Monday, July 14, 2008

Justification

This is an article I read this morning written by Mike Williams in his newsletter.

Re: Justification by the Faith OF Christ

“Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the
faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we
might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the
law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” Galatians 2:16

In the world of Evangelical Christianity, much talk is made about
justification from sin being by faith and faith alone.

But that begs the question, “By whose faith brings justification?”

The Good News of the Gospel of Grace is that you and the entire world are
justified by grace (unmerited favor) through faith. And that faith that
justifies you and the entire world is the faith OF Jesus Christ.

In the coming weeks we are going to begin a journey through the Book of
Romans Chapters 4-6. In these chapters Paul the apostle shares the great
story of the redemption of the entire world.

We want to prepare for this trek through the Truth of the New Testament
writings by focusing on one of the clearest yet most neglected core issues
of the Gospel story from some other passages.

YOUR faith could never be good or pure enough to qualify you or anyone for
God’s righteousness.

Galatians 2:16 states that humanity is not justified by obeying the works
of the law that nothing a man can do can earn or merit any favor or
acceptance with God. Paul states that we are justified by the faith OF
Jesus Christ. Please read that again. It is the faith OF Jesus Christ
which declares you and the whole world just (just as if you had never
sinned) in the eyes of God.

Ephesians 2: 8-9 proclaims that we are saved by the grace of God through
faith in Jesus Christ not of ourselves, but it is the gift of God. The
faith that declares you forever one with God is the very faith OF the Son
of God Who loved you and gave Himself for you.

Do you ever wonder or worry if your faith is good or pure enough to secure
you eternal redemption or qualify you for Heaven? Have you ever wondered
if redemption and/or salvation are by faith, how much faith do you have to
have?

Here is the Good News: ALL the faith that it took for you and the entire
human race to be forever reconciled to God was provided through the faith
OF the Son of God.

Christ had and has the faith that it took to procure the forgiveness of
sin for the whole world! Christ’s faith upon the Cross redeemed humanity
forever from the curse of the law. Christ knew that His sacrifice would be
the ransom for humanity’s debt to God. Christ knew, or had the faith, that
His own blood would blot out the record of guilt that the law held against
us.

Dear Friend, Christ has THE faith to look at you and everyone and proclaim
you redeemed, saved, forgiven, and secured by His Divine Grace. Now we can
choose to accept His acceptance. When we know we are already accepted, we
begin to know the joy unspeakable of full of glory (His glory)! It is the
joy of living in His grace, in His unearned favor, reigning in this life
through the faith OF Jesus Christ.

Saved by faith? Yes! But it is the faith OF the Son of God, a faith which
will NEVER fail. Christ believes you are saved. What is there to worry
about?

To Be Continued…

Michael Williams

Grace and Peace,


Posted by Roy at 08:27:11 | Permanent Link | Comments (1) |

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Established in Grace

I think most people would agree that the likelihood of Jesus ever changing Who He is and what He has done is not something that would even be up for discussion. I doubt anyone would disagree with the verse in Hebrews 13:8 that say Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. I guess we can say that is a given and not something we can expect will ever change.

I am not trying to say anything here that is trying to make a doctrine out of one or two verses but simply stating that I believe we are all assured that Jesus will always remain the same. His Grace is sufficient and what He has done for us through that Grace is something that may be difficult for a lot of us to understand but it has been done nonetheless. I think the majority of the human race has a problem with the fact we have received something from God without our involvement in any way. It is difficult to understand and accept the fact there is nothing we have done nor can do in order to obtain this great redemption that was so freely given to the human race by Him at the cross.

I am not going to go into any deep discussion about what the grace of God has done for all mankind in this post because I believe by now most know where I stand as far as what the grace of God has done for the human race 2000 years ago with no one being left out of the plan. When we look at what is being preached today and has been for hundreds of years, it is not really good news. Whenever you hear a message preached that has any kind of bad news in it, it immediately ceases to be Good News. Let us not forget the Gospel is good news.

As I read today in Hebrews I saw in Chapter 13 verse 9 that we are not to be carried away with divers and strange doctrines. I believe these doctrines alluded to here are anything we hear preached and taught that strays from the good news of the Gospel. I believe when we hear anything that says we have to do anything to be redeemed it can be classed as “strange” and should not be listened to. I believe that when we begin to listen to all that is being said out there, or should I say anything that is being said out there, we have to be careful because most of it falls under the category of being “divers and strange”.

