God is Infinite and Eternal. He occupies an infinite everywhere, and He knows an infinite everything that is positive and creative. Psalm 147:5; Isaiah 40:28.
Everything God has created reflects His Word, including science. Psalm 19:1-4; Romans 1:19-20. Certain modern science experiments have proven that every moment of decision in a person's life affects both the past and the future of that person. Decisions made in old age affects what kind of baby that person was, and decisions made by that baby, such as whether to cry or not, affects what kind of person that baby will be. In other words, science has discovered that every moment of decision in a person's life affects every other moment throughout the entire life of that person, past and future. This fact means that our experience of our lives as passing from past to future amounts to but an illusion. We are old when we are a baby, and we are a baby when we are old, and at every moment between. Our lives consist of but a set of decisions that we make. That which we decide causes us to be what we are in the past and the future. As the existentialists like to say, we are freedom itself. The Declaration of Independence states this same truth about our God given rights when Thomas Jefferson wrote about "...life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness..."
God's has eternal life with no beginning or end. Just like man whom He created in His image, God's eternal life consists of every decision He has ever made. This means God is infinite freedom, but He never chooses to create anything except that which is righteous and good. He is a Holy God. God possesses an Almighty Power to decide, and every decision defines His existence. In other words, God is Almighty Power defined by Infinite Information. John 1:1.
As Infinite Information, God knows everything that will ever happen in His eternal universe. However, since God created every human to be free, just as He is, then God must wait for every human to decide what they will do, which in turn determines who they are, so He can know their past and their eternal future. Nothing can be known until decisions are made. In this way, predestination and free will are both true at the same time.
But even though man possesses free will and can choose to disobey and sin against God, this fact does not mean that man can ever thwart or change the eternal will and plans of God for mankind or His universe. In other words, God's eternal will will be accomplished no mater what humans decide to do, good or bad. Numbers 23:19; Ecclesiastes 3:14. One of the constant themes of the Bible concerns God's ability to change sinful systems into good and creative systems over time. This theme reflects God's will for His entire universe, including all mankind. Eventually, God will purge all sin and evil from His universe and recreate and restore it to its original goodness and purity, including all mankind. Genesis 1:31; Romans 8:18-25; Luke 20:38; Luke 23:34; I Corinthians 15:22; II Peter 3:9; Revelation 21:1-5.
Thursday, October 25, 2018
Monday, October 22, 2018
Commentary on Romans 8:18-25 part two
Romans 8:18-19 prophesies about a coming event in which God will awaken all of His fallen creations from the pall which sin had cast over their minds. Revelation 5:13 reveals the fulfillment of this prophecy. This great worship service begins with the angels and the Church in heaven. Revelation 5:11-12. This tremendous worship service then awakens all of God's creations still under the power of sin, and all that God has ever created joins in this thunderous praise and worship of Him as their Creator and Savior. The living parts of all humans confined within each of the regions of the dead called the sea, death, or hell will awaken to the fact that God created them and that He still loves them. This great awakening will cause all the living parts of humans within the regions of the dead to yearn and groan for a return to fellowship with God. Romans 8:22. Their hope will be realized when God liberates them from the regions of the dead in a general resurrection in the end of the world. Revelation 20:5. The Bible also prophesies about this great awakening in Philippians 2:9-11; Romans 14:9; Luke 20:37-38; Romans 14:11, and Isaiah 45:22-24. In the general resurrection, God will dissolve every individual human system, recover the good and living parts to be recreated and cast the dead parts into the lake of fire. John 5:28-29; Revelation 20:13-15.
Romans 8:20 describes how God's creations were "subject to vanity;" that is, to both pride and emptiness. All through the Bible, it equates sin with vanity. This vanity has clouded the minds of all humans. God clears the minds of all humans saved by grace because they acquire "the mind of Christ." I Corinthians 2:16. But God will still subject all humans within the regions of the dead to the hope of being saved. The living parts of these humans will have hope of being saved because they did not sin "willingly," but because they were weakened by contact with sin. That part of their beings which sins "willingly" will never repent and is permanently dead, and God casts their death into the lake of fire. In this way, God destroys the first death which liberates all living humans within the regions of the dead, and God casts their dead parts into the second death. I Corinthians 15:26; Revelation 21:8.
In Romans 8:21, God promises that He will liberate His entire fallen creation from its bondage to sin and fully recreate it, including all humans. Revelation 21:1-5.
Romans 8:22 describes how all of God's fallen creations yearn to be reunited to fellowship with Him. This groaning will greatly increase after its awakening in the great worship service.
Romans 8:23 describes how all humans saved by grace in the Church Age also yearn and groan for the resurrection and recreation of their bodies in the Rapture of the Church. I Corinthians 15:51-57.
The word "hope" in Romans 8:24-25 in the Greek means "a confident expectation," and not just "desire" as in English. Both the fact that humans saved by grace groan for the redemption of their fallen bodies, and the fact that all of God's creations also yearns to be reunited with Him proves that God will realize this hope by absolutely saving from corruption everything He has ever created. Revelation 21:5; Romans 11:29; Ecclesiastes 3:14.
