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Stumbling to repentance or to death Even while while under the OT Law, King David was able to obtain forgiveness after he repented of his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband to cover it up. We also have the example of the brother in 1 Cor 5; who was to be shunned by the church, though they were not to regard him as an unbeliever, while he was living in a sin that wasn't even named among the gentiles of that day. Later, in 2 Cor 2, we see the church there was instructed to welcome him back into fellowship after he repented. The examples above show us that our faith in Jesus can overcome even the most heinous of ongoing sins. 2 Pet 3:9 kjv "For the Lord is not slack as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering to us ward, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance." We see that King David and the brother in 1 Cor 5 were both strong in faith and able to maintain their faith in the Lord Jesus, even while they were stumbling in un-repentance. Those that remain babes in Christ by neglecting the scriptures which lead to spiritual growth, remain weak in faith, sadly. See, 1 Pet 2:2 kjv "As newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby." And, 2 Pet 1:3,4 kjv "According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue. Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." Like the mustard seed and the fruits of the Spirit, faith is to grow within each of us. We can see this in 2 Thes 1:3 kjv "We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth." For those who are not strong in their faith, we can see another result: First, are the single believers that are unable to control themselves because, "it is better to marry than to burn." The threat of burning can only be directed at those who do not have faith. Btw, this passage shows us that there is no "one and only" or "soul mate" meant for us, other than the Lord himself! For those who are weak in faith and who stumble into sin, the guilt that they feel may lead to a falling away in regards to their faith and then they too will burn. The difference between stumbling and falling away is that when we stumble, we get back up to continue our walk. Second, we see in Rom 14:15 kjv "But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died." There is no threat of destruction for those who remain steadfast in their faith unto the end. To continue, Rom 14:23 kjv "And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin." Here we can see here that we can be damned if we eat in doubt, even though all foods are made pure by the word of God and by the prayer of faith, but because the one who esteems it to be unclean, then for that person, it is unclean. And in 1 Cor 8:7-13 we see that the brother who is weak may be emboldened to eat meat sacrificed to an idol, if he sees another believer with the knowledge that all foods are clean and that there is no god save the Lord, eat the sacrificed meat and then he may become embolden to also eat, but his conscience being weak is defiled as per 1 Cor 8:7 and then in verse 11 we see that the weak brother may perish because of another believer's knowledge. The perishing mentioned here has to refer to a loss of faith and therefore salvation. In Eph 2:8,9 kjv "For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works least any man should boast." And in 1 Jn 5:4 kjv "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." So salvation is by faith and not by works. For those whose guilt or the sorrow of the world takes them from the Lord in their own minds and who neglect the scriptures and who then either let their faith wither and die or who give themselves to another belief, will become reprobate without hope in the world, though they probably will not even realize it. We can see this in Rom 1:28 kjv "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things that are not convenient." Some other verses regarding the loosing of one's faith: 1 Tim 4:1,2 kjv "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their consciences seared with a hot iron." And in Heb 3:12 kjv "Take heed, brethren, least there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God." And again in Heb 6:4-6 kjv "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy spirit, and have tasted the good word of God, and the power of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to a open shame." And once more in 2 Pet 2:20,21 kjv "For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they had known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them." And finally, here is an amazing promise for those who sin not unto death in 1 Jn 5:16,17 kjv "If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and He shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death." In Eph 2:8,9 we see that salvation is not by works, but James tells us in James 2:17 that faith without works is dead. How can both of these verses be correct? The answer to that question is found in 1 Jn 3:19-23 kjv "And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then we have confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. And this is his commandment, That we should believe upon the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment." Obedience to the above holy commandment is the works that James is speaking about that will prove one's faith and it is the faith that is mentioned in Eph 2:8,9. This same commandment is what Peter is referring to in 2 Pet 2:20,21 which can be seen in the paragraph above this one. Now to the unforgivable sin, which like the tree of knowledge of good and evil was to Adam and Eve; in that as long as we abstain from it, we will be choosing the Lord. This is seen in Mt 12:32 kjv, where Jesus said, "And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him, but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come." The world to come can only be referring to the new Heaven and the new Earth mentioned in Rev 21:1. When we're out of fellowship with the Lord and neglect the scriptures, the Holy Spirit becomes grieved and the anointing that we have obtained through obedience, ebbs. The Lord stops writing his commandments upon the table of our hearts and minds since we are not putting his word into our minds and seems to get further and further away. The heart is increasingly hardened by the deceitfulness of sin and grows more and more insensitive to the Lord's still small voice. Until the flame of faith goes out. Another promise from God's word for those who are in this situation is found in James 5:19,20 kjv "Brethren, if any of you 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." ty... Greg