Further on in the verse I read that we are to be established in grace. I looked up the meaning of established in the Greek dictionary and it means this……to be stable, firm, steadfast and sure. If we listening to every kind of doctrine that is out there (strange and divers) then we are definitely not established in grace. What does it mean to be established in Grace? I can only tell you what that means to my own heart as I cannot speak for anyone else.

I see myself as established in grace because I read Hebrews 13:8 and see Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. What He did “yesterday” is still in effect today and will be forever. Nothing we do or do not do can change that. When we look at Who it was that accomplished this great plan of redemption and realize it had nothing to do with any of us, then how can we be anything but established in grace.

Going back to the Greek meaning of the word established, am I stable in this? Absolutely because I know it was accomplished by Jesus apart from my involvement. Am I firm in this belief? Of course, but again, only because I know Who accomplished it. Am I steadfast in this belief? Absolutely, because I believe Jesus accomplished what He came to accomplish and that was to redeem the entire human race. Am I sure of this? Very much so because I look at the fact that what Jesus did can not be changed, altered nor can anything else be added or taken away from it because He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

My reason for being established in grace is not because of what I do or don’t do, what I believe or don’t believe but simply being established in what He has done more than 2000 years ago which was fulfilling the plan of God instituted before the foundation of the world. I have laid aside the strange and divers doctrines that were in my life for many years as all they did was cause confusion, bondage and fear. I now rest in the good news of the Gospel which is the redemption of the entire human race.

Posted by Roy at 08:41:54 | Permanent Link | Comments (2) |

Saturday, May 31, 2008

It Is What It Is

I have been going to different web sites that I used to visit and I see what they call the Gospel is still being preached and taught, stronger than ever I guess because the Internet has opened up the whole world to spread most any message people want to put out there.

The old Gospel message I believed for over a quarter of a century is still the same which is you have “to do this to get that” and continuing doing what ever “that” is in order to escape the flames of hell. It is still a work oriented redemption that is preached and I don’t expect that will change anytime soon.

Now that I see the Gospel for what it actually is I can also see that all the preaching and teaching that is done contrary to the true Gospel can not change the fact of what happened at the cross. It is what it is and it is a done deal and a true fact that God sent His Son to redeem the entire human race and that is exactly what He did.

Many do not believe Jesus did this for the entire human race and they are putting fear in people’s hearts by telling them they have to be careful or they will burn forever when they die. Of course in the same breath they preach that God is love which is something I find hard to figure out. However, whatever is being preached out there cannot change the fact of the cross. It is something that cannot be changed.

Some say well you have to believe it for it to be yours. Since when does believing something make it true? Is it not true whether you believe it or not? Believing something does not make it fact. It is already fact which is why you believe it!!! You cannot change the fact that the cross was the redemption of the whole world and that remains a fact whether you believe it or not.

It is time to realize that the event of the cross cannot be changed. You can fight it, preach it with your own understanding, teach it with a passion and try and make people believe it is not true and you have to do something to obtain it and whatever else you can come up with, but you cannot change it.

You can come up with your own interpretation of what the Bible says and you can do your best to pass that along to others but you still cannot change what actually happened at the cross. Trying to fight this is only in the mind and leads many to frustration because it soon becomes apparent when you try to keep the rules and regulation put out there by the church; it is something that is impossible to keep. If what most churches preach that you have to do to get into heaven was true, then we are all in deep trouble, including the ones that preach it. It is impossible to make it to heaven by what you do or don’t do.

You cannot change the fact that your redemption was done totally and fully apart from any of your involvement in it and that it is yours whether you believe it or not. You cannot change the fact that Jesus paid the penalty for the whole world. You cannot change the fact that all sin was looked after by His sacrifice. You can not change the fact that God had a plan for the redemption of the entire world and that that plan was fully carried out by His Son at the cross. You cannot change the fact that He placed all under unbelief so He could have mercy upon all. You cannot change the fact that all means all and not just a few like is preached out there. You cannot change what is already fact!!!

I am no longer bothered by what anyone believes or says about what I put here on this site when it comes to the redemption of the world. I have come to a full realization that the work of the cross is complete and it is what it is. It cannot be changed by me or anyone else regardless of what I do or don’t do. Trying to make it look like it isn’t so by the preaching and teaching out there has no effect on what actually transpired at the cross. It is what it is and you CANNOT change it!!!

