I had a conversation with someone the other day and this brother got me all wound up about something, and now I can't stop thinking about it. There is something that is the heart of the Gospel Message of Justification By Faith, that no one seems to know anything about. In some denominations it is never spoken of and others it might be touched on, but usually only briefly in passing. It is beyond me why not, and I have wracked my brain trying to figure out what it is, Hidden Agenda or just Ignorance.
Christendom in general has blatantly left this all important doctrine and left it trampled in the dust, choosing rather to dwell on rudiments of the world, traditions of men and human wisdom. Most miss it completely and only some touch on it briefly. It is the heart of Justification by Faith, and it is IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS! How can something so important, fail to be taught? This imputed righteousness is what is getting us to heaven, and almost nobody is talking about it! Granted some say that salvation is not our works, but they fail to mention what is! Am I the only one that this strikes as being a bit odd?
The first time I believe that I ever heard the term "imputed righteousness" used, was on some cd's that I ordered from Adrian Rogers just over two years ago. Right from a child til I was in my twenties, I had never even heard that we don't get to heaven by our own works! I heard that on the radio I believe. I think of all that time wasted while I was growing up, sitting in a pew listening to rudiments, traditions, and human wisdom (all of it is our righteousness) that has no bearing on anyone's eternal salvation. That`s right! Let's put this in perspective. Our right doing or our righteousness and has NO BEARING on our eternal salvation! What I mean by that is, the murder called the Son of Sam has just as much of a chance and access to eternal life as I do, regardless of what He has done in the past. Mother Teresa has no better chance at eternal life than I do, regardless of all the good she has done. Let that sink in! We need to understand this. We have all sinned and because of that, we cannot get in on our own righteousness. This is the message of the gospel! The message of the bible is this, We have sinned and because of that, we are already condemned and have earned eternal death in the lake of fire. There is nothing we can do to get ourselves out of this condemned state, except believe that what Jesus did is enough, to not only get us of that condemned state, but give us eternal life. Therefore our righteousness is just a useless pile of crap as a means of getting us in right standing with God and getting us into heaven. (I can't overstate this) It won't succeed in getting us anywhere. You can solve world hunger and bring peace to the whole world and it wouldn't get you a wink at heaven. If you don't understand that then you don't know how stinking filthy your are, covered in all your sin.
So here is what we have come to. I recommend you read from verse one to verse nine to get the whole context.
Php 3:7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
Php 3:8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
Php 3:9 ¶ And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
Paul starts out in this chapter by saying that if anyone (Mother Teresa, the Pope, the preacher...) thinks that they can have confidence in the flesh (the way they have lived their life to get to God and inherit eternal life) he can more. He goes on bragging about what tribe he came from, how he was an upper class Hebrew, a Pharisee etc. and he says that concerning the righteousness that was his that he got from obeying the law, he was without blame. Nobody could lay blame to Paul and say that he broke the law. He was zealous for God and for His law and if anybody could have confidence in the way they had lived to get into heaven it was Paul. But look what he goes on to say. All that righteousness that Paul got from obeying the law, he counted as DUNG as far as getting to God was concerned and getting to heaven. All of it! MANURE! Not just compost, the real stuff! Paul`s hope was that he wanted to be found on judgment day not with his own righteousness, but that other righteousness which comes to a person by faith in Jesus Christ. That righteousness that you get into heaven with, that is called the righteousness of God. (Read Romans chapter 4) We are talking about God's righteousness that is manifested through the life of one Man, the MAN CHRIST JESUS! God's righteousness is how Jesus Christ lived while he was here on earth. All of His righteousness is placed to a persons account, who simply accepts the gift of salvation freely without any offering of works and believes on the Lord Jesus Christ with all their heart. It is called imputed righteousness!
Saddly, this wonderful message has been lost in today's "Christianity". Most of what is taught on the radio and so on, is how to make your marriage better, how to make your life better and better, by doing the right thing, (sounds like Dr. Phil, or Oprah) and the heart of the gospel message has been lost in the shuffle. God's righteousness has been lost in the shuffle. Man`s righteousness has been elevated to such a high extent that God`s righteousness is hardly ever found. The true gospel is as foreign to most ears as snow is to someones eyes who lives on the equator. To prove this, walk around at your church, never mind the street, and ask people to explain imputed righteousness to you.
I do realize that I always had access to a bible growing up and therefore had no excuse, but when growing up, you sit week after week listening to messages about how our righteousness is the be all and end all, you start reading the bible through religious glasses, the truth is hidden because it is so foreign to you.
So is it a hidden agenda or ignorance? Probably a bit of both. Maybe more towards the ignorance side because this message is so little understood. But I also do believe that there is a fear of telling people the truth (by those who are in a position of influence) and really setting them free, because it is easier to control people who are under bondage. You tell them the truth and set them free... You never know what might happen. This gospel message will set a person free! I have seen it numerous times. When you stop relying on your own righteousness and reckon that all of Christ's righteousness has been put to your account, you are truly free! There is no more need to build on that pile of dung that was formerly your righteousness. You have all the righteousness that you'll ever need to get you into heaven, from now to eternity, and it is Christ's righteousness! We are going to heaven on the best righteousness available and His righteousness is all we need!
Romans 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
2Co 5:21 For he (GOD) hath made him (JESUS) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
What Died?
This in the most misunderstood chapter in the entire bible. When I read commentaries on this Romans Chapter 7 frankly I am confused too. What most commentaries say is that Paul is saying in a round about way, that the law died. While I may not be as smart as most people, I have a book that leads dumb people to truth. What has got most people in trouble in reading scripture, is reading their own experience into it. People look at the words and say that is can't possibly mean what it says, because they haven't experienced it. We probably all do it or have done it at one point or another, but often God expects us to believe something that doesn't fit our reality, because He is faithful that promised. Just like Abraham...
Romans 4:17 ¶ (As it is written, I have made thee (present tense) a father of many nations,) BEFORE him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and CALLETH THOSE THINGS WHICH BE NOT AS THOUGH THEY WERE.
Ro 4:18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations; according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
Ro 4:19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb:
Ro 4:20 HE STAGGERED NOT AT THE PROMISE OF GOD THROUGH UNBELIEF; BUT WAS STRONG IN FAITH, GIVING GLORY TO GOD;
God called Abraham's body, (now dead at a 100yrs old) alive when he seemed incapable of producing seed and Sara's womb alive when she was way past her child bearing years. This was completely against both of their realities but they against hope believed God and staggered not at His promise, thereby glorifying Him.
How does this translate into Romans ch 7? In ch 7 we are introduced to a wife, her husband , the law and Christ. The first verse states a fact...
Ro 7:1 ¶ Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?
Very important statement. This immediately refutes most assertions that the law is what died in this chapter. This verse clearly states that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives. How could the law then die? If the law died somewhere through out this man's life, then this verse would be false. If the law died at this man's conversion, and therefore no longer had dominion over the man, then immediately this first verse would be untrue and Paul's whole argument would fall apart. We know that something did die in this chapter, and we know that it was the husband, but who is the husband?
Ro 7:2 For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.
This woman seems to want to be loosed from her husband, who is probably a mean old miser, and she wants to be loosed from him, but she won't break the law. She wants to be married to another man (Who is Christ) but Christ won't marry an adulteress and she can't kill him because Christ won't marry a murderer. So what is it that we struggle with, wherein sin dwells? I contend that the husband in this wonderful example is the flesh. And scripture agrees. (The flesh is what hurts when you pinch it) The wife is an illustration of us, the husband is our flesh and we need the flesh to die so that we can be dead to the law and be married to Christ.
Ro 7:4 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.
So is seems that we are "dead to the law", by the body of Christ so that we can be joined to Christ. What died when Christ died? I contend that it was His flesh (His body)
Ro 7:5 For WHEN WE WERE IN THE FLESH, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.
It seems that I am right, "When we were in the flesh", seems to be insinuating that we Christians are no longer in the flesh. Our flesh seems to have died at the same time when Jesus flesh died.
Ro 7:6 But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.
"THAT BEING DEAD WHEREIN WE WERE HELD". Wherein were we held? The flesh. Romans chapter 7 is just a continuation of Chapter 6 explaining to those contentious Jews who were saying that this Gospel was contrary to the law and simply called sinners righteous, when they were not, and did not produce any real righteousness in their experience. Also Paul's point is that this Gospel does not contradict the law, but is an extension of it, if you will. The Law and the Gospel work together. The Law reveals our sin, and the need we have for Someone to save us.
Romans ch 8 gives us a wonderful conclusion...
Ro 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
Ro 8:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
God sending Jesus in the likeness of our sinful flesh, condemned sin in the flesh on the cross when He was crucified so that we being baptized by the Spirit into the body of Christ (1Cor 12:13) bone of His bone, flesh of His flesh (Eph 5:30) might fulfill in our experience the righteousness that is in the law. Why? All because of something that happened outside of our experience that God expects us to believe, because He said it. God called Abraham and Sarah's bodies alive (able to have a child) when they were not and He calls us dead when we are not. It comes down to believing the bible or believing our experience because clearly the bible says that we (the flesh, the old man) have been crucified with Christ and the law does not have dominion over dead people and we are therefore under grace, free to sin no more and alive unto God.
Col 3:3 For ye are (present tense) dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
Ga 5:24 And they that are Christ's have (past tense) crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
Ro 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is (present tense) crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
Ro 6:7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
Ro 6:8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
2Co 5:14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, THAT IF ONE DIED FOR ALL, THEN WERE ALL DEAD:
Romans 4:17 ¶ (As it is written, I have made thee (present tense) a father of many nations,) BEFORE him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and CALLETH THOSE THINGS WHICH BE NOT AS THOUGH THEY WERE.
Ro 4:18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations; according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
Ro 4:19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb:
Ro 4:20 HE STAGGERED NOT AT THE PROMISE OF GOD THROUGH UNBELIEF; BUT WAS STRONG IN FAITH, GIVING GLORY TO GOD;
God called Abraham's body, (now dead at a 100yrs old) alive when he seemed incapable of producing seed and Sara's womb alive when she was way past her child bearing years. This was completely against both of their realities but they against hope believed God and staggered not at His promise, thereby glorifying Him.
How does this translate into Romans ch 7? In ch 7 we are introduced to a wife, her husband , the law and Christ. The first verse states a fact...
Ro 7:1 ¶ Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?
Very important statement. This immediately refutes most assertions that the law is what died in this chapter. This verse clearly states that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives. How could the law then die? If the law died somewhere through out this man's life, then this verse would be false. If the law died at this man's conversion, and therefore no longer had dominion over the man, then immediately this first verse would be untrue and Paul's whole argument would fall apart. We know that something did die in this chapter, and we know that it was the husband, but who is the husband?
Ro 7:2 For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.
This woman seems to want to be loosed from her husband, who is probably a mean old miser, and she wants to be loosed from him, but she won't break the law. She wants to be married to another man (Who is Christ) but Christ won't marry an adulteress and she can't kill him because Christ won't marry a murderer. So what is it that we struggle with, wherein sin dwells? I contend that the husband in this wonderful example is the flesh. And scripture agrees. (The flesh is what hurts when you pinch it) The wife is an illustration of us, the husband is our flesh and we need the flesh to die so that we can be dead to the law and be married to Christ.
Ro 7:4 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.
So is seems that we are "dead to the law", by the body of Christ so that we can be joined to Christ. What died when Christ died? I contend that it was His flesh (His body)
Ro 7:5 For WHEN WE WERE IN THE FLESH, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.
It seems that I am right, "When we were in the flesh", seems to be insinuating that we Christians are no longer in the flesh. Our flesh seems to have died at the same time when Jesus flesh died.
Ro 7:6 But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.
"THAT BEING DEAD WHEREIN WE WERE HELD". Wherein were we held? The flesh. Romans chapter 7 is just a continuation of Chapter 6 explaining to those contentious Jews who were saying that this Gospel was contrary to the law and simply called sinners righteous, when they were not, and did not produce any real righteousness in their experience. Also Paul's point is that this Gospel does not contradict the law, but is an extension of it, if you will. The Law and the Gospel work together. The Law reveals our sin, and the need we have for Someone to save us.
