There are seven added books the Catholics hold to: Tobit, Judith, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach, Baruch, 1 Maccabees, and 2 Maccabees. They also include additions to the Book of Daniel and Ester. There is much wisdom in these books, and a few questionable teachings which I discuss below:
The first vein that runs throughout the seven books is the idea that “almsgiving delivers from death”. “To all those who practice righteousness, give alms according to your circumstances, my son, and do not turn your face away from anyone who is poor. Then the face of God will not be turned away from you.” (Tobit 4:6-7) The Canonical scripture confirms, “He who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor Will also cry himself and not be answered.” (Proverbs 21:13)
Then it continues, “Act according to what you have, my son. If you have much, give alms from it; if you have little, give alms in accordance with what you have. Do not be afraid, my son, to give alms. You will be laying up a good treasure for yourself against a day of need.” (Tobit 4:8-9) And the Canonical scripture confirms, “For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.” (2 Corinthians 8:12) And, “One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD, And He will repay him for his good deed.” (Proverbs 19:17)
Then the contention enters: “For almsgiving delivers from death and keeps you from going into the darkness. Indeed, almsgiving, for all who practice it, is an excellent offering in the presence of the Most High.” (Tobit 4:10-11) Then it also says in another place, “Prayer with fidelity is good, and almsgiving with righteousness is better than wealth with injustice. It is better to give alms than to lay up gold, for almsgiving saves from death and purges away every sin. Those who give alms will enjoy a full life, but those who commit sin and do wrong are their own enemies.” (Tobit 12:8-10) And again in another place, “Store up almsgiving in your treasury, and it will rescue you from every disaster.” (Sirach 29:12) And, “Kindred and helpers are for a time of trouble, but almsgiving rescues better than either.” (Sirach 40:24)
In the Scriptures, almsgiving, or charity, is mentioned by the Lord Jesus, specifically its purging effect. “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the platter; but inside of you, you are full of robbery and wickedness. You foolish ones, did not He who made the outside make the inside also? But give that which is within as charity, and then all things are clean for you.” (Luke 11:39-41) For love and giving are very closely related; almsgiving is how love is expressed. For, “Whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?” (1 John 3:17)
This is seen clearly in the King James rendering of 1 Corinthians 13 when Paul speaks about love: “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;” (1 Corinthians 13:4-5) So even in the etymology, love and charity are intertwined. Furthermore wisdom testifies, “Ill-gotten gains do not profit, But righteousness delivers from death.” (Proverbs 10:2) And, “Love covers a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8) “Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all transgressions.” (Proverbs 10:12)
Now we know throughout history this concept has been twisted and corrupted by the Catholic church to sell the forgiveness of sins, redeeming the dead from hell, and the like; but if this is done with these non-canonical texts, it is done with the canonical texts as well, “which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.” (2 Peter 3:16) Although true, almsgiving without love does not prosper; as it says, “If I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:3) But rather, “Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7)
Now, there are things written in the Apocrypha which promote generosity to the dead: “Give graciously to all the living, do not withhold kindness even from the dead.” (Sirach 7:33) And even more explicitly, in the second book of Maccabees, a practical case:
“On the next day, as had now become necessary, Judas and his men went to take up the bodies of the fallen and to bring them back to lie with their kindred in the tombs of their ancestors. Then under the tunic of each one of the dead they found sacred tokens of the idols of Jamnia, which the law forbids the Jews to wear. And it became clear to all that this was the reason these men had fallen. He also took up a collection, man by man, to the amount of two thousand drachmas of silver, and sent it to Jerusalem to provide for a purification offering. In doing this he acted very well and honorably, taking account of the resurrection. For if he were not expecting that those who had fallen would rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead. But if he was looking to the splendid reward that is laid up for those who fall asleep in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Therefore he made atonement for the dead, so that they might be delivered from their sin.” (2 Maccabees 12:39-45)
I find this topic interesting in light of these scriptures: “What will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they baptized for them?” (1 Corinthians 15:29) And, “For the gospel has for this purpose been preached even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as men, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God.” (1 Peter 4:6) “In which also He [Jesus] went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.” (1 Peter 3:19-20) These texts have always been puzzling to me. Perhaps they mean what they say? But I am not about to say that.
