Things About the Church

One should never minimize the value of the church, the church Jesus built. I am not speaking about man-made denominational churches established hundreds of years after the Lord built his church, but the church you read about in the Bible. Many do not understand the importance of the church. Years ago this sentiment was popularized by the saying, “Jesus yes; the church no.” The church that was being rejected by so many was the organized churches they could see.

Certainly, one can do without the church if one is talking about a denominational church. Almost all of them were begun long after the church one reads about in the Bible. Those in them will generally admit it does not matter whether or not you are a member of their particular denomination, for they say you can be saved without being a member of their fellowship. This is a confession, although unintended, that their denominational church is not the church of the Bible. But, with that said, it is a whole different story when it comes to the Lord’s church, for no one can be saved outside it.

Here is a list of 12 things many people do not know or understand about the Lord’s church--things that make all the difference.

(1) The same process that makes you a Christian, believing and obeying the gospel, adds you to the church the Lord built. There is no such thing as a Christian who is not a part of the Lord’s church. “And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:47 NKJV) Who is saved? Is it the Christian or the non-Christian? If God has not added you to the church there is a good reason--you are not yet one of those who are being saved; you have not yet obeyed the gospel.

It is only the church, not those outside the church, that Christ sanctified and cleansed “with the washing of water by the word that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.” (Eph. 5:25-27 NKJV) If you are saved, you are in this glorious church.

(2) The church is the saved. All of the saved are in the church. One cannot be saved outside the church. Jesus is the Savior of the body (Eph. 5:23), which is the church (Eph. 1:22-23, Col. 1:18, 24). There is no passage to be found in the Bible where Jesus ever said he would save a person outside his body, outside the church. Paul speaking to the Christians at Corinth said, “Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.” (1 Cor. 12:27 NKJV) “Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.” (Eph. 5:23 NKJV) Christ is “head over all things to the church, which is His body.” (Eph. 1:22-23 NKJV)

This is not to imply everyone in the church is saved, but only that all who are saved are in the church. Paul said, as an example, that Demas had forsaken him, having loved this present world (2 Tim. 4:10). Unless he later repented and was restored, he would not have been saved, so here is a man who was in the church but left. Not all Christians are faithful, but, nevertheless, all who are saved are in the church.

(3) Jesus purchased the church with his blood. Paul, in speaking to the Ephesian elders, admonished them to “shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” (Acts 20:28 NKJV) It is by his blood that we will be saved. “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins.” (Eph. 1:7 NKJV) One is either in the church purchased with Christ’s own blood or he is outside. Jesus' blood never purchased anything other than the church. “The Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:27 NKJV) Saved how? By the blood of Jesus. The saved are in the church, not outside it.

(4) You cannot join the church or be added by man. The Lord adds you to the church (Acts 2:47) once you have obeyed the gospel and been cleansed by the blood of Jesus in doing so. You cannot join the church because God adopts you into it, the church being God’s family. God “predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ.” (Eph. 1:5 NKJV) If you are a child of God, it is because God chose to add you to his family. He willingly does so when we make our desire to be a part of the family known by gospel obedience, obedience that is sincere and from the heart (Rom. 6:17).

(5) “Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it.” (Eph. 5:25 NKJV) Will we say Christ loved the church and still belittle its importance? If he loved the church, should we not also love it? The church is brothers and sisters in Christ. What has Christ said about loving one another? “He who does not love his brother abides in death.” (1 John 3:14 NKJV)

(6) When one persecutes, or belittles, or makes fun of the church (Christians are the church), he is doing it to Christ. Saul, who later became the apostle Paul, was a great persecutor of the church, as you are well aware. When Christ confronted Saul on the road to Damascus, he said to Saul, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4 NKJV) In persecuting the church, Saul was persecuting Christ.

[Please note I said “the church,” not denominations, for it would have to be first proven that a denomination is the church. They came on the scene generations after Jesus’ church. Since they all deny they are the church, claiming they are only a denomination within it, and say you can be saved outside their denomination, then surely they are right and their denomination is not the church, for you cannot be saved outside Christ’s church.]

(7) God receives glory in the church. “To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus.” (Eph. 3:21 ESV) Christians are the ones who give God glory, and they are the ones within the church. “For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Cor. 6:20 NKJV) “That you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Rom. 15:6 NKJV)

(8) It is through the church that the manifold wisdom of God is made known. “To the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church.” (Eph. 3:9 NKJV) Do not ever expect to learn about God or the gospel or salvation from those outside the church. Remember, the church is Christians. They are the ones who proclaim God’s word, whether within the meeting house or outside it.

(9) The church is a spiritual building built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Jesus as the chief cornerstone (Eph. 2:20), a holy temple in the Lord (Eph. 2:21), “built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit” (Eph. 2:22 NKJV). One either desires to be a living stone in that building or one does not. “You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2:5 NKJV)

Paul told Timothy, “I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God.” (1 Tim. 3:15 NKJV) One is either a living stone in that building of God or else he is no part of it at all. Can one be saved outside it? To ask is to answer.

