ALL INCLUDED

This verse is found in Romans 1:18 and it says the wrath of God has been revealed from heaven. In previous verses we have seen that righteousness of God has been revealed and now we read that the wrath of God has also been revealed.

Why can we now get the righteousness of God revealed? Because the wrath of God has been revealed as well against all ungodliness and unrighteousness. Righteousness could not be revealed until His wrath was revealed.

Where was that wrath revealed against the ungodliness of the whole human race? Jesus and His death on the cross was for the sin of the whole world. So why is there such a revelation of this righteousness now? Because the wrath of God has already come and it had to come before righteousness could be revealed. Judgment has already come. How can anyone believe the Gospel of Peace or that God is not angry with you or that God sees you holy and perfect and righteous and without blame in His sight. How could we believe that we now get what we do not deserve (grace).

This could not be revealed until the wrath of God was revealed. I think it is indisputable that God’s wrath was revealed at the cross. In v18 it is quite plain that His wrath HAS BEEN revealed so it is not something we are to look for in the future because it already happened. It is at the cross that God’s judgment came down and because of that our minds can now see that because of that wrath and judgment having been poured out upon His Son Jesus on the cross, we can now see we are already a complete and perfected work in God’s eye.

Because of the faith of one man, the obedience of one man, the works of one man, and this man of course being Jesus, we can now see we are righteous in God’s eyes. The wrath and the judgment that should have been mine was poured out upon Jesus on the cross and I no longer have to live thinking and dreading the day that this wrath would come upon me and the rest of the world. His judgment is past; His anger is past which is why we can now have this Gospel of Grace and Peace.

How could we have peace living and wondering when this wrath was going to fall upon us? How could we have peace thinking God is angry with us each time we do something we shouldn’t do? To understand this Gospel of Grace and Peace you first must understand that His wrath and judgment has already been poured out upon Jesus for the sin and transgressions of all of mankind. God is love and He is not angry with anybody. That is the Gospel.

I think most of us will agree that the preaching and teachings we have heard over the years on the Gospel has been preached out of the New Testament. This is what is done in most churches we have attended.

When we look at what the apostles preached we have to come to a realization that they did not have the NT when they preached the Gospel but they were actually preaching it from out of the Old Testament. I know this may sound strange to some but I believe this to be so.

We read in Galatians 3:24 that it was the law that brought us to Christ because the law was our schoolmaster. I think that is what the apostles were doing when they preached the true Gospel of Grace and Peace. They looked at what the law and the Prophets said about the Christ that was coming and understood what it meant to be no longer under law but under grace. You cannot be under both. If you go back under any law, you have frustrated the Grace of God and it has no effect in your life. Does it mean you are no longer redeemed? Of course not. It simply means the Gospel of Grace and Peace is not in operation in your life and your salvation is not being worked out of you. It has nothing to do with redemption because redemption was accomplished at the cross and that for all time.

By not understanding the law then we are not going to be able to understand redemption properly. The law was never given to make anyone righteous. To obtain redemption under the law was simply not possible. Paul says in Romans 3:19 that the law was given so we would come to a conclusion of total guilt and not just for a certain group of people but that the entire world would become guilty in God’s sight. In Romans Chapter 3:20 it says it was also given to give a revelation of sin. The NT is not here to reveal sin to us but rather it is the law that does that. The NT is given to reveal righteousness to us so we can see that it was given by the faith OF Jesus and not our own.

We seem to believe that the more our sin is revealed to us the more we can work at it to overcome them and we thus grow in the Lord and become better Christians. That is not fact at all. You can never become a better person by having your faults revealed to you. I think we have all lived around a fault finder or have been a fault finder ourselves. Maybe it was a pastor that was constantly revealing things that were wrong with you. Now, I am sure we can all agree that this type of preaching never made you more of an overcomer in whatever sin was being pointed out. I think it likely had a reverse effect and cause you to be less capable of overcoming your faults the more they were pointed out. All this does is place you more on the offensive. I know it did me over the past 25 or so years.

In Romans 1:16 Paul says he is not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth. In verse 17 it says that “therein” is the righteousness of God revealed. Whatever we perceive to be the power of God is contained in one revelation and that is the revelation of the righteousness of God. I believe that all we need to be revealed to us is the revelation of righteousness because if anything else is revealed it is usually our faults. I know that is quite a mouthful to take in but is there anything we need to know apart from righteousness? If the true Gospel is preached it will give you the revelation of the righteousness of God. That is what the Gospel is.

