"A Great Contrast"

 "Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him." (Ecclesiastes 8:12 KJV) 

 "Later, God condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and turned them into heaps of ashes. He made them an example of what will happen to ungodly people. But God also rescued Lot out of Sodom because he was a righteous man who was sick of the shameful immorality of the wicked people around him. Yes, Lot was a righteous man who was tormented in his soul by the wickedness he saw and heard day after day. So you see, the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials, even while keeping the wicked under punishment until the day of final judgment." (2 Peter 2:6-9 NLT)

 Maybe there are more questions than answers, to this very complex interpretation; mostly because there is such a great contrast between two types of people: those who fear God and depend upon Him for their salvation; and those that ignore God's ability to save, continually living in sin without caring about what might happen. The bottom-line, in this life of being righteous, with pure righteousness, is our righteous state is not our own, but is dependent upon what Christ Jesus has done: His grace makes all the difference in the world! 

 I know, there are many different shades of glory, but the whole purpose that Christ did what He did, was to save all those who put their faith in Him! As simple as that might sound, it covers a wide range of possibilities and differences in people's lives, here on this earth. Samson was a prime example, who did not actually do that which was required, as a Nazirite, but lived contrary to most everything except the cutting of his hair. But we all know how that turned out; yet he is still listed in the Hall of Faith. 

 David was called by God, "A man after His own heart," not because he was perfect and never sinned; but because he loved God and depended upon God for his salvation! All of those who were called Saints, could have been looked at as if they were sinners, because we all sin, each and every one! If there could have been a way for someone to be without sin, then Jesus would not have to had died on the cross for our sins, period! 

 We are set free from the sin, only because of what Christ Jesus did, not because of anything that we can do on our own; with Christ we have holiness; without Christ we are surely condemned...

"All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grave he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding." (Ephesians 1:3-8 NLT)