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wholewheatonline.com Search Practice Makes Perfect Psalm 4:4 says, “Tremble and do not sin.” Generally, religious people today do not fear God to such an extent that they tremble when they sin. People claim they cannot help but sin, because we are all sinners and people who say they have no sins are liars. They use 1 John 1:8, as an excuse to continue sinning. Yet, at the same time, Jesus says we are to be perfect as the heavenly Father is perfect (Matt. 5:48). Jesus also commanded one person to go and sin no more lest something worse would come upon him. Was Jesus’ command unreasonable, or can we be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect? Did Jesus teach this seemingly unreasonable doctrine about not sinning and being perfect to His disciples? One thing for sure is, not many people know the answer to this Bible mystery. The apostle Paul had the attitude that he had not obtained the state of perfection yet and therefore, he felt he wasn’t worthy to come up in a resurrection to eternal life (Phil. 3:11, 14). What a far cry his gospel is from those today who preach, “Give your heart to the Lord and just believe; you’ll be saved.” Some even go so far as to say you cannot lose your salvation once you have it. They use only certain Scriptures and avoid others that will not back up their false doctrines of half truths. Jesus Himself, who cannot lie, said you have to be considered worthy to attain to the age of the resurrection (Luke 20:35). Doesn’t He know what He’s talking about? Jesus told those who follow Him to beware of the teachings of the Pharisees (Matt. 16:6-12). Those Pharisees, or hypocrites, exist today much more than they did in Jesus’ day. Remember, there is only one true teaching and that comes from Jesus Christ alone (John 14:6). Let’s see what God’s word, the Bible, has to say about being perfect and not sinning. There is a word that is not used much or understood in God’s word. It is a word that few people realize is a key that unlocks the true gospel. That word is practice. We’ve all heard the expression, “Practice makes perfect,” but not many people take that phrase seriously. Yes, practice, when it is connected to righteousness, does make one perfect, as Jesus said in Matthew 5:48. Ironically, the key word “practicing” is used for the first time, in the New Testament, in the very next verse. In Matthew 6:1, Jesus Christ Himself says to His true disciples; “Beware of practicing your righteousness to be noticed by men.” These words show that true disciples of Jesus Christ practice righteousness, and it isn’t just a few hours a week. It’s all the time. Why are true followers of Jesus Christ continually practicing righteousness—continually doing good? The first reason is, they are imitating their Savior, Jesus Christ, who continually went about doing good (Acts 10:38). Were Jesus Christ’s true disciples abounding with deeds of kindness and charity which they continually did? The answer is, yes (Acts 9:36)! This is how the Father in heaven is glorified and it is the Way a true disciple, or overcomer, let’s his light shine before others (Matt. 5:16). The second reason disciples of Jesus Christ are practicing righteousness is, for overcoming. You see, they are disciplining themselves daily for the purpose of godliness (1 Tim. 4:7). Jesus gave His true followers instructions on righteousness and warned them that the righteousness they were practicing had to exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees, or they would not be converted. In other words, they would not enter the kingdom of God within until their righteousness came from their hearts. They would not receive the new nature, Jesus Christ’s nature formed in them, until their righteousness was no longer done hypocritically (Matt. 5:20; Gal. 4:19; Luke 17:21). All God’s Ways are righteous (Psalm 145:17). All Jesus’ Ways were righteous. All our ways must be made righteous before God. How can this be? God’s Ways are God’s Will, so then, God’s Will is righteousness. God says we are to do His Will from the heart, and then we will have His nature formed in us (Eph. 6:6; 1 Peter 5:10). There will be a certain amount of testing or suffering, but you can be sure it is nothing compared to the new nature and the revelation of His glory (1 Peter 4:12-13). In effect, when you practice righteousness each day for God, you are overcoming the evil