Amen!
We who believe in Jesus enter the kingdom of heaven based on grace.
It’s not so easy to enter the kingdom of heaven.
It’s not just about relying on grace.
I would rather believe what our Lord Jesus said,
It’s the standard for entering the kingdom of heaven! (Right!)
Thank the Lord.
We have to pray to the Lord and read the Bible more.
May the Lord bless you!
Of course! May the Lord be with you!
Co-workers, let’s end today’s Bible study meeting.
Does anyone still have any questions?
No questions.
Thank the Lord!
Brother Fan, there is a question that’s been troubling me.
What is it? Go ahead.
Now everyone of us often sins, and often confesses.
This is not doing the will of our Father.
Do you think people like us could enter the kingdom of heaven?
Yeah. Why can’t we enter the kingdom of heaven?
How can we be shut out of it?
He’s right. We all often sin and confess;
how can we enter the kingdom of heaven?
I don’t understand. How can we be kept out of the kingdom of heaven?
Brother Wu,
it looks like our knowledge of salvation is still inadequate.
The book of Romans says,
Amen!
To confess with our mouth and believe in our heart is all we must do.
Righteousness through faith means we are hence forever saved. (Amen!)
When our Lord comes again, He will bring us directly into the kingdom of heaven.
Amen!
Brother Wu, we shouldn’t have any misgivings about this!
Yeah!
You’re right. Thank the Lord! We’re already saved.
We’ll enter the kingdom of heaven!
What’s there to doubt, really?
Yes, that’s right. That’s a good question. Can we enter the kingdom of heaven?
I don’t think so!
Although we are saved, we’re still sinning by day and confessing by night.
We’re still not doing the will of our Father in heaven.
We can’t enter the kingdom of heaven yet.
Amen!
Yes!
Brother, but don’t forget Paul in the book of Galatians says,
Since we are children of God by believing in Jesus,
surely we can enter the kingdom of heaven!
Amen!
Yes, you are right.
Brother Lang, I wouldn’t approve of what you said.
The Scripture says,
Although we have been saved,
this does not mean that we are holy.
Because we often sin and confess,
and are not worthy to see our Lord’s face.
How can we enter the kingdom of heaven?
Often sin. How can we enter the kingdom of heaven?
I just don’t know how.
Fellow co-workers, Paul in the book of Romans has already told us clearly,
Amen!
The Lord Jesus has forgiven us all our sin.
Both sins we committed in the past
and those we’ll commit in the future
have been forgiven by the Lord. (Amen!)
The Lord no longer sees us as sinners.
We can certainly enter the kingdom of heaven. (Amen!)
We cannot have doubts over this!
That’s right! Paul in the book of Romans also says,
We are no longer under condemnation
because we believe in Jesus Christ! (Yes!)
We shouldn’t worry. We’ll enter the kingdom of heaven. (Yes!)
Brother Wu’s worry is unnecessary.
We definitely can enter. (I don’t know.)
Brothers and sisters, since the Scripture has said that
“…holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord,”
and even the Lord Jesus said
only he who does the will of the heavenly Father
can enter the kingdom of heaven. (Amen!)
This is sufficient proof that only they who attain holiness
can enter the kingdom of God!
Amen! Yes, you are right. Just right.
Lord Jesus has forgiven all our sins and doesn’t regard us as sinful.
Aren’t we holy already?
My fellow co-workers, on the question of being saved,
Paul has already told us all clearly,
Amen!
The Lord’s salvation is freely given by grace
and does not depend on human works.
If this depended on human works,
how can we call this Lord’s grace?
Amen!
Now we can enter the kingdom of heaven based on the Lord’s grace.
Amen!
Brother Fan is right. Paul in the book of Timothy also said,
We who believe in Jesus enter the kingdom of heaven based on grace.
If it were based on works, who then could be saved?
Yeah, yeah!
We just live by the grace of Jesus Christ.
Brothers and sisters,
whether we believers can enter the kingdom of heaven
is decided by what the Lord Jesus said or what Paul said?
By what the Lord Jesus said.
Is it Lord Jesus’ words that have authority
or Paul’s words that have authority?
The Lord Jesus’ words have authority.
Do we confess that
the Lord Jesus is the way, the truth and the life?
Of course we confess!
Good, since we confess
that the Lord Jesus is the way, the truth and the life,
and what Paul said and what our Lord Jesus said
are contradictory and are opposite,
that would mean that what Paul said is impure.
It comes from human will and is not the truth.
I would rather believe what our Lord Jesus said,
It’s the standard for entering the kingdom of heaven! (Right!)
The word of Lord Jesus is unshakable truth.
But are Paul’s words not the truth? Not the words in the Bible?
We should listen and obey everything that is in the Bible.
What Paul has said sounds more simple.
No suffering, no price to pay, and still we can be saved.
Isn’t this better?
Amen!
Yes! (Is that possible?)
Brothers and sisters, I feel we who believe in God
should make the words of Lord Jesus the standard.
Because Lord Jesus is the Lord of the kingdom of heaven.
His word is the only truth, the only authority.
If His words carry authority then what He says counts.
Paul isn’t the Lord of the kingdom of heaven;
his words don’t carry authority, nor do they count.
Paul was nothing more than an apostle with a corrupt human nature.
He himself needs God’s salvation.
Whether he can enter the kingdom of heaven
is still decided by the Lord Jesus.
What right does he have to decide if others can enter or not?
Right. It’s hard to say
whether Paul himself can enter the kingdom of heaven,
so how can he decide whether others can enter or not?
Those words were inspired by God….
Co-workers, about being saved into the kingdom of heaven,
let us all return and seek answers through prayer.
We’ll end today’s meeting here. Let us pray.
Our father had a backache. Is he any better now?
Mm, much better.
Thank the Lord!
Guoyi. (Mm.)
About today’s co-worker meeting, I think Brother Wu is right.
Paul is not the Lord of the kingdom of heaven.
He can’t decide if man can enter the kingdom of heaven.
Lord Jesus is the King of it.
He is the way, the truth and the life.
Only His words can decide if we can enter the kingdom of heaven.
Lord Jesus speaks the truth.
But Paul’s words were inspired by God. They’re also the truth.
Is there anything wrong in following Paul’s words?
If you believe in God, why not follow Lord Jesus’ words?
Why do you insist on following Paul’s words?
Do you trust in Lord Jesus or in Paul?
Who exactly do you believe in?
What do you know? How many times have you read the Bible?
Since Paul’s words are recorded in the Bible,
they must have come from God.
If we follow Paul’s words, we’re not wrong!
The Pharisees knew the Scripture very well,
yet they nailed our Lord Jesus to the cross.
Does knowing the Scripture mean knowing the Lord?
The Pharisees were hypocrites.
They followed man’s teaching and made God’s commandments void.
I’d say that you’re no different from them,
exalting man’s words, following man’s words instead of the Lord’s.
You’re actually calling me a Pharisee? Calling me a hypocrite?
I’ve served the Lord for over twenty years.
What gives you the right?
How dare you? I need rights to teach you?
What’s that supposed to mean?
That’s just arrogant!
Guoyi, no matter how difficult it gets in the future,
you must watch over our Lord’s flock.
Let our brothers and sisters take root
and grow on the path to holiness.
That is a wise and faithful servant.
And I believe that
there will be a crown of righteousness laid up for us.
Recently, there are more weak brothers and sisters in the church.
And some of those who have been more actively seeking God
have embraced the “Eastern Lightning.”
What? What’s going on?
I don’t understand.
In order to protect the flock,
we must dismiss all those who embrace the “Eastern Lightning”
from our church!
As the Lord’s servants, we must be faithful to the Lord.
We must visit the believers and watch over the flock.
We cannot let these “Eastern Lightning” followers
steal our good sheep any longer.
Brother Fan,
what the “Eastern Lightning” followers are preaching,
we’ve never heard.
You’re blindly driving the brothers and sisters
who embrace the “Eastern Lightning” from the church.
Does this conform to the Lord’s heart?
Yes, Brother Wu is right!
If we’re really thinking about the flock,
we should take the initiative
to examine what the “Eastern Lightning” is all about,
to see if what Almighty God expresses is the truth,
and if Almighty God is the returned Jesus Christ.
