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Nicodemus learned that he could not earn salvation by
works. He discovered that salvation came by God’s
grace. God opened his eyes and gave him faith - faith in His
Son, Jesus Christ. When we acknowledge Jesus Christ died

for our sins, then we ask for His forgiveness. When we turn
from our sins—that’s called repentance.

Who is the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit is God Himself. He works today in
our lives and our world. It is through the Holy Spirit that
God is active in the world.

God came down to earth and became a man—and
that man was Jesus Christ. Jesus was fully human; He bled
when He was injured, and He got hungry and thirsty like
everyone else. However, Jesus was also fully God. Christ
said, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John

14:9).
But Jesus is no longer with us; He has been taken up
into heaven. The Holy Spirit is still present on earth. He
convicts people of sin and restrains evil. He is active in our

lives, giving us the strength to live the way we should. When
we give our lives to Christ, God Himself comes to live
within us by His Holy Spirit.


We are no longer spiritually dead
The Bible shares how the Holy Spirit lives in men and
women and brings them back to life spiritually. The Bible says

in Romans 8:1-17: “Therefore there is now no condemnation

for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of
life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of

death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through
the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness

of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in
the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled
in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to
the Spirit. For those who are according to the flesh set their

minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according

to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the
flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and
peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God;

for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even
able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
“ However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if
indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not

have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. If Christ
is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit
is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him

who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who

raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your
mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
“So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the
flesh, to live according to the flesh— for if you are living
according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you

are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For

all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of
God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to

fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons

by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit
Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of
God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs

with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also
be glorified with Him.”
Like Nicodemus, we know we have been “born from
above,” when the Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit,

that we are children of God. We will then acknowledge
Him, serve Him, and worship Him for eternity.

Chapter 10

Warning: Everyone has a religion

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the
way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many

who enter through it” (Matthew 7:13).


Today, there are tens of thousands of religions. Like

Nicodemus, every person has a religion whether he or she
wants to admit it or not. Most scholars define religion as a

personal set or an institutionalized system of attitudes, beliefs,
and practices.

Whether a person is a Christian, Jew, Muslim,

Buddhist, Hindu, Agnostic or an Atheist, he or she has a
religion and worships something. He or she might worship

the true God or the false gods that include idols, the

supernatural, the state, mother earth, science, or even man.
There are also many sub-religions under each dominant

religion that make religions even more complicated and
confusing.

Why are there so many religions? There are 7.5 billion
human beings in this world.

Some philosophers and religious leaders believe each

religion seeks its path to God, and paths vary because people

vary. Others like most Muslims, Buddhists, Orthodox Jews,
and Christians do not subscribe to this explanation. They

believe their religion is the correct one, and the others are
following a false religion.

What is your religion? What or in whom do you

worship? The late Reverend Billy Graham once said,
“Whatever you think about and meditate on the most during

your day; that is your god.”


Two Religions: Man-Made versus Divine
The Christian view believes there are only two

religions in the world – human-made religion and the other is

divine.
As a Pharisee, Nicodemus followed and helped

produce a man-made religion based on works. Today all false

religions are based on human achievement, works, and the
flesh. This false religion believes men and women can be

good enough and religious enough to gain heaven.
Many people have a false sense of salvation. They

believe if they acknowledge God, attend some religious
services, go through some religious rites or ceremonies, they

will be saved and will go to heaven.

Unfortunately, false religion comes in many forms, but
it is all the same. It is all based on Satan’s lies, just packaged

differently to deceive.
Many people are captive to false religious systems.

They have placed their loyalty with false teachers who are evil
and perverse. Eventually, the light will expose these false

teachers’ and leaders’ sins. Many apologize when they get

caught. However, they will continue to do shameful, vile
acts. Their followers refuse to leave and justify their lies and

sins. They follow these leaders blindly, thus putting
themselves at risk for eternity.

All false religion is hypocrisy, and all false religious
leaders are hypocrites. The Bible describes false teachers

always as hypocrites, and always telling others that they know

God and His truth to cover up their wretchedness.
All false religious leaders pretend to be righteous, and

they're unrighteous. They pretend to be good, and they are

evil. They are perverse, corrupt, and wicked.
According to Jeremiah, “the heart of man is deceitful

above all things. The heart of man is a deceiver” (Jeremiah
17:9).

