THE TWO RAPTURES AND THE BRIDE OF CHRIST (PART 4)

Mike Balloun teaches today. 2022-11-12

THE TWO RAPTURES AND THE BRIDE OF CHRIST (PART 4)
THE FIRST RESURRECTION

FULL UNEDITED NOTES:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/tveix4x2l3xe4c8/AAC1M5Rl1-NuQwwz9Pxx1DFLa?dl=0

Many years ago when I was a young Christian man I was introduced by a friend at his home bible study to a respected Pastor who also traveled the Country for his denomination and debated Biblical doctrine with other denominations leaders. The subject on which he spoke that evening was that once a man received Jesus and was born again he was forever eternally saved and could not lose his salvation. At that time I strongly opposed that doctrine based primarily upon my understanding at that time of Hebrews 6 & 10 (as well as 1cor6;eph5;gal5) and later when only my friend, his wife and I were alone together, and I questioned him, he referred me to 1 john 3:9 and 5:18 where it is Written “No one that is a child of God sins because God’s seed remains in him.” The Pastor argued that the meaning of these Scriptures is that once a man was born again/saved he could no longer sin in the eyes of God and therefore could not lose eternal life. In light of all the Passages in Scripture that seemed to me contrary, this statement of belief seemed absurd (but yet there those Verses were in the Word). I could not explain there meaning at the time though I was sure that was not the meaning of those Verses. Knowing the Verse in Psalms that David wrote; “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:…” I asked the Pastor what seemed to me at the time a good rebuttal; “Pastor do you regard any sin in your heart?” His response was “No one that is a child of God sins….”

Someone watching online last week made an observation and wrote…”… right now it’s the part where you use 1st Peter (1:Verses 3-9 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.)… to explain what the hope is, and said something unique to your past lessons, “sin accounting” is not our problem “in” Him…. Progress or non-progress is the weight of the new man’s conviction/purposed determination…(??)”

A thorough explanation of “sin accounting’ is not our problem, being “in” Christ…but progress or non-progress is the weight of the new man’s conviction…” would require more time and space than what we have here but we will set out a brief skeleton understanding for a seeker of Truth to consider.

A sister Passage to that of 1 Peter 1:5 “Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” in Romans 8.

The “For the law of the spirit (pneuma with no definite article in the greek) of life (this being a synonymous expression with Peter’s ‘divine nature’ of 2pet1:4) in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death”

What like to Peter’s Truth has Paul been expounding and now sets before us?
Some (as did the Pastor mentioned above) have supposed that the preceding sentence “There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus” points towards the words of Paul concerning justification before God through the imputed righteousness of Christ brought out first in early Chapters.
They are failing in seeing the essential progressiveness of God’s Salvation Plan of ‘begating’ being set forth by Paul. Something after justification and the gift of the divine nature, and the accompanying love of God shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Spirit…and in their blindness hold forth the error of a limited doctrine of ‘saved by grace only’ as being the completed Salvation Plan of God. And therefore they teach this Verse as saying that there is no longer any place for condemnation in the born again/saved as we are then and now seen by the Father as ‘perfected’ by imputation in Christ’s Atonement.
Making the following Verses 3-25 of warning exhortation redundant… “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh (hebs8), God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit….