Rev 19:7-9; The Righteousness Of The Saints

Rev 19:

6  Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.

7  Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready;

8  it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure -- for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

9  And the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb." And he said to me, "These are the true words of God."

The bride is given her wedding garment, (it was granted her to clothe herself), which are the righteous deeds of the saints, from the Greek word; dikaiōma, i.e. righteous deeds, the deeds which are the product of having been justified in Christ and having His righteousness imputed to us solely by the sovereign will and purpose of the Father, and for no other reason than that.

This ties into;

Ephesians 2:
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Also to what James is speaking of regarding faith and works;

   James 2:                                                                                                                            

18 But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

Our deeds do not save us, but the post-conversion work of the saints is evidence that the finished work of Christ's atoning death, which is the justification of the saints, is at work in the lives of the saints.
Now the city, the New Jerusalem, is the bride (Rev 21:2 and 9-11), but the city consists of those who inhabit it, which we will and do. That is why she is clothed in our righteous deeds. We are the ones saved solely by God's grace through election in Christ, and our deeds display His righteousness. We do not perform any work to justify ourselves, sanctify ourselves nor to make ourselves "better" people, thus more pleasing to God. All he has placed in Christ are pleasing to Him, since Christ is the one in whom He is well pleased. (Matthew 3:17; Hebrews 11:6; Hebrews 12:2a)

This stands in sharp contrast to the earthly Jerusalem which Paul describes:

Galatians 4:
22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman.
23 But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise.
24 Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar.
25 Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.
26 But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.
27 For it is written, "Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear; break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than those of the one who has a husband."
28 Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise.
29 But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now.
30 But what does the Scripture say? "Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman."
31 So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman.

The earthly Jerusalem is enslaved to the law/legalism, that is, works righteousness, and the citizenry are constantly laboring under the burden of this self-righteousness, to redeem themselves before God. The heavenly (New) Jerusalem, the free woman, is our mother and we are born again children, not by our choosing, but by the Father's sovereign will.
The earthly Jerusalem reflects the glory of man which is no glory at all (2 Cor 3:7-11)
The New Jerusalem displays the glory of God the Father, pointing to the glorified bridegroom, that is the Son.
The righteousness of the saints is His righteousness imputed to us, thus the bride is given her wedding garment by the Lord.
The garment which consists or man’s (self) righteousness is a soiled and stained rag, and no one gets into the wedding feast in such attire.

                               Isaiah64:                                                                                                                                             6  We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

Matthew 22:

11  "But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. 12  And he said to him, 'Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless. 13  Then the king said to the attendants, 'Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' 14  For many are called, but few are chosen."

Rev 21:

22  And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.

23  And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.

24  By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it,

25  and its gates will never be shut by day--and there will be no night there.

26  They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations.

27  But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.

Christ Crucified; The Bread Of Life-Against The Leaven Of The Phariseess

Luke 12:1 In the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy" (hupokrisis i.e. pretension/pretending- hupokrite?s-literally an actor a stage player).

Galatians 5:9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump. (Note that Paul's use of the same statement in 1 Cor 5:1-8 deals specifically with a specific sin in a matter of sexual immorality)

The use of the word leaven as metaphor is found many times throughout scripture. Most commonly, the term "leaven" is thought to be used exclusively as a metaphor for sin. This is simply not so (See Luke 13:20-21)
As always, context determines meaning. In the above cited passages,both Jesus and Paul are using the term in conjunction with the same activity.The Lord says that the leaven of the pharisees/legalists is hypocrisy.Paul says that a little leaven leavens the whole lump. He is speaking of the leaven of the legalist/pharisees which permeates throughout that entire lump of dough.This dough representing both individual man and church,as well as the doctrines of grace, the gospel based in the scriptures, which is the Word of God.
The leaven written of by Paul is that very same hypocrisy spoken of by Christ. (Matthew 23)
The false doctrine of justification,sanctification,righteousness,i.e. salvation by works of the Law,any code, is the hypocritical leaven of the pharisees,or in today's church, the neo-pharisaical judaizers.
Salvation is a grace/faith issue, predicated upon God's sovereign (pre-creation) decree of election in Christ of all who will believe. Paul writes in Romans 14:23b; "For whatever (everything) does not proceed from faith is sin."
So then this hypocritical, man centered leaven is also sin, as it does not proceed from faith.
The "dough" is spoken of by Paul in several of his letters;