(10) The church is where God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are. Christians are the church. Christians have the Holy Spirit. “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you.” (1 Cor. 6:19 NKJV) The church is “a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit.” (Eph. 2 21-22 NKJV) “Where two or three are gathered together in MY name, there I am in the midst of them.” (Matt. 18:20 NKJV)

This is not to say God is unaware of those outside the church, but it is to say that he abides within the church in a way he never abides in those outside the church. If you want to be where Jesus is, where the Father is, where the Holy Spirit is, you cannot remain out in the world away from the church.

(11) There is only one way into the church--through Jesus. “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” (John 14:6 NKJV) Elsewhere he said, “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved.” (John 10:9 NKJV) The saved are in the church (Acts 2:47, Eph. 5:23, Col. 1:24).

To enter into Christ is to be baptized into his spiritual body based upon a genuine faith, repentance of sins, and a willingness to confess him with the mouth. “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.” (1 Cor. 12:13) Baptism is into Christ (Rom. 6:3, Gal. 3:27). “He who believes and is baptized will be saved.” (the words of Jesus--Mark 16:16 NKJV)

(12) The church is the place where prayers to God will be heard. “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” (James 5:16 NKJV) No one is righteous who has not been cleansed by the blood of Jesus and who, thus, is not a member of the church Jesus built. All the righteous are in the church; there are none who are righteous outside it who are of accountable age and mentally competent. “The prayer of the upright is his delight.” (Pro. 15:8 NKJV) “He hears the prayer of the righteous.” (Pro. 15:29 NKJV)

If it be said that God heard the prayer of Cornelius, a man at the time outside the church, the answer is yes, he did. He will hear your prayer also outside the church, “if” you are willing to hear and obey his word. Those who are willing have become Christians or will do so as soon as they hear the word. Cornelius was a true seeker after God.

Cornelius had a heart immediately ready to receive God’s word and obey it. God knew that, and thus it was not long until Cornelius was given that opportunity and soon became a Christian, a member of the church. But the scripture says, “One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be an abomination.” (Pro. 28:9 NKJV) Want God to hear your prayers? In the church is the place you need to be for that. “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying out ‘Abba, Father!’” (Gal. 4:6 NKJV)

Let us love the church as Jesus loved it.

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The Cleansing of the Church at Ephesus

How was the church at Ephesus cleansed from sin? To be cleansed from sin is to be saved. I think most in Christendom are well aware of the famous Ephesian passage found in chapter two, verses eight and nine, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast.” (NAS) Many, many passages of the New Testament teach that salvation is a matter of God’s grace (Acts 15:11, Rom. 3:24, Gal. 2:21, 5:4, Eph. 1:7, 2:5, 2 Thess. 2:16, 2 Tim. 1:9, Titus 2:11, Titus 3:7, 1 Peter 1:10, 1 Peter 1:13). I have listed most of them here so the reader will know I am well aware of them.

I am thankful it is that way. If salvation were by works, a person might well come up short; the Bible teaches he would (Rom. 3:23). That is exactly what happened to the Jewish people under the Law of Moses. None was able to keep it. “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.” (Gal. 3:10 NKJV) I think we are all glad salvation is a matter of God’s grace, versus works, for works demanded perfection.

God’s grace, which gives us salvation, is granted to us as a result of faith we possess. “Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand.” (Rom. 5:1-2 NAS) “For by grace you have been saved through faith.” (Eph. 2:8 NAS) There are many other passages teaching that we are saved by faith. Here are quite a number of them: John 3:14-16, John 8:24, John 11:25-26, John 20:31, Acts 16:31, Rom. 10:9, 1 Cor. 1:21, Gal. 3:22, 1 Tim. 1:16, Heb. 11:6, 1 John 5:13, Rom. 3:26, 28, 30, 5:1, 11:20, Gal. 2:16, 3:24, 26, Eph. 2:8, Philippians 3:9, 1 Peter 1:9. These were again listed that the reader might know I am fully aware of them.

The question that arises, however, is what is this faith that justifies, that gives us God’s grace? I am not asking what the object of the faith is, for we know that. I am asking what the nature of this faith is. Many, perhaps most, are persuaded today (and have been since the Reformation) that it is merely a state of the mind regarding a belief one has in Jesus, who he is, and what he has accomplished for us. It is mental assent to the teachings of the scriptures about him. This is the faith that it is said saves. I certainly agree with that as far as it goes, but it stops short, too short.

One must not only believe what the scriptures teach about Jesus--who he was, what he accomplished--but faith also commits us to believe the man himself, believe what he said, and act on it. If faith does not lead to action, it is dead faith (James 2:17). James says it is “useless.” (James 2:20 NAS) Even in this world, as regards worldly matters, how can we say we have faith in a man when we will not take the man at his word?