Romans ch 8 gives us a wonderful conclusion...
Ro 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
Ro 8:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
God sending Jesus in the likeness of our sinful flesh, condemned sin in the flesh on the cross when He was crucified so that we being baptized by the Spirit into the body of Christ (1Cor 12:13) bone of His bone, flesh of His flesh (Eph 5:30) might fulfill in our experience the righteousness that is in the law. Why? All because of something that happened outside of our experience that God expects us to believe, because He said it. God called Abraham and Sarah's bodies alive (able to have a child) when they were not and He calls us dead when we are not. It comes down to believing the bible or believing our experience because clearly the bible says that we (the flesh, the old man) have been crucified with Christ and the law does not have dominion over dead people and we are therefore under grace, free to sin no more and alive unto God.
Col 3:3 For ye are (present tense) dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
Ga 5:24 And they that are Christ's have (past tense) crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
Ro 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is (present tense) crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
Ro 6:7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
Ro 6:8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
2Co 5:14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, THAT IF ONE DIED FOR ALL, THEN WERE ALL DEAD:
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Old Covenant a Picture or Type of The New Covenant
Old Covenant and New Covenant
Leviticus 17:11 FOR THE LIFE OF THE FLESH IS IN THE BLOOD: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: FOR IT IS THE BLOOD THAT MAKETH AND ATONEMENT FOR THE SOUL.
Old Covenant
Le 16:2 And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the veil before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.
Le 16:3 Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering.
Le 16:4 He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on.
Le 16:5 ¶ And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.
Le 16:6 And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house.
Le 16:7 And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Le 16:8 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat.
Le 16:9 And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD'S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.
Le 16:10 But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.
Le 16:11 And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself:
Le 16:12 And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail:
Le 16:13 And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not:
Le 16:14 And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times.
Le 16:15 ¶ Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat:
Le 16:16 And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness.
Le 16:17 And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel.
Le 16:18 And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the LORD, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about.
Le 16:19 And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.
Le 16:20 ¶ And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat:
Le 16:21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:
Le 16:22 And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.
Le 16:23 And Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall put off the linen garments, which he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there:
Le 16:24 And he shall wash his flesh with water in the holy place, and put on his garments, and come forth, and offer his burnt offering, and the burnt offering of the people, and make an atonement for himself, and for the people.
Le 16:25 And the fat of the sin offering shall he burn upon the altar.
Le 16:26 And he that let go the goat for the scapegoat shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward come into the camp.
Le 16:27 And the bullock for the sin offering, and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall one carry forth without the camp; and they shall burn in the fire their skins, and their flesh, and their dung.
Le 16:30 For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD.
Le 16:34 And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins ONCE A YEAR. And he did as the LORD commanded Moses.
New Covenant
Heb 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
Heb 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
Heb 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
Heb 9:13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
Heb 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
Heb 9:25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;
Heb 9:26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
Heb 10:10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Heb 10:11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:
Heb 10:12 But this man, after he had offered ONE SACRIFICE FOR SINS FOR EVER, sat down on the right hand of God;
Heb 10:13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.
Heb 10:14 For by ONE OFFERING he hath perfected FOR EVER them that are sanctified.
Leviticus 17:11 FOR THE LIFE OF THE FLESH IS IN THE BLOOD: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: FOR IT IS THE BLOOD THAT MAKETH AND ATONEMENT FOR THE SOUL.
Old Covenant
Le 16:2 And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the veil before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.
Le 16:3 Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering.
Le 16:4 He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on.
Le 16:5 ¶ And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.
Le 16:6 And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house.
Le 16:7 And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Le 16:8 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat.
Le 16:9 And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD'S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.
Le 16:10 But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.
Le 16:11 And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself:
Le 16:12 And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail:
Le 16:13 And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not:
Le 16:14 And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times.
Le 16:15 ¶ Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat:
Le 16:16 And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness.
Le 16:17 And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel.
Le 16:18 And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the LORD, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about.
Le 16:19 And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.
Le 16:20 ¶ And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat:
Le 16:21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:
Le 16:22 And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.
Le 16:23 And Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall put off the linen garments, which he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there:
Le 16:24 And he shall wash his flesh with water in the holy place, and put on his garments, and come forth, and offer his burnt offering, and the burnt offering of the people, and make an atonement for himself, and for the people.
Le 16:25 And the fat of the sin offering shall he burn upon the altar.
Le 16:26 And he that let go the goat for the scapegoat shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward come into the camp.
Le 16:27 And the bullock for the sin offering, and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall one carry forth without the camp; and they shall burn in the fire their skins, and their flesh, and their dung.
Le 16:30 For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD.
Le 16:34 And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins ONCE A YEAR. And he did as the LORD commanded Moses.
New Covenant
Heb 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
Heb 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
Heb 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
Heb 9:13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
Heb 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
Heb 9:25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;
Heb 9:26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
Heb 10:10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Heb 10:11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:
Heb 10:12 But this man, after he had offered ONE SACRIFICE FOR SINS FOR EVER, sat down on the right hand of God;
Heb 10:13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.
Heb 10:14 For by ONE OFFERING he hath perfected FOR EVER them that are sanctified.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Where Does Religion and Christianity Seperate?
I am going to go through part of a chapter in the bible and explain how true Christianity is different from all other religions. When I say true Christianity I am not speaking of what the mass of Christians believe. What the mass of Christians believe is just as wrong as Buddhism.
Here in this chapter we will see the truth.
Philippians 3:4 ¶ Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:
Paul is saying that if anyone has confidence in the way he has lived his life to get right with God, he does more. That is quite a brag. Paul is openly bragging and saying that if you think that you have lived better and more righteous then him, your wrong. Look what he goes on to say.
Php 3:5 Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;
He was circumcised on the right day. That is good. God commanded that every one of the blood line of Abraham be circumcised on the eighth day as a token of his being a part of the covenant that God made with Israel. Moving on he was of the tribe of Benjamin. That's good. He was not just an ordinary Hebrew. Paul was a Hebrew of the Hebrews. When Paul walked through the city, people recognized him as someone special. He says concerning the law he was of the upper class, a Pharisee. We usually liken Pharisee with a hypocrite but the Pharisee's observed all the laws. The were seriously hard core and zealous after the commandments of God.
Php 3:6 Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
Paul says, "Lets talk about zeal, I was the one that persecuted that heretical group that was trying to bring down the Law. I was the one doing something about it. And concerning that righteousness that you get by obeying the law, I was blameless." That is quite a brag. Paul just said that if you want to talk about all those laws that God gave Moses, no man could ever find Paul at fault. The law said not to steal. Paul never did. The law said not to covet or commit adultery. Paul never did. The law said to keep the Sabbath. Paul always kept the Sabbath holy. Wow! That is pretty good. You say if you were that good, then you would for sure please God and get into heaven. If no one on earth could ever accuse you of wrong doing, then God would owe you eternal life, right? Lets see what he says next.
Php 3:7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
Here is what we finally come to. This is where true Christianity and religion seperate. All those good things that Paul knew he ought to do, all those good deeds that Paul did in obedience to the law, he counted for loss. He discarded it. All those things he did to please God in his religion, Paul counted as loss. He traded it for Christ.
Php 3:8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
Paul puts all his good deeds in a pile. All the times he obeyed the law and just heaps it on a pile. All the ordinances and rules and self effort. Then he steps back, looks at it and calls the whole pile dung. Manure. The real stuff, not just compost. Paul says that he suffered the loss of ALL things (all his righteousness) and counts them as dung so that He may win Christ.
Php 3:9 ¶ And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
Paul having counted all his religion dung, hopes that he will be found in Jesus not having his own righteousness, which comes by means of obeying the law, but that righteousness that comes through the faith of Christ, that righteousness which is God's by faith.
So we see two different righteousness here. Ours and God's. Our righteousness is how we lived. Our good deeds. God's righteousness is how He lived while he was on this earth. God's righteousness is God's right doing. Our righteousness is our right doing. God's righteousness is how Jesus Christ lived while he was here on earth. It seems that we don't want to be found on judgment day with our own righteousness. We need this righteousness that comes is God's. How do we get this righteousness? By believing that what Jesus did while he was here on earth is enough to get us into heaven. It's that easy. Simply believing that the blood He shed is sufficient to pay for and remove our sin.
So if you were to ask Paul if he were going to heaven, Paul would say, "I have never done anything to get me there. Nothing I have ever done is good enough to put me in right standing with God. I deserve the fires of hell and apart from God's righteousness I have no hope." I know that all my hope is in the righteousness of Christ, and not my own.
Here in this chapter we will see the truth.
Philippians 3:4 ¶ Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:
Paul is saying that if anyone has confidence in the way he has lived his life to get right with God, he does more. That is quite a brag. Paul is openly bragging and saying that if you think that you have lived better and more righteous then him, your wrong. Look what he goes on to say.
Php 3:5 Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;
He was circumcised on the right day. That is good. God commanded that every one of the blood line of Abraham be circumcised on the eighth day as a token of his being a part of the covenant that God made with Israel. Moving on he was of the tribe of Benjamin. That's good. He was not just an ordinary Hebrew. Paul was a Hebrew of the Hebrews. When Paul walked through the city, people recognized him as someone special. He says concerning the law he was of the upper class, a Pharisee. We usually liken Pharisee with a hypocrite but the Pharisee's observed all the laws. The were seriously hard core and zealous after the commandments of God.
Php 3:6 Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
Paul says, "Lets talk about zeal, I was the one that persecuted that heretical group that was trying to bring down the Law. I was the one doing something about it. And concerning that righteousness that you get by obeying the law, I was blameless." That is quite a brag. Paul just said that if you want to talk about all those laws that God gave Moses, no man could ever find Paul at fault. The law said not to steal. Paul never did. The law said not to covet or commit adultery. Paul never did. The law said to keep the Sabbath. Paul always kept the Sabbath holy. Wow! That is pretty good. You say if you were that good, then you would for sure please God and get into heaven. If no one on earth could ever accuse you of wrong doing, then God would owe you eternal life, right? Lets see what he says next.
Php 3:7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
Here is what we finally come to. This is where true Christianity and religion seperate. All those good things that Paul knew he ought to do, all those good deeds that Paul did in obedience to the law, he counted for loss. He discarded it. All those things he did to please God in his religion, Paul counted as loss. He traded it for Christ.
Php 3:8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
Paul puts all his good deeds in a pile. All the times he obeyed the law and just heaps it on a pile. All the ordinances and rules and self effort. Then he steps back, looks at it and calls the whole pile dung. Manure. The real stuff, not just compost. Paul says that he suffered the loss of ALL things (all his righteousness) and counts them as dung so that He may win Christ.
Php 3:9 ¶ And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
Paul having counted all his religion dung, hopes that he will be found in Jesus not having his own righteousness, which comes by means of obeying the law, but that righteousness that comes through the faith of Christ, that righteousness which is God's by faith.
So we see two different righteousness here. Ours and God's. Our righteousness is how we lived. Our good deeds. God's righteousness is how He lived while he was on this earth. God's righteousness is God's right doing. Our righteousness is our right doing. God's righteousness is how Jesus Christ lived while he was here on earth. It seems that we don't want to be found on judgment day with our own righteousness. We need this righteousness that comes is God's. How do we get this righteousness? By believing that what Jesus did while he was here on earth is enough to get us into heaven. It's that easy. Simply believing that the blood He shed is sufficient to pay for and remove our sin.
So if you were to ask Paul if he were going to heaven, Paul would say, "I have never done anything to get me there. Nothing I have ever done is good enough to put me in right standing with God. I deserve the fires of hell and apart from God's righteousness I have no hope." I know that all my hope is in the righteousness of Christ, and not my own.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Jesus
I was going through the gospels and a few thoughts came to my mind. These books really reveal a lot about who Jesus was, who He came for, who He had kind words for, and who He had harsh words for. Keeping in mind that in Jesus dwells all the fullness of God, it sure gives us an insight into the heart of God.
