Exchangedlife.com: We Are the Righteousness of God

My husband has a new message up on his website, exchangedlife.com, called "We Are the Righteousness of God". This message goes along with the last post I did, in which I linked to an article by Richard Bennett of Berean Beacon; Bennett wrote partly about Cardinal John Henry Newman and his erroneous teachings on justification and righteousness. Eddie explains that the believer's righteousness comes from Christ, and is always there as imputed righteousness. Our righteousness is never our own. After justification, we are taught to abide in Christ so the word and the Spirit can sanctify us. We become holy or sanctified by daily crucifying the flesh and separating from worldliness. This does not make us more righteous, but takes the flesh out of the way and crucifies it, so the righteousness of God can shine forth. The flesh is like the bushel basket that is placed over the light. This must be removed so we can shine. This is the message of the gospel, that we by faith are given Christ's righteouness, and then the just walk by faith and God's grace to crucify the flesh and shine forth into the darkness as lights holy unto God.

Cultivating Fellowship Within the Church: Exchanged Life Discipleship: Eddie Snipes

My husband Eddie has a new post up on his discipleship blog called 'Cultivating Fellowship within the Church' which he also preached at church on Sunday. This subject has been very important to us lately, as we feel that the church today has largely neglected this aspect of Christianity, which is commanded by the Lord. We are His body, and we must fellowship with Him and with each other in love.

End Time Pilgrim: The Sabbath Rest

Here is a great new article by Dr. Gavin Finley of End Time Pilgrim called 'The Sabbath Rest'. He shows the true fulfillment of the command to keep the Sabbath. This goes along with some earlier posts I did on The Sabbath Rest.
Also, as I keep repeating, this also goes along with Eddie's series 'The Love of God that Overcomes Condemnation.' Part 1 and Part 2.

Exchangedlife.com: Bearing Fruit: The Purpose of Works

Here is part one of a new message by my husband Eddie about the purpose of works in the Christian life. It will eventually be posted on his blog, which is linked in my sidebar. This message is an extension of Eddie's study on 'The Love of God that Overcomes Condemnation.'
It also goes along with the discussion in earlier posts here and here.

New Covenant Living: The Heretical Nature of the Churches of Christ

New Covenant Living: The Heretical Nature of the Churches of Christ

Here's an interesting post that is in direct contrast to the conversation I posted under '1 Corinthians 3 and works burned up by fire' below. My husband and I would agree with the New Covenant post, but I understand why Shammah is teaching what he does, because he is concerned about Christians thinking they can live in worldliness and sin because they have 'faith' and have been forgiven. Maybe they really don't have faith at all if they have no desire to live lives that are pleasing to God. Jack brings out the main contrast between the two positions by saying: "They don't mean that law-keeping is indicative of saving faith (which is what James 2 and other similar passages teach), but commandment-keeping as a second condition of justification."

The Great Delusion (The Lie): Lyn Mize of First Fruits Ministry

Here is a study by Lyn Mize of First Fruits Ministry about the 'great delusion' that Paul refers to in 2 Thessalonians 2:10-11: They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie.
This is also related to the Parable of the Virgins, and you can read about that at endtimepilgrim.org by clicking on the photo of the virgin refilling her lamp at the top of my blog.

I would like to add that this warning by Lyn Mize doesn't mean that we have to be some kind of 'super-Christians' to escape the great delusion. In John 15 Jesus tells us how to abide in Him, and that apart from Him we can do nothing. We need to submit to God and repent of our sins and our love of the world, and realize that He means what He says. We need to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love our neighbor as ourselves. Read Revelation 2 and 3 to see what Jesus says to the churches about what He approves and disapproves and what we must do. It all revolves around belief (as opposed to unbelief) and love (as opposed to lukewarmness or complacency). Remember all this is done by abiding in Christ and depending upon His strength and grace. When we repent and submit, He is near to us and helps us do what we can't do.

1 Corinthians 3 and Works Burned Up By Fire

1 Corinthians 3 and Works Burned Up By Fire

We are having an interesting conversation about faith, works, and salvation on 'The Rest of the Old, Old Story" blog. The conversation actually includes the 2 earlier posts on that blog as well, and is related to the 2 posts before those too, even though I didn't comment on them. I hope that's not too confusing, but the last five posts are related, ending so far with the link above.

Exchanged Life Discipleship blog: The Love of God That Overcomes Condemnation: Part 4 of 5

Here is part 4 of Eddie's series on the love of God. Very, very good.

This is My Commandment, That You Love One Another

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. Matthew 7:24-25

John 15

1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

9 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. 12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. 17 These things I command you, that you love one another.

18 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. 21 But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 He who hates Me hates My Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father. 25 But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’

26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.