https://www.secureforever.org/ntcommentary

Philippians ThreeNine Ministries, Flat Rock, IN (2026)

05/29/2026

Because God loves all of mankind, He determined to provide a way of redemption so that we could be delivered from the consequences of our sin and live with Him forever. Since there is nothing that sinners can do to make themselves acceptable to God, He sent His own Son, the God-man Jesus Christ, to pay the penalty for sin in our place. He shed His sinless blood and gave His life as a ransom to redeem us, and arose bodily from the dead for the justification of the sinner.
Salvation from Hell is offered by God to us as a gift that is received by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. No work or merit of our own, either before or after salvation, has any part in our redemption.

Christ died for all people. Every person can be saved if he or she will hear, understand,
and believe the gospel. To believe is to be fully persuaded that something is true.

05/29/2026

Today we'll be looking at the topic of overcoming and what it means for the believer.

"I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake"(1 John 2:12).

The little children in this passage represents believers who are at an early stage of their Christian life. They are what Peter calls "newborn babies" (1 Peter 2:2).
Their sins are forgiven for Christ's name's sake. This is why Jesus has the Highest name, the name which is above all other names, because He paid the price to freely forgive us all sin when we trust Him as Savior.

Their sins are forgiven.

"I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father" (1 John 2:13).

This time he mentions fathers. He's referring to people who have matured in the faith.
He's not saying the fathers have done something different than the children. It's simply another way of saying their sins have been forgiven. In fact, the word overcome here is the perfect tense. It's an action that took place in the past but has continued ongoing effects. It does not need to be repeated.

"I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one" (1 John 2:14).

This time he mentions fathers and young men. He's addressing believers but those in different stages of their Christian lives. They have overcome the wicked one in that they have passed from spiritual death unto everlasting life.

There is more of a practical application to overcoming the wicked one in our daily lives, and that is not always an easy thing to do. It takes time spent in God's Word and in prayer. Growing in our spiritual maturity is something that happens over time as we prayerfully stay faithful to God's Word.

As we go through life experiences, it's so very important to know God's Word and to remember to walk by faith; to trust in the Lord no matter what we go through.

05/28/2026

Original article written by brother Jim Dean.

𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗺, 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲

The issue is not whether Adam’s fall had universal consequences. Scripture plainly teaches that it did. The issue is whether Scripture explicitly teaches that Adam’s personal guilt for his specific act of sin was imputed, reckoned, or charged to all his descendants so that they are personally accountable for Adam’s guilt as such.

That distinction matters.

Romans 5:12-19 is the central passage usually appealed to in support of the idea of “imputed Adamic guilt”. But the text of Romans 5 does not explicitly say that Adam’s personal guilt was imputed to all men. What it explicitly says is that sin entered the world through one man, death came through sin, death spread to all men, one trespass resulted in condemnation to all men, and through the one man’s disobedience the many were made or constituted sinners.

Those are very strong statements. They should not be weakened. But they are not the same statement as, “Adam’s personal guilt was imputed to every individual.”

Romans 5 teaches Adamic consequence, Adamic corruption, Adamic mortality, and Adamic condemnation. It does not explicitly teach imputed Adamic guilt.

That is especially significant because Paul does use explicit accounting language in the same passage. Romans 5:13 says that sin is not imputed, counted, or charged where there is no law. The Greek verb there is ἐλλογέω, which means to charge to account or reckon against. Paul therefore had language available to speak directly of imputation or accounting. Yet he does not say, “Adam’s guilt was imputed to all men.” That conclusion is brought to the text as a theological inference; it is not directly stated by the text itself.

Genesis also gives a more textually grounded explanation for the universal effect of Adam’s sin. Genesis 1:26 says that man was originally made in God’s image and according to God’s likeness. Genesis 5:3 then says that, after the fall, Adam fathered a son in his own likeness, according to his image. That contrast is important. It suggests that something about the image and likeness borne by Adam’s descendants had been affected by the fall. (That “image and likeness” language occurs ONLY in those two verses.)

In other words, Adam did not merely pass on biological life. He passed on fallen human life. His descendants were born from a corrupted source and therefore inherited a corrupted condition. That corruption affects the inner man — spirit and soul — and results in the universal sinful condition of Adam’s descendants.

