BOTTOM LINE
By Rick Mathes
Matthew 7:21 (NASB77) 21 ” Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.
The following is the bottom line of all I believe and all I have taught for over 30 years. Study it carefully and your life will never be the same.
There is no justification without regeneration. You must be born again and then after regeneration will be followed by reformation, revival and the revolution.
Faith without works is dead. There must always be a cause for every effect. The cause of all is faith and trust are the keys to heaven as doubt and fear is your “admit one” ticket to hell.
The proof of justification is perseverance. My birth father was killed in WWII. My mom remarried and I changed my name and life for my step-father. Although I was outwardly a different person, you could not take my father’s blood from my veins. You can’t take your Father’s Holy Spirit from your soul. Once saved, always saved.
Faith in a savior that isn’t Lord is a fraud. The NIV says, “If you confess Jesus IS Lord…” and the NAS says, “If you confess Jesus AS Lord….” Intellectual ascent must stand with obedience.
You must bear your cross if you are going to follow Christ. That could be the consequence of your sinning, it could be persecution from friends and relatives, but I believe it is you’re dying to sin and rising to holiness.
No one will even see the Lord without holiness. To be holy you must be wholly His. I’ve tried all my life and I can’t do it. There is always some small sin I am reluctant to let go of. I must depend totally on Jesus’ imputed righteousness on me. I become a mirror so that when Father God looks on me He sees Jesus.
This is the Gospel according to Jesus:
- Total depravity
- Unmerited salvation
- Limited atonement
- Irresistible grace
- Perseverance of the saints
Everyone is Calvinist but some are not quite knowledgeable enough to recognize it. AMEN!
Rick Mathes 