If the “Eastern Lightning” is the true way,
we should be bringing our brothers and sisters to it.
If what they’re spreading is not the true way,
then we’d be able to answer to our brothers and sisters.
What’s there to examine?
Surely Brother Fan would know if it’s the true way or not.
And we support his plan.
Dismiss everyone who embraces the “Eastern Lightning.”
To protect the flock, Brother Fan is right.
I’m doing this out of responsibility
for the lives of our brothers and sisters.
If we do not seal up the church
and not dismiss everyone who embraces the “Eastern Lightning,”
in no time at all,
all of our good sheep would be stolen away by them.
How can we answer to the Lord?
That settles it. It is decided!
So now, we’ll end today’s discussion about the work of our church.
Is there anything else?
No, nothing much.
Thank the Lord!
Brother Fan,
about being saved and entering the kingdom of heaven,
we didn’t come to a conclusion.
I think these two things are not one and the same.
Yes, please tell us the difference.
I don’t understand.
So how do you see it, then?
I think that being saved means
being free from the condemnation of the law.
It refers to sins being forgiven.
But those who are saved can still oppose and rebel against God through sin.
While those who enter the kingdom of heaven
ought to be those who do the will of our Father in heaven,
who obey God’s word.
They are those who know and submit to God, who are compatible with God.
So, being saved and entering the kingdom of heaven are two different matters.
Many are saved, but few enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Yes, that’s true.
Yeah, we surely can enter the kingdom of heaven.
My fellow co-workers, I agree with Brother Wu’s point of view.
It’s not so easy to enter the kingdom of heaven.
It’s not just about relying on grace.
We must actively follow the Lord’s way
before we can enter the kingdom of heaven.
Absolutely.
We must trust the Lord’s way
and do all we can to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Brother Wu, I agree that you are right.
To enter the kingdom of heaven
is to do the will of our heavenly Father.
But haven’t we been imitating Paul,
setting everything aside for the Lord’s work,
laboring and paying the price?
Is this not doing the will of our heavenly Father?
Yes! That’s right. (Oh! That’s what it is.)
You see?
We believe that if we persevere to the end,
we will enter the kingdom of heaven. (Amen!)
Brother Fan is right!
We follow the Bible’s teaching,
spreading the gospel, suffering for the Lord,
preaching everywhere, watching the flock.
That is doing the will of our heavenly Father.
Yes, I think so. Right!
Does “doing the heavenly Father’s will” only mean that?
I wouldn’t see it that way.
The Lord Jesus has never said that
if we laid everything else aside and labored for Him,
we would enter the kingdom of heaven.
I say those who truly do the will of the heavenly Father
should be those who love God
with their heart, their soul and their mind.
They have attained holiness and never sin.
Only they can enter the kingdom of heaven!
Amen!
Right!
The righteous here are not those “justified by faith,”
but those who do the works of righteousness and never sin.
While we may now lay all aside for the Lord’s work,
we still sin and are not truly righteous.
We are not worthy to enter the kingdom of God.
Amen! Yeah!
Amen! Yeah! I agree. Amen!
We of course can enter the kingdom of heaven.
My fellow co-workers, regarding entering the kingdom of heaven,
the apostle Paul has shown us the route.
Amen!
What Paul said is enough to prove that
when we spread the gospel, labor and suffer, and keep the faith,
we are doing the will of our heavenly Father
and the works of righteousness. (Amen!)
In doing this, we can surely gain the crown of righteousness,
and enter the kingdom of heaven!
Amen!
Right! We only need to imitate Paul,
spending ourselves on the Lord’s work, subduing our self,
and we will have a part in the kingdom of heaven!
Amen!
Sister, based on what you have said,
the Pharisees had traveled over land and sea,
suffering hardships for spreading the gospel everywhere,
and exhibiting some outwardly good behaviors.
Were they then doing the will of our heavenly Father?
Entering the kingdom of heaven is very simple.
Outwardly, the Pharisees appeared to be suffering for the sake of God,
but they could still oppose God and nail Jesus to the cross.
