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Bibleline Bibleline, here God’s word on Bibleline, here God’s truth on Bibleline. Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida. Clearly declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll-free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made by clicking on the donations link on the BibleLineMinistries.org homepage. We pray that you will enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ and that today’s first part of this two-part message will be a blessing to you and your family.

Whenever we are aware of the truth that God gave, when he came back from the resurrection, He got his disciples together and he told them, says, going to all the world and preached the gospel to every preacher, well, every creature. Wouldn’t it be neat if every preacher knew the gospel and we all said the same thing? Now, if there’s only one gospel, the Bible says, there is not another gospel. There’s only one. And if he gave only one gospel, why are there so many different religions telling people how to get to heaven.

Well, when you boil it all down, there’s only two ways in which people are teaching that you go to heaven. One is by grace, the other one is by works. We’re all supposed to be of the same mind because we’re supposed to be getting it from the same source. We’re supposed to believe in the same book. And God’s the one that told us what the gospel is. And He keeps saying over and over again, it is by grace and not by works.

So religions of the world add works to the message. So if they add works to the gospel, you know it’s a false message. And so whenever you look at it and say, okay, is it really free? If it’s free and it lasts forever, then that would have to be the one that’s right. If any religion adds works to the gospel, then And it must not be the gospel, because there’s only one gospel and the true gospel is it’s free.

A man cannot earn eternal life. So when you add works to it, it’s no longer free because now you have to do something. You have to merit it. So all you have to do is find out, do the religions of the world add anything to the gospel of grace. they do, it’s not the gospel of Jesus Christ. Now that doesn’t mean just because we try to bring it out and explain this or even expose what different people teach, though they teach it, they preach it, they write it, and most people that are in a particular religion know what they believe.

So I sometimes simply tell you what they already said. I’m not saying they said something that they didn’t say or tell you they believe something they don’t believe, but we do have to remember. We don’t want to pigeonhole every individual saying that, well, because you are of this religion, everybody believes it to the same degree because that is not true. I’ve found out over the years a lot of people have a name of a denominational belief, but they don’t have a clue what in the world they believe.

There’s probably Mormons that are not Mormons. There’s probably Catholics that are not Catholics, and there’s probably Baptists that are not Baptists. So, regardless of what the title may be, the Gospel, he said, go into all the world and preach the truth of the Gospel to everybody. Now, if Jesus Christ had respect for everybody else’s religious beliefs, I would too. But he already said, tell us to everybody, so it’s evident that he wants everybody believe the same thing. That’s why he says, to preach the gospel.

So that’s what I try to do. But in doing so, you are also exposing what somebody else don’t believe. It’s hard to say it without doing it. So last week we spoke about Jewish people and understand, we love Jewish people, but we want Jewish people to have eternal life and to go to heaven. We love the Mormon, but we We want the Mormons to have eternal life and make sure they’re going to heaven. And it doesn’t matter what the religion may be, maybe Pentecostal holiness, but I want them to know Christ and make sure they’re going to heaven.

So we want everybody to hear the same message so you can make the most intelligent decision possible. You don’t want to reject the truth. And you understand if you are Jehovah’s Witnesses and you’re born into a Jehovah Witness family, the mom and dad, if they’re strong in their belief, are going to try to teach their children that that’s the right belief. If you’re raising a Mormon family, you’re going to try to teach them that. If you’re raised in a Methodist family, you try to teach them that.

Baptist family, you try to teach your kids that. And a Muslim family or a Catholic family. You name it. Everybody tries to teach their kids that what they believe is the truth. And then when they get all of nothing, you can believe whatever you want. But right now you just run for them. So you don’t have everybody on the same page. But everybody believes that what they believe is the truth. True? Otherwise you would change your belief. Now, remember, we have up here maybe ten different bottles, and in these bottles is what different people believe.

