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Depravity.

That is not a beautiful word. It means that the corruption of sin has extended to all aspects of our nature, including our entire being. Because of that corruption there is nothing man can do to merit or influence in any way a saving relationship with a holy God.

The fallen person’s relation to a holy God has been radically affected. Because of the effects of the fall, man’s original relationship with God was broken and our entire nature was polluted. As a result of the Fall of man, no individual can do anything, even religious things, that will merit salvation, or eternal life, in God’s sight. There is nothing an individual can do to influence in a positive way a right relationship with God. No action that man does, no matter how good or religious can gain favor with God for salvation.

What was affected by the Fall? The mind (Rom. 1:28; Eph. 4:18), the conscience (Heb. 9:14), the heart or inner being were all corrupted spiritually (Jer. 17:9; Mk. 7:20-23).

We see the depravity of mankind most clearly in the rejection of Jesus Christ in John 1:11. “He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.”

Spiritual depravity is demonstrated by the willfulness and spiritual blindness of everyone apart from the grace of God. The cross of Jesus Christ is the response of fallen man to the goodness of God (1 Cor. 2:14).

How far did man fall? The Bible tells us that when man fell into sin he fell all the way to the bottom and there he lies hopelessly lost, blind and spiritually dead, unable to help himself until God reaches down by grace, lifts him up and gives him spiritual life through the new birth (Rom. 3:9-18).

Left to ourselves we are not the least bit righteous. Sinful man has no ability to save himself (Jn. 1:13). We are corrupted by sin and in rebellion against God.

The apostle Paul tells us how our sinfulness affects a holy God. “The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Romans 1:18). The wrath is revealed against us because we are without excuse (vv. 18-32; cf.1:18; 2:5, 8; 3:5; 4:15; 5:9; 9:22; 12:19; 13:4-5).

The reality and terror of the wrath of God is emphasized in both the Old and New Testaments.

The Bible places emphasis on the wrath of God as a strong and settled opposition to all that is evil. This holiness comes from God’s very nature. He is a holy and righteous God.

The wrath of God is that in His character that is in absolute opposition to all that contradicts His holiness.

God does not flare up with red hot anger as human beings do, but His wrath is described in the Bible as a firm, fearful, hatred of all wickedness that builds up and will one day result in eternal condemnation of all who reject His grace and mercy provided through the atoning death of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Robert Haldane said, “The wrath of God was revealed when the sentence of death was first pronounced, the earth cursed and man driven out of the earthly paradise, . . but especially by the reign of death throughout the world. It was proclaimed by the curse of the law on every transgression and was intimated in the institution of sacrifice and in all the services of the Mosaic dispensation. . . . The whole creation has become subject to vanity and groans and travails together in pain. . . But above all, the wrath of God was revealed from heaven when the Son of God came down to manifest the divine character, and when that wrath was displayed in His sufferings and death in a manner more awful than by all the tokens God has before given to His displeasure against sin.”

Biblical Christianity is God reaching down to save perishing sinners, not men and women reaching out to Him. Jesus Christ died for those who deserve God’s wrath. His death is fully adequate to cover all our sins and depravity and to reconcile us to God (1 John 1:6-9; Rom. 3:21-26; 5:12-21).

Jesus Christ is our only hope. Be sure and read the label. There is a day coming when men are warned to flee the wrath of God (2 Thess. 1:6-10; 2:11-12; Heb. 10:29-31). The coming of Jesus Christ a second time will be suddenly and unexpectedly. Some will meet Him as their Judge and other as their Savior.

If you have never put your trust in Jesus Christ for eternal life I pray that you will right now. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved today from the wrath of God for all eternity.

 
An important point to note first is that we are not to use prayer to try and get God to do what we want done.  Many believers try and use prayer to get their own way, not God's way.  Prayer must be compatible with God's will and God's way. Sometimes that may be our will and our way, but other times it may not.

1JO 5:14-15  "And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him."

Prayer is not designed to get us out of trouble, but rather to express our helplessness, our humility, our total dependence on God, and our recognition of His grace and His mercy toward us.  Prayer is not what we want for ourselves, but what God wants for us.  In fact, prayer is an expression and an extension of Bible doctrine resident in the soul.

We fail in prayer because we fail to understand and utilize Bible doctrine correctly.

JOH 15:7 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you."

Prayer was never designed to fulfill our lusts and desires; prayer is designed to fulfill the will, plan, and purpose of God for our lives.

That's why JAM 4:3 says  "You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your lusts."

So prayer is not a Christmas list.  Too many prayers are an expression of what you want, not what God wants.  This is why we need to pray according to the will of God.  To express the will of God in your prayers, you have to know what the will of God is and therefore how to ask for the will of God rather than your own will in any given matter.

Definition and Description.

Prayer is that function of the Royal Priesthood whereby the Church-age believer has access and privilege to present two categories of requests to God the Father.

1.  Petitions--prayers for yourself.

2.  Intercessory prayers--prayers for others.

Your prayers for others become a ministry unto themselves.  However, many times your prayers for yourself indicate either lack of understanding of the problem-solving devices or the failure to properly utilize them.  As a part of your equal privilege in election, you are a royal priest.  And it is the unique function of the royal priesthood and equal privilege and opportunity for every believer to have an effective ministry.  The most effective service is invisible service such as prayer.  In past dispensations, there were specialized priesthoods in which certain people functioned as priests.  A priest is a person representing the human race (believers) to God.

However, every believer is a priest and therefore any system of specialized priesthood in the Church-age is a false system.  In reality, all believers in the Church-age are Catholic priests.

The word "Catholic" simply means "universal or concerning all mankind."

You have the right to represent yourself before God the Father in the name of the Son and through the power of the Spirit.  God the Father receives our prayers through the person of Jesus Christ in the filling of the Holy Spirit.  So prayer is communication with God for the expression of personal needs in petition and the function of intercession for others.

Prayer is also a weapon and is meant to be used offensively, not defensively, as in the prayer, "Oh God, help!"  Prayer is a weapon which supports pastors and missionaries.

Prayer is thought; therefore, it requires vocabulary, thinking, doctrine, and concentration.  That's why praying in tongues is so ridiculous.

A misconception about prayer is how long you should pray.  Prayers should be brief; this indicates concentration.  The approach to prayer is a part of the predesigned plan of God (PPOG) of the Royal Family of God; it is to be a precise correct procedure.  All prayer is offered to God the Father, not to Jesus Christ or to the Holy Spirit.  Any prayer offered to Christ is automatically cancelled, since it fails to follow God's procedure for prayer.

Paul said in EPH 3:14 "For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father,"

Peter said 1PE 1:17 "And if you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each man's work,"

So prayer is addressed to the Father, MAT 6:6-9.  This is also illustrated by the model prayer for the disciples; the Lord said in MAT 6:6-9 "But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will repay you.  And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition, as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.  Therefore do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need, before you ask Him.  Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name.'"

So all prayer is to be directed to the Father.  It is to be in the name of or through the channel of the Son, Joh  14:13-14 "And whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it."

Believers are to pray in the enabling power (filling) of God the Holy Spirit, EPH 6:18  "With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit."

God the Father, the recipient of prayer, receives prayer from three sources in the Church-age.

a.  From God the Son, HEB 7:25.

b.  From God the Holy Spirit, ROM 8:26-27. 

God the Holy Spirit prays for you when you need help and don't know you need help.  He also prays for people who cannot pray for themselves.  This is probably unique to the Church-age and related to the function of the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit on our behalf.

c.  From Church-age believers as Royal Priests, HEB 4:16. "Let us be approaching the throne of grace with confidence that we may receive mercy and acquire grace with reference to seasonable help."

True confidence can only exist in prayer when the believer attains at least the first stage of spiritual adulthood, spiritual self-esteem, 1JO 3:21-22 "and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commands and do the things that are pleasing in His sight. And this is His command, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and impersonally love one another, just as He commanded us."

Prayer effectiveness is related to reaching spiritual self-esteem.  Failure in prayer is related to no personal love for God or mental attitude sins.  Prayer is also related to the omniscience of God.

ISA 65:24 "Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking, I will hear."

God hears the prayer twice: in eternity past, and at the time of the prayer.  In fact, prayers and their answers were entered into the divine decrees, so that answers, rejections, petitions, interjections, and desires are all printouts of the decrees in the foreknowledge of God.  

God knew and answered all your prayers in eternity past.  All answered prayer is part of your portfolio of invisible assets.  In fact, there is a direct relationship between your prayer life and your portfolio of invisible assets.  Prayer is a part of our equal privilege of election, a part of our royal priesthood.  However, prayer is also a part of our Christian production.  Prayer is a ministry designed for every believer.  Each Church-age believer has the privilege and the right to enter into intercessory prayer for others which is an actual ministry.  Therefore, prayer is one of the most powerful and effective functions in all of history.  Prayer is an invisible power directed toward invisible God in relationship to our invisible assets.  Prayer is most effective when used by invisible heroes, i.e., believers who have attained spiritual maturity.

The more you grow in grace, the greater your spiritual growth, the greater your effectiveness in your prayer life.  This effectiveness is not measured in terms of your eloquence when praying in public, but on the basis of your spiritual growth when praying in private.  So the power of prayer increases as the believer advances in the PPOG for the Church-age.

Prayer as a Command from God.

Prayer is mandated for all dispensations.  While the command for prayer precedes the existence of the PPOG and the royal priesthood, as in certain Old Testament passages, the New Testament records a separate way to pray related to prayer and the plan of God.  The Old Testament command is found in passages like JER 33:3 "Call upon Me and I will show you great and mighty things which you have not discovered."

1SA 12:23 "Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you;"

Prayer was at an all-time low just prior to the Church-age.  Our Lord encouraged the disciples to pray during His time on earth so that they could receive power.

MAT 7:7-8, "Keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking."

JOH 15:7  "Ask whatever you wish and it shall be done for you."

LUK 11:13 "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?"

Since the disciples didn't ask, Christ breathed on them the Holy Spirit.

JOH 20:22 "And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.'"

Then 50 days later in ACT 2:4 "And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit."

Since we are commanded to reside in the PPOG, we are commanded to pray frequently or consistently, "without ceasing."

1TH 5:17 "Keep on praying continually" is a mandate for both habitual and spontaneous prayer.  Therefore, this verse can be translated, "Make a habit of prayer."

In the PPOG you are always in a position to offer prayer. 

EPH 6:18 "By means of all prayer and petition, pray at all times in the Spirit [the filling of the Spirit inside the PPOG], and with this in view, be alert in prayer for all the saints with persistence and petition."

In the PPOG you have alertness for when prayer is needed.  PHI 4:6-7 "Stop worrying about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be known to God.  And the peace of God which passes all understanding shall garrison your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

Thanksgiving is your capacity for appreciation and a part of the function of impersonal love.

You cannot divorce the faith-rest drill from prayer.  Prayer demands faith!

MAT 21:22 "And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive."

MAR 11:24 "All things for which you ask in prayer, believe that you shall receive them, and they shall be given to you."

Without the faith-rest drill, prayer doesn't work.  The key to effective prayer is understanding and making application from your portfolio of invisible assets.  Effective prayer is related to executing the commands of the PPOG.

1JO 3:22 "Whatever we ask, we shall continue to receive from Him, because we continue to execute His mandates and keep on doing what is pleasing in His sight."

Mechanics of Prayer.

Public prayer should be short and should avoid repetition. 

MAT 6:7  "And when you are praying [publicly], do not use meaningless repetition, as Gentiles do, for they assume that they will be heard for their many words."

God is not impressed with fancy vocabulary. 

Remember, "God does not look on the outward appearance, but on the right lobe."

You cannot impress people and God at the same time with your prayers.  In public prayer, you always add the principles of impersonal love, flexibility and thoughtfulness of others.

You must be thoughtful of others in prayer who are gathered with you.  Long prayers should be reserved for private intercession and petition.

MAT 6:6 "But when you pray, go into your private room, and when you have shut the door, pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will provide for you."

There is an agenda for your private prayer.

1) Confession of sin (rebound), if necessary, 1JO 1:9.

