Tag: Salvation

The BIBLE VIEW #1032

In This Issue:
The Old Suitcase
I Am a Soldier!

Volume: 1032     January 5, 2026
Theme: Standing Strong

 The Old Suitcase
Bill Brinkworth

“Who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved.” Acts 11:14
“And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” Acts 16:31
“And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.” Acts 16:34

To be better organized, I put all my Gospel magic in various cases.  When I use the object lessons to preach or teach to children, I always lug cases with me.  

One particular case is certainly well-worn, old, and the ugliest of them all.  Because of its sentimental value, I cannot bring myself to throw out the 80-year-old, small, two-toned, brown leather suitcase.  It reminds me well of who I used to be.

Growing up, I had a very godly grandmother.  She was my mother’s mother, and she came to visit several times a year.  Honestly, and shamefully, she was not my favorite of our two grandmothers.  There was something different about her that made me uncomfortable.  She was a Christian.

Shortly after her arrival, the little suitcase was opened, and she pulled out several copies of a Sunday school paper she had saved and gave them to me.  She would then lug out her old, battered Bible.  It would start on the nightstand next to her bed, but after her next morning’s devotions, it would be left on a table in the living room, where she read it and where its appearance haunted and troubled me.

Every time she came, her conversation turned to the things of God at least once.  Perhaps it was to correct something I had done wrong, or maybe it was, “Did you read those Sunday school papers I gave you?  What did you think?”

Her godly presence in our house often convicted me.  Things were not comfortable when she was there, even if she did not say anything about the Bible or religion.  I now know I was not saved then, and that her godly lifestyle made me feel bad and guilty.  Her presence brought me under tremendous conviction much of the time, without her having to say anything.

As I got older and after I got the polite welcomes out of the way, I made an effort to stay out of the house as much as possible when she was visiting.  I also developed an attitude toward her because of something my father said.  He roughly remarked, more than once, that she was “forcing her religion down our throats.”

Good, Dad gave me another defense to keep me from having spiritual guilt; she was wrong, and she was forcing her way of thinking on me.  Still, her presence made me uneasy.  Things went back to “normal” when she and that brown, leather suitcase were out of the house.

All her remarks and advice she gave me somehow made it through the dark crevasses of my conscience, even though I tried to prevent them from invading it.  For years, without even realizing it, I was influenced by her biblical teachings. I felt guilty when I sinned.

Her influence came to light at a particular Memorial Day parade years after she died.  I remember sitting on the steps of my rented home in Yardley, Pennsylvania, watching the parade go by.  I recalled all the successes I had already had in my young life; I was married; I had property; I owned a new truck; I had a young child.

Everything seemed to be going so well.  Then, I remembered thinking, “Grandmom was wrong.  I did get away with sin!”  Her persistence in trying to teach me God’s way had, unknowingly to me, still stayed with me.

One year later to the day, everything had changed.  Almost everything I boasted of the previous year was gone: house, marriage, and property.  All gone!  Then I realized, “Oh, no.  I did not get away with anything.  Grandmom was right!  I didn’t get away with my sin.”

It was not long until I realized my way did not work.  I was in desperate need of the right answers.  

It was then that I started reading my Bible.  In a short time, I asked Jesus to forgive me of my sins. He did and saved my soul.

The old book that I used to run away from when grandmom came was now the source of the solution to my life’s problems.  I could not wait to get home from work to read more from the same book I had previously avoided much of my life.

As I read and learned more, my thinking and life began to change.  The sinful things I used to do lost their appeal, and one by one, dropped out of my life, or at least I worked on stopping them.  Because, at that time, I was not in a good, Bible-believing church and was not around strong Christians, I did not know what was happening to me.

I thought of calling grandmom.  Surely, she would like to know about the changes in my life, and how I was reading my Bible, but I did not.  Six months went by, and I still had not called her.  Then I got my mother’s telephone call.  Grandmom had died and gone to Heaven.

With guilt in my heart, I went to the funeral.  People at the funeral told how wonderfully my grandmom had served the Lord; how she had led many to the Lord, taught Sunday school for most of her life, had knocked on doors to invite people to church, and even visited her students.  

It even turned out that after she led a person to the Lord, she wrote their name in a little book.  People repeatedly requested to look into the little book.  My grandmom had made quite a difference in many lives, including mine.

Then the preacher preached at the service.  I had heard preaching much of my life, but his words were much different.  I had never heard anything like it in my life: such truth, such power, so interesting!  

Then he did an unusual thing.  He said that my grandmother would want him to conclude her “going home service” with an invitation to invite anyone listening with an opportunity to be saved and have the same promise of Heaven she had.  

After hearing the invitation, I finally realized what had happened to me; I had been saved.  I learned right there at her funeral that I had done what God wanted me to do; I had trusted Christ as my Saviour.  I was forgiven and not forgotten by God.

It has been over 55 years since that funeral.  Grandmom’s in Heaven, and I have God’s promise that I, too, can go there and see her one day.  

All that happened because my grandmom cared about my soul.  She did not quit her godly influence, just because I was not interested at the time.  

In the end, her perseverance, daily prayers, and efforts to get me to be obedient to God paid off.  “Thanks, Grandmom, for not giving up.”

No, I do not think I will ever get rid of that old suitcase.

** I don’t think it is a coincidence that God moulded me into being a teacher and soul-winner just like my grandmother, and I have been a publisher of Sunday school papers, similar to the ones she gave me!  Her faithfulness helped make me the Christian I am.  I am glad she did not quit on me **

“Example is more forcible than precept.  People look at me six days a week to see what I mean on the seventh.”  — Cecil

I Am a Soldier!
Author Unknown

 “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” II Timothy 2:3

I am a soldier in the army of my God.  The Lord Jesus Christ is my commanding officer.  The Holy Bible is my code of conduct.  Faith, prayer, and God’s Word are my weapons of warfare.  I have been taught by the Holy Spirit, trained by experience, tried by adversity, and tested by fire.

I am a volunteer in this army, and I have enlisted for eternity.  I will either retire at the rapture or die in this army, but I will not get out, sell out, be talked out, or be pushed out.  I am faithful, reliable, capable, and dependable.  

If my God needs me, I am there.  If He needs me in the Sunday school to teach the children or work with the youth, if He needs me to work with the adults, He can use me because I am there.

I am a soldier!  I am not a baby.  I do not need to be pampered, petted, primed, pumped, picked up, or pepped up.  I am a soldier!

No one has to call me, remind me, write me, visit me, entice me, or lure me.  I am a soldier!  I’m not a wimp.  

I am in place, saluting my King, obeying His orders, praising His name, and building His kingdom.  No one has to send me flowers, gifts, food, cards, candy, or give me handouts.  I do not need to be cuddled, coddled, cradled, cared for, or catered to.  I am committed.  I cannot have my feelings hurt badly enough to turn me around, and I cannot be discouraged enough to cause me to quit.

When Jesus called me into this army, I had nothing.  If I end up with nothing, I will still come out ahead.  If I win, it will be because of my God, and He will continue to supply all my needs.

I am more than a conqueror.  I will always triumph.   I can do all things through Christ.  

The devil cannot defeat me.  People cannot disillusion me.  Weather cannot weary me.  Sickness cannot stop me.  Battles cannot beat me.  Money cannot buy me.  Governments cannot silence me, and Hell cannot handle me.  I am a soldier!  Even death cannot destroy me.

When my commander calls me from His battlefield, He will promote me to captain and then allow me to rule with Him.  I am a soldier in His army, and I am marching and claiming the victory.  

I will not give up.  I will not turn around.  I am a soldier marching Heaven-bound.  Here I stand!  Will you stand with me?

