Our desire as Christians is that everyone come to the hope that is in Christ Jesus. In salvation we can come boldly into the throne of grace to obtain the mercy and grace that Jesus gives to all who believe in Him.
Those who have received the gift of salvation in Jesus Christ and turn back to works are crucifying Christ once again. Salvation is God’s gift to all those who believe.
Faith, hope and love and the greatest of these is love.
Philippians 1:6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
It is in the process of sanctification that we mature and grow in our faith. We are joint heirs of Christ.
Once we are saved and come into covenant with Jesus knowing that it is the only way to the Father it is finished. All God’s promises are binding. Mankind has no conception what God has prepared for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
As believers we resist this world and all the sin that binds and stand in the refuge of God’s love in Christ Jesus. He will never forsake us. He is our hope and our anchor, steadfast and immovable. In His death Jesus tore the veil that had separated mankind from our holy God. Jesus was the forerunner to all who believe in Him. He is the captain of our salvation.
James warned against hoarding wealth and exploiting others. In today's passage, we read a strict warning from James for those who were rich with real "gold and silver" (James 5:3). The issue here was how these rich people used their money to exploit others and viewed it selfishly. Money can be a hindrance or a help to us materially, but the idea James conveys goes much deeper than how much someone has in the bank. James asks us all to examine our hearts with the question, How can I use what God has given me to bless others?
He called them to repentance not because they were rich but because of how they were abusing their wealth.
For Christians, our faith isn't in earthly possessions but in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Whether we have a little or a lot financially speaking, God has blessed us with salvation in Christ! In response, it is our responsibility to give generously, help those in need and share the gospel. Any money, talents, gifts and resources we have are all gifts from God. When we see them from that perspective, imagine the freedom we can feel as we give them away. We all have something to give. Maybe it's finances, and maybe it's time, prayer or encouragement. First5
God’s sovereignty doesn’t negate our responsibility. It empowers it. Trust God to do what you can’t. Obey God, and do what you can. Just…keep calm and carry on. Max Lucado
Matthew 16:18-20
18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ. The New King James Version
There is a wordplay here, as the name Peter is associated with the word for “rock” in both Greek and Aramaic (the language spoken by Jesus and the disciples). Interpretation of Jesus’ meaning hinges on how the wordplay is understood. In Greek, the name petros (“Peter”) derives from the noun petra (meaning “rock”). In Aramaic, the word kepha is used for both “Peter” and “rock.” The most common interpretations propose that Jesus’ remark about “this rock” refers either to Peter himself or to Peter’s confession of faith. Both options reflect Jesus’ choice of Peter for leadership among His followers.
Jesus seems to be saying that through His power, the Church will overcome the powers of evil and death itself. Since the original Greek text lacks the preposition “against” in the verse, the phrase may be literally rendered “the gates of Hades shall not withstand it.” Given this, the verse indicates that the gates of Hades, the realm of death and evil, will not be able to withstand the advance of the Church.
Keys of the kingdom of heaven refers either to the authoritative roles given to Peter and the apostles or to the Church as the advocate for God’s ways and spreader of the message of salvation. This seems to be indicating that Peter and the apostles (or the Church in general) function in a gatekeeping role. Through the preaching of the gospel, they are able to help people transfer from death (Hades) to life (the kingdom of heaven. Binding and releasing may refer to what Peter and the church leaders prohibit (bind) or permit (release). This seems to indicate that the Church and its leadership are given authority to carry out God’s will and to oppose the powers of evil. As the next passage indicates, Jesus knows that His messianic role will involve suffering and death, and He apparently recognizes a divine timetable for these events to unfold. Faithlife Study Bible
The words I will build My church indicate that the church had not yet been started. Obviously the disciples did not at this point understand the doctrine of the NT church with its equality of Jew and Gentile. They simply understood it to be the Lord’s followers.
Jesus may have been saying simply that death would not vanquish the church. One day, by the power of Christ’s resurrection, the church and all the redeemed will be resurrected. Others suggest that the phrase means that the forces of evil will not be able to conquer the people of God.
You in this passage is singular. The keys of the kingdom may refer to Peter’s opening the kingdom to various groups of people (Jews, Samaritans, Gentiles). The keys would open doors to lost people. However, this term may have further significance.
The keys seem to be explained by the binding and loosing discussed in the last part of the verse. In rabbinical literature, binding and loosing refers to what was permitted or not permitted. So this passage may refer to judgments that Peter would make about what would be permitted or forbidden in the church, the body of believers.
Because the public did not understand the concept of the suffering Messiah, they were not to be told that He was Jesus the Christ. Furthermore, the nation had already turned away from Christ. They had crossed the point of no return. The NKJV Study Bible
Matthew 18:17–18 And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.“Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
John 20:23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
Isaiah 22:22
The key of the house of David
I will lay on his shoulder;
So he shall open, and no one shall shut;
And he shall shut, and no one shall open.
Revelation 3:7
“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write,’
These things says He who is holy, He who is true,
“He who has the key of David,
He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”:
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