By Jack Weaver and johninnc
Colossians 2:6-15:
[6] As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
[7] Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
[8] Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
[9] For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
[10] And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
[11] In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
[12] Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
[13] And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
[14] Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
[15] And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
From Wikipedia: Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada as a day of giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest and of the preceding year.
For Christians, abounding in thanksgiving is an integral part of our walk in the Lord Jesus Christ. We should be exceedingly thankful for our Savior – for who He is, for what He has done for us, and for our resultant position in Him.
Jesus is God our Savior – in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily (verse 9). He is the head of all principality and power (verse 10).
Jesus died for our sins (verse 14), was buried, and was raised from the dead (verse 12). He triumphed over the principalities and powers of this world (verse 15).
Once we received Him by faith, He made us partakers in His life (verse 13), freed us from the law (verse 14), and forgave ALL of our sins (verse 13) – past, present, and future. We are complete in Him (verse 10). Our bodies of sin have been put off by Him (verse 11). We are reconciled to God. We have eternal life that can never be lost or forfeited.
Thank you Jesus!
PS – don’t let anyone spoil (ruin) you by leading you astray with fleshly, man-made philosophies that are based on the principles (rudiments) of this world (verse 8). This includes Calvinists, Lordship “salvationists”, and all of the various accusers of the brethren.
If you would like to know how to have the gift of eternal life click here: Eternal Life for You
We thank the Lord for all of our visitors and readers at ExPreacherMan. And, we thank the Lord for the opportunity to read, discuss, and spread His Word.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!
Notes From A Retired Preacher 
Romans 8 and James 1 were great comparisons Johninnc. Thank you.
Derick, that is great news, praying for them to grow in His grace. Commend them to the Word of His Grace! (Acts 20:32)
Dereck, thanks for sharing this joyful news.
I have prayed that this new believer will begin to grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus.
Thank the Lord for having birthed a new believer today. Pray he will find a good church to help him grow in the Lord.
Thankyou John for the comments… yeah, just the same in James 2, the word save does not always mean being saved from hell. Just as the word “Die” or “death” does not always mean eternal seperation. I still have a long way to go I guess..
Dino, I have been spending some time with Romans 8 the last few days.
You said: My Friend asked me about Romans 8:12-14 if the verse is about salvation.
My comment: I think Romans 8:12-13 are about the Christian walk – not tests of whether or not one is a Christian. I see parallels with James 1:13-15, which is clearly written to believers. See both passages, below:
Romans 8:12-13:
[12] Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
[13] For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
James 1:13-15:
[13] Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
[14] But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
[15] Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
“Die” in Romans 8:13 and “death” in James 1:15 do not refer to eternal life, but failure in the Christian life – diminished fellowship, joy, power, and testimony, and may also refer to incurring God’s chastening, or loss of rewards.
I think Romans 8:14 does have to do with whether or not one is a Christian. All Christians are led by the Spirit. The Spirit always leads. The Christian does not always follow.
Romans 8 has several references to the flesh, including: walking after the flesh (verses 1 and 4); being after the flesh (verse 5) and minding the things of the flesh (verse 5); and being in the flesh (verses 8 and 9).
My opinion is that the phrase “in the flesh” in verses 8 and 9 refers to people who have only a flesh nature – that is, they are not born again.
so encouraging, including the comments!
“Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us,”
Pretty clear isn’t it.
They’re outta here.
God is so awesome.
Hi John, Jack
My Friend asked me about Romans 8:12-14 if the verse is about salvation. I wrote an exposition about it and please do let me know if any corrections are needed.. Thanks so much!!
An Exposition on Romans 8:12-14
Romans 8:12-14
King James Version (KJV)
12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
There are people who say that if you are a Christian or if you claim to be saved, you must live after the spirit because God is in you.
But my question to you my friend is this. is change automatic?
if a person receives the spirit of God, is it automatic that his life will change?
one may argue, Yes it won’t.. but there should be because it is a process right?
Right. it is a process. But let me remind you first of all that even if I do not exercise changes or show changes in my life, that doesn’t mean that I am not a child of God or I have never really been saved or I just lost my salvation because you see, Salvation was a choice. God did not force us to be saved, and after being saved, God did not take away our freewill nor did he change our mortal bodies. God did not make robots in the faith. I serve God not because I want to be saved, but because I AM SAVED and I LOVE HIM.