“You have received Christ; persevere in receiving him.  You have come to trust him; keep on trusting him.  You hang about his neck as a poor, helpless sinner; remain hanging there.  Abide in Him.”  — Spurgeon

The BIBLE VIEW #1017 —The New Birth

In This Issue:
The New Birth
Sin Sick
What Should I Do?

Volume: 1017   September 8, 2025
Theme:  The New Birth



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The New Birth
Bill Brinkworth

Throughout time and the world, many feel that there’s more to life than meets the eye.   They are right!

There is a God and a Heaven where He dwells.  That place can also be a home for anyone who enters His way.

That “way” is questioned and doubted by many.  What “way” is right many wonder? 

Without reading or following the only preserved roadmap (the Bible) God has given and preserved for mankind, many man-made avenues are created that many hope will get them to that eternal home.

Religions have cropped up all over the world, but their way to God’s Heaven is often not His way.  However, they usually have one thing in common.  That way is that mankind tries to please God by doing good works or religious tasks.  They believe that if their good works outweigh their bad deeds, the Lord will be obligated to let them enter His Heaven.

However, as sincere as those believers are, there is only one way to enter into God’s abode.  It is His way!

There is no good deed or any amount of good works that will get anyone higher than the coffin lid.  Nothing one can do (except being saved) can get them a heavenly passage, as Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross has paid for their sin-debt.
“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.” Ephesians 2:8-9“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;” Titus 3:5

God’s only way to Heaven is by being born-again.
“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3
“Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.“John 3:7

Being “born again” is a spiritual birth.  We cannot birth ourselves, especially by good works.  One’s spiritual birth can only be done by God.
“Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” John 3:5
“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” I Peter 1:23
“Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:13
“Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” James 1:18

If one is truly born again, there will be a new life!  One certainly will not be perfect,  as one still has the natural, sin-prone body given them at birth.  There will, however, be changes in one’s behavior and thinking.
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” II Corinthians 5:17
“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.” Galatians 6:15

Have you been born again?

“One can’t do what is already done.  Jesus paid for your sins; you can’t.”
—Brinkworth



Sin Sick
Barbara Brinkworth

“But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.  13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Matthew 9:12-13

Sometimes, the sick do not even know that they need a physician. That was my condition for over 36 years. I was spiritually sin sick because of my iniquities.

I was religious, but lost, and did not even realize I was unsaved and not bound for Heaven. For many years, I had gone to church and knew about God.  I knew that Jesus Christ had come to Earth and died on the Cross for my sins.  But, I later learned that knowing is not enough.

Despite all I knew, I was not born again.  I was not saved.  I was not trusting the price Jesus paid for my “illness” but was relying on my good works.
“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3
“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.” Ephesians 2:8-9

It took a faithful preacher’s message on the Bible’s way of salvation to open my eyes to the truth.  The man’s message spoke to my heart when he said that salvation was in Jesus Christ alone, plus nothing and minus nothing.  That day, I trusted Jesus as my Saviour and was assured that Heaven would be my home one day.
“He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.  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.” I John 5:12-13

I am so glad that Jesus Christ came to call “… sinners to repentance.” He healed me from my sin sickness!
“When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Mark 2:17

“Real Christians are forgiven, but sin can still ruin one’s walk with Christ and make one’s life miserable.” — Brinkworth

What Should I Do?
Bill Brinkworth

A rich man came to Jesus unintentionally admitting that he had committed the same mistake that most of the religious and unreligious would not dare confess.  It is the same philosophy that sends most to Hell.  That terrible iniquity is where over 90% of churches and religions are wrong.  His confession was, “… what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 18:18)

That ruler (Luke 18:18) was trying to work his way to Heaven by doing all he could to earn a place there.  Certainly, he and others in many unbiblical religions think it natural that if you do enough good things, the good will outweigh the bad, and God will let you into Heaven.  

Wrong!  Unbiblical!  That is what distinguishes all man-made religions from true Christianity!  Other religions teach that doing something, such as abiding by traditions, rules, catechisms, rites, sacraments, pillars of the faith, or their religion’s teachings, will get one to Heaven.

Real Christianity is the only “religion” that teaches one does not have to do anything to get to Heaven except trust Christ as one’s Saviour and ask to be saved from Hell.  One does not have to do anything for it because it has already been done for them by Jesus Christ.

There is a Person who never sinned.  His undeserved death on the Cross is the only payment God will accept to cover anyone’s sin.  It is Jesus alone, God’s only Son, who is worthy enough to pay for our sins.  

Trying to do good “works” to earn Heaven is rejecting Christ’s finished work on the Cross.  That rejection says that Christ’s payment was not enough.

Like the rich ruler, doing good things and living the way one thinks is right will earn no one an eternity with Jesus.  That man had done “right” his whole life, yet he was looking for one more thing to do to guarantee eternal life.  Good works never satisfy because they are never enough.

Trusting that God loves us so much that He gave His life so that we can live eternally is the only way God will accept us.  Are you 100% sure that if you were to die today, tomorrow, or a hundred years from now, you would go to Heaven?  You can be sure because the “ticket” has been paid for; all you have to do is accept it!

“Worry not who you are, but be concerned whose you are.” — Author Unknown

The BIBLE VIEW #1016 — Sin Free?

In This Issue:
One Can’t be Sinless
I Stil Mak Mistaks
Guilty

Volume: 1016   September 1, 2025
Theme:  Not Perfect

One Can’t Be Sinless
Bill Brinkworth

When I was younger, my mother once confined me to my room until supper time because of my bad behavior.  While there, I was very upset about getting into trouble.

The guilt of not doing right and being punished was humiliating.  Making my mother upset also lay heavily on my heart.   I never wanted to disappoint her and have her punish me.

After retrieving my Bible from the bookcase and reading random passages from it, I felt even worse.  Although I don’t remember which passage affected me, I was reminded that my actions were sinful.  Conviction made me feel worse.

Soon, I made up my mind that I would never sin again.  In a short time, I don’t remember what I did, but even though I was the only one in the room, I had sinned again.  All alone, with no one to lead me astray, and I still sinned.

At that point, I realized that it was not possible not to sin.  Now that I am saved, I understand that I was discovering my soul may not want to commit iniquity, but my weak flesh had a mind of its own if I let it. 

As a Christian, we may be forgiven and may not sin as much as we did before being saved, but we are and always will be sinners, as long as we are in this body!  We may not want to break God’s commandments, but we can and too often will.
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
“If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” I John 1:10
“What then?  are we better than they?  No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin.” Romans 3:9

Admitting one’s sins is essential, but it is just a starting point for getting ALL one’s sins forgiven and forgotten by God.  The crucial next part to have ALL one’s iniquities pardoned is to realize there is nothing anyone can do or pay to have their sins canceled.  Good deeds and acts will not pay the great price the sinner owes God.
“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.” Ephesians 2:8-9

There is only one payment that God will accept to cover our transgressions.  Believing that God sent Jesus, His only Son, to pay our sin debt on the Cross is the only way.  That personal realization and trusting what He has done for us will then free one from sin’s ultimate penalty.

“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.” Romans 10:9  We can be saved from an eternity in a tormenting Hell.
“As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103:12

Although we may still need to confess and repent of our sins daily to remain in fellowship with God, it does not mean we have to be saved again.
“And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” Ephesians 4:30  “Sealed” indicates salvation is an official transaction that cannot be changed.
“Quench not the Spirit.” I Thessalonians 5:19

“My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.” John 10:29  A saved sinner will not lose one’s salvation.

If one is not saved, they will experience an eternity of regret.  For those who are truly trusting Christ’s payment for their iniquities, you are forgiven.  However, get it right with God and purpose to do your best to flee temptation and sin with God’s help.

