ALL INCLUDED

I know this is not popular and hard to swallow for some but I am just saying what the Bible says the scriptures are. I am just saying that if we are to properly understand redemption, we have to go to the Scriptures which we have seen very plainly that it is the Old Testament writings. And as I have noted, Jesus said all those spoke about Him. Paul was telling Timothy the same thing. The scriptures will show you salvation, they are good for reproof, for correction and that is also where you will receive your instructions regarding righteousness. Do you need to know about righteousness? Then you have to study the scriptures.

It is important to go to the Old Testament Scriptures to see what was being said about a coming redeemer. It is important to know what the Old Testament Prophets said about the coming redeemer because Jesus said they all prophesied about Him. It is important to see what the Psalms say as Jesus says they talk about Him as well. Most of us, and I place myself at the top of the list, have very little understanding of Scriptures and I think it is important for us to study these and see what they say, especially when we see that Jesus says they ALL spoke about Him.

In the limited amount of time I have been reading the Old Testament, one thing I have seen clearly is that they all spoke of a coming redeemer to redeem the entire world with none left out. That became clear to me quite a while back and because it was not what I had been taught for years, I must admit it was difficult to take in. However, as the months have flown by I am seeing more and more that this is indeed so and thus the reason for this blog. I don’t have this blog to try and convince anyone to think like I think or to see like I see. That is not my job. I am just using this blog to state what the Lord is in the process of revealing to me regarding righteousness.

Hopefully those that read will be challenged in their doctrinal thinking but the Lord is the one that has to teach this to people. If you have an open heart and approach this through what the Scriptures say regarding redemption and righteousness, then I am sure the Lord will do a work in your heart and souls. I have been challenged by many things that I read in both the Old and the New Testament but everything always leads back to the same thing. Jesus came to redeem the entire world and if I believe He did not fail in His mission (which of course He didn’t) then I have to come to the conclusion that the entire world is redeemed as stated by the Law, Psalms and the Prophets because Jesus Himself said they all spoke about Him and what He would do.

When He spoke to them in Luke 24:44 and 45 He tells them all things written about Him in the Old Testament must be fulfilled. In verse 45 He opens their understanding that they might understand the scriptures. That is where we are to look for instruction regarding righteousness. There are a number of places that speak about what the scriptures are and it interesting to read these things as they all point to what Jesus fulfilled at the cross. This of course being the scriptures and everything that was said about Him there. Hopefully those reading here that do not have an understanding about their righteousness (right standing with God) will let the Lord show them all that was accomplished at the cross.

The latter part of verse 15 tells us what these scriptures Paul is talking about to Timothy are able to do. The Scriptures are able to make us wise unto salvation through faith that is in Christ. Keep in mind that there were no New Testament writings at that time and it is referring to Old Testament Scriptures. I am only writing this to show what the Bible calls Scriptures and it is not the New Testament writings.

Jesus made it clear in His teachings that the law, psalms and the prophets, which covers from Genesis to Malachi, speak about Him. So we see here that what can make us wise unto salvation is what is contained in the Old Testament Scriptures and not the New Testament writings. Verse 16 says that all scriptures (Old Testament) are given by inspiration of God. All the Old Testament scripture that Timothy learned as a child were inspired by God. It is also profitable for doctrine. So where should we be getting our doctrines from? The Old Testament Scriptures.

The scriptures are also used for reproof. This word is only found in II Timothy 3:16 and it means “conviction of a sinner”. So where was there conviction of a sinner? Only in the Old Testament times because Paul is telling Timothy that these things are contained in the scriptures and we have seen this means Old Testament writings. The word correction in the same verse means “a straightening up again”.

I think what stood out more to me than anything else in these few verses is the last part of verse 16 where it says the scriptures are for instruction in righteousness. If you want to know how righteous you are and how you received this righteousness just read the Old Testament Scriptures. The Law, Psalms and the Prophets, according to Jesus spoke about Him, and all said a redeemer would come and redeem the entire world back to God and righteousness would be freely given to all.