Posted by Roy at 08:41:56 | Permanent Link | Comments (6) |

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Choices

In the many years since first beginning to learn about Jesus and what He did at the cross, I always heard that the battle we were fighting, and it was a battle for many years, was us having to choose between Jesus and the devil. It was always a matter of making a choice as to whom we would serve on any particular day and on the days the devil was stronger than Jesus, we would fall back into some of the things we were told were not pleasing to the Lord and of course then we fell into condemnation because of whatever it was we were told was sin that we had fallen into.

But today as I was reading 1 John 3:8 we see that Jesus was “manifested to destroy the works of the devil.” Now if we believe Jesus accomplished what he came to do, which I do whole heartedly, then how can it be that the battle is still between Jesus and the devil? How could the church leaders that were supposed to be teaching us tell us that we had to choose between Jesus and the devil? This of course placed a tremendous burden on all of us because each time we would do something the “church” said we should not be doing we immediately assumed we had chosen to follow the devil on that particular day. On other days when we thought we were doing good, we assumed we had chosen to follow Jesus instead of the devil.

When I look back at some of these teachings it almost makes me angry to think I even for one minute thought these teachers knew what they were talking about. How can I for one minute think that I still have to choose between Jesus and the devil in my everyday living? I suppose I still can in my mind if I believe that Jesus did not accomplish what He came on earth to do. There is no doubt my mind can still feel alienated from God but that is exactly what it says, it is only in our minds that we feel alienated and think we may be following the devil instead of Jesus. It is impossible to be alienated from Jesus regardless of what we may do or think.

So what is this battle we are supposed to be fighting? Is it because we have chosen to follow the devil instead of following Jesus? Or is this our minds telling us another lie because of the indoctrination we have received over the years by listening to the preachers that are preaching a false system that they call the Gospel? I believe it is the latter. It is not an easy thing to try and move away from years of indoctrination because our minds are easily influenced by what we have heard “pounded” into our heads for years and years. However, easy or not, it is something we must move away from because it is not the Truth of the Gospel. To move away from a stand we have taken and stayed with it for years and years is not easy but I believe it is extremely important to do so when Truth begins to be revealed to our hearts.

To remain in or return to a system that we now know to be false can only bring more bondage. The Truth is geared to make us free so anything that brings bondage cannot be Truth. The Gospel of grace and peace is something that frees us to see ourselves as God sees us and to quit trying to figure out God. I no longer try and figure out how God operates but now see myself as God sees me, which is in Christ. I am also learning to look at others in the same light because God sees the entire human race in His Son.

I am not sure if I understand what or who or where this “devil” is or how he/it operates in this present world. I somehow lean towards believing that it is mainly our minds that control our daily choices, whether they are good ones or bad ones. I am not sure I can blame an external force that tells me if I am to choose to follow Jesus or follow the devil on any given day. I believe our choices are made totally by ourselves and it is not a matter of whom we will follow or fall prey to, but a matter of what choices we will make in this life.

The choices we make while we live here on earth are very important because when we make bad ones, there are consequences to these choices. Can I blame the devil for these choices I make? I somehow feel that is trying to place the blame on something or someone else when in fact it is our own choices we make with our own minds. It is very easy for us to try and lay blame on someone else for the misfortunes we may be experiencing but when it comes right down to it, we are responsible for our own actions here on earth.

When the question arises as to whether we can make a “choice” of going to heaven or hell I think if you have read some of the posts on this site, you will know that I believe that this has nothing to do with our choices. The fact remains that Jesus redeemed the entire human race and our (all of humanity) destiny is already secured through the obedience and faith of Jesus Christ.

The question of whether the devil is real in this present world I suppose remains unanswered for me. A few of us have been discussing this over the past few days and weeks but can we come up with an answer that we know to be accurate? I think not. I suppose this is something that each one of us has to settle in our own minds as I doubt very much anyone has a true and reliable answer to the question.