This is to ensure the filling of the Spirit or residence in the PPOG.  Only prayer offered in the status quo of the filling of the Spirit will be heard.

2) Thanksgiving expresses the concept of worship in private prayer.

EPH 5:20 "Always giving thanks to God the Father for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

1TH 5:18  "In everything give thanks, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

Capacity for thanksgiving comes from your personal love for God and your impersonal love for others.  This capacity for thanksgiving increases as you grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  It is hard to stay alert when you are in a routine situation, doing the same thing over and over again.  Your thanksgiving to God is a part of your personal love for God.  The more you love God and the more you appreciate Him, the greater your thanksgiving, and the greater your alertness in prayer.

3) Intercession means praying for others, EPH 6:18; JAM 5:16-18. This is a spiritual ministry.  It requires that you have your own private prayer list.

4) Petition is praying for your own needs and situations where you are confused and have not yet learned a problem-solving device for that situation.  Therefore, it is prayer offered on behalf of self, as per HEB 4:16  "Approach boldly the throne of grace, that we might obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

To approach boldly means you approach in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.  There is no place for sloppiness in prayer.  Yet, that's exactly what we have today among believers: emotion, ignorance, stupidity, and sloppiness because we've ignored the Biblical principles that mandate precise correct procedure.  Because of this God the Son as our High Priest makes intercession for us at the right hand of the Father, HEB 7:25.

God the Holy Spirit makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered, ROM 8:26-27.  If God the Son and God the Holy Spirit offer prayer to God the Father, who are we to fail in this precise correct procedure?  You can begin your prayer with the approach, "Heavenly Father, I'm coming in the name of the Son;" or you can conclude your prayer with "in Christ's name, Amen."  You must go through channels, for this is precisely correct procedure.

 There is no place for sloppiness in prayer.  Accurate and effective prayer is one of the most powerful weapons in history.  In prayer, the Christian takes the offensive against Satan in his world.

Prayer is not a system for controlling the lives of others.  We cannot pray a prayer which violates the volition of someone else.  The function of your royal priesthood is for the benefit of yourself and for the benefit of others, but it is not a system whereby you control others.

The Principle of Grace in Prayer.

In his prayer approach, the believer must be compatible with the place where prayer is received, the throne of grace.  Since grace is the principle of prayer, no believer can petition for himself or make intercession on the basis of human merit, ability, morality, production, service or spiritual gift.  Every believer approaches the throne of grace on the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ who is our great High Priest.

While the Father is propitiated with the work of Christ on the Cross, He is no respecter of persons.  Therefore we must approach the Father from inside the PPOG, our position of fellowship.  Inside the PPOG our Lord, during the First Advent, had maximum effectiveness in His prayer life.  That's why the believer out of fellowship is not only weak but has no effectiveness in his prayer life.

God does not answer prayer because the believer is "good," moral, sincere, benevolent, religious, concerned, altruistic, talented or possesses a pleasing personality.  Answer to prayer is a divine decision.  Therefore the believer's popularity with others is never a factor in answered prayer.

Prayer is a weapon.  For any weapon to be used effectively, you must understand how it functions before you use it.  Prayer must be used as a weapon.  Most people blaspheme when they pray because of arrogance while praying and ignorance of how to pray.

Effective Prayer Related to Spiritual Childhood.

You can have effective prayer in spiritual childhood.  But like everything else in spiritual childhood, it is limited and does not peak out until you reach spiritual adulthood.  Three problem-solving devices begun in spiritual childhood have a definite impact on the effectiveness of your prayer life: the rebound technique, the filling of the Spirit, and the faith-rest drill.  These, along with your persistence in the PPOG determine your prayer effectiveness.

The relationship between the effectiveness of prayer and the faith-rest drill is mentioned in many prayer promises.

MAT 21:22  "All things whatsoever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive."

Believing refers to the first stage of the faith-rest drill.

 MAR 11:24  "Therefore I say to you, all things for which you ask in prayer, believe that you will receive them, and they will be given to you."

This refers to the faith-rest drill.  Prayer cannot be effective unless the believer is residing inside the PPOG under the enabling power of the Spirit and consistent momentum from metabolized doctrine.  Metabolized doctrine will help you to understand both the limitations of your prayer life and the fantastic opportunities of your prayer life.  It will limit you in some of your petitions, but it will expand your prayer life in intercessions.  With these two areas of prayer correct, you will have a fantastic prayer life and you will enjoy every minute of it!

Effective prayer depends upon knowing what you're doing. 

1JO 3:22 "Furthermore, whatever we have asked we have received from Him because we continue to execute His commands [residence, function, and momentum in the PPOG], and we keep on doing what is pleasing in His sight [spiritual adulthood]."

The result of rebound in prayer is noted in PHI 4:6.

PHI 4:6 "Stop worrying about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God." 

Worry is mentioned because it's a malfunction of the faith-rest drill, as well as a sign that you're in the cosmic system.  Anything that causes malfunction in the faith-rest drill also means malfunction in your prayer life.  The faith-rest drill makes your prayers effective long before you've learned enough doctrine to know what's going on in the Christian life.  All mental attitude sins are destructive to effective prayer life; they must be eradicated by rebound and the faith-rest drill.

Jud 20  "Praying by means of the Holy Spirit."

This emphasizes the importance of the power of God in prayer.

 Effective Prayer Related to Spiritual Adulthood.

Confidence and effectiveness in prayer can only exist inside the PPOG when the believer has advanced to spiritual adulthood.

Confidence is a virtue directed toward God and is a virtue developed only inside the PPOG.

Confidence in prayer is dependent upon knowledge of God's will. Therefore, effectiveness of prayer must relate to cognizance of the will of God.

1JO 5:14-15 "And this is the confidence which we have face to face with Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.  And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask [and He does], we know that we have the request which we have asked from Him."

This is really a prayer promise for the believer who has reached spiritual adulthood.  At spiritual self-esteem we have that cognitive self-confidence to make all of our prayers effective.

Confidence in prayer reaches its peak at the point of spiritual self-esteem, and continues with maximum effectiveness in spiritual autonomy and spiritual maturity.

 HEB 4:16 "Therefore, let us be approaching the throne of grace with confidence, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in a seasonable time [when under the three categories of suffering for blessing]."

Efficacious prayer exists only to the extent that the believer is grace oriented.  Until the believer attains spiritual adulthood at spiritual self-esteem, his prayers will be semi-effective at best.

Prayer is virtue dependent.  In each stage of spiritual adulthood, the believer's power in prayer increases sensationally.  In spiritual childhood your prayers are not very effective because most of your petitions are related to arrogance, and your intercessions are only for those people you like.  But all intercessory prayers must be impersonal.

The great power in intercessory prayer is impersonal love.

Remember also that prayer does not give you momentum; it is not a cure-all.

The promise to the believer in spiritual adulthood is found in JOH 15:7 "If you abide in Me [life in the PPOG], and My doctrines abide in you, whatever you wish shall be done for you."

The important phrase is "and My doctrines abide in you."

This promise however, is not like a blank check on which you can write any amount you want.

The key to prayer is doctrine first.  When doctrine is in you, then you can "ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you."

The more doctrine you have in you the more you will know how to use the weapon of prayer effectively.  One of your evaluations at the Judgment Seat of Christ will be how many of your prayers were answered.

ROM 12:12  "Rejoicing in hope [your confidence from spiritual self-esteem], persevering in undeserved suffering, devoted to prayer."

One of the signs of spiritual self-esteem is your devotion to prayer in your own life.

Special Prayers.

The sanctification of food or saying "grace" before meals is a special prayer, 1TI 4:4-5. This is a command for all believers. 

1TI 4:4-5 "For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer."

There may be ingredients in the food that are very harmful, but offering this special prayer will protect you.  Grace before meals has a two-fold purpose.

1) The expression of gratitude to God for His logistical grace support, which includes food.

2) Sanctification of that food to eliminate any potential, harmful effects.

There is prayer for those in authority over us.  As citizens of a client nation to God, this is a very important function for believers.

1TI 2:1-2 "First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness [life in the PPOG] and dignity."

 Verse one points out that there are certain people for whom we should express our thanksgiving to God in prayer.  In addition, there is intercession on behalf of all mankind and petition for ourselves.  Verse two gets specific--we are commanded to pray for governmental authority and all other authority.  When you reach spiritual adulthood and impersonal love toward all mankind, this prayer really becomes effective.

Having impersonal love gives you the ability to forget about the personality, the idiocy, the antagonism of others, and to actually pray for those people with whom you do not agree, who are leading our nation the wrong way, or who are damaging our client nation. Impersonal love gives you phenomenal power for such a prayer.  The confidence to offer such a prayer comes from personal love for God.

There is also prayer for the sick, JAM 5:15 "and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick."

There is prayer for the unsaved, ROM 10:1 "Brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation."

Paul prayed for the salvation of unbelieving Jews.  Although you cannot pray that their volition will be coerced, you can pray that certain things will happen to try to open their eyes to the importance of the Gospel and have the opportunity to believe in Jesus Christ.

There is prayer for your enemies, MAT 5:44 "But I say to you, love your enemies [impersonal love], and pray for those who persecute you."

This prayer reflects the phenomenal dynamics in spiritual adulthood from the confidence of spiritual self-esteem and the impersonal love of spiritual autonomy.

There is prayer for spiritual adulthood, EPH 1:15-19.

EPH 1:15-19 "For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you, and your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe."

PHI 1:9 "And I pray this, that your virtue-love may abound still more and more in metabolized doctrine and all discernment."

Virtue-love is confidence from personal love for God and impersonal love toward man from spiritual adulthood.  Virtue-love is not only a problem-solving device used to pass momentum testing, but at the same time, it is also maximum effectiveness in prayer.

This is especially true for these categories of special prayers.

COL 1:9 "For this reason, we also [Timothy, Titus, Luke, and Paul], from the day we heard [the Epaphras report - pastor at Colosse], we have not ceased to pray for you, and to ask that you might be filled with all metabolized doctrine of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding."

Wisdom and spiritual understanding are characteristics of spiritual self-esteem and spiritual autonomy.

 There is prayer for the communication and communicators of Bible doctrine: for pastor-teachers, missionaries, evangelists, 2TH 3:1; HEB 13:18.

2TH 3:1 "Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you;"

COL 4:2-3 "Devote yourselves to prayer; in it, keeping alert with an attitude of thanksgiving, praying at the same time for us [teachers of Bible doctrine] as well, that God may open up to us a door for the teaching of the Word [doctrine], so that we may communicate [teach] the mystery doctrine from Christ."

There is the prayer of widows, that is, ladies who become single either by the death, divorce, or abandonment of their husbands.

1TI 5:5 "Now she who is a widow and has been left alone, and has fixed her confidence on God, she also continues in petitions and prayers [intercession] night and day."

This special category of widows in spiritual adulthood can pray both night and day (more often than once a day) for themselves and for others.  As a result of their very tranquil and uncomplicated life, they are able to be effective in continuous prayer on behalf of others.

Dynamics of Intercessory Prayer.

Intercessory prayer is prayer for others.  For example, there is the very popular prayer of Elijah on Mount Carmel which demonstrates the power of intercessory prayer for the nation, 1KI 18:42-46; JAM 5:16-18.

JAM 5:16-18 "Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain; and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the sky poured rain, and the earth produced its fruit."

The power of intercessory prayer was also exercised in the early church on behalf of Peter, who was in prison and about to be executed.

ACT 12:5  "So Peter was being kept in prison, but fervent prayer was made for him to God by the church."

The result of this prayer was Peter's dramatic deliverance.  He was chained between two Roman soldiers.  But with every Roman guard asleep, Peter simply walked out of the prison.

Prayer for unbelievers is legitimate and a part of your dynamics of intercessory prayer.  However, remember not to attempt to violate their volition by asking God to make them believe in Christ.

Paul said ROM 10:1 "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them [Jews] is for their salvation."