1Cor 1:
22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom,
23 but we preach Christ crucified a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,
24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God

1Cor 2:
1 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom.
2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling,
4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
5 that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
6 Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away.
7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.
8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

Galatians 2:
19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God.
20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

Paul also gives us an excellent description of those who would try and work the leaven into the lump;

Galatians 6:
12 It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who would force you to be circumcised, and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.
13 For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh.
To this Paul proclaims the Lord's "recipe" for the making of the true unleavened bread;

Galatians 6:
14 But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
15 For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.
16 And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.( 1Cor 10:17;John 6:50-51)

Today our admonition to the saints is the same as in Paul's day and must be spoken with the same urgency;

Galatians 3:
1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified.

The gospel is defined as salvation wrought in and through the obedient work of Christ alone. The only work which saves. Any teaching that attempts to add man's participation into the mix is leaven,which has its' origins in the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (Genesis 3:5 and 3:22)
Salvation is God's sovereign domain, man has no say in the matter. That which produces doctrinal hot air,(the cause of the lump becoming "puffed up") is the hypocrisy of those who would pretend to perform the work of salvation, thus becoming their own god.

Genesis 3:
22 Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever--"

Man will never be allowed to touch the "tree of life" of his own volition.
Beware the leaven of the pharisees.
Soli Deo Gloria

Of Thieves And Shepherds

John 10:

1 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber.

8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.

10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Without a doubt John 10:10 is one of the most misinterpreted and wrongly taught scriptures in all the Bible.This passage is not referring to Satan as is commonly preached in modern evangelical churches, especially by the prosperity preachers. John 10 is a continuation of the events which began in chapter 9. Jesus is speaking both to, and of, the pharisees. This is the overall context;chapters 9 and 10 go together.

John chapter 10 contains three references by the Lord to the "thief".

Looking at 10:1,the thief is a MAN who sneaks into the sheep pen by another way other than through the door/gate. That man is declared to be a thief and a robber.

The gate is guarded by the gatekeeper. The gate keeper opens the way to the true shepherd alone, and the sheep will only follow the voice of the true shepherd (verses 2 and 3). The gatekeeper and the flock give recognition to the true shepherd only. This then leads to the conclusion that the thief is not the shepherd of these sheep and indeed never was.

In 10:8,the Lord declares that ALL who came before Him are thieves and robbers.

By His using the plural form,especially the use of the word "all", Jesus is now revealing that this is not restricted to merely one man, but that there were, and are many thieves and robbers. In fact he says all that came before Him ar thieves and robbers. Fortunately the sheep did not listen to them.

Verse 10 gets to the heart of the matter. The one who is a thief seeks only to plunder, murder, and pillage. Thieves desire the acquisition of everything they can get their hands on,wealth,fame,power over others, etc etc. They will wreak destruction and all forms of havoc to obtain their goal.

The words of Christ stand in stark opposition to these men;

"I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."The true shepherd is the life giver. He leads the sheep to good pastures. (Psalm 23) The thieves seek only to gather the sheep to themselves. Recall that this monologue began immediately after the healing of the man blind from birth. The pharisees did everything they could to dismiss and detract from the miraculous restoration of sight to this man, and most especially the declaration of belief unto salvation by this man. (John 9:35-38)

The thief never speaks the truth of the Word which leads to Christ the true and good shepherd.
(John 5:39-40;Ezekiel 34)Since the thief does not speak the truth of the Word,he does not speak with the voice of the true shepherd. This is why the sheep do not follow them as they (the sheep) do not recognize them as having proceeded from the Lord, nor pointing the way to the Lord. The Lord's sheep recognize the shepherd who speaks with the Lord's voice.

The primary point here is that the reference to the thief in this chapter is dealing with a completely different issue other than confrontation with Satan. In fact, such a trite interpretation actually "dumbs down" what the Lord would reveal to us.