Romans 8:20 describes how God's creations were "subject to vanity;" that is, to both pride and emptiness. All through the Bible, it equates sin with vanity. This vanity has clouded the minds of all humans. God clears the minds of all humans saved by grace because they acquire "the mind of Christ." I Corinthians 2:16. But God will still subject all humans within the regions of the dead to the hope of being saved. The living parts of these humans will have hope of being saved because they did not sin "willingly," but because they were weakened by contact with sin. That part of their beings which sins "willingly" will never repent and is permanently dead, and God casts their death into the lake of fire. In this way, God destroys the first death which liberates all living humans within the regions of the dead, and God casts their dead parts into the second death. I Corinthians 15:26; Revelation 21:8.
In Romans 8:21, God promises that He will liberate His entire fallen creation from its bondage to sin and fully recreate it, including all humans. Revelation 21:1-5.
Romans 8:22 describes how all of God's fallen creations yearn to be reunited to fellowship with Him. This groaning will greatly increase after its awakening in the great worship service.
Romans 8:23 describes how all humans saved by grace in the Church Age also yearn and groan for the resurrection and recreation of their bodies in the Rapture of the Church. I Corinthians 15:51-57.
The word "hope" in Romans 8:24-25 in the Greek means "a confident expectation," and not just "desire" as in English. Both the fact that humans saved by grace groan for the redemption of their fallen bodies, and the fact that all of God's creations also yearns to be reunited with Him proves that God will realize this hope by absolutely saving from corruption everything He has ever created. Revelation 21:5; Romans 11:29; Ecclesiastes 3:14.
Saturday, October 20, 2018
Commentary on Romans 8:18-25 part one
Romans 8:18-25 provides an account of how God will one day recreate absolutely everything He has ever created which has become less than good because of the fall of Adam and Eve. The Bible prophesies about this great recreation event in such passages as Revelation 21:1-5; Colossians 1:15-20; Matthew 19:28, and John 5:28-29. God has created absolutely all things, including mankind. Therefore, every man who ever lived must be included when God reveals that, "...Behold, I make all things new..." The prophecy in Colossians 1:20 that Christ will "...reconcile all things unto Himself...," must include all mankind. Humans that God saves by grace will be recreated in a different way prior to the general resurrection of John 5:28-29.
God created every human to be a good system. The Devil injected sin and evil into every human system causing all of God's creations to become less than good. God means to purge all sin and evil from His creations and recreate them all as good systems again. I John 3:8; Revelation 21:5. Since the fall, every human system contains a good system created by God and a false system injected into every human by the Devil. In John 5:28-29, Jesus prophesied that in a general resurrection in the end of the world, God will effect an absolute separation of the good system in every human still in their graves from their fallen system. In order to do this, God will dissolve every individual system. God will use His consuming fire to effect this separation in every human within one of the regions of the dead. God will consign every human not saved by grace to a temporary separation from Him in one of the three regions of the dead following their physical deaths. Revelation 20:13; I Corinthians 3:12-15. Other scriptures, such as Revelation 22:11-12 and Matthew 3:10-12, also prophesy about God's absolute separation of good from evil in the end of the world. In this recreation, humans who led good and moral lives while on earth will retain some of their former identities and personalities when recreated as determined by the judgment of God. Humans who led deliberately sinful and evil lives will retain none of their former identities and personalities after their recreation. I Corinthians 15:35-50; Matthew 16:25-27.
God will cleanse from sin and recreate humans saved by grace with a different process than He will use with those humans still left in their graves. While still alive in the flesh, God will cleanse and recreate the souls and spirits of all believers in Christ with the blood He shed on the cross. II Corinthians 4:6-7; II Corinthians 5:17; Revelation 1:5. God will cleanse the sinful, fleshly nature of each believer with the water which flowed from Jesus' side on the cross as they daily confess and repent of their sins. I John 1:9; John 13:1-10. Christ will thoroughly cleanse the fleshly nature and recreate the body of every believer at the Rapture of the Church. I Corinthians 15:51-57. Old Testament saints have already been resurrected with the resurrection of Christ. Matthew 27:52-53. Tribulation saints will be resurrected when Christ returns to begin His millennial reign. Revelation 20:4. These events mean that those still left in their graves to experience the general resurrection of John 5:28-29 can only be the rest of humanity never saved by grace. All humans saved by grace will live with God in heaven forever and will retain their former identities and most of their former personalities. Matthew 16:24-25. The good and living parts of all humans raised in the general resurrection, God will recreate to live on His recreated earth. Revelation 21:1-5.