Do not let anyone tell you that you cannot pray for the unsaved; you can, you just can't pray that God will touch their volition.  Our Lord's intercessory prayer for the Church is found in John 17, the most phenomenal intercessory prayer ever made.  The disciples' prayer of MAT 6:9-13 is a prayer only for Israel during Christ's incarnation.  It asks for the institution of His millennial reign, which cannot be fulfilled until the Second Advent.  Therefore, it doesn't apply in the Church-age.

 The dynamics of Paul's intercessory prayers are seen in EPH 1:15-23, EPH 3:14-21, and PHI 1:9-11.  In all these passages, Paul prayed for the spiritual growth of those whom he prayed for.  God also intercedes for us in prayer.  Because we have related prayer to our personal desires and lust pattern, we have acquired certain false concepts with regard to prayer and Bible doctrine in general; therefore, many times both our lives and our prayers fail.

For this reason, our Lord Jesus Christ as our High Priest makes intercession for us at the right hand of the Father.

HEB 7:24-25 "On the other hand, He abides forever; consequently, He holds His priesthood permanently.  Therefore, also, He is able to deliver completely those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for us."

The fact that our Lord always makes intercession for us indicates that we have not completely understood the doctrine of prayer.  Many times we pray under pressure or stress.

Under those conditions, the Holy Spirit does a better job and intercedes for us. 

ROM 8:26-27, "And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weaknesses; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what is the thinking of the Spirit, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God."

Our prayers often fail simply because of lack of concentration.  We fail to concentrate on doctrine in the power of the Spirit which reflects our failure to concentrate in prayer in the power of this same Holy Spirit.  We fail in prayer because we fail to metabolize and utilize Bible doctrine properly.  Prayer is a part of Christian service, and as such, prayer must comply with the doctrinal principles of Christian service.  Since every believer is in full time Christian service, he should express in prayer the concepts related to that service.  Therefore, his intercession for others will be divine good rather than human good or dead works.

The principles of Christian service apply to every prayer just as much as they do to witnessing or to the fact that your job is a part of Christian service.  Spiritual skills must precede production skills for the performance of divine good in prayer.

Spiritual skills include the filling of the Holy Spirit, cognition and inculcation of Bible doctrine, and the execution of the PPOG.

Therefore, our spiritual advance through perception, metabolization, and application of doctrine is directly related to our prayer life as a part of our Christian service.

 Prayer and Problem Solving.

In 2CO 12:9, our Lord tells Paul why prayer is not the solution to the problem in context (which is of course, the thorn in the flesh).

2CO 12:7-8 "And because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me -- to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I entreated the Lord three times that it might depart from me."

  Then notice the correct translation from the original, verse 9 "Then He assured me for my benefit, My grace has been and still is sufficient for you; for My power is put into effect [made operational, accomplished, carried out, fulfilled] in the status of weakness [grace orientation]. Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me."

The thorn suffering was causing all things to work together for good in Paul's life.  Paul's recognition of his human helplessness to solve the problem opened the door for the divine initiative of grace and for the problem-solving devices to do the job.  The most important thing in your spiritual life is to have ten problem-solving devices deployed; for there are no solutions to the problems of life apart from these problem-solving devices.  The problem-solving devices are the system of application of doctrine to your experience.

It's interesting that prayer is not one of the problem-solving devices.

Paul prayed three times to God the Father that He would make this thorn in the flesh suffering go away.  In reality, he was praying that his spiritual life be ruined, because the thorn in the flesh was suffering for blessing to accelerate his advance to maturity.  Instead of using his problem-solving devices, Paul retreated in his spiritual life and tried to use prayer as leverage against God to get God to do Paul's will.  Paul was using prayer in blasphemy.

Prayer is not a problem-solving device.  Prayer is only effective in your life, when the problem-solving devices are being used.  When you have the problem-solving devices, you have the solution to everything.  When you have the solution to every problem in life, you stop emphasizing the suffering and you rejoice in the solution ("I will rather boast about my weaknesses").

The problem-solving devices must function for prayer to be effective.

Problem-solving device #1, Rebound - PSA 66:18 "If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear."

Problem-solving device #2, The Filling of the Spirit - Jud 20 "Pray at all times in the Spirit."

Problem-solving device #3, The Faith-Rest Drill - MAT 21:22  "All things whatsoever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive."

Problem-solving device #4, Grace Orientation - HEB 4:16 "Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need."

Problem-solving device #5, Doctrinal Orientation - JOH 15:7 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you."

Problem-solving device #6, A Personal Sense of Destiny, - 1JO 3:22  "and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight."

Problem-solving device #7, Personal Love for God the Father - PHI 1:9  "In fact, I pray this, that your love [for God] may excel to the maximum"

 Problem-solving device #8, Impersonal Love for all mankind - MAT 5:44 "But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you"

Problem-solving device #9, (+H) or sharing the Happiness of God - PHI 1:4  "always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all,"

Problem-solving device #10, Occupation with Christ - PSA 116:1-2 "I love the LORD, because He hears my voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live."

So the problem-solving devices must function for prayer to be effective.  When prayer is ineffective, prayer becomes a system of manipulation, of distortion, of arrogance, an instrument of legalism, instead of an instrument of power and service to the Lord.

 Four Categories of Petition in Prayer.

When you offer a petition or prayer for yourself to God, there is the thing for which you ask, called the petition, and then behind that petition is your desire or motive for it.  The four categories that follow show that God views both parts of your prayer as separate, and answers each part either positively or negatively.

Positive - Negative.  Your petition is answered yes, but your desire behind it is answered no.

For example, you pray to make a million dollars in order for your happiness; the answer is yes, you'll make a million dollars, but no, you will not be happy.

In 1SA 8:5-9 and 19-20, the Jews wanted to have a human king they could see (petition), so they could be like other nations (desire to be happy).  God answered their petition yes, and permitted them to pick out their own king.  They wanted someone who was taller, stronger and more handsome than the kings of the nations around them; by this criterion they picked Saul.

Their desire to be happy with a human king was answered no; Saul turned out terrible and the Jews suffered miserably as a result.

In PSA 106:13-15, the Jews were tired of the great divine provision of manna, the greatest health food ever.  They longed for the Egyptian meat and food they used to eat.  God answered their petition yes; He sent them quail.  But the desire for satisfaction or "food happiness" was not answered; instead, they suffered terribly from it and thousands died.

Then there's the Negative - Positive.  The answer to the petition is no; the desire behind the petition is answered yes.

In this example the answer is no, you will not make a million dollars, but yes, you will be happy.

In GEN 17:18, Abraham prayed that Ishmael, the son of Hagar, might be his heir.

God said no to Ishmael becoming his heir, but yes to the desire behind it--to have an heir; for he eventually had Isaac.

In GEN 18:23-33, Abraham prayed that God would spare Sodom.  After bargaining with God, Abraham settled with asking God to spare Sodom if there were ten believers; he was sure there were at least ten believers in that large city of perhaps 200,000 people.

He was wrong; there were only three believers.  The petition to spare Sodom was answered no; the desire that Lot and his two daughters be preserved was answered yes.

 In 2CO 12:7-10 Paul prayed three times that God would remove his thorn in the flesh.

God answered no to the petition, because his suffering was the blessing of providential preventative suffering, designed to strengthen his spiritual self-esteem so that he might advance to spiritual autonomy, the more stable stage where one is less prone to arrogance.

Hence his desire, to continue to grow in grace and so glorify God was answered yes.  Offering this prayer three times was an abuse of prayer by Paul.  Paul prayed intensely for this thorn to be removed.  Paul prayed urgently for its removal, but he was wrong to use prayer because this called for the use of the problem-solving devices.  If God had answered Paul's prayer, Paul would have missed out on one of the greatest blessings of life - spiritual maturity.  The Lord did not even answer Paul until after he had prayed the wrong prayer three times.  Remember what the Lord does not remove by way of intense suffering, He intends for us to resolve through the ten problem-solving devices.  You do not pray about adversity; you use your problem-solving devices.

Positive - Positive.  Both the petition and desire are answered yes.  In JUD 16:28, Samson was blinded and tied up in the temple of Dagon.  "Then Samson called to the Lord and prayed saying, O Lord Jehovah, please remember me and please strengthen me just one time, O God, that with one blow I may get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes."

Both his petition, to strike the Philistines, and his desire, revenge, were answered yes. Why?  Not because God approves of revenge, but because of the degeneracy of the Philistines.

Samson was the instrument that God used.  He got his strength back, wrapped his arms around two pillars of the temple, and pulled the whole building down on all of them.

In 1Ki 18, Elijah built an altar, dug a trench around it, and prepared a sacrifice for the Lord.  Then he instructed that water be poured on the offering and on the wood three times, so much water was poured that it filled the trench.

Elijah then prayed that God would light his offering on the altar with fire.  God answered yes.

1KI 18:38 "Then the fire of God fell down and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, the dust, and also licked up the water in the trench."

His desire was expressed in 1KI 18:36 "O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, today let it be known that You are the God of Israel and that I am your servant, and I have done all these things at Your Word."   This was answered yes.

In LUK 23:42-43 is the petition of the dying thief, "Then he kept saying, 'Jesus, remember me when You come into your kingdom.'"

This petition was answered yes.  His desire was for salvation, and Jesus answered this affirmatively in verse 43, "Jesus replied to him, 'I tell you the truth, today you will be with Me in paradise.'"

In JOH 11:41-45, the petition was for the resuscitation of Lazarus; the desire was that the bystanders who witnessed this might be saved.

Both petition and desire were answered yes. 

JOH 11:45 "Therefore, many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary saw what He had done, and they believed in Him."

 Negative - Negative.  The answer is no to both the petition and the desire; in other words, God doesn't answer either.  This leads us to our next point: reasons why prayers are not answered.

 Why the Believer's Prayers are not Answered.

General reasons for failure in prayer are always related to carnality, being out of fellowship, or residence in the cosmic system.  "Cosmic" comes from the Greek word "kosmos" which is translated world in the Bible, and it refers to Satan's strategy as the ruler of this world to control believers.  It is His policy for the rulership of this world.  In fact, Satan is called the ruler of this kosmos in JOH 12:31 "Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world shall be cast out."

This is why John said 1JO 2:15 "Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love for the Father is not in him."

JAM 4:4 "You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."

Now, Satan's cosmic system is composed of two separate philosophies.

Cosmic one is Satan's exploitation of believers and unbelievers through their own arrogance. This is his means of controlling the human race.  Satan invented arrogance, for arrogance was his original sin.

Cosmic two is Satan's propaganda and indoctrination college to educate and promote antagonism toward anything related to God, especially the grace of God.

Cosmic one emphasizes arrogance and abnormal preoccupation with self.  Cosmic two emphasizes antagonism and intolerance toward the plan, purpose, and will of God, as well as toward all Christians executing it.

The target of cosmic one is yourself; the target of cosmic two is Bible doctrine.

In cosmic one, we destroy ourselves. 

In cosmic two, we become antagonistic toward Bible doctrine.

So general reasons for failure in prayer are always related to carnality, being out of fellowship, or residence in the cosmic system.

PSA 66:18  "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me."

Residence in cosmic one grieves the Holy Spirit, which means your prayers cannot be answered, EPH 4:30.

In cosmic two the believer quenches the Spirit, relying on human power rather than divine power in 1TH 5:19, and again, your prayers cannot be heard.  The only prayer which can be heard is rebound, which is the private confession of your sins to God; in that sense, it is a prayer.

The general reason for malfunction of prayer and unanswered prayers is always related to the believer's rejection of Bible doctrine.  Whatever your reason for rejecting doctrine, it means you have no understanding of the mechanics of prayer.  Only Bible doctrine teaches the mechanics of prayer and only Bible doctrine teaches the will of God.

 Your prayers must comply with the will of God and must follow the precise correct procedure for prayer.  Remember that arrogant believers never get through to the throne of grace.

1JO 3:22 tells us why some prayers are not answered and that is because believers do not fulfill what the verse says, "Furthermore, whatever we have asked, we receive from Him, because we continue to execute His mandates, and we keep on doing what is pleasing in His sight."

Therefore, prayer is related to your fulfillment of the PPOG and the execution of the Christian way of life.  Prayer becomes more and more effective as we execute His mandates.

