To overcome is to wage a successful war against Satan, the lust of our eyes, the lust of our flesh, and the pride of our life—our self-will, self-love, and self-seeking. We know we have the victory when we cease loving the world, our sins, and our stubborn, arrogant self.

The Christian salvation is not in word and belief. The Christian salvation is in the power and demonstration of the Spirit of God.

The Prophet Jeremiah knew the reality of God, of sin, and of righteousness.

Another incorrect doctrine:

The interpretation of being saved "so as by fire" to mean that the fruitless believer will be rewarded and never scolded but that he will have a smaller mansion than more diligent believers. In actuality to be saved so as by fire will be a terrifying experience.

To be saved as by fire is to have the fire of God burn away all of one's accomplishments, all that has been achieved during the individual's lifetime on the earth. This happened to Lot, the nephew of Abraham. Abraham, on the other hand, had an abundant entrance into the Kingdom of God.

There will be the mental torment of opportunities for glory forever lost. There will be lashes, the chastisement due the disobedient servant. There may be long, long stays in lower levels of darkness while the person is instructed by the angels of God. There also may be a stripping of maturity such that the individual starts again as a child, at which time the individual's memory will be removed so he or she may begin life anew.

The person was saved into the Kingdom of God, perhaps, as in the case of Lot, because of the prayers of a relative or friend. But there will be no robe of militant righteousness, no crown of eternal life and glory.

Jeremiah lived to see the destruction of Jerusalem including the Temple, and the removal of Ark of the Covenant. God's promise was that Israel would be saved at a later date. But the salvation proved to be a flaming destruction of all that was cherished by the Jews.

The applying of the numerous warnings of the Apostle Paul, such as Galatians 5:19-21 and Romans 6:23, to unsaved people when they obviously were written to the believers in Galatia and Rome. We hear teachers of the Bible who profess to be fundamental in belief state that the warnings found in the Epistles are not directed toward Christians.

Toward whom are they directed? The unbelievers? The Epistles are addressed to the saints in the various localities, not to the unbelievers. Paul states clearly in many places that the believers who continue to sin will not inherit the Kingdom of God. If Paul were addressing unbelievers, which was not the case, he would be implying that unbelievers will inherit the Kingdom of God provided they do not walk in the flesh.

Truly, we are in need of a reformation of Christian thinking!

But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. (Ephesians 5:3-5)

To be continued.