The faith the Ephesians had that resulted in their cleansing from sin was the faith they had in what Jesus taught them through his inspired representatives. Paul was an inspired man, but the Holy Spirit, whether speaking through Paul or through any other apostle or first-century prophet, did not speak on his own initiative. “He will not speak on his own initiative, but whatever he hears, he will speak…he shall take of mine, and shall disclose it to you.” (John 16:13-14 NAS--the words of Jesus referring to the Holy Spirit) Thus, the Holy Spirit spoke the words of Jesus, and Jesus was thus their teacher.

Paul said later in the book of Ephesians that Jesus cleansed the church, “by the washing of water with the word.” (Eph. 5:26 NAS) “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her; that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word.” (Eph. 5:25-26 NAS)

Who was cleansed that way? Those Paul said earlier that had been saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8). The washing of water with the word is clearly a reference to baptism. What did Jesus teach about baptism? “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved.” (Mark 16:16 NAS) “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” (John 3:5 NAS)

John 3:5 and Eph. 5:26 teach the same thing. The Spirit gave the word. The Spirit working through the word works on our spirit, if we will allow it to do so, changing our thinking, our attitudes, our desires, and our will, bringing us to the point where we are ready to put the old man to death and be baptized to arise in “newness of life.” (Rom. 6:4 NAS) To be cleansed by the washing of water by the word (Eph. 5:26) is the same as to be born of water and the Spirit (John 3:5).

Furthermore, in scripture, the church (Eph. 5:25-26) and the kingdom (John 3:5), generally, not always but generally, are interchangeable terms. Peter was given the keys of the kingdom. When he used those keys, by preaching the gospel on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2, and people believed and obeyed, they were added to the church, one and the same as the kingdom that Peter was opening with his keys.

Were the Ephesians saved by grace through faith “before” they were cleansed? What was the church, the church being the members, cleansed of, if not sin? Can you be saved without first being cleansed of sin? They were saved by grace through faith when cleansed of sin by the washing of water with the word. That washing was done by “the obedience of faith.” (Rom. 1:5 NAS) Paul said he had received grace and apostleship, “to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles.” (Rom. 1:5 NAS)

Paul himself, obviously a church member, was told at his own conversion, “Why do you delay? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name.” (Acts 22:16 NAS) Paul had experienced the same washing and for the same reason the church had at Ephesus. No, water itself cannot wash away sins, but it can if God has made the decision that that is the time and place where he will act in response to a person’s faith. Some have said baptism is a test of faith, and I do not argue with them.

Naaman, in the Old Testament, “became furious” (2 Kings 5:11 NKJV) when told he needed to go wash in the Jordan seven times to be healed of his leprosy. He did not want to do it that way. His faith had brought him thus far to Elisha, and he felt that should be good enough. Elisha should just come out and “stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.” (2 Kings 5:11 NKJV) Obedience of faith had no place in his thinking. One is reminded of today.

No, the water of the Jordan had no magical power to heal Naaman, but faith in what God told Naaman to do, a faith strong enough to get him to act simply because God said to do it, was the faith that made the difference. Naaman is an excellent example of a man who experienced two types of faith. The first failed him in obtaining his objective. Why? Because it was based on his preconceived ideas of how God should do things.

When told to go wash in the Jordan seven times, "Naaman became furious, and went away and said, 'Indeed, I said to myself, 'He (reference to Elisha, God's prophet—DS) will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.''" (2 Kings 5:11 NKJV) Naaman's faith that failed was faith in his own idea of how God should act. Naaman admits as much when he says, "I said to myself."

His later faith that brought Naaman healing was based not on Naaman's personal thinking but on what God said—"Go and wash in the Jordan seven times." (2 Kings 5:10 NKJV) This was the faith that brought healing when his faith became strong enough to become obedient to God's word.

This illustrates man's faith today in the spiritual realm with regard to baptism. There are two types of faith in what is commonly referred to as Christendom, as it relates to our salvation. The one says we will stop here (at the point of faith--mental assent) and do it this way. We have gone far enough; let God do the rest. The other faith says God said to do it (be baptized) for this reason (the remission of sins--Acts 2:38), I believe him, and I will do what he says because I believe. Both have what men generally call faith, but clearly, the faith is not the same.

There is also a question that needs to be asked. If Paul did not consider baptism to be salvation by works, why should we consider it to be salvation by works today? I have never heard a direct answer to that question. Paul tells the Ephesians they have been saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8) and then tells them at the same time they have been cleansed by the washing of water through the word (Eph. 5:26). He doesn’t miss a beat, doesn’t seem in the least to feel he has contradicted himself, so why should we feel that the two passages are contradictory? Why do we feel we have to try and devise a way to explain away the obvious meaning of the phrase "the washing of water?"