Jesus came for the ungodly sinner. That in itself is absolutely astounding. To think that a just and righteous God would come to this earth and seek out a family among those that fornicated, drunks, liars, thieves, blasphemers, murderers, and convince and persuade them to believe in Himself to be saved and then call them righteous, is mind staggering. In this passage the religious of the Jews wondered why Jesus was eating and drinking with sinners and publicans.
Mt 9:12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.
Mt 9:13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance
Obviously Jesus was being somewhat sarcastic when He said "whole" and "righteous". Jesus is saying that He did not come to call those people that thought that they did not need a Savior. He came for sinners who knew that they were ungodly sinners. He came for sinners like this...
Lu 18:13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
I find this theme throughout the life of Jesus here on this earth. When He started His ministry he went to the fishing docks to find disciples. It would be the equivalent of going into one of our modern day factories. One would think that He would have gone to the synagogue and found some young men that were really devout and followed after righteousness and holiness. But He didn't. Why didn't He? Because Jesus came with a new message and He needed new "wineskins". So He went to the fishing docks where the men were who cussed, chewed tobacco, had vile filthy mouths etc. If you have ever been to a fishing dock, these are rough men that have a very crude demeanor. For example you look at Peter, the guy fished in the nude. These are not men that you would think the Son of God would chose to be His close confidants. But He did.
What about the Samaritan woman at the well? A Samaritan was a half breed. These people dwelt in a piece of land that religious Jews would not even walk through. The Samaritans were considered unclean and worse than dogs. Jesus is sitting by the well and this Samaritan woman approaches and Jesus asks her for some water. This woman could tell right away that Jesus was not just a normal Jew. And for Jesus to ask her for a drink out of her own waterpot was absurd. This was unheard of. This woman was not only a Samaritan, she had had five husbands and the man she had now was not her husband. This was not a virtuous woman. And Jesus, the Son of God sat and told her of Himself, that He was the Messiah and that He had living water and if she would drink from the living water that he would give her, she would never thirst again. He told her everything that she had ever done and when she left, she was in such a hurry to tell others that she forgot her waterpot, her whole purpose for coming. What got me about this story is that Jesus had no qualms about speaking to a Samaritan woman who was not virtuous. It didn't matter to Him her status or who her family was or even her background. Not only this but he spent two days in this Samaritan city with these "unclean people", ministering to them.
So how could Jesus have such kind words to say to sinners and such harsh words to the religious? The harshest words that Jesus uttered were to two groups of people, the Pharisees and the Scribes. When we think of Pharisees we usually think of hypocrites. They were, but they were also the most devout and the most righteous group of people in the world. They observed all the laws. They sought after righteousness more than anyone. They went to the synagogue more than anyone. They taught in the synagogues and prayed and fasted. They loved the laws of God and yet Jesus had nothing but words of rebuke for them. The scribes studied the law. They studied prophesy and more than likely memorized the first five books of the bible. That's right, all five books. But this didn't impress Jesus.
Mt 12:34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things?
Mt 23:33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
Mt 23:27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
Mt 23:28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
That doesn't sound at all like how Jesus talked to the women at the well. Neither does it sound like what Jesus told the adulteress woman who was caught in the act. The Pharisees bring this woman to Him and knowing that the law states that she should be put to death, ask Jesus what they should do. Jesus agreed with them about what the law says, but adds, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her". Everyone was convicted of sin and no one threw a stone. Amazing.
John 8:10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
John 8:11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
All through Jesus's ministry we see that Jesus had compassion on those that were genuine sinners. What I mean by that is people who had lived a life of sin and knew it. These people knew that they were ungodly and in great need of a Savior. They recognized their sin and how it was contrary to everything that was righteous and holy. If anything is self evident about the ministry of Jesus it is that there is nothing that God hates more than self righteous, religious people who have no need of Christ. People who have gone to church all their lives and talk only about outward things such as holy living, modest apparel, ignoring the awesome works of God. All under the guise of pleasing God. If you see through it you see that it is all about pleasing men. These people seem to think that heaven itself is somehow indebted to them and rarely talk about Jesus, or the cross and what it cost for God to justify ungodly sinners like us.
The moral of the story is this. If you think you are a pretty good person, you are in big trouble. There is a judgment day coming. You think that nobody knows about the vile dirty things you do when no one is around. You might have fooled most people but you can't fool God. You think that you are getting away with it. You're not. Judgment is coming. Faith in Jesus is the only way to escape the coming wrath. This is Jesus praying to God the Father...
John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
Eternal life is found in a relationship with Jesus Christ. Not in "church", not in baptism, not in any religion. When one has a relationship with Jesus, one doesn't need religion. Only through faith can one please God and without faith it is impossible. Jesus is all one needs.
Romans 4:5 To him that worketh not but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Jesus died for the UNGODLY! Friend, that is you and me!
It's a FREE GIFT. Dwell on that, FREE GIFT! You cannot do anything to earn it and and the only people the gift is offered to, is THE UNGODLY! This means YOU! This is wonderful news and you don't have to DO ANYTHING, just believe. It's not what you do my friend, it's what He has done... Tetelesti. It is finished.
Jesus came for the ungodly sinner. That in itself is absolutely astounding. To think that a just and righteous God would come to this earth and seek out a family among those that fornicated, drunks, liars, thieves, blasphemers, murderers, and convince and persuade them to believe in Himself to be saved and then call them righteous, is mind staggering. In this passage the religious of the Jews wondered why Jesus was eating and drinking with sinners and publicans.
Mt 9:12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.
Mt 9:13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance
Obviously Jesus was being somewhat sarcastic when He said "whole" and "righteous". Jesus is saying that He did not come to call those people that thought that they did not need a Savior. He came for sinners who knew that they were ungodly sinners. He came for sinners like this...
Lu 18:13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
I find this theme throughout the life of Jesus here on this earth. When He started His ministry he went to the fishing docks to find disciples. It would be the equivalent of going into one of our modern day factories. One would think that He would have gone to the synagogue and found some young men that were really devout and followed after righteousness and holiness. But He didn't. Why didn't He? Because Jesus came with a new message and He needed new "wineskins". So He went to the fishing docks where the men were who cussed, chewed tobacco, had vile filthy mouths etc. If you have ever been to a fishing dock, these are rough men that have a very crude demeanor. For example you look at Peter, the guy fished in the nude. These are not men that you would think the Son of God would chose to be His close confidants. But He did.
What about the Samaritan woman at the well? A Samaritan was a half breed. These people dwelt in a piece of land that religious Jews would not even walk through. The Samaritans were considered unclean and worse than dogs. Jesus is sitting by the well and this Samaritan woman approaches and Jesus asks her for some water. This woman could tell right away that Jesus was not just a normal Jew. And for Jesus to ask her for a drink out of her own waterpot was absurd. This was unheard of. This woman was not only a Samaritan, she had had five husbands and the man she had now was not her husband. This was not a virtuous woman. And Jesus, the Son of God sat and told her of Himself, that He was the Messiah and that He had living water and if she would drink from the living water that he would give her, she would never thirst again. He told her everything that she had ever done and when she left, she was in such a hurry to tell others that she forgot her waterpot, her whole purpose for coming. What got me about this story is that Jesus had no qualms about speaking to a Samaritan woman who was not virtuous. It didn't matter to Him her status or who her family was or even her background. Not only this but he spent two days in this Samaritan city with these "unclean people", ministering to them.
So how could Jesus have such kind words to say to sinners and such harsh words to the religious? The harshest words that Jesus uttered were to two groups of people, the Pharisees and the Scribes. When we think of Pharisees we usually think of hypocrites. They were, but they were also the most devout and the most righteous group of people in the world. They observed all the laws. They sought after righteousness more than anyone. They went to the synagogue more than anyone. They taught in the synagogues and prayed and fasted. They loved the laws of God and yet Jesus had nothing but words of rebuke for them. The scribes studied the law. They studied prophesy and more than likely memorized the first five books of the bible. That's right, all five books. But this didn't impress Jesus.
Mt 12:34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things?
Mt 23:33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
Mt 23:27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
Mt 23:28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
That doesn't sound at all like how Jesus talked to the women at the well. Neither does it sound like what Jesus told the adulteress woman who was caught in the act. The Pharisees bring this woman to Him and knowing that the law states that she should be put to death, ask Jesus what they should do. Jesus agreed with them about what the law says, but adds, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her". Everyone was convicted of sin and no one threw a stone. Amazing.
John 8:10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
John 8:11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
All through Jesus's ministry we see that Jesus had compassion on those that were genuine sinners. What I mean by that is people who had lived a life of sin and knew it. These people knew that they were ungodly and in great need of a Savior. They recognized their sin and how it was contrary to everything that was righteous and holy. If anything is self evident about the ministry of Jesus it is that there is nothing that God hates more than self righteous, religious people who have no need of Christ. People who have gone to church all their lives and talk only about outward things such as holy living, modest apparel, ignoring the awesome works of God. All under the guise of pleasing God. If you see through it you see that it is all about pleasing men. These people seem to think that heaven itself is somehow indebted to them and rarely talk about Jesus, or the cross and what it cost for God to justify ungodly sinners like us.
The moral of the story is this. If you think you are a pretty good person, you are in big trouble. There is a judgment day coming. You think that nobody knows about the vile dirty things you do when no one is around. You might have fooled most people but you can't fool God. You think that you are getting away with it. You're not. Judgment is coming. Faith in Jesus is the only way to escape the coming wrath. This is Jesus praying to God the Father...
John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
Eternal life is found in a relationship with Jesus Christ. Not in "church", not in baptism, not in any religion. When one has a relationship with Jesus, one doesn't need religion. Only through faith can one please God and without faith it is impossible. Jesus is all one needs.
Romans 4:5 To him that worketh not but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Jesus died for the UNGODLY! Friend, that is you and me!
It's a FREE GIFT. Dwell on that, FREE GIFT! You cannot do anything to earn it and and the only people the gift is offered to, is THE UNGODLY! This means YOU! This is wonderful news and you don't have to DO ANYTHING, just believe. It's not what you do my friend, it's what He has done... Tetelesti. It is finished.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
How Good Do You Have To Be?
What a great question. If there is a heaven, how good do you have to be to go there? Have you ever thought that? I will focus on a few different groups of people here. Some people are real religious. All their focus is on wearing the right clothes, going to "the only right denomonation", going to "church" every week, saying their prayers, facing the right way when they pray, praying to the right god, keeping the Sabbath on the right day, doing a lot of religious stuff in order to please God ... So the question is raised. Are these people good enough to go to heaven? Will these works be sufficient for God to justify these religious people, and if not, what does one need to do and how "good" is good enough?
Many people in this world claim that they are good enough to go to heaven (if there is such a place). They claim that there are many ways to get to heaven. Do good and go to heaven, and do bad... go somewhere but not heaven. God probably is too loving to send anyone to hell so He probably has some other place for the bad people... like purgatory or something. But there are many religions you know, many different paths to take that lead to heaven. No one can say for sure which one is the right one and if you do, you are discriminating, (and that's wrong).
These people take great comfort in the fact that they are better then most people, so God will probably let them in. They are better then most of those hypocrites that go to church every week. At least they are not hypocrites. I mean, if not them... then who? Nope, you just be better then the rest and hope for the best. I mean, HOW GOOD DO YOU HAVE TO BE? How good, if there is a God, would He require us to be, to get into heaven (If there was such a place)? How high can His standard be? I don't smoke or do drugs... I don't lie or cheat in business. I try to help my fellow man when I can. People that know me think I am a pretty good guy. I just look at the other people in the world, you know, people that rape others, murder, are involved in gangs, steal, cheat on their wives... I don't do any of that. I am just plain good. I am well disciplined. I don't let my body be addicted to anything. I eat healthy. Bottom line... I just try to do my best and God couldn't require anymore than that. I mean seriously, He couldn't ask more than your best... right?...
