<TITLE>08. Par 301-308</TITLE>L-301   Now He's beginning to talk about, what is it? "Let's go on to perfection." Now, he said, "Not carnal, laying the foundation here of doctrines and baptism and reformations, and so forth. Let's not do that. Let's go on to perfection." The subject is perfection, and perfection comes by Christ. And how did we get in Christ? By joining the church? "By one Spirit we're all baptized into one Body." Not by: one, tongue-talked in; one, hand-shook in; one, water-baptized in. "But by one Spirit we are baptized into one Body." You get it? That's the perfection.

L-302 And when you come into That, you are in Christ, and the world is dead to you. And you walk with the Lamb each day, and your steps are ordained of God, what to do. Oh, the trials and testings that we go through! You say, "Do you have testings?" Yes, sir. What is...

L-303   Grace is what God did for me, works is what I do for God. Now, they'll make a doctrine out of it, they think that works is what wins your merits. If it is, it isn't a free gift. Grace is what God did for you, "By grace you're saved." And works is what you do in appreciation of the grace that He showed to you. And if you love Him, you like to do the works of the Lord. Certainly, because, then, you--you love Him.

L-304 Accepting Meda Broy, as my wife, was what love done for her. What she does, in appreciation: she's a nice woman, stays home, takes care of the children, and lives a good true life. That's not because we're not married; we are married. But she does that in appreciations. If she run down town, every day, and took in every ten-cent store, and up-and-down the streets, and never washed the dishes, or anything else, we are still married. Absolutely. When I took my vow, that settles it. She's my wife. As long as there's life in us, she's my wife. That's her vow. But what appreciation she does for that: she stays home, and takes care of the children, and tries to be a real wife.

L-305   I could run out and be gone all the time, just gadding about over the country, and let her half starve, or anything, let the children go without something to eat; we're still married. If she even divorces me, I'm still married, long as there's life in my body. I took that vow, "Till death we separate." That's right. We're still married. But, yet, I make a poor excuse of a husband. She'd make a poor excuse as a wife. So if we love one another, we stick together and pull the load, together.

L-306 That's the way God and His Church is, when you're born in the Kingdom of God. You'll have your ups and downs, true, but you're still a Christian, you're still born of the Spirit of God. God may have to take you out of the earth early.
... it's impossible for those which were once enlightened, and have tasted... the heavenly gift,...
... to ever fall away, to renew themselves again unto repentance;...

L-307   Now, I know where you're thinking about, the church. Let me take you one just a little stronger, so the--the legalistic side can be really shut out. Let's go over to Hebrews, the 10th chapter, and look at this just for a little bit.

L-308 10th chapter, the 26th verse.
For if we sin wilfully after... we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin,
But a certain fearful looking... of the judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversary.
He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
Of how much more sorer punishment, though supposed... though worthy,... trod the... who has trod under foot the Son of God, and has counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and... done despite to the works of grace?


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