Sola Scriptura

Soli Deo Gloria

THE GIFT AND CALLING OF FELLOWSHIP

1Cor 1:9  God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

1.    We are called into fellowship in Christ (His body) by the Father. This is not an invitation to come join a church or any organization. As with all gifts and callings of God, only God's sovereign election applies, i.e. it is a permanent and irrevocable calling.. If he elects you to membership, you are a member whether you seek  to gather with others or not.                Romans 8:28-39; Romans 11:29; 1 Cor 12:12-18

1John 1:
1  That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life--
2  the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us--
3  that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.
4  And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
5  This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
6  If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
7  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

2. God's call to fellowship is established in the accurate and true proclaiming of the Gospel and teaching of his Word. God is light and His Word is light.If we walk in the light that He is, (all else is darkness0 we have fellowship with Him and with one another; the blessing and fruit being forgiveness for all our sins, past, present, and future.

2Cor 13:14  The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

3. Paul is in perfect agreement with John. Fellowship is the calling that reveals God's love; by the sufficiency of His grace, made effectual in and through His Son, and made actual in us by the power of the Holy Spirit.   1John 4:4-16; 1John 2:19

Hebrews 10:
24  And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,
25  not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Acts 2:
42  And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
43  And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.
44  And all who believed were together and had all things in common.
45  And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.
46  And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,
47  praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

4. We are told not to forsake gathering together. From the first century church to this day there are those who choose not to meet with any of the saints. Of course true fellowship, as previously demonstrated here, is found only in the accurate and true teaching of Christ and His Word.
Therefore, attending a service in a building, consisting of pew and "altar", listening to the "degreed man of God" preach, meeting only on the seventh day, or the sixth day, or Wednesday etc. etc. cannot be defined as true fellowship.
Staying home and watching christian television and/or listening to Christian radio is not fellowship. The church is derelict in its; duty when the saints neglect to visit the elderly and the sick.

Fellowship, as with all callings of God, is a daily walk.

Hebrews 12:
22  But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering,
23  and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,

Solus Christus
Soli Deo Gloria

War On The Saints:Tribulation or Wrath

 Rev 7:

13  Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?"

14  I said to him, "Sir, you know." And he said to me, "These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

The Book of Revelation is not a laundry list of "future" events. It is written in the 1st century to a church undergoing tribulation. It is encouragement to persecuted saints. Futurists make the mistake of defining tribulation/persecution as wrath. We are not children of wrath. (Eph2:2-3)
However, we do not escape the persecution and afflictions wrought by the enemies of God.

John 15:

18  "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.

19  If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

2Thess 1:

4  Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.

5  This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering--

6  since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you,

7  and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels

8  in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

Rev 19:15  From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the wine-press of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.

His coming brings the end of all things, not an escape from trials.

Rev 3:10  Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.

tereo = kept my word i.e. hold fast.
tereo = keep you from i.e. keep an eye on/hold you fast
It is a keeping within the hour coming upon the earth;not a taking out.

Rev 13:

5  And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months.

6  It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven.

7  Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation,

8  and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.

9  If anyone has an ear, let him hear:

10  If anyone is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes; if anyone is to be slain with the sword, with the sword must he be slain. Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.The church has always endured tribulation and persecution.

Wrote this song a month or so ago from Rev 3-12-13:


                  WAR ON THE SAINTS

WE OVERCOME BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB
AND THE WORD OF OUR TESTIMONY
WE DO NOT LOVE OUR LIVES
EVEN UNTO DEATH
ALL WHO HAVE AN EAR
LET HIM HEAR, LET HIM HEAR
ALL DESTINED TO BE CAPTIVES
TO CAPTIVITY THEY GO
ALL MEANT FOR THE SWORD
BY THE SWORD THEY MUST GO
THE CALL GOES OUT
THE CALL GOES OUT
FOR THE PATIENCE AND FAITH OF THE SAINTS

SO BECAUSE YOU HAVE KEPT MY WORD
I WILL KEEP YOU IN THIS HOUR
FOR BEHOLD I AM COMING SOON
HOLD FAST TO THE CROWN
TO THE ONE WHO CONQUERS
HE SHALL BE A PILLAR IN MY HOUSE
AND THE NAMES OF FATHER, SON, AND CITY
SHALL BE YOURS