Eternal life... was given to us when we first believed and is given to us now and will be given to us on that day. Present tense: 1 Jn 5:13 "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God." Jn 10:28 "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." Past tense: Jesus said, Jn 6:34 "Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day." 1 Jn 5:11 "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son." Future tense: Mk 10:30 "But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life." Jude 1:21 "Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life."

Titus 1:15,16 "Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate."

No, you mean Eternal Security. OSAS doesn't exist. It is a made up doctrine by people who don't understand Eternal Security. At any rate, you are wrong. Many great evangelists and missionaries hail from denominations that believe in eternal security. Eric Liddell, Jim Elliott, Annie Armstrong, Lottie Moon, Billy Graham and others have won many to the Lord and in some cases gave their lives to that end. Assurance does not lead to complacency. It leads to boldness and action. How can you reach others with the Gospel if you don't even know if you are saved from one day to the next? No one who lives in constant fear of losing their salvation makes any kind of positive impact. You have nothing to offer anyone if you can't even be sure if you are saved? Why would anyone want to live in that fear? Why would they want to be like you, if you can't even demonstrate that you are saved? You are not offering anything that anyone would want. That is not true. I don't know where you are getting that from, but there will no forbidden fruit in the New Jerusalem. Hey! Shiloh357... Prasie the Lord in Jesus' name, our God and King! Lets do a passage by passage dialogue then and see what happens... : ) I'll start with the first verse listed. Mt 6:15 "But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." And, just like it; Mk 11:26 "But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses." Lets look at these two passags this way. 1Jn3:14NAS "We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death." And, 1Jn 4:7,8 "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love." 1 Cor 13:5NAS Love..."does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered." Love does not take into accout a wrong suffered, so we see that if we love others, we are fulfilling the royal law of Christ. Our ability to forgive grows as our love grows as we abide in the vine just as the other fruits of the Spirit do. So that the Spirit that indwells us is working on our hearts to make our love for others to grow, just as Jesus, our example, loves us and gave himself for us, the just for the unjust. The forbidden fruit that I was speaking of is found in; Mt 12:30-32 "He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters. Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come." This is an unforgiveable sin, so that even in the age to come, it will not be forgiven, ever. This is the forbidden fruit that will be possible to partake of even in New Jerusalem and the age to come. As long as we refrain from it, we will be choosing the Lord! There will be no more faith or hope in this age since we have entered into our redemption and have obtained the promises and are now joined with the Lord being no longer absent while in our mortal bodies. I can't imagine anyone actually doing such a thing in a time when we will know even as we are known and are made to be one with the Lord just as Jesus is one with the Father, but that doesn't mean that its not possible, sadly. Greg btw... doctrine is just a word to me that describes one's beliefs, wither they are correct or incorrect. Since we know in part and see the truth through a glass darkly, each of us have incorrect beliefs, sadly. And also sadly, error feels exactly the same as the truth does. but if we abide in the vine our doctrinal accuracy will grow. My proof of this statement; Is 28:9,10 "Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little. And again in 2 Tim 3:16 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:" The Lord uses scripture to teach us knowledge and doctrine. If we are learning more knowledge and doctrine, then we should be changing our beliefs as we grow in the knowledge of the truth that is being illuminated by the Spirit, more and more.