So some people, they’ve been drinking this bottle over here, and this is what they believe, and then after a while they realize that’s not the truth. I don’t just, I’ve got problems with this religion. So they put that one upside and pick up the next bottle, and they drink from that bottle. So well, I used to be a Methodist, now I’m a Baptist, and I used to be a Baptist, but Now I’m a Catholic. I used to be a Catholic, but now I’m a, you name the religion, and you just go right on down the line.

Some people have been members of a lot of different kinds of religions, but regardless of what is on the inside, that the label, it’s all got poison at it. It’s poison in the message if it adds works to the gospel. It will not save you. It will do just the opposite. works to the gospel, annulth the gospel. He says in the book of Romans in chapter 11 and verse six, if it is by grace, it cannot be by works, otherwise grace is in grace.

Means if it’s free, it can’t be, you have to earn it, because it’s not the same. Things that are different are not the same. And so if he said, if it is by work, then it can’t be free. Because if you have to earn it, it can’t be free. So whenever God says for by grace are you saved, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God not of works, lest any man should vote. So God is clear.

It’s man that can’t believe God really meant that. So they have to help God out and try to explain what God really meant to say. When he says it was by grace, he really didn’t mean it was by grace, so they, boom, here they come. So now, remember this. This is not an attack upon anybody’s religion. We’re talking about the truth of the gospel and how the light of the gospel exposes anybody’s false teaching. But how to witness to a Roman Catholic?

Now here are some areas in which we may agree with. They believe that the Bible is the Word of God as a general, as a whole. Well so do we. We believe that the Bible is the Word of God. Although they may interpret it differently and they may believe an extra-biblical source of authority, like maybe the pope is infallible. Number two, Jesus is God. Well, I believe that. Oh, they believe that too. So there are areas in which we agree, although they elevate the pope and marry to heights of glory belonging only to Christ.

We believe that they believe that Jesus is God. Number three, man needs a Savior. We believe that man needs a Savior. They believe that man needs a Savior. So there’s something that we can’t agree on. And number four, there is a heaven and hell. They believe there’s a heaven and hell. But they also believe that they’re the place called purgatory that we don’t believe because it’s not in the Bible. They may find it in one of the Maccabees or they may find it like what we call the homologuumulah books or the pseudopigrofo books.

The books in between the Old Testament and the New Testament that is historical but not divinely inspired. So we have some things that we can agree on. Now look at the next statement, grace versus works. The main issue in witnessing to a Roman Catholic is grace and works. This is the same truth that holds for regards to what is the religious belief. Everybody. But you’ll notice that grace and works are not compatible. Salvation is either free or you have to earn it.

you how do you explain? See, for example, here you are and let’s say you are you’re on drugs, you smoke, you dip, you chew, you go with the girls who do and you do all the things that you’re not supposed to do. So a preacher may be meaning well but he tells you if you want to go to heaven you’ve got to stop all of your sins and God will save you. Well, now if you have to do this and stop all of your sins, at what point can God save you once you have quit all your sins?

That would be a little on the difficult side. Why? Because you can’t do it. It’s impossible. You can’t live perfect if you wanted to. You can’t do it. Try it. You say, well, I have. Let me talk to your wife. No, you haven’t. Look at the next statement, have. There might be a time when you are witnessing to a Roman Catholic and think you have just gotten the plan of salvation really across. And then all of a sudden they’ll make a statement that lets you know they really haven’t got it yet.

So you need to go over it again. See it’s very difficult whenever someone has been raised in a particular religion and they’ve been taught since they were little children about their belief. Then along you come with the gospel and you say, well this is what the Bible says. hard for them to wipe all of that out and set it aside because everything we’ve been taught and trained and raised in we use sometimes to discern what anybody is telling us.

We already pre-programmed. We already know that what I believe that’s the truth. What you believe that’s the truth. What you believe that’s the truth. Everybody believe they got the truth. So somebody who tries to change you from what you believe there is a automatic defense. I am going to defend myself. You’re attacking me and I’m going to defend and either you get mad and puff and puff or you think well wait a minute let me at least hear this gospel what you’re talking about.

