Can A Christian Qualify To Enter The Kingdom Of God?
John 3:16 For God so loved the world(mankind and his potential), that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Question!
Can one called of God actually qualify by their works and righteousness to be worthy to enter into the Kingdom of God? Can anyone else by their badgering, emotional and spiritual blackmail or threats or harassment with the Word of God drag you into the Kingdom of God? Can works of the law save you? And what does it mean; to be saved by faith? And if by faith one is saved, do we need any works of the law(love), and if we do, why if we are saved by grace?
If man could qualify on his own, why then the need for the Christ to have been sacrificed and give His life to pay the penalty that our sins incurred, i.e. death? The dictionary defines the word qualify to mean; make fit for a position, to make legally entitled, to satisfy conditions or requirements, to meet criteria, to meet the standard, to be eligible etc. Therefore, based on these definitions can a true Christian qualify for the Kingdom of God? Can we be found worthy by God to enter eternal life according to the definition of the word? The answer to these and other questions are found by seeking the Word of God, and hear what the Holy Spirit says about the above questions and the topic at hand.
Could Adam have qualified?
Adam, the first created man who was without sin when created, could have qualified to enter the Kingdom Of God and also replace Satan on the Throng of the whole earth, from that sinless position, if he had obeyed God’s commands and received His Holy Spirit. But, when Adam sinned by directly disobeying God, according to God he (Adam) then died and disqualified himself and all men who came after him from receiving; 1: the Holy Spirit, 2: eternal life, 3: the opportunity to enter the Kingdom of God. In Geneses we read the following.
Gen 2:16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat.
Gen 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Gen 3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
Gen 3:22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever.
Gen 3:23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
Gen 3:24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
Therefore, Adam having been banished from the garden of Eden, had in reality disqualified himself from both objectives by disobeying God’s direct commands. God then withholding His Holy Spirit from mankind except from those few God would use to fulfill His purpose and His will. Adam, being the father of all men and the world to come through him, placed the death penalty on all mankind. Thereafter, sin would follow all men and no man of the earth and born of women and dust of the ground could therefore in reality ever qualify because sin reined in all men, Rom 5:12, 19(first half).
The need for a second Adam
If God was to fulfill His purpose for man a second Adam would then have to come and do what the first Adam failed to do, and offer life as a free gift and by promise by the authority of God the Father. Rom 5: 18-19(second half).
This worlds Christianity says man can qualify, and quite easily at that by simply confessing and accepting Jesus Christ as his personal savior and come to him as he is; no conversion, no repentance and no change required, i.e. grace covers all, its all done for you by Christ and only your presence is required; one blueprint solves all problems. This in reality is a satanic doctrine whose origin can be traced back to the ancient Babylonian mystery religion begun by Nimrod and his wife shortly after the Noah’s flood. A true Christian (one who has the Holy Spirit dwelling in them) should always be on guard against Satan’s false doctrines brought about by stealth and cunning. A true Christian should not let even personal feelings and friendships cloud his understanding of God’s Word and judgments of wrong spirits so as to be led astray. A true Christian is to work out his own salvation with fear and trembling (2Cor 7:15, Phil 2:12). The following scriptures address this issue:
Mat 7:15 Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
2Co 11:13- 15. 13 For such ones are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
14 Did not even Satan marvelously transform himself into an angel of light?
15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves as ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works.
Rev 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, the old serpent called Devil, and Satan, who deceives the whole world. He was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
From the definition of ‘qualify’ above and understanding the purpose and plan of God Most High, and realizing that Adam had disqualified himself from being in a position to qualify, as he at that point was sinless, certain things become clear:
1. It is understood through the Holy Spirit of God that a second Adam born of the flesh had to come and accomplish what the first Adam failed to do. He had to be flesh in order to fulfill God’s purpose for Him.
2. It is also understood through the Holy Spirit of God that flesh and blood men with human carnal nature could not resist sin in all its form and fulfill the role of the Messiah and Christ. It required a mind that fully understood God’s nature and His love, His law and commandments, His way of life and purpose for all mankind. It required a spiritual nature and a Godly mind in tune with God the Father and understanding the reality of the task at hand. Still, it was possible even for the Christ to sin as He was a flesh and blood man as well as God.