Remember also that it is instruction for righteousness. Righteousness can only be shown to you by Whom the Scriptures talk about and that of course is Jesus Christ. Righteousness came when all those scriptures were made flesh and fulfilled in Christ Jesus at the cross. There is no life in the Scriptures themselves but only in Jesus Christ. They are for instruction as to what righteousness is and instructions on how we received this righteousness.

Continued tomorrow………..

The moment you proclaim that your godliness is only because you are in Christ Jesus and it is not based on anything you do or don’t do, you will suffer persecution. It is not a popular stand to take in these religious circles we live in but it is a stand I have taken because I know the Lord has revealed this to me. You will not be persecuted for doing nice things and keeping the law and church rules and regulations but you will be persecuted for saying you are godly and only through what Jesus has done.

II Timothy 3:13 says that evil men will wax worse and worse and deceiving and being deceived. Who are these people that Paul is talking about that deceive and are being deceived? Does it mean they are out doing all kinds of bad things? No, that is not the context or the subject of this letter to Timothy. The subject is are you gaining your godliness by being in Christ or are you a deceiver by saying it is based on what you do or don’t do? Are you deceived by saying your godliness is based on your performance? Do you look at others and come to the conclusion that they are or are not Christians by what you see them doing? Then Paul says you are a deceiver and are being deceived.

Paul calls these are evil men and seducers and he goes even further and says they wax worse and worse. Can we get any better by putting all our efforts in living what we thought was a godly life? No, you will just get worse and worse the harder you try. The reason being is that you are trying to achieve something that is impossible to achieve. Anyone that claims they are righteous through the blood of Christ plus what they do will wax worse and worse. It is not through two things that godliness is achieved. It is through one thing and one thing only and it is through the fact you are in Christ Jesus. Anything else you add to that is self righteousness and you will get worse and worse.

I know years ago I used to tell people what is commonly called “my testimony” and I told them I had become a Christian because I was no longer an alcoholic and didn’t do drugs anymore and didn’t smoke anymore, or go to movies or listen to secular music, and list went on. What I was telling them was that I was living a godly life because of the things I no longer did and I was not a Christian during all those years I did these things. I was basing my Christianity on the things I had stopped doing. I was telling people to look at how holy I had become but leaving things I used to do behind.  I then of course began looking down on those people that still did the same things I used to do. Looking back now I see that it was about as self righteous as you can get when you look at it in that light.

I have come to realize that my godliness has nothing to do with what I used to do and no longer do or what I didn’t do and now do or anything else for that matter. It is totally and fully based on the fact that at the cross I was brought into Christ Jesus and nothing I do or don’t do matters any longer as far as my right standing with God goes. It is because I am in Christ Jesus that I am blameless and holy and perfect and not according to my deeds. Tell the world you are godly and only because you are in Christ Jesus and it is for sure you will suffer persecution. The reason is because it goes against the grain of those that claim they are godly because of what they do

The key is where Paul says the living Godly part is. Where is it living Godly? It is in Christ Jesus. The result of this is that they will suffer persecution. I don’t think we can find anyone that has suffered persecution for doing good. We cannot find anyone that has suffered persecution for keeping the law. That is not the reason persecution came to the early church. None of those that kept following the law after the resurrection suffered persecution.

Those that lived Godly in Christ Jesus suffered persecution. If you claim godliness only by being in Christ Jesus you will suffer persecution. All you have to do is tell people I am righteous, holy and perfect and then they see you do something that is against one or more of their laws; you are going to suffer persecution for that. I can almost hear them say “he cannot be a Christian because look at what he does”.

We have all heard we are to be living epistles to the whole world and so on. What is that supposed to be? Is the example of being a godly person doing everything right? Our example before each and every one of us is that we are actually failures when it comes to measuring up to what we were always told was living a godly life. We are living epistles of God because we have faults and failures according to what the law says and also according to what the rules and regulations of most churches say that a godly life is. The living epistle is not in ourselves but in the fact we are in Christ Jesus. If living a godly life is based on our performance and measuring up to rules and regulations there are none that are going to make it.

What this world needs to hear is like what Paul said when he admitted he had faults and failures and weaknesses and stand up and say I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. I am holy and perfect because I am in Christ Jesus and my life is a godly life because I am in Christ. We can stand up and say that I am not in sin because in Him there is no sin.

