It is impossible to be sanctified without obeying God. The word “sanctification” is one of those that have a great impact in the church, just like love, faith, and worship. However, just because the word carries weight does not mean that merely using it brings us closer to God. The type of sanctification that many churches teach ignores the clear commandments of God, given by the prophets of the Old Testament and by Jesus, and therefore has no practical value, remaining only in speech. Whoever truly wants to be sanctified and have an intimate relationship with God must first seek to obey all His laws rigorously. Only when this is done will the Lord guide them on the true path of sanctification. | “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God [Old Testament] and do it.” Luke 8:21
The main factor of salvation is pleasing the Creator. No Jew or gentile will enter heaven if God is not pleased with that person. No one will be saved just by thinking, speaking, or singing nice things about God and Jesus while ignoring His eternal laws. However, when the gentile decides to obey the Creator, no matter the cost, everything changes between him and God. The gentile who seeks salvation in Jesus must follow the same laws that the Lord gave to the nation He set apart for Himself with an eternal covenant. The Father sees the faith and courage of this gentile, even in the face of challenges, pours out His love on him, unites him with Israel, and leads him to the Son for forgiveness and salvation. This plan of salvation makes sense because it is true. | “And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.” 1 John 3:22
Nowhere in the Gospels does Jesus say that He came into the world so that we would not need to obey His Father’s laws for salvation. Although this teaching is preached in many churches, it does not come from Christ but was an invention that arose as soon as Jesus returned to the Father. After Jesus gave the order to the apostles to go and preach His message to the world, the devil devised several deceptions to divert gentiles from what Jesus actually taught. What Jesus said is that the Father sends us to the Son, and the Father only sends those who follow the laws He gave to the nation set apart for Himself with a perpetual covenant. This plan of salvation makes sense because it is the true one. | “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, and You gave them to Me; and they have kept Your word [the Old Testament].” John 17:6
The Father does not send rebels to His Son. Rebelling against God is consciously disobeying His holy and eternal laws. Lucifer and his fallen angels disobeyed and became rebels. Adam and Eve also disobeyed and chose rebellion. Those who, in the church, know the laws of God, given to His prophets in the Old Testament and to Jesus in the Gospels, and yet choose not to obey, remain in rebellion against the Lord until they decide to seek obedience, even if obstacles arise. To these, the Lord blesses and sends them to Jesus for blessings and salvation. | “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 6:44
If it were true that God sent His only Son to free people from the obligation to obey His laws and be saved only by believing, certainly this would be clearly prophesied. However, the reality is the opposite. In the Gospels, we see that Jesus, instead of canceling the laws that God gave us in the Old Testament, made them even stricter: we commit adultery just by looking, we kill by wishing evil, and if we do not forgive others, we will not be forgiven. The truth is that the gate is indeed narrow. Salvation is individual. No soul will ascend without seeking to follow the same laws given to Israel, laws that Jesus and His apostles themselves followed. Do not follow the majority because they are many. Obey while you are alive. | “Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!” Deuteronomy 5:29
All events related to salvation that were supposed to happen after Malachi were prophesied in the Old Testament, including the birth of the Messiah, John the Baptist, the mission of Christ, and His innocent death. There is no prophecy that mentions anyone after Jesus’ ascension, inside or outside the Bible, bringing the doctrine of “unmerited favor.” Yet, millions of gentiles live in open disobedience to God’s laws and still expect to be welcomed into heaven based on this human teaching. No gentile will ascend without seeking to follow the same laws given to Israel, laws that Jesus and His apostles themselves followed. Do not follow the majority because they are many. Obey while you are alive. | “Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.” Amos 3:7
The foundation of the relationship with God has always been obedience to His laws. Praying, fasting, and reading the Bible have their value, but they are useless if the person does not seek, above all, to obey with all their strength each of the holy laws that God gave us through the prophets in the Old Testament and through Jesus in the Gospels. Access to the Throne of God remains blocked while the soul lives in open disobedience. However, when the individual decides to obey all of God’s Law, no matter the cost, they gain access to the Almighty, who will guide them and send them to Jesus for forgiveness and salvation. Do not follow the majority just because they are many. Obey while you are alive. | “You have commanded Your precepts, that we should keep them diligently.” Psalms 119:4
The serpent sowed one of its greatest lies by claiming that God, in His desire to save gentiles in churches, no longer requires obedience to His laws as He did in the past. Many have accepted this false idea that the Father recognized the difficulty of following His laws and decided to make it easier for gentiles by sending His Son into the world. This deceptive idea has no basis in Jesus’ words in the Gospels. All the laws that God gave us in the Old Testament are wonderful and easy to follow for those who truly love and fear Him. God does not need anyone, especially those who blatantly ignore His laws. Those who live in this illusion will bitterly discover the truth at the final judgment. | Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked… but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. Psalms 1:1-2
The false doctrine of “unmerited favor” suggests that God saves those who do not deserve it, as if His commandments were given to be disobeyed. That is, those who disobey do not deserve to be saved, but by seeking salvation without merit, then God saves them. Jesus never taught such nonsense. The truth is that the issue of merit belongs to God, who searches the hearts, and not to us. The gentile who seeks salvation in Jesus must follow the same laws that the Lord gave to the nation He set apart for Himself with an eternal covenant. The Father sees the faith and courage of this gentile, despite the challenges. He pours out His love on him, unites him with Israel, and leads him to the Son for forgiveness and salvation. This is the plan of salvation that makes sense because it is true. | “You have commanded Your precepts, that we should keep them diligently.” Psalms 119:4
When Jesus says that whoever believes in Him will be saved, He is referring to believing that He is the one sent by the Father and believing in everything He taught, both in words and by example. Jesus’ focus was always on His Father. His food was to do the will of the Father and to complete His work. His family were those who obeyed the Father. The gentile who claims to believe in Jesus but consciously disobeys the laws of Jesus’ Father is not part of His family. He is a stranger to Jesus, even if he insists he is a disciple. Any gentile can become part of God’s chosen people and join Jesus’ family, as long as they follow the same laws that the Lord gave to Israel. | The gentile who joins himself to the Lord, to serve Him, and thus becomes His servant… and keeps My covenant, I will also bring them to My holy mountain. (Isaiah 56:6-7)
