Biblical World View - Salvation

"Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins." (John 8:24 NASB)

In the Bible, life and death is all about belief, not performance. You are saved by who you believe, not by what you do. This corresponds to events in the world. If you refuse to believe the truth, evil will befall on you.

God Justifies The Wicked

What does Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."
Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly (ἀσεβῆ), their faith is credited as righteousness. (Romans 4:3-5 NIV)

You are saved by believing in the truth, not by doing good deeds.

Good news! Jesus had already died for your sins. You have nothing else to do and you cannot do anything else to add to what He had already done.

Remove your pride. Admit that you are a wicked sinner who cannot save yourself. Believe in the God who justifies the wicked.

He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. (Romans 4:25 NIV)

How Does God Predestinates?

God predestinates through

1. Personal intervention;
2. Prophets;
3. Spiritual beings such as angels and demons;
4. Nature (everything that can be scientifically explained);
5. Human free will;
6. Chance and luck.

To those who believe, all things work for their good. Our salvation is predestinated and assured. For the unbelievers, God is fate.

There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: the righteous who get what the wicked deserve, and the wicked who get what the righteous deserve. This too, I say, is meaningless. (Ecclesiastes 8:14 NIV)

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28 KJV)

Belief Not Performance - Plain Truth From The Bible

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV)

The Bible is not like other religions that give you fake news and false hope. The Bible tells you plainly that good works cannot save you.

Firstly, you are saved by grace. If you are born in Wuhan in the middle of China one thousand years ago, you will have no opportunity to hear the good news of Jesus Christ. You will not be saved.

Secondly, the faith that saves is a gift of God. There are many who has the opportunity to hear the good news of Jesus Christ, the opportunity to read the Bible, or born into Christian family, but they do not believe.

Thirdly, good works cannot save.

Many will say, God is unfair. He did not give everyone the opportunity to be saved. Wrong. God is fair. He will punish every sin. And no good works can cancel sin. In contrast, grace is unfair, mercy is injustice. That is the reason why God has to send His Son Jesus Christ to die for the sins of the world so that whosoever who believe this will be saved and have eternal life. Otherwise on what grounds can God forgive sinners? Every sin has to be punished.

If you believe that Jesus has already paid the price for your sins, you will be saved. But if you think that you want to save yourself with your good works, then you will be punished for the sins that you have committed because good works cannot cancel out sin.

What you believe will determine where you spend your eternity. It is about belief, not performance.

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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 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 3:16-18 KJV)

Belief Not Performance - Lessons From Wuhan Virus

The Wuhan (武漢) coronavirus 2019-nCoV is now spreading in China. It is a dangerous and contagious disease with a mortality rate of 2% according to current knowledge.

Suppose there is a good man is full of good works, always helping people in disaster area, decide to go to Wuhan to help the city. Should he believe that with his good works, he can avoid infection and possible death, or should he believe that the virus is dangerous and go with masks and other protection to prevent infection?

I believe every sane person will go with necessary protection and practise good hygiene habits. If a person cannot trust his good works to protect himself from deadly disease and death on earth, why is it that so many people trust that good works will save them from the second death after death?

"But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." (Revelation 21:8 NASB)

Unbelieving is one cause of eternal death. Life and death is not about performance. It is about belief.

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. (John 3:36 ESV)

Salvation Is Not By Works

"Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins." (John 8:24 NASB)

You are saved by who you believe, not by what you do.

Here is an interesting link, 101 Verses that Teach: Salvation is NOT by Works! that give many verses in the Bible to confirm this.

Paul versus Mao

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Romans 14:17 ESV)

"A revolution is not a dinner party, or writing an essay, or painting a picture, or doing embroidery; it cannot be so refined, so leisurely and gentle, so temperate, kind, courteous, restrained and magnanimous. A revolution is an insurrection, an act of violence by which one class overthrows another." Mao Tse-tung

How different is Paul from that evil man, even as both talked about not eating and drinking. One is about peace and joy, the other about insurrection and violence. Woe to those who believe in violence and class struggle. They do not want peace and shall not have any.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23 ESV)

Unbelief And Natural Branch

Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble. (Romans 11:20 NIV)

Unbelief caused the Jews, the natural branch, to be broken off from God's olive tree.

Justice And Delay

When a crime is not punished quickly, people feel it is safe to do wrong. (Ecclesiastes 8:11 NLT)

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. (2 Peter 3:9 KJV)

Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. (Romans 11:22 ESV)

Resolutions For 2020

I will continue the resolutions I made last year, three of which was based on Rev Stephen Schaefer's advice and the fourth was added in the middle of last year.

1. Every day I will pray that what ever I do, I will do it to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31).
2. I will pray to be filled with the Spirit so that I have no room for other things (Ephesians 5:18).
3. I will pray that I may walk in the Spirit, so as not to fulfil the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16).
4. I will also pray to speak gracious words of comfort like a priest (Colossians 4:6).

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV)
And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, (Ephesians 5:18 ESV)
This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16 KJV)
Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. (Colossians 4:6 ESV)