These deceivers appear to be religious. They wear
religious garb, commit themselves to spiritual life, carry out

religious ceremonies, and have a superficial devotion to

morality.
Many false leaders pick people’s pockets by promising

God’s blessings and healings for gifts to their
ministries. They say, “Take out your credit card and plant

your seed in our ministry to get God’s healing and blessings.”
Many people who are desperate with fatal illnesses,

disappointed with life, or even scared about the future, give

away their money to these charlatans. They are deceived and
continue to be discouraged because they continue to follow a

false teacher who proclaims special access to God. These
followers turn away when they do not receive the miracle or

healing promised. Does this sound familiar? False teachers
put up the “Jesus is for sale” sign every day in their pulpits,

and on television, radio, and the internet.

They do not teach the true Biblical principles that honor
the Lord and His church. Instead these false teachers “love

human achievement and money.” They deceive and lead

many people astray. Like the Pharisees, their false teachings
damn their followers’ souls to eternal hell.

God warns us about false teachers. Paul says in 2
Corinthians 11:13-15 that false teachers, the scribes,

Sadducees, and Pharisees, put people in a religious prison.
“ For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers,


disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for
even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore,
it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as

servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to
their deeds.”

Nicodemus had to a choice. He had to follow Jesus or
abandoned the apostate system of Judaism that the Pharisees

and Scribes had corrupted.

They were the architects and promoters of the religion
of human achievement. Their salvation and acceptance with

God, their hope of eternal life in heaven depended upon what
they did morally and what they did religiously and

ceremonially.
Man-made religion tries to earn heaven. There are two

gates marked heaven...one goes to heaven, and one does not.

There is a narrow way with a constricted gate that leads to
heaven. And there is a broad way with a wide gate that leads

to hell.

Nicodemus and the Pharisees were practicing and
teaching a religion that led men and women on the broad road

to destruction. Their religion was not acceptable to God. In
Matthew 5:20, Jesus said, “For I say to you that unless your

righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you
shall not enter the Kingdom of heaven.”

What kind of righteousness could surpass the scribes

and the Pharisees? There are two kinds of righteousness: one
that does not satisfy God, and one that does. There is a religion

that pleases God and a belief system that does not.
Jesus said the Pharisees were confident of their

righteousness and looked down on everyone else. How can a
person trust in his or her righteousness to earn heaven when he

or she is not righteous?

All false religions teach that a person can be good
enough to go to heaven, except true Christianity which says a

person cannot be good enough.
Faithful followers of Christ realize they cannot earn

their way to heaven. They cannot be good enough and gain a
righteousness that satisfies God.

The religion of human achievement says a person can

be good enough, holy enough, religious enough, and spiritual
enough.



True Religion
Jesus instructed Nicodemus that true religion is based

on divine accomplishment only. It is a religion based on faith,
grace, and mercy. It is a religion based on the work of God

the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. It is where
salvation and acceptance and heaven depend on what God did

and not what men do.

It was a completely different religion than the one
Nicodemus was practicing and promoting.

The Bible teaches that a man and a woman are made
right with God by “grace through faith” (Ephesians 2:8-9). It

is not something a person does; it's something he or she must
believe and receive (John 1:12). And in believing and

receiving, God’s righteousness is given to a believer, and then

a person has peace with God (Romans 1:7).


Judeo-Christian view
Jesus taught Nicodemus that the most important

decision he would make during his life on earth would be his
eternal destiny. There are two options: heaven and everlasting

joy, or hell and eternal punishment.

Nicodemus learned from Jesus that every believer must
acknowledge that the God of heaven, the Creator of humanity,

and the Almighty God of the universe are all manifest in Jesus

Christ. Those who enter the kingdom of God must
acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Savior.


The narrow gate

Jesus said that not everyone would enter the kingdom
of God. Jesus said, “Enter by the narrow gate, for the gate is

wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many

are those who enter by it, for the gate is small, and the way is
narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it”

(Matthew 7:13-14).
Nicodemus and the other Pharisees knew Moses said to

the people, “See, I have set before you this day life and death,
good and evil. Choose life that you and your seed may live,”

(Deuteronomy 30:19).

It was Joshua, who said, “Choose you this day whom
you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served, but

as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua
24:15).

It was Jeremiah who heard God say to him, “Unto this
people shall you say, ‘Thus says the Lord, behold I have set

before you the way of life and the way of death'” (Jeremiah

21:8).
It was Elijah, the prophet, who called for a decision

and said, “How long will you halt between two opinions? If

the Lord be God, follow Him. If Baal, then follow him” (1
Kings 18:21).

Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth,
and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

Then in John 5:6, Jesus said, “If you had known Me,
you would have known My Father also; from now on

you know Him and have seen Him.”

In John 14:8-15, “Philip said to Him, ‘Lord, show us

the Father, and it is enough for us.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have I

been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me,
Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you


say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the
Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I

do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in


Me does His works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the
Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works


themselves. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me,
the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than


these he will do; because I go to the Father. Whatever you ask
in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified



in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. If
you love Me, you will keep My commandments.’”


The paths of life and death

There is a narrow way that leads to life, and then there's
the broad way with all the other religions that leads to death.

In Mark 1:15, the Bible says, "The time is fulfilled, and
the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the

gospel."
There's only one way to be saved; there's only one

person, Jesus. He is the Savior. Faith in Him is required for

salvation.

In 1 Timothy 2:5, the Apostle Paul wrote, “For there is
one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the

man Christ Jesus.”
Saving faith comes by hearing. Romans 10:14-17,

says, “But how are they to call on one in whom they have not

believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they
have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone

to proclaim Him? And how are they to proclaim Him unless

they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of


those who bring good news!’ But not all have obeyed the good
news; for the prophet Isaiah wrote, ‘Lord, who has believed

our message’” (Isaiah 51:3)


Christ is the Eternal Word

Faith comes by hearing the message concerning

Christ. Christ is the Word. If a person is “born from above,”
he or she will believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore

gain entrance to the kingdom of God. There is no other way to
enter.

Also, a person must enter the kingdom of God alone.
This does not happen to everybody who joins a church, or

everybody who the church baptizes. It isn't something a

person inherits from his or her parents.
Jesus said, in Matthew 10:34-39, “Do not think that I

came to bring peace on the earth, I didn't come to bring peace
but a sword to set a man against his father, a daughter against

her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law and
a man's enemies will be the members of his household. And

anyone who loves father or mother more than Me is not

worthy of Me, and he who loves son or daughter more than
Me is not worthy of Me. He who doesn't take his cross and

follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who has found his
life shall lose it, it is he who has lost his life for My sake that

shall find it.”
Jesus told Nicodemus the kingdom of God would cost

a person potentially everything. It is difficult to enter. Few are

those who find it.
Jesus warned the Israelites, “Beware of the false

prophets.” They lead a person on the road to hell. They are

ravenous wolves who dress up as if they were shepherds or
prophets.

Jesus said in Matthew 10:38-40, “And he who does not

take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He
who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life
for My sake will find it.”

It is not easy for a person to lose his or her life, to say

no to all desires, ambitions, hopes, and dreams. It is hard to
turn from sin and repent.

In Luke 13:22-25, Jesus said, “And someone said to
Him, ‘Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?’ And

He said to them, ‘Strive to enter through the narrow door;
for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be


able.’ Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door,
and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door,
saying, ‘Lord, open up to us!’ then He will answer and say

to you, ‘I do not know where you are Romans’”
Jesus was saying there will be people who desire to be

saved, and they will not gain entrance into heaven. The
narrow door to the kingdom of God must be searched out

and found. And when it is found, it is not easy. That's why

the Lord also said, “You have to count the cost.”


Violent men take it by force

Jesus says in Matthew 11:12, “From the days of John
the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers

violence, and violent men take it by force.”
There is particular violence in coming to salvation. A

person is in a spiritual war and a battle with his or her soul
to release the love of sin, self, and pride.

Christianity is not for the weak or for those who

compromise. It is for the strong. When a person enters into

this narrow gate, he or she declares war on all the forces of
hell. It is the gate of self-denial.

Charles Spurgeon, a pastor, teacher and author once
said, “You and your sins must separate, or you and your God

cannot come together. No one sin may help you keep; they

must all be recognized for what they are. You must forsake
them, abhor them, and ask the Lord to overcome them.”

This is what the New Testament calls “turning from sin
to serve the living God.” Unfortunately, the masses of the

world are racing toward hell. They are on the broad road,
thinking it is the path to heaven.



You may know you have eternal life
Believers in Christ have a different result. In 1 John

5:11-20, John wrote, “And the testimony is this, that God

has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who
has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of

God does not have the life.
“These things I have written to you who believe in the

name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have
eternal life. 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.”