That’s sufficient to prove
that outwardly suffering and good behaviors
do not represent doing the will of our heavenly Father,
nor knowing and submitting to God.
Yes, outwardly one may look like that he’s very well behaved,
but not really doing the will of the Lord. (True, very true.)
Today, we labor and suffer for the Lord,
and have some outwardly good behaviors,
but we can still sin and oppose God.
We are not following the will of our heavenly Father.
We’re not worthy to enter the kingdom of heaven! (Amen! …)
Right.
We still sin often,
so we are unqualified to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Exactly! Performing outwardly good behaviors
is not doing the will of our heavenly Father.
They still won’t get us into the kingdom of heaven.
Yes, that’s right.
What the sister said is right!
Exactly what she was saying, I agree. (Yes, correct.)
Is there something wrong in striving according to what Paul said?
Not at all!
I believe that Paul is never wrong in what he said. (Amen!)
It can’t be wrong!
Right. Paul said that if we toil and labor for the Lord,
there’ll be a crown of glory laid up for us.
Whatever the case, I firmly believe that what Paul said is the truth!
Amen!
We aren’t wrong to follow what Paul said!
Exactly! We aren’t wrong!
Brothers and sisters,
entering the kingdom of heaven is not about following Paul.
It’s about what Jesus said.
Amen!
What Paul taught us
is not to follow the will of our heavenly Father.
It is his own view on entering the kingdom of heaven.
It’s the opposite of what Lord Jesus said.
Are we going to believe that Paul’s word is the truth,
or that the word of our Lord Jesus is the truth?
Lord Jesus’ word is the truth.
Are we going to trust in our Lord Jesus or in Paul?
We trust in our Lord Jesus.
But what Paul said….
Only Lord Jesus’ word is the truth.
We believe in God, so Lord Jesus’ word is our standard.
That’s what I’ve been saying. We have to follow Lord Jesus.
If we want to enter the kingdom of heaven,
we must follow the word of our Lord Jesus.
Lord Jesus is the gate to the kingdom of heaven.
Amen!
Hmm, yes, yes, I agree.
Indeed, the Lord Jesus’ word is the truth.
But Paul’s word is inspired by God.
It comes from God. It is also the truth.
Amen!
There is nothing wrong in following Paul’s word!
Amen! That’s right!
There is nothing wrong!
Brother Fan, are you guaranteeing
that Paul’s word comes from God and is inspired by God?
Is Paul’s word the truth or not?
Lord Jesus’ word is the truth.
We need to follow the word of Christ.
Brothers and sisters, in the time of the apostles,
when the believers received Paul’s letters,
who treated his word as the word of God? (Exactly!)
The answer is nobody treated his word as God’s word!
Paul is not Christ. He, like us, is a corrupt human being.
He once was the chief persecutor of God.
What he said is man’s word. It’s not the truth.
Amen! Yeah.
Paul’s word is not the truth. (Amen!)
Paul was just a man.
How can his word be the truth?
It doesn’t make sense.
My co-workers,
the fact that Paul’s words were recorded in the Holy Bible
means that they were God’s inspiration, God’s words, and the truth.
Amen!
Right! Why else would Paul’s words be recorded in the Holy Bible?
Right!
How do we know that
all the words in the Bible are God’s words?
I don’t want to hear any more.
Exactly.
Brothers and sisters, does that mean
that everything recorded in the Bible is inspired by God?
And that it is the word of God?
The words of Satan and of the Pharisees are also recorded in the Bible.
Are we going to say that they were also inspired by God?
Or that they are also the truth? (Mmm.)
You say that all that is recorded in the Bible is the truth and is God’s word.
That’s wrong! A fallacy! That’s profaning what God says!
Amen!
That’s right!
The Bible includes what was said by humans and Satan,
and they’re not the truth.
It’s only God’s word that is the truth!
Then why would Paul’s words be written in the Bible?
Brother, the Bible was compiled by man, not by our Lord Jesus,
nor was its compilation instructed by the Holy Spirit.
Paul’s letters being compiled into the Bible
were a human compilation out of human will.
Amen!
Oh, yes, of course. Paul was just a man.
The Bible was compiled by man, not by God.
This is not Christ’s words.