How To Make It To Heaven

67 responses to “How To Make It To Heaven”

1. 

   Kaylanie Rosario

   August 27, 2020

   This helped a lot and I thank you for that. I’m a 13 year old girl and it’s really hard trying to put in time and effort for GOD because part of me wants to live for the world but the other part of me says God is first and I’m always asking for forgiveness but I feel like I’m not doing enough for my Lord. But now I Know what I need to do to make it into heaven.

   Reply
   1. 

      Joshua Tapp

      August 27, 2020

      Hello Kaylanie,

      I hope you have trusted 100% in Jesus to save you. Once you have done that, you can know 100% for sure that Jesus has you in His hands and will bring you into heaven when it’s time. Please remember that asking forgiveness won’t save you, but trusting in Jesus alone will save you. Then, when you mess up in your life, asking forgiveness is important.

      When you’re saved by trusting in Jesus, your soul is saved. But, there’s a difference in your soul and your body. Obviously, our bodies aren’t saved because we all have to die. When we sin in our bodies, that sin is not counted to our souls because the Holy Spirit is now protecting our souls from sin. But our bodies are not protected from sin. This is why asking forgiveness is important as God will punish us in this life for sins when He thinks we need it. He does this to bring you back to Him because you’ll be safe with Him. He is a good Father, and that’s what a good Father will do.

      For example, I have a 12-year old daughter, a 9-year old daughter, and a 4-year old daughter at this time. I will punish them if they need it so they don’t get entangled in something from this world that will hurt them. I hope you understand what I mean here. The Bible does teach what I’m telling you.

      You have a long life ahead of you. The most important thing you can do is to start reading the King James Bible. You can find copies here on this website to download and print for free. Or, we’ll provide one to you for free. When you read the Bible, you’ll find the one true God and the one true Jesus within the Bible. Remember, many churches out there are teaching a different God and Jesus that is not within the Bible. This is why it’s so important to read the Bible every day. You’ll immediately know when someone is lying to you. You’ll find the 100% truth within the Bible.

      I hope and pray that you’ll find a good King James Bible believing church close to you and attend there. Make sure that the preacher is teaching what the Bible actually says.

      I am glad you are saved, and please let us know if you need help understanding anything. You can choose to stand up and live a life for God versus living for this world. You can say, “I will live for God. He saved me, and now I will live for Him.” Yes, you will mess up in your life. We all do. I still mess up every single day. But you can know that Jesus saved you. Simply ask forgiveness and try to get better by asking Him to help you. When you mess up, you should hate that you did something wrong. This will help you to stop doing that sin.

      Thanks for the comment Kaylanie, and I’ll see you in heaven one day!

      Reply
      1. 

         Ogheneovo Francis Johnson

         August 24, 2022

         I need to know more about myself more

         Reply
         1. 

            Joshua Tapp

            August 28, 2022

            I am not sure what you mean. Please explain.

            Reply
2. 

   rosesarered

   September 8, 2020

   Hi. This was so helpful, but I have a question. When we trust in Jesus, do we have to keep remembering that I believe in Jesus until the end of my life? Do I have to keep in mind that I’m saved until the end of my life? Or can I trust in Jesus and then, like, forget and just live life? Because sometimes it’s too much for me and it feels like someone’s sticking an oily pole up my brain. Anyways, thanks:3

   Reply
   1. 

      Joshua Tapp

      September 8, 2020

      Rosesarered,

      I am glad this was helpful to you. Trusting in Jesus is believing on Him to save you from death and hell. We’re all sinners so we need God to save us from our sins. When you are saved from your sins, this means your soul is saved. There is a different in your body and your soul. Your body, obviously, is not saved as we all have to die in this life.

      Once you trust on the right Jesus, which is the Jesus in the King James Bible, you have received everlasting life and the Holy Spirit lives within you. You should have some desire to want to learn more about Jesus Christ once you are saved. He has saved you and given you everlasting life so He would like it if you wanted to get to know Him better. You can do this by reading the King James Bible.

      You do not have to keep remembering Jesus until the end of your life, but He should be on your mind constantly. You can forget Him, but your life won’t be so great and your life won’t be so easy. There’s rest and peace with Jesus Christ by your side throughout this life. If you trust on Him, then you become a child of God. God is now your heavenly Father. He wants what’s best for you, and He wants you to do what He asks you to do. But, He gives you a choice to follow Him or not. Love = following God’s commandments. If you want to be a loving person and good to people in your life, you need to follow God’s commandments and simply do what He asks within the Bible.

      You won’t know what to do unless you read the Bible and learn what He wants.

      For example, once you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to save you, you should be baptized because God asks you to be baptized. But only get baptized if you truly trust on Jesus to save you. You don’t have to get baptized to be saved, but you should be baptized because Jesus commands us to be baptized. If you do not get baptized once you are saved, you are not doing what God asks and He won’t be happy with you. But, He is NEVER taking away the gift of everlasting life that He gave you once you trusted on Jesus to save you.

      A good Father wants the best for His children. He asks you to read the Bible, be baptized, go to church, and follow His commandments because this is what is best for you and everyone around you. If you want to forget about Jesus, your life won’t be so great. God will not be happy with you, but you will be in heaven once you die in this life.

      If you choose to live your life for God, He rewards you with eternal rewards in heaven. For example, if you tell others about Jesus Christ and how they can be saved too, you’ll receive rewards in heaven. Once you make into heaven, God looks at everything you’ve done and passes your works through a fire. If they were good works like helping others get saved, they will pass through the fire and you receive rewards for eternity! This is what you want. If you decide to be selfish and do whatever you want with your life without allowing God to lead you, you will make it to heaven but you won’t have any everlasting rewards in heaven. But you’ll be there in heaven if you have trusted on Jesus Christ to save you.

      I hope this helps, and I hope that you’ve trusted on Jesus Christ. Remember, Jesus is the Son of God and is God. He came to earth and died for your sins on the cross. He arose from the dead in His body on the third day showing us that He has power over death and hell. He is the only one who can save us. If you believe that, and you want Jesus to save you, He will.

      Please let me know if you have any other questions. I am happy to answer those questions any time.

      Reply
      1. 

         rosesarered

         September 10, 2020

         Ohh okay. But should people, like, always remember how salvation works? What if someone who has put their faith in Christ eventually starts trusting in their works? What will happen to them? And should people always remember that they’re saved? What will happen to them if they forget? And how could someone stop worrying whether they’re saved or not? Especially those who can’t sleep unless they tell theirselves that they’re saved for 20 times? Sorry for asking too many questions.

         Reply
         1. 

            Joshua Tapp

            September 10, 2020

            Rosesarered,

            Remembering how salvation works is very easy. With false churches and false preachers, though, it can be difficult. This is why you must trust in what God says over what any man says.

            Acts 16:30-31 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

            To be saved, simply “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.” This is a one-time thing. It happens once. Once you trust Him, it’s over. You’re saved and have received everlasting life. Everlasting life NEVER goes away.

            1 John 5:10-13 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. 11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

            So, to answer your questions:

            1. But should people, like, always remember how salvation works?

            Yes, you should remember how salvation works. Simply believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. No works are required to be saved. Simply change your mind and believe that Jesus Christ is the one who can save you. Trust Him to save you. That’s it.

            But, if you trust on Him and you’re saved, you don’t have to remember because you’re already saved. But yes, you “SHOULD” remember.

            2. What if someone who has put their faith in Christ eventually starts trusting in their works? What will happen to them?