Here is the scary thing that the world and religion won't tell you. GOD DOES REQUIRE MORE THAN THAT! GOD EXPECTS MORE THAN THAT! But the problem is, that is all that we sinners can give, is an effort, a try, and still end in failure. One day God will judge each man according to his deeds. Well that sounds good to you, eh? You just want what you got coming? For all your good works? For your wonderful discipline? For all your great humanity? The thing is, we are not talking humanity here. We are talking Deity. The bible says all have sinned and fall short... The whole world is morally bankrupt. Terminally ill with sin. You say you haven't sinned as much as the next man? Well he is also terminally ill with sin too. In an aids ward it's great that you feel better then the guy laying beside you but you're still going to die. And then what? You just going to go on and hope for the best? You gonna bet eternity on a "hope for the best"? There is no way out. You have broken God's standard and now someone has to pay. There is a sense of judgment in every man that says, you need to do right or you deserve to burn. And now someone MUST PAY.
Well someone did pay. God Himself paid. He paid Himself by sending His Son to bleed and die on a cross so that He would have a just basis to forgive anyone that would believe. ANYONE. See, God already poured out His wrath on His own Son Jesus on the cross so that He wouldn't have to pour it out on you (In Hell). Someone already paid the price for your sin, but if you fail to repent to God and believe this good news, you will pay. You will pay dearly for eternity. Utter torment in the lake of fire. A place reserved for the devil and his angels. But until you see that you are NOT A GOOD PERSON and deserve the fires of hell for sinning against a Righteous and Holy God, you can't be saved. Until it dawns on you the severity of your sin and the cost it incurred, you can't be saved. Until you see that payment for sin requires blood, either your blood (the guilty) or Jesus's blood that was shed on Calvary, you can't be saved. If you decide to ignore what Jesus did for you, and just continue living your life of sin, like He never died... you will pay. Just coast on through life... Ignore the love that God showed in the act of becoming one of us and paying for our sins. I recommend the alternative. Jesus. Trust me, this is not religion. This has nothing to do with going to church or getting baptized. You don't even have to leave your house. This has everything to do with a right standing between you and God. The only way this can happen is faith in a Man named Jesus. This has everything to do with relationship. Just you and Jesus. Nobody else and nothing else involved, only God's only Son. He changed my life and He can change yours.
Romans 4:5 To him that worketh not but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Jesus died for the UNGODLY! Friend, that is you and me!
It's a FREE GIFT. Dwell on that, FREE GIFT! You cannot do anything to earn it and and the only people the gift is offered to, is THE UNGODLY! This means YOU! This is wonderful news and you don't have to DO ANYTHING, just believe. It's not what you do my friend, it's what He has done... Tetelesti. It is finished.
Many people in this world claim that they are good enough to go to heaven (if there is such a place). They claim that there are many ways to get to heaven. Do good and go to heaven, and do bad... go somewhere but not heaven. God probably is too loving to send anyone to hell so He probably has some other place for the bad people... like purgatory or something. But there are many religions you know, many different paths to take that lead to heaven. No one can say for sure which one is the right one and if you do, you are discriminating, (and that's wrong).
These people take great comfort in the fact that they are better then most people, so God will probably let them in. They are better then most of those hypocrites that go to church every week. At least they are not hypocrites. I mean, if not them... then who? Nope, you just be better then the rest and hope for the best. I mean, HOW GOOD DO YOU HAVE TO BE? How good, if there is a God, would He require us to be, to get into heaven (If there was such a place)? How high can His standard be? I don't smoke or do drugs... I don't lie or cheat in business. I try to help my fellow man when I can. People that know me think I am a pretty good guy. I just look at the other people in the world, you know, people that rape others, murder, are involved in gangs, steal, cheat on their wives... I don't do any of that. I am just plain good. I am well disciplined. I don't let my body be addicted to anything. I eat healthy. Bottom line... I just try to do my best and God couldn't require anymore than that. I mean seriously, He couldn't ask more than your best... right?...
Here is the scary thing that the world and religion won't tell you. GOD DOES REQUIRE MORE THAN THAT! GOD EXPECTS MORE THAN THAT! But the problem is, that is all that we sinners can give, is an effort, a try, and still end in failure. One day God will judge each man according to his deeds. Well that sounds good to you, eh? You just want what you got coming? For all your good works? For your wonderful discipline? For all your great humanity? The thing is, we are not talking humanity here. We are talking Deity. The bible says all have sinned and fall short... The whole world is morally bankrupt. Terminally ill with sin. You say you haven't sinned as much as the next man? Well he is also terminally ill with sin too. In an aids ward it's great that you feel better then the guy laying beside you but you're still going to die. And then what? You just going to go on and hope for the best? You gonna bet eternity on a "hope for the best"? There is no way out. You have broken God's standard and now someone has to pay. There is a sense of judgment in every man that says, you need to do right or you deserve to burn. And now someone MUST PAY.
Well someone did pay. God Himself paid. He paid Himself by sending His Son to bleed and die on a cross so that He would have a just basis to forgive anyone that would believe. ANYONE. See, God already poured out His wrath on His own Son Jesus on the cross so that He wouldn't have to pour it out on you (In Hell). Someone already paid the price for your sin, but if you fail to repent to God and believe this good news, you will pay. You will pay dearly for eternity. Utter torment in the lake of fire. A place reserved for the devil and his angels. But until you see that you are NOT A GOOD PERSON and deserve the fires of hell for sinning against a Righteous and Holy God, you can't be saved. Until it dawns on you the severity of your sin and the cost it incurred, you can't be saved. Until you see that payment for sin requires blood, either your blood (the guilty) or Jesus's blood that was shed on Calvary, you can't be saved. If you decide to ignore what Jesus did for you, and just continue living your life of sin, like He never died... you will pay. Just coast on through life... Ignore the love that God showed in the act of becoming one of us and paying for our sins. I recommend the alternative. Jesus. Trust me, this is not religion. This has nothing to do with going to church or getting baptized. You don't even have to leave your house. This has everything to do with a right standing between you and God. The only way this can happen is faith in a Man named Jesus. This has everything to do with relationship. Just you and Jesus. Nobody else and nothing else involved, only God's only Son. He changed my life and He can change yours.
Romans 4:5 To him that worketh not but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Jesus died for the UNGODLY! Friend, that is you and me!
It's a FREE GIFT. Dwell on that, FREE GIFT! You cannot do anything to earn it and and the only people the gift is offered to, is THE UNGODLY! This means YOU! This is wonderful news and you don't have to DO ANYTHING, just believe. It's not what you do my friend, it's what He has done... Tetelesti. It is finished.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Why Jesus Is The Only Way
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
John 14:7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
Jesus claimed that He was the way. He claimed that He was the truth. He claimed to be God. Up in smoke goes the theory that Jesus was just like Mohammad, or Buddha. No, Jesus was either who He said He was or He was a raving lunatic.
I am going to come at this from a different angle then you are used to. God is perfectly just. If He were not, He could not rightfully judge the world. When any person goes against what he or she knows to be right, that person is a transgressor and a debt is incurred. Every time a person sins, there is a payment owing. The payment owing, is to God because He is the judge and sin is extremely expensive. So expensive in fact that God requires something very precious indeed for that sin, and payment will and must be made to satisfy justice. God requires blood for sin. That is the currency that God works with. But you say, "That is sick, why would God require something so vulgar for sin?" We humans in this world and in this society especially have become so hardened by our own sin and the sin around us, that we don't see the severity of it. The Mayan's understood. Tribes that have no contact with modern civilization understand. They would and do sacrifice animals and drink the innocent blood to atone for their sin. Some like the Mayan's sacrificed their children draining their blood out to satisfy the gods. Some tribes took their infant children and threw them into the mouths of crocodiles and the blood would stain the water satisfying the gods for one more year and the people would rejoice. These people went about it all wrong but they understood that their sin required payment and that payment was innocent blood. In modern civilization we just keep sinning until the guilt becomes unbearable turning instead to alcohol, drugs, antidepressants to battle the guilt, pain and misery we feel until finally we end up in a mental hospital or commit suicide.
So herein lies the problem. Our sin is not being dealt with, and we just continue breathing God's good clean air like everything is OK. We keep living in sin with our backs to God, mocking Him, shaking our fist at Him, blaming Him for all our problems. All the while, the payment that is required continues to grow as our sin grows, along with God's wrath, that is like a fist ready smash the ungodly heathen that continue to follow their lusts as though there were no God. The only reason He has not destroyed the whole human race is because of His goodness and longsuffering. But it's not OK! Justice must and will be served! It will either be our blood that is shed and our souls flung into hell, or someone else that takes our place. Those are the only options. Telling God you're sorry isn't good enough, being a member of a certain denomonation won't cut it with God. It doesn't mean "jack" to Him. Praying a prayer, getting baptized, dressing modestly, being a good person won't satisfy justice. Payment MUST be made and only blood will do! You see, the life is in the blood. That is why it is so valuable. Our sin is so horrible, that God cannot justly allow us into His presence. We cannot get to heaven without blood atoning for our sin. No matter how good we are. Mother Teresa, the pope, little old baptist grannys, preachers, priests, atheists, teachers, presidents, princes, and kings... All under the penalty of sin. (For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God)
So you think that you're a pretty good person. Not according to God. According to God all people have been declared GUILTY. Everyone deserves the fires of hell for eternity. Everyone deserves to have their blood shed for the sins they committed. Everyone deserves to die on a cross like Jesus. Everyone deserves to have the awesome wrath of God punish them forever.
But here is the good news. While we were yet sinners, even before we were born, God commended His love towards us and came to this earth in a body just like ours. His name was Jesus and He lived sinless. He lived perfect. He lived the life that we didn't. And He died on a cross where He shed His blood that was worth more than all the sins of the world put together. It was worth enough that it could pay God for all the sin from the first person Adam, til the last person that will ever be born. "Why?" You ask. Because He was not only a man with a man's body, He was God with eternal life. He had to be, so that the payment would be sufficient. It was and God accepted the blood of Jesus for our sin.
The thing is, if we die we still go to hell. So what makes this blood atonement effectual for us? Going to church and wearing the right clothes? Being "good Christians?" No. God says, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved". He promises. This salvation that Jesus secured for us is entirely objective. The blood is real. The cross is real. The payment was made and justice was served. Jesus took the full brunt of God's wrath. He paid it all. There is no reason for anyone to die and go to hell. But if you insist on clinging to your sin and your righteousness, that is where you will go. No doubt about it. Count your righteousness but dung and believe that Jesus paid it all. Jesus is our only hope. Faith in His blood is our only chance. There is no other.
John 14:7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
Jesus claimed that He was the way. He claimed that He was the truth. He claimed to be God. Up in smoke goes the theory that Jesus was just like Mohammad, or Buddha. No, Jesus was either who He said He was or He was a raving lunatic.
I am going to come at this from a different angle then you are used to. God is perfectly just. If He were not, He could not rightfully judge the world. When any person goes against what he or she knows to be right, that person is a transgressor and a debt is incurred. Every time a person sins, there is a payment owing. The payment owing, is to God because He is the judge and sin is extremely expensive. So expensive in fact that God requires something very precious indeed for that sin, and payment will and must be made to satisfy justice. God requires blood for sin. That is the currency that God works with. But you say, "That is sick, why would God require something so vulgar for sin?" We humans in this world and in this society especially have become so hardened by our own sin and the sin around us, that we don't see the severity of it. The Mayan's understood. Tribes that have no contact with modern civilization understand. They would and do sacrifice animals and drink the innocent blood to atone for their sin. Some like the Mayan's sacrificed their children draining their blood out to satisfy the gods. Some tribes took their infant children and threw them into the mouths of crocodiles and the blood would stain the water satisfying the gods for one more year and the people would rejoice. These people went about it all wrong but they understood that their sin required payment and that payment was innocent blood. In modern civilization we just keep sinning until the guilt becomes unbearable turning instead to alcohol, drugs, antidepressants to battle the guilt, pain and misery we feel until finally we end up in a mental hospital or commit suicide.