But there is much more in proof of the point I am making. In Eph. 1:7, Paul says, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.” (NAS) In him is a reference, obviously, to Jesus who shed his blood for us. How does one get into him, into Jesus Christ? Gal. 3:27 says we were “baptized into Christ” (NAS) and so does Rom. 6:3, “do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus.” (NAS) I know of no passage in the New Testament anywhere that tells one how to get into Christ other than through baptism.

If you were to start through the book of Ephesians and start marking every passage you come to that talks about different things that are found “in him,” “in Christ,” “in the Beloved,” here is some of what you would come up with: (1) every spiritual blessing--Eph. 1:3, (2) grace--Eph. 1:6, (3) redemption--Eph. 1:7, (4) an inheritance--Eph. 1:10-11, (5) sealed with the Holy Spirit--Eph. 1:13, (6) seated us in heavenly places--Eph. 2:6, (7) kindness toward us--Eph. 2:7, (8) his workmanship--Eph. 2:10, (9) brought near by the blood of Christ--Eph. 2:13, (10) partakers of the promise--Eph. 3:6. But one must note that all of these blessings are in, not outside of, but in Christ. “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” (Gal. 3:27 NAS) How does one enter Christ? By baptism. If one is clothed with Christ, he is in Christ.

Paul says elsewhere in the book of Ephesians, “we are members of his body.” (Eph. 5:30 NAS) But, then Paul tells us in 1 Cor. 12:13 how we get into that body, “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.” (NAS) What is Christ the Savior of according to Paul in Ephesians? “For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, he himself being the Savior of the body.” (Eph. 5: 23 NAS) This is the same body we are baptized into, that is, if we are in it, for that is the only way the scriptures give of entering into it--not by baptism alone but by the obedience of faith that results in baptism. The body of Christ, being the church (Eph. 1:22-23), is that which was cleansed "with the washing of water by the word." (Eph. 5:26 NKJV)

Where is grace found? The Bible tells us, “Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” (2 Tim. 2:1 NAS) Paul tells the Ephesians that this grace is “bestowed on us in the Beloved.” (Eph. 1:6 NAS) Again, how does one get into Christ, the Beloved, according to the scriptures? We have already answered that. When one is led by faith to believe Jesus and obey him in baptism for the remission of sins, he enters into Christ, into the realm of grace by which he is saved.

In the book of Acts, chapter 19, Paul comes to Ephesus and finds 12 men there who are disciples. He asks them this question: “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” (Acts 19:2 NAS) They respond no, they had not even heard of the Holy Spirit. Paul then says, “Into what then were you baptized?” (Acts 19:3 NAS) Please note this one thing--Paul takes it for granted that if they were Christians, they had been baptized. He doesn’t ask them if they had been baptized. Why not? Paul doesn’t ask them because he knows what it takes to become a Christian and be saved. “Why tarriest thou? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins.” (Acts 22:16 KJV, Ananias speaking to Saul, a believer, before Saul’s baptism)

One also ought to note the first thing Paul did with these 12 men, after learning their situation, was to have them “baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.” (Acts 19:5 NAS) Yes, Paul taught baptism at Ephesus. Paul stayed in Ephesus at least two years (see Acts 19:10) after this event, so when Paul said later in Ephesians that the church was cleansed by the washing of water with the word, there is no doubt he knew from personal experience all about baptism at Ephesus. There is no such thing as an unbaptized Christian, for Jesus commanded in the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19) that all disciples be baptized. Paul either baptized them personally or saw to it that they were baptized by one or more of those who helped with the work. Either that or he disobeyed Christ, for which disciple was it that Christ said need not be baptized?

Faith is not just something to be believed but also obeyed. One must obey the gospel to be saved (2 Thess. 1:7-8). In a sense, the gospel is the faith (Jude 3); it is that body of doctrine that is to be believed, but within that body of doctrine that constitutes the faith, there are things that must be obeyed as well as believed. In addition to mental assent to the truth about Jesus as revealed in the scripture one must repent of sins (Acts 17:30), one must confess with the mouth the Lord Jesus (Rom. 10:9-10), and one must be baptized into Christ, baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38, Gal. 3:27). Faith, the faith that saves, is not a dead faith but an active one. It is by faith that a man does these things, by faith because he heard the words of God and believed them enough to take them to heart and obey them.

Do not allow yourself to be misled. A person does not believe Jesus who believes the doctrine that says, “he who has believed and has not been baptized shall be saved,” for that is not what Jesus said. Jesus said just the opposite.

I have asked this question before, but have never gotten an answer. If Jesus wanted man to know that baptism was essential to the remission of sins, the cleansing from sin, how would he say it in a way to get man to understand it? He could not say “repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38 KJV) for he already said that via the Holy Spirit speaking through Peter, and men will not accept it.

How would he say it to make it plain and simple enough so all could understand it? No one has yet answered that question. The truth is, Jesus has stated it as clearly as it can be stated by mere words alone. Men will either accept it or reject it and thereby be judged.