one, overcoming your evil side, your evil nature, your satanic nature. Every time you resist the evil impulses of your snake-like nature, the snake and the evil impulses grow weaker. The food that keeps the snake strong and healthy in your body is sin (Gen. 4:7). Satan is put to death in your body by practicing righteousness for God and His glory (Rom. 12:21). This allows God to crush Satan and put him under your heel or authority (Rom. 16:20). Psalm 37:27 puts it all together when it says, “Overcome evil by doing good, so you will abide forever [live forever].” Many do not know that being born again is the overcoming process. The one Scripture that is never mentioned by those who falsely say they are born again is 1 John 2:29. It is saying if you know that Jesus Christ is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is truly born of Him. True disciples practice righteousness daily for God’s glory, for God’s blessings and rewards, and for overcoming their evil natures. They practice righteousness so they can have Christ’s nature formed in them, and enter God’s rest as mentioned in Hebrews 4:10 and Galatians 4:19. Now, here is a point on righteousness about which many remain deceived. First John 3:7 says, “The one who practices righteousness [for God] is [considered] righteous just as God is righteous.” God’s word said it, we believe it, and that settles it. You are righteous in God’s eyes when you practice righteousness to please Him each day. What about those who will not overcome by practicing righteousness daily for God? They remain of the devil, according to God’s word, which cannot lie (1 John 3:10; Heb. 6:18). Jesus overcame the world. He was tested in all things and Satan could not find any fault in Him (John 14:30; 16:33). We, too, are to overcome the evil pulls of the flesh and put them to death with the help of God’s Spirit (Rom. 8:13; Gal. 5:16). If we don’t or won’t obey Jesus Christ, we won’t be covered by the blood of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:2). God gives His Spirit only to those who will obey Him (Acts 5:32). We must live as Jesus Christ gave us example to live, and overcome our evil natures by keeping His works. We must endure to the end keeping them, if we are to be covered by His blood (John 14:12; Rev. 2:26; 3:21; 21:7). The only exception for anyone is a situation similar to that of the thief who was dying on a cross. Otherwise, there is no excuse for refusing to overcome. The word perfect, in the Bible, means spiritually mature. See the margin note in Philippians 3:15. Mature followers of Jesus Christ no longer practice sin in their lives, but only practice righteousness toward God for His glory. They do all the good that they do in the name of Jesus Christ as they have been commanded in Colossians 3:17. They do not hold out on God in certain areas of their lives, but are wholeheartedly devoted to pleasing God. They are perfect in attitude, perfect in gratitude. They have developed honest and good hearts, if they didn’t have them to begin with (Luke 8:15). They have been made complete (2 Cor. 13:9, 11). They have rested from all their works of the flesh and have entered the kingdom of God within, which is God’s rest (Heb. 4:10; Luke 17:21). Yes, practice does make perfect and idleness is the devil’s hand tool. That fact has been explained, and proven in great detail, in this study. If you want to be perfect, then you had better start to practice the faith of Jesus Christ, because there is only one faith (Eph. 4:5). God bless you in your walk with God. PREV NEXT 3 SIMPLE STEPS TO GET STARTED MORE BIBLE STUDIES PODCASTS HOME All About the Bible PDF © 2025 Whole Wheat International

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wholewheatonline.com Search God’s Marriage Laws of Love Colossians 3:18-19 Below is a list of God’s rules for a blessed marriage relationship: 1. Husbands are to love their wives and are not to allow themselves to harbor any hard feelings against them (Eph. 5:28-29). 2. Wives are to be in loving subjection to their husbands, because the Lord says they should for their own good (Eph. 5:22). 3. Married couples are not to deny one another (deny the needs of each other), because when they do, Satan can tempt them (1 Cor. 7:3, 5). 4. Do not repay evil for evil by arguing with one another, but seek peace and pursue it earnestly (Prov. 20:22; 1 Peter 3:11-12). 