One thing I am convinced of is that it is NOT the way the evangelical church has presented it to be and that is we chose whom we will follow and suffer the consequences, whether they be good or bad. I know that I do not choose to either follow the devil or Jesus and that the battle is between the two of them. Jesus destroyed “the works of the devil” which is a subject for another post at some point. The works of the devil are definitely not whether I go to bars, dance commit adultery or whatever else we may think it is. But whatever that work was, it was destroyed by Jesus at the cross. He redeemed mankind from that “work” and we are now free from the clutches of whatever that was.





Posted by Roy at 17:07:12 | Permanent Link | Comments (6) |

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Is Believing Required?


As I think back over the past years, one thing that was constantly being said was that in order for anything Jesus did to be ours, we had to believe it. You had to believe what He did or it just wasn't in effect in our lives. This of course was used when things didn't work out as well as planned in our day to day existence, because then if things were not going the way they thought they should be going, we were told it was because we didn't believe enough. In other words, our faith had failed.
Is there supposed to be a scale we can go by says just how much we have to believe in order for redemption/salvation to be ours? What if it is on a scale of one to ten? At what point are we safe, so to speak. What if that scale drops to 5, are we still ok as far as making it to heaven is concerned? Or further still, what about the days we experience total disbelief and even wonder if there is even a God at all? Does that mean we are then no longer saved? Does it mean if we die in this condition that we would go to the hell the church has created and burn forever?

If believing for redemption is an actual fact then what about the devil? It says in James 2:19 that the devils believe. If believing was a requirement of redemption/salvation and the devil believes, would that not mean that the devil has been redeemed/saved??? Would that not mean that because he believes, his entrance into heaven has been secured, according to the preaching and doctrines of the evangelical church is concerned when it comes to those that make it to heaven or fail and make it to hell instead?

The issue of believing comes into real serious question when we look at the fact the devil believes. If believing is what makes our entry into heaven a reality, then we must agree that the devil will be there because it is plain in James that he does believe. Can you see how ridiculous this makes the issue of having to believe to be redeemed a fact?

Believing is very important because I can now say I did not consider myself a believer until the day I saw that I and the rest of the human race had been redeemed. That is what made a believer out of me. I did not have to believe to be redeemed but became a believer when I saw that I was already redeemed. And of course that was done apart from anything I did or did not do because redemption is a work of the cross and not a work of my belief or unbelief for that matter.

Jesus completed the work the Father had ordained before the foundation of the world and it was physically completed at the cross. The sacrifice was sufficient and the Father was well pleased with the Son. So do I have to believe for Him to be pleased with me? No, He is pleased with the Son and I am in the Son. We must remember that the Gospel is not about how I view God. It is about how God views me and He views me through His Son and the price He paid for all humanity on the cross. Never forget the fact that God concluded all under unbelief so He could have mercy upon all. Not just a few, but all.



Posted by Roy at 20:40:07 | Permanent Link | Comments (6) |

Monday, February 11, 2008

Being A Heretic

Today in discussion in a chat room with a friend from England as well as a comment on this blog from someone else, the word heretic came up. I know that those of us that have embraced the redemption of the world are called heretics so I decided I would look at the meaning of the word and see if I personally fit that category by which we are called. The meaning of the word is as follows: a professed believer who maintains religious opinions contrary to those accepted by his or her church or rejects doctrines prescribed by that church.

Of course I immediately came to the conclusion that being called such is not anything that is derogatory nor is it insulting to me in any way. After reading this dictionary meaning of the word I have come to the conclusion that I definitely am a heretic because there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that I am in disagreement with the doctrines taught by the evangelical church.

After much study and pondering on different things in the Bible I could not continue on attending these organized religious systems that we have come to call church. There are of course too many things in different doctrines that are taught to list them all here but I will say that for me a major change occurred in my heart and mind when I realized that my belief, faith or whatever else had anything to do with my redemption. I was made in right standing with God when Jesus finished the work on our behalf at the cross as was the entire human race.

Some will tell you that you have to believe for this redemption to be in effect in our lives but the verses that contradict this are very numerous and stated quite plainly as well. I did not become a believer to get something. I became a believer when I realized I already had something. This of course was the realization that I had been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb and that apart from anything I could or should do. This is even apart from my believing it or not believing it. Romans 3:3 makes it clear that even unbelief does not make the faith OF God without effect.