The world is sick of people saying they are righteous because they do nothing wrong while at the same time their lives, and all the lives I might add, show differently because we all have faults and failures and weaknesses. Have we not all failed at the mission we have all embarked upon when we first heard about the salvation of the Lord to try and be perfect in our own works? I think the answer to that is obvious in all of us. None of us have ever measured up to what we were told we needed to measure up to in order to make it.

How many times were we told we were ruining our testimony by some of the things we did after claiming to be Christians. We were told we were bringing shame upon Jesus. Maybe we brought shame unto ourselves by some of the things we did but we brought no shame unto Jesus. Living godly is knowing and proclaiming that it is because we are in Christ Jesus that we are holy and blameless and righteous, not because of anything we do. We are still everything God says we are regardless of what failures we may encounter. You may say but I’ve sinned. You may have committed some act but in Christ there is no sin held against you. You are not in sin if you are in Christ. You cannot be in and out of Christ at the same time. You cannot be in both places.

 Continued tomorrow………….

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The grace of God took that from all of us at the cross and it is not something that is going to come upon mankind. Don’t let anything or anyone keep you from seeing this grace. Don’t let anyone blind you to the fact that all these things I have been talking about over the past several days and weeks have already been taken for you by Jesus at the cross. Don’t let anyone take this peace from you by blinding you to the true grace that is freely yours.

Paul used some harsh words to the Galatians when He wrote them their letter showing them they had fallen from grace. Does that mean they were no longer righteous? No of course not because righteousness has nothing to do with us. It has everything to do with Jesus. He didn’t call them unrighteousness but he did call them stupid. He was telling them they no longer understood what grace meant as they had reverted back to law and had failed of the grace of God. Let us not be as foolish as the Galatians were that we can entertain thoughts that we can become righteous through our own works (law).

Something else happens when you get under the mentality that God is chastening and scourging you and that is that a root of bitterness will spring up. You will let bitterness rise up in you towards God. This root of bitterness has nothing to do with people’s relationships with each other. It has to do with one thing and one thing only. And that is going around believing that the chastening and scourging and whatever else we are going though in this life is because God is angry with us. Most people that believe that God is doing these things to them may not say they are bitter towards God but I think if they wanted to be honest it would show that is exactly what they are.

Don’t fail at the wonderful grace of God. Let the lame way you have walked most of your life be healed. Make straight paths for your feet. Lift up the hands and the feeble knees. Just realize that God’s grace is sufficient and judgment, scourging and chastening is past. That is the path of peace that verse 14 mentions. When we fail to see ourselves as God sees us, than we fail to see the grace of God in its proper light. What is that proper light? Jesus is the light of the world and He lights every man that comes into the world. Make sure you see that light as it is the grace of God. If you are failing to see yourself as God sees you then you are failing to see grace.

“Lest that which is lame” I believe is talking about the belief we used to have that we were being chastened and scourged by God and also our belief we can do something to attain righteousness. It is anything that is apart from what Jesus did on our behalf at the cross. If you believe that everything that comes around in your life, like I have mentioned before, is a chastisement from God then I think it can rightly be called lame. This is not lame because of some accident you may have had but remember that this chapter is talking about the chastening and scourging of God. And if we believe it is for us then we are going to walk around as if we were lame and our paths will not be straight. If you believe you can work enough to achieve right standing with God then you are following that which is lame.

There is only one straight path and that is knowing that Jesus took all our chastening and punishment upon Himself. He says we are to get out of that mentality and “lift up the hands that hang down and the feeble knees” (v12) and walk the straight path of righteousness.

V 13 says “but let it rather be healed”. Healed from what? Healed from that terrible dread that chastening and scourging and judgment is impending from God. I think its time that all these things be healed. By His stripes I have been healed. Healed of what? Healed from ever being chastened and scourged by God. I don’t think it is talking about any physical healing that we may need. Isaiah says by His stripes (beating) I am healed. Does that mean that He was beaten so that I could be physically healed? No, by His stripes (beating) that He took, I don’t have to take the beating. He took the beating for me so that I could be healed from any beating that I deserved from God.