You can have effective prayer right from the start of your spiritual life if you execute God's commands.  However, to become a great prayer warrior demands your daily intake of doctrine and the daily use of the problem-solving devices you have learned.  Then you don't depend on others to solve your problems but you handle your own problems from the doctrinal techniques you've been taught.

To do "what is pleasing in His sight" describes spiritual adulthood when the believer reaches the peak in his prayer life.  Therefore, failure to execute His commands and to attain spiritual adulthood ("do what is pleasing in His sight") impedes, obstructs, inhibits, and undermines all effective prayer.

Probably the least known of all reasons for unanswered prayer is malfunction in marriage or lack of domestic tranquility.

1PE 3:7 "Likewise you husbands, live with your wives on the basis of knowledge as with a weaker vessel, since she is a woman, and show her respect as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered."

Note that when there is a domestic problem, the husband is not commanded to love but he is commanded to show the woman respect because she is a member of the body of Christ, so that his prayers are not hindered.  From this, we can conclude that personal love for people is not a problem-solving device.  Only knowledge of doctrine and resultant virtue can solve domestic problems.  The woman is a weaker vessel since she is designed by God as a responder.

Being a responder explains why the woman must be under more authority than the man.  So failure in your marital life can spill over into failure in your prayer life.  And failure in your prayer life simply reflects failure in your spiritual life.

However, of all the categories of sin and carnality which hinder effective prayer, arrogance is the number one cause of failure, not only in prayer, but also in the spiritual life.  It is the number one reason why people are not teachable, why people are not flexible, and why people do not profit from suffering.  We produce our own arrogance without any help from anyone else, for we all have an old sin nature which daily knocks at the door and says, "How about a little arrogance today?"

JOB 35:12-13 "They cry out, but He [God] does not answer because of the arrogance of evil men.  Surely God will not listen to a phony [empty] prayer [cry], nor will the Almighty regard it."

Prayer is also not answered because of lust, criminality, jealousy, and false motivation, which neutralize prayer.

 JAM 4:2-4 is addressed to believers: "You lust and do not have [what you want], so you commit murder.  Also, you are jealous and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel.  You do not have, because you do not ask.  You ask [in prayer] and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on pleasures or lusts.  You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."

The point is that lust and murder, jealousy and fighting are the wrong way to get what you want.  And if you ask from wrong motives, you won't get it either.  Lust is a wrong motive for prayer.  When some believers don't get what they want, they commit murder in frustration, and the failure of their prayer life has resulted in criminality.  Remember there are born-again believers who commit murder, like David did.  And then there's millions of born again believers who commit murder every day...

1JO 3:15  "Everyone who hates his fellow-believer is a murderer;"

And in JAM 4:2, jealousy is also a wrong motive for prayer. 

If you're jealous of your friend or loved one, your relationship will never work because you're constantly trying to bend them to your way.  And since you can't obtain through jealousy, you fight and quarrel.  Lust and jealousy as wrong motives both come from wanting things for your pleasure.  So the whole system of failure in prayer becomes failure in the PPOG.

When the client nation is under the cycles of discipline, prayer for deliverance cannot be answered, LAM 3:44.

This is because the justice of God is going to remove that nation. 

LAM 3:44  "You have covered yourself with a cloud [negative volition] so that no prayer can get through."

Malfunction of the faith-rest drill in prayer means the malfunction of effective prayer, MAR 11:24.

MAR 11:24 "I say to you, all things for which you ask and pray, believe that you shall receive them, and you shall be given them."

With the malfunction of faith-rest drill in prayer, your life eventually malfunctions. 

Prayer is an index to your spiritual life.  It is something that all believers are commanded to do.

If you're not praying correctly or fail in prayer for any reason, that means there's some problem in your spiritual life; there's some kink, some syndrome, some arrogance.

The problem will overflow to every aspect of your life.

Imprecatory prayers are legal and valid for other dispensations but not for the Church-age believer.  Imprecatory prayers are basically found in the Psalms in which the authors call for misfortune and disaster to strike their enemies.  They prayed that God would pour out His wrath and righteous judgment upon their foes.

Let's look at some examples of imprecatory psalms.

PSA 35:1-3 "Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; Fight against those who fight against me.  Take hold of buckler and shield, And rise up for my help.  Draw also the spear and the battle-axe to meet those who pursue me; Say to my soul, 'I am your salvation.'"

 PSA 35:4-8 "Let those be ashamed and dishonored who seek my life; Let those be turned back and humiliated who devise evil against me.  Let them be like chaff before the wind, With the angel of the Lord driving them on.  Let their way be dark and slippery, With the angel of the Lord pursuing them.  For without cause they hid their net for me; Without cause they dug a pit for my soul.  Let destruction come upon him unawares; And let the net which he hid catch himself; Into that very destruction let him fall."

PSA 35:26 "Let those be ashamed and humiliated altogether who rejoice at my distress; Let those be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify themselves over me."

PSA 55:15 "Let death come deceitfully upon them; Let them go down alive to Sheol, For evil is in their dwelling, in their midst."

PSA 58:6-8 "O God, shatter their teeth in their mouth; Break out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord.  Let them flow away like water that runs off; When he aims his arrows, let them be as headless shafts.  Let them be as a snail which melts away as it goes along, Like the miscarriages of a woman which never see the sun."

PSA 59:13 "Destroy them in wrath, destroy them, that they may be no more; That men may know that God rules in Jacob, To the ends of the earth. Selah."

PSA 109:6-14 "Appoint a wicked man over him; And let an accuser stand at his right hand.  When he is judged, let him come forth guilty; And let his prayer become sin.  Let his days be few; Let another take his office.  Let his children be fatherless, And his wife a widow.  Let his children wander about and beg; And let them seek sustenance far from their ruined homes.  Let the creditor seize all that he has; And let strangers plunder the product of his labor.  Let there be none to extend lovingkindness to him, Nor any to be gracious to his fatherless children.  Let his posterity be cut off; In a following generation let their name be blotted out.  Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord, And do not let the sin of his mother be blotted out.  Let them be before the Lord continually, That He may cut off their memory from the earth;"

PSA 109:20  "Let this be the reward of my accusers from the Lord, And of those who speak evil against my soul."

PSA 137:7-9  "Remember, O Lord, against the sons of Edom the day of Jerusalem, who said, 'Raze it, raze it, To its very foundation.'  O daughter of Babylon, you devastated one, How blessed will be the one who repays you with the recompense with which you have repaid us.  How blessed will be the one who seizes and dashes your little ones against the rock."

PSA 140:6-10 "I said to the Lord, Thou art my God; Give ear, O Lord, to the voice of my supplications.  O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation, Thou hast covered my head in the day of battle.  Do not grant, O Lord, the desires of the wicked; Do not promote his evil device, lest they be exalted. Selah.  As for the head of those who surround me, May the mischief of their lips cover them.  May burning coals fall upon them; May they be cast into the fire, Into deep pits from which they cannot rise."

We can't pray like this!  I mean you can, but the Lord will not hear your prayer!

 In contrast to this spirit of retaliation, the Lord Jesus Christ taught that we should love our enemies, MAT 5:43-48.  Therefore, imprecatory prayers are not answered by God.

One of the greatest problems related to prayer is concentration.  All forms of worship are a concentration test.  This test can be divided into three categories.

Concentration on the teaching of doctrine.  This reflects your values, your motivation, your spiritual condition, and your spiritual status quo.  Bible doctrine should have number one priority.

Concentration in the communion service.  The communion service is a reflection of the person and work of Christ.

Concentration in your personal and private prayers, during public prayers when others are praying, and in your petitions and intercessions.  Prayer is a challenge to concentration.

The pattern of concentration in all forms of worship is established in the function of your perception, metabolization, and application of Bible doctrine.

If you can concentrate on Bible doctrine in time of stress, adversity, or even in time of prosperity, then you can concentrate in prayer.

There is a direct relationship between concentration in Bible study under the ministry of the Holy Spirit and concentration in prayer under the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

 Conclusion

The prayer that could not be answered--our Lord's prayer on the Cross.

PSA 22:1 indicates that the time of this prophecy is the cross. 

"My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning [screaming]."

PSA 22:2 states the unanswered prayer, "O my God, I cry out by day [first three hours, 9 a.m. - 12 noon] and then by night there is no silence for Me [the continued prayer of our Lord during the darkness that surrounded the cross from 12 noon - 3 p.m. when He was being judged for our sins]."

PSA 22:3 tells the reason why that prayer could not be answered in one phrase, "You are Holy. You who art enthroned upon the praises of Israel."

God the Father was imputing our sins to Christ and judging them from His Holiness.  Therefore, He couldn't answer the prayer for deliverance on the cross.

In PSA 22:4-6, Jesus even pointed out to the Father that He had previously delivered Israel under stringent conditions.  "Our fathers trusted in You [faith-rest]; they trusted, and You delivered them [You answered their prayers].   They cried out to You in prayer and were delivered; they trusted You and were not disappointed."

So why couldn't our Lord's prayer be answered?  The reason is given in PSA 22:6, "But I am a worm."

The Hebrew word for worm, TOLA, is not the word for an ordinary worm. This worm was used for red dye in the ancient world.  It was crushed in a vat; the blood extracted was used to produce the crimson dye used for the robes of kings and aristocrats.

So the answer, "I am a worm," illustrates why His prayer could not be answered.  He was being crushed for our sins, so that you and I, as royal family of God, could wear the crimson robe of the royal family forever.

"And I am not a man" means "I am no longer human."  As a Hebrew idiom, this phrase portrays the substitutionary saving work of Christ on the cross.  And it says He was "scorned by men and despised by people."

Christ was being judged for our sins.  Therefore, prayer at that time from the humanity of Christ could not be answered because He was made sin for us.

PSA 22:7 says He was being ridiculed by gesture.  "All who see Me mock Me; they gesture insults; they keep wagging their heads."

This was fulfilled in MAT 27:39-40.

PSA 22:8 gives some of the verbal sarcastic abuse of the crowd, fulfilled in MAT 27:39-44.  "They kept shouting, 'He trusts in the Lord; let the Lord rescue Him.  Let Him deliver Him since He delights in Him.'"

Our Lord's prayer was heard by all who were there, and they saw that it couldn't be answered!  But they didn't understand the reason - because He was bearing their sins and our sins in His own body on the cross.

"He who knew no sin was made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him."

The only prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ that could not be answered could not be answered because it was the way of our so-great salvation.  He was being judged for our sins; He was our substitute; He was taking our place.  During His time on the cross, He could only be judged; and during His judgment His prayer could not be answered.  Because our Lord endured this judgment in our place, our access to God in prayer is always available for us.

http://www.gbible.org/

The Christian's glorification describes their ultimate and complete conformity to the image of Christ Jesus.

It is the final link in the great golden chain of salvation and it is so certain that it is going to happen that the apostle Paul refers to it as having already happened (Romans 8:30).

Another great promise is given to us in Philippians 1:6. “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” 

God makes us like His Son. To be glorified is another way of saying the believer will be "conformed" to the character of Christ which is God’s ultimate purpose for the Christian. No longer will the Christian "fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

God’s great plan of salvation reaches from eternity past to eternity future, and He will accomplish it perfectly. God’s plan is going to succeed. There is always the now and the yet to be in regard to our salvation. We are saved and we will be saved. We are justified and one day we will be glorified. The apostle Paul speaks of a reality that has come and the promise that it is to come.

The apostle Paul was absolutely certain that one day every believer in Jesus Christ would be completely like Christ in character. That great fact should influence the choices we make and our behavior every day. There is no greater encourage for daily living than the fact that we already share the glory of God. Moreover, there is an eternal weight of glory accompanying the believer when he gets to heaven. The more suffering here, the more glory there. 

In the great golden chain of salvation, not a single person is lost. Called, justified, glorified. Our glorification is so certain that in God’s eyes it is as good as done.

The election, effectual calling and justification have already taken place in the believer's experience, but the glorification is yet to take place in the future.