THE DRAGON’S BEEN CAST DOWN
THE AUTHORITY OF CHRIST IS COME
HIS SALVATION AND POWER
THE KINGDOM OF OUR GOD
WOE TO THE EARTH
THE DRAGON’S ENRAGED
HIS TIME IS SHORT
WAGING WAR ON THE CHILDREN OF GOD
HE STANDS ON THE SANDS OF THE SEA
THE SANDS OF THE SEA OF HUMANITY
THE BEAST ARISES FROM THAT SEA
HE IS GIVEN AUTHORITY

TO MAKE WAR ON THE SAINTS
TO MAKE WAR ON THE SAINTS
TO MAKE WAR ON THE SAINTS
AND TO CONQUER

 WAR ON THE SAINTS
WAR ON THE SAINTS
 WAR ON THE SAINTS
WAR ON THE SAINTS

WORDS AND MUSIC BY CHRIS PAJAK
©2012 LATREUO MUSIC

Rev 6:

9  When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne.

10  They cried out with a loud voice, "O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?"

11  Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

Christian or Saint?

Act 11:26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first CALLED Christians.

Acts 26:
28 And Agrippa said to Paul, "In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?"
29 And Paul said, "Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me t

his day might become SUCH AS I AM-- except for these chains."

1Peter 4:
14 If you are INSULTED for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
1Pe 4:15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler.
16 Yet if anyone SUFFERS AS A CHRISTIAN, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.

The only three references to the term "christian" in scripture. The church in Acts never used this word as a self-descriptive moniker.
Christianity is essentially just another religion among many, and was not preached by Christ, the apostles, or the saints of the day.
This is apparent throughout the history of man,and never more apparent than in this day of easy believism. Word of God speak!

Jude 1;3 Contending For The Faith

Jude 1:                                                                                                                               

3  Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.

The Greek word translated as ‘contend’ is epagōnizomai, which literally means a struggle, an earnest contending. The faith (pistis; assurance,credence,conviction) spoken of here, has been delivered to the saints “once for all” The word in the Greek being hapax,  most accurately translated as “one time”. Hapax is the root word found in the phrase “once for all” in Hebrews 10:10.

Hebrew 10:                                                                                                                             

10  And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

All facets of salvation are once, for all, for all time; be it election; justification, sanctification, faith etc. All of these flow from God’s grace to man through Christ’s obedient act. (Romans 5:16-19)

So this faith, which is granted by grace, is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8) and is fruit of the common “salvation” which Jude spoke of also in the same verse.

Men do not inherently possess the faith which pleases God. (Hebrews 11:6). It originates with Christ, and finds its end, that is, its perfection in Him. (Hebrews 12:2) It comes by the hearing of the Word of Christ. (Romans 10:17)

As previously stated, this is a gift from God to the elect, the saints.

This being said, the contending that Jude speaks of is NOT contending to obtain the faith, nor is it contending to keep it, since it has been delivered once, for all, to all the saints. Then what is this contending that he is referring to?

Jude 1:4  For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Verses 4 through 19 describe that against which we are contending. Verses 20-23 describe how this “contentious warfare” is waged.  (2 Corinthians 10:3-6; Ephesians 6:10-20)
We are declaring  the true faith against those who bring in another Jesus, another gospel etc. This battle is being fought within the church itself, as all deception, heresy and apostasy, by definition, originate from the wolves in sheep’s clothing. (Acts 20:26-30; Matthew 7:15-20)

(I have touched on this in my previous post on 1John4:4 and the spirit of antichrist)

We do not have to struggle to be saved, nor do we struggle to “stay saved” We do not struggle for health, wealth, and/or prosperity.

We are not contending to obtain or keep any of that, of which God has already blessed us with in Christ. We struggle against the “angels of light” of which Paul speaks. (2 cor 11:3-15)

The super-apostles, originate ministries based on systems of works (which they devise) through which they merchandise books, dvds ,music etc that teach and promote these systems.

As Paul also wrote:

2Cor 2:

15  For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing,

16  to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?

17  For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.

When we find accusations being raised against as being contentious or divisive, our question to the accusers should be; Do you mean contentious as in Romans 16:17-18 or according to  those whom Jude describes? The true saints of God wage the good warfare of faith, and stand in complete reliance, by faith in Christ and His finished work.(1 Timothy 6:12)

Jude 1:                                                                                                                                

24  Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy,

25  to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.