So herein lies the problem. Our sin is not being dealt with, and we just continue breathing God's good clean air like everything is OK. We keep living in sin with our backs to God, mocking Him, shaking our fist at Him, blaming Him for all our problems. All the while, the payment that is required continues to grow as our sin grows, along with God's wrath, that is like a fist ready smash the ungodly heathen that continue to follow their lusts as though there were no God. The only reason He has not destroyed the whole human race is because of His goodness and longsuffering. But it's not OK! Justice must and will be served! It will either be our blood that is shed and our souls flung into hell, or someone else that takes our place. Those are the only options. Telling God you're sorry isn't good enough, being a member of a certain denomonation won't cut it with God. It doesn't mean "jack" to Him. Praying a prayer, getting baptized, dressing modestly, being a good person won't satisfy justice. Payment MUST be made and only blood will do! You see, the life is in the blood. That is why it is so valuable. Our sin is so horrible, that God cannot justly allow us into His presence. We cannot get to heaven without blood atoning for our sin. No matter how good we are. Mother Teresa, the pope, little old baptist grannys, preachers, priests, atheists, teachers, presidents, princes, and kings... All under the penalty of sin. (For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God)
So you think that you're a pretty good person. Not according to God. According to God all people have been declared GUILTY. Everyone deserves the fires of hell for eternity. Everyone deserves to have their blood shed for the sins they committed. Everyone deserves to die on a cross like Jesus. Everyone deserves to have the awesome wrath of God punish them forever.
But here is the good news. While we were yet sinners, even before we were born, God commended His love towards us and came to this earth in a body just like ours. His name was Jesus and He lived sinless. He lived perfect. He lived the life that we didn't. And He died on a cross where He shed His blood that was worth more than all the sins of the world put together. It was worth enough that it could pay God for all the sin from the first person Adam, til the last person that will ever be born. "Why?" You ask. Because He was not only a man with a man's body, He was God with eternal life. He had to be, so that the payment would be sufficient. It was and God accepted the blood of Jesus for our sin.
The thing is, if we die we still go to hell. So what makes this blood atonement effectual for us? Going to church and wearing the right clothes? Being "good Christians?" No. God says, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved". He promises. This salvation that Jesus secured for us is entirely objective. The blood is real. The cross is real. The payment was made and justice was served. Jesus took the full brunt of God's wrath. He paid it all. There is no reason for anyone to die and go to hell. But if you insist on clinging to your sin and your righteousness, that is where you will go. No doubt about it. Count your righteousness but dung and believe that Jesus paid it all. Jesus is our only hope. Faith in His blood is our only chance. There is no other.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Righteousness, Liberty & Faith! (And a Rebuke)
Liberty
Ga 5:1 ¶ Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
What most of Christianity will tell you is that the liberty spoken of by the apostle Paul is the freedom to do the right thing. That's false. Everyone already has the liberty to do right. The liberty that Paul speaks of is exactly the oposite, it is the freedom from having to do the right thing to please God and inherit eternal life. Paul did not have to wash his hands anymore before he ate. He could eat all the pork chops and bacon he desired. He could eat shrimp or lobster. He could shave his beard or grow it. He didn't have to keep Sabbaths anymore. He didn't keep feast days or any one day holier than another. The disiplined life of religious ceremonies and ordinances, he was free from. Infact, all the righteousness that he obtained through his religion or doing the things that he knew to be right (deeds of the law), Paul called dung, as far as getting to God was concerned. That is liberty to me. All that religious stuff that he used to, he didn't have to do anymore. It was stripped away. He didn't have to work for his salvation anymore. He was free from dead works to serve the living God. If any person is free from having to do righteous deeds in order to earn salvation, it sure brings a sense of peace and liberty. You no longer have the burden of trying to live good enough to make it in. You are truly free to just praise, glorify and worship God, free of all hypocrisy.
Righteousness & Faith
What all of religion and most of Christianity has wrong is that righteousness doesn't come by the law, it comes by faith. If a person were justified by doing the right thing and living a, "Christian life", then Christ died in vain. Either a person is deemed worthy to get to heaven by doing the right thing, or a person is deemed worthy by Christ's work for them on the cross. Either you do it or Jesus did it. It cannot be both.
Another thing modern Christianity gets wrong is that God's goal for the Christian is a state of faith itself, not works. Faith does produce works, no doubt about it, but it is not the goal, it is the evidence. If good works were the ultimate goal, God would not have sent His Son to die in our place. God doesn't need our good works. God spoke through Belaam's ass. What God's ultimate goal is a relationship built on faith. He desires a family that trusts Him, even when it is totally outside their reality. Nothing glorifies God more then when His children believe what He promised. And God promised that righteousness comes by faith. When we believe on the Jesus Christ with all our heart, God imputes to our account the righteousness of Jesus Christ, freely without any works of righteousness on our part. This takes faith though. Herein lies a problem for modern Christianity. Many people today believe in God. The problem is, they don't believe Him. Imputed righteousness is an area where most don't believe God because it is strictly in God's reality. The righteousness of Jesus Christ is imputed to us in the books of reckoning only. This is not my reality, but I believe God in this regard because He is faithful who promised. I am reckoning on His righteousness because it is my only hope. I have no other. I have no confidence in the way I have lived to get me to heaven. None.
Ro 4:20 He (Abraham) staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
Ro 4:21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
Ro 4:22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
Ro 4:23 ¶ Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
Ro 4:24 BUT FOR US ALSO, TO WHOM IT SHALL BE IMPUTED, IF WE BELIEVE ON HIM THAT RAISED UP JESUS OUR LORD FROM THE DEAD;
This gives me a lot of liberty. Knowing that I am saved because I have all the righteousness needed to get to heaven. I would be stupid to wonder if I'm saved when I am as righteous as Jesus Christ.
2Co 5:21 For he (GOD) hath made him (JESUS) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him
REBUKE
When viewing in context the wonderful and awesome works of God, all the while keeping in mind that we aren't saved by our own righteousness, isn't it is ridiculous to think that God is so overwhelmingly pleased with all our bible reading, our wonderful, "church attendance" and our "disciplined devotional" time. Doesn't it pale in comparison to what Jesus suffered on the cross because of our filthy sin? I wish it were not true, but we are so encumbered by our own measly works, that we have lost sight of Christ and His work. Instead of encouraging one another and exhorting each other to stay believing and to keep our focus and confidence on Jesus and His finished work on the cross, we are delving into weak and beggarly elements of how to improve our, "Christian life". When we loose sight of the mighty works of the LORD God Almighty and focus on our measly works of righteousness... What does that say about us? Are we not self-centered? Are we not self-righteous? When we lose sight of the fact that...
2Co 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them;
What joy that verse gives me! God was in Christ... Just that thought alone is mind staggering! God was in Christ and HE DIED... for stinking, filthy me and you. The God who made the heavens and the earth with His spoken word, came to this earth and died in our place and all we can focus on is whether our Christian lives are up to standard. How pathetic. How dare we turn people's focus from Christ to dwell on how to live the, "deeper Christian life". Instead of asking, "Is all your faith and confidence in Christ? Is all your hope in His righteousness and not your own?", we ask, "Did you read your bible enough? Did you have devotionals everyday? Are you loving enough? Are you humble enough? Are you disciplined enough? Did you confess enough? Are you living Christian enough? Are you doing enough?" Such meaningless dribble. No wonder nobody is getting saved in our church meetings these days. No wonder lives aren't being transformed or people freed from the bondage of sin. If the emphasis was on the right thing, on Christ, you would suddenly see joy in peoples faces again. You would see lives change and the power would then be of God and no flesh would glory in His presence. God does not work in principles and rudiments. God's power is manifested in the preaching of the cross. Christ crucified.
Ga 5:1 ¶ Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
What most of Christianity will tell you is that the liberty spoken of by the apostle Paul is the freedom to do the right thing. That's false. Everyone already has the liberty to do right. The liberty that Paul speaks of is exactly the oposite, it is the freedom from having to do the right thing to please God and inherit eternal life. Paul did not have to wash his hands anymore before he ate. He could eat all the pork chops and bacon he desired. He could eat shrimp or lobster. He could shave his beard or grow it. He didn't have to keep Sabbaths anymore. He didn't keep feast days or any one day holier than another. The disiplined life of religious ceremonies and ordinances, he was free from. Infact, all the righteousness that he obtained through his religion or doing the things that he knew to be right (deeds of the law), Paul called dung, as far as getting to God was concerned. That is liberty to me. All that religious stuff that he used to, he didn't have to do anymore. It was stripped away. He didn't have to work for his salvation anymore. He was free from dead works to serve the living God. If any person is free from having to do righteous deeds in order to earn salvation, it sure brings a sense of peace and liberty. You no longer have the burden of trying to live good enough to make it in. You are truly free to just praise, glorify and worship God, free of all hypocrisy.
Righteousness & Faith
What all of religion and most of Christianity has wrong is that righteousness doesn't come by the law, it comes by faith. If a person were justified by doing the right thing and living a, "Christian life", then Christ died in vain. Either a person is deemed worthy to get to heaven by doing the right thing, or a person is deemed worthy by Christ's work for them on the cross. Either you do it or Jesus did it. It cannot be both.
Another thing modern Christianity gets wrong is that God's goal for the Christian is a state of faith itself, not works. Faith does produce works, no doubt about it, but it is not the goal, it is the evidence. If good works were the ultimate goal, God would not have sent His Son to die in our place. God doesn't need our good works. God spoke through Belaam's ass. What God's ultimate goal is a relationship built on faith. He desires a family that trusts Him, even when it is totally outside their reality. Nothing glorifies God more then when His children believe what He promised. And God promised that righteousness comes by faith. When we believe on the Jesus Christ with all our heart, God imputes to our account the righteousness of Jesus Christ, freely without any works of righteousness on our part. This takes faith though. Herein lies a problem for modern Christianity. Many people today believe in God. The problem is, they don't believe Him. Imputed righteousness is an area where most don't believe God because it is strictly in God's reality. The righteousness of Jesus Christ is imputed to us in the books of reckoning only. This is not my reality, but I believe God in this regard because He is faithful who promised. I am reckoning on His righteousness because it is my only hope. I have no other. I have no confidence in the way I have lived to get me to heaven. None.
Ro 4:20 He (Abraham) staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
Ro 4:21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
Ro 4:22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
Ro 4:23 ¶ Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
Ro 4:24 BUT FOR US ALSO, TO WHOM IT SHALL BE IMPUTED, IF WE BELIEVE ON HIM THAT RAISED UP JESUS OUR LORD FROM THE DEAD;
This gives me a lot of liberty. Knowing that I am saved because I have all the righteousness needed to get to heaven. I would be stupid to wonder if I'm saved when I am as righteous as Jesus Christ.
2Co 5:21 For he (GOD) hath made him (JESUS) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him
REBUKE
When viewing in context the wonderful and awesome works of God, all the while keeping in mind that we aren't saved by our own righteousness, isn't it is ridiculous to think that God is so overwhelmingly pleased with all our bible reading, our wonderful, "church attendance" and our "disciplined devotional" time. Doesn't it pale in comparison to what Jesus suffered on the cross because of our filthy sin? I wish it were not true, but we are so encumbered by our own measly works, that we have lost sight of Christ and His work. Instead of encouraging one another and exhorting each other to stay believing and to keep our focus and confidence on Jesus and His finished work on the cross, we are delving into weak and beggarly elements of how to improve our, "Christian life". When we loose sight of the mighty works of the LORD God Almighty and focus on our measly works of righteousness... What does that say about us? Are we not self-centered? Are we not self-righteous? When we lose sight of the fact that...