Furthermore, about giving, the text are explicit: do not give alms to sinners. “Give all your surplus as alms, my son, and do not let your eye begrudge your giving of alms.” (Tobit 4:16) As the covenant of Moses says, “All fat is the LORD'S.” (Leviticus 3:16) And regarding the eye, Christ speaks on giving, “If your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.” (Matthew 6:23) Then the text in Tobit continues, “Pour out your food and your wine on the grave of the righteous, but do not give it to sinners.” (Tobit 4:16) Again we see: a kind deed for the dead. Truly, if the dead do not rise, then why do anything for the dead? If this is a true thing, I recognize it as being very gracious thing on God’s behalf to accept an offering for the dead. Nevertheless further revelation is needed here.
Also, on giving to the righteous and not giving to the wicked, the book of Sirach preaches,
“Do good to the devout, and you will be repaid—if not by them, certainly by the Most High. No good comes to one who persists in evil or to one who does not give alms. Give to the devout, but do not help the sinner. Do good to the humble, but do not give to the ungodly; hold back their bread, and do not give it to them, for by means of it they might subdue you; then you will receive twice as much evil for all the good you have done to them. For the Most High also hates sinners and will inflict punishment on the ungodly. Give to the one who is good, but do not help the sinner.” (Sirach 12:1-7)
Although hard to swallow, the Psalms are clear: God hates the wicked. As it says, “The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked, And the one who loves violence His soul hates.” (Psalms 11:5) And, “You destroy those who speak falsehood; The LORD abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.” (Psalms 5:6) However, Sirach rings an alarm for another reason: for our well-beloved scriptures say, “If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; For you will heap burning coals on his head, And the LORD will reward you.” (Proverbs 25:21-22) So giving to the wicked, assuming your enemy is evil and you are good, is encouraged.
Furthermore, Jesus spoke concerning our enemies (Luke 6:30-35, Matthew 5:43-48); but Christ was not revealed at the time of the writings of the Apocrypha; but when Christ came preaching faith, He held the people to a higher standard: "You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:43-44) So it was a common saying during those days to say, “LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.” But for a New Testament believer, we love as Christ loved us, and King David practiced this: “They repay me evil for good, To the bereavement of my soul. But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth; I humbled my soul with fasting, And my prayer kept returning to my bosom. I went about as though it were my friend or brother; I bowed down mourning, as one who sorrows for a mother.” (Psalms 35:12-14) And He loved us while we were His enemies.
Another thing I discovered in one text: the idea of life before life. “As a child I was naturally gifted, and a good soul fell to my lot, or rather, being good, I entered an undefiled body.” (Wisdom 8:19-20) I am not sure what is meant by this. And another thing which surprised me: table etiquette. “Be ashamed of breaking an oath or agreement and of leaning on your elbow at meals.” (Sirach 41:19) And the wickedness of idolatry: “For the idea of making idols was the beginning of sexual immorality, and the invention of them was the corruption of life, for they did not exist from the beginning, nor will they last forever.” (Wisdom 14:12-13)
These are the things which personally had me on edge in my reading. Thinking more about them, I think they settle in with the rest of Scripture, except Wisdom 8:19-29. The amount of things which were especially insightful and wise to me were found in the books of Wisdom of Solomon and Sirach. Tobit and Judith were records of historical events in history of two exceptional people: Tobit and Judith; they were both filled with the spirit of wisdom. There are some puzzling things in these two writings which I personally don’t discount as happening. 1 and 2 Maccabees were also historical books and showed the breakaway of some Jews and the faithfulness of others during tyranny. There are no mention in these book about Purgatory. Catholics just made that up.
Thanks be to God for salvation in our Lord Jesus Christ! I will take some time to look into salvation. Salvation is saving. But saving from what? What do we need saving from? Do we need saving from a field of dandelions? Or a pack of wild kittens? No! But sin and death. Without question, men are only saved from danger. So if we sin, do we still need saving? If we still die, don’t we need salvation? So how can we consider ourselves “saved” if we still sin and if we still die? However, when we get to that place, which God has promised, then we will be saved. For in the place there will be no more sin “and there will no longer be any death.” (Revelation 21:4) But yet, before we cross over to that place, how can we still confidently say, “I am saved”? Indeed we are saved. Indeed it is a mystery. But God who speaks, promised. And God who promised, cannot lie. And we can experience His salvation now. Although, it will not come until He appears “a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.” (Hebrews 9:28) So we see that we have the sure promise of everlasting life, but the fulfillment is still yet to come.
