Category: sin

God’s Grace Grants Great Gain

Friday, June 26, 2015

“And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?” (Romans 2:3,4 KJV).

God’s goodness and grace grant us great gain!

Chapters 1 through 3 of the book of Romans are God’s controversies with mankind. It is like a court setting, where the accused (mankind) is indicted and convicted of being wretched sinners, worthy of eternal damnation, the everlasting lake of fire. After discussing the sins of the Gentiles (nations) in chapter 1, God moves on in chapter 2 to review the actions of the “goody-goody” Jews, people who say they are “not as bad as the Gentiles.” As today’s Scripture says, just as divine judgment would come on the unbelieving Gentiles, the unbelieving Jews would experience that wrath, too!

The verses after today’s Scripture say: “[5] But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; [6] Who will render to every man according to his deeds: … [8] But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, [9] Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; [11] For there is no respect of persons with God.”

There are many today who have failed to realize that God’s goodness is temporarily keeping them from dying and going to hell. They enjoy His oxygen, His food, His water, His provisions, but they spout their ignorance about how “God does not exist!” They despise His goodness, His unmerited favor. They haughtily forget that He, if He so chose, could swat them and mash them as one would do a pesky fly. Grace delays the wrath! Oh, dear friends, may we turn from such silliness, foolishness, before it is eternally too late. Let us humbly come by faith alone in Jesus Christ’s finished crosswork, the epitome of God’s grace, that we one day not see God’s angry face.

Persistence of Resistance for Maintenance of Coexistence

Thursday, June 25, 2015

“Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel” (Amos 4:12b KJV).

As divine judgment found rebellious Israel, mankind today will not escape either!

Genesis documents the four divine institutions that govern man’s existence. In chapters 1 and 2, we read about free will, marriage, and family/parenting. Chapters 9-11 discuss nationalism (human government). Satan, the sneaky Devil, has attacked all four. May we not wonder why society is in such pitiful shape today.

God designed FREE WILL to be the means whereby man could exercise faith or doubt, believing or rejecting God’s Word. Today, Calvinists (in pagan circles, “Fatalists”) deny man’s free will by saying that God has already determined every little detail beforehand—who does what, what they do, who goes to heaven and who goes to hell, et cetera. Instead of blaming sinners, just blame God! MARRIAGE, the most intimate human relationship, was designed by God for the bearing of children. Homosexual activity in no way produces children. Period. Even if we knew not a single Bible verse, nature teaches us that humans were never created to be homosexuals. Heterosexual marriages are necessary, lest the human race die out. FAMILY/CHILDBEARING was intended by God to be the means whereby society would expand and mankind would multiply worldwide. Abortion attacks this intention of God. Even if we were, like most, Bible ignorant, nature teaches us that no species will survive if it kills its offspring. God created NATIONALISM as a means to convey order and justice. Due to political corruption, God’s purpose in governments is not being fulfilled today. Hence, Jesus Christ will have to come back one day, and straighten it out!

Despite the constant plea/demand today for “tolerance” of others’ beliefs, hypocritically, not one of these “coexisters” is “tolerant” of the Creator God’s designs! Everyone is entitled to “free speech” but the God of the universe! Let them enjoy God’s grace today. Let them blame God today. Let them laugh and mock Jesus Christ today. Let them act however, marry whomever, kill whomever, oppress whomever today. Jesus Christ may just return tomorrow in wrath, finding them doing “however and “whatever!” Friends, God will not allow such “intolerance” of His will, to go unpunished forever (Romans 2:1-11; Ephesians 5:3-6).

Our latest Bible Q&A: “What is the difference between ‘the Kingdom of God’ and ‘the Kingdom of Heaven?’”

Five Minutes Versus Life Sentence

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6 KJV).

Imagine. Five minutes in the Word could have spared many from life in prison!

I recently watched a documentary about the largest maximum-security prison in the United States. Also known as “Angola,” Louisiana State Penitentiary is about two-hours’ drive from here. Over 6,000 prisoners live at Angola—three-fourths are serving life sentences and 85 percent die there! Several prisoners were interviewed in the heart-wrenching documentary. Having been incarcerated there for 30 or 40 years, they were “reformed.” One prisoner, on death row, was executed shortly after his interview. Another prisoner, an elderly man stricken with cancer, died before filming was completed.