When I was born again, I received a SPIRITUAL birth and not a fleshly birth. All people can see the flesh and most of the time, people judge other people by the flesh birth because this is what they see. But no one, except God alone can see the spiritual birth that takes place in a man after he trusts Christ as Savior
John 3:6-8
King James Version (KJV)
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
The way to salvation is by Believing or Trusting in Jesus Christ Alone to save us from the penalty of our sins which is eternal damnation in hell and bring us to heaven. That has never changed
John 3:16
King James Version (KJV)
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
So the question remains, how do we reconcile Romans 8:12-14 with John 3:16? I will do my best by the Lord’s help to explain these verses.
First of all, if sinning was a condition that would not allow us to go to heaven, Then Paul the apostle cannot go to heaven (If you like, you may read Read the whole chapter of Romans 7 and get the context of the 2 verses displayed below)
Romans 7:14
King James Version (KJV)
14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.
Romans 7:19
King James Version (KJV)
19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
Paul himself was a sinner
Verse 12 of Romans 8 reads
12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
Why are we in-debt to the spirit and not to the flesh? When we were saved, The Holy Spirit is instantly received by the sinner that trusted in Jesus Christ alone as savior
Romans 8:10-11
King James Version (KJV)
10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
This is the Key, FLESH AND BLOOD CANNOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD because our flesh originated from Adam. When Adam sinned, sin was born and every other man and woman after adam inherited the sin nature that they passed on
1 Corinthians 15:50
King James Version (KJV)
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
That is why I believe verse 12 reads that we are in debt to the spirit because we have been set free by Jesus Christ who purchased us by his blood. and thus we belong to him..
Next verse, Romans 8:13
13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
If we live after the flesh, we shall die, But if we through the spirit MORTIFY (Mortify means to put to death, to make to die, destroy, to be set free) the deeds of the body, ye shall live. Here is my take in this verse. This means that if we choose to live in the flesh WITHOUT the spirit because we have not accepted Christ as Savior, we shall die. But if we trust Jesus Christ as Savior, We have been rescued from the body of death by the Spirit that dwell in us the moment we trusted Jesus Christ alone as savior
Romans 7:24-25
King James Version (KJV)
24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
Romans 8:1-4
King James Version (KJV)
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
There are 2 natures living in each person after trusting Jesus Christ. The FLESH nature and the SPIRITUAL nature. The Flesh lives by the things of the world and if we feed ourselves with the world, the flesh nature inside us grows strong. The spiritual nature on the other hand lives by the things of God. If we feed ourselves with spiritual things, the spiritual nature inside us grows strong
The verse below proves the spiritual nature within each of us after trusting Christ as Savior
1 John 3:9
King James Version (KJV)
Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
Whoever is born of God DOES NOT COMMIT SIN. so does this mean that if we are born of God and we commit sin then we are really not born of God? No. This proves that the spiritual nature inside us CANNOT sin because it is from God.
The reason I believe Romans 8:13 mentions that “but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.”, since the flesh nature has been crucified with Christ who became sin for us who knew no sin, We instantly received the spiritual nature, therefore, we live.
Romans 6:6
King James Version (KJV)
Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
NOTE: (SHOULD NOT SERVE SIN. IT IS NOT A MUST. Therefore we have a choice to serve or NOT to serve sin. we are exhorted and instructed that we SHOULD not serve sin because we belong to Christ. We should use our liberty in Christ the right way. But not a MUST to “not serve sin” therefore it is a choice. Does this mean that salvation is a license to sin? NO! because Romans 6:1-2 does not encourage that we should serve sin. However, because God did not take away our freewill nor our flesh nature, we sometimes still choose to sin. If you want to sin, you can go ahead and live a life of sin and you will still go to heaven BUT YOU CANNOT STOP GOD FROM CORRECTING YOU OR PUNISHING YOU AS HIS CHILD FOR THE SINS YOU COMMIT (Hebrews 12:6). He may punish you in this life on earth or He may take away your rewards from heaven. it is entirely UP TO GOD as our eternal Father. God does NOT GIVE BIRTH to temporary children because we are BORN OF GOD who is eternal. No one can become UNBORN.)
The last verse. Romans 8:14
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
let me point you to Galatians 5:17-18
Galatians 5:17-18
King James Version (KJV)
17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
As you can see on Verse 17, There is a WAR going on inside each of us, the spirit against the flesh and the flesh against the spirit. These 2 CANNOT AGREE and they will NEVER AGREE.
Verse 18 states that if we are led of the spirit, we are not under the law.
My question to you is this, Are we led by the spirit every moment of our lives? No. All of us sin until today.