Have you been cleansed with the washing of water by the word? Will you be one with those saints in Ephesus Paul wrote to, or are you going to be another kind of Christian unknown to the church at Ephesus?

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The Struggle to be Spiritually Minded

Every person who has ever contemplated the subjects of life and death, the meaning of life and eternal destiny, and has chosen faith in Christ as the route they desire to follow has found themselves in a constant struggle. On the one hand, there is the deep desire to do what is right according to God’s will, as we read in the Bible, and on the other hand, there is that desire within us that wants to do what we want to do, which often means violating God's will. We have two states of mind, it seems, living within us. The one is the mind of the flesh, the natural man as he exists without God in his life, while the other is that of the spiritually minded individual to whom God deeply matters.

Which mindset shall prevail? The Bible teaches it is a matter of life and death. Hear Paul: “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.’’ (Rom. 8:5-9 ESV)

To set the mind on the flesh, the things of this life and of the fleshly body, we are told, is death. Now, why is that so? Because, Paul says, such a minded person does not submit to God's law. But we might reply, do we not live in a fleshly body? Yes, we do, but God, our creator, put us here for a purpose, and that purpose was not to live like the rest of the dumb animals of creation who live by the instincts of the flesh. We were created with a nobler purpose in mind, with the idea of living eternally with God, and not just for living a brief span of years on earth like a dog. We are better than that.

When God created man, he said, "Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness." (Gen. 1:26 NKJV) Only man was created in the image of God. Jesus said of man in John 10:34, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods”’?” (NKJV) Only mankind is referred to as God’s sons and daughters, as his children, when they obey him (2 Cor. 6:18). We are not merely a higher-ranking animal. Paul says, speaking to Christians, "We shall judge angels." (1 Cor. 6:3 NKJV) We were created to be spiritual beings in bodies of flesh for a time before being transformed from our fleshly bodies into immortal spiritual bodies (1 Cor. 15).

We were put here to glorify God. "Everyone who is called by my name, whom I have created for my glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him." (Isa. 43:7 NKJV) “Glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Cor. 6:20 NKJV) The sin of the world after God made man could be summed up by saying, "although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened." (Rom. 1:21 NKJV) This led to all types of specific sins as a result of the state of their hearts and minds.

Jesus said in his prayer to the Father, "I have glorified you on the earth." (John 17:4 NKJV) That is our job as well. The only way God can be given glory by man is by obedience. Disobedience to God does not bring God glory but dishonors him as God and as the ruler of humanity. Disobedience is sin.

We might ask why God gave us fleshly bodies that desire the things of the flesh rather than spiritual things. Our bodies give us free will. Created as a robot versus as a man, how could God receive glory from an object that had no free will, no feelings, and no ability to think, reason, or choose? I don't think you are going to go trade your wife or husband off for a robot and say you can find the same kind of love and happiness with it as you do with your spouse. We love our spouse in part because they had free will in choosing us as a life partner. They did not have to do that. So, I think, it is with God. When we choose God, it means something to him, and he does care about us.

Where does the mind of the flesh lead a man if a man is fleshly minded? Paul gives a list of things that flow from such a state of mind in Gal. 5:19-21, "Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." (ESV) Another list is given in 1 Cor. 6:9-10, "Or 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 men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God." (ESV)

Every one of us is tempted by sin. "But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death." (James 1:14-15 NKJV) Paul says, "For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please." (Gal. 5:17 NAS) Again, he writes, "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man." (1 Cor. 10:13 NKJV) So, that is the situation we find ourselves in, even after becoming Christians. We begin the Christian life spiritually minded enough, or else we could not have become a Christian, but unless we die almost immediately thereafter, here comes temptation for that is the nature of this life we live. How do we remain spiritually minded so that we might have life and peace as taught in Rom. 8:6?

We will never succeed a hundred percent. John says, speaking to Christians, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:8-9 NKJV) Much of the New Testament was written to deal with sin in the lives of Christians. First Corinthians is perhaps the best example of that.

I have brought up the fact that we will never succeed one hundred percent for one reason, as a reminder to not despair and be overcome by discouragement when we sin or fall. A Christian may have to repent numerous times in their life from the sin that the King James Version says “doth so easily beset us.” (Heb 12:1) David Lipscomb, a Christian writer from the late 1800's through the early 1900's, made the comment that he doubted any Christian ever lived a single day without committing a sin. Whether that is true or not I cannot know but it is certainly closer to the truth than the idea that we seldom or never sin. I remind the reader, Jesus taught that even evil thoughts are sin (Matt. 15:19-20) and sins of omission are also sins (James 4:17). Have you had any sinful thoughts or failed to do the good that you could have done?

We must remember what Jesus told Peter when Peter asked how many times he should forgive his brother. Peter, I suspect, thought he was being generous by saying seven times, but what did Jesus say in response? "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven." (Matt. 18:22 NKJV) Jesus was thus saying there is really no end to forgiving and was certainly implying God would likewise forgive us, no matter how many times we need forgiveness, just as long as we repent, confess our sins to him, and are willing to give it another full faith effort. So, never ever give up in despair. Never!