3. Jesus, who was to become the Christ and the Messiah prophesied to come and save mankind (the first Adam had only to qualify for the Kingdom Of God), though having come from heaven (John 6:38) was born of flesh and was flesh from the prophesied lineage and therefore fulfilled the legal requirements to be the Christ and the second Adam.
4. Because of two above, Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit from birth, and having not sinned from infancy to adulthood and to the time of Satan’s temptation, was in a position to truly qualify for what the first Adam failed to accomplish; to enter the Kingdom Of God and to replace Satan on the throng of the whole Earth and re-establish the Kingdom Of God on Earth as King of kings and Lord of lords.
5. In addition, the life of Jesus Christ had to be worth more then the subtotal of all mankind from all time if he was to pay the penalty of death for all men which was incurred by mankind’s sins beginning with the first Adam. Jesus Christ, who was God in the flesh more than fulfilled this criteria.
The seriousness of Christ task
If one considers and perceives deeply enough he will realize that Jesus Christ completed a mammoth task in that he did not sin at all, even though tempted in all cases as we are, up to the age of about 30 years old. At this point he was ready for the final test; the direct temptation from Satan which reflected the temptations throughout Jesus life that Satan threw His way; pride, vanity, sovereignty etc. And what was at stake? Ezekiel 18:4 and Romans 6:23 remind us about the consequences of the soul that sins;
Eze 18:4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
(There is a physical and a spiritual application involved here).
Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Apostle John gives us the definition of sin;
1Jn 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
This brings us to the realization that if Jesus Christ had sinned (and it was possible for him to sin) at all during his earthly lifetime He would have disqualified himself for the Kingdom Of God and to also replace Satan on the throng of the Earth. He would only have been able to die for his own sin. Jesus knew of the consequences of sin for himself and for all of mankind. However, Jesus Christ filled with the Holy Spirit and God’s love from birth focused on God Most High, His Father and His God, all the days of his life, even from His youth, see Luke 2:40 – 49. Christ never took his eyes off God the Father, the Kingdom Of God and the Throne of the Earth and the Crown of Life for the benefit of man. Jesus loved the way of righteousness and justice, the Law of God and God Himself. He sought God His Father with all His heart and with all His mind and with all His strength.
Satan personally tried to the last to tempt Jesus Christ to sin by appealing to mans weakest character traits; pride, vanity, greed, selfishness and lust in the most sly and devious of ways. Satan knew that Jesus his creator, as flesh could sin (otherwise the whole purpose of Jesus life on the Earth was academic) in his present condition and that if He (Jesus) did he, Satan, could destroy Jesus and God’s plan of salvation for mankind. We read of this in Matth 4:1 – 10. As the Spirit tells us Jesus Christ was triumphant even to the last of his dying physical breath, John 19:30.
God’s late Apostle and the Elijah who was to come Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong, repeatedly said, “Jesus Christ had to qualify where the first Adam failed”, remembering that Adam was made physically perfect and also had no sin until his fall before Satan, having succumbed in the areas that Jesus conquered. Adam then was made a slave of Satan and sin and under the power of the Law, i.e. death.
Jesus’ Triumph and Glory
Jesus not only qualified, but was gloriously triumphant and victorious; conquering all that came his way with the Word of his mouth, the Works of the Law and the Fruits of His labor: Glory and power and majesty and thanksgiving truly belong to our Lord Jesus Christ for He magnificently triumphed for our sake, such was and still is His love for us.
Jesus Christ not only triumphed over sin and Satan and qualified to replace him over the Throne of the Earth in the Kingdom Of God, but to also rule as King of kings and Lord of lords as supreme ruler and sovereign head over all of God’s realm and domain (creation); the infinite universe with time (as we presently understand it) and space never-ending. Jesus was also restored to His former glory and position on the God Head by God the Father as He had asked Him in John 17: 5. Three of the Apostles had the privilege of seeing Jesus in His former and future glory on a mountain, Math: 17:1 – 2.
Some will therefore use the argument that since Jesus Christ had done all this for us there remains little for us to do but just except and confess Jesus Christ as our personal savior and we will be saved by grace and promise alone, with no real effort or involvement on our part, no conversion and no repentant attitude. But, is this correct, is that all there is to it, is it what Christ testimony was all about and is it scriptural? By letting the Word of God speak for itself, its true context and answers become clear. The word of God is truly a two edge sword as follows:
Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Heb 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Rev 1:16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two edged sword.