            Being saved happens in a moment. It’s like being born again. When you’re born the first time, it happens in a moment. When you’re born again, you’re saved. You receive everlasting life at that moment. If you start trusting in your works afterwards, this is sin. God has already saved your soul from all your sins (past, present, and future). If you trust in your works, you should immediately ask God forgiveness so He doesn’t punish you for sin in this life (in your body). But you will never lose salvation. Your soul is saved. It’s done. It’s already happened. You have everlasting life that never ends.

            3. And should people always remember that they’re saved? What will happen to them if they forget?

            Yes, people should always remember that they’re saved. But again, this is “SHOULD” remember. If you forget for some reason, Jesus already has you in His hands. You don’t have to worry about that at all. This is Jesus speaking in this Scripture:

            John 10:28-30 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and my Father are one.

            God says He will save you if you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Once you do that, it’s over and you’re saved for eternity. Trusting what Jesus says in the Scripture above is an increase in your faith. Just a tiny little drop of faith is enough to save you. You “SHOULD” grow your faith by reading the Bible and trusting everything God says. An example is reading the Scripture above and trusting that Jesus now has you in His hands. No one is going to take you out of His hands and that includes YOU. You can’t do anything to lose salvation because Jesus says so. He’s the boss.

            4. And how could someone stop worrying whether they’re saved or not? Especially those who can’t sleep unless they tell theirselves that they’re saved for 20 times?

            It’s actually a good thing for someone to fear death and hell. When you do, you’ll turn to God to save you. But once He has saved you, you “should” stop worrying and trust what God says. But again, you will never lose your salvation. You’re saved.

            The Bible says you can have “ASSURANCE” that you’re saved. You can be sure. You may know that you HAVE everlasting life. If it’s everlasting right now, this means you can NEVER lose it.

            You’re going to mess up and make mistakes in your life. We all do. I make mistakes every single day. I sin every single day. A bad thought is a sin. God hates sin, but He has already saved our souls. When we mess up, we simply ask God to forgive us in our body and He will forgive us in our bodies. He’s already forgiven our souls completely. You don’t have to worry about that IF you’ve trusted Jesus Christ to save you. God knows you and will help you. If you’re a child of God, He is going to help you and love you and make sure you’re in heaven with Him.

            So, don’t worry about that at all. You don’t have to tell yourself that you’re saved 20 times every night. Just trust God, and He will give you that peace from worrying. Know that He’s there and hears all your thoughts.

            And please, if you have any further questions, just let me know.

            Reply
      2. 

         Ogheneovo Francis Johnson

         August 24, 2022

         I truly wants to serve, but I have two children and a wife… But I am currently committed to them but I need financial aid to ease up my serving… God bless my soul you saved.

         Reply
         1. 

            Joshua Tapp

            October 17, 2022

            Yes, you can serve God with a wife and two children. I work a full time job, have 4 children, have a small farm (15 acres) with animals, grass to mow, weed eating to do, chickens to feed and water, cows to feed and water, a house to take care of, a church to take care of, sermons to write, Bible to read, Bible to study, prayer, and more. You can do it.

            Reply
      3. 

         Ogheneovo Francis Johnson

         August 24, 2022

         Why trusting the words of king James

         Reply
         1. 

            Joshua Tapp

            October 17, 2022

            Because we know there is a clear difference in the King James and the modern versions. They use different underlying texts completely. They say and mean different than the King James. When compared side by side, we will always choose the King James because the others are clearly wrong and contradict within their words.

            Reply
3. 

   Eli

   September 23, 2020

   How sad, serving The Divine simply to gain a ticket to heaven.
   Fear not, for the Kingdom of God is here. Simply step into God’s love and don’t fear; your life hear and now will be a love offering to God and all of God’s children. If there is no heaven to gain or hell to shun, yet will I serve God.

   Reply
   1. 

      Joshua Tapp

      September 23, 2020

      Eli, I am not 100% sure what you are saying. We do not serve God to gain a ticket to heaven. It is very sad for people who believe that way, and maybe that is what you meant because Jesus will say: “I never knew you” to the people who believe they can gain salvation through works. God gives us a gift if we simply change our mind and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to save us. We cannot gain it through serving or working for it. Once we are saved, we should serve God and choose to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh. There is heaven and there is hell. To receive a ticket into heaven, you simply believe what God says. It’s not gained through your works. But, you can gain eternal rewards after you’re saved (build upon the foundation of Jesus Christ) through good works.

      Reply
4. 

   Favour Igbinewka

   November 8, 2020

   Do you mean, we don’t serve God to get a ticket to heaven? I thought we serve God to get a ticket heaven.
   Many thanks I know better now
   Praise God .

   Reply
   1. 

      Joshua Tapp

      November 8, 2020

      Hello Favour,

      The most important thing you can do in your life is to put your trust on Jesus Christ to save you. Serving Him does not save you or help you to gain your way into heaven. Being saved is not of works in any way.

      Being saved is the “GIFT OF GOD.” You do not work for this gift. God gives you your ticket into heaven at the moment you believe “ON” the Lord Jesus Christ to save you. And it must be the Jesus within the Bible.

      For example, Jesus Christ of the Bible says this:

      John 3:14-16 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

      “Whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but HAVE eternal life.”

      This is very important to understand as your belief in Jesus to save you is what saves you. If you believe that Jesus died for all your sins, you can be saved by trusting the work that Jesus did for you and not your very own works.

      Once you’ve trusted Jesus ALONE to save you, then you’re saved. If you’ve never done that before, please do so right now. Simply pray to Jesus and say, “Jesus, please save me from my sins. I know you’re the only one who can save me.” If you say that and you mean that, Jesus will save you just as He promised.

      After you’re saved, you should then serve God because you love Him. You want to show Him that you are grateful for the gift of everlasting life that He gave you. You want to show Him that you know that you cannot lose the gift of everlasting life because He gave it to you, and it’s everlasting. This means once you’re saved, you can never lose eternal life. Your body will die, but your soul will live. Your soul is who you truly are, and your soul will NEVER die.

      John 11:26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

      That’s what the ONE TRUE GOD says. We must stop trusting in what man says, and believe the Word of God, Jesus Christ. Simply trust His words and not man’s words.

      The first good work you should do after you’re saved is to be baptized. Find a good church and ask to be baptized. Some churches won’t baptize you unless you follow all of their man-made rules, and that’s sad too. You’ll want to find a church that will baptize you because you’ve believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no other requirement to be baptized in the Bible (you do need to go down into the water and up out of the water).

      Acts 8:35-38 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. 36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? 37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. 38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.

      Understand that the “WORK” of water baptism doesn’t save you. You must be saved before you get baptized by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ (faith in Jesus alone). The work of baptism is you showing God that you understand that Jesus died for you, was buried, and rose again. Going down into the water is a picture of Jesus dying and being buried. Coming up out of the water is a picture of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus commands us to be baptized, and that’s why you should be baptized after you’re saved.

      I am glad you understand this now, and I would love to answer any further questions you have. If you ever want to talk or need help with the Bible, please let me know. You can email me:

      josh@truewordschristian.org

      Or you can text me or call me at (502)396-1657. If I don’t answer, please leave a message, and I will call you back.

      Reply
5. 

   claude

   November 10, 2020

   Well, I m all ears!

   Reply
6. 

   claude

   November 10, 2020

   Well, I m all ears! I know that St joan of Arc that finished the 100 year war, by getting the English out of France, could not even read or write. ..Couldn t read much of the bible.

   Reply
   1. 

      Joshua Tapp

      November 10, 2020

      Hello Claude, great to meet you and hear from you.

      For people who cannot read and write, I am hoping they have access to a smart phone. They can download the Bible app and listen to the King James Bible over the app. Personally, I use the Bible App by YouVersion:

      https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/

      While I work each day, I listen to the Bible all day long. I can usually get through the entire Bible in less than 2 weeks by listening to the Bible. I turn the speed to 1.5x at the lower left of the screen. I believe in listening and reading the Bible over and over again.

      Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

      Psalm 1:1-3 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

      We MUST get the Word of God into our lives in any way possible and get rid of all the other noise in this world.

      Also, I have an audio Bible download available here that you can download on any device like a computer, phone, tablet, etc:

      https://truewordschristian.org/audio-bible/

      Hope this helps! Thanks again!

      Reply
7. 

   Roman

   November 22, 2020

   Hi my name is Roman and I’m 14 and i woke up at around 10 PM and got really scared about if I’m gonna make it to heaven or hell and I got super scared because a lot of the stuff I see on social media is very complicated on how to get to heaven and I looked it up and found this and this really helped and I can already feel Gods presents as I type this right now and thank you so much this really helped you don’t understand Thank You and God bless

   Reply
   1. 

      Joshua

      November 24, 2020

      Roman,

      Jesus Himself made it very simple. You must believe on Jesus, the Son of God, the one who died on the cross, the one who was born of a virgin, the one who arose from the dead in His body, and the one who has the power to save you.

      No one else has the power to save you but God Himself. He gave you life on this earth, and He can give you everlasting life. He is the one who can save you. So, you must ask Jesus to save you and believe that He can. If you believe on Jesus to save you, He said He will save you. And Jesus doesn’t lie at all. Once you trust Jesus to save you, you will go to heaven. You’re saved from hell because Jesus said so.

      I didn’t say it. I didn’t make it up. I have no authority at all. Jesus does. And what He says is truth. He doesn’t lie to you. He says this:

      “Whosoever believeth on me hath everlasting life.”

      Simply believe on Jesus Christ to save you, and you’re saved. That’s it. You have everlasting life that never ends at any point.

      John 11:26-27 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? 27 She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.

      You’re living right now, Roman, and if you have believed on Jesus to save you, that means you will never die. Your body will not make it, but your body is not who you are. It’s just a shell. Your soul is saved and Jesus says you will NEVER DIE! Believe what Jesus says! You’re safe in the hands of Jesus Christ.

      John 10:28-29 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.

      Now, since Jesus saved you, you should want to do what He asks. If you love Jesus, you’ll do what He asks you to do. How do you know what to do? You read the Bible, study the Bible, and find out more about God. I recommend reading the Bible at least a few times through each year. The more the better.

      Reply
      1. 

         Amy

         December 15, 2021

         Yes, the gospel is simple!
         “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:3, KJV)

         Reply
         1. 

            Joshua Tapp

            December 16, 2021

            Hello Amy!

            That’s right. The gospel is simple. Jesus Christ did all the work that we need to be saved. We simply trust in Him, and He saves us.

            2 Corinthians 1:12 For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.

            God made everything very simple for us. Each and every person who is in heaven right now made it there the exact same way. They made it by the grace of God. Grace means they didn’t deserve it. We don’t deserve it. That’s why Jesus had to come and die for us. He had to save us because we can never be saved on our own. If we could save ourselves, Jesus wouldn’t have come to save us.

            Romans 11:6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.

            The Bible tells us over and over again that we are not saved by our works. We are saved by the works of God. The simplicity of the Gospel is that we are saved by God’s grace through faith in Him. We simply believe “ON” Him alone (nothing else) and we are saved. It’s very simple.

            John 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

            Our hope (yours and mine) is that all will finally see the truth in the gospel and how simple it is to be saved. They will see this, understand this, and finally change their mind and believe “ON” Jesus Christ just as He says in John 6:47.

            I hope you’re feeling better. We will keep praying for you.

            Reply
8. 

   lordina

   November 24, 2020

   Please i need to narrate a situation to you
   can i get your personal email

   Reply
   1. 

      Joshua

      November 24, 2020

      If you look a few comments up, you’ll find my personal email address.

      Reply
      1. 

         Paul

         June 24, 2021

         Sorry for the question

         Do you believe there’s forgiveness without punishment?

         Reply
         1. 

            Joshua Tapp

            June 24, 2021

            Paul, can you explain the question more so I can understand exactly what you’re asking? Are you talking about forgiveness for every sin that you’ve ever committed? Everyone commits sins that they aren’t even aware of throughout the day. God is the righteous judge who hands out the punishments for sin. Even saved people, in their flesh, can and will be punished for their sins. God says that He chastens those who He loves. So yes, God will punish for sins that saved people commit. But, in your soul, you are forgiven of all your sins and the punishment for those sins will not be handed out to you IF you have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. King Saul is a good example within the Bible. He was a saved man and sinned greatly against the Lord. God punished him greatly in his flesh but he did not receive the punishment of eternal hell. His soul went to heaven. I hope this answers your question properly as I am not 100% sure if this is what you were asking.

            Reply
            1. 

               Anonymous

               July 4, 2021

               Thanks alot

9. 

   Paul

   July 4, 2021

   Thanks alot sir

   Reply
10. 

    Adeola o

    July 25, 2021

    This is my question is there repentance in the grave or second chance when you get to heaven.

    Reply
    1. 

       Joshua Tapp

       July 25, 2021

       Adeola, there is no chance to change your mind and believe on Jesus Christ once you are dead. There is a heaven and a hell according to the Bible. We must believe on Jesus Christ before we take our last breath in order to be saved. If someone goes to heaven, they do not need a second chance. There is no second chance once a person is in hell. The Bible never speaks of this once. But corrupted men and false “Christian” denominations do. This is why it’s so important to stop right now, believe on Jesus Christ, put all your trust in Jesus Christ, and have eternal life right now. Then, there are no more worries about where you’re going when you die. But you do have to trust 100% in Him and understand that nothing else can save you but the Son of God. He is the Savior you need.

       Reply
11. 

    David

    October 12, 2021

    I have just one question do you have Book, Chapter , and verse in the Bible where it says “Just accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior and you’ll be saved”? If I’m going to based my eternity on something I want to make sure it’s in the Bible.

    Reply
    1. 

       Joshua Tapp

       October 12, 2021

       Hello David,

       I am not sure where you are reading, but I do not usually say: “Just accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior and you’ll be saved.” This is not in the Bible. The word “personal” is not in the Bible once. I am not sure what “accepting Jesus Christ as your PERSONAL Lord and Savior” means. Jesus is not personalized for people (just to explain what I mean). Jesus is Jesus, and we must believe on Him (the right Jesus) to be saved. This means to put all your trust in Him as the Savior of the world. He is not our personal Savior, but the Savior of the world. Yes, you must accept Jesus as the Savior of the world by believing on Him. He must be your Savior. There is no other Savior for you other than Jesus Christ the Son of God.

       If you didn’t watch the video, please watch the video or read the page. There are plenty of Scriptures there on this page.

       Also, please see these if you need more Scriptures:

       https://truewordschristian.org/sermon-faith-alone-saves-part-1/

       https://truewordschristian.org/sermon-faith-alone-saves-part-2/

       https://truewordschristian.org/sermon-true-gospel-of-jesus-christ/

       https://truewordschristian.org/sermon-believe-on-the-lord-jesus-christ/

       https://truewordschristian.org/sermon-why-you-should-believe-on-jesus-christ/

       David, if this doesn’t make sense to you, please let me know. I will gladly explain this to you if needed. Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you will believe on Jesus Christ to be saved.

       Acts 16:30-31 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

       Reply
12. 

    Stephanie

    October 27, 2021

    Faith alone does not save according to James 2:17 Even so faith if it hath not works is dead being alone
    Acts 16:30-33
    16 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
    31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
    32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.
    33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.

    James 2:10 tells me I’m not once saved always saved it reads whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
    TThere are more scriptures that contradict what I’ve read here in your post but it would take a lot of space .