In 2 Corinthians 13;4-7, Paul wrote, “For indeed He
was crucified because of weakness, yet He lives because of

the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, yet we will

live with Him because of the power of God directed toward

you. Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine
yourselves!”

Chapter 11

The virtues of those in the
kingdom of God


“When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain;

and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. He opened

His mouth and began to teach them, saying,
‘ Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be

comforted.
Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for

righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called

sons of God.
Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake
of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute

you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because

of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is
great; for in the same way, they persecuted the prophets
who were before you’” (Matthew 5: 1-12).

Nicodemus along with the scribes and other Pharisees
believed they had the “righteous” characteristics and good
works to get into the kingdom of God. However, their
attitudes and teachings were the exact opposite of what Jesus

was teaching.
During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus shared the
virtues and characteristics of those people who enter God’s
kingdom.

The first four are spiritual brokenness, mourning over
sin, meek, and hungering and thirsting for righteousness. The
following four characteristics are what they manifest: mercy,
pure in heart, peacemaker, and persecution.

If a person is not broken, he will not mourn. He will not
be meek. He will not hunger and thirst for righteousness. He
will not show mercy. He will not be pure in heart. He will
not be a peacemaker, and he will not be persecuted for his

faith.
These qualities and characteristics are distinct but also
a progression in a Christian’s life. These attributes must be
lived daily. If the world is not persecuting believers for their

faith, they may not be peacemakers, pure in heart or merciful.
When a person experiences brokenness, he or she is
merciful to others. And where a person is mourning over sin,
he or she will have a pure heart, washed with the tears of

regret. And when a person is meek, he or she will be a
peacemaker. And when a person is hungering and thirsting
for righteousness, he or she will be persecuted for
righteousness’ sake.

In Mark 5:3, Jesus began His sermon by saying,
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven.”
Broken-heartedness or spiritual poverty is the first

characteristic of those saved and in Jesus Christ’s kingdom. A
person must be broken over his or her sins. Brokenness leads
to confession of sins. This is the first step to forgiveness and
healing. A person must realize that he or she is spiritually

bankrupt and impoverished. He or she must rely entirely on
God.
Living in the kingdom requires a constant and
continual admission that strength comes in weakness. Jesus

calls men and women to come to him broken and
impoverished in spirit so that He can live through them.
Christ allows men and women to go through difficult
trials and tribulations by breaking a person over life’s

circumstances and obstacles to get rid of pride and self-
reliance. When a person is desperate, he or she will seek Him.
So, Jesus is saying, "Blessed are the beggars in spirit;
theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are the spiritually

bankrupt and impoverished. In a broken state, a man and a
woman will cry out to God for mercy.
The kingdom of heaven belongs to people who know
they cannot earn their way into God’s presence. They are

bankrupt spiritually. Then, they mourn over their sinfulness.

Mourn over sin
Jesus continues His sermon with His second point,
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be
comforted" (Matthew 5:4).

Once a person is broken spiritually, then he or she
will experience godly sorrow and mourn over sin. Those
who express inconsolable grief over their sin shall be
comforted. The word "mourn" means to show the kind of

sadness that one experiences at the death of a mother, father,
child or spouse.
The Holy Spirit moves people to repent, weep, and
mourn over their sin (2 Corinthians 7:10). There is a kind of

weeping that breaks pride and prepares the way for the
coming of the Spirit of God into a person’s life.
Mourning over sin is the weeping of true
repentance. When a person’s heart breaks to God in re-

pentance, he or she experiences the peace of God and
forgiveness.
As a person’s mourning and cries rise to God’s
throne, His comfort descends from heaven. God is the God

of all comfort.
2 Corinthians. 1:3-7 says, “Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies
and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction

so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any
affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are
comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ

are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant
through Christ.”
Jesus was the first comforter. He said, “When I go
away, I'll send another comforter” (John 14:16). The second

comforter is the Holy Spirit.

Meek shall inherit the earth
Once a person is broken over sin, he or she mourns

over it. Then, he or she becomes meek or humble before the
Lord. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the
earth.”

Meekness is a right view of oneself. A man or
woman can never be meek unless he or she is poor in spirit
and mournful. There must be an absence of pride.
To be meek is to be humble, gentle, and patient. It is
a quiet strength of faith. Faith is throwing yourself with

abandon and total confidence upon God.
Humility is necessary for those who enter His
kingdom. A meek person is broken over sin and seeks

God. The person’s humility is born out of the mourning that
comes from seeing his or her sinfulness.
Hunger and thirst for righteousness
Another characteristic of those in God’s kingdom is
that a person hungers and thirsts after righteousness. When

a person is broken over sin, mourns and becomes meek
before God, then he or she hungers and thirsts for
righteousness.