However, the apostle Paul speaks of it as having already taken place. Bible scholars have asked why then, does Paul use the same past tense when he speaks of glorification as he does for the other acts of God? Many scholars suggest Paul is using the Hebrew idea of the "prophetic past" by which a predicted event is marked out as so certain of fulfillment that it is described as though it had already taken place. The Christian has not yet been glorified because it is yet in the future, but their glory is so sure in the eternal purposes of God that Paul can say, "them He also glorified."

J. B. Phillips says, God “lifted them to the splendor of life as His own sons.”

What a wondrous thought that God cares so much about His children that He allows us to participate even now as we will more fully when the great consummation comes (1 John 3:1-2).

We share the glory of God, the blessed hope of Christ’s return. Therefore, nothing shall separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Since God is for us, all things work together for our good and His glory. The eternal purpose of God is constantly moving toward the fulfilment of that one goal (Rom. 8:17-23, 30; Col. 3:4; 1 Pet. 4:13; 1 Cor. 15:49; 2 Cor. 3:18; Phil. 3:21; 1 John 3:2)

The conformity of the believer to Christ comprises the transformation of the body of our humiliation to the likeness of the body of Christ’s glory (Phil. 3:21). Paul has in mind the  conformity to the image of the incarnate Son as glorified by His exaltation. However, keep in mind the glorified Christ does not cease to be the eternal Son and it is the eternal Son who is the glorified incarnate Son.

Christ is preeminent among many brethren. He is the "firstborn" among many brethren. Christ is not ashamed to call us his brethren. "For indeed he who makes holy and those being made holy all have the same origin, and so he is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters" (Hebrews 2:11, The NET Bible). 

The glorification of the Christian has no meaning without the manifestation of Christ’s glory. Our glorification is bound up with the coming of Christ in His glory. And then we shall be like Him.

The Bible teaches us that it is certain that one day we will be with Jesus Christ and completely like Him. We will not become God like the cults teach, but we will be like Christ in His communicable attributes of love, joy, peace, patience, mercy, wisdom, faithfulness, grace, goodness, self-control, etc. Are you becoming like Him today?

"Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God" (Colossians 3:1, The NET Bible). That is the best preparation for our coming glorification.

Re:20:11: And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
Re:20:12: And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Re:20:13: And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Re:20:14: And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Re:20:15: And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Intro: Some time ago there was a young foreign student who flunked out at the University of Michigan. In shame he decided to disappear. For the next four years he hid in the unused attic of an Ann Arbor church. Taking great pains to conceal himself, he quietly prowled around only at night, living off food and water from the kitchen. He never left the building or spoke to a soul. No one ever suspected he was there. Then one day a slight mistake gave him away. Accidentally the young recluse made some noise, the police were called, and he was finally discovered.
How foolish this young man was to try and hide from his failure. Yet, he is not as foolish as the person who seeks to hide from God! The world is filled with people who live as though they have no sin. They live as though God did not exist. They live as though they will never face God is judgment.
Unfortunately, what they hope will happen will never come to pass. You see, these verses, tell us about a time when every lost sinner will face the Lord in judgment. There will be nowhere to hide on that day. No one will hide behind excuses, ignorance, false professions, etc. Every one will face Jesus Christ as Lord and Judge and they will all receive a just sentence for their sins.
I want to examine the facts concerning an event that is known as The Great White Throne Judgment. Before I begin, I want you to know that there will not be one single born again individual that will stand in judgment here. This is a judgment seat for the lost. Let's notice the facts surrounding this judgment as I preach on the thought Nowhere To Hide.
I. V. 11 THERE WILL BE NO HIDING FROM THE JUDGE ON THE THRONE
A. The Picture In This Throne - There are two adjectives used to describe this throne.
1. It is called Great - This word refers to its power. This is the highest court in the universe! When judgment is rendered from this throne, there is no appeal to a higher court, for there is no higher court! This is the place of highest authority and final judgment.
(Ill. The closest we can come to understanding this court is our Supreme Court. There is no higher court in the land and judgments rendered there are final. This is this as the Supreme Court of the Universe.)
2. It is called White - This speaks of the purity of this court. All human courts are stained by sin, prejudice and fallibility. This court, on the other hand, is absolutely perfect and the judgment rendered here is always fair and righteous. The Judge who occupies this bench is infallible. He is no tainted by sin or prejudice, but He renders judgment in perfect righteousness and fairness.
(Ill. Not a single person judged here will cry "unfair". Every sinner judged and sentenced will know that they have received perfect and fair judgment.)
B. The Person On This Throne - The Bible tells us that this throne is occupied by a person. However, His identity is not revealed here. However, the Bible does tell us in other places just Who is on this throne.
1. His Name - The man on this throne is none other that the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, John 5:22-23, 27, 30; Acts 10:40-42; 2 Tim. 4:1. The Savior will be the Sentencer in that day!
2. His Nature - This is no lowly Nazerene who occupies this throne. This isn't a poor, humble carpenter. This is a resurrected conqueror. This is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. His appearance is described for us by the prophet Daniel, Dan. 7:9-10.
(Ill. His presence is so terrible and powerful that even the heavens and the earth flee from before Him. Nature has the good sense to bow before this judge! Why is it that sinners have such a difficult time doing the same?)
(Ill. I just want to remind you that we still live in the day of grace. During this time in history, a sinner can come before God and cry out for forgiveness and the Lord will receive them and save them by His grace. Today is the day of grace. Today is the day of forgiveness. Today is the day of repentance. Today is the day of salvation. Today is the day of mercy. There will be none of those things dispensed in that day! Only judgment, swift and sure will issue from this great white throne and from the Lord Jesus Christ!)
C. The Perception Of This Throne - The Bible tells us here that there was found no place for the heavens and the earth to hide from the gaze of the One on the throne. It needs to be remembered that this righteous Judge sees all and He knows all. There is no sin hidden from Him and no thought has ever been concealed. There will be no pretending and no pretense on that great judgment day, but only a sure recounting of every sinful deed and every sinful thought. Nothing will be hidden!
(Ill. Some think they are getting away with things now, but the truth is, God knows all about you and what you have been doing and thinking. He knows everything there is to know about you! Ill. Psa. 33:13-15; Psa. 44:21; Pro. 5:21; Pro. 15:3; Pro. 21:2; Heb. 4:13. Friend, you haven't hidden a thing from God! And, you can be sure, one day, those sins will come back to haunt you - Num. 32:23; Gal. 6:9.)
Friend, you will not hide from this righteous Judge! He will know all there is to know about you before you appear in His presence. He knows you intimately!)
I. No Hiding From The Judge On The Throne
II. V. 12-13 THERE WILL BE NO HIDING FROM THE JUSTICE AT THE THRONE
A. The Defendants Appearing At The Throne - Here we are told that those appearing before the throne are the "dead". This tells us, without question, that there will not be a single born again believer in the group. Why? The Bible tells us that we who have trusted Jesus as our Saviour have "passed from death unto life", John 5:24. We have been given eternal, abundant life through the blood of the Lamb and can never lose that or be dead for ever. This can only mean on thing: this mass of humanity will be made up completely of those who are spiritually dead, Eph. 2:1. Note also that this group includes all the spiritually dead! None is left out! The king, the pauper, the general, the foot soldier, the master, the slave, the borrower and the lender will all stand before God. None will escape and none will hide, but all will face the Righteous Judge in judgment that day! Preachers, deacons, church members, popes, priests, nuns, choir members, drunks, whores, drug addicts, pimps, pushers, grandmothers, grandfathers, teenagers, moms and dads, will all stand together before the throne to face their judgment! There will be no escape and there will be no exceptions. Every person who died without Jesus Christ will face Him in this Judgment one day! Notice verse 13. It reminds us that all who died, regardless of where they died will appear. Even those who are in Hell will be brought out for this judgment. Every lost sinner from Cain to the last one will stand before the Lord Jesus Christ! (Will you be in that number?)
B. The Documents Used At The Throne - the Bible tells us here that the "books" will be opened. Only one of these books is named and it is called the "book of life." I don't know all the books that will be used that day, but I am sure of a few that will be opened. Allow me to share them with you for a moment.
1. The Bible - Jesus Himself reminded us that we would be judged out of His Word - John 12:48. That's right! This Bible that sinners mock and refuse to heed will be used to render judgment upon their lives that day. Better to believe it now and go to Heaven than reject it and then face it in judgment and go to Hell!
2. The Book Of Deeds - In Heaven, there is record being kept of the deeds of all men. One day, every lost men will stand before the Lord and here the record of his life read from the throne. Every deed, both good and evil will be mentioned. Every sin will be read aloud! Sins of commission, sins of omission, flagrant sins, secret sins, sins of the heart and sins of the mind. All will be brought out into the open on that day. Verse 12 makes it clear that the lost will be judged according to their works.
(Ill. A man can either choose to stand on his own record and face God in his sins, or he can come to Jesus and have his record expunged. Faith in Christ wipes our record clean. It replaces the record of our sins with the record of His righteousness. When our book is opened all it says is "See Calvary and an empty tomb - This man's record is clear!)
3. The Book Of Life - This is just Carr Theology so you can take is for what it is worth, but I am of the opinion that there is a book of life, or a book of the living. Every name of every person who would ever be born was in this book, Rev. 3:5; Rev. 17:8. However, when a sinner dies without trusting Christ as his Saviour, their name is removed from this book. While your name remains, there is hope for you, but when you die, you are numbered with the eternally dead and there is no more opportunity for you to be saved.
4. The Lamb's Book Of Life - This book contains the names of those who are redeemed by the blood of Jesus. When a sinner repents, their name is written in this book. This is the reason Jesus told His disciples to rejoice, Luke 10:20. This book records who has and who has not accepted Jesus as their Savior. When the Great White Throne Judgment comes about, both this book and the book of life will match perfectly!
(Ill. The horror of standing there that day and hearing your sins recounted. Imagine being forced to admit you sins and the fundamental fact that you are a sinner. Then imagine Jesus opening the book of life and showing you where your name was removed. Then imagine Him opening the Lamb's book of life and showing you that every slot in that book is filled and that your name does not appear! Fantasy? I don't think so! But, it is a time of such horror that nothing in life can compare with it! You need to be sure you are saved! You need to be sure that your name is written in the Lamb's book of Life. If I were you, I wouldn't wait for the invitation. If there was a doubt, I would get in this altar and get it settled right now!)
(Ill. There may be other books that are used, nut you can be sure that these will be opened. What a terrible day that will be for the sinner!)
C. The Decision Made At The Throne - The last phrase in verse 13 tells it all. When these books are opened, judgment is rendered based on the evidence found in the books. You can be sure that the evidence is accurate, and that the record is complete.
(Ill. It is worthy of noting that every person will stand on his own! Regardless of the excuse you use to justify your not coming to Jesus today, in that day you will stand under judgment by yourself! It won't matter who hurt you, who stood in your way, or whatever. It will come down to you and Jesus. Better that it come to that in this day when there is still hope for salvation, than in that day when there is hope for nothing but judgment! Be saved! Be sure!)
I. No Hiding From The Judge On The Throne
II. No Hiding From The Justice At The Throne
III. V. 14-15 THERE WILL BE NO HIDING FROM THE JUDGMENT FROM THE THRONE
A. A Fearful Judgment - the sentence rendered from this bench is "Death!". Not just physical death, but the second death which is eternal separation from God in the fires of the Lake of Fire, 2 Thes. 1:9-10. This will be a death where there is no dying! What I mean is that there will be no end to the torment, to the hell, to the awful nature of what the sinner will face. It will be an eternal state of dying apart from the presence of God or anything good! It will be Hell!
(Ill. Imagine the horror of hearing Jesus utter the words that will send you away forever into eternal torment! Imagine hearing Him say, "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:", Matt. 25:41. Imagine living your life the way you wanted, without regard for God or His will and then having to here the Lord Who loved you enough to die in your place speak those awful words. There could be nothing so terrible!
Perhaps the only thing that equals that would be for you to be a religious person, a church member, a regular attender of the Lord's worship services, and have to stand before Him and here Him pass judgment on your life. This very scene is spoken of in Matt. 7:21-23. My friend, don't let this happen to you! Come to Jesus while thee is time. Come to Jesus while there is grace. Come to Jesus while there is hope! Come to Jesus!)
B. A Final Judgment - There will be no appeals, but al judgments rendered from this bench will be final and they will be binding. This will be the last day any of these sinners ever see. This will be the end of the road for them, for they are forever consigned to the Lake of Fire to suffer torment for eternity!
(Ill. Many don't believe this is true. They deny the reality of Hell and claim that it is old fashioned and out of date. Well, the Bible tells us that Hell is real and that lost sinners do indeed go there to spend eternity. Psa. 9:17; Luke 16:19-31.)
C. A Foolish Judgment - It is a foolish judgment that is rendered only because it does not have to happen! Any sinner who is will to repent and turn to Jesus alone, by faith, can be eternally saved. The Blood Jesus shed on Calvary is sufficient to the saving of any sinner who calls upon Him, Rom. 10:13. The grace of God is sufficient for every sinner who will come, regardless of the depths of their sins, Rom. 5:20. The love of God for the Lord is sufficient to receive all who will come by faith, John 6:37. Please don't do a foolish thing and die without Jesus! Come to Him while the door is open!
Conc: I think that this is the most horrible scene mentioned in the Bible. I think the concept of people perishing forever is terrible beyond description. However, as horrible as it is, it is true nonetheless!
Therefore, if you have never been saved, you need to come to Jesus. You need to be saved today! If you will just trust Jesus by faith, He will save you and spare you from this terrible time of judgment that is coming upon all the lost. Won't you come?
To those of us who are saved, this passage reminds us of the terrible need of the world around us. If nothing else, it ought to move us to come before the Lord and cry out for the souls of our friends, neighbors and loved ones who need Jesus. It ought to stir our hearts so that we will not rest until we have tried to tell every lost person we know that salvation is available to them if they will come to Jesus! Surely we've not become so hardened that the thought of Hell no longer moves us. Won't you come?
Arnold Lewis worked as a supervisor in a shipyard. His work took him from one ship to another all day long. One day "an inspector who needed to consult with Arnold about company matters had to search several ships to find him. And of course he was impatient and frustrated.
"'I've been looking all over hell for you,' he greeted Arnold.
"'That's one place you will never find me,' came the calm reply. 'I'll never be in hell because I've been saved from hell by the blood of the Lord Jesus.'
"No more was said on the subject, and the two men got the business settled. But at the end of the work day, just before the whistle blew, the inspector again looked for Arnold.
"'I've been thinking all day about what you said this morning,' he said. 'I wish that I, too, could know that I am saved from hell.'
"'You surely can,' Arnold assured him. With verses from his pocket New Testament he explained God's plan of salvation, and standing there on the deck of that unfinished ship, the inspector prayed to receive Christ."
Friend that can be your testimony today! Wouldn't like to be able to say about Hell, "That's one place you'll never find me!" You can come to Jesus right now!

Salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.  Faith is the only system of perception that is totally devoid of any human merit.  Only the object has merit, and in salvation the object of faith is Our Lord Jesus Christ.  No one has ever been saved by asking Jesus to come into his heart or life. How much faith does it take to be saved?  It takes just a little bit more than no faith at all.
The perfect salvation work of Christ on the cross, which is called expiation, excludes anything else being added to faith.  No works of any kind are allowed. Ephesians 2:8-9, For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that [salvation] not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

What is grace in relationship to salvation?  Grace is all that God is free to do for unsaved mankind on the basis of the saving work of Christ on the cross.  Grace is extended to unbelievers, who are living under spiritual death in total depravity and total helplessness regarding salvation.  Therefore, salvation is a matter of grace, and entirely the work of God.  Salvation is the work of the Father in judging our sins, the work of the Son in being judged for our sins, and the work of the Holy Spirit in common and efficacious grace.  This is why the way of salvation is faith in Jesus Christ -- faith alone with no works or emotions added to it.

Lake of Fire
The Lake of Fire is the final destination for both fallen angels and unbelieving mankind, and it is both literal and eternal.  The Lake of Fire was prepared originally for Satan and his fallen angels. Matthew 25:41, Then He will also say to those on His left, "Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;"
However, unbelievers will also go there, with no way of escape.
John 3:18, He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
John 3:36, He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.
Hebrews 9:27, And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,

The first occupants of the Lake of Fire will be the beast and false prophet of the Tribulation, Revelation 19:20.  The devil will also be in the Lake of Fire, Revelation 20:10.  After the Great White Throne Judgment, the unbelievers of the human race will also occupy the Lake of Fire, Revelation 20:14.  Unbelievers are pulled out of the fire of Hades, judged, and cast into the Lake of Fire, Revelation 20:15 and 21:8.  Both torments in Hades and the Lake of Fire are vividly described in Mark 9:48, where their worm does not die [this represents the conscience], and the fire is not quenched.  Everyone should hear the screams of those who die burning in total agony, so that they will understand the importance of believing in Jesus Christ.  In eternity, the screams never stop; they go on forever and ever and ever, simply because the souls there refused the so great salvation provided by Jesus Christ.
There is a place of final destiny for every member of the human race who has rejected the Gospel and the doctrine of salvation.  It is described as:  a place of torment, Luke 16:28; a place where desire is never met, Luke 16:24; a bottomless pit, Revelation 9:2; outer darkness, Matthew 8:12; fire unquenchable, Luke 3:17; the furnace of fire, Matthew 13:42.  It is a place of unspeakable misery, indicated by the phrase eternal fire.  Many believe it is a place with a liquid form of lava referred to as the lake, which burns with fire and brimstone, Revelation 21:8.  It is described as black darkness in Jude v.13; a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth, Matthew 13:50; and it is said about those in Hell that &ldots;the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, in Revelation 14:11.

If this is all true, then we should all see the value of understanding the doctrine of salvation; and by understanding it, also being accurate in its presentation.  God is perfect and His ways are perfect and accurate.  This is why Ephesians 5:15 says, Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise.

Salvation by Works is Rejected by the Word of God
There are at least eight categories of salvation by works rejected by the Word of God, as stated in Ephesians 2:9, not as a result of works.  They are as follows:
1. SALVATION BY VERBAL WORKS
Repent and believe.  Repent means to change your mind about Christ, as occurs under the Holy Spirit's ministry of common grace.  The word repent has been misinterpreted as feeling sorry.  No one is saved by feeling sorry for his sins.
Confession of sins.  This is only for the believer after salvation.
Begging God to save you.  This is ridiculous, coming from one who is spiritually dead.
Inviting Christ into your heart.  This is total nonsense and blasphemy.  A spiritually dead person cannot invite Eternal God, The Lord Jesus Christ, anywhere; not into his heart, or his home, or his life.  It is stupidity, asininity, emotion, and works.
Acknowledging Christ publicly.  This is not effectual for salvation.  It is a distortion of Romans 10:9-10 which refers to cause and effect.  The cause is faith; the result, as the believer matures, is to witness and to acknowledge Christ.

2. SALVATION BY RITUAL WORKS
Circumcision.  This was a favorite of the Jews.  The book of Galatians was written to correct this issue.  The Galatians were typical Gaelic people, and they were very excited about Paul's ministry, responded to it, and became believers.  However, after Paul left, the Judaizers counteracted, telling these new believers that they could not be truly saved until they were also circumcised.  The new Gentile believers accepted the idea, so Paul wrote Galatians, a letter telling them that they had gone astray from the Gospel.  Paul likened the Galatians to the priests who had mutilated themselves to impress God, which of course didn't work.
Baptism.  The idea of salvation by baptism is prominent today.  It was started by the Catholics, and copied by the Lutherans during the Reformation.  It is a heresy that has always existed in the Church Age.  In reality, baptism was a testimony to, and identification with, retroactive positional truth and current positional truth, prior to the completion of the Canon.
Partaking of the Eucharist.  This is a favorite of Roman Catholicism, which teaches that The Lord Jesus Christ goes back into their body, after having left it, through the taking in of the Eucharist.

3. SALVATION BY PSYCHOLOGICAL WORKS
Come forward in an invitation extended at the end of a service.
Raise your hand during prayer.
Walk down an aisle.
Give public testimony to your faith in Christ.
These make an issue of yourself and call attention to yourself.  But salvation is designed to call attention to Jesus Christ and no one else.

4. SALVATION BY CORPORATE WORKS
Join the church.  If you don't join, you are not saved.
Tithe.  This was commanded in the Mosaic Law as a 10% income tax for the client nation Israel.  Tithing has no spiritual connotation, either for salvation or blessing.  Giving is a matter of the privacy of your own priesthood, and the amount you give is based on your own self-determination and has nothing to do with any blessing.
Church-related works.  Just work faithfully around the church and God will save you. 

5. SALVATION BY RELIGIOUS WORKS
Satan counterfeits Christianity through religion.  Religion is one of the greatest systems of both moral and immoral degeneration.
Keep the Mosaic Law.  This is a result of the Reformation.  It started out with justification by faith, but it gradually moved to the works of keeping the Law and eventually developed into the Galatian compromise, which stated, first you have to believe in Christ, then you have to keep the Law.
Do penance. A favorite of Catholicism.  The noun penance has basically three meanings:  (1) remorse for your past conduct; (2) a Catholic sacrament:  repentance and confession, then satisfaction and absolution; and (3) self-mortification, self-abasement, i.e. voluntary self-punishment in order to atone for some wrongdoing.  All of these are in direct contradiction to the finished work on the cross.
Practice the Lordship of Christ.  This refers to the false doctrine taught which says, "if Christ is not Lord of all, He's not Lord AT ALL".  This is a failure to understand one of the forty-plus things done for us at the moment of salvation.  By the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, which enters us into union with Christ, He is Our Lord at the very moment of salvation.  Whether we recognize this or not is a matter of cognition of pertinent doctrine.  Regardless, we do not have to acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord to receive salvation.  It is simply believe in Christ.
Practice asceticism.  What we give up at any time is inconsequential!  People want to take what they have sacrificed or given up in their lives and compare it with the work of Jesus Christ on the cross.
Self-denial and maintaining a healthy body.  To associate salvation or spirituality with health foods and vitamins is ludicrous.

6. SALVATION BY BEHAVIORAL WORKS
Salvation by morality.  Morality has to do with establishment; it is not the Christian way of life.  The pre-designed plan of God is higher than morality.  Moral degeneracy is very prominent in Christianity today, whereby Christians in their arrogant self-righteousness are trying to straighten everyone and everything out, by superimposing Christian laws and standards on both believer and unbeliever.
Salvation by personality change.  Although a change in one's personality may be desirable, it is not the means of salvation.
Salvation by keeping taboos.  Many think you cannot really be saved unless you stop drinking, smoking, dancing, wearing makeup, swimming in mixed company, etc.

7. SALVATION BY EMOTIONAL WORKS
Faith is a non-meritorious act of perception and has nothing to do with emotion!
Salvation by ecstatics, or speaking in tongues.  No one has legitimately spoken in tongues since August of 70 A.D.  The gift of tongues was a temporary spiritual gift at the beginning of the Church Age to evangelize Jews in Gentile languages, as prophesied in Isaiah 28.  Where people allege that speaking in tongues, or the so-called second blessing, is necessary for salvation, they are either very emotional or demon possessed.
Salvation through "feeling" saved, or weeping tears at the altar.  Again, faith has nothing to do with emotion.

8. SALVATION BY INVITATION
We do not invite Christ anywhere.  He does not come to us; we come to Him by believing in Him.  Remember Our Lord's invitation in MAT 11:28: "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
John 6:35, Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in me will never thirst."
John 6:37 "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out."
John 6:47 explains what it means to come to Christ:  "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes [in Me] has eternal life."  Always in the salvation invitation we go to Jesus Christ; He does not come to us.  Therefore, note that there are three blasphemous invitations:

We do not invite Christ to come to us.  Revelation 3:20 is addressed to believers: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me."  This is a verse dealing with recovery from carnality, and has nothing to do with salvation.
We do not invite Christ into our heart.  Jeremiah 17.9 teaches about our heart, The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?  Inviting Christ into our heart is an emotional form of legalism.
We do not invite Christ into our life.  Romans 5:12 teaches about our life, Therefore, just as through one man, sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.