1 John 3:9 Reads, “Whoever is born of God DOES NOT COMMIT SIN”. There are times we walk in the flesh and there are times we walk in the Spirit. Whenever we walk in the Spirit we are not under the law, Those who are led by the spirit are the sons of God. the spirit being referred to here is OUR NEW NATURE! Our SPIRITUAL NATURE! and so if we walk in the flesh then it is under the law because it is from Adam! Do you get that? We make everyday choices weather to please the flesh nature or the spiritual nature. we make choices and in those choices we make. We either Gain rewards or lose rewards in the Judgement seat of Christ
I hope this clears out Romans 8:12-14. This is just my opinion. We all may have different opinions about it but nevertheless, to conclude, it is not about salvation, rather it proves That there is a war inside us. and we SHOULD always try to live according to the Spirit. The answer in conclusion to Romans 8:12-14 is found again in Romans 6:6
God bless everyone.
Romans 6:6
King James Version (KJV)
6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
Hi Derrick,
I don’t know if this is basic but this verse supports perfectly the well know Ephesians 2:8-9
Ephesians 2:4-5
King James Version (KJV)
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
saved – past tense
God can’t change it, God can’t unsave us, God can’t un-quicken us, As far as God is concerned, it’s a done deal.
Derick, what outstanding news!
You might consider some of these:
John 5:24: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
John 6:47: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
John 10:28-29:
[28] And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
[29] My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.Hebrews 10:10: By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Ephesians 1:13-14:
[13] In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
[14] Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
Ephesians 6:13-17:
[13] Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
[14] Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
[15] And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
[16] Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
[17] And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Derrick
Wonderful that your friend trusted Christ alone as Savior!! Thank the Lord!!
John 3:16-18
Eternal life is His Gift to us
John 10:28
Eternal life – a Gift – Never perish
Ephesians 2:8-10
By Grace through Faith NOT works
If she understands and believes these there are many more — for instance many verses on our web site:
Eternal Life For You
https://expreacherman.com/eternal-life-for-you/
Share Your Faith
https://expreacherman.com/share-your-faith/
Thanks for telling us. We will continue to pray for you — and her.
In Jesus Christ eternally, Jack
John and Jack, the Lord has answered your prayers for the lady saw the folly of the LS message and trusted in Christ alone for eternal life’ I praise God for this. We are planning to meet on the weekend for some bible study. Any verses that I can use to help a new believer?
Lisa
Thanks for your wonderful comment and verse. We pray your time will be blessed by the Lord — until we all meet in the air at the Rapture..
THAT will be a blessed day!!
In Jesus Christ eternally, Jack
To All Here at Expreacherman.com, have a very blessed and Thanks filled day! In Him, Lisa
Philippians 4:7King James Version (KJV)
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Jack, what a beautiful chorus.
kirkd524
Welcome — we appreciate your visit and hope to see you regularly.
You have pointed out some wonderful Scripture that devastates the flawed theory of Calvinism and Reformed teaching.
Jesus came for ALL men and it is the Lord’s desire that ALL men be saved but man has a choice to believe in Jesus alone as Savior or to refuse. There are so many such clear scriptures one wonders how they can keep up the charade.
In Jesus Christ eternally, Jack
Derrick
Praying for you.. that the Lord will give you the right Scripture and your sister will be open to the Truth of God;s Grace.
In Jesus Christ eternally, Jack
Chorus to a wonderful Hymn of praise: “Thank You Lord”
In Jesus Christ eternally, Jack
Derick, I have prayed that God will prepare her heart to hear His Word and will guide you as you deliver it.
On my way to see a sister raised a catholic to discuss salvation issues with her, pray that she will trust in Christ only for eternal life.
Thank you for this. We have much for which to be thankful. I’m reminded of another Scripture that should put to death the Calvinist unconditional election nonsense. Luke 2:10-11:
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
Tidings of great joy to ALL people! A Saviour born for YOU! There is nothing mysterious about this at all! The good news of the gospel is about God’s grace, not His sovereign choice of a select few. Shame on those who minimize and restrict His unspeakable gift!
Happy Thanksgiving to you also!
Nathan, to personalize it further, He also made the tree.
Carefully read this…………….Colossians 2:14 “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, NAILING IT TO HIS CROSS” (KJV)
I never noticed this before. The only version of the Bible (KJV) that says the cross it was nailed to was HIS cross, not THE cross. All the other different versions of the Bible call it THE cross, even the (NKJV).
This personalizes HIS work done for me upon HIS cross. This may seem subtle but it makes a very big difference to me now. HIS WORK, HIS SACRIFICE for me! HIS WORK, HIS SACRIFICE for me! HIS WORK, HIS SACRIFICE for me! Amen.