That explanation fits Romans 5 naturally. Adam’s sin brought death because Adam’s sin corrupted the human line. Those born from Adam are born into a fallen condition. They become sinners in actual life because they are born with a corrupted nature. Death reigns because sin reigns. Condemnation is universal because fallen humanity universally sins.

𝗔 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽. 𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗺’𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗼 𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲. 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗼 𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗼 𝗳𝗲𝗹𝗹, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗹. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗼’𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝘁. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲; 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗱.

That illustrates the distinction between inherited consequence and transferred guilt. Scripture plainly teaches that Adam’s sin affected all who came after him. It does not therefore follow that every descendant is personally guilty of Adam’s specific act.

Scripture repeatedly presents God’s justice as personal and morally direct. Deuteronomy 24:16 says that children are not to be put to death for fathers, but each is to be put to death for his own sin. 2 Kings 14:6 and 2 Chronicles 25:4 show that principle being applied in Israel’s history. Jeremiah 31:29-30 rejects the proverb that the fathers eat sour grapes and the children’s teeth are set on edge, and says instead that everyone will die for his own iniquity. Ezekiel 18:19-20 is especially clear: the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, nor the father the iniquity of the son.

Those passages are often dismissed by saying that they refer only to “personal sin,” not “original sin.” But that distinction itself is part of the theological system under discussion (circular reasoning). The question is whether Scripture itself creates a separate category in which one man’s personal guilt is charged to all his descendants as their own guilt. The quoted passages reveal God’s expressed standard of justice: a person is not treated as morally guilty for another person’s sin.

Therefore, if Adam is to be made a unique exception to that revealed principle, Scripture would need to say so clearly. Romans 5 does say Adam’s sin had universal consequences (the “domino chain”). It does not clearly say Adam’s personal guilt was charged to every individual.

It is also not sufficient merely to label Adam as humanity’s “representative” or “federal head” and then treat the conclusion as settled. Scripture does not call Adam by those terms (again, circular reasoning). Adam is called the first man because he WAS literally the first man. Scripture also says sin and death entered the human race through him. It contrasts what comes through Adam with what comes through Christ. But the terminology of covenantal or federal representation is a theological framework read into the text (eisegesis). The framework may be traditional, but it should not be confused with the actual wording of Scripture.

The Adam-Christ parallel also needs to be handled carefully. Romans 5 does contrast Adam and Christ. But the parallel does not require every aspect to function in precisely the same way. Christ’s righteousness is received by faith and rebirth from above (John 3:3). Scripture explicitly teaches justification by faith and righteousness counted to the believer. Adam’s fall, by contrast, brought corruption, mortality, and condemnation into the human condition. The fact that righteousness comes through Christ does not prove that Adam’s personal guilt is transferred to all people. That must be established from Scripture, not assumed from the Adam-Christ parallel.

There is no need to deny the seriousness of Adam’s fall in order to reject imputed Adamic guilt. Adam’s sin was catastrophic. It changed the human race. It brought death into the world. It corrupted the image and likeness borne by his descendants. It resulted in universal sin and universal condemnation apart from Christ. All of that is biblical.

But saying that all men suffer the consequences of Adam’s sin is not the same as saying that all men are personally guilty of Adam’s sin.

The more careful conclusion is this:

𝗦𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗺’𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘀𝗶𝗻, 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵, 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗿𝘂𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘂𝗽𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀. 𝗦𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗷𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘀𝗶𝗻. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗦𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗺’𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗱, 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗸𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗱, 𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗱𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗱𝘂𝗮𝗹’𝘀 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰-𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁 𝗯𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. 𝗜𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗦𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗶𝘁. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗶𝗻, 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗺, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗹 — 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗺’𝘀 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗮𝗰𝘁.

05/25/2026

Many gave some, some gave all. What is the cost of freedom?

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13).

Memorial day is a day of remembrance for our brave, fallen soldiers. These should always be in our memories as they gave their lives for our freedom.

There is another freedom, however. We were all born slaves to sin and death, but our Wonderful Creator God gave His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to give us ETERNAL freedom from sin and death.

Jesus is God revealed in flesh and blood; fully God and fully Man. He lived a perfect, sinless life. He stood on the truth and fully opposed sin and traditions of men which twisted God's Word into a lie to profit evil men.

He gave everything, allowing Himself to be crucified on a wooden cross. He bled and died on the cross for you and for me; for all! He offers freedom in that He arose on the third day to offer all people a forever home in Heaven called eternal life as a gift.