God created every human to be a good system. The Devil injected sin and evil into every human system causing all of God's creations to become less than good. God means to purge all sin and evil from His creations and recreate them all as good systems again. I John 3:8; Revelation 21:5. Since the fall, every human system contains a good system created by God and a false system injected into every human by the Devil. In John 5:28-29, Jesus prophesied that in a general resurrection in the end of the world, God will effect an absolute separation of the good system in every human still in their graves from their fallen system. In order to do this, God will dissolve every individual system. God will use His consuming fire to effect this separation in every human within one of the regions of the dead. God will consign every human not saved by grace to a temporary separation from Him in one of the three regions of the dead following their physical deaths. Revelation 20:13; I Corinthians 3:12-15. Other scriptures, such as Revelation 22:11-12 and Matthew 3:10-12, also prophesy about God's absolute separation of good from evil in the end of the world. In this recreation, humans who led good and moral lives while on earth will retain some of their former identities and personalities when recreated as determined by the judgment of God. Humans who led deliberately sinful and evil lives will retain none of their former identities and personalities after their recreation. I Corinthians 15:35-50; Matthew 16:25-27.
God will cleanse from sin and recreate humans saved by grace with a different process than He will use with those humans still left in their graves. While still alive in the flesh, God will cleanse and recreate the souls and spirits of all believers in Christ with the blood He shed on the cross. II Corinthians 4:6-7; II Corinthians 5:17; Revelation 1:5. God will cleanse the sinful, fleshly nature of each believer with the water which flowed from Jesus' side on the cross as they daily confess and repent of their sins. I John 1:9; John 13:1-10. Christ will thoroughly cleanse the fleshly nature and recreate the body of every believer at the Rapture of the Church. I Corinthians 15:51-57. Old Testament saints have already been resurrected with the resurrection of Christ. Matthew 27:52-53. Tribulation saints will be resurrected when Christ returns to begin His millennial reign. Revelation 20:4. These events mean that those still left in their graves to experience the general resurrection of John 5:28-29 can only be the rest of humanity never saved by grace. All humans saved by grace will live with God in heaven forever and will retain their former identities and most of their former personalities. Matthew 16:24-25. The good and living parts of all humans raised in the general resurrection, God will recreate to live on His recreated earth. Revelation 21:1-5.
Tuesday, October 16, 2018
The Logic of Luke 20:38
The extended truth of Luke 20:38 can be summarized by a simple syllogism.
1. The major premise.
God created all living humans in His own image. Genesis 1:27. God created all living humans as good systems capable of producing only positive and creative actions. Genesis 1:31. Proof that God's good and living systems still abides in every man is provided by the fact that even the worst men do some good for others.
2. The minor premise.
God is Almighty and cannot lose anything He has ever created. Ecclesiastes 3:14. God's Love can never fail. I Corinthians 13:8. God's Word can never be broken. Numbers 23:19. If God could ever lose anything He has ever created to the Devil, then He would not be almighty; His love would fail, and His word would be broken. Such an event can never happen.
3. Conclusion.
God must recover and recreate every good and living human He has ever created by liberating them from the spiritual death that has infected them. God will liberate all living and good humans from spiritual death through the death, burial, and resurrection of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Luke 20:38. God will liberate some living humans by His grace, and all others in a general resurrection in the end of the world. John 5:28-29. In this way, God will prove that His Almighty Power, His Love, and His Word can never be broken. I John 3:8.
Nowhere does the Bible teach that God will cast living humans into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:13-15 teaches that God will cast only dead humans into the lake of fire. God will have already recovered His good and living humans in Revelation 20:5, and God has promised to recreate them in Revelation 21:1-5. Revelation 21:5 sums it all up. God has created everything, and He will recover and recreate everything that has been sullied by sin. The Devil believes that he can destroy God by permanently destroying a part of God's creations, particularly humans. But Christ has triumphed over the Devil by liberating all of His creations, including all living humans, from permanent death by destroying the works of the Devil and death itself. I John 3:8; I Corinthians 15:20-28. Many other scriptures support this conclusion. John 12:47; John 16:33; Romans 8:18-25; Romans 11:29; Romans 11:36; I Corinthians 3:11-15; Colossians 1:15-20; Revelation 22:11-12.
1. The major premise.
God created all living humans in His own image. Genesis 1:27. God created all living humans as good systems capable of producing only positive and creative actions. Genesis 1:31. Proof that God's good and living systems still abides in every man is provided by the fact that even the worst men do some good for others.
2. The minor premise.
God is Almighty and cannot lose anything He has ever created. Ecclesiastes 3:14. God's Love can never fail. I Corinthians 13:8. God's Word can never be broken. Numbers 23:19. If God could ever lose anything He has ever created to the Devil, then He would not be almighty; His love would fail, and His word would be broken. Such an event can never happen.
3. Conclusion.
God must recover and recreate every good and living human He has ever created by liberating them from the spiritual death that has infected them. God will liberate all living and good humans from spiritual death through the death, burial, and resurrection of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Luke 20:38. God will liberate some living humans by His grace, and all others in a general resurrection in the end of the world. John 5:28-29. In this way, God will prove that His Almighty Power, His Love, and His Word can never be broken. I John 3:8.