Follow peace with all and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. (v14) What are you going to get from all this scourging and chastisement that Jesus took? You will get righteousness and holiness and also a revelation that God is at peace with you. He’s not angry anymore. The only way to see the Lord is to know all these things have been accomplished by Jesus on your behalf at the cross. Remember also that when you “see the Lord” you are seeing yourself as God sees you because He looks at you in His Son.

If we take verse 14 and say that we have to strive to be holy or we will not make it into Heaven, then it is taking that verse out of context. To follow peace and holiness is to put away that which is lame (our own works and beliefs) and rest in that which the Lord has done. Everything else is lame and needs to be turned out of the way (v.13) and healed by the fact that Jesus took everything on our behalf. Its all about Him.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord.

For behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

He came “to give knowledge of salvation unto His people by the remission of their sins”.

The Redeemer has come and He has freely brought redemption to the entire world and He lives forevermore.

What a happy day when I realize that Jesus washed away all of my sin. What a day it is when I realize that I never need to be scourged or chastened by God because Jesus has made everything right between me and Father God when He hung on that cross. What a day it is when we can see ourselves like God sees us and not seeing ourselves as being beaten by God every time we may do something wrong.

 Let’s go on to verse 11 where it says that no chastening for the present seems to be joyous. Now let’s not forget Who he is talking about here. Are we supposed to look at ourselves in this chapter in Hebrews? To find out Whom this is talking about lets look at verse 2 in chapter 12 and it will tell you Who it is we are to look to in regards to what this chapter is saying. Hebrews 12:2 ….looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of faith (the word “our” is not there in the original language) so it is saying Jesus is the author and finisher of faith, not our faith, but that is another blog subject for the future) is it saying looking unto ourselves in this chapter? No it is saying looking unto Jesus who endured the cross.

What is this chapter all about? It is all about Jesus and what He endured at the cross. Where it says in verse 11 that no chastening seems to be joyous for the present it is not talking about you and I. It is talking about Jesus enduring this at the cross. That chastening was not joyous by any means. It was horrible and cruel and everything else you can think of. Is it saying that Jesus endured all this suffering on the cross on our behalf and then says that we have to endure all this chastening too? There are many people around the world that believe it is exactly that way when they go through things they may not understand. I think we must really look at this in this way. If Jesus took all our suffering then why does God still require us to suffer and be chastened in order for us to partake of His holiness? Is that not a bit ridiculous? I think it is very much ridiculous.

Back to verse 11 again and it will tell us what this chastening results in. It results in the peaceable fruit of righteousness. What does this chastening make you before God? It makes you righteous. What else have we seen it makes you? It makes you a partaker of His holiness. How many of us have been made a partaker of God’s holiness by going through sickness, financial problems, or any other kind of rough times? Let’s not forget that yes it is through chastening, yes it is through scourging, and yes it is through suffering that we partake of His holiness and righteousness. But it is not through our own sufferings. It is through the chastisement and scourging and suffering that He took upon Himself upon the cross.

The chastisement of my peace was upon Him that I might be a partaker of His holiness. It is so important to see this. It is so important to see that all these things were taken by Him on our behalf. It is so important to see that when rough times come our way it is not God chastening us so we can be more holy. This chastening brings us peace and joy because it was upon Him and not upon us and because of that I can be a partaker of His holiness and righteousness. Peace is declared because of the blood of His cross and righteousness (right standing with God) becomes ours.

That is a very important thing to understand as it says the chastening was so we might live. Also in verse 10 it says that the chastening mentioned was for our profit. What kind of profit would it bring forth? So that we could be partakers of His holiness.

 Now let’s go back and I will mention again something that I said yesterday in an answer to a comment by Cliff yesterday and this is what I said in my comment…. I know of people that have been going through extremely rough times to the point of despair at times and they say that it is God shaping and molding them. I am not talking about a few things going on but this has been going on for years and only seems to get worse. These people that I am talking about are people involved in ministry (whatever that means) and I feel real bad for these people as the rough times they are going through must be extremely difficult.