How does one maintain a state of spiritual mindedness to the greatest extent possible? One Old Testament character that stands out as being deeply spiritually minded is Daniel. One of the first statements you will read about Daniel, with respect to his godly character, as you start the book of Daniel, is found in chapter 1 verse 8 where it says, "But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's delicacies." (Dan. 1:8 NKJV) "Daniel purposed in his heart." If one is going to pursue any course in life successfully, he or she must first purpose in his or her heart. Purposing in your heart gives you direction and motivation. There is no point in starting a diet or exercise program, enrolling in college or a training program, or doing anything else unless you have first firmly purposed in heart to see the thing through.

As this relates to becoming spiritually minded, this means you must determine in your heart that that is the way it is going to be. Things do not happen by accident. If you want to be a spiritually minded person, you must prepare to be one and work toward that end. Unfortunately, many Christians seemingly never develop spiritually beyond what they were on the day of their conversion. Instead, they gradually grow lukewarm and indifferent, and many fall away. What happens?

One likely contributor to such a state is spiritual starvation. Peter says of a newborn Christian, "desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby." (1 Peter 2:2 NKJV) It is impossible to maintain spiritual mindedness in the absence of spiritual food. Tuck your Bible away and do not use it and the result will be regression in spiritual mindedness, not growth. Jesus said, "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life." (John 6:63 NKJV) The words of God are spirit. Paul said, "These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches." (1 Cor. 2:13 NKJV)

Spiritual mindedness is not developed in the workplace, the fitness club, the golf course, in attendance at school activities, on family outings, etc. It comes with reading, studying, contemplating, and meditating on the words of the Spirit--the words of the Bible.

This takes us back to the point made--you have to purpose in your heart you are going to be faithful in reading and studying the word of God, and not just do it occasionally or once in a great while. Just as in exercise or fitness training, there is no such thing as reaching your goal without a commitment to doing it. A growing knowledge and understanding of God's word is essential to growing spiritual mindedness in our lives. How can you become spiritually minded without knowing the mind of the Spirit? That is found in the word of the Spirit.

Let us go back to Daniel, a spiritually minded man. The Bible teaches that Daniel was a praying man. "And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days." (Dan. 6:10 NKJV) It is impossible to be a spiritually minded person if one does not have a prayer life. Quit praying, or only give prayer a random and hurried few seconds a day, and again, you are destroying spiritual-mindedness rather than building it. One cannot pray to God without thinking about God (spiritual mindedness). Prayer is, among other things, thinking about God. A spiritually minded man will have a thoughtful and consistent daily prayer life.

Then Daniel also kept good company. The apostle Paul said, "Do not be deceived: 'Bad company ruins good morals.' " (1 Cor. 15:33 ESV) The Good News Bible puts it this way: "Do not be fooled. 'Bad companions ruin good character.' " (GNB) Daniel had 3 good friends--Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego--who like Daniel were godly men. These men refused to worship the golden image set up by Nebuchadnezzar and, as a consequence, were cast into the furnace of fire from which God miraculously rescued them (Dan. 3).

If one desires to be a godly person and develop spiritual-mindedness in his or her life, that one needs the fellowship of like-minded people. "Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together." (Heb. 10:24-25 NKJV) Worshipping with God’s people is essential to spiritual mindedness and growth.

To become spiritually minded, we must become doers of the word and not hearers only. To fail in this we become academics only, even if we spend time in the word. We must allow the word of God free rein in our lives so that we live it. We worship God, do the things he tells us to do, and refrain from those things he forbids.

One can read any book of instruction on any topic, but until you put into practice what you read, it cannot be said that the word has become a part of who you are.  For example, we want a pilot who has gone beyond reading how-to-fly manuals. We want one flying our plane who has actually flown. To be truly spiritually minded, we must be doers of the word.  If we are disobedient to the word, we are not spiritually minded.

It is a mistake to take spiritual growth and spiritual mindedness for granted. Physical growth and development will occur whether you do anything or not, but it is not that way in the spiritual realm. The passage of time itself is not going to make you or me any more spiritually minded than we are now.

You have to make a commitment and an ongoing effort, or else you will do nothing more than grow old and die like the rest of mankind who live for the flesh, who live for the things of this life and this physical body. How will you differ from the mass of humanity unless you commit to the development of the spiritual side of your life? Paul says, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." (Rom. 12:2 NKJV)

The development of spiritual mindedness is not like turning on a light. You cannot just flip a switch. It takes time. No one becomes a spiritual giant, even if such a one exists, overnight.

If you live with a fleshly mind long enough, you may find it personally impossible to turn your life around, lacking the will to do it.