Nowhere does the Bible teach that God will cast living humans into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:13-15 teaches that God will cast only dead humans into the lake of fire. God will have already recovered His good and living humans in Revelation 20:5, and God has promised to recreate them in Revelation 21:1-5. Revelation 21:5 sums it all up. God has created everything, and He will recover and recreate everything that has been sullied by sin. The Devil believes that he can destroy God by permanently destroying a part of God's creations, particularly humans. But Christ has triumphed over the Devil by liberating all of His creations, including all living humans, from permanent death by destroying the works of the Devil and death itself. I John 3:8; I Corinthians 15:20-28. Many other scriptures support this conclusion. John 12:47; John 16:33; Romans 8:18-25; Romans 11:29; Romans 11:36; I Corinthians 3:11-15; Colossians 1:15-20; Revelation 22:11-12.
Thursday, October 11, 2018
Salvation through Faith and Repentance part five
In John 12:47, Jesus clearly taught that He came "to save the world." He did not say that He came only to save some humans by His grace out of the world. The word "world" in the Greek means "the ordered arrangement of the cosmos, including mankind." In other words, Jesus taught that He came to restore the original order of the world as He created it, including all of mankind. God is Almighty. His will can never be thwarted. Christ is Almighty God, and this means He cannot fail to rescue His entire creation, including all mankind. Revelation 21:5.
God revealed His plan to save His entire creation, including man, from its fallen condition in the beginning. Satan had injected sin and evil into mankind in order to attempt to so thoroughly ruin the life and goodness that God had created man to be that Satan could prove that God is not almighty and thus could be defeated and killed. God cursed the Devil. Genesis 3:14. God cursed the ground because He knew He would have to punish most of humanity by consigning them to one of the three regions of the dead called the sea, death, or hell located within the earth. Revelation 20:13. God never cursed the good and living part of man that He had created. God also knew that He would spare humans saved by grace from this punishment except for those who died in unconfessed sins whom God might temporarily consign to the region called death. God knew that the good life of man temporarily separated from Him within one of the regions of death would so desperately yearn to be restored to fellowship with Him that one day they all would erupt into a tremendous worship service recognizing God as their only Savior. Revelation 5:13. Because of this return to faith, God will separate and recover their good lives in a general resurrection for Him to recreate to live on His recreated earth. John 5:28-29.
God also knew that in order for Him to save the good lives of humans by grace or by recreation, He would have to devise a plan to cleanse their good lives from all of the poison of sin that threatened to completely ruin their good lives and separate them from God in spiritual death tortured by the Devil forever. God's plan was that He would allow the Devil to put all of the poison of the sins of all mankind on Himself on a cruel cross to suffer their eternal death in their place. In this way, by taking their deserved punishment on Himself, Christ would liberate all mankind from eternal separation from God either by His grace or by His recreation. Genesis 3:15; Genesis 3:20. Luke 20:38 and Luke 23:34 denote God's salvation of all living humans. Genesis 3:21; II Corinthians 5:21; and I Peter 1:18-25 denote all living humans saved by God's grace. God saves by His grace all who become washed from their sins by the blood and water that flowed from Jesus' body on the cross. Revelation 1:5; Ephesians 5:23-27. All of the rest of humanity within the regions of the dead, Christ will save by His consuming fire when He separated their sins from their good lives when He descended into hell and rose immaculate from the dead. I Corinthians 3:12-15.
God revealed His plan to save His entire creation, including man, from its fallen condition in the beginning. Satan had injected sin and evil into mankind in order to attempt to so thoroughly ruin the life and goodness that God had created man to be that Satan could prove that God is not almighty and thus could be defeated and killed. God cursed the Devil. Genesis 3:14. God cursed the ground because He knew He would have to punish most of humanity by consigning them to one of the three regions of the dead called the sea, death, or hell located within the earth. Revelation 20:13. God never cursed the good and living part of man that He had created. God also knew that He would spare humans saved by grace from this punishment except for those who died in unconfessed sins whom God might temporarily consign to the region called death. God knew that the good life of man temporarily separated from Him within one of the regions of death would so desperately yearn to be restored to fellowship with Him that one day they all would erupt into a tremendous worship service recognizing God as their only Savior. Revelation 5:13. Because of this return to faith, God will separate and recover their good lives in a general resurrection for Him to recreate to live on His recreated earth. John 5:28-29.