“When one is saved all their sins are forgiven, but refusal to clean out current iniquity can halt God from working in one’s life.” — Brinkworth

I Stil Mak Mistaks
Bill Brinkworth

I have been writing Christian material for over 40 years.  Thousands of articles have been produced.  However, despite my best efforts, I still make many mistakes.

All articles have been read and reread.  Each time I review the material, I find more errors and often discover a more effective way to express something.

My bookshelves have many grammar and writing books.  I have studied them and try to adhere to the rules, but still, not one article I have written in all those years has been without error. 

During and after writing, I carefully proofread what I have written.  Sometimes, I reread the article more than five times before I handed it to my wife for her to check.  Still, even with the two of us proofreading, there were still errors or improvements that could have been made.

Since she was unable to proofread my writing due to her illness, I use professional proofreading software to check the pieces I had written.  Those programs still find mistakes.  If I check the article with one program, another system will find errors that the other software did not detect.

Just before they are published, I reread them again.  Still, I find mistakes or more efficient ways to make a statement.

It is very discouraging to me that, despite the effort I put into the material, I still do not write “perfectly.”  The fact and truth of the matter is, no writer can proof their own work.  Other proofreaders may also still find more mistakes.

One printing company I am familiar with has put each of its publications through a rigorous 12+ point barrage of proofreaders.  Most have still found errors.

As hard as I try, I will always make mistakes in what I write.

Likewise, a person, saved or lost, will also make “mistakes,” however, their deeds are often sins.  Sin always has grievous side effects and usually regrets.  It must be avoided,

Try as the sinner may, iniquity will always be around the corner.  It is very difficult not to sin, especially in this God-rejecting environment. 

None of us is “good.”  We may have better moments, but sin can hijack one’s thought life or behavior.
“But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.” Galatians 3:22

Because of an inherited sin nature, no thanks to Adam and Eve’s disobedience,  we will always sin.  Those who claim they do not sin are either ignorant of what iniquity is, are dishonest, or should be checked for nail prints in their hands  (Jesus was the only person who never sinned and His hands were nailed to a Cross).
“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” Romans 5:12

Because one will always sin, that does not give anyone the license to continue transgressing God’s commandments, nor does one need to stop trying to halt iniquity.  “Why, I keep messing up, so why try?” some mutter in exasperation.

When a born-again child of God sins, one does not lose one’s salvation.  No one has earned their salvation; it is a free gift of God, and He does not take back what He has given.
“Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,” II Timothy 1:9

Sin needs to be confessed to God, and with God’s help and one’s watchful attempts, it can be curtailed.  Draw closer to Him.  He will patiently help you get untangled from sin’s stranglehold.  You can succeed.
“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not.  And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:” I John 2:1

We cannot be perfect because of our temporary, weak bodies.  However, one day we will not have to battle our sinful flesh and be discouraged by our sin.  God will one day give saved people a new body that will not sin.  Until that time, carry on doing his will and way.
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23

“Real Christians are forgiven, but sin can still ruin one’s walk with Christ and make one’s life miserable.” — Brinkworth

Guilty?
“Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.  24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:  25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever.  Amen.  26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.  28 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 which are not convenient;  29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,  31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:  32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.” Romans 1:22-32

The BIBLE VIEW #989— Assorted

In This Issue:
Believe His Truths
He Speaks the Truth
The Devil’s Tactics
Separate

Volume: 989    January 13, 2025
Theme: Assorted

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Believe His Truths
D. L. Moody

Suppose I was dying from consumption that I inherited from my father or mother.  I did not get it by any fault of my own or by any neglect of my health.  I inherited it.

I went to my physician and other medical specialists, and they all gave me the same prognosis.  They say I am incurable and that I will die.  They also told me I had only thirty days to live.

A friend happens to come along and looks at me and says: “Moody, you have got the consumption.”

“I know it very well.  I don’t need anyone to tell me that.”

“But,” he says, “There is a remedy.  A remedy, I tell you.  Let me have your attention.”

“But, sir, I don’t believe it.  I have tried the leading physicians in this country and Europe, and they tell me there is no hope.”

“But, you know me, Moody.  You have known me for years.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Do you think I would tell you a falsehood?”

“No.”

“Well, ten years ago, I was far gone.  The physicians also gave me up to die, but I took this medicine, and it cured me.  I am perfectly well — look at me.”

“That is extraordinary!”

“Yes, it may be strange, but it is a fact.  That medicine cured me.  Take this medicine, and it will cure you.  Although it has cost me a great deal, it shall not cost you anything.”

“Well,” I say, “I would like to believe you, but this is contrary to what I have heard.”

Hearing this, my friend returned and brought another friend to me, who testified to the same thing.  He again went away when I would not believe it.  He brought back another, and another, and another, and they all testified to the same thing.  They said they were as bad as myself, but they took the same medicine that had been offered to me, and it cured them.  He then handed me the medicine.  I dashed it to the ground.  I did not believe in its saving power.  I died with the cure repeatedly offered to me.

This fictitious instance sounds ridiculous, yet similar versions have occurred thousands of times worldwide and in history.  People know of countless folks who have had their lives ruined by sin.  They clearly see it is harming their own lives.  

Most have heard enough Bible teaching and know there is an eternity after this life for all and an eternal wage for sins committed in this life if one is not saved.  They have learned they will not get away with their sin.

These same people have heard the Gospel many different ways, from preaching, articles, signs, and countless acquaintances.  Many testimonies have been heard about how the lives of folks, even more vile than themselves, have been transformed simply by being saved by Christ’s precious blood.  They have even seen the transformations for themselves.  

Still, they refuse to take the only cure to prevent eternal torment.  They reject the gift of salvation’s remedy.  It is against their reasoning to solve their “problem.” 

Sadly, there are many reading this who also may be “dashing” the only “medicine” that cures their sin-sick life and can give them eternal life.  They never trust Christ as their Saviour.

Do not throw away the only remedy that can cure one from the ravages of sin.  Jesus can save!

“Is life a puzzle?  Christianity has the missing peace!”  — Author Unknown

He Speaks the Truth
Moorehouse

Suppose you go to a street and meet a man whom you have known for the last ten years to be a beggar.  You notice a tremendous change in his appearance, and you say, “Hello, beggar, what’s happened to you?”

“I ain’t no beggar.  Don’t call me a beggar.”

“Why,” you say, “I saw you begging in the street the other day.”

“Ah, but a change has taken place since then,” he replies.

“Is that so?  How did it come about?” you inquire.

“Well,” he says, “I came out this morning and got down here intending to catch the businessmen and get money from them.  One person came up to me and said there was $10,000 deposited for me.”

“How do you know that was true?” you say.

“I went to the bank, and they put the money in my hand.”

“Are you sure of that?” you ask.

“I got the money, and that’s all the proof I needed.  Things are different now.”

After being saved by doing what the Bible says, some often question similarly.  “Did I really get born again?  Did I truly get saved?  Do I really have God’s  promise of eternity?”

They have only to accept His testimony, and they are saved.  John said, “He that hath received His testimony hath set his seal that God is true.” (John 3:33)  Is there a person reading this who will receive His testimony and gift for our salvation and trust God’s promise is true?  Proclaim that God speaks the truth.  Make God’s testimony true.  Take Him at His Word.  Anyone who believes and asks can be saved!

“And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Acts 2:21

The Devil’s Tactics
J. Vernon McGee

When the Devil saw that persecution would not stop the church, he changed to a different tactic.  He joined the church.  He began to hurt the church from the inside. 

The enemy of God still does that today.  He attacks the validity of the Word of God, and he tries to discredit the Gospel.  If that doesn’t work, he tries to discredit the man who preaches the Gospel.  He has used these tactics on many Christians.