    Reply
    1. 

       Joshua Tapp

       October 30, 2021

       Stephanie, you go for it. Bring all the Scriptures you have. For every Scripture that you “think” says faith alone doesn’t save, there’s 10 more than say that it does very clearly.

       My faith can be dead for periods of times for days when I’m not doing any good works for God. For example, when you just wrote that, your faith was dead (if you think faith must have works for you to be saved, then you do not have faith in God – you have faith in your works – bad move). You think works save you. You’ve gone in the way of Cain. I don’t do great works all day long. This means at times my faith is dead and is not growing.

       The entire Bible teaches that faith alone saves. The entire Book of Galatians teaches it. You should read it. Takes 18 minutes to read. I know that you can’t understand the Book of Romans because the entire Book of Romans teaches it. Jesus tells you over and over within the Gospel of John to “BELIEVE ON HIM” and receive everlasting life. Don’t be like the Pharisees. Don’t be like Peter when Paul withstood him to the face. Stop bringing in works to salvation. The Bible CLEARLY says, “Salvation is not of works.” James is written to believers who are already saved.

       So, whatever you think you have, I already know those Scriptures. I’ve written entire sermons on those Scriptures that show they mean the exact opposite of what you’re saying.

       If faith without works didn’t exist, then why does the Bible say: “Faith without works is dead?” It sure exists. I have faith without works for hours each day when I’m doing my normal job. Does that mean I’m not saved? Are you perfect all day long and always have great works to go along with your faith? If you think so, you’ve lost it. Being saved is not about you and your works AT ALL. It’s all about the work that Jesus Christ did. Give it up and put all 100% of your trust in Jesus Christ. Then, you can understand the Scriptures better. Then, you’ll have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and stop acting like Cain.

       You need to study the Bible more and stop trying to teach me what God says. I understand that you are saved by faith alone and the entire Bible is teaching that. You’ve missed the point of the entire Bible. Wake up and stop acting like the Scribes and Pharisees.

       Reply
    2. 

       Joshua Tapp

       October 30, 2021

       Stephanie, what do you think Acts 16 is talking about? Are you trying to say that water baptism washed their sins or stripes away? Paul and Silas had stripes on their back from being beaten and thrown into prison. The prison keeper washed the stripes off their back. You need to read the Bible closely and stop acting as if it says something that it doesn’t. Read this verse over and over until you finally trust what Jesus Christ says:

       John 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

       Stop calling Jesus Christ a liar in His words above. He didn’t forget anything. Water baptism is not changing your mind and believing. If you think works are required for everlasting life, you are straight up calling Jesus Christ a liar. Don’t call the Almighty God a liar. Just trust what He says in His words, and He will save you.

       John 8:47 He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.

       Reply
13. 

    Janene

    March 27, 2022

    I would like to add
    Romans 10:9-10 that if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.
    For with the heart man believes unto Righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto Salvation.

    Janene

    Reply
    1. 

       Joshua Tapp

       March 31, 2022

       Hello Janene,

       Yes, this Scripture is 100% truth. The believing in your heart that God has raised Jesus from the dead is what gives you the righteousness you need to go to heaven. Confessing with your mouth should go hand in hand with that. For example, when someone is baptized in water, they should confess Jesus with their mouth at that time. But, they were saved prior to being baptized in water and prior to confessing that with their mouth out loud. For example, both you and I constantly confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and God. We constantly confess out loud that Jesus is THE Savior of the World. These confessions of Jesus Christ do not save us, but it’s the faith that we have in Jesus that saves us. Because of the faith that we have in Jesus, we confess His name out loud to everyone. As another example, there may be someone who can’t speak that believes in Jesus Christ. If that person cannot speak and confess Jesus with their mouth, God is not sending that person to hell if that person believes in Jesus Christ. Once we believe, we receive the righteousness from God Almighty. We receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit once we believe. And once we do that, we are saved. Then, we should be confessing the Lord Jesus Christ out loud with our mouth.

       Hope that helps explain this to everyone a little more. Thanks for your point there. This is a good Scripture to explain in more detail.

       In Jesus Christ,
       Josh

       Reply
14. 

    Janene

    March 27, 2022

    Forgive me for not understanding and going back and forth in my belief. I don’t mean to . I believe and thank you so much for clarifying things for me. I really appreciate you. I’m not saying you are wrong. But I was trying to be clear on things. I believe everything you have written about what the scriptures says and I believe the scriptures. I don’t want to confuse anyone. Thank you we have to read in context and I know this. Here alittle there a little .
    Thank you Pastor Josh please continue to give the True Word Of God , because there’s not many pastors doing that. Please everyone we need to read the Bible in context and against other scriptures to get the full meaning. I so appreciate this Pastor because he speaks the truth of the bible when others are not. Please watch his videos and things on this site if you want the truth. If you have doubts and questions please ask this Pastor if you want Truth.

    Janene

    Reply
15. 

    Ofer Rosen

    June 12, 2022

    Hi, just wanted to clarify something:

    There is a person who believes that ONLY through Jesus he can be saved and go to Heaven.
    This person does NOT believe that he can enter heaven through his works.
    In other words he believes ON Jesus to be saved

    *However*

    He ALSO believes that after being saved he can still lose his salvation through sin.

    Is this person actually saved?

    Reply
    1. 

       Joshua Tapp

       June 12, 2022

       Hello Ofer,

       I am reading your questions and comments over and over again. You said: “There is a person who believes that ONLY through Jesus he can be saved and go to heaven.”

       Does this person actually believe IN Jesus Christ? Does this person believe Jesus is the Son of God and has the power to save him from all his sins? Does this person believe that Jesus Christ died, was buried, and arose from the dead as “THE” sacrifice for sins?

       I am just asking because you said that the person believes that they can only be saved through Jesus, but do they actually believe on Jesus? The actual believing on Him is what saves him and not believing that people can only be saved by Jesus. Do you understand what I am saying? I just want to make this clear, and maybe I didn’t before.

       If this person believes they are saved with everlasting life, how can they believe they can lose everlasting life through sin?

       My opinion would be they are not saved and a proper presentation of the Gospel was not given. I am not sure they actually believe IN or ON Jesus Christ. Once you believe in Him, He tells us that you have everlasting life. We need to believe His words.

       For example:

       1 John 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

       If God gives you everlasting life right now, there’s no way you can lose it because it is everlasting. Salvation is everlasting life through Jesus Christ.

       But, if this person actually believes on Jesus Christ (this is questionable due to the above questions I had for you), they are saved with everlasting life even if they don’t fully understand it at this time. But, believing on Jesus Christ means that you know He can save you and has given you everlasting life. So, I would need to talk with this person more to determine if they are saved.

       Hope this helps some. Please let me know.

       Reply
16. 

    Deborah

    August 23, 2022

    Thank you very much for this wonderful advice and help. I and my house hold shall serve the Lord

    Reply
    1. 

       Joshua Tapp

       August 23, 2022

       Hello Deborah! Thank you very much for listening and seeking Jesus Christ. I am glad this helped. If you have any questions at any time, please let me know. I hope you have a good church where you can continue to learn, with all your household, the truth. God bless you in Jesus Christ.

       Reply
17. 

    Gary

    September 4, 2022

    Josh,

    Since I can no longer seem to post anything here, and our messages have disappeared, I can only conclude that you have shut your ears and eyes to hearing and seeing anything that you cannot seem to defend. Holy Scripture admonishes us, as you know, to “be ready always to give an answer to every man who asketh you a reason for the hope that is in you. ]1 Pet 3:5]. Why would you not even address the matter of sexual orientation that I have posed? A true Christian will always be willing to listen, learn, use his God-given reason and ability to study deeper. Once one is no longer willing to do that, he is tending towards shut-out, shut-off cultish beliefs and bibliolatry, rather than opening his heart to the living God through His Holy Spirit, who leads each of us more and more into the full truth.