The unbeliever is under spiritual death, which means total depravity and being completely cut off from God.  We do not invite Jesus Christ into a state of total depravity, and we do not invite Jesus Christ into spiritual death.  We make no invitations to Jesus Christ!  If that is all you've ever done, you had better believe in Jesus Christ or you will spend eternity in the Lake of Fire.  Salvation is through faith alone in Christ alone; He invites us to come to Him - we do not invite Him to come to us.

Faith Plus Nothing as the Condition for Eternal Salvation
Salvation is by faith alone in Christ alone; nothing is added.  There are three reasons for faith plus nothing as the condition for eternal salvation:
1. Efficacious grace (God doing the work and God getting the credit), documented by Ephesians 2:8-9.
2. Our Lord's utterance on the cross, "Tetelestia!"  [It is finished, with the result that it stands finished.]
3. The direct statement of Scripture.

COMMON AND EFFICACIOUS GRACE
Efficacious grace fits into the pattern of faith alone.  When the spiritually dead person responds to the divine call or invitation to eternal salvation, he simply responds by believing in Jesus Christ.  This is classified as faith alone, or faith plus nothing.  When the spiritually dead person simply believes in Christ, God the Holy Spirit causes the faith to be effective for eternal life.  This is classified as efficacious grace, or the Doctrine of Effectual Faith.  The faith of the spiritually dead person indicates positive volition and a non-meritorious function that is compatible with grace.  However, because the spiritually dead person who believes in Christ is helpless, his faith is ineffective without the ministry of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit's efficacious grace causes the unbeliever's faith to be effective.  However, no works can be added to faith.  The Holy Spirit can only make faith and faith alone effective for salvation.  Any works added to faith in Christ are dead works, and the Holy Spirit does not make dead works effective for salvation.  Principle:  If a person adds any works at the moment of believing in Jesus Christ, he or she is NOT saved at that point.  If anything at all is added to faith, God the Holy Spirit will not touch it, and so there is no efficacious grace.  The omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit will make effectual only non-meritorious faith alone in Jesus Christ.

The very nature of real spiritual death at birth eliminates any system of salvation by works.  The spiritually dead person is incapable of doing anything to obtain salvation.  Spiritual death at birth includes:  (1) total depravity, which means moral or immoral degeneration; (2) total separation from God; (3) total helplessness to attain a relationship with God; and (4) dichotomy, which is having only a body and soul, without a human spirit.  Because of all this, we are unable to understand the simplest concepts of the Gospel.  The spiritually dead person can only produce dead works, which have no validity with God.

In the function of evangelism, there are two acts of human volition:  (1) hearing the Gospel, which is non-meritorious; and (2) believing in Jesus Christ, which is non-meritorious.   However, the spiritually dead person is unable to understand what he hears, and powerless to make his faith in Christ effective for salvation.
The sequence of the pre-salvation grace ministry of God is as follows:
1. In common grace, the Holy Spirit makes the gospel message perspicuous [clear and understandable], to a spiritually dead individual. 1Corinthians 2:14, But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.
2. God the Father invites the spiritually dead person to believe in Christ, which is referred to as the divine call.
3. The spiritually dead person believes in Christ, and the Holy Spirit causes faith to be effective for salvation, which is called efficacious grace.

The spiritually dead person can choose to listen to the Gospel and believe in Christ; but these two decisions come from spiritual death and are powerless to provide salvation or make faith effective.  Therefore, pre-salvation clarification of the Gospel is the ministry of God the Holy Spirit.  The omnipotence of God provides the ability for the unbeliever to understand the Gospel, believe in Jesus Christ, and to accept the invitation.  At the moment of simply believing, the Holy Spirit makes our faith effective for salvation. When any works are added to faith in Christ, the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit will not cause that faith to be effective.  The reason is because divine omnipotence and human works, or human power, are mutually exclusive and mutually restrictive.  Consequently, human works added to faith in Christ cancels faith because human works is human power, which is rejected by grace.

Ephesians 2:8-9, For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that [salvation] not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Both charis [grace] and pistis [faith] are in the feminine gender.  Then follows the peritactic kai, [and] which is used to coordinate expressions that have no syntactical relationship in the Greek.  This is followed by the neuter gender of the immediate demonstrative pronoun houtos which cannot refer to either grace or faith.  And so the phrase and that refers to salvation in general; that [salvation is] not of yourselves, because it is the gift of God under the grace ministry of the Holy Spirit.  We are spiritually dead, meaning we are under total depravity, total separation from God, and totally helpless to do anything about it.  Being spiritually dead, we cannot even understand the Gospel because we have spiritual brain death.  So, first the Holy Spirit makes the Gospel clear and understandable through common grace.  Then when we believe, by expressing positive volition toward the salvation work of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit takes our faith [positive volition] and makes it effectual for salvation.  Therefore, salvation is not from ourselves, because it is a matter of common grace, the divine call, and efficacious grace; and that is why it is referred to as a gift from God.

The Correct Order of Evangelism
When someone communicates the Gospel to an unbeliever, the Holy Spirit, under the ministry of common grace, makes only what is accurate understandable and lucid.  Then follows the divine invitation of God the Father to believe in Jesus Christ for eternal salvation.  The invitation from God the Father is taught in John 6:44, "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him".  God the Father draws by the ministry of the Holy Spirit in making the Gospel clear.  The invitation from God the Son is found in John 10:27-28, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand."  Finally, in efficacious grace, the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit makes faith in Christ effective for salvation.  Therefore, in principle, the spiritually dead come to Christ for salvation, not invite Christ to come to him.

"TETELESTAI!"  OUR LORD'S UTTERANCE ON THE CROSS

Another reason for the fact that salvation is by faith plus nothing is the statement of Our Lord on the cross immediately after he was judged for the sins of the world.  After bearing and being judged for our sins, Jesus Christ was still very much alive, as noted by the fact that He said, "Tetelestai", which is translated "finished in the past with the result that it stands finished forever".  It is the spiritual death of Jesus Christ on the cross and his saving work that is in view in the phrase,"It is finished!" in John 19:30.
Like animal sacrifices in which literal blood was used, in the physical death of Christ we also have literal blood involved; however, the blood was inside His Body, not spilled all over the cross.

John 19:28-37, After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, "I am thirsty."  A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth.  Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!"  And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.  Then the Jews, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.  So the soldiers came, and broke the legs of the first man and of the other who was crucified with Him; but coming to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.  But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.  And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe.  For these things came to pass to fulfill the Scripture, "Not a bone of Him shall be broken."  And again another Scripture says, "They shall look on Him Whom they pierced."

We need to remember that Old Testament rituals, that so graphically depicted the saving work of Christ, pictured His spiritual death.  His spiritual death is the source of our salvation.  Therefore, the physical death of the sacrificial animal actually represented the spiritual death of The Lord Jesus Christ.  This analogy will not be confused if we understand the nature of the Lord's physical death, and see that although it has great significance, it was not the means of salvation.  The means of salvation was not the physical death of Christ, but His spiritual death, so we must understand that the sacrificed animal's physical death was not a picture of Christ's physical death.  If it were, the animal would have been nailed to a cross, or Christ would have been slaughtered on an altar!

John 19:34 But one of the soldiers, [This is a Roman soldier stationed at the cross] speared His side with a spear, [the Greek word for side is pleura, which refers to the part of the chest where there are no bones, or the chest cavity] and immediately blood and water came out. 
Notice that word immediately; this was literal blood.  In fact, it was blood clots and serum. The Lord Jesus Christ had blood inside of His body when He died; He did not bleed to death.  He was fully in control and in command of Himself on the cross.  As John 10:17-18 says, "For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again.  No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative.  I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again.  This commandment I received from My Father."

The red liquid that ran through the veins and arteries of Jesus' body is not related to our salvation, and there is no Biblical basis for attributing any unusual or magical formula to His blood.  Our Lord was minus an old sin nature, but that was because of the virgin birth and the Doctrine of Impeccability.  From His own volition, He chose not to sin, or as Isaiah 53:10 says, He would render Himself [His soul] as a guilt offering [for sin].  The term Blood of Christ is far more significant than any magical or mystical power falsely ascribed to His physical blood.  In John 19:30, we are told that The Lord's literal blood was not a factor in either his spiritual or His physical death.

John 19:30, Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.

After The Lord Jesus Christ paid the penalty for sins, He announced that salvation was finished.  Then He bowed His head and gave up His life.

John 19:31, Then the Jews, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.

The religious Jews were always up to something; they would strain at a gnat and swallow a camel.  This is a typical evil of religion.  They were very particular about the superficialities of life, while ignoring, avoiding or rejecting the things of eternal importance.  They had just demanded and secured the execution of the only perfect man who ever lived, their own Messiah!  And now, in their hypocrisy, they are concerned about a man hanging on a cross during the Sabbath.
What is meant by the day of preparation?  Preparation is the Greek word paraskeue and it refers to the day when the Jews prepared either for a weekly Saturday Sabbath or for a special feast Sabbath.  The Jews, who were so fussy in observing all of these detached ceremonies and rituals that spoke of Christ, had just witnessed the Passover right before their eyes.  But, did they believe?  They did not!  Religion had blinded them, and blinded by their religion and superstitions, the Jews failed to understand the real significance of the holy days.
Principle:  Ritual without reality is meaningless.

Notice the last phrase in John 19:31, [they] asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.  It was Roman custom to leave a body nailed to the cross until the flesh rotted away.  However, Jewish law demanded that the body of any criminal be put out of sight during a Sabbath or feast day in order not to pollute the land, Deuteronomy 21:22-23.  Therefore, the Romans would break the legs by using a heavy mallet in order to crush their bones and cause the body to hang.  And these filthy pious religious Jews certainly did not want their victim, whom they had railroaded through the courts, to be hanging on a cross during one of their high Sabbaths.

John 19:32, So the soldiers came, and broke the legs of the first man and of the other who was crucified with Him;

The Roman soldiers went up to the two thieves, one on each side of The Lord Jesus Christ; and, in order to be able to take them down before the Sabbath, the soldiers pounded their legs until their bones were crushed.  Once the bones were crushed, the body would hang and suffocate.  Then, in deeper shock and unable to force themselves up to relieve the pressure on their muscles, the thieves could not exhale in their lungs, and so they died of suffocation.  The Jews were waiting for the same thing to take place at the cross of Jesus Christ; however, notice verse 33, but coming to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.

The Lord Jesus Christ was already physically dead.  Plus, the fact that the soldiers did not break His legs is a fulfillment of specific promises contained in the Old Testament scriptures.  Exodus 12:46 It is to be eaten in a single house; you are not to bring forth any of the flesh outside of the house, nor are you to break any bone of it.
Numbers 9:12 They shall leave none of it until morning, nor break a bone of it; according to all the statute of the Passover they shall observe it.
Psalms 34:20 He keeps all his bones, not one of them is broken.
John 19:36-37 For these things came to pass to fulfill the Scripture, "Not a bone of Him shall be broken."  And again another Scripture says, "They shall look on Him Whom they pierced."

God keeps His Word to us, just as He did throughout all the generations leading up to the cross.  Passover after Passover, over the time period of nearly 1500 years, the Jews had carefully prepared their Passover lamb in such a way as never to break even one of its bones.  Every time they went through this ritual, they were saying in effect, God's Word is true and God will fulfill His promise.
Now here, after the crucifixion, God's character was on the line.  In spite of the insidiously evil demands of the religious Jews, in spite of Pontius Pilate's orders, in spite of the entire Roman army, not one bone could ever be broken!  Why?  Because God keeps His Word, no matter what is involved!  God always honors and respects His Word, and therefore, Bible Doctrine resident in your soul is your source of confidence and security (doctrinal vindication).

John 19:34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. 