“The devil doesn’t come to you with a red face and horns.  He comes to you disguised as everything you’ve ever wanted.” — Author Unknown

Separate
Smith Wigglesworth

The reason the world is not seeing Jesus is that Christian people are not filled with Him.  They are satisfied attending weekly meetings, reading the Bible occasionally, and praying from time to time.  It is an awful thing to see people who profess to be Christians but are are not living His way, powerless, and in a place where their lives are so parallel to unbelievers’ lives that it is difficult to tell if they really are children of God.

“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”
 II Cor. 6:17-18

The BIBLE VIEW #981 — Changes

In This Issue:
Changed!
The Wrong Doctors
What Christ Did
Just As I Am
Need of a New Birth


Volume: 981 November 11, 2024
Theme: Changes

The Daily View is a free, daily devotion. Sign up (https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/a26cc9M), and you will be e-mailed a link to read or HEAR a KJV chapter and a short commentary (200-700 words) of something taught in the day’s reading. The e-mail will also include a mini-sermon in pictures, a prayer list, Thought for The Day, and short articles reinforcing biblical principles.

Read what readers have said about the e-mailed devotion at
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Changed!
Bill Brinkworth


When a person is saved, there will be changes in him. He will act, live, and think differently than he did before.
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” II Corinthians 5:17

After the Holy Spirit becomes the controlling conscience of a born-again individual, there will usually be at least one area that His convicting Spirit urges us to deal with. He often “speaks” to our hearts about our flesh’s desires.
“That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.” I Peter 4:2

Fulfilling the lusts for the things in this world never actually filled us in the past and did nothing to help us. After salvation, the Holy Spirit directs us to eliminate the sinful, damaging baggage we do not need.

In the past, indulgences of animal desires (“lasciviousness”), lusts, drunkenness, partying (“revellings”), and putting other things above the Lord (“idolatries”) ruled our lives (I Peter 4:3). Now, on the side of salvation, they are to be halted.

Another important area the indwelling Spirit of God will most likely address is the company one keeps. Those who were once part of our sinful lifestyles will either get saved or need to be separated from a saved individual. It is not uncommon that those who were “friends” in sin break off the relationship and even speak negatively of the saved person they used to sin with (I Peter 4:4).

The changes in the new believer are often emotionally painful. If they are not made, the person will certainly not lose their salvation. However, their testimony for Christ and their living for Him will not be what God desires for His child.

Many get saved, and immediately the Holy Spirit of God deals with their heart about an area of their lives that needs to be changed. Often, the child of God will try to obey the voice but may fail and fall back into sin. The Holy Spirit does not give up. Repeatedly, He deals with the person’s heart. He is undoubtedly a second, third, fourth, etc., chance God.

However, when the individual hardens his heart and purposely disobeys or ignores the convicting Spirit, God may cease dealing with the child of God until he repents. When he says “No” to God too many times, God’s “voice” stops speaking to him. It is in that place many Christians find themselves. God urged them to forsake a sin they had before their salvation or their association with the ungodly, but they refused to obey.

The key to having a victorious Christian life is to listen to the convicting “voice” of the Holy Spirit and to obey it. When He deals with past involvements, He attempts to remove us from what He knows will harm us.

When saved, we are new creatures in Christ. We have a second chance in life not to make the mistakes we made in the past. Listen and obey the Holy Spirit’s directions!

“In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:6



The Wrong Doctors
Edited from an article by C. H. Spurgeon

Have you been to Doctor Ceremony? He is, at this time, a fashionable doctor. Has he told you that you must heed him and obey his rules? Has he prescribed you so many prayers and so many church services? Ah! Many go to him, and they persevere in a round of religious observances, but those yield no lasting ease to one’s conscience.

Perhaps you have tried Doctor Morality? He has an extensive practice and is a fine old Jewish physician. He suggests, “Be good in outward character, and it will work inwardly and cleanse your heart!” Many persons are supposed to have been cured by him and his assistant, Doctor Civility, who is nearly as clever as his master. I have it on good evidence that neither of them apart nor the two together could ever deal with inward sin’s disease.

Do what you may, but your doings will not heal the wounds of a bleeding heart. Doctor Mortification also has a select practice, but men are not saved by denying themselves until they first deny their self-righteousness.

Doctor Excitement also has many patients. However, his cures seldom outlive the setting of the sun.

Doctor Feeling is much sought after by tender spirits. These try to feel sorrow and remorse, but the way of cure does not lie in their efforts.

Apart from accepting our blessed Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour, everything that is done will not better the sin-sick soul. You may try human remedies for a lifetime, but sin will remain in power, guilt will cling to the conscience, and the heart will be as sinful as ever.

A young woman turned aside a friend’s appeal for salvation immediately by saying, “I only want time enough when I die to say two words to the Lord, ‘Save me’”

Having neglected her soul’s salvation, she was soon called away by death, but the only two words she could utter were the wails of despair, “Too late! Too late!” — Author Unknown

What Christ Did
Edited from an article by Clarence Larkin

Those who are saved, the Bride of the Lamb, are from a disowned and outcast race made so by the disobedience of the head of that race in the Garden of Eden. However, Jesus, the Bridegroom, saw her and loved her.

To redeem her, He came from His own lovely home in Heaven to her sin-cursed home on Earth. It was there He was rejected by members of her family, seized and subjected to a mock trial, and nailed to a cross as a malefactor. He voluntarily laid down His life for her, though, thus demonstrating His love and opening up the way for her redemption from the Law that held her in bondage.

Jesus then left her to return to His Father’s House to prepare a home for her. During her betrothal, He has left her with her own family. He sent the Holy Spirit to teach, protect, and fit her for the day of her marriage. One day, He will descend midair to meet her on her way to the bridal halls of Heaven.
“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” I Thessalonians 4:16-17

“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.”
Romans 10:9



Just As I Am
Edited from an article by Pentecost

A London artist had hired a dirty, wretched beggar to come to his studio so that he might paint the man’s want and woe. The painter was disappointed to have the man appear with his face washed, hair combed, and store clothes put on.

“I don’t want you that way. I want that beggar I saw in filth and squalor.”

Many a sinner falsely feels that, before he comes to Jesus, he must fix up a little, improve his condition, and borrow the second-hand garments of empty righteousness instead of coming just as he is, waiting not to cleanse away a single blot.

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

Need of a New Birth
Edited from an article by C. H. Spurgeon

I was staying at an inn in one of the valleys of Northern Italy, where the floor was dreadfully dirty. I had it in my mind to advise the landlady to scrub it, but when I perceived it was made of mud, I reflected that the more she scrubbed the worse it would be.

The man who knows his own heart soon perceives that his corrupt nature admits to no improvement. Outward “cleaning” will not change its nature. A new nature must be implanted, or the man will be only washed like that mud floor.
“That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” John 3:6-7

Ours is not a case for mending but for making new. No outward actions can make you clean. Your sin-leprosy lies deep within, and only accepting the sacrificial death of God’s only Son, Jesus, can change one’s heart and make one born into the family of God.

The BIBLE VIEW #979 — Repentance

In This Issue:
It’s Not Too Late!
Repentance
A Changed Heart
A Broken Heart
Verses on Repentance
“Stop Now”

Volume: 979    October 28, 2024
Theme: Repentance

The  Daily View is a free, daily devotion.  Sign up (https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/a26cc9M), and you will be e-mailed a link to read or HEAR a KJV chapter and a short commentary (200-700 words) of something taught in the day’s reading.  The e-mail will also include a mini-sermon in pictures, a prayer list, Thought for The Day, and short articles reinforcing biblical principles.


Read what readers have said about the e-mailed devotion at
https://www.devotionsfromthebible.com/what-readers-say/


It’s Not Too Late!
Bill Brinkworth

Psalm 137 is a sad hymn that Israel sang. The time referred to in this song was when God’s people had been captured (Psalm 137:1-3) by the Babylonians and taken to a foreign land.