It says it verse 17 that this righteousness is revealed from faith to faith. What does that mean? It means that Jesus is the author and finisher of faith. So Who’s faith is credited for bringing us this righteousness? It is the faith OF Jesus. Our faith does not bring us righteousness. The revelation of what He has done causes us to trust Him. We are told we must trust Jesus but we must have faith for this and this and everything else. If we must have faith for righteousness then Jesus is left out of the picture. Our faith cannot be in anything but the resurrected Christ. It cannot be in anything else. You don’t need to have faith for righteousness. Jesus’ faith made you righteous not yours. When you can see this then you can begin to see what righteousness has done. That’s why Paul says there is only one faith, one Lord, one baptism etc.

The just shall live by faith verse 17. Is that our faith? No, Paul says he now lives by the faith of the Son of God. Paul was not living or trusting in his own faith. He was living by what the faith of Jesus had accomplished for him. If you try to live by your own faith you will soon see that you cannot measure up. If you are hearing preaching that shows you your faults instead of showing you His righteousness, then you will soon see just how short you fall. If you begin to see yourself as He sees you, then this abundant life that is spoken of will be evident in your mind and heart.

I have heard it said in the past number of months that “this thing we are in” like it’s called by some, is very dangerous. What they mean by this “thing” is the Gospel of Grace and Peace.

People look at this Gospel as being something that is preached and it gives people free reign to do whatever they want to do. Well I suppose that is true in a sense but the bible is clear that we can do anything we want as we are free, but not all things are expedient (1 Corr 6:12) which means not all things will be to our advantage. I have found since the Lord has revealed to me a bit of this Gospel of Grace and Peace that the things I may want to do are different than what I used to want to do. This of course through no effort of my own but when the Lord changes your heart on spiritual things, then you can be sure that it can only be for the good.

I have to agree that teaching/preaching/proclaiming this Gospel of total redemption for the entire world is dangerous for sure. It is very dangerous to the religious system that is out there that says you have to do something/anything to gain favor with God. The danger is that it takes away the control they have over entire congregations. When religious teachings are threatened by the Gospel it is of course a danger to what they believe. I know for myself personally, it totally destroyed the belief system that had been pounded in my head for many years. So yes it was a danger to that belief system and if I had been “under a pastor” (that’s what they call it) at the time it would have been very dangerous for him as it would mean the loss of a member, tithes and whatever else is involved in following religious rules.

So the danger is real for sure but not in the way that is portrayed by those that fail to see the Truth of the Gospel. It is only a danger to the religious system and the kingdoms that have been established over the years by the denominational churches and the control they exercise over the people that attend their churches. It’s a danger to those that are still under law and follow rules and regulations which have been done away with at the cross, especially when these rules and regulations are used to gain control over people. So to sum it up, it is a definite danger to the religious system as it totally destroys it and although it may still try to revive itself, it gets more difficult for it to do so the more you learn about God’s love and grace.

Yes it is dangerous IF……..being set free form the law is dangerous, if seeing God’s love more clearly is dangerous, if seeing Gods grace clearly is dangerous, if knowing you are redeemed through no effort of your own is dangerous, if seeing that God so loved the world that He gave is dangerous, if seeing that Jesus took all judgment upon Himself is dangerous, if being totally set free is dangerous, if not judging others because of what they do or don’t do is dangerous, if having a peace in your heart that passes understanding is dangerous, if seeing that there is nothing Jesus left undone at the cross on our behalf is dangerous, if having a love for God that you cannot really comprehend is dangerous, and I could go on and on but I think you get the picture.

The danger does not lie in knowing the Truth of the Gospel of Grace and Peace but in NOT knowing it because then you remain under the bondage of religion and law. I am not writing this today to come down hard on anyone but to just try and make people see that what they see as danger is actually freedom. Freedom from guilt and sin and knowing you are forever free from God’s anger and wrath. I have never been so free in all my life. I do not see any danger in that at all.

Still on the subject of believing, let us look at Galatians 3:22 But the scripture had concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

The promise was given to Jesus through His faith which He exercised at the cross. This is saying that no righteousness could come except by faith and it was not our faith but the faith OF Jesus.

In v21 it says that if any law could have given life then righteousness would have been by the law. It makes it clear here that righteousness could never be by anything we do. When you look at the word law it means anything we do to achieve anything. The law required performance and it is clear that righteousness could not come by performance. “Verily righteousness would have been by the law”….in other words if righteousness was something that could have been attained by ourselves then it would have been possible under the law.