Read also Revelation 19 : 15, 21.
Attributes of Righteousness for the Kingdom of God; to become like Christ.
In Matthew chapter four through to chapter six Jesus gives us some insight into what are the attributes in character that Christians need to foster before they enter the Kingdom Of God; humility, meekness, peace makers etc, i.e. the fruits of the spirit as exemplified in Galatians 5:22. These attributes need to be developed, nurtured and matured. This requires effort and endurance by continual self examination throughout ones earthly physical life. The Apostle Paul also tells throughout his writings; Gal, Eph, Phil, that we are to put on the mind of Christ, growing and becoming like Him in every way, developing His nature in us. Although one will not become perfect while in the flesh, far from it, nevertheless, one is required to strive for perfection in Christ as prescribed in the Holy Scriptures.
Gal 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
1Cor 2:16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
Eph 4:23-24: 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
(See also; Phil 2:5 and 1Pet 4:1).
Faith And The Gift Of God
Does this mean that a called out one actually qualifies for the Kingdom Of God in his/her struggle for perfection? By no means, the scriptures are very specific on this matter.
John 4:10, 13-14: 10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
Rom 10:9-11: 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
Gal 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
(Read also the entirety of Ephesians and Galatians chapter three).
The Word of the Almighty Sovereign God, which cannot be broken and which cannot lie, plainly reveals to man that the only way to salvation and eternal life is through Jesus the Christ, the Lord of all creation through whom and by whom God Most High created all things. And that salvation and eternal life is a free gift from God Himself and by promise together with the gift of the faith of Christ in us when one is called, becomes converted with a repentant attitude, is baptized and receives the Holy Spirit, as shown below.
Rom 3:22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe(are converted), for there is no difference.
Gal 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Gal 3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
Php 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
See also Acts 2:38
The struggle: to put on Christ, with Works of Love and Fruit of the Spirit
Since salvation and eternal life is a free gift from God according to promise, what then is there for a called out one to do? The Lord God of all the Earth, Jesus Christ, loved and sought God His father with all His heart and with His entire mind and with all His strength. By doing so from youth, Jesus Christ had developed perfect Holy Righteous Character, God’s character and finally became God in Spirit just like His Father in heaven, as He was before He came to Earth. Should anything less be expected of us who are to inherit all things with Jesus Christ?
And therefore, what this means for one called of God if he or she desires (remembering that God will not force anyone, but has given man free moral agency, just as He did to the first Adam) to inherit all things with Jesus Christ, is that he or she should develop the desire with zeal and passion to fulfilling the first great commandment; to love the Lord our God with all our hearts and with all our minds and with all our strength, because we want to be like him in every way, in nature and character; and to love one another as ourselves (the second great commandment). Jesus Christ fulfilled the two great commandments perfectly in spirit and the letter. Christ’s Apostles admonished God’s people then and throughout the last 2000 years to do no less, time and time again. Jesus Christ truly was the captain and pioneer of our salvation (Heb 2:10).
The Apostle Paul admonishes God’s called out ones to put off the old life and be clothed with the new life in Christ, with the new self created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. This is further supported in Colossians three and Philippians three where the Apostle Paul describes how he regarded as loss everything he gained for righteousness according to the works of the law, before he knew the Christ. In other words it worked against him and not for him being under the power of the Law, as the law could not save him because he could not keep the Law perfectly (Romans seven). However, the Apostle Paul knew full well that Christ and His way was the only true path to life (Acts 4:2), through the faith and righteousness of Jesus Christ and the power of His resurrection (Eph 4:17 – 24, Col 3:1 – 11, Col 3: 12 – 17, Phil 3: 7 – 16).
In Philippians two, the Apostle Paul further develops the theme of attaining the resurrection and eternal life in the Kingdom Of God. He encourages the brethren to become one minded in Christ and to grow in the Love of God (which is also a gift from God) and His Christ and for one another. He further adds we are to do this in an attitude of humility and meekness of mind regarding others as better than ourselves in acts of service and respect with a giving attitude that comes with sincerity and purity of faith in Christ. He exemplifies this with the fact that Jesus Christ who being equal with God regarded God as higher or greater than Himself, and He did this gladly because of His deep unfathomable love and faith in God the Father (Phil 2: 1 – 8).