Watching that documentary, the viewer cannot help but wonder where were the parents, especially the fathers, when these prisoners were growing up. Did any parent of any prisoner ever care enough or love enough to sit down five minutes with those children and teach them about Jesus Christ? Evidently not! How many of those 6,000 inmates could have never wound up there had someone—anyone, anywhere—reached them with the Gospel of the Grace of God before the world reached them with their ideologies? Think of the loss. There could have been 6,000 profitable citizens who improved society, trophies of God’s grace, had they each just had someone share Jesus Christ’s finished crosswork with them! Had they just had one adult point them in the right direction with sound Bible doctrine during their childhood years!

Parents, especially fathers, (if you are not a parent, you have an influence on younger generations regardless), please do not neglect your divinely-ordained position as role models in word and in deed. Barring exceptions, many wayward souls had extremely shallow to nothing in their spiritual lives growing up, and all of society suffers because of it. Please make sure that the children in your life are hearing chiefly from you the message of God’s grace and His Word rightly divided. If you must be taught first, get your whole family to someone who can teach. Think—even five minutes in Scripture will outweigh a life sentence in prison! 🙂

When Reality Catches Up

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

“For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:22,23 KJV).

Paul reaffirms that the Christian is not promised good health in this the Dispensation of Grace!

Scanning a newspaper sometime ago, I read the “obituaries” page and noticed a rather peculiar item—the death notice of the wife of a local “faith healing” pastor! (Her cause of death unknown.) Or, consider the well-known “faith healer” who was recently suffering cardiopulmonary issues and had to be hospitalized. More lately, a “faith healer” preaching on the internet recounted the time when he experienced influenza (and there was no instant healing for him!). All the “healing” claims aside, even the “faith healers” purchase medical insurance, grow sick, seek medical help, and, yes, they eventually die, too.

Dearly beloved, we can deceive ourselves into believing “healing” testimonies and attending “healing” crusades, or we can just believe today’s Scripture. As long as our Dispensation of Grace is operating, there can be no divine intervention regarding physical healing: “The whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.” Someone may object and say that this verse does not apply to us Christians. The next verse of today’s Scripture answers them: “And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.”

Our physical bodies have not yet been redeemed. They are still subject to sin, sickness, and death (2 Corinthians 4:16-18). Thankfully, by God’s grace, we have immune systems, medical professionals, and prescription drugs. Even when these are not enough, and we must succumb to physical death, in Christ, we could not be headed to a better place! Above all, no matter what type of sickness or trouble, God’s grace is truly sufficient, surely enough, for us to bear it, that it not destroy us spiritually (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). Spiritual fortitude—may we have it when we have bodily illness, that misery not have us (Romans 5:1-5)! 🙂

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Was Saul a pastor, a prophet, or an evangelist?”

The Grandest Conspiracy of All

Friday, June 19, 2015

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 KJV).

Behold, the grandest conspiracy of all!

So-called “conspiracy theorists” constantly speak and write of the latest secret government plots to accomplish “this” or do “that.” Health crises, environmental movements, political platforms, military operations, national disasters, et cetera are always under the scrutiny of those seeking to expose possible links to covert evil agendas. Doubtless many plans and scams exist throughout our beloved nation, America, but they exist in every country on Earth as well. But, there is more. There is one common conspiracy that unites all nations.

Unfortunately, professing Christians often lead the hysteria, using Scripture to justify their preparations for “Armageddon.” Hiding in their homes, constructing underground bunkers, stocking up on supplies and ammunition, and utterly fearing every new electronic gadget as a likely link to the Antichrist. These poor people are woefully ignorant of that which they claim to know and believe—the Bible! Honestly, bluntly, frankly, they could not spot the Antichrist’s regime if it was here. How so? They cannot discern the satanic scheme that is presently distracting them in religion, politics, and news media. When more Christians follow the latest news items than Christians reading the Bible, we can see why they parrot news headlines instead of quoting Bible verses. They know more about what their government is doing than what their God is doing!