If it’s free why am I trying to earn my salvation or I could ask you this way? Do you know right now positively that you have eternal life? Do you know that you’re going to heaven when you die? Now if you ask me that question I can say yes I know I’m going to heaven when I die. I know I’m going to heaven. Now every Christian should be able to say that. If you really believe the gospel is by grace you can be able to say that.

If you can’t say that because you don’t believe the gospel. There’s another message you may believe but it’s not the gospel you believe and the gospel is the good news. It’s good news to know you’re going to heaven. It’s not good news to hope you’re going. It’s not good news to think you’re going. It’s not good news to say, well, I’m trying. I’m doing the best I can because you may not make it. But is there some way of knowing?

I definitely know that I’m going to heaven when I die. That would be good news. If there was such thing as good news, to know it. And that’s what the Bible talks about. That you can know, that you have eternal life. Know that you’re going to heaven before you die. So that’s why many religions, if it’s based upon your works, you have to wait till you die to find out if you are good enough to make it. That’s let you know that’s not the gospel.

And whatever you believe, it’s not the gospel. You may believe in the Bible, God, Christ died on the cross, you believe all of that, and never go to heaven because you never believed the gospel. You believe about God, you believe in your sincere, but did you trust Christ as your only hope? So I want you to look there in 2 Corinthians in chapter 11, 2 Corinthians chapter 11. And notice what the Apostle Paul says to these believers here in Corinth.

He makes the statement in verse 2. He says, for I am jealous over you with Godly jealousy, for I have espoused you to one husband that I may present you as a chase virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means as the servant begowed Eve through his subtlety so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For he that cometh preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a another spirit which you have not received, or another gospel, which you have not there is a false Christ, a false spirit and a false gospel.

He says, you are easily deceived, just like the serpent begowed, Eve, he can do the same thing to you. How do you know? Let’s just pretend for a moment. We have up here, chairs setting, and we have over there, we got a Mormon, we got a Jehovah’s Witness, and we’ve got a Catholic, and we got a Baptist, and we got a Pentecostal, and we got, and you just name them. We got all these, got a Muslim down on the end.

So we got all these religions up here and they all believed differently Now you know they may all say we believe the Bible. There’s a problem isn’t there Why don’t they all believe the same thing if they got it from the same source? Unless somebody’s twisting something, lying to somebody, they can’t all be right. Can they? They’re all different. Can they all be right? They can’t be right. Somebody’s got to be wrong. Do you want to run the risk of your eternal destination based upon what you heard that religion say or that religion say or is it better?

Maybe you ought to get a Bible and find out what’s the difference. What’s the main difference? Now all religions if they add works to the gospel it’s false You have to understand that it’s not the truth That’s what they all have in common Most religions all got this one thing in common. They had works to the gospel But the gospel can’t have works added to it. The gospel is, the man is saved by grace, unmerited. He doesn’t deserve to be saved.

He doesn’t try to deserve to be saved. Isn’t working to be saved? It is saved by the grace of God because He simply accepted Christ as His Savior. Religions say, you must trust Christ and your good works. Him plus. And if you don’t come through on your end, no salvation. You didn’t deserve it. And isn’t it true in the minds of most people? There are people we say they deserve to go to heaven and there’s other people who don’t deserve it.

Well the problem is God says nobody deserves salvation. The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit convinces the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. That means that because you have not believed on Christ, you know you need to be righteous, but you know you’re going to be judged. So the Holy Spirit, when we present the gospel, those three things should always be part of our message. It means the Holy Spirit will use the gospel to convince the world, hey, you don’t believe.

You’re not trusting Christ and that we’re all sinners and And we’re going to be judged, but we need to be righteous. So the message of the gospel is very simple. Whenever you understand, we have all sinned. God convicts us, we’re all sinned. And the Bible says that we need to believe on Christ. And by believing on Him, we are righteous. And He that believeth is not condemned. But He that believeth not is condemned already. Means He’s already been judged.