This is only one of the verses where it is mentioned that it is not our faith but the faith OF the Son of God. This is clear in many places and can only be misunderstood if the word OF is changed to IN which has happened in numerous cases. Some translations have changed those two words around because it just does not match up with their doctrinal beliefs, which is one of the areas that have made me a heretic. There are many more like I have said but this one will suffice for now as it’s a doctrine that has been formed to back up a belief system that takes victory away from Jesus Christ and places the onus on the people to try and obtain something that has already been obtained on our behalf at the cross.

So again, am I a heretic? Absolutely. Do I intend to remain a heretic? Absolutely. As long as verses are twisted around to suit their man made doctrines, then yes, I am against church doctrines that teach wrongly that we are responsible for our redemption. This may be a rather harsh statement but I will say it nonetheless…..a doctrine that says we must do anything for redemption is anti Christ. John said there would be many anti Christ that would come and boy was he ever right on. A heretic I am and a heretic I will remain.

Posted by Roy at 17:59:15 | Permanent Link | Comments (11) |

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Is this grace?

This morning I was reading in Titus chapter 3 and something stuck out to me that really speak against the “us and them” mentality the church has taken as one of its major stands. By “us and them” I mean that they say God has made a way for about 5 to 10% to eventually enter into heaven while the remaining 90% or so will be damned forever.

In the first few verses of Titus 3 we see that it talks about those that lived in malice and envy, did numerous evil things, hateful etc. These are things that Paul took note of in order to show in his letter to Titus, that even though these things were in the society of that time, and of course still are prevalent in our society, he goes on to explain that an event had occurred that made it possible to look at all men in meekness and gentleness and to speak evil of no man. It actually says to show this gentleness and meekness to all men.

The “us and them” mentality almost seems to delight in that some will get what they deserve for their evil works and it leans towards that some are even glad that some will end up in a burning hell forever. Is this not what we see and hear from most that see this as an “us and them” human race? What if I and all others got what we all deserved? Would we not all be in the terrible situation of going to a lost eternity?

In verse 4 of Titus 3 Paul makes it clear to Titus that “after the kindness and love of God appeared” that even these people mentioned in the previous verses were now ok. In verse 5 he says it clearly that “it is not by works of righteousness which we have done” but it is “according to His mercy”. Wait a minute, does not the “us and them” mentality say we have to do something in order for this to be ours? What about the prayer at the altar, the repenting Sunday after Sunday, the church attendance, the Bible reading, the hours in prayer? Don’t these things count towards us making and entrance into heaven when we pass from this life? Not if it by grace.

In verse 7 again Paul makes it clear how we enter in. Being justified by His grace we are now heirs. If it is by grace, and we have all been told that grace is God’s free unmerited favor, than how can we have to do anything to receive it? Is God’s grace not freely given? How can it be grace when we attach any work or involvement on our part? The grace of God gives us and everyone else, even the “them” of the human race, something none of us ever did nor could ever deserve. It is not something we can do anything or work for. It is free, it has already been done and it is finished.

His grace was shed on us abundantly and we were washed and regenerated by His blood which He shed on the cross. It was totally apart from our involvement then and it is still totally apart from any of our involvement now. The grace of God has nothing to do with whether you believe or don’t believe, work or don’t work, go to church or don’t go to church. It was and is a total work of Jesus Christ our Lord and it has been freely shed upon every human being. If it is not on the entire human race, then it can not be called grace. The church must find another word to use because the “us and them” mentality is not God’s grace. God’s grace was sufficient for the entire human race and if it wasn’t then it is not grace.

How can we call it grace if I have to believe it in order for it to be true? Is God not big and powerful enough that His grace could cover every person on earth apart from their involvement? Again, if He isn’t then it is time we find another word other than grace. His grace was sufficient to justify every human being. It is finished.





Posted by Roy at 09:35:05 | Permanent Link | Comments (9) |

Friday, January 18, 2008

Who Decided What Was Sinful???

I was talking to my internet friend from England a few days ago and I mentioned the song It’s My Life by Bon Jovi that I had placed on my other web site (http://allincluded.multiply.com/)and at the same time I said that people in this area would likely not understand why I would place a “worldly” song on a web site that talks about Jesus. After sending the email off a thought came to me that perhaps I should elaborate a bit more on why I made the statement that most would not understand why I would do that.

I will start off by going back 30 years ago and listing some of the things, not all the things as they would take too much time and space to list here, but I will list some that come to mind that I was told after coming to a knowledge of the salvation of the Lord, that I should not do.