Today’s Scripture says Satan wars in the Christian’s mind. Just as he misled Israel with worthless information, he is still doing it today with the Body of Christ. Our minds need to be focused on “the obedience of Christ”—what Jesus did at Calvary on our behalf. The greatest conspiracy is that Satan does everything in his power to keep Christians and lost people alike, all over the world, from remembering that perfect sacrifice of God’s beloved Son. May we not be ignorant of the greatest conspiracy of all!

Have Ye Not Known, Heard, Been Told, and Understood?

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

“Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?” (Isaiah 40:21 KJV).

Long before spiritual ignorance gripped the Body of Christ, it smothered the nation Israel!

Isaiah chapters 40 through 48 are a polemic, JEHOVAH’S rebuke of idolatrous Israel. She had traded her living Creator God for dead wood and stone statues! Today’s Scripture is directed toward the Jews, God attempting to reach their darkened hearts and silly minds: “Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?” The answer to all four questions is “Yes!” Israel had known, had heard, had been told, and had understood from the very day God had formed them!

Going all the way back to the Abrahamic Covenant, God had promised to make Israel His chief nation in the earth, the channel of blessing to reach Gentiles, His instrument to restore His authority in the earth (Genesis 12:1-3). Essentially, Israel was to do and be what Adam failed to do and be. The Apostle Peter said that that earthly kingdom, over which Jesus Christ was King, was that “which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:21). Up until Isaiah’s day, God had sent prophets to Israel to instruct them in His ways. Moses was chief, but others were Job, Elijah, Elisha, Samuel, David, Joel, Nathan, and Micah. Israel was without excuse!

The verse following today’s Scripture says: “It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in.” In other words, “Israel, I formed you because I wanted to live on planet Earth with you and the rest of mankind.” Alas, like Adam, Israel threw away the promises of God and the Word of God, embracing worthless idols! What would He say of the Body of Christ today, who has largely ignored His Word for 20 centuries?

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Does not Acts 11:15 prove the Body of Christ began in Acts 2?”

Quarantined for Christ!

Sunday, June 14, 2015

“Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets” (Luke 6:22,23 KJV).

Christ in us is contagious… and they do not want to “catch” Him!

Recently, a Christian was telling me how another Christian had “Christian” family members who emotionally and spiritually abused him. She claimed that this individual was treated as though he had leprosy. They had no time for him unless they could benefit from him in some way. It undoubtedly was a spiritual battle. It was a great division, a battle between good and evil, a situation wherein one party stood for sound Bible doctrine and the other party was entrenched in religious tradition. Today’s Scripture came to mind.

We can be “quarantined” for various and sundry reasons. Perhaps we live a “gutter life,” one filled with violence and crime, and (understandably) no one wants to be associated with us. Or, maybe we just like to gossip and backstab and people thus avoid us. These are negative. But, to be “separated… for the Son of man’s sake” (today’s Scripture), that is the noblest type of quarantine. It is not easy to handle, and it does hurt, but Jesus Christ forewarned His disciples that it would come. They should not be shocked or “frozen,” unable to react when it happened. But, how can one in that predicament be “blessed,” happy, “rejoicing,” “leaping for joy?” It takes the mind of God to understand!

If ever people associate you with the God of the Bible, you have given a clear testimony of the God of the Bible in your behavior and lifestyle. There was no phoniness or cravenness in you. You were candid about your Saviour, they saw the light, and they refused to see that light any further. They knew you were “infected” with Jesus Christ, and they sealed you away, lest you “communicate” Him to them! Indeed, rejoice, beloved, jump for joy, when the world places you in “quarantine!” 🙂

If Thou Be #6

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

“But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him” (2 Corinthians 11:3,4 KJV).

Can Satan use the Bible to confuse God’s people concerning their identity? Yes, today’s Scripture says he most certainly can (and does)!