Man Unworthy of Himself and needs to be Educated in the Way of God
Again, does this mean a called out one is personally qualifying to be worthy to enter the Kingdom Of God because of what is expected of such a one? By no means, for God tells us that man’s righteousness is but a filthy rag before Him and his heart and mind far removed from been completely subject to God no matter how hard one tries if it wasn’t for the Holy spirit given us:
Isa 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Jer 10:23 O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.
Jer 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
Rom 8:6-7; 6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
Eph 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
See also Acts 2:4, 1Cor12:3, Eph 4:30, 1Thes 4:8.
What then? Since, before one is called of God that person did not live that way but contrary to it, having the nature of the world (Satan’s nature). The new way of Christ is foreign and new to them, and therefore understandably the called out one has to learn and practice the new way of Christ, which goes against the tide of human nature, the world at large and Satan’s attempt to crush God’s ultimate plan for man. Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong always taught that the called out one now (begotten son of God when baptized) has to grow and be nurtured in Jesus Christ to become like Him and finally be born into His family and be like Him in every way, just like an unborn baby in the mothers womb grows until birth.
The begotten son of God is now being educated and trained to fulfill his role in the Kingdom of God; developing Holy Righteous perfect Character, the character of God and the fruits of the spirit. That individual is not qualifying to be worthy to enter the Kingdom of God but trained to serve in righteousness. The only qualifying element or conditions is that one completes the course, finishes the race, endures to the end, does not fall away in the course of time, and lets no man take their crown, and also fulfills ones covenant with God that was made at baptism; to accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior, and to endeavor to overcome; sin, self, the world and Satan and to obey God’s Commandments.
Eph 4:11-13, 11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:
The Apostle and prominent elders of the church of God in New Testament times understood that this would take courage, strength, energy, effort, perseverance and endurance to the end by all concerned. And, that this would have to be coupled with a lifelong repentant and converted attitude with the love of God and by the power of His Holy Spirit in us. The manifestation of it all would be reflected in the fruits of the Spirit and works of Love founded on Faith, the saving faith of Christ in us. In other words, a called out one should be developing the nature and character of God throughout ones Christian journey, willingly and willfully even when corrected and unto the end as explained by the Apostle Paul in Hebrews.
Heb 10:38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
Heb 6:4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the ages to come, if they fall away, to renew again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the son of God, and put Him to open shame.
Heb 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
Saved By Grace through Faith, But All That The LORD Has Spoken We Will Do
In duality, the called out one said, “we will do as the Lord Commandant” when baptized in Christ, just as the Israelites at the foot of Mt Sinai said, “All that the LORD hath spoken we will do”. It was the covenant or agreement with God that said we would seek His Kingdom and His Righteousness (nature and character of God) before and above all things. Upon baptism and laying on of hands, God would then give the promised Holy Spirit (the guarantor of our salvation), and put His Love in us to empower one to fulfill the covenant made with God.
Exod 19:5-8: 5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.
7 And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him.
8 And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD.
Compare with 1Peter 2:9:
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.
But, it does not qualify one to be saved, no matter how hard one tries; and neither can it now or at any time, otherwise salvation would not be by promise and by Grace, made possible by the death and resurrection of Jesus. And if not by promise then it would be by works of the law (and therefore being under the power of the law, which is death when one sins) and men would have something to boast about, as they would have had to have kept the law perfectly, which is impossible for man.
Eph 2:7-10: 7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
If works of the law were a requirement for salvation, being flesh and blood human beings, largely carnal with a sinful nature, would doom man to failure time and time again, as the first man Adam; having taken of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, set the world to come on a spiral vortex that led to death for all men; because of his sin in disobeying God and rejecting His Holy Spirit and the gift of life. The Apostle Paul expresses the above in this way:
Gal 3:10-12: 10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.
To Recap the main Themes
When Adam sinned, he disqualified himself and all who would come from him, for eternal life in the Kingdom of God, by making a conscious choice in willingly taking of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which in reality represented death for all men thereafter. And by rejecting the tree of life, it limited him to dealing with only a physical and material world, and a flesh and blood existence of specified duration. Adam effectively said to God, “Let me alone to make my own way through this life you gave me, and to discover my own pool of knowledge and make my own decisions”.