This is complete freedom from sin in that the sting of death, sin, has lost its strength. The one who trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ, that He paid for all our sins, has eternal life instantly. Christ Jesus paid for all our sins, so how many sins does that leave us to pay for? None.

Won't you trust in Jesus Christ, so He can be your Savior too? He'll never lose you and He'll never forsake you. He is True and Faithful and He'll take you to Heaven as He promised He would do.

After that, you can be a soldier, too! We are called to preach the Good News that I just shared, and we should want to share it with everyone we meet! We should want all people to have this eternal freedom!

There is persecution and suffering that will come with this, as the darkness (the world) hates the Light (Jesus Christ), but those with a humble heart will receive the love of the truth. The reward for being a soldier in the Lord's army will endure forever!

05/22/2026

"For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?" (1 John 5:4-5).

There are two applications for these statements. First, the believer has overcome death and Hell through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.

He has overcome the world in that He is no longer condemned with the world (John 3:18, 1 Cor 11:32). He has also overcome death in that death has lost its sting (1 Cor 15:55). The sting of death is sin, but the believer has been justified freely from sin (Rom 3:22-28, 4:5, 5:1, 6:7, Acts 13:39).

This means the believer will never be in danger of Hell since he has passed from death to (eternal, never-ending) life (John 5:24).

These are the truths for all people who trust in Jesus Christ that He alone was judged for all their sins, past present and future, on the cross and physically rose from the dead. Therefore the believer has been forgiven of all his sins (Col 2:13) seeing the wrath of God is completely satisfied in the Person of Jesus Christ (1 John 2:1). The Holy Spirit is the same as Christ just as Christ is the same as God the Father (John 12:45, 14:9).

Therefore to have the Holy Spirit in us is to have Christ in us (Rom 8:10-11).

This does not automatically mean the saint will overcome sin and the world practically and outwardly. The new believer is a spiritual baby (1 Peter 2:2), but his growth in the sense of maturity can be stunted by fear which is a lack of faith. This can paralyze the believer if he allows that fear to cause him to stop walking by faith. The letter to the Hebrews bears this out.

The Corinthian believers were not overcoming the world in their every day lives and as the result, the Lord disciplined them. The Lord only disciplines those who are His children whom He loves (Heb 12:7-8, Rev 3:19), and this can result in sickness (James 5:14-15) or physical death on the rare occasion (Acts 5:5, 10, 1 Cor 11:32).

The believer has the power of the Holy Spirit inside of Him and therefore has all he needs to overcome sin in this life, but it is not automatic and is not true for all believers (1 Cor 3:1, Heb 5:11-14).

This does not mean the believer isn't actually saved, it means they are carnal (fleshly) (1 Cor 3 :1) and is still a spiritual baby (Heb 5:13).

05/21/2026

Everlasting life, which lasts forever, can start right now if you will be fully persuaded that Jesus Christ died in your place on the cross and rose from the dead.

This was the only satisfactory payment for sin, and Jesus Himself said no one goes to the Father but through Him. He is fully God and fully Man, and He shed His sinless blood on that cross, dying a horrible death for all people in the world. Just before He died, He announced, "IT IS FINISHED!"

The atoning work had been completed; our sins were paid in full. He now offers all people a forever home in Heaven called eternal life as a free gift 🎁. He doesn't want you to offer your good works or anything else you can do for it. We don't have anything to offer God.

Instead , He wants you to receive it by trusting Him to take you to Heaven , since He
paid for your sins. None of us are good since we've all sinned. There is no other way to enter into this perfect place called Heaven. Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ while it's still today, as tomorrow's not promised to any of us. He'll save you from Hell forever, and you get to go to Heaven on what Jesus did for you.

05/20/2026

Article originated by Dr. Steven R. Cook

In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus instructs His disciples to petition, "Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors" (Matt 6:12). Following the prayer, He clarifies the principle: "For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions" (Matt 6:14-15). The audience is unmistakably believers, for Jesus speaks of God as their "Father." Thus, the forgiveness in view is not forensic but relational, not judicial but familial.
Scripture distinguishes two categories of divine forgiveness. The first is judicial forgiveness, wherein God acts as Judge toward the unbeliever. At the moment of faith in Christ, the sinner receives full and final pardon, past, present, and future, so that the eternal penalty of sin is removed once for all (John 3:16; Acts 10:43; Rom 8:1; Eph 1:7; Col 2:13-14). This act of grace grants eternal life, secures the believer's standing in God's righteousness, and guarantees immunity from condemnation (John 5:24). Because it rests entirely upon the finished work of Christ, judicial forgiveness is irrevocable and unrepeatable.

