We Make a Sure Covenant

#surecovenant

Nehemiah 9 KJT
32 Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before thee, that hath come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all thy people, since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day...
38 And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal unto it.

Nehemiah 10
28 ¶And the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the porters, the asingers, the Nethinims, and all they that had separated themselves from the people of the lands unto the law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, every one having knowledge, and having understanding;
29 They clave to their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God's law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and his judgments and his statutes...

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Their confession: "Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keepest covenant and mercy..."

Their response:
- "We make a sure covenant, and write it..."
- "They clave to their brethren..."
-  "They entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God's law..."

1. "We make a sure covenant, and write it..."
- what's a covenant?
- what is a sure covenant?
- why is it a sure?

2. "... all they that had separated themselves from the people of the lands..."
- separated from something...
- cleave to another.
- have you?

3. "... every one having knowledge, and having understanding... "
- of what?
- have you?

4. "... They clave to their brethren, their nobles... "
- will you?
- have you?

5. "... entered into a curse"
- what's this?
- will you? have you?

6. " ... and [entered] into an oath..."
- what's this?
- will you? have you?

7. What did they covenant to do?
- Are you in covenant with a community of God's saints?
- How do you view your covenant with them?

Consider these things.

May the Lord richly bless each one who does so. Amen.

Feel free to ask your questions.

"How to be saved" or "How we are saved"

Necessity is a noun that means

something is required, indispensable,

or completely unavoidable.
If so, can there be any salvation
when there were no inspired Scriptures?

I saw this meme here:https://www.facebook.com/103324528776372/posts/114513047657520/

Does the special revelation, God's inspired Scriptures, tell us how to be saved, or does it tell us how we are saved, or both?

What does it mean to know God savingly? Is it having enough knowledge of the special revelation in order to be saved by God, or are we saved freely by God's grace so that we are enabled to discern the truth of our salvation revealed in the inspired Scriptures?

Give me your thoughts.

Thanks

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Mark Thomas
Mat 16:15-17
Oh He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

Marty-Sandy Smith
Jesus Christ alone saved us from death in trespasses and sins unto eternal life in himself, without the participation of the scriptures, the gospel, the church, the law, or any other effort of human beings (besides himself). He trod the winepress alone! And since eternal salvation is by Jesus Christ alone, there is no possibility of the intended recipients failing to get it.

The special revelation of inspired scripture, and the preaching of the true gospel, tells us how Jesus Christ has already saved us in this manner. When we come to him in belief of this truth, he gives us rest.

The special revelation of inspired scripture, and the preaching of the true gospel, tells us how to be saved from ignorance, error, darkness, guilt, despair, deceit, and discouragement while we live in this world, waiting to go home to Jesus Christ, or for him to come back and take us home. When we take his yoke upon us in following the teachings of scripture, we find rest in our day to day lives.

From what does faith in Christ saves a man?

A few simple questions to assist us in rightly dividing the word of truth:

1. Who is able to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ?

2. Unto whom is the call directed?

3. How does believing on Jesus Christ save a man?

4. What does his believing on Jesus Christ save him from?

Just simple and honest questions; they are no trick questions, I can assure you.

May the Lord bless you with a blessed day of worship and fellowship in the Lord Jesus Christ.

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Reggie Lee

The best 4 questions a theologian can ask. And when I say theologian, I mean every Christian that is serious about doctrine.

To whom did Christ send you out to teach?

To whom did Christ send you out to teach?

Matt 28: 18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

The Lord said, ' Go ye therefore, and teach all nations..."

The Lord DID NOT say, "Go ye therefore, and preach to all nations, that I may do My work of regenerating the dead through your preaching." But this is what so many preachers and their followers believe the Lord is saying!

Who did Jesus send out the Apostles to TEACH?

- God's children (elect already regenerated by the sovereign activity of God apart from any activities of preachers) among the nations?

- Sinners still dead in their trespasses and sins, who are not only devoid of any ability to discern spiritual things but are positively hostile towards spiritual things?

Who were the Apostles sent out to teach?

To whom does the Lord Jesus Christ give His servants pastor/teacher to teach, to feed, to shepherd? 

And while you are considering that,

- how was the Lord Jesus Christ with His Apostles to the end?
- what is the end of the world spoken of?
- Has the "end of the world" spoken of already occurred, or is it still a future event?

Give us your considered judgments. Thanks.

Allan Turda
Furthermore, the Great Commission does not speak of saving people from hell; it is instead speaking of discipleship. It is amazing how an erroneous understanding of the doctrine of eternal salvation makes people put words into verses which are not there. "Go ye therefore and teach all nations", the Greek says "Going therefore disciple all the nations..." No word/words, idea or whatsoever about getting people saved. "baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Again, only born again believers are to be baptised. "Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you..."