    If I am wrong, please forgive me. I write in love. Unless you reply, I am left only with guessing and suspecting, not the way for brothers in Christ to treat one another.

    Gary

    Reply
    1. 

       Joshua Tapp

       September 4, 2022

       Hey Gary,

       You haven’t read or listened to anything I’ve said. I can easily defend anything you have in which you think homosexuality is okay. My eyes are very open. Your eyes and ears are shut to God’s actual words. I’ll give you an example, again, in this post. I laugh that you think God’s words aren’t against what you’re saying. I don’t need to defend God’s words. They are very simple. Here’s the example of your eyes and ears being closed:

       What does the following mean to you, and who wrote this?

       Leviticus 18:22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.

       Leviticus 20:13 If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

       Allow me to answer for you. Jesus Christ wrote this.

       Who wrote this?

       Exodus 20:15 Thou shalt not steal.

       Since the world thinks it is okay to steal in certain situations, does that make it okay to steal? No, it doesn’t.

       God hasn’t changed the law about man lying with man. He hasn’t changed thou shalt not steal. He hasn’t ever changed the way of salvation.

       You can’t understand what the mixture of fabrics actually means so you minimize His words. You laugh at them. You think it’s okay to go against His words because the world says so. Did you not read the Bible? Can you not understand it? Make up what you want.

       I won’t argue with you because clearly the Bible, the Holy and perfect word of God, can’t change your mind. What would I be able to do? Do you really think I’m going to trust you over God’s words? Really? Do you think I’ll trust you over the Book of Leviticus?

       Can you not understand this?

       Romans 1:22-32 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

       You just proved the above Scripture again and again and again. You’ve confirmed the Scriptures by your response and your continued actions.

       You ignore everything I wrote previously and come back with wisdom of man? In this world? Yeah. You think the world is getting better. The Bible says the opposite.

       I will never side with anything you say over the word of God. No chance.

       Call me what you want. I’m accustomed to it. You don’t bother me. Go ahead. Goodbye Gary.

       Reply
18. 

    Gary

    September 4, 2022

    Josh,

    Thank you for your reply. First of all, I am not your enemy. I do read all that you write. You do not, however, answer my questions. I have asked you when you chose to practice heterosexuality. That is a fair question. Of course, you will probably tell me that you never chose it, since it was natural to you and not a conscious choice. It is, as I have said before, the same with homosexuality as a sexual disposition or orientation. We are not even talking about sexual acts here, just a person’s innate sexuality in and of itself. Yet, you seem to refuse to believe that even children who already perceive same-sex attraction in themselves could have been created by God ‘that way’.

    Also, it is clear that we do NOT follow as Christians all the laws and precepts of the Old Testament. The Old and even New Testament approve of slavery. Do you still approve of it? The Old Testament commands that a disobedient son should be stoned to death:

    If someone has a stubborn and rebellious son who does not obey his father and mother and will not listen to them when they discipline him, his father and mother shall take hold of him and bring him to the elders at the gate of his town. They shall say to the elders, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey us. He is a glutton and a drunkard.’ Then all the men of his town are to stone him to death. You must purge the evil from among you. All Israel will hear of it and be afraid” (Deuteronomy 21:18–21).

    Would you approve of that for your or any one else’s children? You are well aware that many things in the Bible, esp. the Old Testament, are no longer acceptable or practiced. (Isn’t usury a capital offence? Yet, who of us has not paid interest on a loan or received it from a bank?) I think you are also aware that one has to understand the context, time and cultural frame and linguistic meaning of original words in Scripture. Although I believe that Scripture interprets Scripture (something new to me, coming from such a Patristic tradition), yet not all that we need to know in order to understand Scripture correctly is contained therein. Lexicons, Bible atlases, commentaries all help us better to understand what has there been written by the Holy Spirit of God.

    Also, you have not answered my question as to why you say that sodomites (which you equate with the word homosexual) should not be allowed at worship services, yet, apparently (since nothing is said about it in your list of beliefs and rejections) others whom you would deem sinners according to the Bible are allowed. Jesus ate with publicans and sinners, as you well know, and even reviled by the hypocrites of his day for it.

    I am sad, because so much of what you do believe is dear to my heart and is new to me in my Christian faith, now that the Lord has opened my heart to free me from a works-based salvation to one of a belief in sola fide, eternal security and laying aside of sacerdotalism and the traditions of men. I do seek with a pure heart to follow Jesus Christ, and I will continue to pray for the grace, wisdom and guidance of His Holy Spirit, for you and me, both.

    The Apostle tells us: Let all your things be done with charity. (agape) 1 Cor: 16:14.

    It is thus that I write, wishing you only good, Josh, and praying, sincerely, that the Lord Jesus Christ, through His Holy Spirit, bless and help you in your ministry.

    Gary

    Reply
    1. 

       Joshua Tapp

       September 4, 2022

       Gary,

       We follow all of God’s commandments that He hasn’t came to fulfill. For example, Jesus is the Lamb of God. We don’t do animal sacrifices because He is our sacrifice. We don’t observe the sabbath because Jesus is our Sabbath. We rest in Him. He didn’t come to fulfill thou shalt not steal and now says it is okay to steal. He didn’t change that. God did change what people could eat. He can change what He wants, but He tells us exactly what He changes in the Bible. He doesn’t change the fact that it’s not okay for man to lie with man. He never says this. He even says in Jude that He set forth Sodom as an example.

       Jude 7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

       Read that verse carefully. New Testament confirming the Old Testament. The New Testament quotes the Old Testament hundreds of times. They gave themselves over to fornication (God hates fornication). They went after strange flesh (men with men, women with women). Seriously, you should know God’s design works because we can be fruitful and multiply as a man/woman. I am not trying to make you angry. I am stating the truth.

       I know that God’s law, all of it, is perfect. Do you believe His law is perfect or not? When He says that a man lying with a man is an abomination to Him, why would you not believe that? It is 100% truth. I didn’t come up with that. You can call me hateful or whatever you want, but I am not. God says it is loving for me to follow His laws. You too. He says not to do it. He says not to do other things. I am not even close to perfect. I mess up constantly, but I hate when I mess up and I want to stop messing up. I want to do what God wants me to do. My flesh may like to do something, but my spirit does not. We must choose to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh to not sin. Do I always walk in the Spirit? No way. I am not Jesus Christ. Not even close. I’m not even one speck of dirt compared to all the dirt in the world when compared to Him. Nothing I am compared to Jesus Christ. But I will tell you what He says, and what He says is important.

       God is not ruling over the United States of America right now, obviously. If He were, the people would take the rebellious son out and stone him to death. Jeffrey Dahmer would be an example of this. If God’s law was in effect for this country, Jeffrey Dahmer would have been stopped. Serial killers would have been stopped. I would love for evil people to be stopped early. Are you saying this law of God’s is wrong? You seem to think His laws are outrageous. They are not. Why would you allow someone to talk you into God’s laws being outrageous? That is a perfect, just, and right law. Did people do what God said to do? Not most of the time.

       Another example is the man picking up sticks on the Sabbath. What happened to Him? God was ruling in that camp. That man died. Did the children of Israel question this? Yes. That’s why they went and asked God if He was sure. I would have had trouble doing that, but God is serious about His laws. In this country, God is not ruling so we follow the laws of this country. We don’t take a rebellious son out and stone him to death. We would go to jail. Just like the Romans were ruling when Jesus came. He stayed within their law and didn’t break their law. For example, he paid tribute money. He said, pay your taxes. He didn’t stone the woman taken in adultery because He wasn’t ruling (and it’s not even clear that she did it because they were supposed to bring both the man and the woman).