Matthew 5:6 says, “Blessed are they who
are hungering and thirsting after righteousness for they
shall be filled.”
Those who are in the kingdom of heaven, they

hunger and thirst for righteousness. A person needs
righteousness like he or she needs food and water. Our
physical life depends on food and water. Our spiritual life
depends on righteousness. God created the heart of every

person in the world to hunger for Him. However, men and
women try to satisfy the desire for God with all the false
things.
Jesus offered Himself as that bread of

righteousness. He knew people were hungry. He also
provided Himself as living water.
In Jeremiah 2:13, he warned, “They have forsaken
me, the fountain of living waters, and have hewed out

broken cisterns that can hold no water.”
God has made man with a thirst and a hunger for
Him, but man refuses the well of living water and makes
himself broken cisterns that can’t even hold water.

In Luke 1:53, the Bible says, “He hath filled the
hungry with good things, but the rich He sent away empty.”
Someone who hungers and thirsts after
righteousness seeks the Word of God and salvation. It is a

desire to be free from self and sin. It is a desire to be free
from sin’s power, presence, and penalty.
God’s righteousness is spiritual food. When a
person seeks God’s righteousness, He grants it. He fills him

or her. In Psalm 107:9, David wrote, “He satisfies the
longing soul and fills the hungry soul with goodness.”
Psalm 34:10 says, it says, “But they that seek the
Lord shall not lack any good thing.” In John 6:35, Jesus

said, “I am the bread of life. Eat this bread; you will never
hunger again.”

They shall obtain mercy

In Matthew 5:7, the Bible says, “Blessed are the
merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” Jesus Christ came
into the world and was the most compassionate human being

who ever lived. He is the high priest who intercedes for His
followers, and it is from Him that mercy comes.
After a person hungers and thirsts after
righteousness, he or she is then satisfied by God. Then, the
person becomes compassionate and forgiving of

others. Those in His kingdom are merciful.
What is mercy? It is sharing the gospel with the
lost. It is when a person sees a man or woman without food

and gives food. It forgives others. When a person is
walking with God, Jesus’ mercy shows through him or her.
God is rich in mercy.

The pure in heart will see God

Jesus continued the Sermon on the Mount in
Matthew 5:8. Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.”

Jesus said the only ones who will see God are pure
in heart. On the inside, the Holy Spirit gives believers a new
heart, a pure heart.
How can a sinner be transformed and become pure

on the inside? Jesus told Nicodemus that a person must be
“born from above.” A person receives God’s righteousness
and is cleansed on the inside by the washing of regeneration,
and by the renewing of the Holy Spirit. The kingdom of

heaven has always belonged to the pure hearts. God requires
holiness.
The Pharisees were always washing their hands and
cleaning their pots and their pans. And they were working

continually on the outside and ignoring the inside.
They were going through their ritualistic prayers, but
they ignored love, justice, and truth. They substituted the
traditions of men for the commandments of God. Jesus said

this is not all about what you do on the outside; it is about a
pure heart, the source of life.
The heart is a symbol of our inner person. As we
think in our heart, so are we. God through the act of

salvation gives a new heart, a pure heart. God’s mercy
cleanses the soul from sin’s filth and impurity (1 John 1:9).
In Psalm 51:10, David prayed to God, "Create in me
a clean heart, O God." Purity is essential to the nature of God

and to be in His presence.
This purity imputes righteousness where God
ascribes to us the righteousness of Christ. Paul in Philippians

3:9 said, "I don't have a righteousness of my own, but that
which is of God given to me through faith in Christ."


Peacemakers are called sons of God
Jesus continued His sermon by sharing another
virtue of a believer; “Blessed are the peacemakers, for
they shall be called sons of God.”
Once a believer becomes pure in heart, he or she will

share the gospel that may one day bring peace to an
unbeliever’s soul. Those who share the gospel are
peacemakers, though the world hates them.

When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, they
disrupted God’s peace with them and for all humanity. At
the cross, peace became a reality again as Jesus died for
men’s and women’s sins. He became our peace.
Since the Lord Jesus Christ provided peace, there

can be peace in the hearts of men and women who come to
know Him. God has designated His believers as
peacemakers. He calls them the sons of God.