You’re not waiting for some final judgment to determine your destination. It’s already been done. God has already judged the whole world. The whole world is guilty. There is no difference and no religion can save anybody. This is why it’s so important. Look at the next statement I have there involved. Jesus paid for all sin. Now this is what is generally at the heart of the matter. Is that some people separate and say, well, there’s venial sins. You know, those aren’t sins that are deadly sins.

And you don’t have to have, you know, confession of those sins. But then there’s mortal sins. Those are deadly sins. Well, regardless of whether you want to call it, venial sins, mortal sin, all sin is sin. And all sin has been paid. And that’s the good news. We’ve all done things that we consider to be real bad. And then we’ve done things that we say, well, that was just a white lie. That wasn’t that bad. But whatever we want to call it, any imperfections whatsoever, we’ve all sinned against a holy God.

And everybody’s in the same boat. You need to let people know, rather than Catholics or whatever the religion they may be, is that Christ completely paid the complete debt for all of his sins. Now, if I really believe that, and you really believe, he paid for my sins, and that all I had to do believe he did it for me and he puts that payment to my account, then I won’t try to work my way to heaven because I don’t have any sins to pay for.

I can’t go to hell. I’m going to heaven. So I’m not trying to earn my way to heaven. I’m already going to heaven. I have known for 55 years. I’m going to heaven whenever I die. So I don’t go to church to go to heaven. I don’t give money to go to heaven. I don’t try to live a good life to go to heaven. I’m going to heaven because of what Christ did for me. He gets all the honor, all the credit, all the glory.

Now if it depends upon you and me And if we live, then we can take a little credit. I was better than so and so. If anybody ought to go to hell and I’ll be like, well, anybody ought to go to heaven, I’ll be my aunt, Susie. Well, I should give you to shirt off a her back. That has nothing to do with your destination. And everybody God says there’s no difference for all have sinned and comes short of the glory of God.

So all these religions who add works to the message, they all got poisoned in their message. It doesn’t save, it condemns, it deceives. A little 11th, 11th, the whole thing. One little work added to the gospel destroys the whole message. It’s either free or it’s not free. Look at the next statement because there’s a couple verses here that really are important. And that’s in James chapter two and verse 10. Take your Bible and look at this with me. James chapter two and verse 10.

That’s on page 1307 in one of the church Bibles and make sure you’re looking at that. And you’ll notice there in James chapter two, verse 10, for whosoever shall keep the whole law yet offended in one point, he is guilty of a venial sin. It doesn’t matter what it, he guilty of all sin, guilty of all, breaking all the law because if I was hanging over a cliff, 10 links and a chain, and I’m hanging onto this last link now, this is a difficult question.

But try your best. I’m hanging on to this last link in the chain. How many links in the chain has to break before I fall? Oh, that was too easy. Try hard. Alright, just one. Does it matter which one? Well, I never did this, and I never did this. Yeah, but you did the others. It’s not a matter of what you didn’t do is did you do one? Have you ever lied? Thou shalt not lie. Thou shalt not covet.

Ooh. You see, God says, the love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, mind, body, soul, and strength. Have you done that? Don’t lie. Nobody has kept all the law, so we have all broken God’s law, so we are all condemned. So no man has ever kept the law, so it’s not by your works. Your works is what caused you your problem. Your works are not righteous. Your works are not just. And whenever some people they say, look at how good we’ve been.

Look at how mighty wonderful works. And he says, depart from me. You workers of iniquity. And he was talking about their good deeds. Not their bad deeds, they’re good deeds. So therefore, man has no good works to stand before God. You say I go to church. What’s that supposed to prove? Atheists can go to church. Well I read my Bible. Atheists can read a Bible. That doesn’t save him. That doesn’t get him to heaven. So what makes you think you’re going to heaven because I do these things.

That doesn’t. Doesn’t even help. So a lot of people are in for a big surprise. A big surprise. Now take your Bible and turn to Hebrews chapter 1. Just turn to your left there. Just a few pages. The Hebrews chapter 1. And notice what he says here in verse 3. Verse 3 is a wonderful verse to show you that there is no such place as purgatory. It’s not in the Bible. But notice what he does say about something that’s very important.

