Oh dear. This is bad fruit isn't it. The fruit of pride, I perceive.
They had FAITH in God, and that is what saved them........faith in the same God who would later become flesh and be called by the name of Jesus.... which means God saves. Jesus Himself sure was "dogmatic" about the need to believe in Him.
Faith in Jesus is the only way to be saved from wrath and from sin. Whosoever believes in Him have been saved from sin and are not appointed to wrath....but the world is appointed to wrath, sadly. Who is the world?.....it is those who don't believe. Those who don't believe are condemned and His wrath abides on them already, as was the case with all of us before we came to faith. Which is the whole reason why we and they need a Saviour.. It certainly is not idolatry to believe in Jesus........He is the one true God. On the contrary, it's idolatry to believe in anything other than Him. This is all God's word, Epi.....this is the GOSPEL that Jesus and the apostles preached and taught.
We do need to run the race with sincerity and with our whole heart after coming to faith....faith is just the beginning and by works faith is made perfect. God takes into account our need to grow and learn like parents take that into account with their children.......believers are not born grown up and perfect. There is good reason why the bible says He is "not ashamed to call us His brethren".
HE sure was sister . HE sure was . He spoke very clearly about the dire need to Beleive on HIM .
HE spoke of the gift of eternal life unto all who do beleive on HIM
And he also spoke of damanation upon all who beleived ................NOT ON HIM .
And the apostels took him seriously sister .
shaking dust off as a warning and testmony against those who did not believe on Him
And my look at all those warnings .
In the beginning GOD had told man not to eat of the tree in the midst of the garden
for n the day that ye do ye shall surely DIE .
But along came a serpent and said NAY ye shall not die , God just knows that in the day ye eat thereof
ye shall become as gods to know good and evil .
YES he used a truth , FOR GOD EVEN SAYS THAT HIMSELF , to promote A LIE that they would not die .
And now
In the beginning of his minstiry and in his days
JESUS warned the peoples of the dire need to believe on HIM and that any who did not would surely perish
would surely be damned .
But quickly soon after HIS depature
Along cometh the sepernt
and says SURELY YE SHALL NOT PERISH if you believe not , FOR GOD IS LOVE .
Once again he uses a truth , GOD IS LOVE to imply HIS LIE they wont perish .
Satan is satan and his desire is only death for man as it has always been .
But what terrifies me , for this people and i mean many in christendom , IS
the fact they seem to love this LIE , this very lie they THINK IS LOVE and OF GOD
and yet it leads them ONLY TO THE SECOND death .
And for this cause HE shall send them STRONG delusion to beleive a LIE and be damend .
WHo recieved NOT THE LOVE OF THE TRUTH whereby they might be saved ,
but had pleasure IN UNRIGHTEOUSNESS .
WELL , looks like we got us a huge image of a love god
and this love god darn sure denies the dire need TO BELEIVE ON CHRIST JESUS
and this love god sure is merging the false religoins WHO HATE GOD
with even christendom . A convenant has been made and it sure does seem
that unbelivers and those who love a lie ARE FLOCKING RIGHT UNDER IT
believing even that IT IS OF GOD and that it is the way TO PEACE N SAFETY .
and now a word
FOR WHEN They shall say peace n safety , DOES NOT SAY THEY GET IT
IT say SUDDEN DESTRUCTION comes upon them all and they WILL NOT ESCAPE .