God responded by letting Adam have his way, but with the proviso that he could not have access to His Holy Spirit and vital knowledge of, ‘Why man’ and of ‘God and His purpose for man and all His creation’, except as God chose to reveal it to His servants and people throughout the generations to the second coming of Christ.
Thus Adam and his descendants, having become carnal and under the sway of Satan and having being imprisoned by him, could now never qualify! And now, confined to carnal human knowledge of good and evil, right and wrong, ethics and morals with human reasoning; void of God’s Holy Spirit and spiritually revealed knowledge. Adam and His progeny were effectively destined to roam in a spiritual wilderness, trying to fill an inner void through their five senses; always seeking and never finding, always building but never completing, always receiving but never giving, always getting but never satisfied. Always redefining (their own spirituality; relationship with god, man and his environment, especially in this modern age of man), rediscovering and redesigning but never coming to the truth; and not understanding why! Always under the curse (penalty, Gal 3:10) of the Law, which is death! Until, the second Adam and their savior arrived.
In brief:
First Coming to;
1 announce the good news or gospel of the soon coming kingdom of God on the earth.
2 call people to repent and believe in the gospel.
3 pay the penalty of death for all mankind which was incurred by man because of sin, and offer salvation or eternal life to all men (each called in there own time order) through grace and that by the faith of Christ in us, by promise and a free gift.
Second Coming to;
replace Satan on the throng of the earth and restore the Kingdom of God, and
rule as Lord of lords and King of kings over all nations, peoples and tongues.
Resurrect to immortality members of His church that were called over the last
approximately 2000 years as well as the Patriarchs and prophets of old.
Marry the church, His bride who is to rule by His side forever.
To reiterate
Brethren, eternal life is a free gift of God through the faith of Jesus in us, as His children. And as His children we are heirs and co-heirs with Christ by promise, it can never be earned by our own righteousness. Being heirs we will inherit all things with Christ and be under God the Father, if we endure to the end (Rom 3:21-25, Matth 24:13).
Gal 3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
Php 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Heb 6:12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
Act 20:32 And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.
Gal 3:18 For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.
See also Act 20:32, Gal 3:18, , Eph 1:11, 14, 118; Col 1:12. 3:24, Heb 6:12, Heb 9:15
Even though salvation and eternal life is a free gift from God according to promise, there yet remains a responsibility on our behalf to repent of our former ways and be converted in attitude as follows:
Mar 1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
Act 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Act 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
Brethren, we are all encouraged to walk as one worthy of our blessed calling with humility and meekness, coupled with long suffering, forbearing one another in love.
We are told to come together in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge Christ Jesus our Lord, walking and working towards the perfect man, even as Christ is perfect. We should not allow ourselves to be tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, and loosing out on our salvation because we did not endure to the end according to our faith as commandant by Christ. We are to put off concerning the former things of our past life which is dead in Christ; the old man who is corrupt and deceitful, full of lusts. We are in effect to be renewed in the spirit of our minds and put on the new man and aiming to become like Christ Jesus in every way. When we stumble and fall we get straight up and fight the good fight. Even 70 times 7 if we have to, for endurance to the end is required.
Read the entirety of Ephesians four.
Remembering we are at school, being trained to qualify to rule in position of service as kings and priest, rulers and teachers in the Kingdom of God in the world tomorrow and not qualifying for eternal life. We are now learning and growing, developing Holy Righteous Perfect Character so we can sit with Christ on His throng when He returns very, very soon.
Brethren, if we neglect such a responsibility and not endure to the end, and let men take us away from the faith once delivered and the truths revealed through God’s late Apostle and the Elijah who was to come Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong, we can disqualify ourselves and have our names removed from the book of life.
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.
Rev 3:11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
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.
In Christ we are to be made perfect in every way at the resurrection of the saints at Christ second coming. At that point God’s own, been raised anew as spirit beings and born of God, shall enter into his divine family for ever.
“For God so loved the world (mankind),that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”.
Sermon by Mr. H. W. Armstrong on same topic: Christ Our High Priest 81 07.