This is definitely discipleship in the process.

If we can only, first of all, clear our minds from what we have been taught in Bible Colleges and Bible Institutes, and then read the Bible objectively, we will see things differently, and the Lord, helping us, we will see things correctly.

Sing F Lau
Your last statement is so apt.
Prejudiced and poisoned minds are not easy to detox!

Only the regenerated (i.e. God's children by His own free and sovereign activities, without the preachers) are capable of being taught the gospel truth and made disciples.

 

 

He which Converteth the Sinner from the Error of His Way

Brethren, let's look at the last two verses of James this evening.

“Brethren, if any among you (2pp) do err from the truth, and one convert him; let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.” James 5:19-20

Some observations on James 5:19-20
1. Anyone among the ‘brethren’ is liable to err from the truth; in these numerous ways:
a From Christ, who is the Truth, by not abiding in Him, forsaking His ways, His worship, and ordinances;
- From the Scriptures of truth, not speaking according to them, and embracing fables and notions that are contrary unto them;
- From the gospel, the word of truth, from the doctrine of the faith once delivered to the saints, and from the uprightness of life and conversation, after having made a profession of Christianity.
- This is to be understood of one who has embraced the Christian religion, become a member of a church, and has walked in the path of truth and holiness, but now fallen into error, either in principle, or in practice, or both. (Gill)

2. A clear distinction between error and truth is presupposed; otherwise it is not possible to know when a brother errs from the truth.
- The standard is, 'Thy word is truth.'

3. To err from the truth and continue in the way of error is sinning. To continue in the way of error will result in 'death.'

4. Truth and practice are always related. To ‘err from the truth’ is to walk in ‘the error of his way.’

5. Such a sinner needs to be converted from the error of his way and be brought back to the truth.
- A fellow brother has a solemn duty to convert an erring brother.
- Each brother is his brother's keeper.

6. To convert an erring ‘brother’ from the error of his way and bring him back to the truth “shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.”

7. "Let him know" – indicates great encouragement to motivate a believer to perform the difficult and unpleasant work of converting an erring ‘brother.’

8. He who wins souls, in the manner stated, is wise!!!

Some questions to promote study:

1. Who are the ‘brethren’ addressed by Elder James?
- Please note that BOTH the erring one and the converting one are among the ‘brethren.’

a. Are they blood brothers, ethnic brothers, i.e. fellow Jew, or spiritual brothers?
b. Give reasons for your answer.

2. Who is the erring/sinning one among the ‘brethren’?
- Who is the truth? What is the truth?
- If one is not first in the truth, can he err from the truth?
- How did one come in the truth? Cp John 14:6,17; 15:26; 16:13; 17:17

3. Who is able to convert the sinning one among the ‘brethren’?
- Who can lead someone who has departed from the truth back to the truth?

4. What does it mean to convert (turn) the erring one from the error of his way?-
a. What is needed to convert an erring brother?
-

b. What would you do to convert an erring brother?
-

c. Why should you endeavour to convert an erring brother?
-

5. What does it mean to save the sinner’s (i.e. erring brother’s) soul from death?
- Different usage of the word ‘soul.’ See Gen 2:7; 12:13; 17:14; 19:20; 46:15; Ex 1:5.
- Sometimes it is synonymous with the living person. A living person is a soul.
- Sometimes it is synonymous with the spirit of the man. A living soul consists of body and spirit.

a. What is the sense of the word ‘soul’ used here?

b. What is the death spoken of? Is it spiritual death or physical death?
- Remember that death is separation.
- Who alone CAN SAVE a man from his native state of spiritual death?
- Can the act of a fellow man save a soul from spiritual death?
- From what kind of death can the converting act of a man save his brother’s soul?
- Is excommunication, the termination of church fellowship, a form of death?

c. Does God terminate the physical life of His wayward and unrepentant children?
- John 15:6; 1Cor 11:30; Phi 3:17-21;1Pet 4:17; 2Pet 2:1,
- 2Pe 3:16 "As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction."
 What is the destruction spoken of?

d. Does God promise long life to His obedient children?
- Deut 5:33; 1Kg 3:14; Ps 91:16; Pr 3:2,9:11, 10:27; 1Pe 3:10.

6. What does it mean ‘shall hide a multitude of sins’?
-
a. How does converting an erring brother hide a multitude of sins?

-

b. Are the multitude of sins already committed, but are forgiven because of conversion?
-

c. Are the multitude of sins avoided because of the conversion?
-

7. Do you have any questions?
- Please do ask them.