       It doesn’t matter if anything in the Old Testament isn’t accepted or practiced as of today. His law was perfect, is perfect, and will be perfect for eternity. Our laws are not perfect unless they match His perfectly. If we had His laws in effect in this country, it would be an even greater place to live. But, are you saying His laws would make the world worst? Are you calling God evil? Seriously. You don’t agree with the Old Testament laws? They were put there to show us that we can’t follow all of His laws because there are none good. His laws are perfect, and we can’t do them all perfectly.

       Usury is not good. Charging someone unfair amounts of interest is evil. Do you not agree with that? It doesn’t matter if it happens all the time here. It’s still evil.

       There are many things that we would have trouble doing or following. Would you sacrifice your only son as Abraham was willing to do? Abraham knew that God would raise his son from the dead. But would you trust God enough to do this? That would be very difficult. This speaks of the great faith that Abraham had in God. People in today’s world would call Abraham evil for almost doing this. Wouldn’t they? Abraham wasn’t an evil man. He was a righteous man because He believed God.

       Sodomites are fornicators. They have sexual relationships outside of marriage. God says fornication is not allowed in the church. Does He not?

       I know for a fact that God didn’t create people to have same sex attractions. That didn’t come from God. That comes from other things. Not God. He doesn’t create people against His own law. I can’t argue this with you. It is written in the Bible. He wouldn’t break His own commandments. The Bible tells us that He gives people up and over to their own desires when they reject Him.

       I am not trying to make you angry. Everything you ask me I am answering. All the answers are in the Bible. I thought you were saying you knew the words of the Bible, but maybe I took that the wrong way.

       Reply
19. 

    Gary

    September 5, 2022

    Josh,

    I really want to thank you very much for your loving and in depth reply. It takes time to write at length. I know that as a pastor with a family of your own and members of your church to care for you have little time for yourself. So, I genuinely do appreciate your time.

    Your explanation of why some things in the Old Testament are still followed and others are not was a revelation to me. As often is the case, the answer is a simple one, yet one to which I have been blinded most of my life. In works-based and sacerdotal churches all the many rituals, rules (canons), Patristic writings, creeds, traditions, etc seem to take precedence over learning the actual meaning of Scripture. The very basics of the Gospel and Scripture can go unknown and unexplained, even after one has been in those churches for decades.

    This is what first drew me to Evangelical belief. I started listening to sermons on Christian radio on the way to & from work and at lunchtime (and still do), as well as on-line. Although the words of the Scriptures preached were familiar to me (in the KJV and in NT Greek), their true meaning and correlation to one another was new. This was not the private interpretation which the Scriptures prohibit, but ‘searching the Scriptures’, as Jesus commanded, leading to Scripture interpreting Scripture.

    What especially surprised me after having been in an Eastern Orthodox monastery for almost 30 years was that I had never once heard preached or explained many of the things these radio pastors taught me in a few weeks alone.
    I still struggle with the historic aspect of it all, since so much that Eastern Orthodoxy holds to apparently has a basis and written witness in the earliest Christian writings. So, I often feel conflicted. Evangelical and Baptist teachings seem closer to Scripture. Of course, Orthodox, Catholic and even Anglican churches will claim ‘stand fast and hold to the traditions handed down to you whether by word or in writing’, insisting that much was never written down but passed down orally from the time of the Apostles.

    The more I hear, however, and the more I myself read the Bible the clearer the Gospel of salvation seems to be. It’s hard to convey the wondrous sense of discovery one feels when the veil is lifted. How could I have heard and read the same words all my life and completely missed the simple messages of salvation by faith through grace, eternal security, baptism not for the forgiveness of sins (sacrament) but in obedience to Christ as a result of salvation, being able to be saved with the repentance (metanoia) of changing one’s mind to receive Christ, even as one still battles with the flesh, the world and the Devil. My Christianity was in my head, not in my heart.

    Thank You for your patience with me, Josh. When I said in my first message that I thought sanctification was in stages, I was expressing it wrongly, I believe. What I meant is what I am talking about above — a gradual coming closer to God’s will, to a better understanding of Holy Writ, opening up to the Holy Spirit’s guidance to change one’s life to be more in accordance with God’s will, feeling conviction for that which is not His will, and open to the grace to change.

    I have read only the KJV all my life and still do, knowing that many of the other translations are distorted. I am surprised, however, when I read some things in it, then read the original Greek and find some difference. Nonetheless, the Greek can, of course, often give more insight and depth of meaning than the English does, as many preachers often explain.

    The statements on Our Christian Beliefs reflect so much of what I have come to believe and accept only in the past year or so. I am also reading carefully now your very in-depth sermon ‘Can Sodomites Be Saved?’ which does, indeed, clarify some questions I had earlier.

    It has been a long time since I have written to any pastor about this matter. I do not believe it was mere chance that I came upon your website or that I felt moved to contact you. I believe that I am saved and have not been cast away or rejected by God but kept by him throughout my life (I am now aged 68) waiting for the time when I would come to the knowledge of the truth after wandering down so many wrong paths (religious and otherwise). Glory be to God “who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” [1 Tim 2:4]

    Gary

    Reply
    1. 

       Joshua Tapp

       September 5, 2022

       Hello Gary,

       I pray and hope to God that you are saved. Remember, understanding the Gospel doesn’t equal salvation but actually putting your whole 100% trust in Jesus Christ is what saves you. I appreciate you listening to the sermons, but especially testing everything I say with the actual Scriptures. I may seem harsh at times, as people have told me, but I get the doctrine from the Bible. God may seem very harsh to us at times, but He does this so that we might be saved. Harsh preaching and Scriptures woke me up. This is why I preach the way I do. It works. Some people get angry and mad at me, but many others don’t.

       Yes, God wants all to be saved. But the Bible tells us that most won’t be saved. Even with the simple plan of salvation, most won’t be saved because they won’t hear what God says. We have to get rid of all the other stuff we’ve been taught (like the traditions of men – I’ve been there myself) and simply trust the words in the Bible. He tells us what is right and what is wrong. He knows. We don’t. We mess up. He doesn’t. That’s why I take His side on every topic. If people hate me for it, it doesn’t surprise me because He tells us people will hate us. I don’t hate people who love God. I hate people who hate God. This simply means I reject them as they reject God. It doesn’t mean I want to kill them or hurt them. I don’t. But people will call me a hate preacher. I preach hate because God teaches us hate in the Bible too. Search the Scriptures, and you will find them. We are to hate the evil and love the good. God must hate the evil, or He wouldn’t be a Holy God. If we love to do evil, then we hate. If we love to do good, then we love. For example, if I steal from you, this is hating you. If I don’t steal from you, this is loving you. If I lie to you, this is hate. If I tell you the truth, this is love.

       I hope all of this makes sense, and I do appreciate you listening. Please ask me anything you want.

       Josh

       Reply
20. 

    Laura

    September 10, 2022

    Hello, thank you for this article, it has answered some questions for me.

    Due to a TBI I lost like 90% of my memory. Along with childhood, memories of my 25-yr marriage, and all of my education, I have little memories of being a Christian. My husband assures me I was, and believed in Jesus Christ as my Savior. But the truth is that I don’t know if I’m a Christian anymore, and I feel guilty and ashamed. Prayer feels strange and empty. I don’t remember much of the Bible, and I find learning and retaining information difficult now. I have depression and anxiety so it’s hard to be around people, and I wouldn’t remember most of them anyway. But the worst thing is, and though I know God is the Father, I don’t feel any connection to Jesus. I don’t even remember what it’s like to feel His love, and it makes me desperately sad. I feel empty.