V 22 says it is given to them that believe. When it is given to someone he or she is only made aware of it. It is not their belief that makes it so but it becomes real in our hearts and minds. It is the faith OF Jesus that gave us righteousness, not our faith. We are made aware of it when we believe but we are made aware of something that has already been done.

If I have to rely on my own faith in order for me to have righteousness then how am I ever going to know if I have had enough faith? How will I know if I have exercised enough faith to make myself right with God? If you believe that it is your own works or performance that makes you right with God how are you ever going to know if you have worked or performed enough. If you think it is your belief that makes you righteous then how will you ever know if your belief has been strong enough. God did not leave something that important to man. Righteousness comes through the faith OF Jesus and not ours. We know Jesus had enough faith because the last thing He said on the cross was it is finished.

V. 23 says before faith came….when did faith come? Faith came at the cross of Calvary because it says that before faith came we were kept under the law. When was the law done away with? When He nailed it to the tree. Was there faith before that? No, Jesus concluded all under unbelief so He could have mercy upon all. So while the law was in effect there was no faith. Even during the time Jesus was on earth, faith was impossible because the law was in effect. It was required by Jesus but at the same time it was impossible to have any.

The reason it was this way is that Jesus knew He had to go to the cross with no believers. All had to be concluded under unbelief so that His mercy could abound to all. They believed the miracle and the signs and wonders He did but when Jesus went to the cross He went alone and without one single believer. The same way the law had been very successful in showing that no one could keep the law and while the law was in effect there could never be any believer. In the latter part of verse 23 it says that faith was shut up under the law and would only be revealed after the law was done away with.

When the law occupies the mind and the heart, faith can not occupy the mind and the heart, it is an impossibility. That is why no one had faith while the law was in effect. What about today? Can faith occupy your heart while you still think you have to perform to be righteous which is still being under law? No, when law is in effect in your life you cannot have faith. All your performance does is produce more and more self righteousness which is still as filthy rags in God’s eyes. Let us remember that we are righteous because of the faith OF Jesus and not ours. You do not believe to make it so, you believe after you know it is so. Before that you are under law and faith can never operate under law.

Philippians 3:12 Paul was saying in this verse that he wanted to apprehend that which he was apprehended of Christ Jesus. I am going to first put the Strong’s Greek meaning of this word so we may see more what Paul meant when he said that.

The Strong’s number is 2638 and it means this….to take eagerly, seize, possess, attain, comprehend, obtain, perceive. What he was saying is that he wanted to seize and comprehend, to obtain and possess that which Jesus had seized, obtained, attained, etc for him and the entire world of course.

It was very important for him to understand what it was that Jesus had apprehended for him so he could walk in what that was. What was he talking about here? He was talking about what Jesus had done for him at the cross and it was very important for him to understand these things. He was seeing that righteousness and reconciliation had been apprehended on his behalf and he needed to know these things. He was seeing that Jesus had seized, possessed, obtained all that Paul had been trying to accomplish through the law. Jesus had fulfilled the law on his behalf and then He had nailed it to the tree. We ourselves must also see that it is not through our works or performance but through what Christ has apprehended for us.

In verse 13 he makes it clear that he did not see these things that Christ apprehended for him, as something he had apprehended for himself through the law and his self righteous works. He saw that what Jesus had apprehended for him was something he could never apprehend himself. He saw that his self righteousness was something he had to leave behind.

Paul said he was forgetting those things which were behind. What things was he talking about that were to be left behind him? It was his self righteousness that came from following the law. He wasn’t saying that he had to go back in his past and get the Lord to heal those areas that may have been a hindrance to him.

He wasn’t talking about inner healing which a lot of churches believe you have to go into your past and imagine Jesus there with you healing you. He was forgetting all those things he tried to attain by keeping the law and he was forgetting about them and looking to that which was before him at that time. What was before him? It was the fact that Jesus had attained righteousness, justification, sanctification, holiness, perfection etc on his behalf. That was what was before him.

What should be before us? The same thing of course. We should be forgetting those things that are behind when we were trying to walk in our own self righteousness and try to look good. We should be forgetting all those things we tried to do to get right with God and obtain His favor. We should be forgetting that all those things and see they were as dung in His eyes and got us nowhere except deeper and deeper into frustration because we never attained what we were told we needed to attain by our good works.