Abraham had doubts, but God gave an oath. “He said, "O Lord GOD, how may I know that I will possess it?"” (Genesis 15:8) And the LORD said, “To your descendants I have given this land.” (Genesis 15:18) And when He says, “I have given,” He does not say, “I will give”. For from that time forward, the land was Abraham’s. This is true even though he did not own a foot of it during his lifetime. "The Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind." (1 Samuel 15:29) So when God promises, we can consider it sure. We can trust His Word as though it has already happened. Even though the fulfillment of the promise tarries. "For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay.” (Habakkuk 2:3)
And I write these things in regards to eternal salvation. For although we have no yet entered that land, we eagerly wait “in the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 1:2) For “in hope we have been saved.” (Romans 8:24) For God has promised so that we may hope in Jesus for eternal life. “Behold, as for the proud one, His soul is not right within him; But the righteous will live by his faith.” (Habakkuk 2:4) And this is the faith in Jesus Christ. As He said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.” (John 6:47) And, "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.” (John 5:24) And, "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:54) As the apostle writes, “He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1 John 5:12-13)
Now, how do we know we believe? How do we know we have faith? As it says, “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17) But hearing alone is not a sign of faith in the heart. For Jesus often reproved saying, “HAVING EARS, DO YOU NOT HEAR?” (Mark 8:18) So rather it is a new life that says, “Faith in the heart”. And seeking Christ with all the heart’s affections that says, “I believe!” For who believing in God does not run to him with all the love that the Spirit gives? “Because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:5)
So, “By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.” (1 John 4:13) And, “We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.” (1 John 3:24) “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” (2 Corinthians 3:17) And the Spirit of Jesus Christ is not at all hidden, although “we have this treasure in earthen vessels.” (2 Corinthians 4:7) For “each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” (1 Corinthians 12:7) So we may know we believe in Him because of the Holy Spirit He has given us.
And by this we may know we are in Him. “In Him there is no sin. No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him.” (1 John 3:5-6) But “If anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.” (1 John 2:1-2) And we remain in Him by confessing our sins, “so that our [his] deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God." (John 3:21) This is what it means to “remain in the light”. This is how we remain in Him. We remain in Him by not sinning. But if we do sin, “we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) But “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8) If we lie, we dwell in darkness and we are no longer in the light. If we depart from the light, we are no longer trusting in His kindness. For He has promised, “If we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7)
So we see, as long as we abide in the light, He will abides in us. And we have confidence in the day of salvation. But if we do not abide in Him, how can we have confidence of eternal life? As the apostle says, “Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming.” (1 John 2:28) If we abide in Him, we will not sin since He abides in us. Here is the result of dwelling in the Spirit: being “transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2) and being “renewed in the spirit of your mind.” (Ephesians 4:23) “For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.” (Romans 8:5) “For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.” (Romans 8:6) So to abide in Christ is to set our mind on Christ.
So we see that our life is bound up in the life of Christ. Not only in regard to not sinning, but the eternal life to come. For “If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” (Romans 8:11) “For if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” (Romans 8:13) “For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” (Galatians 6:8) And the Holy Spirit dwells in us when we abide in Jesus Christ. And we abide in Him by faith. “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?” (2 Corinthians 13:5)
So to say, “Once saved, always saved,” is also to say, “I will never sin,” or “I will never disbelieve.“ This is a vain confidence. For how do you know you’ll never sin? How do you know you will never depart from Him? For “Whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.” (Matthew 5:22) And “The tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity.” (James 3:6) And if it is so with such a small member of the body, then how can anyone confidently say, “I will never sin”? For we also have many other members which are larger, which are capable of sin. And in regard to those members which cause us to stumble, Christ said, “tear it out and throw it from you.” (Matthew 5:29) “For it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.” (Matthew 5:29) Furthermore, we dwell on earth, not in heaven. Our Lord is not below, but above. He is not seen, and we dwell in the realm of the seen. How do you know you will keep the faith? How do you know you will make it to the end? It’s not how we start, but how we finish. Such thinking is not wise. Will we go all in with our chips for one overly-confident roll? Of course not! It is needful not to gamble, but to know; it is better to trust in Christ, rather than ourselves. And such doctrine puts the trust in ourselves, rather than the kindness of Christ.
The apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ says, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7) For “It is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.” (Matthew 10:22) It’s not about how we start, but how we finish. Does one win the prize in a race because of how he started? Of course not! The seed sown on the rocky places “immediately receives the word with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away.” (Matthew 13:21) And this is called bad soil because it was unfruitful. The seed sown started well, but had no root. And at the Harvest, only fruit matters.
Besides, listen to how God speaks through the prophets: "When I say to the righteous he will surely live, and he so trusts in his righteousness that he commits iniquity, none of his righteous deeds will be remembered; but in that same iniquity of his which he has committed he will die.” (Ezekiel 33:13) And this is what a man does when he says, “Once saved, always saved”. For he is trusting in his righteous act “once” to save him (Either a prayer, a belief, or a giving of alms, etc), rather than trusting in Him who was sacrificed once to deliver us from sin. “Behold, as for the proud one, His soul is not right within him.” (Habakkuk 2:4)
If we were rooted in Christ, abiding in Him, we would take heed to His Word. And through the fear of Him, we would be preserved. As it says, “I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me.” (Jeremiah 32:40) So we see that, “by the fear of the LORD one keeps away from evil.” (Proverbs 16:6) So such doctrines which say, “I am always saved,” come from men that stifle the fear of the Lord, not knowing that the fear of the LORD “is for our good always and for our survival.” (Deuteronomy 6:24) They do not know the Word which says, “The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever.” (Psalm 19:9) And through the teaching, the very thing which ought to preserve us is removed.
Besides, the Word of God only commands us to do things which are possible; if it were impossible, even to God, then He would not say it. For instance, if it were impossible for us to be perfect, Jesus would not say, “You are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) Or if it were impossible to be holy, God would not say, "YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY." (1 Peter 1:16) For the LORD God only commands us to do things which are possible. And He never commands us to do things which He Himself doesn’t do. For everything He commands, He does. On the other hand, He will never warn us of something that is impossible to happen. He will never tell us, “hold fast My name,” (Revelation 2:13) if it were impossible for us to lose His name. He would never tell us, “hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown,” (Revelation 3:11) unless it were possible for us to lose our crown. The same goes for the peril of “falling away” (Hebrews 3:12, Hebrews 6:6) or “turning away” (Hebrews 12:25). If it were impossible, then why would we be warned?
If someone is still contentious and says, “Once we receive the Spirit, we cannot lose Him,” or “We are born again, and we cannot be unborn again.” I ask why David said, “Do not take Your Holy Spirit from me,” (Psalms 51:11) if there were no fear of such a thing? And do you not know that God once anointed Saul with the Holy Spirit, but later rejected Him and sent unto him an unclean spirit? And Saul was God’s anointed one, who David was fearful to even touch. I will also cause you to remember that God’s temple was once filled with His glory; but when Israel deserted God, He deserted them. And His Presence left them, and He sent the destroyer against His own temple, His own people. For God’s Holy Spirit cannot dwell with iniquity. As the LORD says, "Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, because you are an obstinate people, and I might destroy you on the way." (Exodus 33:3) And when Achan sinned, the LORD said, “I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy the things under the ban from your midst.” (Joshua 7:12) And as for the holy land, God says, “You are therefore to keep all My statutes and all My ordinances and do them, so that the land to which I am bringing you to live will not spew you out.” (Leviticus 20:22) And so, Christ is our holy land. As He likewise says, “I will spit you out of My mouth.” (Revelation 3:16) So “Do not be conceited, but fear.” (Romans 11:20-21)
But in the following text is the kindness and the mercy and the grace of the Almighty God: for although Saul was given an unclean spirit, even after the fact, the Holy Spirit came upon Saul and “He stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel.” (1 Samuel 19:24) And although David was fearful that the Holy Spirit would be taken from him, he was given the promise: "I will be his father and he shall be My son; and I will not take My lovingkindness away from him, as I took it from him who was before you.” (1 Chronicles 17:13) And although God forsook His people and His holy temple, He says, "I will again have compassion on them; and I will bring them back, each one to his inheritance and each one to his land.” (Jeremiah 12:15) As the promise says: "I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU." (Hebrews 13:5) “Behold then the kindness and severity of God.” (Romans 11:22) Do not be conceited, but “continue in His kindness.” (Romans 11:22)
Do not trust in your own righteousness to save you, but the righteousness of Jesus Christ, which is exceedingly righteous even to justify you by faith. “For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.” (Hebrews 10:14) Believe in Him until the end, “unless you believe in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:2) or “receive the grace of God in vain.” (2 Corinthians 6:1) Know this: “If the root is holy, the branches are too.” (Romans 11:16) So be “firmly rooted” (Colossians 2:7) and “built up in Him and established in your faith.” (Colossians 2:7) “If you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you.” (Romans 11:18) Beloved, abide in the Root; for He supports you. “The Lord is able to make you stand.” (Romans 14:4) Behold, I have set before you two paths: the proud way which leads to destruction and the humble way which leads to life.