"To be spiritually minded is life and peace." (Rom. 8:6 NKJV) "To set the mind on the flesh is death." (Rom. 8:6 ESV) I think we all know whether or not we are spiritually minded. It is not a hard thing to know. Do thoughts of God and his word enter your mind frequently or not? Do you have a strong desire to know and do God's will?

The free will God has given us means we have a choice. Our state of mind is a matter of choice, a matter of life or death.

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The Kingdom of God and the New Birth

Why write an article on the topic of the kingdom of God and the new birth? Because Jesus tied them together in talking to Nicodemus in John 3:3, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (NKJV) Unfortunately, many misunderstand the kingdom of God spoken of in the passage and, as a result, come to erroneous suppositions, suppositions that lead astray. Perhaps the prominent of these is the idea that one can be saved like the thief on the cross. This is a topic that needs to be discussed.

Chronology is essential to a proper understanding of what Jesus is teaching. Jesus is king over his kingdom, but when did Jesus become a king with a kingdom over which to rule? When Jesus was talking to Nicodemus in John 3, was he speaking of what already existed, speaking in the present tense, or was he speaking prophetically?

He was speaking prophetically. Much of the teaching Jesus did while on earth related to the coming kingdom over which he would be king. It was yet in the future, but it had been prophesied from days of old. Daniel spoke of it when he said, in interpreting Nebuchadnezzar's dream, "the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed … and it shall stand forever." (Dan 2:44)

Israel and Judah of the Old Testament were ruled by kings, but both nations ended up in captivity, and the kingdoms were destroyed. The Jewish nation into which Jesus was born, into which he came, had no king. They were ruled by the Romans.

We need to trace the history of the kingdom that was established by Jesus. When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary to announce the events about to overtake her here is what he said, "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end." (Luke 1:31-33 NKJV)

When John the Baptist comes on the scene and begins his ministry, his message is that "the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matt. 3:2 NKJV) It was at hand, meaning not here yet but getting close. This was the kingdom of God that both Daniel and the angel Gabriel said was to stand forever.

One chapter later, we see Jesus preaching the exact same message, "From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'" (Matt. 4:17 NKJV)

How close was that kingdom? Jesus said in his preaching to an audience in Mark 9:1, "Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who shall not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power." (NAS)

Two points need to be emphasized here regarding this passage. (1) The kingdom still had not yet arrived, but it would be doing so within the lifetime of some of those standing there. (2) When it came, it would arrive "with power." Put another way, you would know it when it happened for there would be power with its coming.

When Jesus spoke those words recorded in Mark 9:1 the kingdom did not yet exist, and if Jesus is to be the king of it, he does not yet have a kingdom. But, one might object, the New Testament speaks of Jesus as being a king before this kingdom of which you speak has arrived. True. But can a person be a king before he sits on the throne and begins to rule? We would, I think, all agree that he could. If it is certain he is to be king, we can call him king, but we do that in anticipation of what we know is coming.

What do we know up to this point in time that can help us determine when the kingdom is to arrive? We know it is a matter of just a very few years and we know that when it comes there is power that will come with it, making it recognizable as having arrived.

The New Testament gives us all the information we need to determine the exact day the kingdom of God became a reality among men. Since it came with power, if we know when the power came, we know when the kingdom arrived. Can we know? Yes.

In Luke 24:49, Jesus told the apostles, "Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high." (NKJV) This was just before his ascension back to heaven.

Luke explains this a little more when he says, "He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, 'which,' He said, 'you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.'" (Acts 1:4-5 NKJV)

Now look the two passages over carefully and compare them. The promise of the Father was the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-5), but Luke (Luke 24:49) says the promise is with power. The power comes with the arrival of the Holy Spirit. Remember what Jesus said in Mark 9:1? The kingdom of God was to come with power. When the Holy Spirit fell on the apostles in Acts 2 on the Day of Pentecost, the kingdom of God arrived with power.

Let us take a look at what happened at that time. "When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." (Acts 2:1-4 NKJV)

Note the reaction of the crowd that had gathered. "Then they were all amazed and marveled." (Acts 2:7 NKJV) Now let us go back to Luke's quotation of Jesus in Acts 1:8. Speaking to the apostles, Jesus had said, "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you." (NKJV) The kingdom had arrived with power. All recognized power had come down from heaven, from God himself.

What had they seen and heard that day? They had heard the sound that came from heaven "as of a rushing mighty wind" (Acts 2:2 NKJV), which is why they had come to gather together. Whether they had seen the "tongues, as of fire" (Acts 2:3 NKJV) that sat upon the apostles, one cannot say with certainty, but they most assuredly had heard the sound and then witnessed and heard the apostles speaking in tongues that they (the apostles) had never learned. There was little doubt in their mind that a higher power than that which was merely human had arrived.

