bloodofthelamb:
Sadly, this is the condition of most believer's today... The only connection between CHRIST and some believer's is "in Jesus Name" Amen at the end of every prayer.

It is well with their souls.

jiggaz:
Before his conversion, Saul was very zealous for God, upholding the Law and ensuring that anyone who believed that Jesus Christ has fulfilled the righteous requirements of the Law in all who believe landed in jail. Like his fellow Pharisees, his righteousness depended on his ability to keep the Law. His life and his ministry was all about "Thou shall not" and "Thou shall"... or else judgment, as it is with many who profess to believe in our Saviour Jesus today!

Believers, don't be deceived! If you think that it is your various fasts, trips to some mountain, church donations and vigils and almost-strict observance of the Ten Commandments that makes God pleased with you or bless you, you are worse off than pre-conversion Paul and his fellow Pharisees whom Christ referred to as a "brood of vipers." What such people get in return for their self-righteousness is being cut off from Christ, according to Galatians 5:4 "For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace."

Believers, we are not under Law but under Grace. These two cannot mix. You cannot have one leg on Mount Sinai and the other on Mount Zion. You cannot be trying to get right with God by keeping the Law and expect to be saved by Grace. To get to the Ten Commandments and the other items of man's rebellion against God inside the Ark of the Covenant, the Mercy Seat (Christ) has to be removed.

Remember Revelation 3:15-16, Our Lord Jesus Christ says: "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. 16 I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth."

Don't let anyone misinterpret these verses for you, deceiving you into thinking that being "hot" is keeping the Law and being made right with God by doing its works. Romans 3:20 says no one can and this is how to get cut off from Christ. This would also mean that being "cold" is living a hedonistic life style without regard for anything or anyone. Why would Christ wish for any to live a hedonistic lifestyle? Our Lord said "I wish you were either one or the other!"

CHRIST WOULD RATHER WE WERE HOT OR COLD, totally under grace where we get to live right and reign in life or totally under the Law in its pristine condition where we have to cut off limbs that cause us to sin and where breaking one law is equal to breaking all according to James 2:10. This way, people will realise the futility of trying to attain righteousness by keeping the law and be driven to His grace and thus, overcome the world!

Pre-conversion Paul and the Pharisees had it better than these beloved of God who measure their righteousness by their efforts at keeping the Law which they have watered down to a level where it is keepable (the "not cold" but still call on the name of Jesus without seeing Him as Saviour to the uttermost, a "you can't even get out of bed or breathe without Him" Saviour (the "not hot." Why did they have it better? When pre-conversion Saul and his fellow Pharisees sinned or got defiled, they had their various washings, ceremonies and blood sacrifices supervised by God-chosen Levite priests to make atonement for their sins. But what do you have, beloved of God that has been cut off from Christ and who is neither hot nor cold; neither under Law nor under Grace? Only the full wrath of the Law!

The only place where Christ features in the lives of such believers is the "in Jesus name" that ends each prayer point. Their salvation from the oppression of the enemy lies in their ability to keep the Ten Commandments, their recital of various Psalms in their bath water/after their fasts and their righteous deeds done to curry favour with God; righteous deeds that Isaiah describes as "menstrual rags." These are the good things we do that we think will make God happy with us or bless us! Menstrual rags!

As the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, our Heavenly Father is pleased with us, because of what Christ has done. He sees us as righteous apart from our works. Nothing to do with our efforts at keeping the Law. All to do with Christ taking our place on the cross. In Christ, we don't have to try to do His will, we get to, and we love and desire to do it too, "For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. " Philippians 2:13.

Romans 8:32 says "He who did not spare His own Son but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" All things, including the grace to go and sin no more! If you are fasting, sowing seed and keeping the Law in order to be righteous or receive from God(which no man can do,) what is there for Christ to do? This is like telling the One who holds your prison keys and wants to set you free to hold on while you try to cut the solid iron bars with your own teeth. You don't need a Saviour if you can do things to get out of your troubles. And Christ is not in the business of using His key to set you free with you gnawing on the iron bars of your prison.

We are saved by grace through faith. If your freedom from sin, sickness, poverty, whatever, has anything to do with your own works, it is no longer grace. There is no Christ here. Romans 11:6 - "And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work."

None of the people that Christ healed, fed or delivered from demonic oppression had to first keep the Law or do anything in order to receive from Him. Rather, many believed because they heard and/or received from Him. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. His gifts are freely given to all who believe and can never be earned or deserved. This is Grace - God's undeserved, unmerited favour!

Believers, when you "receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness" you will "reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ." See Romans 5:17.

Paul saw God's Grace and Grace changed his life forever. He did exploits by God's Grace, as you will when you, by His Grace, forsake your own righteousnesses from works of the law and receive His abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness in Christ. You will produce a harvest of good deeds for God (Romans 7:4.)

It's no coincidence that the one that our Saviour Jesus sent to lay hands on Paul after he lost his sight and who was also the first person that Paul saw after "something like scales fell from his eyes" was called Ananais (Hananiah in Hebrew). Ananais means Grace!

Believe Right and you will Live Right.

http://rightbelieving101..com.ng/2017/02/neither-hot-nor-cold.html?m=1

PSTEMMA1960:
And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.u need to understand what grace is all about, let me put it this way, for instance u are looking for admission, and the cut off mark is 80 percent bt u scored 35 percent, then the person incharge will look at u and say here is ur admission later, now it was nt ur intelligence that gave u the admission bt on the other hand u did something to get it, so is grace..

read romans 6 vs 2, the bible said that should we continue in sin that grace may abound, God forbid.. when christ came in the book of matthew he said that he did nt come to abolish the law bt to make them stronger..

confessing christ and going to church is nt enough to give u the kingdom of God..

when someone came and met christ and asked him what he has to do to see the kingdom of God, what did he tell him？don't lie, don't fornicate, don't steal and honor ur father and ur mother, why didn't he tell him that his grace can save him？

jiggaz:
Helllloo