The second category is familial forgiveness, wherein God acts as Father toward His children. Unlike judicial forgiveness, this does not concern eternal salvation but fellowship.
Sin never dissolves the believer's union with Christ, yet it does grieve the Spirit (Eph 4:30) and rupture communion with God. Familial forgiveness is restored when the believer confesses sin (1 John 1:9), acknowledging disobedience and submitting afresh to the Father's will. Such confession does not re-secure salvation but re-establishes experiential fellowship, renewing intimacy with God and refreshing the soul. Hoyt states:
It is this latter forgiveness that Jesus addresses in the Lord's Prayer. An unforgiving spirit is itself sinful, for Christ commands His followers to forgive as they have been forgiven (Matt 18:21-35; Eph 4:32; Col 3:13). When believers refuse to extend forgiveness, they forfeit experiential fellowship with God until they repent of hardness of heart. In such cases, the Father withholds familial forgiveness, not as judicial punishment but as loving discipline designed to restore obedience and relational harmony (Heb 12:5-
11).

The principle Jesus sets forth is plain: those who have received immeasurable forgiveness at salvation are obligated to extend forgiveness in daily life. Judicial forgiveness secures the believer's eternal standing, while familial forgiveness maintains communion with the Father. Failure to forgive never jeopardizes one's position in Christ, but it does ensure that fellowship remains broken until grace toward others is extended in the same measure it has been received.

05/20/2026

Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
— Romans 6:6

What changes in the new birth? Let's first note that the new birth only happens when one places their faith in the atoning work of Jesus Christ on the cross, including His resurrection. That alone is the power of God to save those who believe (Romans 1:16), since Christ made the only acceptable payment for sin (the wages of sin is death).

It's the identity of the believer that has changed. The believer goes from being a sinner in God's eyes to being righteous in God's eyes (Romans 5:8). The way we choose to live our lives after being saved does not change this fact, since the flesh does not change in the new birth (John 6:63). Jesus said, "unless you believe that I AM, you will die in your sins" (John 8:24).

What all can an unsaved person do please God? "So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God" (Romans 8:8).
Some people say this means the unsaved can't hear the gospel and believe without God causing them to do so, but that just isn't true since God does not take pleasure in the death of the ungodly (Ezekiel 33:11), and is not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to a change of mind from unbelief to faith in Christ (Hebrews 6:1, 2 Peter 3:9).

At the moment of the new birth, the believer is now sanctified (made holy, set apart) once and for all (Hebrews 10:10,14), but this is the spirit of the person and not the flesh (Romans 8:9, Philippians 3:3). The believer is now spiritually alive, and this is completely and 100% apart from his works (Romans 4:1-6). This is called the righteousness of faith (Romans 4:11,13, 9:30, 10:6). Nothing else is counted for righteousness (Romans 3:22-29).

The old identity (the flesh) has died and our life is now hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3). Paul wrote, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).
When he said "the life I now live 'in the flesh'" he doesn't mean he is still in the flesh as in he is still in his sins. This means we have eternal life by faith (Habakkuk 2:4, Matthew 9:22,29, 15:28, Mark 5:34, 10:52, Luke 7:50, 8:48, 17:19, 18:42, John 1:7, 2:23, 3:15-16,18,36, 4:10,14, 5:24,38,40,44, 6:29,35,37,39-40,47,53-54,58, 8:24,11:25-26,20:31, Romans 1:16-17, 2:4, 3:21-28, 4:3,5-6,9,11,13,16, 21-22...).

Once someone is born again, he is no longer identified as flesh and blood (John 3:6), and it is flesh and blood that cannot inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 15:50).

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

That is the purpose of the above passage, showing that we are now saints (holy) in Christ, and can never go back to being in the flesh since we are sealed with the Holy Spirit until the day of physical redemption (Ephesians 1:13-14, 4:30, 2 Cor 1:22).

The one who is born again is the born again spirit and this part of him does not and cannot sin, because we have to be without sin to enter into Heaven (Psalm 5:4, Revelation 21:27).

05/19/2026

To obey the gospel is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

"And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house" (Acts 16:31).