When Jesus comes again on earth, He will reign as
the “Prince of Peace.” He will establish a kingdom of peace
for eternity.


Today, you can only peace by surrendering your life
to the prince of peace (Colossians 1:20). There is no peace
in the world today, because of the disobedience of men and
women and the adversary of Satan to God. Many men,

women, the fallen angels, and Satan are at war with God.

There is also a spiritual war against believers as Satan tries
to destroy a Christian’s life and witness to embarrass Christ.
Peace will only occur when the Word of God and
truth flourishes. It is when two parties can embrace each

other. Where there is peace, there is righteousness and
holiness.
In Matthew 10:34, Jesus said, “Think not that I am
come to send peace on earth. I came not to send peace but a

sword.”
Jesus did not come to bring peace at any price. He
knew there had to be strife before there could be peace. The
Gospel convicts and brings contention and strife. Jesus

Christ resolves the conflict by faith in Him. Then, there is
peace. The only genuine peace comes when a person
responds to the truth.
The menace to peace is a sin. In Jeremiah 17:9, it

says, “The heart of man is deceitful and desperately
wicked.” A wicked heart can never produce peace.
“The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by them
that make peace” (James 3:18). Peacemakers are always

trying to bring a person to Christ. Only when a person deals
with his or her sin can true peace ever transpire.
Jesus is the greatest peacemaker of all. Did He avoid
conflict with the Pharisees and religious leaders? No, he

confronted their sins, and He was nailed to a cross and
executed for doing so. Though the Jews and Romans put Him
to death, His mission was to come to earth, die on the cross
and be raised from the dead to bring God’s peace to all men

and women.
The Bible is clear, “The wages of sin is death, but the
gift of God is eternal life” (Romans 6:23). The sacrifice of
Jesus, the Son of Man without sin and blemish, was the only

way for the elect to be saved from eternal punishment and to
have peace with God.
Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace. In Isaiah 9:6, the
prophet Isaiah said, “He shall be called the Prince of

Peace.” He is the Prince of Peace, and yet everywhere He
went, He created conflict when he preached the gospel of
peace.
Ephesians 2:14 says, “For He is our

peace.” Colossians 1:20 says that Jesus Christ has made
peace through the blood of His cross. He reconciled all things
to Himself.
So, God is the source of peace, and Jesus is the

manifestation of peace. The Holy Spirit is the agency of
peace.
A peacemaker shares the gospel of peace with
everyone they can. Sons of God are peacemakers even with

their enemies. The maker of peace is God, while the
messengers of peace are His followers – his adopted sons and
daughters. God makes His believers adoptive sons through
the Spirit and joint heirs (Romans 8:16-17).


Persecuted for the sake of righteousness
Jesus promises every peacemaker who shares the

gospel of peace will be persecuted. Jesus said, “Blessed are

those who have been persecuted for the sake of
righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute
you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because

of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is
great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets
who were before you.”
A person who is a peacemaker in God’s kingdom

will be persecuted for his or her belief and faith in Jesus
Christ.
A peacemaker has a life of conflict with the
world. John 15:18-25 says, “If the world hates you, keep in

mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it
would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the
world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why

the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant
is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they
will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they
will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because

of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. If
I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty

of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever
hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among

them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of
sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me

and my Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their

Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’”

World at war with God
Those who are in the kingdom of God have a new
nature in Christ. The Holy Spirit’s transforming work
marks Christians as targets in the world at war with God.

All the blessings or virtues of the beatitudes that
Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount are intolerable to
an evil world.
The unbelievers cannot stand a person who is poor

in spirit, because they value pride, strength, and control. The
unsaved hate those who mourn over sin because they justify
their sins and make excuses for them or blame others.

The lost hate those who are meek because they
believe it is a weakness to be humble. The lost honor and
value the outspoken and prideful. The unregenerate hate
those who hunger and thirst for righteousness because they
love sin and remain in the darkness rather than moving to

the light.
The eternally damned hate those who are merciful.
The damned are unforgiving and selfish. They want to
punish their enemies. They will not apologize and forgive.

The dead in spirit hate those who have a pure
heart. The dead in spirit make fun of those who confront sin
and share God’s truth.
The sinner hates the peacemaker who brings others

to the feet of the Prince of Peace. In many countries, the
peacemakers are put in prison and killed for sharing the
Christian faith with others.