I used to believe in osas near as much as I did in Jesus, but this is what I found in the scriptures. I spent several days in tears before the Lord regarding this doctrine and I know how hard it is to let go... Faith is a gift and since it is a gift it is not by works but by grace. Faith produces behavior that is appropriate to repentance in the one who has it, to prove that faith, whereas belief does not lead to anything in the one who has it. Even if one is doing a worse sin than most, like the brother in 1 Cor 5, who was still counted as being a believer and he repented later and was welcomed back into fellowship of that congregation. The works that are appropriate to repentance is faith in Jesus and loving others, but also both faith and love are fruits of the Spirit and grow as we abide in the vine. Many are called but few are chosen. It is those who answer the call of the Lord by calling on him, who are chosen. Mt 6:15 "But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." Mt 10:22 "And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved." Mk 13:13 "And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." Heb 3:6 "But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end." Heb 3:14 "For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end." 2Pet 2:20-23 "For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire." Mt 12:30-32 "He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters. Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come." Mt 24:10 "At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved." Mk 9:43-48 "And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." Mk 11:26 "But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses." Jn 15:6 "If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned." Rom 2:13 "For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified." Rom 11:20-22 "Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off." 1Cor 9:27 "But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway." Rom 10:12 "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." 2Cor 12:5 "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates." Gal 5:4 "Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace." Gal 6:9 "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap if we faint not." 1 Thes 3:5 "For this cause, when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, and our labour be in vain." 1 Tim 1:19 "Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck." 1 Tim4:1 "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils." 1Tim 6:10 "For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." Heb 3:12 "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God." Heb 6:4-6 "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame." 2 Pet 2:20,21 "For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them." 2 Pet3:17 "Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness." 1Jn 3:14 "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death." 1 Jn 5:16,17 "If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death." ****** Salvation is by faith in the Lord and the one who has it, will produce works meet to repentance, some thirty-fold, some sixty-fold and some a hundred-fold. In 1 Cor 5, we see the man who was with his father's wife. He was to be shunned, but not to be counted as an unbeliever. He repented later in 2 Cor and was welcomed back into fellowship. Or take the example in 1Cor 8:8-13, where one who has a weak conscience saw another eating meat sacrificed to an idol. We know that food is sanctified by the word of God and by prayer. But he one's whose faith is weak and who doesn't have this knowledge is embolden to eat when he sees another brother eating and his conscience being weak can cause that one to feel guilty before the Lord and therefore to stumble and even fall as a result in the one for whom Christ died. The difference between stumbling and falling is that when we stumble, we get up. Sadly, we all stumble in many ways and when we sin or when we think we sin, our consciences can separate us from the Lord's presence in our own minds because of that guilt. It would be better to believe in OSAS than to believe; saved today, lost tomorrow, and then saved again on the next day. Sadly, the doctrine of osas leads to a lack of concern for our own safety and for others by providing a sense of false security and complacency. Even in New Jerusalem, there will be a forbidden fruit that if we do not partake, we are choosing the Lord because without a choice we will be there by compulsion and the Lord wants us to want him. The forbidden fruit is the sin that is neither forgiven in this life nor in the life to come, which I do not lile to even mention. Now-a-days many trust in the religion of Christianity just as the Arab person does for Islam. There is no relationship for that one because there is no Allah. So too, for the one who just believes in Christianity without that connection to the Lord by faith. Faith is that form of believing that is only based upon the Lord's word and will always produce works or a growing moral behavior appropriate to repentance. Its just that we grow at different rates from one another and so its hard to see that change in some of the more slowly growing believers who may be neglecting the scriptures. That's why we are not to judge if another who professes Jesus is saved or not because we cannot see into their heart. We can determine by the fruits of the Spirit in their lives wither they are worthy for fellowship or if they are bad company (1Tim 1:5NAS). The works of faith in the believer is to believe on Jesus and to love others with an active concern. See 1Jn3:19-23; Jn 15:12; Gal 5:6; 1 Thes4:9; Jn 13:34,35; Jam2:8; 1Jn 2:8; 1Jn 3:14; 1 Jn 4:7,8; 1Jn 4:11,12; 2Jn1:5 and Mt 5:43,44,46. Of course, the standard for Christian love is revealed in 1Cor13. But love grows as does any of the fruits of the Spirit by abiding in the vine or by filling our minds with the Lord's word that lives and abides forever, even in New Jerusalem. Loving (agape) others fulfills the law Rom13:8,10. Faith can be weak or strong depending on who has it. Rom 14:1 "Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations." And, Rom 4:19 "He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;"

