THE EXCEPT (or unless) OPTIONS

THE EXCEPT (or unless) OPTIONS

While we are in this world of testing, we are faced with, "EXCEPT" or "UNLESS" options. Here are a few passages that address our choices in life. Notice that these choices begin at salvation and continue through our life of faith.

PASSAGES and COMMENTS...
These passages are taken from various translations that use the words EXCEPT or UNLESS. Making the wrong choice in any of these testings results in disaster. 

BELIEVE IN CHRIST ALONE or DIE IN SINS
John 8:24
I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for except ye believe that I am 'he', ye shall die in your sins. (ASV)
DLG note... There is no other escape from sin than Jesus Christ. 

John 14:6
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me. (WEB WEY NIV)
DLG note... There is no other way to a right relationship with God than through Christ. 

REPENT or PERISH
Luke 13:3
I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. (KJV ASV WBS)
DLG note... Either REPENT (change your mind about sin, change your direction in life, turn from sin) or be separated from God forever. 

NEW BIRTH or LOSE KINGDOM OF GOD
John 3:3
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. (KJV ASV DBY WBS)
DLG note... A miraculous, God empowered, transformed new beginning is fundamental, essential to entering the Kingdom of God. 

REMEMBER AND REPENT or LOSE YOUR LIGHT
Revelation 2:5
Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. (KJV ASV DBY WBS)
DLG note... Individually, believers who fall must repent again, turn again, and do the first works of salvation again (believe, confess, obey) or they will lose their light. This is also true in the corporate sense for churches. 

EAT AND DRINK CHRIST or BE LOST
John 6:53
Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. (KJV ASV WBS)
DLG note... Constant spiritual feasting on Christ is the only way to maintain spiritual life. 

ABIDE/HOLD FAST or BE BARREN/CUT OFF/BURNED
John 15:2-6
(2) Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
(3) Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
(4) Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
(5) I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. (KJV ASV WBS)
(6) If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
DLG note... Believers who do not produce spiritual fruit (including the Fruit of the Spirit), we will be removed from Christ. Believers who do not experience purification of the heart will no longer produce spiritual fruit. Believers who do not choose to abide, continue, remain in Christ will not produce spiritual fruit, but will instead be cast aside, withered, cast into the fire and burned. Notice, it is not the believers failed works that are cast into the fire of judgment, but the believer. Our choice is either Holy Spirit fire or hell fire. 

EXAMINE/PROVE YOURSELVES SAVED or FAIL THE TEST AND BE REJECTED
2 Corinthians 13:5
Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? (KJV WBS)
DLG note... Those who do not prove themselves faithful during testing will be rejected (reprobate). 

REJECT FALSE DOCTRINE or BE TURNED FROM THE GOSPEL
Galatians 1:6-7
6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel--
7 that is not another, except there be certain who are troubling you, and wishing to pervert the good news of the Christ; (YLT)
DLG note... Those who turn from following Christ will be followers of a false gospel and therefore not be saved.


Launch Out and Hold Fast,
Pastor David L. Gould

SUCCESS AND FAILURE ARE BOTH INDIVIDUAL AND CORPORATE

GOD'S PLAN
God deals with humanity on both an individual and a corporate level. God created man (Adam) from the dust of the earth, then He made woman from Adam's side. From that time God's relationship with the human race has been both individual and corporate. I am using the word “corporate” in the basic sense of “body.” The "body" may be the husband/wife union in marriage (Adam/Eve), the parent/child relationship in family (Adam/Eve/Cain/Abel), the extended family relationship of grandparents, siblings, uncles, aunts and cousins (Terah/Haran/Abram/Sarai/Lot), group relationship found in tribe and community (Abraham/Isaac/Jacob/his sons, Babel/Sodom, Israel/Judah) or the redemptive relationship in the Church. Marriage, family and Church are God's ideas and institutions


THE PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SIDE OF BEING HUMAN
There are some blessings/cursings that can only be realized by individuals and some that can only be realized by bodies of people. There are some obligations/opportunities that are strictly personal and some that are corporate. There are some successes/failures experienced only by individuals, and others that are only experienced by groups of people.


God has destined us personally to be answerable only for our own sins, but He has designed us corporately to share as victims or victors, based on other people's actions. Not only do our actions have personal consequences for us, they have corporate consequences for others, thus the idea, "No man is an island."


It is a challenge to attain and maintain a balance between private and public productive performance. While God expects us to reach our full potential as individuals, He also requires us to live in peace with one another. When a marriage, family, church is living according to God's will and by God's grace, this unimaginably beautiful community becomes a reality. This will be demonstrated on an international level during the earthly reign of Christ, when He returns. This will be the eternal norm when there is a New Heaven, New Earth and New Jerusalem.

PREPARING FOR SUCCESS/FAILURE
This is why it is important for people to learn early that they are not only responsible for themselves, but they are responsible as part of a social structure (marriage, family, church).


This is why it is important for young brides and grooms to learn teamwork and mutual support concepts early in their marriage. If interdependence is not understood and achieved at an early stage of a relationship, the individuals and the relationship will begin to suffer loss and failure and they will be plagued with negativity throughout their lives.


This is why it is important for people to be under the authority of wise leadership and for them to seek out that leadership and submit to the counsel of that leadership. The refusal to seek and accept sound counsel will result in personal and corporate failure, temporal and eternal loss.


AS SEEN IN CREATION AND THE CREATOR
Finally consider this. We see both the individual and corporate idea in the natural world, the institutions of God and the the nature of God.


Creation
All of life is built upon the individual part, but is related to all other parts. This is true on the mega scale of the universe and the micro scale of the atom. The far reaches of the universe impacts and influences life on earth. Our entire universe is interdependent.


God refers to the human body as an example of this concept. The body is made up of individual parts, but each part has a relationship, connection, to the other parts.


Relationships
The husband/wife relationship is said to be "one flesh" and the local church is one body, made up of various members.


Deity
There is only One God, though there are Three Persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. When we interact with and respond to God we are relating to One God in Three Persons. God deals with us as only One God, but He relates to Himself and to us as Three Persons. He (They) is (are) perfect in unity and in purpose.


THE FALLEN HUMAN CONDITION
God created us to be individuals who can relate to one another in perfect unity and harmony.. Sin has brought dissonance to the human race, but redemption restores us to God's plan. But remember, the longer we are out of tune with God, the more discord there will be in our lives, privately and publicly.


ABERRANT BEHAVIOR
It is called sickness when parts of the human body are not functioning properly. It is called family dysfunction when members of a family do not properly relate to one another. It is called crime and anarchy when a society does not submit to authority. Likewise, when a local body of believers does not properly interact it is an indication of soul sickness, spiritual dysfunction, and rebellion against God.


CHOOSE YOUR PATH CAREFULLY
During the early days of the automobile, people drove in well-worn ruts rather than on maintained, modern roads. When going from one community to another, a driver might be reminded, "Choose your rut carefully because you are going to be in it for a long way." This is good advice for the journey of life. Choose your path carefully, because you are going to be in it for a long way." You will have to deal with the terrain, through which the path takes you, and the thugs, who wait in ambush. And remember, the path takes you to a specific destination, whether you want to go there or not.


This is why we need a road map (the Bible). This is why we need a guide (the Holy Spirit). This is why we need to travel in a group (the local church). It is possible to live for Christ when no one else does, but it is not possible to fulfill all of our ministry without the other members of the body of Christ.


Launch Out and Hold Fast,
Pastor David L. Gould