There, Israel found themselves slaves to their captives. Their freedom was lost because of their sin (Lamentations 1:8).  They found themselves surrounded by godless people and all Israel could remember was what it was like in Jerusalem.  Their beloved Temple and Jerusalem were destroyed.

Israel pined for their freedom and their country. They remembered how it was before captivity left them grief-stricken.

In the past, they and Jerusalem were known for joyous singing and happiness.  In their bondage, they could not (Psalm 137:4) utter a note when requested to sing. Their hearts were broken, and their spirits were crushed.

Too many today find themselves with a similar sadness. They remember their joy and good times before reaping the consequences of their sin.  When their memories drift back to those joyous days, they, too, are not happy. It is heartbreaking to think about what one’s life could have been without involvement in iniquity.

The captive Israelites must have constantly pondered, “It’s too late!” Maybe they shook their heads in despair, thinking, “There is no taking back what we have done. We have sown sin and are now reaping its terrible consequences.” Today’s sinners also will one day have similar regrets.

There is no way to take back what was done, that is why it is so important to stay away from sin. Unfortunately, most have to live with iniquity’s consequences, but they can go forward without making the same mistakes.

A repentant, regretting heart can decide to start over. Seeking God’s forgiveness and help can give one a second (or third, or fourth…) chance. 

Moping about “spilled beans” will not clean up the mess sin made. God is a forgiving God. There may still be a sinful crop that one will reap from the seeds sown by iniquity, but with God’s help, one can still go forward. 

Seek God’s forgiveness and His help. There is hope!

“The greatest griefs are those we cause ourselves.”  — Sophocles

Repentance
Edited from an article in Homilies of the English Church.

Repentance is a true turning or returning unto God.  People forsake their idolatry and wickedness with a stronger faith and embrace, love, and worship only the true, living God.  They give themselves to good works and changed behavior, which, according to God’s Word, they know to be acceptable unto Him.

The four parts of repentance are contrition, confession, faith, and amendment of life’s wrongdoings.  They may be likened to an easy and short ladder.  From that “ladder,” one may mentally climb from gut-wrenching guilt to the castle where the Lord is pleased.

“When the soul has laid down its faults at the feet of God, it feels as though it had wings.”  — Guerin

A Changed Heart
Bill Brinkworth

Repentance is the “… pain, regret, or affliction which a person feels on account of his past conduct…” (Noah Webster, 1828).  This sorrowful attitude over one’s sins was a vital part of John the Baptist’s ministry and is essential today when one is saved from the eternal wages of one’s iniquities. 

Although a repentant person will usually change their behavior, just changing conduct alone will not save anyone. If a lifestyle change were necessary for salvation, those acts would be good work, and no good deed can save anyone from the eternal wages of sin (Ephesians 2:8-9).

John, the Baptist, illustrated that a broken heart over sin would produce a better life when he spoke to four types of people:

  • To the religious but not righteous, John told them that if they were convicted over their sins, they would prove it by a lifestyle that would show “fruits” from their inward changes.  Their changed heart would change how they lived, and others could see what the changes had done in their life (Luke 3:8).
  • To the common people, he told them that a giving attitude would show a changed heart (Luke 3:11).  John must have known that they were covetous of the things of this world and that they were not trusting God daily for their needs.
  • To the publicans, he also said there would need to be some changes in their lives. Publicans were notoriously dishonest tax collectors. John told them their spiritual remodeling should include honesty (Luke 3:13).
  • To soldiers, he did not tell them to quit the army. He told them their change of heart would include halting unnecessary violence, lying, and dissatisfaction with their salaries.

A changed, repentant heart is proof of one’s salvation. The areas John said should change in lives over 2,000 years ago should still change today when one’s life is altered by salvation.
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” II Corinthians 5:17

“Sin and Hell are married unless repentance proclaims the divorce.”  
— Spurgeon

A Broken Heart
Spurgeon

What man can stand against his children’s tears?  When King Henry II was provoked to take up arms against his ungrateful and rebellious son, he cornered his son in a French town.

The son, near death, desired to see his father and confess his wrongdoing, but the stern older man refused to look the rebel in the face.  His offspring was sorely troubled in his conscience and said to those about him, “I am dying; take me from my bed, and let me lie in sackcloth and ashes, in token of my sorrow for my ingratitude to my father.” Then he died.

When the tidings came to the older man that his boy had died in ashes and was repentant for his rebellion, the man threw himself upon the earth.  Like King David, he cried, “Would God I had died for him.” The thought of his boy’s broken heart touched the father’s heart.

If ye, being evil, are overcome by your children’s tears and grief, how much more shall your Father who is in Heaven find your moanings and confessions an argument for the display of His pardoning love through Christ Jesus our Lord?  This is the eloquence which God delights in: the broken heart and the contrite spirit.

“Contrite”:  Full of guilt and remorse for a wrongdoing or sin

“The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”  Psalm 34:18

Verses on Repentance

  • “And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 3:2
  • “And they went out, and preached that men should repent.” Mark 6:12
  • “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;”  Acts 3:19
  • “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:”  Acts 17:30
  • “But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.” Acts 26:20

“Stop Now!”
Tillmage

Some young men were ice-skating on a pond around an half-melted spot in the ice some years ago near Princeton, New Jersey.  As they neared the dangerous place, the ice began to break.

Most of the skaters stopped.  However, one young man said, “I am not afraid.  I will skate around it one more time.” He almost was able to glide entirely around it, but the ice broke, and he fell in.  Not until the next day was his lifeless body found.

Similarly, people often get too close to sin.  They were warned, but they were determined to do it  “one more time.”  That last willing iniquity may be their permanent downfall.

Do not risk one more attempt at ignoring God’s sent conviction not to commit that sin any longer.  Stop now!  He can deliver us from the foolhardiness and temptation of doing wrong “just one more time.”

The BIBLE VIEW #944 — Converted

In This Issue:
B. C. — Before Christ
A Man Drank Up a Farm
A Notable Conversion

Volume: 944    February 12, 2024
Theme: Conversion

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B. C. — Before Christ
Bill Brinkworth

When Christ saves a soul, God does tremendous work in that person we do not always see.  A new spiritual life will begin, and the old ways should be behind that person.

The old ways were before Christ.  The new life results in much freedom and joy!
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” II Corinthians 5:17

Before people were saved, no matter who they were, they were enslaved.  They may not have mindfully planned to be servants, but they were enslaved.  They were:

Slaves to self.
People did whatever felt good to them.  “Gimme, gimme, gimme,” was their selfish attitude.  “Me first,” they lived.  “Who cares what happens to others, just as long as I make out okay,” they believed.

Because of our selfishness, we are commanded: “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: … 7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.  8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.  9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:” (Colossians 3:5-10)  

“Die” (“mortify”,  quit) your self-gratification and other acts of selfishness.  Let the new creature in you live a life of freedom in Christ without self-centeredness!

Slaves to sin.
Before the Holy Spirit controlled one’s life, it was common to think:

  • “Can’t live without that cigarette.”
  • “I need a drink to think.”
  • “I need to lie to cover up past lies…”

“Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.” John 8:34

See in the following verses what the lost did and what he is expected to do now that he is on the Heaven-side of Calvary:
“That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 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.” Ephesians 4:22-24  With God’s help, we can put off our old ways and let the new person in us give us new freedom.

Slaves to sin’s fruits.
Do not be deceived; there is a price tag on all sins.  AIDS and other diseases are often the wages of the sin of fornication, homosexuality, and adultery.  Cirrhosis of the liver comes many times as a consequence of drinking.  Lung cancer can come from defiling the temple with smoking.  The sins of lying and dishonesty reap loneliness, being cut off from others, mental illness, and guilt.  Consequences may be slow in coming, but there are often visual wages from iniquity.