Abraham was reckoned as righteous by faith; and this was when he was still yet uncircumcised. So he was declared just by God through faith without any work of the law; for at the time, there was no law given. For “We maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.” (Romans 3:28) And if it is apart from works, then it is counted as grace, so that righteousness may be granted as a gift; for God’s Promise was given, and Abraham believed it. And this is not only for Abraham, but also the uncircumcised Gentiles too, who are made right with God through that same very faith which Abraham had when he was still uncircumcised, "That Abraham might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them.” (Romans 4:11-12) So Abraham has become the father of all who believe, whether Jew or Greek; as it says, “Indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one.” (Romans 3:30)
Now in regard to the distinction between the circumcised and the uncircumcised, namely, one being justified by faith and the other through faith, is this: the circumcised already have a righteousness through the law, so by an instance of faith they are justified, so that it might be “by faith”. For the Jews thought that by doing right according to the law they may be declared just; “nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.” (Galatians 2:16) Whereas the godless Gentiles have no righteousness at all, so righteousness is worked in them through faith to justification. And without question faith is worked in a person through the Word of Christ. To further this point: Paul wrote to the Ephesian church, who were “Gentiles in the flesh, who are called "Uncircumcision" by the so-called "Circumcision," (Ephesians 2:11) and “were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise,” (Ephesians 2:12) and their salvation is brought about “by grace through faith.” (Ephesians 2:8)
And God-fearing gentiles are treated amongst those who are justified by an instance of faith, for they are considered “circumcised” through their virtue although being uncircumcised in the flesh; as it was with Cornelius, “a centurion, a righteous and God-fearing man.” (Acts 10:22) For “If the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision?” (Romans 2:26) Nevertheless, it is faith for all, Jew and Greek; and faith that persists until the end regardless of being Jew or Gentile, “unless you believed in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:2)
To further this point: Abraham was reckoned as righteous before God, but the promise was not yet fulfilled, for he did no righteous act; but when he offered his son Isaac as a sacrifice, it says, “that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS," and he was called the friend of God.” (James 2:22-23) Thus Abraham was reckoned as righteous on the merit of his faith before doing any righteous act; and when the Scripture was fulfilled, when his faith was made complete, then it was said of him, “Now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me." (Genesis 22:12) So “You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected;” (James 2:22) Then it was made known that he was justified; as it says, “Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?” (James 2:21) For “the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous;” (1 John 3:7) So we see that faith leads us to righteousness; and a person who does what is right is righteous, not a person with faith alone. Nevertheless “we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness.” (Galatians 5:5)
And this is in accordance with Paul’s writings which say, “with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” (Romans 10:10) For actions work alongside faith to salvation. And in regard to one with faith without works, it says, “Can that faith save him?” (James 2:14) “But having the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, "I BELIEVED, THEREFORE I SPOKE," we also believe, therefore we also speak.” (2 Corinthians 4:13-14) For the one with faith, in completion, is the one who is justified and saved. For at the harvest, reapers do not care about leaves or branches, but fruit. And likewise, "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Matthew 7:19) So “faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.” (James 2:17)
So in conclusion: there is a righteousness which is derived from the law, but salvation is wrought by faith for everyone who believes. However Jews have a righteousness by the law before ever being justified by faith; so they have an outward show of righteousness without any inward working of grace; or in other words, they are righteous before ever being justified by faith; nevertheless the Jews are justified by faith apart from their works alongside with the Gentiles. And the heathen Gentiles believe in Jesus for justification and are brought to righteousness through that same very faith; hence Gentiles work through faith to justification. So all are brought to justification either by faith or through faith, brought to a justification which is apart from works, but made complete by works: “Apart from works,” as I said, meaning by faith we are reckoned as righteous according to the promise of God — and without question, faith is no more a work than hearing is a work. “Made complete by works,” as I said, as our roots grow down deep into Christ, God will cause fruit to bud, so that, by faith we may produce a harvest of good deeds to the glory of God, our Father in the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