2Co 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them;
What joy that verse gives me! God was in Christ... Just that thought alone is mind staggering! God was in Christ and HE DIED... for stinking, filthy me and you. The God who made the heavens and the earth with His spoken word, came to this earth and died in our place and all we can focus on is whether our Christian lives are up to standard. How pathetic. How dare we turn people's focus from Christ to dwell on how to live the, "deeper Christian life". Instead of asking, "Is all your faith and confidence in Christ? Is all your hope in His righteousness and not your own?", we ask, "Did you read your bible enough? Did you have devotionals everyday? Are you loving enough? Are you humble enough? Are you disciplined enough? Did you confess enough? Are you living Christian enough? Are you doing enough?" Such meaningless dribble. No wonder nobody is getting saved in our church meetings these days. No wonder lives aren't being transformed or people freed from the bondage of sin. If the emphasis was on the right thing, on Christ, you would suddenly see joy in peoples faces again. You would see lives change and the power would then be of God and no flesh would glory in His presence. God does not work in principles and rudiments. God's power is manifested in the preaching of the cross. Christ crucified.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Condemnation and Failure
I meet and hear about people all the time who say that they are failing to live up to the "Christian standard". Our churches are full of them. For instance, there is a man (we will call him Dale) who always talks about how he just doesn't have the motivation to get up before work to read his bible and have his devotions. Dale can't pray enough, can't witness, can't do enough to feed his insatiable drive for righteousness in trying to please God. Dale also can't overcome sin in his life, mainly his addiction to pornography. All the while Dale is tremendously proud of his righteousness to the point where he said to me, "If someone accused me of not being man enough, I would tell him, you try living the Christian life". In his attempt to come across as humble and contrite, you can see his pride come oozing out of every orifice. It is sick folks. Almost certainly Dale's problem is, he is still under the law. His thought process is that if he does enough, if he strives hard enough, God will be so pleased and will want him in his heaven for eternity. This is also what most of modern Christianity teaches. That is just plain old natural religion. It is not Christianity and it is not gospel because Muslims believe the same thing. Most of our churches teach that if you keep striving, grasping for one commandment after another, as a knot in a rope, that you will reach God. There is no gospel in that. Most of the emphasis and focus in church meetings is living holy lives and feeding this inherent desire we have to make it right with God. We know we haven't lived right and now we want to say sorry to God and try to live right, to please Him. That is not Christianity. All religions teach that. So if you are in this boat of trying and failing, what do you do? Just give up and quit trying? That doesn't seem right.
What Dale and everyone else like him need to understand is that your righteousness will never measure up. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. It doesn't matter that you haven't sinned as much as the next man. It doesn't matter that you lived a pretty righteous life. A world class longjumper still could not jump over the Grand Canyon. He would fall short every time he tried. The same way, you cannot go to heaven on your own righteousness. If you are trusting in your good works, you will fail. You will fall short. If you're trusting in the way you have lived to get you to God, you will utterly fail. So you say, "What must I do?" Well the problem is it is too late to do anything to make it right. Your problem is your question. Let me ask you, WHAT DID JESUS DO SO YOU COULD BE SAVED? He died on a cross, right? Where did all your sin go? On Jesus and then into the grave, right? So if Jesus died and shed his blood so you could be saved, then why all the striving? Why keep trying to make it right with God when Jesus already did? Just put your trust in what Jesus did and rely on that with all your heart. Stop trusting in your good works! Stop focusing on living right and start focusing on Jesus! Stop being beguiled with enticing words that tell you that what Jesus did is insuficient. Jesus is all you need. You don't need counseling. you don't need self help. All you need is Jesus. That is it. I am done. This is the cure for all that ails you. You put your trust in Him and you'll find you have all the motivation you need to overcome any sin or whatever else stands in your way.
What Dale and everyone else like him need to understand is that your righteousness will never measure up. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. It doesn't matter that you haven't sinned as much as the next man. It doesn't matter that you lived a pretty righteous life. A world class longjumper still could not jump over the Grand Canyon. He would fall short every time he tried. The same way, you cannot go to heaven on your own righteousness. If you are trusting in your good works, you will fail. You will fall short. If you're trusting in the way you have lived to get you to God, you will utterly fail. So you say, "What must I do?" Well the problem is it is too late to do anything to make it right. Your problem is your question. Let me ask you, WHAT DID JESUS DO SO YOU COULD BE SAVED? He died on a cross, right? Where did all your sin go? On Jesus and then into the grave, right? So if Jesus died and shed his blood so you could be saved, then why all the striving? Why keep trying to make it right with God when Jesus already did? Just put your trust in what Jesus did and rely on that with all your heart. Stop trusting in your good works! Stop focusing on living right and start focusing on Jesus! Stop being beguiled with enticing words that tell you that what Jesus did is insuficient. Jesus is all you need. You don't need counseling. you don't need self help. All you need is Jesus. That is it. I am done. This is the cure for all that ails you. You put your trust in Him and you'll find you have all the motivation you need to overcome any sin or whatever else stands in your way.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
A Little of My Experience
I just feel the urge to write about how wonderful it is to be a born again Christian. Most of you know me and know that I don't usually show a lot of emotion. I don't go around grinning like an idiot, is what I mean. But inside, man I just love life.
Check this out. I have the same car that I had before I got became a Christian, I got the same pickup, I got the same guns (well... a couple more now), I still hunt, I still backpack, I still like Nascar, hockey... I still live in the same house and have the same job as I had before. Also, if I took a non believer and had him observe my life, he would say, "Wow, your life is everything but exciting. You don't go out and party, go on dates, or even just hang out with friends a whole lot. Your life sure doesn't look like fun." On the exterior, many things are the same... But EVERYTHING is different and where before I was miserable, now I am full of joy. How could this be? It doesn't make any sense.
Herein lies the thing. My joy now, doesn't hinge on seeking pleasure. It doesn't lie in doing good things. It doesn't lie in going to a church meeting. The joy I speak of doesn't even hinge on the people in my life. My joy doesn't even hinge on anything that happens moment by moment in my experience. I am not saying that I don't get joy out of these things. I do, but it is nothing compared to the joy from the hope I got inside. Now some of you know what I'm talking about but if you don't, your missing something, and you need to get it because it's good.
A little background... Most of my life I wasn't saved. Most of my life I was miserable. I didn't really recognize it at the time, I just thought that that's the way it is. It was normal. So to try and be less miserable I sought pleasure. If I could just keep my mind occupied long enough so the loneliness and sadness wouldn't creep in, I'd be ok. I looked fondly at my childhood because things were good then. No responsibility, no guilt... Just carefree living and having fun. Friends, when I look back... I was bitter. I was miserable. Life really did suck. I don't blame the unbeliever for saying, "Life is a b@#ch." It was.
Lets get to the good part. Long story short, I got born again. Everything changed. The whole aura of my life changed. I no longer liked listening to sad or dark music. It no longer fit my mood. A lot of my tastes changed. The amount of time I spent doing meaningless things, dropped. I thought about Jesus all the time, without purposing to. I desired to read my bible more, and I now understood it. I would wake up at sometimes three o'clock in the morning thinking about bible doctrine. This doesn't just happen by accident. You don't suddenly develop a hunger for the bible doctrine, without some sort of supernatural work. You don't just tell your buddies that you would rather not get drunk, you would rather stay home and read your bible. You don't suddenly have feelings of love for people that you never cared for before. You don't suddenly develop a hunger for righteousness and a pure hatred for sin, just by accident from one day to the next. You don't suddenly develop the strength to resist the sin that continuously is victorious over this body of flesh . It just doesn't happen randomly! It doesn't.
This might sound a little fruity, but I would (and still do) go for walks through the woods and just marvel at things that before I thought were stupid. I'm all by myself (grinning like an idiot) looking at different plants, bugs, trees, the sky, and just praising God! Praising Him for how beautiful He made everything but mostly, Thanking Him for sending His only begotten Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to die on a cross, where I deserve to be. Thanking Jesus for His righteousness and His shed blood. Just glorying in the finished work of Christ. Walking down the trail, with a new awareness of His presence and knowing that we are now on the same side. Knowing that if I ascend into heaven, thou art there, if I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there. (psalm 139:8).
The whole point here is that, all my joy is not dependant on my experience. All my joy hinges on something that happened outside of my experience. Think about that! If your joy is dependant on something outside of your experience, you are truly free! All my joy comes from a knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. All my joy comes not from the life I live, but from the FINISHED work of Christ. Nothing left for me to do, but believe. That just thrills me! Throw religion aside! All you need is Jesus!
What I've got... It's good! If you haven't got it... you must. Eternity depends on it! If at one point in your life you didn't get different desires, if you didn't hate the sin you used to do, if you didn't hunger for righteousness... then you need to get what I got. If there was never a new hunger for Jesus, for knowledge and for truth, then you need to get what I got. If your "Christian life" is based on a decision you made or a prayer you prayed, then you don't have it, and you need to get what I got. You can't do anything to earn it. And don't go trying to stir something up. Don't go try to do something righteous so you can be sure. You can't put the horse behind the cart. The bible says faith comes by hearing. The bible says you are saved from the wrath of God (eternal damnation) by faith in Jesus Christ. Faith, not in the good works you do but, faith that what Jesus did is sufficient for you to get to heaven. It's a gift.
This is important. Get this straight! A person is saved by faith (believing)in Jesus, and how does one believe? You examine the evidence (hearing) and when you are convinced, you will believe it. You must believe. Deciding to believe is not enough. So you need to hear the Gospel. And you need to hear the true gospel. For the true gospel go to http://nogreaterjoy.org/ and listen to the free commentary on Romans download. If you listen with an open heart and a desire for God, it will totally change your present life and your eternal life.
Check this out. I have the same car that I had before I got became a Christian, I got the same pickup, I got the same guns (well... a couple more now), I still hunt, I still backpack, I still like Nascar, hockey... I still live in the same house and have the same job as I had before. Also, if I took a non believer and had him observe my life, he would say, "Wow, your life is everything but exciting. You don't go out and party, go on dates, or even just hang out with friends a whole lot. Your life sure doesn't look like fun." On the exterior, many things are the same... But EVERYTHING is different and where before I was miserable, now I am full of joy. How could this be? It doesn't make any sense.
Herein lies the thing. My joy now, doesn't hinge on seeking pleasure. It doesn't lie in doing good things. It doesn't lie in going to a church meeting. The joy I speak of doesn't even hinge on the people in my life. My joy doesn't even hinge on anything that happens moment by moment in my experience. I am not saying that I don't get joy out of these things. I do, but it is nothing compared to the joy from the hope I got inside. Now some of you know what I'm talking about but if you don't, your missing something, and you need to get it because it's good.
A little background... Most of my life I wasn't saved. Most of my life I was miserable. I didn't really recognize it at the time, I just thought that that's the way it is. It was normal. So to try and be less miserable I sought pleasure. If I could just keep my mind occupied long enough so the loneliness and sadness wouldn't creep in, I'd be ok. I looked fondly at my childhood because things were good then. No responsibility, no guilt... Just carefree living and having fun. Friends, when I look back... I was bitter. I was miserable. Life really did suck. I don't blame the unbeliever for saying, "Life is a b@#ch." It was.
Lets get to the good part. Long story short, I got born again. Everything changed. The whole aura of my life changed. I no longer liked listening to sad or dark music. It no longer fit my mood. A lot of my tastes changed. The amount of time I spent doing meaningless things, dropped. I thought about Jesus all the time, without purposing to. I desired to read my bible more, and I now understood it. I would wake up at sometimes three o'clock in the morning thinking about bible doctrine. This doesn't just happen by accident. You don't suddenly develop a hunger for the bible doctrine, without some sort of supernatural work. You don't just tell your buddies that you would rather not get drunk, you would rather stay home and read your bible. You don't suddenly have feelings of love for people that you never cared for before. You don't suddenly develop a hunger for righteousness and a pure hatred for sin, just by accident from one day to the next. You don't suddenly develop the strength to resist the sin that continuously is victorious over this body of flesh . It just doesn't happen randomly! It doesn't.
This might sound a little fruity, but I would (and still do) go for walks through the woods and just marvel at things that before I thought were stupid. I'm all by myself (grinning like an idiot) looking at different plants, bugs, trees, the sky, and just praising God! Praising Him for how beautiful He made everything but mostly, Thanking Him for sending His only begotten Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to die on a cross, where I deserve to be. Thanking Jesus for His righteousness and His shed blood. Just glorying in the finished work of Christ. Walking down the trail, with a new awareness of His presence and knowing that we are now on the same side. Knowing that if I ascend into heaven, thou art there, if I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there. (psalm 139:8).