5. Never let the sun go down on your wrath by going to bed angry with one another by (Eph. 4:26). 6. Forgive one another daily (seventy times seven), so the Lord can continue to forgive you (Matt. 18:21-22). 7. Learn to serve one another daily so that you will be pleasing not only to the Lord, but to your mate as well (Mark 9:35; Rom. 15:2-3). 8. Let your charity for each other (kindness and love) shine so bright that others will imitate your godly example of love (Matt. 5:16). 9. The family that prays together stays together. Pray together each night for others, as well as for your own needs. Whenever two are in agreement with one another, it will be so (Matt. 18:19). If you follow these marriage laws of love, God can then teach you to love one another (1 Thess. 4:9; 2 Thess. 1:3). Then God will protect you from the evil one, Satan, who will try to destroy your marriage (2 Thess. 3:3). Remember always—through love, serve one another (Gal. 5:13). Walk by these spiritual laws and you will not carry out the evil desires of the flesh (Gal. 5:16, 24). Your marriage will be blessed and you will be pleasing to God (Eph. 5:10). PREV NEXT 3 SIMPLE STEPS TO GET STARTED MORE BIBLE STUDIES PODCASTS HOME All About the Bible PDF © 2025 Whole Wheat International

wholewheatonline.com Search The Kingdom Gospel “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come” (Matt. 24:14). What is the gospel of the kingdom that is to be preached—the message that will determine when the end of this age will come and culminate with the return of Jesus Christ? The people of Jesus Christ’s day knew that there was a kingdom coming with signs to be observed. Jesus told them the signs of the end of the age. He said the sun would not give its light, the moon would look like blood and there would be signs in the heavens (Matt. 24:3, 29-30). When the Pharisees asked Jesus when that kingdom (with signs) was coming, He replied that He was not talking about a kingdom with signs to be observed, but one that was within them (Luke 17:20-21). The Pharisees were not entering that kingdom within (Matt. 23:13). Neither were they teaching people about the kingdom within, just like people today are not being told how to enter that kingdom. They had taken away the keys of knowledge from the people, so Jesus Christ gave those keys to Peter (Luke 11:52; Matt. 16:18-19). Those keys are the directions and the understanding of how to enter the kingdom within and become a new creature. In order to enter that kingdom, you have to study the Bible for yourself (Matt. 13:52). You must repent to enter that kingdom of God (Matt. 4:17). That kingdom is entered by performing daily acts of righteousness (Matt. 5:20). That kingdom is entered by doing God’s Will daily on earth as it is in heaven (Matt. 6:10; 7:21; 1 John 2:17). God’s Will is righteousness. Disciples of Jesus Christ are expected to imitate God on a daily basis by visiting the sick, caring for the poor, the elderly, the lame, the blind, the widows and the orphans, as Christ explained (Eph. 5:1; Matt. 25:33-46; 1 John 3:17-19). That’s what the true sheep—true believers—are doing. They are overcoming evil by just doing good daily (Rom. 12:21; 1 Peter 3:11; 2 Thess. 3:13). They are glorifying God daily with good works so their lights can shine bright (Matt. 5:16). Living a life of doing good for God daily is true repentance from a life of doing evil. Jesus said that His Way is easy and very pleasant (Matt. 11:30). God wants you to do good daily so He can bless you daily (Eph. 6:8). When you put your hand to the plow (the plow represents good works), you are to continue to do good until the God of peace crushes Satan under your feet and forms Christ’s new nature in you (Luke 9:62; Rom. 16:20; Gal. 4:19). Then you become complete, a new person, a new creation (Gal. 6:15). When you put to death the deeds of the body by living to the Spirit daily, you will eventually rest from all your works of the flesh and enter Christ’s rest (Rom. 8:13; Heb. 4:10). Jesus Christ is making a peculiar people who are zealous for good works (Titus 2:14). That is why His apostles told the people to engage in good deeds and not to get weary of doing them (Titus 3:8; Gal. 6:9; 2 Thess. 3:13). This is how you force your way into the kingdom of heaven within (Luke 16:16). It is how you strive to enter the narrow door that few people find (Matt. 7:14; Luke 13:23-24). When you overcome evil by doing good daily, you resist Satan and enter the abundant life, which is filled with a peace that transcends all human understanding (Phil. 4:7, 9). “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand [right now, as soon as you hear this message,” John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, and the apostles proclaimed (Matt. 4:17). That kingdom is entered by keeping Jesus Christ’s works and overcoming a life of evil by engaging in a life of good works (John 14:12). Do you know of any other way to be good, than to do good (Rev. 2:26)? PREV NEXT 3 SIMPLE STEPS TO GET STARTED MORE BIBLE STUDIES PODCASTS HOME All About the Bible PDF © 2025 Whole Wheat International