Let us apprehend those things that we are apprehended of by Christ Jesus. Let us understand that all things required for this life and the life to come is already ours in Christ Jesus. Let us daily be reminded that we need to forget those things that are behind and look at the Son of God Who is before us in righteousness and holiness and perfection. Forget all the times you tried in vain to achieve any favor from God because of what you did. Let us look before us and see Jesus and Him crucified and all done on our behalf.

Jesus, we love Your Gospel of Grace and Peace that has liberated us. May others see You before themselves and begin to forget those things that are behind. Praise the Lord!!!!

This is placing something on people that is impossible. The goals they try to get you to reach by their programs are simply not attainable which is why the vast majority get nothing but frustration by just trying and of course failing.

If Jesus’ goal was to make perfect Christians then He was a miserable failure. However, if He came to free us from the law, then of course He succeeded. As far as us understanding what He came to do, I am afraid we have failed miserably. This is not just about the people in this day and age but all the way back to the disciples. If some of the disciples could still offer sacrifices after Jesus resurrected, then of course we see they just didn’t get it.

We all know what new believers are told…they are new creatures, all things have become new, they are now nice people, etc However, it is not long after that when we are given a list of do’s and don’ts and it isn’t long before we know the list is impossible to keep although we continue to try and keep it. If you tell that same religious community that they have been freed from the law, they really balk at that and are just not interested in hearing any of it.

I remember back in 1978 when I first heard about Jesus and a transformation began in my life which was very real, the first week after “word got out”, my Dad and I had 4 different preachers come to our door to tell us they had the right church to attend. All they did was cause confusion as we were new believers and had no insight whatsoever about what the bible said about anything. We just knew something awesome had taken place and we knew Jesus had done something in us.

After we heard that the Pentecostals had the right church and the Baptists had the right church and the Brethren had the right church, we were more confused than ever. This got more confusing as the week went on and by the end of the week we had someone already at the house and another came knocking. Now keep in mind that both of these had the right church and of course the other one didn’t, or so they said and thought. That night ended up with both these preachers in an argument and we just got more confused. I remember telling them both that I had heard enough confusion for a week and was not prepared to hear anymore. I said I would let the Lord show me and not them because all they were doing was confusing the issue.

Most of the 28 people that came to the Lord that week ended up going to a totally different church that was non-denominational. Most of us attended there for years but then I saw that this was no different than any of the other “correct” churches. It just didn’t have a name. I suppose I could call it a “no name brand”. :–)) I finally saw that I had to leave that institution as well and again try and let the Lord show me Truth. I am finding that what is happening now is that things are becoming clearer and clearer and I know it is the Lord leading me into His Truth.

As I said in my post yesterday, no one told me that being a disciple of the Lord had nothing to do with me but I was told it had everything to do with my behavior. I am thankful the Lord is setting me free from the bondage I was under for years. I am no longer under any law as the law was nailed to the tree. I don’t intend to try and keep any because I know I can’t anyway. I am just resting in knowing that I am a disciple of the Lord because I am continuing to believe His Word….the Word of redemption and reconciliation which He has freely given to the entire world.

Am I a perfect Christian now? Of course not but everything is right between my God and I as I am in Christ and Christ is in me. I have His righteousness and nothing can ever change that. Let the preachers argue if they wish, I intend to rest in Him and in Him alone.

What Jesus was telling them about becoming a disciple was totally different than what we were told it meant by whatever church we happened to be attending at the time we first came to knowledge of the Lord.

The Christian community will tell you that when you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ then you must become a disciple and of course they have a discipleship program you must go through. What they will tell you it means to become a disciple is actually placing you back under law. You are immediately told what you can and cannot do, what causes you to be blessed, what causes you to be cursed, what God accepts and what He rejects, who He hears and doesn’t hear and why. They will tell you that now that you are a Christian you cannot live this way or that way and to keep your good testimony you need to do this and that and every other thing. These things are all a process of discipleship, or so they tell you anyway. When you look at what this does it is actually placing you back under bondage which you thought you had just been released from when you began to learn about Who Jesus is. Let’s be honest, is this not what the church will tell you to do to become a disciple of Jesus?

First they tell you that you have to believe to become born again which will make you free and then they tell you they will make a disciple out of you and they place you under more bondage than you were ever under in the life you lived prior to coming to the knowledge of the Lord. Is this not what is being done to people when they first believe? I know I was personally told immediately that there were things I had to do, and they were numerous, in order to keep this freedom that I had just found. Many times I wished I had never found this freedom they were talking about because it was deeper bondage.