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.  8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” Galatians 6:7  Also: Romans 6:23.

Slaves to Satan’s whims.
Because an unsaved person is not a child of God, like many would have us believe, they obey their father, Satan.
“Ye do the deeds of your father.  Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.  Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: …Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do .…” John 8:41-44   Also: Ezekiel 11:19-21.  When we become born-again, we are born into the family of God, and we can obey our new Heavenly Father and have more freedom.

Slaves without hope of an eternity in Heaven.
There is a price tag on our “slavery” without Christ as one’s Saviour.  That cost is one’s eternal life in the Lake of Fire.
“For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.  21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed?  for the end of those things is death.  22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.  23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:20-23 Also: Ephesians 2:1-6.

There can be freedom from the “slavery of sin” which ruins so many.  By acknowledging one’s sinnership and accepting God’s only Son’s death on the cross as payment for our sin, we can have God’s promise of Heaven and freedom from sin’s hold.

Even after being saved, the hard part is listening to the new Master and not the flesh.  When we do let our new Master have control, we can be free in a way the unsaved world cannot even imagine.  We can have a new life better than the one we had before Christ saved and changed us.

“Walk by new rules towards new ends from new principles.  Make a new choice of the way.  Choose new paths to walk in, new leaders to walk after and new companions to walk with.  Old things should pass away, and all things become new.  The man is what he was not and does what he did not.”  — Henry


A Man Drank Up a Farm
Excerpts from D. L. Moody

Years ago, I was going away to preach one Sunday morning when a young man drove up in front of us.  He had an aged woman with him.

“Do you see that beautiful meadow?” said the young man, pointing to a nearby property, “and that land there with the house upon it?”

“Yes.”

“My father drank that all up,” said he.  Then he went on to tell me all about himself.  His father was a great drunkard, squandered his property, died, and left his wife in the poor house.

That young man is one of the finest young men I ever knew.  He toiled hard, earned money, and bought back the land.  He had taken his mother out of the poorhouse and was now taking her to church.

That is a wonderful illustration.  The first Adam in Eden sold us for naught, but the Messiah, the second Adam, came and repurchased us.  The first Adam brought us to the poorhouse, as it were; the second Adam makes us kings and priests unto God.  That is redemption.  

In Christ, we get all that Adam lost and more.  Men look on the blood of Christ with scorn and contempt, but the time is coming when the blood of Christ will be worth more than all the kingdoms of the world.

“Conversion is separating ourselves from the course and custom of this world, and devoting ourselves to the conduct according to the word of God.”  
— Henry

A Notable Conversion
Excerpts from a D. L. Moody Article

A jail chaplain once told me a surprising case of conversion in which the covenant of grace was the chief instrument of the Holy Spirit.  My friend had under his charge a man most cunning and brutal.  He was repulsive, even in comparison with other convicts.  He had been renowned for his daring and the utter absence of all feeling when committing acts of violence.

Several times, the chaplain had spoken to him but had not succeeded even in getting an answer.  The man was sullenly set against all instruction.  At last, he desired a particular book, but it was not in the library.

The chaplain pointed to the Bible, which was placed in his cell, and said, “Did you ever read that Book?”

He did not answer but looked at the good man as if he would kill him.  The question was kindly repeated, with the assurance that he would find it well worth reading.

“Sir,” said the convict, “you would not ask me such a question if you knew who I was.  What have I to do with a book of that sort?  It would do me no good,” he snapped.  “I am past all feeling.” Doubling up his fist, he struck the cell’s iron door and said, “My heart is as hard as that iron.  There is nothing in any book that will ever touch me.”

“Well,” said the chaplain, “do you want a new heart?  Did you ever read the covenant of grace?” The man answered sullenly by inquiring what he meant by such talk.

The preacher replied, “Listen to these words, ‘A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.’” (Ezekiel 36:26)

The words struck the man with amazement.  He asked to have the passage found for him in the Bible.  He read the words again and again.  

When the chaplain came back to him the next day, the wild beast was tamed.  “Oh, sir,” he said, “I never dreamed of such a promise!  I never believed it possible that God would speak to men in such a way as that.  If He gives me a new heart, it will be a miracle of mercy.  Yet, I think He will work that miracle upon me, for the hope of a new nature is beginning to touch me as I never was touched before.”

That man became gentle in manner, obedient to authority, and childlike in spirit from then on.  He was a new creature.

When a preacher heard a convert bragging about his wicked past, he remarked, “Never mind what you did while you were asleep.  Let us hear what you did when you were awake!”  — Author Unknown

The BIBLE VIEW #939 — Changes

In This Issue:
New Things
Why Are They Different?

Volume: 939    January 8, 2024
Theme: Changes

Get the New Testament reading schedule at:
https://openthoumineeyes.com/assets/readntt.pdf


New Things
Bill Brinkworth

Living a biblical lifestyle is certainly the old way, the way much of mankind has lived for over 6,000 years.  Living that way may be “old-fashioned” to some,  but there are many new things that obeying and living for the Lord can offer.

Here are some of the new things God still offers and desires all to have and experience:

A new birth. When one becomes a child of God, he has a new spiritual birth.  He is a new, different creature.
“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3: 3
“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” I Peter 1:23
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” II Corinthians 5:17

A new joy, happiness, and purpose. Being born again is wonderful.  It comes with new chances in life with great joy and happiness.
“O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth.  Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day.  Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people.  For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods” Psalms 96:1-3
“And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.” Psalms 40:3  Also: Psalms 98:1.

 A new heart. God gives, along with salvation, a new “heart” that has new desires, purposes, and hopes.
“Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.  And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.” Ezekiel 11: 17-20 These verses were written about the people of Israel, but the principle can apply to us.
“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26

 A new outlook. Life is seen differently by a child of God.  When one is saved, educated from the Word of God, and obedient to it, life looks a lot different.  Activities and actions of the past now may appear contrary to God’s commands and harmful rather than “fun.”  The “old, dead” Bible now becomes alive and helpful.
“Thou hast heard, see all this; and will not ye declare it?  I have shewed thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them.” Isaiah 46:6

 A new life (a new mind). Along with other new blessings comes the “mind of Christ” which thinks much differently than before the new birth.
“That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.  Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.  Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil.” Ephesians 4:22-27
“And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:” Colossians 3:10

A new day filled with second chances and other opportunities. Just as a new day brings fresh opportunities and expectations, God gives the born again soul a second chance in life.
“It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.  They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23

A new testament; new covenant. A “testament” is a document declaring the will and desires of a person.  The New Testament that God gave man is not only part of the Bible, but it is His will and the new covenant (commitments or promises) He made with man.  It tells of God’s will for man in this church age.
“And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” Mat.  26:27-28
“And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.” Mark 14: 24

A new world. One day, God will destroy this world, and a new one will be created. 
“For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered.” Isaiah 65:7
“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.” Rev. 21:1-2

“If you have not experienced many of the first six changes mentioned above, you may not be saved!  Gulp! “ — Bill Brinkworth


Why Are They Different?
Bill Brinkworth

Luke 7:36-48 answers a question some have.  They wonder, ”Why are so many second-generation Christians not having the same enthusiasm and excitement about the things of God and serving Him as their parents did?” 

In those Luke 7 verses, we read of a very sinful woman. Many have supposed from her description that she was a harlot.  When the woman found Jesus was nearby, she visited Him. She wept as she washed Jesus’ road-weary feet with her tears and anointed Him with ointment.  Because of her apparent love and respect for Jesus and her broken-heartedness over her past sins, Jesus forgave her. 