    Sometimes I get like a flicker of memory. And I will keep trying, learn what I can, and hope I can become a person of faith again. And feel peace, not guilt.

    Reading this article has assured me that nothing will separate me from God’s love, and that I will be welcome in heaven, even if I never get that part of my life back. So I thank you!

    Laura

    Reply
    1. 

       Joshua Tapp

       September 10, 2022

       Laura, I pray and hope that you will get your memory back if it is God’s will. If your husband says you trusted in Christ, then I would trust your husband. Remember, it only takes a moment trust in Him fully for salvation. If you weren’t sure, you can be right now. And if you don’t remember, it never hurts to tell Him you love Him and trust Him each day. Seek God, and He will help you. Keep reading the Bible. Keep going for Him. We all have tough times. Some are much harder than others. He only gives you as much as you can take. He is there for you. This may be a tough trial that you will come out on the other side as gold. Maybe those flickers of memory will get stronger and stronger for you. I will pray for that for you. Yes, nothing will separate you from God’s love. Just from reading what you write, I am sure you will be there in heaven. God has your life in His hands. It is not lost. Thank you for reading and listening. Laura, please keep in touch and let me know how you’re doing.

       Reply
       1. 

          Laura

          September 10, 2022

          Thank you so much

          Reply
          1. 

             Joshua Tapp

             October 17, 2022

             Hello Laura, I wanted to check back with you and see how you’re doing. I hope you are doing better. Please let me know.

             Reply
21. 

    Jodie

    September 16, 2022

    Thank you for being here! I was struggling because I was told to repent of my sins and accept Jesus. That inevitably led to more sin because I was actually working for my salvation! I am so saddened by what my heart allowed me to believe. I read the verse the other day Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. It hit me with pure joy that I no longer had to strive and work for my salvation nor to keep my salvation! I have been reading blogs like yours to confirm that in my heart which was basically already confirmed. But I will keep reading it because my heart continually wants to deceive me that I need to work again to keep it. Thank you for being here.

    Reply
    1. 

       Joshua Tapp

       September 19, 2022

       Hello Jodie,

       Thank you for being here as well! Repenting of sin or turning from sin is a work as you have stated:

       Jonah 3:10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.

       So the Bible is very clear right there that turning from sin (repenting of sin) is a work. I am glad you see the truth in the Bible. Yes, I did the same as a younger man. I thought I had to be perfect after I trusted in the Lord, and I didn’t realize that I couldn’t be perfect. I was taught the wrong things in churches. We can’t just trust every church that is out there. We must trust in the words from God.

       AWESOME THAT YOU READ THAT VERSE AND BELIEVED IT! That’s all it takes, and I am beyond happy for you. I jump with joy with you!

       John 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

       If we strive to work our way to heaven, we’ll never make it. We must give up and believe in Jesus Christ. We can’t be perfect and good all the time because of this flesh.

       Romans 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

       But we can do good after we have been saved by walking in the Spirit and doing the things which God has asked us to do. Will we still mess up? Yes, because we will choose the flesh at times. All of us have that war going on within us. We lose at times. We win at times. So, I am glad you know that you can’t be perfect. Please know that Jesus Christ is the owner of salvation. He gives it to you, and He keeps it for you. The Bible says you can be sure of that. He is God. He does what He says. Trust Him before, during, and after salvation. He’s got you now.

       John 10:28-30 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and my Father are one.

       This means even you cannot cause yourself to lose salvation. Jesus has you now. Don’t ever forget that even when times get tough. And they will.

       2 Timothy 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

       Find a good place to be baptized, or I will drive to you and baptize you. Just let me know. I sent you an email. Would be glad for my family and I to meet you and baptize you. And then find a good church. You will need a good church. Start being a silent partner during soul winning. Read the Bible through at least once per year (12 minutes a day). Study the Bible through good preaching, sermons, and studies of your own. Pray every day. Pray for others. This will get you going in the right direction.

       Glad to help with any questions you might have.

       In Jesus Christ,
       Josh

       Reply
22. 

    Gary

    September 16, 2022

    Josh,

    Thank You, again, for your honest and loving reply. I do trust my salvation 100% in our Lord Jesus Christ, not in any work of my own or in simply mentally comprehending the Gospel, but by walking with Him in my heart, trusting fully in His grace to save me from my sins and allow me inheritance in His Heavenly Kingdom.

    When I first heard from a Baptist preacher that all our sins, past, present and future were forgiven by Jesus at His Cross, I found that amazing. I had never really connected Jesus’s death on the Cross in any personal way with the forgiveness of my sins. We had sins, we confessed them to a priest, received absolution, felt forgiven by God, until the next time, and hoped to die in a ‘state of grace’. In monastic life one is made to believe that it is one’s Orthodoxy (to be kept pure in doctrine within the Orthodox Church) and one’s obedience to one’s spiritual father that will save your soul. Your spiritual father will stand up for you at the judgement to say ‘he is with me’ and answer for all your sins.

    So, hearing that on Calvary all my sins were forgiven forever more was amazing. It makes complete sense, yet I had never heard salvation explained that way.

    Thank you for allowing me to ask you anything that I want. The more I pray, read Scripture and listen to evangelical preaching, the more questions I have.

    One conflict that has been unresolved in me for a long time is this. The simple, evangelical truth of the Gospel indeed speaks to my heart as being supported by the Holy Scriptures. The Orthodox, Catholic and Anglican churches, however, all believe that sola scriptura is wrong and that one must take the Bible, together with oral tradition, the history of the Church, teachings of the Oecumenical Councils, writings of the ‘saints’, church rules/canons (Pedalion) and the like in order to know where the truth really is.

    There are just so many ancient texts remaining today that would seem to support from the very earliest Christian centuries belief in things like Divine Liturgies, saints, shrines of the martyrs as places of veneration, relics of the saints, baptism unto remission of sins, the cross and icons as holy depictions to be venerated, the sign of the cross, the real presence in the Eucharist, monastic life, asceticism, infant baptism, ability to lose one’ salvation, veneration and prayer to Mary to intercede for us, use of things such as holy water, holy oil, chrism, incense, icons, vestments, et al.

    My thought on all this, as something with which I am very familiar personally, is, if the simple evangelical message of our salvation is true and Biblical, where did all these added things come from so early on after the time of Christ? I’m sure you are aware of the many ‘Church Fathers’ from Justin Martyr, Cyprian of Carthage, Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp of Smyrna, John Chrysostom, Basil the Great, etc, etc that these churches refer to in order to show that their beliefs are ancient and thus correct.

    Also, I think it is true that most Christians did not have access to the complete Bible as we do nowadays. They may have had access to parts, much of it transmitted orally, but not until the Council of Nicaea in AD 325 formulated the canon of Scripture as we now have it, was there even a uniform Bible. Even then, until the advent of the printing press 1500 years later and later then (since most couldn’t afford books or couldn’t read), the Bible which we so readily have at our fingertips now was just not available to them. So, for centuries, Bible study as we now have it was not possible for most Christians. So, all most Christians had was what they heard from the clergy.

    I realize that some Baptists say that their church has existed from ancient times, saying that the true believers had to go into hiding throughout the centuries to avoid persecution by the official/state/imperial church. They say this is what the Waldensians, Cathari, Montanists and other groups were — those who would not, especially after Constantine combined Church and State, give up their older, more Scriptural beliefs.

    What do you think about all this, Josh?