Since the wrath of God is only satisfied in the Person and work of Christ, the unbeliever is under the condemnation and wrath of God unless or until they believe.

Jesus said: "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God" (John 3:18).

John the Baptizer said: "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him" (John 3:36).

05/19/2026

God is absolute righteousness and perfect justice. His Word declares, “Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, and You cannot look on wickedness with favor" (Hab 1:13). By contrast, every one of us is a sinner, utterly helpless to bridge the gap between God’s righteousness and our depravity. Scripture reveals, “There is none righteous, not even one…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:10, 23). Sin brings spiritual death, separation from God, and the sentence of eternal condemnation (Rom 6:23). Human works, morality, and religion are powerless to resolve the sin problem. Yet what man cannot do, God has accomplished in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

At the appointed time in history, “God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law” (Gal 4:4-5). The eternal Son of God entered this world (1 John 4:9), took on true humanity (John 1:14; Col 2:9), and lived without sin (1 John 3:5). On the cross He bore your sins and mine, satisfying the justice of God once for all. Peter declared, “For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18). He was buried, and on the third day He rose again, victorious over sin and death (1 Cor 15:3-4). Eternal life is now offered to you as a gift—paid in full by His work on the cross (John 19:30), completely apart from anything you can offer before, during, or afterward. Scripture is emphatic: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph 2:8-9).

Jesus Himself assures you personally, saying, “He who believes in Me has eternal life” (John 6:47). The issue is not your works. The issue is Christ, for “whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16b). I pray you trust in Jesus as your Savior—and in Him alone—for man needs only Christ to be saved (Acts 4:12). No one else. Nothing more.

—Post written by Steven R. Cook—

05/19/2026

And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
— Hebrews 5:9

This verse is often quoted to promote a false doctrine that teaches that people have to do works to earn the free gift of eternal life. However, that couldn't be further from the truth. Scripture should always be used to interpret Scripture, so let's see where else the word "obey" is used.

But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?
— Romans 10:16

Here the apostle Paul first says "obeyed" but then clarifies how this obeying happens; by "believing our report" which means to believe the gospel. In fact, the word "obey" is "hearken" which just means to answer.

And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda.
— Acts 12:13

We can't say Rhoda obeyed the door; she answered the door. To answer the gospel is to believe it to be true. Even in the Old Testament, people believed the gospel in light of how much it was revealed to them at that time. The gospel has been progressively revealed since Adam and Eve.

And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
— Galatians 3:8

Even David believed the gospel and understood that iniquity would not be imputed to those who believe in the Messiah.

Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
— Romans 4:6-8

No sin at all can enter into Heaven, and we've all sinned. Therefore we have to be without sin to enter. This is why Paul said "flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor can corruption inherit incorruption" (1 Corinthians 15:50). The truth is, Christ gave His life as a ransom so redeem us from all iniquity (Titus 2:14). Since we have to be without sin to enter Heaven, we have to be born again by faith in Jesus Christ.

The Bible is clear that those who are in the flesh (Unsaved) cannot please God (Romans 8:8), and without faith it's impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). To have our sins taken away, which is what Christ did by shedding His innocent blood and dying on the cross (Colossians 2:13-14), we believe Jesus is God incarnate who paid for all our sins on the cross (the gospel) (Romans 1:16).

To be born again means to be made spiritually alive, while the sinful flesh (Romans 8:3) profits nothing from the new birth (John 6:63). What this means is the believer still has sin dwelling in them, but only in the flesh which is not born again, which is why flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.
However, the spirit of the believer is born of God, which means sin does not dwell in the spirit of the believer, which Paul calls "the new man" in Ephesians 4:24. It is only those who are born of God that are called the children of God (John 1:12-13), and we are made children of God by faith in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:26).
The moment we trust Christ to save us from hell, believing He paid for all our sins on the cross, raising Himself from the dead on the third day, He gives us His own righteousness in the form of the Holy Spirit immediately. This is also called eternal life, and it is a gift (Romans 5:15-18, 6:23b, Ephesians 2:8-9). This means we cannot do any works that we think are righteous to gain it (Titus 3:5) or keep it (1 Peter 1:5). We cannot earn a gift which is being offered to us, and why would we even try? We should believe the gift has been paid for in its entirety! And that's just what Christ did, for the sins of the whole world!!!

Philippians ThreeNine Ministries

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