Every cult in Christendom is “Scriptural.” They all use part of the Holy Bible—the Psalms, Isaiah, the Sermon on the Mount, Genesis, the “Lord’s Prayer,” and so on. Marvel not, dear friends, that false religion does utilize God’s precious words to fool the masses. For, long before false religion used and abused the Bible to support their warped system, Satan did likewise during Christ’s earthly ministry.

Most people greatly underestimate Satan—“The Devil works in those who smoke, chew, and hang around the girls who do. Satan working at and in my denominational church? Never! My preacher uses the Bible! We follow ‘Jesus,’ are led by ‘the Spirit,’ and proclaim ‘the Gospel!’”

Note the following dialog during Christ’s temptations, Matthew chapter 4: “[5] Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, [6] And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.”

Quoting Psalm 91:11-12 to Jesus, Satan was “Scriptural!!” The Devil grabbed a passage from another dispensation (specifically, Christ’s Second Coming) and forced it into Christ’s First Coming. Jesus knew better, and did not claim those verses because they were irrelevant at that time. Likewise, Paul feared in today’s Scripture that the Corinthians would allow someone to take a Gospel message from another dispensation (Scripture!) and force it on them, Jesus’ earthly ministry to Israel (Scripture!) and force it on them, and the Mosaic Law (Scripture!) and force it on them….

If Thou Be #3

Saturday, June 6, 2015

“And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:4,5 KJV).

Long before Satan tried to seduce Jesus Christ from understanding His identity, long before he attempted to mislead us from our Christian identity, he deceived Eve regarding her identity.

In the beginning, Adam and Eve were fully blessed of God. Sin, suffering, and death were unknown. God’s only commandment was Genesis 2:16,17: “[16] And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: [17] But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” God in His grace had given them many provisions—innumerable species of trees and plants from which to eat. They could “freely eat” of every tree, save the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam communicated to Eve that Word of God originally given to him.

When Satan attacked mankind, he singled out the woman. After craftily asking Eve if God really said not to eat of every tree, Satan observed Eve depart even further from the truth. Genesis 3:2-5 says: “[2] And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: [3] But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. [4] And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: [5] For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”

Eve neglected the abundance God gave her and Adam. She omitted “freely” from “freely eat,” ignoring the free will God gave her. Made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26-28), she was misled to believe that she could have a better position (“gods”). Once Adam ate, they lost that perfect identity, and all its provisions.

Manipulating Moses to Murder Messiah #4

Sunday, May 31, 2015

“And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers” (Acts 3:17 KJV).

How could Israel have been so blind in rejecting Jesus as Messiah, One who fulfilled hundreds of Old Testament prophecies?

Israel knew they were killing the Lord Jesus. It was great spiritual insanity. When God opened our Dispensation of Grace in Acts chapter 9, a twofold benefit arose. Firstly, the Gentiles whom God had consigned to Satan could now be saved by Jesus’ finished crosswork. Secondly, the Jews who were still in unbelief—the very ones who deliberately killed Jesus Christ—could also be saved by simple faith in Calvary’s crosswork. Saul of Tarsus was in the latter group.

Upon meeting the ascended Lord outside Damascus, Saul realized and trusted Jesus Christ’s righteousness and he forgot all about his foolishness in works-religion. God certainly came back in Acts chapter 9, not to pour out His wrath, but to pour out His grace and start the Church the Body of Christ! The leader of the world’s rebellion against Jesus Christ, Saul, the one who mercilessly imprisoned and slaughtered God’s Messianic Jews, Saul, was now saved unto eternal life.

Decades later, Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 1:15,16: “[15] This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. [16] Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.”

If God saved such a rebel as Saul of Tarsus, a wicked and bloodthirsty theologian, there is no person “too far gone” in unbelief and sin, whom God cannot save in a literal heartbeat today. “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (Romans 5:20). For nearly 2,000 years, God has offered salvation freely to all, Jew and Gentile alike, by His grace through simple faith in Jesus Christ’s shed blood for our sins, death, burial, and resurrection. The Gospel of the Grace of God, the heart of the Dispensation of the Grace of God, is the only way we can approach Almighty God today!

Our latest Bible Q&A: “How did Satan ‘hinder’ Paul in 1 Thessalonians 2:18?”