    Also, monasticism has such an ancient history, records of it existing from Britain to Rome to Egypt to Syria and beyond, from the AD 300s on. How can this be? Such things were universally part of the Church and still are in Orthodox/Catholic/Anglican churches. Protestants, Baptists, Evangelicals reject this and much else, however, that has witness in very ancient writings. So, theologically, I find myself believing and feeling God’s truth in what evangelicals preach; at the same time, I cannot but feel concern over the very ancient evidence we have of things these churches believe and practice, but which ‘Bible-believing Christians’ reject.

    I feel I have written a rather muddled version of my thoughts, concerns and questions. Please forgive me for that. I am hoping that you will see through so many words to get to the core of my dilemma.

    I am genuinely interested in knowing what you think about all these things.

    In advance, my sincere thanks for your time, patience and sharing of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

    Gary

    Reply
    1. 

       Joshua Tapp

       September 19, 2022

       Hello Gary,

       I don’t go by history, or so-called history. I do not know if any of this history is true. God did not say He would preserve the history books for us. He did say that He would preserve His words forever for us. So, I do not have all the answers to what the word of God looked like throughout history, but I know the word of God was there. For example, we know Timothy had the Holy Scriptures from a child. What form? I don’t know, but I know that he had them:

       2 Timothy 3:15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

       In short, I don’t go by what other people tell me about history. I suggest that you forget about all of those things and trying to make sense of them. If it were that important, God would have placed it within the Scriptures. His words have been perverted since the beginning of humans. The serpent, in the garden, started to get humans to question God’s words. Cain went his own way. We can’t live by the words of man. We must live by the word of God. So, I focus on the Scriptures alone as they are the word of God.

       Not once, in the Bible, does God command us to focus on man’s words. If we do, we go the wrong way. This is why I have been called names for not caring about what history of the church says. I, really, could care less. Instead, I care what the Bible says. Also, I don’t care what the Baptists say about their history either. We must get away from these things and get straight to God’s words. There is so much to learn there, and we know His words are truth. We do not know if history is correct. And much of it is the opinion of someone just as we see today. One person will think Joe Biden is the greatest President in history and one person will think he is the worst President in history. And I am not sure how anyone alive today could even judge that because they weren’t there for all the others.

       Seriously, if you want the truth of things, I would focus on God’s words. It’s not bad to know what the history books say, but you can’t take it all as 100% truth. With the Bible, though, you can. Just remember that His words were being corrupted since the beginning so you’re going to get these abominations, similar but perverse, and so on. For example, there are many gospels out there today that are close but they are actual perversions of the true Gospel:

       2 Corinthians 11:4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

       Galatians 1:6-7 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: 7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.

       These perversions are similar but are not the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For example, Billy Graham preached a perversion of the Gospel. People are still preaching that perversion today. His perversion of the Gospel doesn’t exist in the Bible. Repenting of sin is a good work. But we are not saved by works.

       Jonah 3:10 And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.

       Repent has different definitions. Repent for salvation is changing your mind and believing on Jesus Christ alone, not your works. Repent can also mean turning from your evil ways. God repents in the Bible so we know God isn’t turning from His sin because He has no sin.

       Yes, I understand what you have written, and I hope you understand this answer. Seriously, get away from all the other stuff as truth and focus on the actual truth in His words. Let all of that other stuff go as we will not know the answers. We will not if history is telling us the truth. God’s words have always existed, and He made sure they got out to the people. We simply trust Him. We know 100% for sure that He did His job. We know by faith. And I don’t question whether or not His words were there throughout history. They were.

       Hope that answers your questions.

       In Jesus Christ,
       Josh

       Reply
23. 

    Jodie

    September 17, 2022

    I was baptized before I was actually saved. I explained this to my pastor and he said not to worry about it, I’m fine. Should I find another way to be baptized?

    Reply
    1. 

       Joshua Tapp

       September 19, 2022

       Jodie,

       Hello! Yes, I would be baptized by a good pastor who believes the Bible and gets the Gospel of Jesus Christ correct. What must I do to be saved? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Baptism is between you and the Lord so you know what it takes to be saved. Now that you trust in Him completely, I would be baptized again. My family and I will meet you somewhere if you would like me to baptize you.

       I am so happy and glad that you are going to heaven!

       In Jesus Christ,
       Josh

       Reply
       1. 

          Jodie

          October 8, 2022

          I don’t know that he is a bad pastor, he just doesn’t realize I wasn’t truly saved. He thinks I am battling with doubt but in fact, the doubts were well founded. I deceived myself and others into believing I was saved so I don’t k ow how to convince him otherwise that I wasn’t truly saved. I keep trying to apologize but he thinks I am just “waivering” in my faith. Should I wait it out until he sees the truth or be baptized elsewhere?

          Reply
          1. 

             Joshua Tapp

             October 8, 2022

             Does the pastor preach that you are only saved by faith in Jesus Christ? Or, does he add something else to salvation? If he preaches faith alone in Jesus Christ (believing in Him or trusting in Him for salvation), then I would be baptized by him. Sounds like he believes you must keep the faith all the time and endure to the end to be saved. This is wrong. What denomination would this be? Do you know? Thanks Jodie.

             Reply
24. 

    Anonymous

    October 16, 2022

    Can I be baptized by any believer that believes In Christ alone for salvation? Does it have to be done in a church? Can it be done anywhere?

    Reply
    1. 

       Joshua Tapp

       October 16, 2022

       You don’t have to be baptized in a church physically (outside is fine, any body of water is fine), but I believe you should be baptized by a pastor, bishop, preacher, or deacon (all males). I would find the best church you can find (that preaches faith alone for salvation) and be baptized there. And I would start going to that church as well. You will need believers around you to help you. I also believe it is important to profess your faith publicly during a baptism. None of these things save you as you are already saved by faith in Jesus Christ. But they are very important to do. Very important. Are you having trouble finding a good church to baptize you? Please let me know, and I will help you as much as I can. Are you nervous to go to a church? This can make some people very nervous, and I understand why. I will gladly schedule something with you one day if you let me know when you might be able to do this.

       Reply
25. 

    Anonymous

    October 17, 2022

    So if a Christian believes in the Lord Jesus Christ and later refuses to repent of sin what happens to them? Not that I am or anyone else I know is planning on doing this but want to make sure I have my theology correct.

    Reply
    1. 

       Joshua Tapp

       October 17, 2022

       They will be punished greatly by God in this life for not repenting of sin. The punishment should lead you back to sorrow for doing what you did. Please pay close attention to the life of king Saul when you are reading through that part of the Bible again (1 Samuel). It is very important to be sorry for what you do each day, repent of that sin, ask forgiveness, and do your best to walk in the Spirit each day. The Bible says we need to die to self (our flesh) each day and choose the Spirit of God. When we do, we will do good.

       1 John 1:8-10 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

       We confess our sins to God. He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. God loves you now that you are a child of God, and He will take good care of you. He is a good Father that wants you to go the right ways.

       Please see this if you haven’t already watched this: Choose Your Path

       Reply
26. 

    Laura

    December 20, 2022

    I can not thank you enough for telling me the truth. I have always known Jesus Christ is the Messiah and the only son of True God. however I was so confused and worried that I was doing something wrong, and I was, I’ve heard many people say many different things that has kept me confused about being saved for 41 years. it was always right there right in my face. I now realize that even turning from sin is a work of my own doing. I have always been told that if I were saved then the holy spirit would help me turn from sin and that is how you knew if you were saved. it was a lie being told to me. I can not thank you enough for telling me the truth. I thought I was understanding the scriptures incorrectly because I was told different. Thank you for helping me see the truth

    Reply
    1. 

       Joshua Tapp

       December 20, 2022

       Hello Laura! It’s great to hear from you. Do you now believe on Jesus Christ fully and know that only He can save you? Do you know that you now have everlasting life that cannot be lost? Please let me know. Again, it’s great to meet you.

       Reply