A parable (Luke 7:41-42) given by Christ explains the key to her broken spirit over her guilt.  The Saviour’s teaching story taught that the one that was forgiven the most was the most appreciative and loving of the Saviour.

This explains why some today, with a sinful past, are the most appreciative after being saved. Drunkards have gotten saved from the clutches of alcohol, and when they got saved, they have a different, hopeful future.  Adulterers who have seen relationships crumble from rampant sin have become faithful, loyal spouses after becoming born again. 

Violent men have become excellent, peaceful fathers after the Saviour came into their lives and changed them from the inside out.  When millions of sin-torn lives trusted the Saviour’s sacrifice and received God’s pardon for their sins, they were transformed. 

After those rescued souls got closer to God and learned what He wanted for them, they made things right that were wrong. They usually concluded that exposure to the ungodly worldliness encouraged them to make wrong turns. To prevent their loved ones from making the same bad decisions, they did all they could to keep others from going the wrong way.

Parents made sure their children were in church. Families had daily Bible-reading devotions. Financial sacrifices were made to send children to Christian schools so they would not be polluted by secular education. 

With all the effort put into them, often those second-generation Christians, although they may have gotten saved, still went in the wrong spiritual direction.  The children, although insulated from powerful, sinful influences, got the desire to “taste” sin. The allure of the shiny things of this world has often led the second generation right back into the mire from which the previous generation was rescued.

Why does this happen so often? Unfortunately, our sinful nature often prohibits us from learning from those who have learned a lesson the hard way.  We ignore advice from those who have already traveled the wrong road and must learn the lesson for ourselves — sometimes the dangerous path. 

It would save much heartache, grief, and destroyed lives if people would listen to those warning them of the wrong direction in which they are headed.  No one should have to repeat the errors of others!

“Insanity is following the bad examples of others and expecting a different result!” — Author Unknown

The BIBLE VIEW #927 — Salvation

In This Issue:
“She’s Going Down!”
“The Walking Dead,”
“How Does the Bible Tell One to Be Sved?”

Volume: 927     October 9, 2023
Theme: Salvation

Read the FREE typeset version of this newsletter at https://openthoumineeyes.com/views23/BibleView927.pdf.  Use it for your church bulletin inserts or as a ministry handout.

“She’s Going Down!”
Bill Brinkworth

Unbeknown to the S. S. Human Race, she was sailing her last voyage.  In the misty darkness, at around 12 bells, the mighty ship struck a partially sunken shipping container that had previously strayed off a cargo ship.

The mighty vessel had been struck mid-ship, and there was a gashing, gushing hole on her bottom.  The incoming seawater could not be stopped, nor could the tear in the ship’s metal belly be covered.  Sea water was pouring in faster than all the bilge pumps could handle.  She was riding deeper in the water and was slowly sinking.

Those in the low-rate berths were the first to experience the danger.  Their cabins filled up with water quickly.  Some drowned without even waking from their slumber.  Many who did escape found that the passageways were blocked with floating debris and could not get out.  They, too, drowned.

On the more luxurious upperlevels, a different situation occurred.  They heard the warning alarms.  They listened to the screams and heard of the disasters in the lower-class levels, but most were unalarmed, as most assumed they would be rescued.

“Why, we are important people in our society.  Some of us are leaders in our country and are essential to our nation’s well-being.  Others are wealthy and mean so much to the companies and foundations they run and support.  We are all well-educated and have far more degrees and honors than most.  Many are the elite and have done nothing but good to all around them.  We are nothing like those poor, ignorant folks below deck.  When the danger we are in is heard of, all effort will be made to keep us from the tragedy those other poor brutes below deck have faced,” was the thinking of those in the upper decks.

However, help never came in time.  The vessel expelled its last breath of air and succumbed to the water’s pull.  She went down with no survivors.  The liner went down with all aboard: the poor, the rich, the ignorant, the intellectuals.  All perished on the sinking ship.

Humankind is also on a similar “ship.”  It has always gone down morally, spiritually, and socially since the first sin in the Garden of Eden.  It is destined to perish.  Finances, knowledge, good works, kindness, man-made religion, or goodness can never plug its leaking hull.  Although it is still above water, it is riding lower in the sea of sin and shame daily.  One day, it will be too late for anyone to be rescued from the doomed vessel.

However, right now, there is an opportunity for any to be rescued from her sinking demise if they do what God requires.  God hates all of the sins we are guilty of, but He does not wish any to perish.
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” II Peter 3:9

Many years ago, God sent His only Son, Jesus, to be a sacrifice for all of man’s sins if individuals would accept what Jesus had done for them.  All that is needed to escape the sinking, Hell-bound “ship” is to acknowledge and confess to the Father the truth that we are sinners and are headed for a hot, lonely, eternal torment.  After recognizing our sinful situation, the only life raft available can be boarded by trusting that Jesus’ death was the only payment God will accept for our sins.
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” Rom. 3:23

No good works, kindness, good living, religion, or anything we can do can rescue us from our doom.  Only calling upon Jesus to save us will get us off the sinking “vessel.”
“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.” Eph. 2:8-9

A “savior” rescues a person from harm, but no person can save anyone from eternal destruction.  Only a “Saviour,” who is God, can do that. 

The only real Saviour is Jesus Christ, and He can save anyone from eternal damnation.  Trust Christ alone as your Saviour to keep you from the Hell many on the S.S. Human Race will one day experience.
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Rom. 10:13

“I am not a Christian because I am strong and have it all figured out.
I am a Christian because I am weak and admit I needed a Saviour.”  
— Author Unknown


The Walking Dead
Bill Brinkworth

“And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.” Ephesians 2:1-3

Is it possible to be dead, still walking, and appear alive?  Could scenes from the old horror movies where the dead staggered through the villages be close to reality?

Of course not!  When a person is dead, they either go to Heaven or Hell.  However, it is possible to walk, talk, see, hear, smell, touch, and be spiritually dead.

When sin first entered humanity through Adam and Eve’s sin of disobedience, something terrible happened to them.  God commanded Adam not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  He told them (Genesis 2:17) that if they did eat of the fruit, “… thou shalt surely die.”

They disobeyed God and ate the fruit, but it is clear that they did not die right away.  They talked, walked, hid, and had children.  Was God not telling the truth?  No, God cannot lie.  Eventually, their bodies died.  They are definitely not walking the streets today.  However, something more important in them did “die” long before their bodies gave their last breath.

When God made Adam, he became a living soul (Genesis 2:7).  When sin was committed, that part of him “died.”  He still walked, talked, and lived life, but not to the fullest because the most important part of him, his soul, became separated from God – a type of death.  From then on, every person born was born separated from God.  They laugh, cry, talk, and sometimes live long lives, but spiritually, they are far from God and are “dead”!

All are the “walking dead” until that dead part of them is made “alive.” When people realize they are guilty of breaking God’s heart and commandments with their sin and trust that Christ’s death on the cross is the only payment God will accept to cover their sins, they can be saved from Hell.

John 3:3 calls salvation being “born again.” When one is born again, he is a new creature in Christ (II Corinthians 5:17).  The new person should see, think, talk, and live differently.  

The famous hymn, “Amazing Grace,” touts this revived difference in the changed person when it says, “… I once was blind, but now I see.” A born-again person has a new, spiritual birth, and many things in his life change.  He sees and experiences life quite differently.

It is possible to be alive but missing one of the most important facets of life: a soul in fellowship with God.  Without that living part, there may be laughter but no joy, and sight but no understanding of the danger to which one is headed.  There may be hearing, but only heeding the voice of the world and the wicked, and thinking only of themselves and certainly not what God desires of them.  