God also knew that in order for Him to save the good lives of humans by grace or by recreation, He would have to devise a plan to cleanse their good lives from all of the poison of sin that threatened to completely ruin their good lives and separate them from God in spiritual death tortured by the Devil forever. God's plan was that He would allow the Devil to put all of the poison of the sins of all mankind on Himself on a cruel cross to suffer their eternal death in their place. In this way, by taking their deserved punishment on Himself, Christ would liberate all mankind from eternal separation from God either by His grace or by His recreation. Genesis 3:15; Genesis 3:20. Luke 20:38 and Luke 23:34 denote God's salvation of all living humans. Genesis 3:21; II Corinthians 5:21; and I Peter 1:18-25 denote all living humans saved by God's grace. God saves by His grace all who become washed from their sins by the blood and water that flowed from Jesus' body on the cross. Revelation 1:5; Ephesians 5:23-27. All of the rest of humanity within the regions of the dead, Christ will save by His consuming fire when He separated their sins from their good lives when He descended into hell and rose immaculate from the dead. I Corinthians 3:12-15.
Wednesday, October 10, 2018
Salvation through Faith and Repentance part four
No verse in the Bible teaches that God will cast living humans into the lake of fire forever. Revelation 20:11-15 teaches that God will cast only man's spiritual deadness into the lake of fire forever. Revelation 20:5 teaches that God will have already resurrected the living parts of man for Him to recreate. Revelation 21:1-5; John 5:28-29. This resurrection of man's life explains what Jesus meant by that which He taught in John 11:25. Christ did not resurrect Lazarus to be a symbol of salvation by grace. Martha and Mary already symbolized salvation by grace. John 11:26. Christ resurrected Lazarus to symbolize His resurrection of the living from the dead in the end of the world. Revelation 20:5.
Some may contend that Jesus taught in Mark 9:43-50 that God casts living humans into the lake of fire forever. But Jesus did not mean that. Jesus taught that their "worm" would be in the lake of fire forever. All through the Bible, the word "worm" symbolizes the filth of spiritual deadness which has infected mankind. Job 24:20 and Isaiah 66:24 provide just two examples. Psalm 22:6 describes how Jesus took all of the filth of the deadness of mankind, symbolized by the word "worm," on Himself as he suffered on the cross. God does cast living humans into a temporary hell in order to use His consuming fire to separate their deadness from their lives that He created. Jesus made this separation possible by His descent into hell to leave all of the sins of all mankind behind. Revelation 22:12 teaches that Christ will reward every man for his good works. Only living men can receive these rewards.
Humans saved by grace will receive forgiveness and everlasting life the moment they repent and put their faith in Jesus. John 5:24. God will cast all of the rest of humanity into one of the three regions of the dead; called the sea, death, or hell, by His judgment following their physical deaths. Revelation 20:13; Hebrews 9:27. God will separate the living parts of these dead humans from their deadness, which Christ made possible when He descended into hell, in the great worship service and revival as recorded in Revelation 5:13. God will finalize this separation of the living from the dead in a general resurrection as recorded in Revelation 20:5 and Revelation 20:11-15. Jesus also taught about this general resurrection in John 5:28-29.
Satan persists in his rebellion against God because he does not believe that God is Almighty. Satan believes that he can cause the life of man to become so filthy with sin and evil that it will be ruined forever. Satan believes that by doing this he can prove that God is not almighty. Satan believes that by this proof he can eventually kill God. Satan believes that God cannot protect and save His life and goodness He has put into mankind. But God has promised that His Love cannot fail and that He will recover and recreate everything that has been temporarily sullied by sin, including all mankind. I Corinthians 13:8; Ecclesiastes 3:14; Revelation 21:1-5; Romans 8:18-22; Romans 11:36; Colossians 1:15-20; I Corinthians 3:11-15.
Some may contend that Jesus taught in Mark 9:43-50 that God casts living humans into the lake of fire forever. But Jesus did not mean that. Jesus taught that their "worm" would be in the lake of fire forever. All through the Bible, the word "worm" symbolizes the filth of spiritual deadness which has infected mankind. Job 24:20 and Isaiah 66:24 provide just two examples. Psalm 22:6 describes how Jesus took all of the filth of the deadness of mankind, symbolized by the word "worm," on Himself as he suffered on the cross. God does cast living humans into a temporary hell in order to use His consuming fire to separate their deadness from their lives that He created. Jesus made this separation possible by His descent into hell to leave all of the sins of all mankind behind. Revelation 22:12 teaches that Christ will reward every man for his good works. Only living men can receive these rewards.
Humans saved by grace will receive forgiveness and everlasting life the moment they repent and put their faith in Jesus. John 5:24. God will cast all of the rest of humanity into one of the three regions of the dead; called the sea, death, or hell, by His judgment following their physical deaths. Revelation 20:13; Hebrews 9:27. God will separate the living parts of these dead humans from their deadness, which Christ made possible when He descended into hell, in the great worship service and revival as recorded in Revelation 5:13. God will finalize this separation of the living from the dead in a general resurrection as recorded in Revelation 20:5 and Revelation 20:11-15. Jesus also taught about this general resurrection in John 5:28-29.