Let’s look at what Jesus’ definition of discipleship was and it is drastically different than what I have listed in the preceding paragraphs. He was telling them that being a disciple was knowing the Truth and the Truth would make you free. (Strong’s definition of free is quite interesting to say the least and this is what it is — #1659 – to exempt from moral, ceremonial or mortal liability. This sort of puts a different spin on the word discipleship does it not? He was telling them if they continued in His word it would make them free and they would be His disciples indeed. Did He give them a set of rules to follow? Did He tell them what to do and not to do? No, He simply told them when they understood the word He was speaking to them, which was the word of reconciliation and redemption, which is what the Gospel of Grace and Peace is they would be exempt from all moral, ceremonial and mortal liability. Mortal liability? They would never die? He was telling them they would be free from anything that would kill them eg. all laws. Have we ever been told that to be a disciple would simply mean we were free? What about all the things we were told we had to do to become a disciple? In plain words, all hogwash.

Getting back to the subject of believing for what is ours in Christ, we must remember that believing was not possible in the OT therefore he was actually speaking to them about what would happen at the cross. I know it says many Jews believed on Him in verse 31 but I believe they believed on what they saw Him doing, a lot of miracles and not on Him as the Redeemer of the world. They did not actually believe on Him and what He would do. He actually told them in John 5:46 & 47 that if they had believed Moses they would believe Him because Moses wrote of Him. He was telling them in verse 47 that they did not believe Him either. So the word that he says is essential in order to be free is simply that we must know we are redeemed and that makes a believer out of us. He knew they would not continue in His word as He knew none believed. We have to know this Truth before we can be free. We have to know this Truth before we can begin to believe.

So do we have to believe before this truth becomes fact? No, it is fact whether we believe or not. Believing only makes it real in our hearts and souls which is what is called salvation. What makes you a disciple? Knowing the truth about redemption which makes you free from all moral, ceremonial and mortal laws. We are no longer under the law of sin and death. We are now under the law of life in Christ Jesus. Isn’t it nice to be free and a disciple of the Lord? Those of us that have had a revelation of this tremendous Gospel know what freedom is.

Paul taught that when Jesus died all died and when Jesus raised from the dead all rose from the dead. How many died when He died. All. How many rose from the dead? All. Did it require my faith for me to be born again? Did I have to believe to be born again? No it didn’t because it was Jesus that did this on my behalf apart from my belief. It is the revelation of the condition that produces faith, not faith that produces the condition of redemption or righteousness. We need to proclaim to the world that they are already redeemed and righteous so they can believe instead of threatening them with hell to convince them to believe. If you have believed under any type of threat then you will always wonder if you have believed enough to make it through. You will always wonder if you believe the right thing or are my beliefs strong enough.

When you believe because of the work of the cross your belief will never be shaken. Then you will see that it is not your faith that holds up your righteousness or redemption or anything else you thought you had to believe to make it. If you think your redemption and righteousness are held up by the amount of faith you have then you will always be miserable because you will never know whether you have enough or if you don’t. You will see a load lifted off when you see that redemption holds up my faith and not my faith that holds up my redemption. This is huge and must be pondered on as it is very liberating. It is an awesome thing to know this.

Let me just say this….when you see the redemption that was in the cross it will make you a believer and it will change the heart of any human being. Believing does not make anyone righteous, holy, perfect, and all these things are required if you are to be accepted by God, by the way. If you have to believe to be all these things then how will you ever know if you have believed enough? You must be born again to see the
Kingdom of God but it has nothing to do with your belief. Believing does not make you born again but knowing you are born again will make you a believer.

Knowing you are accepted by God produces a believer, knowing you are righteous in His eyes will produce a believer, knowing you are perfect and holy in His sight will produce a believer. Becoming a believer DOES NOT produce these things. It is just another thing that the evangelical community has backwards. Knowing that the blood of Christ has given you all these things freely will make the best and strongest believer there is. Trying to believe to get these things will simply bring frustration and misery and defeat.

That is the power of the Gospel that Paul talked about. This power was not so we could believe to get any of this but simply to become believers after it was revealed to you. That is why Paul also said that it was the power of God unto salvation. Whose power? Is it your power of belief that does this? No, it is the power of God and has nothing to do with you. Remember he did not say it was the power of God unto redemption. Salvation is what you go through once you know you have been redeemed. Salvation is for the mind and the heart, the way you think, the way you feel, the way you see God, the way you feel about others, the way you feel about your past or future…………..that is salvation. That can only come if you know you’re redeemed. People are trying to believe for their redemption when it is in fact the acceptance of that redemption that brings you salvation. Knowing this will bring such a peace inside of you that it is difficult to explain.