The soldiers had laid down their mallets when one of them picked up his spear and hurled it into Jesus' side.  In doing so, He fulfilled Zechariah 12:10, "so that they will look on Me, Whom they have pierced."

The Lord Jesus Christ anticipated that Satan would attack the cross by perverting the meaning of the blood in an attempt to obscure the importance of spiritual death.  So, while still on the cross, Our Lord provided proof that He did not bleed to death; and unlike that of the sacrificial animal, His literal blood has no spiritual significance.  Therefore, Our Lord purposely thrust His body forward to demonstrate for all to see and for John to record that He did not die from loss of blood.

The Greek word pleura, translated side, refers to the chest cavity.  When the soldier's javelin penetrated upward through Christ's rib cage without breaking any bones, immediately blood and water gushed forth.  This is possible only under certain conditions.  The word for water is hudor, and this word is used in the medical sense for the grayish-yellow fluid that separates from the blood.  Instead of blood and water, a more accurate translation would be blood and serum.  Blood is made up of two basic components:  red corpuscles and white platelets.  When the blood in the body of Jesus Christ stopped circulating and started to settle, it also began to separate.  The white platelets, being lighter than the red corpuscles, floated to the top.  So, when the spear was thrust into the chest cavity, out came blood (red corpuscles) and serum (white platelets).  The blood was not clotting in His body, just separating.  For the blood inside the body to separate into red corpuscles and white platelets, or serum, death must not have been caused by bleeding.  This is why the word immediately is used to demonstrate the accumulation of the blood in the body.  And so, despite prolonged physical torture during His trials and sufferings on the cross, Jesus' physical death came suddenly.

And how did His death come?  Well, with complete self-control and clarity of mind, Christ sent away His spirit.  He did bleed, his back was beaten, his hands and feet were nailed, thorns were forced into His scalp!  But all these lacerations and puncture wounds did not kill Our Lord, and external bleeding was not the cause of death.  Internal hemorrhaging would have resulted in very little blood remaining in the heart.  The very sight of blood and serum is medical proof not only that Jesus was physically dead, but that He did not bleed to death.
The Biblical evidence is conclusive; yet, the crucifixion accounts fit perfectly with medical knowledge.  With Christ's body thrust forward, it remained in the perfect position for the maximum amount of blood to settle in the dependent portion of the heart.  The evidence to all who witnessed the crucifixion, along with those studying this verse, as to the exact manner of His physical death, is recorded forever in the Word of God.  If this evidence is missed, the blood of Christ will be misunderstood, and His finished work will be misunderstood as well.

In John 19:30, The Lord Jesus Christ said, "Tetelesti!"  [It is finished!]  This is the perfect passive indicative of teleo.  The intensive perfect refers to a completed action with emphasis on existing results of that past action.  Hence, it refers to a present state resulting from a past action.  The present state is that salvation is available.  The past action is that Jesus Christ was judged for our sins.  The intensive perfect states in a strong way the fact that a thing is.  In the perfect tense, teleo means, it has been finished in the past with the result that it stands finished forever.  The passive voice represents the subject, Jesus Christ, as being acted upon by someone else; i.e., God the Father, Who imputed our sins to Jesus Christ and judged every one of them.  The omnipotence of the Father imputed all of our sins to Christ on the cross.  The justice of the Father judged every sin in the history of the human race.  Jesus Christ received the action of the verb, being judged as our substitute for the sins of the human race.  However, remember that Jesus Christ completed that action on the cross while He was still alive.  The indicative mood is declarative for a dogmatic statement of doctrine.  John 19:30 therefore indicates that the work of salvation was completed on the cross.  And when something is completed, nothing can be added to it!

The one thing for which we can take absolutely zero credit is faith; none of us earn or deserve salvation.  The only condition for eternal life is non-meritorious personal faith in Jesus Christ, whose substitutionary spiritual death on the cross provided the efficacious work for salvation.  That is why Our Lord said after He had been judged for our sins, "It is finished!"  Salvation was completed on the cross.  There is nothing we can add to it now or ever.  Eternal salvation is a free gift that is compatible with God's policy of grace.  Therefore, it is attained by faith alone in Jesus Christ.  By adding any human effort or merit to faith for salvation, man is in competition with God, and that alone is blasphemous.

The phrase blood of Christ actually speaks of three basic doctrines with regard to His saving work on the cross:  the Doctrine of Propitiation, Romans 3:25; the Doctrine of Redemption [solving the sin problems], Ephesians 1:7, Colossians 1:14; and the Doctrine of Reconciliation, Colossians 1:20.  Remember that, although His literal blood was minus the old sin nature, when His blood is mentioned in Scripture it refers to the saving work of Our Lord Jesus Christ.  In Leviticus 17:11, the phrase, for the life of the flesh is in the blood refers to animals, not to humans.  We are a higher order of creature than animals; we have a human soul, and human life was imputed to that soul, not to our human blood.  When the soul leaves the body, it is the sign of physical death.  When a person dies, his blood remains in his body; only the soul and human spirit are absent from the body and at home with the Lord, 2Corinthians 5:8.

The blood of Christ had no magical formula or special mystifying substance.  His blood was minus the old sin nature, but it was His soul that gave His blood value, not His blood that gave his soul value.  The thought of that is blasphemous.  As God He was not able to sin, but as man He was able not to sin.  It is the person of Jesus Christ that gave His blood value; and His sinless unstained blood was not the issue in salvation, it was His spiritual death and His Soul.  It was not the blood that prevented His soul from sinning; it was His soul that kept His blood from being affected by a sin nature.
Animal blood was the basis for setting up a representative analogy, or a teaching aide.  The animal blood was used to teach the fulfillment that takes place on the cross.  Therefore, when the blood of Christ is mentioned in the New Testament, it is a reference to His saving work on the cross.
Ephesians 1:7, In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace"
Hebrews 9:14, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
1Peter 1:19, but [redeemed] with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.
Revelation 1:5, To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood --
Romans 5:9, Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.
Hebrews 13:12, Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.
1John 1:7, but 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.

DIRECT STATEMENT OF SCRIPTURE

The third reason why salvation is based on faith plus nothing is the direct statement of Scripture.
John 16:8-9 "And He [Holy Spirit], when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me"
Our personal sins are not an issue in salvation.  They were an issue at the cross, and Jesus Christ was already judged for every one of them.  Therefore, the Holy Spirit, who convicts us with regard to salvation, never convicts us with regard to our personal sins.  However, the one sin He convicts us of is the only sin for which Christ could not die:  the sin of rejecting Him, or the sin of unbelief.
John 3:15-16, so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish [eternal security], but have eternal life.

John 3:18 He who believes in Him [Christ] is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. Notice that the word believe is repeated three times in this verse, and that no works are added to it. 

John 3:36 He who believes in the Son has eternal life, but he who does not believe in the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on Him. The issue in salvation is that you either believe in Christ once, or you do not believe. 

John 6:47 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life."
John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her [Martha], "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die."
You have to believe while you are alive; there is no second chance after you die.

John 20:31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.
Acts 16:31 They said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household [meaning, if anyone in your household believes in Christ, they too are saved]."
Notice that the command is to believe; there is nothing added to it. 

Galatians 3:26 For you are all sons of God [Royal Family] through faith in Christ Jesus.
Notice that nothing is added to faith.

Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek [Gentile].
Everyone is saved the same way, both Jew and Gentile.  They are saved, not be keeping the Law, but only by believing in Christ. 

Romans 3:20-22, because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.  But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets [Old Testament], even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction;
Romans 3:28, For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the Law.
Notice it is by faith apart from works.  This means that when a person adds any type of works whatsoever to faith, he is not justified and therefore not saved.

Galatians 2:16, nevertheless knowing that a man [spiritually dead person] 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.
How are we justified in the eyes of God?
Romans 5:1, Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through Our Lord Jesus Christ."
The only way of salvation is one act of personal faith in Jesus Christ with nothing added to it.  To add to faith in Christ for salvation is no salvation at all.  If, when you believe in Christ, you are depending upon something else besides faith in Christ, you are not saved.

Philippians 3:9, and may [I] be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith.
2Timothy 3:15, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
Even if you later renounce your faith in Christ, you are still saved.

2Timothy 2:11-13, (ASV) Faithful is the saying [Word]:  For if we died with Him [Christ; and we have, through retroactive positional truth], we will also live with Him [Christ]; if we endure [suffering for blessing], we will also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He also will deny us [escrow savings account blessings for time and eternity]; if we are faithless [do not believe, after we are saved], He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.
God the Father cannot deny the indwelling of the Trinity.

Romans 3:24, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;
Salvation is said to be by grace, and grace is God doing the work and God getting the credit, and excludes human works. 

Romans 4:16, (a)For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace,

Romans 5:1-2, Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand;
Romans 5:15, But the free gift [of salvation] is not like the transgression.  For if by the transgression of the one [Adam] the many [human race] died [spiritual death], much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many.
Romans 5:17, For if by the transgression of the one [Adam], [spiritual] death reigned through the one [Adam], much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ.
2Timothy 1:9, who [God the Father] has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity past,

THE DEATH OF CHRIST AS A SUBSTITUTION

Christ died as a substitute for us once; we believe in Him once. 

Hebrews 9:27-28, And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once
Romans 5:8 demonstrates the proposition of substitution:  huper plus the genitive of ego in the plural.  But God demonstrates His own love toward us [this is impersonal unconditional love for all mankind in the status of real spiritual death], in that while we were yet sinners [objects of divine impersonal love], Christ died [as a substitute] for us.  This is substitutionary spiritual death on the cross.
1Peter 3:18, (ASV) For Christ also died once for our sins, the righteous one [impeccable humanity of Christ] as a substitute for the unrighteous ones.
Notice the word once, it is the Greek word H-A-P-A-X-Z.  In this verse we have huper  plus the genitive of advantage of adikos, which means, on behalf of the unrighteous ones or better still, as a substitute for the unrighteous ones.
In both Romans 5:8 and 1Peter 3:18, Christ died as a substitute for us.  Notice that both verses say Christ died once.  So our response to the one act of sacrifice is one act of faith, and faith alone.  By one act of faith, we have eternal life.
Galatians 3:13, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for [instead of, in place of, on behalf of, as a substitute for] us  for it stands written (Deuteronomy 21:23), "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree [cross]"

The Law puts a curse on sin.  Jesus Christ, as our substitute, was judged for our sins.  In Galatians 3:13, the Doctrine of Redemption is used because it is talking about the Mosaic Law.  The Mosaic Law is designed to put us into the slave market of sin.  The only way we can be redeemed from the slave market of sin, as members of the human race, is for someone to pay for our freedom.  Jesus Christ paid for our freedom on the cross.  That is the meaning of redemption.  Yet, the Mosaic Law is used by many as a means of salvation.  Such people add the works of the Law to faith in Jesus Christ.  That is why Romans 3:20 says, because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.  The purpose of the Law is to make us aware of the fact that we are sinners with an old sin nature.
Romans 3:28 adds, For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.  This means faith alone, and only one time is necessary for us to believe in Christ.  And the first time we do believe, we possess eternal life.
Galatians 2:16, nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus,
One act of faith in Christ is all it takes to possess eternal life.

1John 4:9-10, By this the love of God [impersonal love for all mankind] was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him [or we might be saved].  In this is love [by this is divine impersonal love for all mankind manifested], not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Propitiation means that once God the Father imputed and judged all our sins in Christ on the cross, at that very moment He was satisfied completely with the work of Our Lord.  There is only one work of salvation that satisfies God the Father, and that is the saving work of Jesus Christ on the cross.

Grace in salvation is the work of God.  God the Father imputed our sins to Jesus Christ on the cross.  God the Son received the imputation and judgment for our sins on the cross through His substitutionary spiritual death.  God the Holy Spirit reveals the plan of salvation to the spiritually dead person under the Doctrine of Common Grace.  So an invitation from God is extended.  When that invitation is accepted, it is simply by believing in Jesus Christ that God the Holy Spirit makes our faith effective.

Ephesians 2:8-9, For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that [salvation] not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Therefore, the whole principle of eternal salvation is faith and faith alone.