I was told going to bowling alleys was not allowed, going to a pool hall was definitely out, no more entering a tavern to have a beer or having a beer at home for that matter, no more going to a dance, smoking was something that would take you to hell and if by chance it didn’t, you smelled like you had already been there, not to associate with my old friends any longer as they were of the devil, not to even have a deck of cards in the house, only watch certain things on TV and preferable some would even say to get rid of our TV altogether. We were told not to attend movies, not to listen to worldly music, (in fact I got rid of a large collection of music albums) and the list could go on and on.

This morning as I am sitting here I can see the terrible bondage I was placed under by the local denominational church. I can see now why it was always a struggle to keep going and trying to “live the so-called Christian life”. They will tell you that it is sin to do these things and if you do any of these plus the many, many others I have not listed, you put your entrance into Heaven in jeopardy.

I am also seeing today that the ones that decided which things are “sin” and which are not is the organized church. It has absolutely nothing to do with what sin is and what it isn’t. It is just rules and regulations they have placed upon people and are continuing to do this day after day. Instead of telling people they are free in Christ they place them under terrible and destructive bondage.

When I think of these things I have to be careful not to become too irritated, or should I say angry, because I know they are teaching what they have been taught themselves. They (the leaders) are also under the same bondage they pass on to the people they teach. I find it sad that I was gullible to these things for well over 20 years but today I am so thankful that the Lord has shown me Himself in me and has freed me from the terrible bondage I had been placed under by listening to men teach us that we were still under law. I am finally free and at total peace with myself and God.

Getting back to the song by Bon Jovi, I put it on my web site because of what the words say. It’s My Life and I want to live while I’m alive. No more bondage. No more having to answer to man by going to an altar to repent of things I may have done because I am a human being and created by God that way. No more feeling guilty about what I do or don’t do. There is now therefore no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus. And who are those that are in Him? Read and understand the account of the cross and you will see that it is the entire human race.

Don’t let anyone tell you that you have to say a prayer, read your Bible, attend church or anything else in order to make it to Heaven. Jesus resurrected with the entire human race in Himself and seated us all in heavenly places in Him. I am free and so are you. Stop listening to the terrible junk that comes from behind the vast majority of pulpits in this world. Maybe I’ve raised some questions here today and some may not want to comment on this blog but hopefully you will see that Jesus made us all free. It is finished.


Posted by Roy at 09:05:01 | Permanent Link | Comments (4) |

Monday, January 14, 2008

Resurrection of the just and the unjust

I was reading in Acts 24 this morning where Paul is brought before Felix because of the message, or the "way" he was preaching. He was brought before him to defend the message he was preaching because it was not what the people had been hearing from the other apostles as most of them had gone back and mixed law and grace together, This of course is still being done to this very day and more so than ever.

One thing I want to point out here in Acts 24 verses 14, 15, and 16 is that Paul was telling Felix his reason for believing and preaching the message the Lord had revealed in and to him. In verse 15 he tells them he believes all things written in the law and the prophets. We have to remember here that he is talking about the Old Testament scriptures as the New Testament had not been written at the time.

He goes on to say what the law and the prophets said and that was there would be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust. I know the evangelical community will tell you this is talking about a future resurrection but this would be taking these verses out of context. He is talking to Felix about what the law and the prophets foretold and that was there would be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust.

I believe he was talking about the resurrection of Jesus three days after He died on the cross as it is made clear in many areas of the Bible that when Jesus rose again we were raised together with Him and are also seated together with Him in Heavenly places. If this was future then it would not be saying we were raised together with Him. To be raised together with Him has to be an event that happened at the same time Jesus resurrected.

If we leave to go somewhere and arrive there together, one does not arrive before the other one does. Together means at the same time. That is when the resurrection of the just and the unjust happened. Not at some future date that we have to wait for but when Jesus resurrected.

In verse 16 Paul further tells them that because there was a resurrection of the both the just and the unjust at the resurrection of Jesus Christ, he now held a conscience void of offence toward God and men. There was no longer a "us and them" mentality with Paul as he knew all had resurrected and were now righteous…..both the just and the unjust because it had nothing to do with themselves.