The lost does not want to be persecuted by this
world. The misled are the persecutors for Satan. They would
rather live for today; for tomorrow, they will die. They do
not believe in God or heaven or hell. They hate God.

The lost world does not value Jesus’ blessings and
virtues in the Sermon on the Mount. The lost world will
continue to persecute and bring suffering to Christ’s elect.
Before Jesus’ death, he told his disciples about their

life ahead, “Blessed are you when men hate you,
and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as
evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. Be glad in that day
and leap for joy; for behold, your reward is great in heaven.

For in the same way their fathers used to treat the
prophets. However, woe to you who are rich, for you, are

receiving your comfort in full. Woe to you who are well-fed

now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now,

for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men
speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false
prophets in the same way” (Luke 6:22-26).
Hardship and opposition characterize a righteous

life. Persecution is a confirmation that a person who is living
a confronting life in an ungodly world belongs to Christ.

Chapter 12

The narrow road … The Romans road
to salvation


“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” (Romans 1:16).


In the Bible’s Book of Romans, the Apostle Paul presents
the plan of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
When we read and meditate on the Word of God, we
learn that God has inspired the Scriptures. They are from God
and about God. It is God’s truth.

The Word of God also is the power of God for
salvation to everyone who believes. In His word, he reveals
his divine plan for mankind’s redemption. The Word of God

has the power to give life to the spiritually dead. It changes the
heart of stone to a new heart. The only hope for eternal life is
through the Word of God. It will bring salvation and peace to
your life, while sin and rejecting the Word of God will bring
condemnation and eternal damnation.

Are you on the narrow road to heaven or the broad road
that leads to destruction? Do you know? Nicodemus spent an
evening with Jesus and discovered he needed to be born again
by God. He was not in God’s kingdom. Have you been “born

from above?”

These following scriptures from Romans will help
you examine yourself and find the narrow road to salvation in
Christ.


“Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar” (Romans
3:4).
“As it is written: ‘There is none righteous, no, not one;
There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after

God’” (Romans 3:10, 11).
“For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of
God” (Romans 3:23).

“For when we were still without strength, in due time
Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6).
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that
while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world,

and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men
because all sinned” (Romans 5:12).
“For as by one man’s disobedience many were made

sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made
righteous” (Romans 5:19).
“Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed
to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans
6:11).

“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that
you should obey it in its lusts” (Romans 6:12).
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal

life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

“There is, therefore, no condemnation to those who are in
Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but
according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:1).
“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we

are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God
and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that
we may also be glorified together” (Romans 8:16, 17).
“And we know that all things work together for good to

those who love God, to those who are called according to His
purpose” (Romans 8:28).
“Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and
furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God,

who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us
from the love of Christ” (Romans 8:34).
“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels
nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to

come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall
be able to separate us from the Love of God, which is Christ
Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38, 39).
“that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and

believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead,
you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto
righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made unto
salvation. For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes on Him

will not be put to shame.’ For there is no distinction between
Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who
call upon Him. For whoever calls on the name of the LORD
shall be saved” (Romans 10:9-13).

“For the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable. For as
you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained
mercy through their disobedience, even so, these also have
now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you also

may obtain mercy” (Romans 11:30, 31).
“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and
knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and
His ways past finding out” (Romans 11:33).

“I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God,
that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do
not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the

renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is good and
acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:1,2).
“For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.
For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the

Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For
this end, Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might
be Lord of both the dead and the living” (Romans 14:7, 8).
“Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my

gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the
revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began
but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made
known to all nations, according to the commandment of the

everlasting God, for obedience to the faith—to God, alone
wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever, Amen” (Romans
16:27).

Epilogue

Everyone who believes is born
of God


“Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of

God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of

Him. By this, we know that we love the children of God when


we love God and observe His commandments. For this is the
love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His

commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of
God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has
overcome the world—our faith.
“Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he

who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is the One
who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the
water only, but with the water and with the blood. It is the

Spirit who testifies because the Spirit is the truth. For there
are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood;

and the three are in agreement.
“ If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of
God is greater; for the testimony of God is this, that He has

testified concerning His Son. The one who believes in the
Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does
not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not
believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His

Son. And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal

life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the

life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the
life.
“ These things I have written to you who believe in the
name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you

have eternal life. 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” (1 John 5:1-15).