See there in verse 3 referring to Jesus Christ who being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person upholding all things by the word of his power when he, Christ, had by himself purged our sins. Now he already did that. He did that. Set down because the work was done. You see, you don’t have to go to a place and have people pray that you get out or pay money to shorten your time there. That’s religion, but it’s not in the Bible.

People may mean well, but it’s just not the book. Because see, when you believe that it’s by your works, Now you’re open to determine what kind of works. And this is what separates all the religions. They require different things, but they still require it. You see, not all religions require exactly the same thing, but whatever it is, it’s what you have to do. And that’s the poison. To go to heaven, there’s nothing that you have to do, except trust Christ as your Savior.

Anything other than that makes it a false message. So should we join the church? Should we live right? Yeah, not to get to heaven. Going to heaven is free. It’s the gift of God. That’s to show us how much God loves us. What we do because of that is to show how much we love God, but we don’t have to love God to go to heaven. We’re going to heaven because God so loved the world. God loved us. We should love him, but a lot of people Don’t love God.

They love themselves. You can love your church and not love God. You love the preacher and not love God. Well, sorry, a little bit, but it ain’t going to help you none. Not of works. Now, take your Bible and look in the book of Acts 13. Acts 13. Acts 13, these two verses will knock your socks off. These are awesome verses. They are very, very important. Because you see, some people believe that Peter was the first pope. Okay, let’s just go along with that there.

Because that’s not going to be a heaven and hell issue whether you believe it or not. I don’t believe it, some people do. I don’t believe it was ever in Rome, some people do. But you’ll find out that Peter and Paul preach the same message. Well, they’re able to forgive people their sins. And when Jesus met his disciples and he told them and says, and you can forgive people of their sins, and whoever sins you forgive, they’re forgiven, and whoever they retain, they are retained, and blah, blah, blah.

So it looks like a few chosen people have the power to forgive sins. It looks good. Sounds good. But you ought to see what the Bible actually says. So whenever he told them that, the book of Acts explains what he meant, because watch what they said. Look what they said and how they said it to let you know what he was talking about and what that really means. In Acts chapter 13, look at verse 38, where he makes a statement, be it known unto you.

Therefore men and brethren that through this man referring to Christ is preached unto you what? The forgiveness of sin. So something that you preach, a message that they will hear they can have their sins forgiven. Not anything they have to do, but something that they can believe. If they will believe this. And then look at the next verse. And by Him Christ, all that believe are justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses, not by your works.

But you could be justified by just believing, just believing, no works. He says, which you could not be justified by the law of Moses, that means keeping the law. That means trying to earn something, God says it’s free. Christ died for my sins. Why? So that I wouldn’t have to pay for my sins. Well, if I have no sins to pay for, I have no hell to look to. I’m going to heaven because God loved me so much that he paid for all of Yankee Arnold’s sins.

Many as they may be, but he loved me that much. And it be spitting in his face to say that wasn’t good enough. Are you a new listener to Bibleline? Do you enjoy the teachings of Dr. Arnold? Well, if you’ve never contacted us before, we want to give you Dr. Arnold’s book, The Gospel Driven Man. Every day we receive many emails from folks who have questions about repentance and salvation, about faith in works, and about how to share the gospel with friends and loved ones.

This book, The Gospel Driven Man, covers all those topics, and we want all new listeners of Bibleline to receive a free copy. There’s no obligation, no donation necessary, simply call us at 1-800-576-3771 or write to us and request your free copy of the Gospel-Driven Man. The mailing address is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Again, don’t forget to include your mailing address, and God bless you and thank you for listening to Bibleline. Thanks for joining us on Bibleline. If you are in the area, we welcome you to visit us.

The address for Calvary Community Church is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. And now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound and we will be changed. Cada can meet the Lord in the air. So live today and every day. Believing that the Lord is coming soon, just keep looking up.