So if the goodness of God would ever be manifested to us, it would be supremely good that nobody on earth would've ever considered it first; for the love of God is heavenly, beyond human thought; we wouldn't be able to conjure up the thought of it, for it wouldn't be of us. I know the things which are from me: they are sinful, they are no good; I am ashamed of them. If God would reveal His love to us, I would know it is not from mankind, for it would be good; and I know goodness does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh. The love of God is above, but I am below. I know what is in man, for I am a man; I see the world and what is in it, and I am a man of this world. But God's love is not earthly, it's heavenly; the love that we know says, "You love me, so I love you; if you hate me, then I hate you." But the love from above is above all, beyond human thought, beyond human morals, beyond human imagination. For our mind is sinful, how can we think of anything good? The depths of our heart utter the depths of hell; but the Word of God speaks of God's thoughts; as He says, "As the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9) So my earthly love says, "My enemy is my enemy, why should I love him?" But the love of God says, “They repay me evil for good, To the bereavement of my soul. But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth; I humbled my soul with fasting, And my prayer kept returning to my bosom. I went about as though it were my friend or brother; I bowed down mourning, as one who sorrows for a mother. And this was written by David, a man after God's own heart. The love I first have is toward myself, for I love myself and care for myself. Who do I love more than myself? But the love of God says, "O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!" (2 Samuel 18:33) For the love of God in Jesus Christ died instead of you. Furthermore in my earthly love, I may give a gift to a man, but only if he is family; to a stranger, how much of myself will I spend for him? But the love of God gave the gift of life, even eternal life, which cannot be measured nor counted. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son.” (John 3:16) For Christ Jesus died, giving up His whole self; He did not give up only a little bit of Himself, but His whole soul; as it says, "To the bereavement of My soul." (Psalms 35:11) And was it for the friends of God? No, but while we were enemies of God in thought and in deed; for Jesus died even for His enemies: to reconcile us to God. Jesus Christ first loved us even to death, even death on a cross. If this is the love He shows to His enemies, what kind of love do you suppose He would show His friends who obey Him? We were once separate from the commonwealth of Israel; and us Gentiles were like creatures in the depths of the ocean to God; creatures in which men look at and say, "What is it?" Yet God loved the strange thing and brought it near unto Himself; “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household.” (Ephesians 2:19)
Furthermore, the love of men is written about: “The hands of compassionate women Boiled their own children; They became food for them Because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.” (Lamentations 4:10) But the love of Christ says, “Take, eat; this is My body.” And the love of man says, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?" (Matthew 19:3) But the love of God says, "Go again, love a woman who is loved by her husband, yet an adulteress, even as the LORD loves the sons of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes." (Hosea 3:1) And the love of man says, "Keep to yourself, do not come near me, For I am holier than you!" (Isaiah 65:5) But the love of Christ says, "BEHOLD, I HAVE COME TO DO YOUR WILL." (Hebrews 10:9) And He came down from heaven. And the love of man says, "Behold, your maid is in your power; do to her what is good in your sight." So Sarai treated her harshly, and she fled from her presence.” (Genesis 16:6) But the love of God says, “If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.” (John 13:14) And the love of the LORD God says, "Can a woman forget her nursing child And have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you.” (Isaiah 49:15) And then it says, "I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU." (Hebrews 13:5) Furthermore, the love of man is written about: “For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24) For the love of man first hates his father and his mother to be joined to his wife. But the love of Christ says, “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.” So in view of His love, man hates even his wife, and yes, his own soul, for the sake of Christ. For "The one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.” (1 Corinthians 6:17) For when the love of God in Christ Jesus is measured up against our own love: how cannot our natural love look like hatred in His sight? “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.” (Psalms 103:11) For "His lovingkindness is everlasting." (Psalm 136) For the love of God is not from earth; it is beyond the heavens. And so, “We love, because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19) And this is His heavenly love towards those who fear Him. And “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.” (1 John 3:14) “If anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be accursed.” (1 Corinthians 16:22) "For love is as strong as death, Jealousy is as severe as Sheol; Its flashes are flashes of fire, The very flame of the LORD. Many waters cannot quench love, Nor will rivers overflow it; If a man were to give all the riches of his house for love, It would be utterly despised." (Song of Solomon 8:6-7)