Satan persists in his rebellion against God because he does not believe that God is Almighty. Satan believes that he can cause the life of man to become so filthy with sin and evil that it will be ruined forever. Satan believes that by doing this he can prove that God is not almighty. Satan believes that by this proof he can eventually kill God. Satan believes that God cannot protect and save His life and goodness He has put into mankind. But God has promised that His Love cannot fail and that He will recover and recreate everything that has been temporarily sullied by sin, including all mankind. I Corinthians 13:8; Ecclesiastes 3:14; Revelation 21:1-5; Romans 8:18-22; Romans 11:36; Colossians 1:15-20; I Corinthians 3:11-15.
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
Salvation through Faith and Repentance part three
All of this means that believers saved by grace never lose their salvation. Salvation by grace consists of a cleansing and sanctification process accomplished through the shed blood and water from Jesus on the cross. But permanent salvation by grace indicates the extended truth that God never retracts anything He has ever given. James 1:17. God never goes back on His Word. God never loses anything He has ever created, including the lives of all men. Luke 20:38; Numbers 23:19; Ecclesiastes 3:14.
God created man in His own image. Genesis 1:27. God created man to be a good system. Genesis 1:31. According to God's Word, He can never lose the life and goodness that He has ever put into every man He has ever created. The life and goodness of man has become sullied by sin, but God has a plan to cleanse and forgive that sin either through the blood and water that Christ shed on the cross which becomes salvation by grace, or by the use of His consuming fire in hell by which He will separate and recover the goodness and life that He put into every man for Him to recreate. All of mankind not saved by grace will receive a lesser salvation because Christ left all of their sins behind in hell when He descended into it. This fact has to be true because Christ bore all of man's sins on the cross, descended into hell, but rose immaculate from the grave. All of the Old Testament burnt offerings symbolized this type of salvation. God poured His consuming fire into the abyss in order to accomplish this purpose. Revelation 1:5; I Corinthians 3:11-15; Romans 8:18-23; Revelation 21:5; Ephesians 4:9-10; Deuteronomy 32:22; Psalm 86:12-13; Amos 7:4; Revelation 20:5; John 5:28-29.
Adam and Eve committed sins on two levels; that is, sins of weakness which God always cleanses and forgives and deliberate sins which never repents and God never forgives. Luke 23:34; Matthew 12:31-32. Man's sins of weakness sully the life and goodness that God created man to be, but God will cleanse and recover all of His goodness and life in man either by the blood and water that Jesus shed on the cross or by His consuming fire that holds all of the sins of mankind that Christ left behind when He descended into hell. Christ casts only the spiritual death of man into the lake of fire, not their lives. Revelation 20:5; Revelation 20:14-15. All of the lives of man left in one of the three regions of the dead will repent and turn to faith in Christ as prophesied in Isaiah 45:21-24 and as fulfilled in Revelation 5:13. Revelation 22:10-15 describes God's absolute separation of all the filth of mankind which is their deadness from their goodness and life which He created. God can only reward living persons, not dead ones. Revelation 22:12.
God created man in His own image. Genesis 1:27. God created man to be a good system. Genesis 1:31. According to God's Word, He can never lose the life and goodness that He has ever put into every man He has ever created. The life and goodness of man has become sullied by sin, but God has a plan to cleanse and forgive that sin either through the blood and water that Christ shed on the cross which becomes salvation by grace, or by the use of His consuming fire in hell by which He will separate and recover the goodness and life that He put into every man for Him to recreate. All of mankind not saved by grace will receive a lesser salvation because Christ left all of their sins behind in hell when He descended into it. This fact has to be true because Christ bore all of man's sins on the cross, descended into hell, but rose immaculate from the grave. All of the Old Testament burnt offerings symbolized this type of salvation. God poured His consuming fire into the abyss in order to accomplish this purpose. Revelation 1:5; I Corinthians 3:11-15; Romans 8:18-23; Revelation 21:5; Ephesians 4:9-10; Deuteronomy 32:22; Psalm 86:12-13; Amos 7:4; Revelation 20:5; John 5:28-29.
Adam and Eve committed sins on two levels; that is, sins of weakness which God always cleanses and forgives and deliberate sins which never repents and God never forgives. Luke 23:34; Matthew 12:31-32. Man's sins of weakness sully the life and goodness that God created man to be, but God will cleanse and recover all of His goodness and life in man either by the blood and water that Jesus shed on the cross or by His consuming fire that holds all of the sins of mankind that Christ left behind when He descended into hell. Christ casts only the spiritual death of man into the lake of fire, not their lives. Revelation 20:5; Revelation 20:14-15. All of the lives of man left in one of the three regions of the dead will repent and turn to faith in Christ as prophesied in Isaiah 45:21-24 and as fulfilled in Revelation 5:13. Revelation 22:10-15 describes God's absolute separation of all the filth of mankind which is their deadness from their goodness and life which He created. God can only reward living persons, not dead ones. Revelation 22:12.