Was Jesus now on his throne? Did he now have a kingdom over which to rule? He did if the kingdom had arrived with power, which it had. Hear Peter in his sermon that day. He says David knew that God "would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne." (Acts 2:30 NKJV) Remember also the words of the angel Gabriel to Mary when he said of Jesus, "The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David." (Luke 1:32 NKJV)

Peter then says Jesus has been exalted to the right hand of God, "Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear." (Acts 2:33 NKJV) The reader is reminded of passages just studied here. The kingdom would come with power (Mark 9:1), the promise was of power from on high (Luke 24:49), but that power promised was the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-5). The kingdom came with the baptism of the apostles with the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost.

But let us look closer at Peter's statement about Jesus sitting on David's throne. Acts 2:29-31 (read paying special attention), "Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption." (Act 2:29-31 NKJV) The point one needs to get out of this is that for Christ to sit on the throne and thus be king over this kingdom, he first had to be resurrected.

The kingdom over which Jesus now reigns and rules did not exist while Jesus lived on earth. Daniel had a vision of Jesus being crowned as a sitting, ruling king. "I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed." (Dan 7:13-14 NKJV) Jesus received the kingdom upon his arrival in heaven for that is what the text says--"then to Him was given … a kingdom."

The kingdom over which he now rules is "not of this world" (John 18:36 NKJV) but rather a spiritual kingdom which will never be destroyed. Yes, Jesus is now king in his kingdom. Every Christian is a subject of the king of kings--Jesus, the Lord and Savior.

Why has all of this been important beyond just being a history lesson? Why bother writing this? What does this business about the kingdom have to do with salvation and the new birth?

Here is the application. When Jesus spoke with Nicodemus in John 3:3-5, he spoke of a kingdom that was yet to come. Hear the things he said in that passage. "Jesus answered and said to him, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.' Nicodemus said to Him, 'How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?' Jesus answered, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.'" (NKJV) Could Nicodemus become a citizen that day (actually that night) of a kingdom that did not yet exist? Jesus spoke to Nicodemus of that which was yet to come.

What does it mean then to be born of water and the Spirit, which Jesus says is essential to entering the kingdom of God (meaning you cannot be saved without it)? There is no problem in coming to an accurate understanding. Jesus said to Peter in Matt. 16:19, "And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." (Matt. 16:19 NKJV)

The kingdom began on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2 with Peter preaching. Did he use the keys of the kingdom that day to open the door to the kingdom of God to mankind? Did anyone that day learn how to enter the kingdom? Was anyone that day born of water and the Spirit? Were any saved that day?

What did men do that day when they became convinced Peter had preached the truth (thus faith was developed within them)? What did he, the man with the keys, tell them to do? Did he not say to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins?" (Acts 2:38 NKJV) The Bible says, "Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them." (Acts 2:41 NKJV) They were thus born of water and the Spirit of John 3:5.

It is thus not too hard to learn what a man must do to be born again--listen to the man with the keys—listen to Peter. One is born of the Spirit when the Spirit working through the tool he uses (the word of God--"the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" Eph. 6:17 - NKJV) leads a man to faith and repentance, and then born of water when he is baptized for the remission of sins. It is but one birth, but has two aspects to it; either part without the other results in an aborted birth.

The man with the keys of the kingdom is belittled by most who call themselves Christians. Ask most denominational preachers to get into the pulpit this coming Sunday and preach just what Peter preached on the day of Pentecost with no additions and no subtractions and you could not get them to do it. They do not preach it because they do not believe there is a single ounce of water in a man's salvation, despite John 3:5, the very words of Jesus. This means they cannot preach what Peter did or what Jesus taught Nicodemus.

We ought to go with the man with the keys rather than with those who wish they had the keys. Yes, Jesus could have saved us without any water in the means to do so, but he chose not to. Have you ever thought that baptism might well be a test of your faith? What are you going to do if you are going to be saved by faith but fail the test, fail to believe?

Water does not save a man, but obeying Jesus does. Naaman, the leper (2 Kings 5), was not cleansed by the water of the Jordan River from his leprosy, but until he had faith enough to go do as he was directed and dip seven times he was not cleansed and never would have been. Could God have cleansed him from the leprosy some other way? Sure, had he chosen to do so. The power was not inherent in the water but in believing God enough to do what God said to do. And just so it is with baptism today. When God said to do it, that leaves one who wants to be saved without a choice.

Certainly, there were people saved who had their sins remitted, without baptism, while Jesus personally walked the earth, but that was also before the kingdom of God was established. Remember mentioning the importance of chronology? And, yes, God can save a person anyway he desires—he is God. However, he has told us in John 3 how we are saved in the age in which we live. Do we believe him? Are we going to teach others living today that water doesn’t matter despite what Jesus taught us in John 3:3-5? Not me. Faith means believing what Jesus taught.

One final comment. Jesus was really the one who did the preaching on the day of Pentecost. Hear Jesus speaking in John 16:13-14, "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you." (John 16:13-14 NKJV) The Spirit did not speak on his own authority on the Day of Pentecost, speaking through Peter, but took what was Jesus' and declared it to them. One cannot reject Peter's sermon that day without rejecting Jesus. 

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