“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come,
nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God,
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:39)
For Christ Jesus died and even in His death, He worked good for us; so death cannot separate us from the love of Him;
And He was raised to new life and has gone away to the Father, yet He intercedes on our behalf; so life cannot separate us from the love of Him;
And messengers may testify against the love of Christ, but His work on the cross speaks more about love than their many words; so they cannot separate us from the love of Him;
And principalities are first on earth, but Christ is the Beginning and the Head of the heavens and the earth; so they cannot separate us from the love of Him;
And the things present are presently passing away, and the things to come are yet to be, but He was, is now, and is to come; so the things present nor the things to come can ever separate us from the love of Him;
And our enemies may be powerful, but even God's weakness is stronger than the strength of men; so powers cannot separate us from the love of Him;
And the height of mountains may tower over us, but through faith in His name, we may say, "Be uprooted and be planted in the sea." (Luke 17:6) So heights cannot separate us from the love of God;
And we may sink to the depths of Sheol, to the roots of the mountains, but, as it is written: “I called out of my distress to the LORD, And He answered me. I cried for help from the depth of Sheol; You heard my voice.” (Jonah 2:2) So depth cannot separate us from the love of God;
And all things created, He made beautiful, but much more beautiful and majestic is He who creates all; if He creates these things, and they are glorious and beautiful before our eyes, and not even all the scholars of the world can wrap their minds around them, and yet He destroys them as if they were nothing, He wraps them up like a garment and changes them out; how much greater then are the things to come, things that replace these, things which He has for us, things prepared for us who love God, things which are forever?
Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!
For the sake of this writing, I will assume there is a rapture of God’s saints before the tribulation; and I will find contradictions in the Word of Truth, assuming this, to prove the doctrine is false; for we know God’s Word is true:
So if there be a rapture of God’s saints before the tribulation, then there will be another rapture when Christ comes for the remainder; but the Scriptures say, “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.“ [1 Thessalonians 4:15-17] So the saints in Christ, alive and dead, will be caught up together with Christ at His appearance, without one proceeding the other, according to the Word of Truth in Paul. But the Pre-Tribulation rapture suggests there are two separate raptures, one preceding the other; so we have reached a contradiction against God’s Word, thereby proving it false, for God’s Word is true.
For God’s dealing with man has not changed; He did not rescue Israel out of Egypt before He sent the plagues — no. Rather, they were set apart from the plagues, then He poured out His wrath on the Egyptians; they were spared, but Egypt was harmed. Likewise the Psalmist says, “A thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not approach you. You will only look on with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked.“ [Psalms 91:7-8] Is this not what the Revelation says, "Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.“ [Revelation 7:3] So they were sealed, not taken out before the time; just as God dealt previously, so He will deal in the end; as Isaiah says, “Let them bring forth and declare to us what is going to take place; As for the former events, declare what they were, That we may consider them and know their outcome. Or announce to us what is coming;“ [41:22] For these things which happened are testimonies to future events.
“Ah! But there are so few in the end, even 144,000”, you may say; “However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” [Luke 18:8] “Ah, but they are of Israel!”, you may also think; “But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.” [Romans 2:29] Is not a vision spiritual? Then why would Israel be physical? And is not the Book of Revelation a vision which the apostle wrote down? Is he then speaking of physical Jacob or spiritual Israel?
Does not the antichrist arise and perform his will against God’s saints? As it says, “he will destroy to an extraordinary degree and prosper and perform his will; he will destroy mighty men and the holy people.” [Daniel 8:24] And also it says, “As soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed“ [Daniel 12:7] And finally, “It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him.“ [Revelation 13:7] But if God’s saints are no more, because they are taken, who does he come against?
So, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” [Acts 14:22] And, “if indeed we suffer with [Him] so that we may also be glorified with [Him.]“ [Romans 8:17] And even, “It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him;” [2 Timothy 2:11] And, “The gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.“ [Matthew 7:14] So we see that the Father has ordained that we enter into the Kingdom only by pressing through a narrow place, that of affliction and tribulation for Jesus’ sake, if we be counted worthy. But the Pre-Tribulation rapture suggests not suffering later, then if not later, why now? So you see every false doctrine promotes a false agenda.