Thursday, October 4, 2018
Salvation through Faith and Repentance part two
When Jesus walked the earth, He displayed great compassion toward sins of weakness, especially those of fallen women. In Matthew 21:31, Jesus taught the corrupt religious leaders "...that the publicans and harlots go into the kingdom of God before you." Jesus did not say they were former publicans and harlots. In accordance with Matthew 18:21-22 and Luke 18:13, repentance consists of changing one's mind toward God about one's own sins and not an act of trying to give up one's sins. Giving up one's sins could be an act of bragging and self-righteousness. Matthew 12:43-45. Sometimes, God will heal a believer of a particular sin to which that believer is addicted. But if He does not, that believer still displays his faith and repentance by hating his own sins and begging God for His forgiveness and mercy whenever he falls into it because of his weakness. God prefers this type of repentance over that of pretended self-righteousness because true repentance displays humility before God. Luke 18:13; II Corinthians 12:9. In II Peter 2:7-8, the Bible clearly teaches that Lot was just and righteous even though he became as corrupt as were the wicked people of Sodom and Gomorrah. He even continued his sinful ways after God sent angels to rescue him. God could only have rescued and justified him because his righteous soul was vexed; that is, he hated his own corruption and sin as well as that in others. In his hatred of his sins, he humbled himself to God whom he knew to be holy, merciful, and righteous. The difference between Lot and the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, including Lot's own wife, were that they had no desire whatsoever to repent, whereas Lot did have that desire.
Most Christian people either do not have an addictive sin or they have been healed of one. Although they cannot be perfect, they tend to avoid sin because they love God and do not desire to grieve the Holy Spirit, and they hate the destructive nature of sin. Ephesians 4:30; Amos 5:15. But the sanctified Christian, who tries to do all that God requires of him, may, without realizing it, become tempted to fall into a different kind of sin. He may become proud of his righteousness and may secretly begin to ascribe it to his own efforts. This Christian has become self-righteous and feels in his heart that his righteousness has become somewhat independent of God's righteousness. This type of sin becomes much worse than if he became a worldly Christian because God hates pride more than any other sin. Proverbs 6:16-17. He becomes a lukewarm Christian who makes Christ sick to His stomach. Revelation 3:14-19. Sanctified Christians must always remember and be grateful to God for causing them to hate sin and avoid it, and that they possess the gift of righteousness only because of the power of the Holy Spirit within them. Romans 8:2; Romans 5:17.
God gave this same gift of righteousness, with innocence, to Adam and Eve. Born again Christians receive God's gift of righteousness but not the gift of innocence. Christians must battle the temptation to sin for the rest of their lives on earth. When Christians beat temptation and avoid committing sin, God should get all the glory because they won only because of the power of the Holy Spirit within them. But when Christians fail and commit sins, God never abandons them. God will still work in their lives to sanctify them, punish them for their correction, bring them to repentance and cleansing with the water of His Word, and eventually bring them back into fellowship with Him. Hebrews 12:6; John 13:5-10; I John 1:3. The key to remaining in fellowship with God is that the Christian must daily confess and repent of committed sins. I John 1:9. Christians who die in a state of unconfessed sin without repentance, Christ may temporarily punish them by separating them from God in a place called Death. Luke 12:58-59; Matthew 25:30; Revelation 20:13. This temporary punishment will cause them great remorse and anguish which will lead them to repentance, cleansing from sin, and restoration to fellowship with God. God will probably not hold them in this prison for long. Eventually, after the Rapture of the Church, Christ will present His entire Church to God being wholly cleansed and completely sanctified. Ephesians 5:23-27.
Most Christian people either do not have an addictive sin or they have been healed of one. Although they cannot be perfect, they tend to avoid sin because they love God and do not desire to grieve the Holy Spirit, and they hate the destructive nature of sin. Ephesians 4:30; Amos 5:15. But the sanctified Christian, who tries to do all that God requires of him, may, without realizing it, become tempted to fall into a different kind of sin. He may become proud of his righteousness and may secretly begin to ascribe it to his own efforts. This Christian has become self-righteous and feels in his heart that his righteousness has become somewhat independent of God's righteousness. This type of sin becomes much worse than if he became a worldly Christian because God hates pride more than any other sin. Proverbs 6:16-17. He becomes a lukewarm Christian who makes Christ sick to His stomach. Revelation 3:14-19. Sanctified Christians must always remember and be grateful to God for causing them to hate sin and avoid it, and that they possess the gift of righteousness only because of the power of the Holy Spirit within them. Romans 8:2; Romans 5:17.
God gave this same gift of righteousness, with innocence, to Adam and Eve. Born again Christians receive God's gift of righteousness but not the gift of innocence. Christians must battle the temptation to sin for the rest of their lives on earth. When Christians beat temptation and avoid committing sin, God should get all the glory because they won only because of the power of the Holy Spirit within them. But when Christians fail and commit sins, God never abandons them. God will still work in their lives to sanctify them, punish them for their correction, bring them to repentance and cleansing with the water of His Word, and eventually bring them back into fellowship with Him. Hebrews 12:6; John 13:5-10; I John 1:3. The key to remaining in fellowship with God is that the Christian must daily confess and repent of committed sins. I John 1:9. Christians who die in a state of unconfessed sin without repentance, Christ may temporarily punish them by separating them from God in a place called Death. Luke 12:58-59; Matthew 25:30; Revelation 20:13. This temporary punishment will cause them great remorse and anguish which will lead them to repentance, cleansing from sin, and restoration to fellowship with God. God will probably not hold them in this prison for long. Eventually, after the Rapture of the Church, Christ will present His entire Church to God being wholly cleansed and completely sanctified. Ephesians 5:23-27.
