"Believe in Jesus," it is taught, "and your troubles are over. You will go to Heaven."

If we place our faith in Jesus we are saved—saved to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, not saved to go about our business until we die and go to an external Paradise.

Sometimes a person's troubles begin when he places his faith in the Lord Jesus.

Jesus was (and is) a stern Preacher. He did not tell people He would make them happy. Rather, He warned them to repent because of the coming of the rule of God into the earth.

We do not receive Christ in order to be happy in this present life. We receive Christ because it is God's will we should do so. We do what is right in the sight of God whether or not we enjoy the consequences. This principle holds true for eternity.

God is not obligated to please us although He does so on numerous occasions. But we are obligated to serve God—even to death if need be. Any other attitude is nothing more than the rebellion of the last days prophesied by the Lord Jesus and Paul.

We saints know there are pleasures forever at God's right hand. Therefore we are not moved. We esteem being disgraced because of our trust in Christ to be greater riches than all the treasures of the world. We suffer much tribulation. When we die physically we shall enter rest in the Presence of Christ. We shall await in Paradise the Day of Resurrection.

Imputed (ascribed) righteousness is not a device whereby we are enabled to enter a land of delights on the basis of forgiveness. Imputed righteousness is a legal maneuver that assigns the righteousness of the Law of Moses to us so we can follow Christ without condemnation.

If, after having been set free from the Law of Moses through the righteousness of Christ, we continue to walk in sin, there no longer is a sacrifice that avails for us. We are disobeying Christ. We are walking in willful sin. Although we name the name of Christ we shall reap death; for the wages of sin is death whether committed by Christian or non-Christian. The fruit of sin always is death.

Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. (James 1:15)

The above verse was written to Christian Jews and it applies both to Christians and non-Christians.

Christian grace does not waive the principle that sin results in death. Rather, Christian grace forgives us and enables us to overcome sin and self-will and enter eternal life.

Concept 1: grace does away with the law that sin results in death.

Concept 2: grace forgives us and enables us to overcome sin.

These two concepts are worlds apart, the first leading to destruction. Yet, it is our impression that the first concept is held by the majority of "fundamentalists." We ourselves adhere to the fundamentals of the Christian faith but we subscribe to the second of the two concepts.

To be continued.