With free salvation being such a great offer, the only reason anyone would reject this salvation is because they love darkness rather than light. It's not just freedom from the punishment--it's freedom from the sin. A lot of people try to trick God. They say give me the salvation from punishment, but I still want to keep my sin.

John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

God gives each person an opportunity to accept the redemption that Jesus Christ has so graciously provided. The alternative to accepting God's free gift is unspeakably terrible beyond our comprehension as finite creatures. Knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. The offer is wonderful. Why would anyone reject it?

Because they know that salvation is salvation from the very works of darkness that they love. They love darkness more than they love light, so they reject salvation.

Every person has a sense, through the conscience, that they have failed to please God.

Every person has a sense, through the conscience, that they have failed to please God. We know that time does not absolve us or dissolve our debt of sin. We know that God is just and the He must judge sin. We also know that God is also merciful as evidenced by the fact that He provided one last opportunity for every person to be saved--the wonderful free salvation that is only available through Christ Jesus, God's only unique Son. Why would anyone reject this free salvation.

Those who love evil hate the idea of repentance and turning from sin to righteousness.

We all know, intuitively, that salvation includes a transformation. That's the reason that some people reject God's salvation. No one would reject salvation if there were no transformation. Some false teachers provide a non-transforming false salvation and almost everyone can accept their false salvation. Unfortunately for them, God is not mocked, and this "escape the punishment without being freed from sin" lie has no power to help anyone. God knows the intents of the heart. Nothing is hidden from Him. No one can fool God.

Those who reject God and God's salvation do so because their deeds are evil and they want to continue to do evil. They enjoy sin too much to ever turn from sin. John 3:19 They love darkness rather than light. They love pleasure rather than loving God.

Those who reject deliverance from sin don't want to honor God as God.

Those who reject deliverance from sin don't want to honor God as God. The fornicators and perverts want to keep committing fornication and perversions. Those who envy and covet want to continue to envy and covet. Those who don't want to put God first in their lives want to continue to put other things before God. Those who dishonor God, want to keep dishonoring God. Those who dishonor parents and all authority want to continue to dishonor. Those who are stealing want to continue to steal. Those who are lazy want to continue to be lazy and live off of the work of others. Those who love to lie and love to accept the lies of the anti-God crowd--they want to continue in those lies. God is absolutely holy and requires holiness and perfection. God cannot fellowship with sinners of any kind. He needs transformed people.

If there were an easier way to give us forgiveness and transfiguration, God would have used it. The salvation that was provided was at very high price with unspeakable sorrow for the Father and for the Son. There is no other Name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

Repent means to turn around and have a new mind.

The word, repent, means "turn around and go in the opposite direction." The Greek word from which "repent" comes actually means, "Have a new mind." When we repent, we have a new mind, a mind that focuses on the spirit rather than the flesh. Even after salvation, we have free will to focus our mind on the flesh rather than the spirit, but the call is to .

The required true repentance is the turn off for those who love darkness. Most people would really like to escape the judgment. The law of God tells each person that they are in danger of judgment. They are all without excuse. Yet, they find rationalized speculations to reject God's free offer because they do not want the transformation of repentance. Repentance is, in fact, a miracle. It is a progressive transformation or transfiguration.

Romans 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God has showed it to them. 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: You see? You know because God has showed it to you and to all of us.

It is the miracle of repentance that causes a Christian to hate evil and love good. This repentance is both instantaneous and progressive. Each saved person is changed instantaneously as soon as he or she believes--providing they do not reject the free gift. (God doesn't force Himself on anyone.) The Holy Spirit is given, acting on the believer, to give power for holiness. Many things fall away in the moment of salvation. The flesh (the body) remains in rebellion against God, but the human spirit is set free. The mind/soul/will is free to focus on the spirit or on the flesh. Now, after being born again, the saying is fulfilled that says, "To be fleshly minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life." Up until that point, the unbeliever was totally dead, spirit, mind, and body. Up until new birth, there was total death and corruption. Now, the spirit is made alive by the blood of Christ.

It is holiness that the scoffer does not want. Those who reject Jesus Christ do so because they want to continue in sin.

Holiness and perfection are difficult concepts, even for a believer.

Holiness and perfection are difficult concepts, even for a believer. They seem so foreign and impossible. It's a good thing that God specializes in things thought impossible. One of the erroneous rationalizations that unbelievers use to justify rejection of being born again believers use to justify rejection of walking into a deeper relationship with Christ is this: "Nobody is perfect." Well, we know that Christ is perfect. We also know that He has come to dwell within us, but only for those who accept His salvation). We know, from Scripture, that the only way we can do any good work is if He does the good work through us. When He does the work, He does it perfectly. Our flesh may muddy the water, but we are not even to identify with the work of the flesh. The flesh of this body is the enemy. With the mind and will, we will serve Christ. We fully admit that the flesh is an enemy of God. We owe our flesh nothing and we refuse to identify with it, listen to it, or obey it. We are spiritual beings having an earthly experience since Christ has set us free from the law of sin and death.

This is what the unbeliever rejects, repentance. The unbeliever rejects the idea of being ridiculed by the worldly and yet loving the worldly in return for their ridicule. The unbeliever rejects the prospect of being rejected and ridiculed for the sake of Christ and yet loving his or her enemies, not returning hate for hate but love for hate. The unbeliever rejects leaving the pleasures of sin behind. That is the only reason they reject Christ.

The most popular speculations about when this total holiness will take place are that holiness takes place at death or at rapture or both.

The most popular speculations about when this total holiness will take place are that holiness takes place at death or at rapture or both. Is holiness for us right now, and to what extent is it available?

Though there is variation in doctrines regarding when holiness will take place, I don't know of any denomination that does not teach holiness. Let me clarify that statement. I know of no Christ-following, Bible-believing denomination that does not teach holiness. Perhaps in the pews, in that Babylon of one-person denominations that sit in the pews, there are those who do not believe that, one day, total holiness will be restored. Perhaps in all those one-person denominations who don't attend any church, there are some who don't believe God's Word that says that we must be perfect. Of course, many of the cults do teach sin in heaven, teaching a heaven that is basically an orgy, because that is what the flesh wants.