God Who Loves & Hates VO ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: Jesus Command: Love One Another Conditions for the Blood of Jesus Repent to Believe the Gospel The Mystery of Righteousness & Justice Revealed Loving Your Neighbor It Pays to be Good For God Deception Who Are the Stumbling Blocks? Fruits of the Spirit / Deeds of the Flesh PREV NEXT

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wholewheatonline.com Search The Mystery of the True Gospel When Jesus talked, He changed lives. When the apostles preached what Jesus Christ had taught them, lives were changed by that one true message. Thousands responded with changed lives. Wealthy people gave large amounts to the poor and became rich in good works (1 Tim. 6:17-18). Zacchaeus, the tax collector, gave half of his wealth to the poor and paid back four times the amount he had extracted from people dishonestly, and then practiced righteousness (Luke 19:8). People sold their property and pooled it all together so that all might have substance (Acts 4:34-35). One thing was for sure, lives were changed. They were doers of the word (James 1:22). Consider Dorcas, a woman who was continually abounding in good deeds, works of kindness and charity (Acts 9:36). Consider Cornelius (Acts 10:2, 4, 22). We should consider him because God considered him. Cornelius gave money to the needy people and prayed to God continually. Not only that, but he had a respect for God’s commandments and walked in them by practicing righteousness as Noah did (1 John 3:7). Yes, the apostles were telling people to engage in good deeds for God in order to repent (Titus 3:8; Acts 26:20). It was not something they would naturally do as a result of having God’s Spirit; they had to learn to do it (Titus 3:14). Jesus said they would have to strive to overcome their natures by doing good (Luke 13:24; Rom. 12:21). Yet, by perseverance they would win their souls (Luke 21:19). Their good works would have to exceed that of the Pharisees if they were to enter the kingdom of God (Matt. 5:20; 7:21; Luke 17:21, KJV). They would have to do the Will of God to enter the kingdom (Luke 16:16). The easiest way was to consider themselves as slaves to righteousness until they could eventually do it happily from their hearts (Rom. 6:13, 18-19; Eph. 6:6). Wherever you found disciples of Jesus Christ back then, you found "do-gooders." They knew their deeds for God would assure them of being resurrected, but they also knew eternal life was a free gift that could not be earned (Rom. 2:6-7; John 5:29; Rev. 14:13; Eph. 2:8-10). They were subjecting themselves to the righteousness of God as Jesus Christ did (Rom. 10:2-3). They overcame their human natures by being zealous for good deeds, keeping Christ’s deeds instead of their own self-righteous deeds (1 Peter 3:10-13; Rev. 2:26). They knew faith without works is dead (James 2:17). You never saw so many people doing so much good. It was marvelous! It produced good fruits (Col. 1:10). It changed lives. Do not worry, they did all their deeds in Christ’s name to be sure that it was not self-righteousness they were practicing (Col. 3:17). They did their deeds in secret, just as the Lord commands us to do. This is the mystery of the true gospel. PREV NEXT 3 SIMPLE STEPS TO GET STARTED MORE BIBLE STUDIES PODCASTS HOME All About the Bible PDF © 2025 Whole Wheat International

CHAPTER 5 PREV NEXT We recommend you follow along in your Bible being there is a lot of information to take in, and additional Scripture references given throughout, that you will want to make note of. In addition, to really immerse yourself, we suggest using headphones to listen to the narrarted version, to fully expereinece the cinematic style bringing the chapters to life.

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