The word "offence" means he saw men as now being faultless. No more looking at actions and deeds these people may still have been committing. No more seeing them as on their way to hell because they had not gone to an altar somewhere or said a prayer with some pastor. No, he now saw them as faultless because he knew both the just and the unjust had resurrected at the same time Jesus resurrected. When He resurrected, He resurrected the entire human race in righteousness. Yes, even the unjust.

Paul could look at everyone and know they had been resurrected with Christ and because of that he could not hold anything against anyone because he now saw them all as faultless. What Paul preached was called heresy (v.14) and the way of the cross is still called the same thing today. Let us see people in the proper light which is redeemed and put our judgment aside like Paul plainly said he did when he presented his case to Felix. Before the cross there were none righteous, no not one. After the cross there are none unrighteous, no not one. He resurrected both the just and the unjust and the finished product is a new race of people in Christ, already seated in heavenly places. It is finished.





Posted by Roy at 08:28:40 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Tabernacle of Grace

This is an article written by Eddie Narvaez that I found on my friend Kenneth's web site. Very interesting reading.

"But Eddie, what about the part found in Colossians 1:10 where it says that we should walk worthy of The Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God, and so on and on and so on? There's no way that these things mentioned here in Colossians 1:10-14 can possibly apply to people of the world."

Day after day after day I am asked questions like the one I've just quoted above. The questions are asked out of practically every book and letter found in the bible. Many ask me these type of questions because they want to learn and understand the Gospel of The Grace and Peace of God. Yet others ask questions simply because they cannot believe and have a difficult time accepting that this Gospel of the Grace and Peace of God is for ALL.

The disciples sort of had the same attitude that many religious people have today..."Lord, let us built a tabernacle for you, Elijah, Moses and one for us." In other words, this relationship between God and man only belongs to them who walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing. To them who are fruity, fruity goody and forever increasing in the knowledge of God. For those who God has strengthened and have allowed to become partakers of light and no longer walk in sinful darkness.

For those who have believed, repented and who God has approved of and has taken notice of their confession of true faith. These are the only type of people that God has translated into the kingdom of His dear Son, and the rest are out of luck. But there's a problem with such religious bias attitude and legalistic mentality. How many can honestly and sincerely say that they walk worthy of the Lord all of the time?

How do we define "worthy"? What is it that is pleasing to God? What about the being fruitful in every good work? I asked these and many more questions to the African American brother who approached me with the question I stated at the beginning of this article, and all he could come up with was..."God rebuke you and your questions," and then walked away. This hasn't been the first time I get such a response. In many of my articles dating back to 1998 I have had similar angry reactions from religious people who believe that God only tabernacles with the goody, juicy fruity.

Friends, thank God that in Christ we are seen before God as being worthy. Thank God that Jesus was the only one to have ever been pleasing to God. Thank God that it was Christ who was fruitful in every good work. Everything was done according to His glorious power and not our works of filthy rags. It was Him who delivered us from religious self-righteousness (the law) and planted us all into the kingdom of His dear Son. It is in Him and through Him, because of Him and by Him that we find redemption and forgiveness of sins in His blood.

It has nothing to do with what we've done, are doing or will ever do. This tabernacle of Grace is for all, and not for a self-righteous few. As long as some of us have this religious mindset that some are worthy and some aren't, there will always be bias questions trying to discredit God's tabernacle of unconditional love and grace. I like what my friend "Steve" said..."If God tabernacles with those who do it all right, then I want to tabernacle with those who do it all wrong because I have a better chance of being accepted with God by being wrong than thinking I am right."

Friends, we leave ourselves wide open for disappointment when we ask questions that lead to "I am better than they attitude." Simply because one goes to church and does all those churchy religious expected things, doesn't mean that God tabernacles with you and not with those who don't do all of those churchy things. This Gospel is either a tabernacle of Grace or a tabernacle of works.

It was God who without prejudice decided to make it a tabernacle of grace for all. We need to stop having "Peter Visions" of... "Not so Lord, for I have never eaten anything that is common nor unclean." And begin to hear what The Lord said three times to Peter..."Do not call common that which I have cleansed." Acts 10:9-16. Thank God that religious barriers of prejudice are crumbling down and God's tabernacle of Grace continues to be built by the simple preaching and common sense truth of the true Gospel of Grace and Peace.

Grace N Peace To All

Eddie Narvaez




Posted by Roy at 09:35:23 | Permanent Link | Comments (10) |