This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

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 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.

I want you to take your Bible and turn to the book of Romans, chapter one, Romans chapter one, every week, as you know we recite our statement of faith. And every week we mentioned Romans chapter one and verse 16. It’s amazing how many people know that song amazing Grace House wheat the sound. They sing it everywhere, all kinds of churches around the world, but I don’t believe they really understand what amazing grace is. And so I want to speak today on the subject.

One saved, always saved, is the gospel. It is the gospel. When Paul says, I am not ashamed in verse 16 of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth to the Jew first and also to the Greek. So the Bible tells us that well everybody is saved only through the gospel. It is the power of God unto salvation. There is no other salvation. There’s not a plan B or C. And he talks about us being saved by the power of the gospel.

Well the gospel is the gospel of grace. It is amazing grace. So that’s what I would like to speak on this morning. And I wanted to give you a copy of my notes, lest you would go crazy trying to write down all these verses. Therefore you can write them down later. And many of the things that I have in bold, maybe you ought to highlight those in your Bible or underline certain verses into Bible, but especially there’s a lot of truth in these verses because one saved always saved is the final word.

What does the Bible have to say? The proof is in the evidence, the evidence. Well, where could we find the evidence of such a doctrine? Because if you’re not saved forever, you do not know if you are saved at all. The evidence is in the Word of God and so that’s why we’re going to use. What is the evidence? What’s the final word? What did he say? And I want you to have these verses because I believe it is so important.

We do have people that don’t believe you can know. They just put their fingers in your ears and eat that hat ears to hear. Let him hear unless you don’t really want to know the truth. If you really want to know what the Bible says, then I would suggest you listen up, be convinced of what the Bible teaches on this subject. Now we have the Bible that says by grace alone. Then you have people that says it’s by grace and works.

So one is truth, one is air, and I want you to see what the Bible has to stay. Now Now in Romans in chapter 11 and verse 6, the first part of that verse says, and if by grace, then is it no more of words, otherwise grace is no more grace. Can you understand that? Is that too complicated. But look at the other part of the verse. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace, otherwise work is no more work.

In other words, it looks like you cannot add them together. It can’t be both ways. Well, it’s free, but you’ve got to live a certain way. Your manner of life, it doesn’t contribute anything. All of your works has no effect, concerned going to heaven. But you’ll hear most people say, well, if you go to heaven, you’ve got to be good. You’ve got to live a certain way. You’ve got to stop certain things. But is that the truth of the gospel?

It is not. And I want to show you this. Sometimes you have to repeat things. I want to, did you hear what he said? Did you understand the power that’s in that verse? Because it’s either got to be one way or the other. See the by grace or grace and works. But if it’s grace and works, they’ll know each other out. It can’t be both ways. Salvation cannot be free and you still got to deserve it. Grace means you don’t deserve it.

Grace means it’s unmerited. And the Bible says for by grace, this is why we sing that song, amazing grace. How sweet the sound. You had one work to it, it’s no longer grace. Look at it one more time. And if by grace, then it is no more of works. Otherwise grace is no more grace. You can’t add works to it, not even one, none. But if it be of works, then grace does not exist. It’s the one way or the other.

I’ve had people say, you can’t tell me, you can trust Christ as your savior. And then live like the devil and still go to heaven. If you don’t believe that, you don’t believe in salvation by grace. You can most absolutely, positively trust Christ’s Savior, have eternal life, be God’s child, know you’re going to heaven and live like the devil. I don’t want people to misunderstand the truth of the gospel. That’s why I can’t, you know, skirt around it, come straight out and say, this is what we are telling people, this is what either makes it good news or this is heresy.

What I’m talking about right now. It’s not close, it’s either truth or it’s in the air because I’m telling you that your manner of life, how you live, have absolutely nothing to do with your destination. We’re always told if you’re good, you go to heaven and bad you’re going to hell and how you live has absolutely nothing to do where you spend eternity. That’s amazing grace. Look at Titus 3, 5. These verses are in the Bible and if they don’t say what I’m saying they say then you’re going to have to find out what does it mean then when he says not by works of righteousness which we have done, not by works of righteousness which which we have done.

But according to his mercy he what? He saved us. Past tense, already done. You see I’m not looking to some day I’m gonna get saved. I trusted Christ as my Savior when I was 18 years old. And because I trusted Christ then I was as much saved that day that I have ever been. I have not gotten any more saved by how I lived. And I will tell you this, before then I didn’t go to church. I didn’t read the Bible.