The whole point here is that, all my joy is not dependant on my experience. All my joy hinges on something that happened outside of my experience. Think about that! If your joy is dependant on something outside of your experience, you are truly free! All my joy comes from a knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. All my joy comes not from the life I live, but from the FINISHED work of Christ. Nothing left for me to do, but believe. That just thrills me! Throw religion aside! All you need is Jesus!
What I've got... It's good! If you haven't got it... you must. Eternity depends on it! If at one point in your life you didn't get different desires, if you didn't hate the sin you used to do, if you didn't hunger for righteousness... then you need to get what I got. If there was never a new hunger for Jesus, for knowledge and for truth, then you need to get what I got. If your "Christian life" is based on a decision you made or a prayer you prayed, then you don't have it, and you need to get what I got. You can't do anything to earn it. And don't go trying to stir something up. Don't go try to do something righteous so you can be sure. You can't put the horse behind the cart. The bible says faith comes by hearing. The bible says you are saved from the wrath of God (eternal damnation) by faith in Jesus Christ. Faith, not in the good works you do but, faith that what Jesus did is sufficient for you to get to heaven. It's a gift.
This is important. Get this straight! A person is saved by faith (believing)in Jesus, and how does one believe? You examine the evidence (hearing) and when you are convinced, you will believe it. You must believe. Deciding to believe is not enough. So you need to hear the Gospel. And you need to hear the true gospel. For the true gospel go to http://nogreaterjoy.org/ and listen to the free commentary on Romans download. If you listen with an open heart and a desire for God, it will totally change your present life and your eternal life.
Friday, September 11, 2009
THE LAW
The Law
Recently I have been quite facinated with this topic. Through study and much contemplation I have come to the conclusion that there is a great need in modern Christianity for the law to be preached. If you have read my previous notes, you might be a little shocked. Have I changed my theology? Not in the least.
When we think of biblical law, we think of the Mosaic Law. You know, ten commandments. But the Mosaic law was not given to us gentiles. It was given only to a certain race of people, the Jews. So what is the law to us gentiles? What sayeth the scriptures...
Ro 2:14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
Ro 2:15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)
The bible says that the knowledge that is present in every human, which is written in our hearts, is the law to us. For example, we know that we shouldn't murder, rape or steal from our fellow man. We know we ought to do right, and when we do wrong our conscience accuses us and we have then broken the law. This knowledge of right and wrong, that we hold inside, grows throughout our life and we use this knowledge or standard to judge other people, consciously or not. And this standard that we use to judge others, is the standard that we ourselves will one day be judged with, by God. That way nobody can say, "It's not fair, I was a victim", or "It wasn't a fair playing field". It doesn't matter. You will be judged by your own measuring stick. Just think... On that day there will be billions of people watching as every vile disgusting thought and deed that you ever did, is played out for everyone to see. You think that you will have an excuse then? Are you going to say, "It's not fair, compared to everyone else I was pretty good"? Or maybe, "But Lord, don't just look at the sin, what about all my goodness?" Or will you just stand there with your mouth shut with the rest of the world, knowing you are guilty and have no excuse? When a criminal stands trial for murder infront of a judge, all the good that he did in his life is not brought into the equation. It just doesn't matter. What matters is that all your life you lived with your back to God. What matters is that all your life you did not like to retain God in your knowledge. What matters is your whole life was spent disobeying your own standard of right doing, all the while knowing the judgement of God and neither glorified Him or were thankful. What matters is that you are breathing God's good clean air with utter disdain for Him, while out of His goodness and forbearance He is not crushing you like you deserve, waiting for you to repent. You think that God wants a person like you in His Heaven? You really think that if you just say sorry, he will let you in? Would a judge let a murderer go if he just said sorry? That would not be just on God's part. And if God were unjust, how could he then judge the world? God requires perfection from us and a payment for our sin. Jesus said, "Be ye perfect." But herein lies the problem, all we sinners can give is an effort, a try, and still end in failure.
Most religions keep going here, and say, "Do the right thing and live." The old testament also taught that. Just keep trying to please God, grasp for one commandment to another, trying to reach God. But the bible says that the whole world has been pronounced GUILTY, everybody's mouth will be shut, with no excuse. It is too late to try to work your way in.
Ro 3:19 ¶ Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: THAT EVERY MOUTH MAY BE STOPPED AND ALL THE WORLD MAY BECOME GUILTY BEFORE GOD.
The law says, "IT IS TOO LATE TO MAKE IT RIGHT, THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO, YOU HAVE BROKEN THE LAW AND NOW YOU DESERVE TO BURN!"
This is the law's purpose. The bible says...
Ga 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Recently I have been quite facinated with this topic. Through study and much contemplation I have come to the conclusion that there is a great need in modern Christianity for the law to be preached. If you have read my previous notes, you might be a little shocked. Have I changed my theology? Not in the least.
When we think of biblical law, we think of the Mosaic Law. You know, ten commandments. But the Mosaic law was not given to us gentiles. It was given only to a certain race of people, the Jews. So what is the law to us gentiles? What sayeth the scriptures...
Ro 2:14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
Ro 2:15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)
The bible says that the knowledge that is present in every human, which is written in our hearts, is the law to us. For example, we know that we shouldn't murder, rape or steal from our fellow man. We know we ought to do right, and when we do wrong our conscience accuses us and we have then broken the law. This knowledge of right and wrong, that we hold inside, grows throughout our life and we use this knowledge or standard to judge other people, consciously or not. And this standard that we use to judge others, is the standard that we ourselves will one day be judged with, by God. That way nobody can say, "It's not fair, I was a victim", or "It wasn't a fair playing field". It doesn't matter. You will be judged by your own measuring stick. Just think... On that day there will be billions of people watching as every vile disgusting thought and deed that you ever did, is played out for everyone to see. You think that you will have an excuse then? Are you going to say, "It's not fair, compared to everyone else I was pretty good"? Or maybe, "But Lord, don't just look at the sin, what about all my goodness?" Or will you just stand there with your mouth shut with the rest of the world, knowing you are guilty and have no excuse? When a criminal stands trial for murder infront of a judge, all the good that he did in his life is not brought into the equation. It just doesn't matter. What matters is that all your life you lived with your back to God. What matters is that all your life you did not like to retain God in your knowledge. What matters is your whole life was spent disobeying your own standard of right doing, all the while knowing the judgement of God and neither glorified Him or were thankful. What matters is that you are breathing God's good clean air with utter disdain for Him, while out of His goodness and forbearance He is not crushing you like you deserve, waiting for you to repent. You think that God wants a person like you in His Heaven? You really think that if you just say sorry, he will let you in? Would a judge let a murderer go if he just said sorry? That would not be just on God's part. And if God were unjust, how could he then judge the world? God requires perfection from us and a payment for our sin. Jesus said, "Be ye perfect." But herein lies the problem, all we sinners can give is an effort, a try, and still end in failure.
Most religions keep going here, and say, "Do the right thing and live." The old testament also taught that. Just keep trying to please God, grasp for one commandment to another, trying to reach God. But the bible says that the whole world has been pronounced GUILTY, everybody's mouth will be shut, with no excuse. It is too late to try to work your way in.
Ro 3:19 ¶ Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: THAT EVERY MOUTH MAY BE STOPPED AND ALL THE WORLD MAY BECOME GUILTY BEFORE GOD.
The law says, "IT IS TOO LATE TO MAKE IT RIGHT, THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO, YOU HAVE BROKEN THE LAW AND NOW YOU DESERVE TO BURN!"
This is the law's purpose. The bible says...
Ga 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
The law was brought in to bring us to a point where we give up and say to God, "God, I got all this sin, I am a total failure, all my righteousness is dung. What have you got?" And God says, "Here put this on." And he clothes us in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. That's our only hope. There is no hope anymore that the good we have done is enough to get us into heaven. You see, God treated His Son as a sinner (not only one sinner, all the sinners of the world) so that He could see us as righteous. You can't offer anything, and nothing is required, just a simple faith. This works out in such a way, that now being free from the condemnation of the law and under grace, with the Spirit of God inside us, we now have all the motivation we need to overcome anything, the world, the flesh, or the devil can throw our way. We are back in fellowship with God in this relationship of faith with all the righteousness needed to get to heaven, freely without any effort on our part. Just living in peace, love and joy for the rest of our days here on earth, believing God and basking in His grace and mercy. It's a beautiful thing.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Have You Escaped the Wrath of God?
When you go to bed at night, do you ask pray something like this,"Lord if I'm not saved you know I want to be"? Do you confess your sins at night and ask for forgiveness, just to make sure you're "right with God"? If this describes you then you probably really do need to get saved. You see, all of this is just a cry of unbelief. Salvation is not something that happens in your experience, and you by yourself, can never be it right with God. Your righteousness will never measure up. The problem is you have already sinned and it is too late to make it right. Confessing just will not do. It is too late to ask for forgiveness. It is too late to try to please God and your best effort will not suffice. God requires more, much more, but THAT IS ALL WE SINNERS CAN GIVE. Spiritually speaking we owe God a billion dollars with no way to pay Him. We are terminally ill with sin and it looks like God will have to throw us into Hell's debtor prison. The WHOLE HUMAN RACE IS MORALLY BANKRUPT. The payment God requires for sin is righteous blood. Only perfect righteous blood can take away sin but the whole human race has sinned and there is none righteous. Not one. We have a big problem here. We have no righteous blood and God cannot allow sinners into His heaven. This is a terrible situation. It looks like its the eternal lake of fire for every human that has ever lived. All have turned there back on God and God looks in His books of reckoning and it looks bad. REAL BAD! Wait! There is one more entry! It says,"BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND THOU SHALT BE SAVED!" When we believe with all our heart on the life that Jesus lived and the blood that He shed, so that we could be saved, God imputes Jesus's righteousness to our account, just like He imputed our sin to Jesus's account. Now in God's books of reckoning, we who believe are counted as sinless sons of God who have all the righteousness needed to get to heaven! He counted Jesus as a sinner so that He could count us as righteous. Beautiful! Amazing! Marvelous!
So what exactly is salvation? You see, salvation is not something that happens in your experience. Salvation is what God did when He came to the earth, in the flesh, born of a virgin who lived a perfect sinless life, and died on a cross where He shed His own divine blood and bore all the sins of every human who has ever lived and on the third day rose again having payed the blood debt owed by the human race and ascended to the Father and is currently seated at His right hand having obtained eternal redemption for the whole human race.
But, the thing is we sinners are still guilty. And if we die we still go to hell, unless... The bible says,"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved". When we believe with all our heart that the works that Jesus did for us, is sufficient for us to go to heaven, God imputes Jesus's righteousness to our account, just like He imputed our sin to Jesus's account. God calls us righteous because He counted Jesus as a sinner. Awesome!
Now do you believe? You say,"Well if I don't, God knows I want to". That is not good enough. God says to believe. Wanting to believe isn't good enough. Deciding to believe isn't good enough. You must believe. How do you believe something? You look at the evidence and when you are persuaded, you believe it. If you are not persuaded then you need to hear the gospel until you do believe it. If you want to hear it right, go to http://nogreaterjoy.com/ and listen to the free message "Am I saved", and if your still not convinced, the commentary on the book of Romans is free and available for listening or download. Follow along in your bible and I know that the word of God will work in you so that you will be persuaded and believe with all your heart and escape the wrath of God.
Romans 4:5 To him that worketh not but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Jesus died for the UNGODLY! Friend, that is you and me!
It's a FREE GIFT. Dwell on that, FREE GIFT! You cannot do anything to earn it and and the only people the gift is offered to, is THE UNGODLY! This means YOU! This is wonderful news and you don't have to DO ANYTHING, just believe. It's not what you do my friend, it's what He has done... Tetelesti. It is finished.
So what exactly is salvation? You see, salvation is not something that happens in your experience. Salvation is what God did when He came to the earth, in the flesh, born of a virgin who lived a perfect sinless life, and died on a cross where He shed His own divine blood and bore all the sins of every human who has ever lived and on the third day rose again having payed the blood debt owed by the human race and ascended to the Father and is currently seated at His right hand having obtained eternal redemption for the whole human race.