Wednesday, October 3, 2018
Salvation through Faith and Repentance part one
Humans are condemned to sin. Humans have a sin nature which compels us to sin. Sin is unavoidable. We humans have compassion for afflicted people. We do not blame an autistic person for not being able to relate well with others. God gave us this compassion, so certainly our God of infinite compassion cannot blame humans for committing sins that we cannot avoid. One of the reasons Adam and Eve sinned was because of weakness which persists in humanity to this day. Sooner or later, God always forgives sins of weakness in every human. Luke 23:34.
But humans also possess free will. This fact means that we possess the ability to commit a type of sin for which we can be held fully responsible. We are never compelled to commit this sin. It remains strictly our choice. Humans can freely choose to give in to sin and deliberately practice cruelty and evil. Humans can join with Satan in his rebellion against God. Eve displayed this type of sin when she selfishly gave the forbidden fruit to her husband. Adam displayed this type of sin when he knowingly and deliberately disobeyed God. Jesus described this type of sin in Matthew 12:31-32. God relates to fallen man through His Spirit. To reject the Holy Spirit means one has rejected God. God never forgives this sin of rebellion nor does it ever desire forgiveness. This rebellious evil constitutes the spiritual deadness of man which God will cast into the lake of fire in the end. Revelation 20:15.
God will forgive this sin of rebellion if one repents of it. Faith and repentance is the key. If one repents of one's evil and appeals to the grace and mercy of God, God will forgive because of one's weakness and ignorance. One can never be compelled to surrender to evil, but ignorance and weakness can cause one to be tempted to do so. I Timothy 1:12-14; II Corinthians 12:9. A sin of rebellion against God reverts to a sin of weakness if one humbles oneself to God and puts one's trust in His grace and mercy. A true sin of rebellion never repents, and God never forgives it. Lucifer did not repent and will never repent. For this reason, God stripped him of all the goodness God put into his system and condemned him to earth as a one-hundred-per cent evil system called Satan. Ezekiel 28:13-19.
Jesus displayed great anger toward religious leaders who had become self-righteous and cruel. These corrupt leaders had invented their own set of rules, and they ignored the Word of God in order to justify their own greed and cruelty. All the while, they prayed long prayers in public and put on a show of righteousness to earn the praise of men. In practice, they actually no longer believed in the merciful and loving God. They actually practiced the sin of rebellion against the true and living God. Matthew 23. Jesus warned them that as long as they remained in a state of rebellion, God would never forgive them. Matthew 23:33.
But humans also possess free will. This fact means that we possess the ability to commit a type of sin for which we can be held fully responsible. We are never compelled to commit this sin. It remains strictly our choice. Humans can freely choose to give in to sin and deliberately practice cruelty and evil. Humans can join with Satan in his rebellion against God. Eve displayed this type of sin when she selfishly gave the forbidden fruit to her husband. Adam displayed this type of sin when he knowingly and deliberately disobeyed God. Jesus described this type of sin in Matthew 12:31-32. God relates to fallen man through His Spirit. To reject the Holy Spirit means one has rejected God. God never forgives this sin of rebellion nor does it ever desire forgiveness. This rebellious evil constitutes the spiritual deadness of man which God will cast into the lake of fire in the end. Revelation 20:15.
God will forgive this sin of rebellion if one repents of it. Faith and repentance is the key. If one repents of one's evil and appeals to the grace and mercy of God, God will forgive because of one's weakness and ignorance. One can never be compelled to surrender to evil, but ignorance and weakness can cause one to be tempted to do so. I Timothy 1:12-14; II Corinthians 12:9. A sin of rebellion against God reverts to a sin of weakness if one humbles oneself to God and puts one's trust in His grace and mercy. A true sin of rebellion never repents, and God never forgives it. Lucifer did not repent and will never repent. For this reason, God stripped him of all the goodness God put into his system and condemned him to earth as a one-hundred-per cent evil system called Satan. Ezekiel 28:13-19.
Jesus displayed great anger toward religious leaders who had become self-righteous and cruel. These corrupt leaders had invented their own set of rules, and they ignored the Word of God in order to justify their own greed and cruelty. All the while, they prayed long prayers in public and put on a show of righteousness to earn the praise of men. In practice, they actually no longer believed in the merciful and loving God. They actually practiced the sin of rebellion against the true and living God. Matthew 23. Jesus warned them that as long as they remained in a state of rebellion, God would never forgive them. Matthew 23:33.
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