I did a little pray and I didn’t give any money. Since then I have done all of those things for 57 years. But that has not helped me to be one cent better saved. I have been saved. I’m not going to be saved, but according to His mercy He saved us, not because you earned it or worked for it or deserved it. No man has ever lived good enough to go to heaven. That’s why salvation must be by grace, because you will never deserve going to heaven.

Romans chapter 4 and verse says now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace but of debt. In other words, if going to heaven was the result of your good life, then God would be in debt to you and salvation could not be a gift. It could not be free. It could not be by grace because grace and works are two different things. It means you would have to try to save yourself by your works. And then if you were saved by your works, if, who becomes the judge of your works?

You? Or God. Do you believe that you can save yourself by your good works? Are you the one that determines how good your works are? Remember, God says all of our righteousness are as filthy rags as in God’s sight. What you might deem to be such holy, superior, God says that’s trash. Now get this. Titus 3.6 says, which he shed past tense on us abundantly through keeping the 10 commandments and going to the Calvary Community Church and turning from my sin and making Christ the Lord and the Master of my life.

No. Abundantly through Jesus Christ, our co-helper, our co-savior. He is our savior. Now, if I helped save myself by my good deeds, he needed me to help him. Therefore, he didn’t do it all. He just showed me the way, and I did the rest of it. Salvation is the gift of God, not by works of righteousness which we have done. I am already saved, not going to be saved. Now, we know we’ll be saved from the very presence of sin one day, and I know that the Holy Spirit lives within me, and as I study the world of God, can be saved from the very power of sin in my life today.

But my eternal destination was dependent upon that day when I trusted Christ as my Savior. Now in Romans chapter 4 and verse 2, notice what Abraham has found. For if Abraham were justified by works, which means that he evidently was not saved by his works. He has wear of the glory, but not before God. Abraham cannot brag, boast in the presence of God that he’s going to heaven because of any good works that he did. And also remember this, we have people a day that want to make, well that means that you’re just not saved by the law.

But we do have to be saved by the commandments of Christ. Those are two different from things like the law of Moses and the commandments of Christ, they try to make a difference. Well Moses was under the law, but Abraham was not under the law. And he’s talking about Abraham if he was justified by words, could not be referring to the law because the law was not given for 430 years later. To Moses on Mount Sinai. Duh? They don’t know the Bible.

Now, if Abraham was justified by his works, he hath wear up the glory in that. Look what I did. I’ve asked people, I’ll say, where are you going in your diet? I’m going to heaven. Well, how do you know I’m a deacon? I’ve had a board of demons too. I’ve had deacons. I sing in the choir. I teach a Sunday school class that has nothing to do with your destination. Nobody’s going to heaven because, well, I go to church I give money.

No, you could always brag because of what I did. That’s why when I witness to somebody I can no run off the bat. How do you know you’re gonna have them because well I have done this and I have done that and I have done that. No, I trust that Christ is my savior. This is the only legitimate answer. Now get this. In verse 7 of Titus chapter 3 says that being justified by my works and no, always check the preacher.

Don’t believe everything he tells you. You go by what the book says. He says that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope. That means a joyfully anticipating our presence with the Lord. That day when we’re gonna literally enter into this eternal life. I have eternal life now. I am God’s child now. I am justified now. I’m going to heaven. I’m just going to have to get rid of this old body because it won’t last where I’m headed.

Galatians 2, 16, look at this verse, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law. For by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. Nobody can be justified in the sight of God by His works, by the keeping of the law. You would think, if this is the book and this is the book, people, how can you explain these verses away? Trying to make them say something they don’t say. A man is not justified by the works of the law.

And then when it comes to Abraham, the works, because it was before the law, the works of righteousness. No man has ever been saved, ever will be saved. By his works. No man would say by his works before the law, under the law, or after the law, in the time of grace and where we live. Man has always been saved the same way by putting his confidence, his trust in the payment that Jesus Christ made on the cross. In the Old Testament, they look forward to the payment that was going to be made.

You and I were 2,000 years on this side of the cross and we look back to the day when the payment was made. But we’re all saved by God. faith in Jesus Christ. And that’s how we’re justified by grace because of what He did. He kept the law. He lived that perfect life. We haven’t and never will. So God made it as a gift, as a free gift to the mankind so that we can have eternal life and know we’re going to heaven.