We have been told we are to make Jesus out Lord. The Bible says God made Jesus Lord over your life; it does not say you make Him Lord. Do I make Jesus my Lord when I believe? No, He is already Lord and Saviour whether I believe it or not. We have been told that we are to make Him our Saviour. The Bible says Jesus is the Saviour of the world and it does not say I make Him Saviour. Knowing He is Lord and Saviour makes me a believer, not the other way around. Jesus is already Lord of all. Just another instance of things being taught backwards and there are many, many more.

Remembering that the teachings in the Book of John were taught by Jesus and Jesus taught the Old Testament as He was living under law. At the same time that He was saying believing was a requirement under the law; Jesus was also saying that believing while the law was still in effect was in fact impossible. Before the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus the law was still in effect. By law I mean the Law of Moses, the moral law of God, the Levitical law, sacrificial laws, ceremonial laws etc.

In this book (John) we see that Jesus stated that “and you shall know the Truth and the Truth shall make you free”. The term here made free means to be made exempt from the law. If you have been made free you have been made exempt from the Law of Moses. Most will tell you that it means that you have been set free and now you can serve God and do what’s right. If you look at Galatians you will see that to be set free was to be no longer under law. Freedom has an influence on the heart of people that the law could never produce. When the law was nailed to the tree it gave us the freedom to believe. But not the freedom to believe for redemption. The freedom to believe AFTER we know we already are redeemed.

We all know we could never measure up to the law and Jesus made it clear that no one living under the OT could. At the same time He was telling them all the nice things that would be theirs if they believed. That is found in many places, especially in the book of John. However, in the end He concluded them ALL into unbelief so He could have mercy upon all as found in Romans 11:32.How many believers were there at the time Jesus went to the cross? None, not even the apostles. They all abandoned Him and went their own way. Some may say His mother believed but she didn’t either. On the third day when she went to the tomb she asked who had stolen the body. If she believed she would have known He had resurrected as He told them that all along.

In another place He told them IF they had the faith of a mustard seed they could move a mountain. Was He telling them to improve their faith so that they could move the mountains that life brings our way? No, He was telling them they would be able to IF they had faith but the “if” is just an indication that they had none. He wasn’t telling them they could move mountains if they had faith, He was telling them they could do nothing on their own. He was telling them it was impossible to move anything by their own belief because they had none.

So we see that under the law there were no believers. Some might say that Abraham believed and that is true but he believed before any law was given. Jesus proved that no one could be a believer until man was born again or born of the spirit. In my next post we will see what the Bible says it is to be born again. It may not be according to what we have always been told it is. We will see that this also has been told to us backwards, the same as many, many other things we were told. I think we will all see the backward statement this is compared to evangelical Christianity and what they say.

Romans 11:32 says that God hath concluded all in unbelief, that he might have mercy on all. I think one of the things we hear the most from people out there, especially those bound to religion, when this message of total reconciliation is presented, is that they believe it all happened at the cross but only yours if you believe.

I was thinking of that today and although that is what I had always been told, I see now that this great plan of redemption for the entire world was done without my belief to get it and my belief has absolutely nothing to do with keeping it either. I know this sounds foreign to the vast majority of people but I think the Bible is clear on this as well as on many other things that we had been taught wrong.

This post today is relatively short compared to what I normally post but I think it would be a great idea if some of you that read and/or comment on this blog to give some of your views on this, whether for or against the notion that you must believe to have redemption. I personally will be looking at this from a Biblical standpoint and will post what I believe the Bible says about it over the next few days. I think it’s a very important subject, the same as all other aspects of this great redemption a lot of us have had revealed to us.

I am finding the more I search these things out the clearer they get so I think its good for all of us to be challenged by the different views that come with any change in our belief system. Not that any challenge is going to change my mind because I know the bondage I came out from when the Lord revealed this to me and have no intention of going back. I may not understand every aspect of it but one thing I know is that it has set me free.

Going from the way I believed before to believing the Lord redeemed the entire world has certainly been a huge change, and perhaps I should say a total turn around from previous beliefs. One thing that all of us that now see this redemption would agree with is that it is a life transforming thing that has happened to us. So let us be open to questions and although at times it may challenge what we believe, at the same time it will strengthen the beliefs we have in this awesome Gospel of Grace and Peace. Whom the Son sets free is free indeed.