Who else is MY salvation up to other than me? Why did Jesus come? To shed His blood so that we could again have the right to eternal life. Who did Jesus die for? EVERYBODY! But will EVERYBODY be saved? NO! Even though we have Jesus saying this; "And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world." And how was the whole world saved? By allowing everyone the CHANCE to eternal life! If Jesus came to save.....and to guarantee salvation for all......if that was His goal, then He failed! Jesus came so that we would not have to shed our OWN blood for the remission of sins. Now that He has done that do we continue in SIN? NO! Rom.6 [1] What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? And what is the ONLY action that will cause a name to be blotted out of God's books? SIN! And WHO determines whether or not I sin? ME! Now this TOO may not be the answer you are looking for....but it's my answer to your question. . . Rom 14:22 "Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth." Rom 14:23 "And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin." 1Tim1:19 "Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck." for Exp: Rom14:14,15 "I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. For if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died. Does this mean that only those things that bother me are wrong or are a sin. NO! Our consciences are continually being renewed by the word of the Lord, so that as we grow closer to him in holiness, the things that we once delighted in become points of conviction. Evenso, the Lord's word is the absolute standard for good or bad behavior and then our consciences.

Yes we can know... 1 Jn5:13 "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God."

These are those who have overcome... Mt 10:22 "And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved." Mk 13:13 "And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." Heb 3:6 "But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end." Heb 3:14 "For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end."

Actually, I addressed the issue head-on. The problem is that you don't like the answer because to pulls the rug out from under the notion that a genuine believer can never be secure. I can only speak for myself in that regard. I know I am saved. I made a decision to accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I have a "know-so salvation." I don't have to wonder if my name is still up there or not. I have passed from judgment to life and I am saved by grace through faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross. I have been to the Judge and that old account has been setteled a long time ago. So for my part, my name is in the Lamb's Book of Life and it will be there never to be removed. God is faithful to save to the uttermost those that trust in Him. How secure is for everyone else? Well, that is something they have to settle with the Lord. Each person has to come to that hour of decision where they come to a realization of their sin and repent of it and truly turn to Christ for salvation. As I said the Christian who has an authentic profession of faith has nothing to fear about eternity. Their name is in the Lamb's Book of Life and no one gets blotted out of that book. Rev22:19 "And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."

They are one in the same! First let's find who it will be that will judge all of mankind, thus being the only one blotting out names from His book! Let's prove this; Gen.18 [25] That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? And who will it be that judges mankind? John 5 [22] For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: Now who was it that Moses spoke with concerning blotting out His name from the book? The ONLY one that will be blotting names out of His book; Jesus Christ! Let's read... Rev.3 [5] He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. Now let's read who will not be getting into the knigdom based on what is in the book; Rev.20 [12] And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. [15] And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Now let's read who will not be getting into the kingdom based upon what is written in the Lamb's book of life; Rev.21 [27] And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life. The book of life and the Lamb's book of life are one in the same. Jesus is the ONLY one that will judge mankind! Jesus is the ONLY that will be blotting names out of books! If your name is not in the book of Life/the Lamb's book of life you will NOT enter into God's kingdom, meaning you will NOT receive God's promise of eternal life! . Rev 22:19 "And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."

Rom 16:7 "Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellowprisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me." Act 14: "Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out." Matthais is already mentioned...

Zeph 3:17 "The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing." Ps 113:3 "From the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, the Lord's name is to be praised." Rom 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

1Jn 5:16-18NAS "If any man see his brother sinning a sin not unto death, he shall ask, and He will give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: not concerning this do I say that he should make request. All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death."

How do we feed on the bread of life? What must we do?

Agape love does more than fulfill the Law and the prophets, it even speaks to the intent of our heart and makes our concern for others active. It is Jesus' kind of love which is seen in both his obedience to the letter of the OT Law and in his compassion for others that continued working even after the requirement to letter of the law had been fulfilled. But the point I'm trying to emphasize here is that in the New Covenant the Lord uses both the OT and the NT scriptures to write his commandments onto the table of our hearts which transforms us on the inside so that we perceive sin more and more as Jesus does in our consciences. This inner process of moral transformation by the ministry of the word and the Spirit is what sets the growing or stumbling believer free from the addictive behaviors that we all have when we come to Christ or have taken on when we stumble. The OT law led to death for disobedience, but now those same scriptures bring us life (forever) and peace (for now) by establishing love from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and a sincere faith in each one of us who are being trained by it.