And this is why this is such a critical thing for me in always trying to make sure that people understand the the difference between law and grace, because the consequences is hell. Not to believe the truth is hell. Perfection was demanded at Mount Sinai when God gave the law to Moses, but perfection was provided by grace at Mount Calvary. You have two mountains. When Moses went up to one mountain, Jesus went up to another mountain. When the law was given, 3,000 were killed because the law killed it.

The wages of sin is death. The law was not given to save a man. But under grace on the day of Pentecost, 3,000 were saved because of the payment Christ made on the cross. So what the law demanded God provided at Mount Calvary? The law demanded perfection. So how are you doing? If you don’t produce perfection, then you broke the law. And because we break the law, we are guilty. And because we’re guilty, we are condemned. So every man is not waiting to be condemned, he’s already condemned.

So that’s why Christ came. He kept the law, lived it perfectly. Now what if He was to give you His life, gave you His perfection? See He took your sin because you broke the law and I broke the law. Therefore we have to die. But Christ didn’t have to die because He kept the law perfectly, but he died in our place as a substitute. He died for me, so I wouldn’t have to. Came back from the dead and said the only thing that I had to do is to believe that he did that for me.

So law brings death, but grace brings life. And this is why yes, we sing amazing grace how sweet the sound. But there’s a lot of people that are singing the words and haven’t got a clue what it’s talking about. And they’re still trying to earn their way to heaven by how good they live. And you’d be surprised how many people who go to church and think how you live is going to determine your destination. You think because I live a good Christian life, that’s going to help.

Zero has nothing to do with your destination. God forbid you come to this church or listen to me on internet or YouTube or on the radio and yet do not understand salvation is the gift, total gift of God. Romans 3, 24 says this, being justified freely, freely by His grace. Do you hear what He said? Can you read that? Can you understand? Do you grasp this? Because this is so important. I’ve had people say, well, you know, all churches are the same.

No, they’re not. They don’t all believe the same way. Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ. They mean because of the payment Christ made. In Galatians chapter 5 and verse 4, Christ has become of no effect unto you. Whosoever of you are justified by the law. You trying to save yourself by the law? Christ has no effect. Why? Because you can’t mix grace and works together. You can’t put the law and grace together.

I’m trusting Christ as my Savior, but just in case I’m going to be good. Then you don’t really trust Christ. You don’t really believe in salvation by grace. You don’t really believe it’s free. You think something that you add to it is going to help. See, a lot of people believe that Jesus Christ. That he’s necessary. They just don’t believe he’s enough. In Romans 4, 5. Some people say yes, but believe in his work. Believe in his work. That’s something you had to do.

That’s a work. God says correction. But to him that work it not. But believe it. So then believing is not a work. Believing is me putting my confidence and trust in someone else to save me, not me saving me. If I could save me, then I would be my Savior. But believe it on him that justify it the ungodly. His faith is counted for righteousness. What do I get by me trusting Christ? His righteousness. He will give me His righteousness.

Now if God gave me His righteousness, that would make me as righteous as God. You see, you have to be perfect to go to heaven. But if he took my sins, gave me his perfection, I’m going on his. That’s how I know I’m going to heaven whenever I die. Why? Because in God’s eyes, I’m as good as God. You say, how can you say something like that? Because of G-R-A-C-E. The grace of God. The mercy of God. See, mercy means I’m not going to get what I deserve.

I deserve to go to hell and everybody else does too. Grace is getting something I don’t deserve. I’m get to go to heaven and I don’t get to go to hell. That’s why he says he that believe in me, shall not perish means I don’t go to hell. But have everlasting life means I go to heaven when I die. Now is that good stuff? As Freddy Claude would say, that’s good. In Galatians in chapter three, verse 11, but that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident.

How much clearer can you get it? And yet you’ll ask people saying, you’ve got to keep the law. You’ve got to turn from your sins. That means stop being bad. You’ve got to commit your life to Christ. Well, that means start being good. So that means that your destination will depend upon whether did you turn or did you commit? It depends upon you. That is not the gospel. That is not salvation. And God had pity in all the preachers that are preaching that trash because at his heresy, It is not the truth of the gospel.

What I’m talking about is offensive. The gospel offends every person who believes in any kind of works for salvation. Because you believe in works for salvation, every religion teaches that. It’s only the ones who really understand and treat salvation by grace and believe in one saved, always saved by the grace of God and that alone. they get criticized and a few other things. But look at this verse, awesome verse. Totally awesome. Philippians chapter 3 and verse 9, and be found in Him.