I am not mentioning this to in any way say that whatever these people are going through is not real and has to be very difficult and discouraging. I am simply using this as an example of what some people say the chastening of the Lord is which is not what the Bible says it is. Now let’s go back to what he says this chastening is all about. So that we could become partakers of His holiness. I have seen many people over the years go through these difficult times I mentioned and I have yet to see one that became more holy because of it. Whatever this chastening is that is mentioned it is clear that it is for our profit. What profit do these people get from what they claim is chastening from the Lord? I have yet to see anyone become “more holy” because of it and yet that is what the verse says. So what is this profit that it mentions that it is for?

The result of the chastening and scourging that he is talking about is that we may be partakers of His holiness. Whatever this chastening and scourging was, it was that we could become holy. How many people have become holy by being beaten by God and obedient to the law? Let’s be honest here. How many people do you know that have gone through some rough times that they believed to be the chastening of the Lord and they came out at the other end more holy? Do you know of anyone having become holy because they had been beaten up by God? I don’t think any of you can answer that you have seen anyone made holy by their sufferings. What I have seen is that these people become more bitter towards others and towards God as well because they think it is God doing it and they get to a point they cannot stand anyone questioning whatever it is they are going through.

If you think God is giving you a hard time to make you grow and become holy, you will get bitter and miserable. The chastening He is talking about is clearly stated that it produces holiness. The only holiness I know I have is the holiness that I have been given as a gift from God because of what Jesus did at the cross. I am a partaker of this holiness it is talking about because He was a partaker of my sin and He suffered the chastening and scourging on my behalf. This was so I could become a partaker of His righteousness which was imputed to me. Jesus did not deserve to be beaten and chastened by God and it was us that needed to be beaten and scourged. I can now partake of His righteousness and holiness because He did it all for me and I never have to suffer the chastening and scourging of the Lord.

Continued tomorrow……………

The whole New Testament tells me I am a son of God because of what Jesus did apart from any of my works and then all of a sudden we are told in Hebrews 12 that it is through God chastening and scourging us? Is that not a bit ridiculous? It is not because of what God does to me that makes me a Son but it is because of what God did to Jesus on my behalf. It has nothing to do with any hardship you may be facing. Is it any wonder that people get discouraged when something happens in their lives and they have been told and believed that it is God doing it to them? Can you see why so many people don’t want to hear about a God that would do such a thing, whatever it may be they are going through? I wouldn’t want to hear about a God that does that either.

It is not difficult to see how we can stray from Truth by taking a few Bible verses out of context. It is of utmost importance to find out what the theme of the book you are reading is all about before taking a few verses or a chapter out of context and making it say something other than what it is saying.

In Hebrews 12 Paul is showing them the total foolishness of them going back under law and He is showing them what happened to remove them from under the law because they could never become sons under the law but remained as children.

You have been a partaker of God’s chastisement because you have been a partaker of Jesus Christ. You have been chastened; you have been scourged because when Jesus hung on that cross whom did He say hung there with Him? You were and I was and the whole world was too. He took our place and received our chastisement and scourging. Not only were we partakers of God’s wrath at that time but we are now partakers of Hi Sonship, His holiness, and His righteousness.

If you still believe God chastises us them you will live with a mindset that the rough times you are going through are from Him and it will cause bitterness to rise up. I guess a question now would be, for those that believe God still chastises His people,  how does God do this chastising? If you believe He does than it is only right that you know how He does it don’t you think? If you think the torment in your mind is how He chastens you or the loss of a job, or the loss of your health or whatever else you may think it is, then someone should explain how He does it if it is not in one of these things I mentioned. Don’t you think we should have a right to know exactly hoe He does it so when whatever it is comes along, we will not mistake it for something else?  If anyone is teaching you that God is chastising and scourging you, then I believe they should tell you how it is done.

Many will come up with different ideas as to how this is done and it is nothing but that…ideas. No, the chastening was taken by His Son when He poured out His wrath upon Him at the cross. He paid the price, totally and fully. Does that mean we never go through hard times? No of course not, but it is NOT because God is mad at you or is punishing you for something you may have done or not done. He is no longer angry at His people because His wrath was poured out upon His Son. It is finished.