once the millennium is over everybody who has ever lived their life has transpired and if they died as an unbeliever their name is blotted out in a depth of time when at a great white throne judgment in Revelation 20, 11 through 15, their names are looked for in the Lamb’s Book of Life, they’re not there.

And so they’re therefore judged out of the books and they’re assigned a degree of punishment in hell and cast into the eternal like a fire. So basically you have to ask yourself, at what point in time does that verse say this? And it says that the end after the thousand year end of Christ is when all the lost will obviously not have their names in the book because their names will have been stricken when they died. We have Carol in Tarpon and we’re going to go to Carol in Tarpon, Florida, I guess that’s Tarpon Springs.

Carol, welcome to Babylon. Oh, hi. You’re on the air. Oh, I am. Yeah. Okay. This is Carol and I have a question. My brother and I were raised like you and We were taught that we’re losing salvation about 100,000 times all of our lives. My mom says no sin can enter heaven. I used to go to the altar probably maybe five times a week. My brother still thinks the same. I was telling him about your ministry about, and he was arguing back with me that you have to have works.

He said, what about the wedding party? They ran out of oil and they missed the bridegroom and lots of life when she looked back. and one of the men walked away and lost his salvation, who was a Christian. So I don’t really, I’m not qualified to answer that. Sure, well we have to address each one in the case of the ten virgins, the five foolish virgins. Verse 12 answers that in Matthew 25, 12, Christ says, I know you not.

So the Bible is very clear that God knows those that are His, those that have become saved, He knows, but these were never saved because He says, I don’t know you. they were not saved at all. So no matter what you want to say about the text there, the bottom result is that they were not saved people. And a lot, in the case of his wife, she didn’t lose her salvation, but she did lose her life. There were only four believers in Sodom and they were being evacuated before God could bring judgment on all the unbelievers and sought him.

Lots wife apparently, who apparently was a worldly woman, apparently went back to get her makeup or whatever she went back to get as she got caught in the destruction of the city was killed. So she physically died, but I don’t think that Lot’s wife was lost. I think she went to heaven, but she simply lost her life. Of course Lot himself lost his rewards because they were all earthly. So his house was burned up, his car, his boat, his bank account, and the first national bank of Sodom, his money was all evaporated in the fire and brimstone.

He wound up in a cave and his life turned out to be a miserable ending. His daughter got him drunk and got pregnant by him. It was just a total mess. Here’s a man who did not live for God and you can see the consequences in his life. His treasures were earthly and they were all burned up. Lot will be a person in heaven with no treasure, no rewards, but yet he was saved. But I’d recommend my CD for your brother to listen to, called How Permanent is Your Salvation.

If you want, I’ll get my operator to get your dress with a send it to you. Yeah, I would like those plus, you know, I want to send them to my son too because my son is saved, but he’s suffering, you know, alcohol addiction, depression, all that kind of stuff. You know, I want him as a mother. Absolutely. Understanding salvation is not by works that he needs to start reading the word and trusting God for his salvation that he’s not going to lose heaven, but he needs to seek help.

I don’t even know. It’s so hard for a mother when your children don’t want to talk to anyone, men especially. you know you know people but they don’t want to get help because they think that’s a manlier something well this will be a way they could do it in privacy to listen to my CD this CD will be helpful for everything you just mentioned there and and if they will only listen to it they could put it in their car if they have a CD player there or whatever and and we’ve seen so many people come to know the Lord and also people really get fired up for certain Lord as a result of the clarity that comes by listening to that from the Bible that you can be known you can know and be assured of your salvation and the God is not going

to kick you out of the issue but he will reward you as you faithfully serve him and we’ve seen great results with that oh my mom’s the same way when i talk to her she says well i don’t show come right out and tell you me and my family are confused because they think my mother will say well you know i don’t send but she’ll say mean things to people and you know how much are and we’re going like well that’s a sin and uh…

you know and she’s she’s living by work and she is an awesome godly woman but is my mother gonna be you know because she believes that she always had a lot of money to get my cd to everybody in their whole family it’s not a lot well i’m gonna put on hold of my uh… operator will pick you up and will will get that cd out to you and actually probably several uh… but thank you care for calling in on dr england’s room i hope everybody has trusted Jesus as your Savior, salvation is the gift of God the Bible says.

And if you right now would just tell the Lord, Lord, I am a sinner, we all are. But I trust Jesus Christ right now and His death and shed blood. The moment you trust Christ God save you, then the important second decision is to live for Christ, because unless you live for him you’re not going to have any rewards, the blessings, the joy, the knowing of God’s will and discovering of his will in your life comes by being obedient and living for Christ as a believer.

Every believer ought to be living for Christ. But living for Christ isn’t what saves us. That’s the means whereby we enjoy the fruits of the Christian life. I hope you’ll tune us in again tomorrow. Don’t forget that you can catch this program again and again on the Internet. Also, we want you to know that you can catch our television programs on the Internet as well. If you go to that little TV set on the home page of my website, click on that.

You’re on your way. I’ll show you the TV and radio. We gotta go. Keep looking up. Jesus is coming. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a presentation of Bibleline Ministries of Tampa, Florida. Your donation to Bibleline makes it possible for this ministry to continue in your area. Bibleline’s address is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Or visit Bibleline online at BiblelineMinistries.com. Be sure to tune in for another edition of Bibleline from Cal I’m Calvary Community Church of Tampa, Florida. Well, I’m Dr.

Englins from It’s Been Great to Be With You. Thanks again for tuning in today. And again, you can tune this program in as often as you like by going to the internet. It’ll be sitting there for about a month at least. And you can catch this in other programs plus our television programs on BibleLineMinistries.org.com. If you’d like to be a partner and help Bibleline, you can send a gift by mail or you can call and give a gift by credit card over the phone.

We could certainly use your help. It is expensive to be on the radio, but we want you to know that our partnership with you is vital. I don’t get paid, our staff doesn’t get paid. We don’t have a piggy bank, a reserve account. We simply trust God. And we just never know from week to week how we’ll be able to pay the bills. It really is an exciting adventure. But God has been wonderful to supply and it’s a real miracle thing to behold.

And if you’ve been listening, you’ve watched how the Lord has blessed us and allowed us to grow. And that’s because of you. Really it is. And again, we don’t have any salaries we pay for Bible Life. So it’s all really just dumped right into taking care of the bills and getting this message out. Maybe you’d like to be a partner with us. give a call to 1-800 and we’ll send you an envelope or you’ll be able to hear our address recited to you or you can give a gift by credit card over the phone and you can also get some of our resources which would also help Bibleing.

We’ve got some wonderful CD series, we just finished First and Second Thessalonians, we also have the book of Revelation, the book of Daniel, a lot of the books of the Bible For example, Jude, Romans, Hebrews, Matthew, Ephesians, they’re all available. So you might want to call it maybe order some of the CD series to play in your car and learn as you are driving down the road rather than just letting that time go by. We’re having to run, but we’ll be back tomorrow, Lord willing.

And so tune in Bibleline again tomorrow or on the internet all day long, if you like. Have a great one. Keep looking up. Jesus is coming. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a presentation of Bibleline Ministries of Tampa, Florida. Your donation to Bibleline makes it possible for this ministry to continue in your area. Bibleline’s address is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Or visit Bibleline online at biblelineministries.com. Be sure to tune in for another edition of Bibleline from Calvary Community Church of Tampa, Florida.