But, the thing is we sinners are still guilty. And if we die we still go to hell, unless... The bible says,"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved". When we believe with all our heart that the works that Jesus did for us, is sufficient for us to go to heaven, God imputes Jesus's righteousness to our account, just like He imputed our sin to Jesus's account. God calls us righteous because He counted Jesus as a sinner. Awesome!
Now do you believe? You say,"Well if I don't, God knows I want to". That is not good enough. God says to believe. Wanting to believe isn't good enough. Deciding to believe isn't good enough. You must believe. How do you believe something? You look at the evidence and when you are persuaded, you believe it. If you are not persuaded then you need to hear the gospel until you do believe it. If you want to hear it right, go to http://nogreaterjoy.com/ and listen to the free message "Am I saved", and if your still not convinced, the commentary on the book of Romans is free and available for listening or download. Follow along in your bible and I know that the word of God will work in you so that you will be persuaded and believe with all your heart and escape the wrath of God.
Romans 4:5 To him that worketh not but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Jesus died for the UNGODLY! Friend, that is you and me!
It's a FREE GIFT. Dwell on that, FREE GIFT! You cannot do anything to earn it and and the only people the gift is offered to, is THE UNGODLY! This means YOU! This is wonderful news and you don't have to DO ANYTHING, just believe. It's not what you do my friend, it's what He has done... Tetelesti. It is finished.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Romans Chapter 7
Almost the whole of modern Christianity thinks that Romans chapter 7 is the nominal experience for the average Christian. They quote these verses...
Ro 7:14 ¶ For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.
Ro 7:15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
Ro 7:16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
Ro 7:17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
This they say is Paul's life as a Christian. I too was once decieved and believed that as well. This is a lie straight from the devil. What better lie for Satan to decieve Christians with, to let them think that they just can't help but sin. Paul wanted to be righteous and sin not, but just got up every morning and tried to do what he wanted to, but always ended up doing what he hated. That is the Christian life, just try, fail, confess, try, fail, confess.
Every time you tell someone that believes this that all Christians are dead to all sin and free from all sin, they remember their experience and bring up this chapter. Lets look at some verses that seem to contradict this...
Ro 6:2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
Ro 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
Ro 6:7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
Ro 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Ro 6:18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
Ro 6:22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
I could go on. This is just one chapter. Any reasonable person reading this would have to agree that Christians have the flesh crucified and are free from all sin. Not free of sin. Free from sin.
If this was taught in church it would sure weed out the wolves from among the sheep. Here is another verse from the 1John.
1Jo 3:8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
1Jo 3:9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
From what these verses say, if Paul was talking about the experience of every Christian then we have some serious scripture issues here. These scriptures would be contradicting each other then would they not? If Paul was speaking of his experience as a Christian then from these other verses I would have to come to the conclusion that Paul is a slave to sin and of the devil. Any logical person would have to come to that conclusion.
Now what is Paul saying in Romans ch 7? He is continuing his point from ch 6 that the body of sin (the flesh of every Christian) was crucified on the cross with Christ and is now to be reckoned dead. Now, I totally don't remember that so I must conclude that it happened to me outside my experience. So, should I now not believe it because I don't see it? Should I not believe something that happened outside my experience? It is called faith. God tells us things that are outside our experience and expects the promise to produce faith in us because He is faithful who promised. It honors him. Just read what it says and believe it. Now back to scripture...
Ro 7:4 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.
Ro 7:5 FOR WHEN WE WERE IN THE FLESH, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.
Ro 7:6 But now we are delivered from the law, THAT BEING DEAD WHEREIN WE WERE HELD (the flesh); that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.
You would have to admit from these verses that we are not in the flesh and that the body of flesh is dead. I could go on but I think the point is well made from scripture that Paul is not saying what most of so called Christianity thinks.
1Co 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
Now we should all know that we are not saved by not doing these things (which is our righteousness), but when you live in these sins it is evidence of your unbelief.
Joh 16:8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
Joh 16:9 OF SIN, BECAUSE THEY BELIEVE NOT ON ME;
So if you are living in sin like Paul (sarcasm) in Romans chapter 7... you should fear.
Mt 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Ro 7:14 ¶ For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.
Ro 7:15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
Ro 7:16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
Ro 7:17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
This they say is Paul's life as a Christian. I too was once decieved and believed that as well. This is a lie straight from the devil. What better lie for Satan to decieve Christians with, to let them think that they just can't help but sin. Paul wanted to be righteous and sin not, but just got up every morning and tried to do what he wanted to, but always ended up doing what he hated. That is the Christian life, just try, fail, confess, try, fail, confess.
Every time you tell someone that believes this that all Christians are dead to all sin and free from all sin, they remember their experience and bring up this chapter. Lets look at some verses that seem to contradict this...
Ro 6:2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
Ro 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
Ro 6:7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
Ro 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Ro 6:18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
Ro 6:22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
I could go on. This is just one chapter. Any reasonable person reading this would have to agree that Christians have the flesh crucified and are free from all sin. Not free of sin. Free from sin.
If this was taught in church it would sure weed out the wolves from among the sheep. Here is another verse from the 1John.
1Jo 3:8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
1Jo 3:9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
From what these verses say, if Paul was talking about the experience of every Christian then we have some serious scripture issues here. These scriptures would be contradicting each other then would they not? If Paul was speaking of his experience as a Christian then from these other verses I would have to come to the conclusion that Paul is a slave to sin and of the devil. Any logical person would have to come to that conclusion.
Now what is Paul saying in Romans ch 7? He is continuing his point from ch 6 that the body of sin (the flesh of every Christian) was crucified on the cross with Christ and is now to be reckoned dead. Now, I totally don't remember that so I must conclude that it happened to me outside my experience. So, should I now not believe it because I don't see it? Should I not believe something that happened outside my experience? It is called faith. God tells us things that are outside our experience and expects the promise to produce faith in us because He is faithful who promised. It honors him. Just read what it says and believe it. Now back to scripture...
Ro 7:4 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.
Ro 7:5 FOR WHEN WE WERE IN THE FLESH, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.
Ro 7:6 But now we are delivered from the law, THAT BEING DEAD WHEREIN WE WERE HELD (the flesh); that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.
You would have to admit from these verses that we are not in the flesh and that the body of flesh is dead. I could go on but I think the point is well made from scripture that Paul is not saying what most of so called Christianity thinks.
1Co 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
Now we should all know that we are not saved by not doing these things (which is our righteousness), but when you live in these sins it is evidence of your unbelief.
Joh 16:8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
Joh 16:9 OF SIN, BECAUSE THEY BELIEVE NOT ON ME;
So if you are living in sin like Paul (sarcasm) in Romans chapter 7... you should fear.
Mt 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Saving Righteousness
When I was growing up, I never remember hearing anything on this topic. It is funny that something so important could be left out of the teaching of God's word. I like, most people grew up thinking that if I lived a good enough life, that God would have to except me. I mean, what more could God ask for then a good effort. What more could God want then for a person to continually confess their sins, ask Jesus into their heart, make a profession of faith, go to church and live a good Christian life? That is all any human being can offer right? That is dead wrong, not good enough and God will not accept that. That is just dead religion and doesn't save. You would have just as good of a chance at eternal life being a Muslim or a Buddhist. All religion teaches that your righteousness (if it is good enough) will get you to heaven or some sort of reward in the afterlife . Every person is born with this natural religion.
This "Natural Religion", is inherent in every human being. Every man knows that there is one God. There can only be one cause for the universe. You do not need a Koran or a bible to know that. Some might not admit that, but when they are pinned against the steering wheel in an overturned car that is on fire, they will not pray to a "great force", they will say "Oh God get me out of here, I'll be good I promise". Also every human knows that he ought to do good and not murder, steal from or rape his fellow man. You don't need a bible or any other book to know that. Every man knows that he ought to treat his fellow man right, but natural religion goes farther then that. It says that if you see your neighbor in need, that you should help him. You do not need a bible to know that. Natural religion also says that you need to be good to please God, and that is absolutely true. Natural religion also teaches that everyone is a sinner. Every person will admit that. Also every person believes in some sort of reward or punishment in the afterlife. Even reincarnation teaches that if you are bad that you will return as some lower life form. Even those religions that teach that everyone goes to heaven, just let something dirty and horrible happen to their loved ones and ask them if they think that person is going to heaven.
Also we know that no one is confident that they have lived well enough in this lifetime, to inherit eternal life. No one can say with absolute confidence that according to their righteousness, God wants them in his heaven. Absolutely no one. And all we sinners can offer, is our effort. The world is full of people that think God will accept our efforts, but He will not, no God expects much more. God calls our righteousness filthy rags.
Isa 64:6 ¶ But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Here in the following passage Paul says that he counts his righteousness as dung. Paul says that if you think you have confidence in the way you have lived your life, that it will be acceptable to God, he has more reason to brag. He says that his righteousness as pertaining to the law (doing what he knew to be right) was blameless. The law said not to steal, Paul never did. The law said to keep the sabbath holy, Paul always did. No man could accuse Paul of breaking the law. He was blameless. And then he says that all of that righteousness, all of those good things he did, he counts as dung, and hopes, that he will not be found with his own righteousness, but with the righteousness of God which is by faith. There is two righteousnesses?
¶ Php 3:4 Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:
Php 3:5 Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;
Php 3:6 Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
Php 3:7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
Php 3:8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
Php 3:9 ¶ And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
This is profound! This is departing from all natural religion. This goes against all the laws of nature! No other religion teaches this. You are not good enough to spend eternity in heaven, by your own good works. I cannot stress this enough. This makes no sense to the average sinner. My best effort at doing good and abstaining from evil is not good enough. Think about that. There is nothing you can do to save yourself. Well, you might say, I sin less than most. I am glad that in a terminally ill ward at the hospital you feel better. I am glad the medicine they gave you, makes you feel good, but there is still only one way out of here. They roll you out in a cart and bury you. All are sinners and fall short of the glory of God. Look at Paul. He put quite the brag together. I hope we don`t think that we have more righteousness then Paul. And Paul did not want to be caught with his own righteousness. If he would be, then he would go to hell. I wonder how many people are going to present God with their own righteousness. You would be just as well off presenting Him your sin.
Ro 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
There we have it. Nobody will or can get be justified before God and inherit eternal life in heaven by doing the things in the law. You cannot inherit eternal life by your own righteousness. You cannot be justified in God`s sight by going to church, praying, reading your bible, loving your fellow man, keeping the sabbath or any other work that you could do.
Ro 3:21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
Ro 3:22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
Can we even comprehend that. The righteousness of God without the law, by faith in Jesus Christ. WE NEED THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD TO ENTER INTO THE KINGDOM OF GOD! Remember what Jesus said,"Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS... How do we get this righteousness of God? God says BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND THOU SHALT BE SAVED. That promise itself stirs faith in me. When we believe that Jesus bore our sin on that tree, died, and rose again, God imputes the righteousness of Christ to our account. That makes those that believe on Jesus as righteous as He was, without any works. God counted Jesus as a sinner so that He could count us as righteous. That is God`s promise. That promise itself produces faith in me and that is what pleases God. That is how I know without a shadow of a doubt that I am saved. I would be an idiot if I was not sure of my salvation, when I am in God's sight as righteous as Jesus Christ.
Well in many churches they would tell you now that you need to receive Jesus. That is ridiculous. You cannot receive Jesus. You either believe this gospel of Jesus Christ or you go back trusting in your own righteousness. You know where that will get you. And as far as believing goes, you do not decide to believe something. You either believe in something or you don`t. When you are convinced of something or persuaded, then you believe it. If you are not convinced that Jesus died in your place, then you need to hear the gospel until you do believe it. When faith comes, you will know.
So what is my purpose in writing this you might ask? Because many people are counting their own righteousness as gold, when it is like filthy rags to God. When you count your own righteousness as something precious, you are trusting in it. What is precious to God is faith. All good relationships are based on faith and the purpose for salvation is so that God will have a family that puts their trust in Him. Cast yourselves wholly on Jesus. Trust that His shed blood is sufficient. Please, don't trust in your good works. Count your righteousness as dung like Paul and cling to the righteousness of God. This faith will free you like you never dreamed possible.
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