Now, if you ever want to know what kind of law are you talking about? Well, this is what he says, not having my own righteousness, which is what? Of the law. And I put it in bold so that you would see it. They even made it yell so you could draw your eyes to it. The law is defined by the words not having my own righteousness. Whether before the law was given under the law, it doesn’t make any difference.

It’s not according to your own righteousness. No man is saved by his own works of righteousness which he has done. and whenever I make the statement, once you trust Christ as Savior, once saved, always saved. And I’ve had people say that is a damn-nable doctrine. That’s heresy. That is the gospel. You’re saved by grace. That means that my works didn’t give it to me and my works can’t take it away. I will say by the grace of God and because I know that God loves me that much It made me want to serve them with all my heart All the days of my life why because I don’t have to I like that Ephesians 2 8 you probably never heard these verses before My not even know they’re in the Bible, but look at this He says and that not of yourself now what part of that would you not get?

For by grazing you say it through faith that not of yourself, not of yourself. Can a person understand that? No, no, a lot of people can’t. They cannot, they got a twist even that. And then look at the next verse Ephesians 2-9. Not of works. Why? Unless any man should boast. Why was the neighbor of him saved by his work? Because he could boast but not before God. Remember that verse while he go into Romans in chapter 4? Not of works.

I wonder what that means. means. Well in the Greek, let me tell you what it means in the Greek, not of works. When it says by grace are you saved in the Greek, it means for by grace are you saved. So you don’t have to interpret the Bible. Sorry, you’ve been interpreted. All you gotta do is believe it. And just because, you know, Hebrew and Greek doesn’t make you smarter and wiser. You see, the people in Christ, they spoke Hebrew and they spoke Greek.

And they still blew it, didn’t they? Give me a good old King James. I’m fine. And Ephesians 2, 8, look at it. For by grace are ye saved? Remember, it can’t be by works. It can’t be by both. By Jesus Christ. Grace, are you saved? Through faith, just believing. It is the gift of God. Now look in Hebrews 9 and verse 19. I use this verse a lot, I love this verse. For the law made nothing perfect. If you have to be perfect to go to heaven, the law doesn’t make any man perfect, then that means that no works of any man can make the man perfect.

It means he’s not good to go. Because heaven is a perfect place. Heaven is not a reward that you get because you deserve. It’s a destination and it’s given to us by grace. But the bringing in of a better hope did, that’s grace. Though what the law could not do, grace could. God says you couldn’t earn it. I got another way. Well, what’s that? I’ll give it to you. No, that’s too easy. That’s too easy. You’ve got to be more complicated than that.

What do I have to do? Nothing is free. No, no, no, no, no. God couldn’t have meant that. Well, if you don’t take it by grace, you don’t get it at all. If you understand what I’m saying, I mean really understand what I’m saying. Would you do me a favor? Would you just raise your hand real quick and put a right back down? Okay, so many of you couldn’t get your hand up. Some people just don’t get it. Even little kids can understand it.

Every Sunday, when we have our third Sunday dinner, I usually will have my pockets full of some candy or a little dish, and I go back to the fellowship hall. And it won’t be long for me. I’m eating and here come a couple of little kids. And, you know, they know it’s free. They know it’s free. I’ll eat them and have them come down my hallway. I’ve had them come looking for me because they know that the preacher’s got something that’s free because they know they don’t have to buy anything.

It don’t cost them any money. And they know they saw where I get the candy from that’s in my office in that door that you open up and it’s sitting right there. They seen me do it. They have helped themselves. I’ll even say you can have one piece and some of them don’t I don’t know how to count. But it’s a shame I have to buy these kids to like me. But I’m hoping by the time they get, you know, 18, 19, they’ll just, you know, they’ll get out of the candy stage.

But they know the difference between something that you gotta pay for and that something is free. But adults, they just can’t seem to get this thing. Don’t miss out on all the fun. Join Pastor Jesse and Kyla Martinez on Thursday nights from 7 to 9 p.m. for Tampa Youth Ranch at Calvary Community Church. Tampa Youth Ranch is a great mix of live music, games, Bible study, food and fun, where teens 13 to 18 get to know God and the Bible with their friends.

Check it out online at tampayouthranch.org and see the cool pictures from past activities and all the fun you’ve been missing. No ride, no problem. Call 813-334-4655 today for information on getting a ride to Tampa Youth Ranch. 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. Caught up to meet the Lord in the air. So live today and every day. Believe it that the Lord is coming soon. just keep in looking up.