Just as the deaf or blind are certainly alive but missing some of what life has to offer, so are the “walking dead.” Those that are not born-again are the walking dead.  Are you born-again or one of the spiritually unborn?

“The most important question concerning any man living is this: Is he a saved soul or not?  Is he a child of God or an heir of wrath?” — Spurgeon

How Does the Bible Tell One to Be Saved?

  1. Know that you are a sinner:
    “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” Romans 3:23  Also: Romans 5:12, I John 1:10.
  2. Know that Hell is the payment for all that have sinned.
    “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Rom. 6:23
    “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” Romans 5:12
  3. BUT, there is good news!  Jesus’ death on the cross is the payment for the sins of all that call upon Him for salvation!
    “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.” Romans 10:9
    “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Rom. 10:13

“There are only two classes of people in this world: the saints and the ain’ts.”
— Vernon McGee

The BIBLE VIEW #920 — Unbiblical Teachings

In This Issue:
Misconceptions
Unbiblical Beliefs
Just You and Jesus

Volume: 920     August 21, 2023
Theme: Unbiblical Teachings

Read the FREE typeset version of this newsletter at https://openthoumineeyes.com/views23/EmailVersion/BibleView920Email.pdf.  Use it for your church bulletin inserts or as a ministry handout.

Print the FREE large print edition at https://openthoumineeyes.com/views23/LargeText/BibleView920-Large-Print.pdf — Ideal for giving to people with difficulty reading smaller print.


Misconceptions
Bill Brinkworth

Too often, the teachings found in the Word of God are ignored and replaced by what people think is right, especially about salvation.  None of mankind’s opinions matter, however.  What is important is ”what saith the Lord.”

Good deeds and works will not get anyone to Heaven.
“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.” Eph. 2:8-9  (Grace is the undeserved favor, kindness, and love God bestows on individuals.)
“Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.” Romans 3:28
“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;” Titus 3:5

The laws preserved in the Bible teach us what sin is, but following them alone will not get anyone into Heaven.
“Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” Rom. 3:20
“And by him [Jesus] all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.” Acts 13:39  Also: Rom.  3:28.

Church teachings and traditions that do not align with God’s preserved Word will not save anyone!
“Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.” Mark 7:13
“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” Colossians 2:8
“Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.” Titus 1:14

The Bible (KJV for English-speaking people) is the ONLY place where God’s truths and plans for mankind are preserved.
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” II Tim 3:16
 “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” Rom. 15:4
(To learn more of this truth, read “The Word of God ONLY” at https://www.devotionsfromthebible.com/isaiah/the-word-of-god-only/)

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Rom. 10:13


Unbiblical Beliefs
Bill Brinkworth

After speaking to many about how the Bible tells us we can go to Heaven, I have heard many beliefs not found in the Bible.  Those ways are not what God has revealed to man.  Some of those ways include:

“There is more than one way to get to Heaven,” and “There are many different roads to Heaven.”  Those philosophies are never taught in the Word of God.

The point of the Bible is to state and preserve God’s plans and commands for all mankind.  Suggesting that man can believe and do what he wants to get to Heaven contradicts Bible’s teachings.  It is man’s way that got him in his sinful state.  Only God’s Way is the path to salvation.  It is God’s Heaven, and there is only one way to get there — His!
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6   Also: John 10:9, 11:25

“We are all children of God!” If that philosophy were true, and we were all children of God, why is there a Hell, and why were we warned about it so we would not go there?  Also, why did Christ die for us if all were going to Heaven?  No one is a child of God unless he is born into God’s family by a spiritual birth.
“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3    Also: John 3:5

“We’ll see so-an-so in Heaven.”  When discussing the whereabouts of a deceased person, many assume that the person is in Heaven without knowing anything about his spiritual decisions and condition when on Earth.   Quite frequently at funerals, it is mentioned, possibly so people’s feelings will not be hurt, that the person the service is for is in Heaven, when the person never made any profession or indicated that he was trusting Christ as Saviour.  They may have been saved and in Heaven, but the way many talk is all are going to Heaven, and only the “really bad people” are going to Hell.

That sounds humane and nice, but it is God’s Heaven and not man’s; God says only those who do what He commands will go to His Heaven.  It is only His way that matters.  That way is trusting in Christ’s shed blood to cover one’s sins and admitting (confessing) Christ as Saviour (Rom. 10:9).  One will only go to Heaven if saved!
“And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Mat.  7:23   Also: Mat.  25:12, Mat. 25:41, Luke 13:25, II Tim. 2:19

“I’m a good person, so I’ll go to Heaven.”  The Bible does not teach that either.  It teaches the opposite.  The Bible says we are all sinners because of having been born sinners and also our commission of it. 

Because of our sins, we cannot go to Heaven unless we do what God says we must do to get there, and that is to be saved.  No one is a “good” person.  All are sinners!
“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:” Rom. 3:10
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” Rom. 3:23   Also: Rom. 5:12

“If God is going to put people in Hell, then I don’t want to have any part of Him or Heaven.”  That statement immediately reveals the person does not see the seriousness of where he is heading eternally.  He is rejecting God’s plan of salvation.
“And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Acts 2:21  Also: John 3:18, I Cor. 1:18

God does not want anyone to perish in Hell (II Peter 3:9).  He has clearly shown in His preserved Word the only way anyone can go to Heaven.  Only His way will get anyone there, not mankind’s path.  God’s way is by trusting that Jesus’ death on the cross is the only payment God will accept for anyone’s sin.  That belief is the only one that will get anyone to Heaven!

“If you are on the highway to Hell, take exit John 3:16 to Calvary’s Cross Road.  Don’t wait until it is too late!”  — Author Unknown
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16


Just You and Jesus
Bill Brinkworth

“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”  I Timothy 2:5

What wonderful news it must have been to the Jews, who were used to Old Testament worship when they first learned they could go to God themselves in prayer.  Before Jesus’ death on the cross, they had to have priests go to God as middlemen for them.  After the sacrificial death of Christ, they could go to God themselves.  There no longer was a need for priests.

However, then and even today, many believe they cannot go to God themselves.  Whether they realize it or not, these folks still attempt to worship the way it was done in Old Testament times.  Some go to a “priest” in a confessional and tell him their sins.  With his words and doing what he tells them to do, they believe he can order their sins forgiven.  They trust the “priest” to mediate between them and God.  

Others pray to the dead, and some to deceased biblical characters, hoping a “saint” can be the middleman between them and God to have their sins forgiven or requests granted.

Sincere as those people are, what they are doing is contrary to the teaching of the Scriptures.  I Timothy 2:5 tells us there is only one mediator between God and us, and that is Jesus Christ.

We also no longer have to present a perfect, unblemished animal sacrifice for the high priest to carry its blood through the temple’s curtain into the Holiest of Holies, as in the Old Testament.  When Christ died, God ripped that veil in two from top to bottom.  Now any believer can go to God in prayer through Jesus Christ without a mediator.

Telling a person, be it a priest, parent, or any other person, one’s sins will not remove the consequences of one’s iniquity from God’s memory.  Those people may want to help, but they also are sinners in need of the Mediator. 

Going to anyone else other than Christ to meet a need in one’s life or receive help from God will not result in God answering one’s prayers.  The only one qualified to go to the Father on our behalf is His Son, Jesus.  He is the only mediator between God and man.

“Well, my friend, today we have a Mediator.  The Lord Jesus Christ has come.  He has one hand in the hand of Deity because He is God.  He can save to the uttermost because He is God and has paid the price for our salvation.  He is a Mediator because He has also become a man. 

“He can hold my hand; He understands me.  He understands you.  You can go to Him, and He will not be upset with you.  He will not lose His temper, strike you, or hurt you in any way… He still loves you and wants to put His arm around you.”  — J. Vernon McGee