"His Gift" -6

We are almost there, of that I am sure! There are several different translations of words which can be used to express the word 'Gift'; all of which have pretty much one thing in common, and that is that they mean free. However, there are differences that make the gift given more powerful than others; which depending on your interpretation of what is being said, could make the difference between success and failure in justification from sin. Oh, how I wish that I could go back in time! To think about all the times that I have let the enemy get a hold in my relationship with my wife, or in my ability to be a strong spiritual leader to my family; this should not have been allowed!!! And to think, that the reason I did allow it to happen, was only because I accepted failure as part of who I am; thus, looking upon my own strength and ability, and not placing all my attention in the Grace of God!!! Yes, it's true that grace means unwarranted favour, and undeserved promises; however, there is a point where our unworthiness does not matter any longer, because His worthiness takes my place, and therefore what I think about myself does not really matter anymore. (As if that made any sense to anyone?) My point, in case you missed it, is that when we point our attention on our own frailties, we have taken our focus off the power of Jesus Christ and the gift that He has given us. Accepting failure is not a option that we should even consider, because He has not failed, and our life is now in Him!!! What we let happen in our relationships and in our families, is that we accept failure as part of this life; making it part of the journey, as if it is something that is part of who we are; is it??? Only if we let it be!!!! James 1:17 & 18 is a good illustration of what I am talking about, because within verse 18 are two different uses of the word 'gift' used. "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of His Own will begat He us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures." We are to be Holy and Set Apart!!! Not frail and subject to the failures that come with the teritory; but instead, we are to blaze a trail through the beaten teritory, as people that are more then conquerors in Christ Jesus, our Lord and Master!!! Again, I want to make reference to a song by one of my favorite bands (Daniel Amos); the song is called 'Safety Net' and is from one of their albums released in the 80's. Within the song are lyrics such as "Strung out in the cradle of Grace" and "Shot like a bullet till Kingdom come"; lyrics which I have played over and over again in my mind, thinking about how we never really get it right, because our focus is on ourselves and not on Him! Paul made reference to something within his list of qualities that are to be counted as dung, in Philippians 3:6, which was his endeavor to persecute the church, and he used it as his example of zeal; meaning his passion for the law. This might be hard to grasp, but sometimes it is our zeal which gets us in trouble! It happens over and over again, because we start feeling stronger and stronger; so much so, that we find our self depending more on our own strength then on His; until we reach the point where we find that we have no strength at all; which is usually the point of failure...

"His Gift" -5

"Therefore, as by the offense of one judgement came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life." (Romans 5:18) Last night I could not get 'Toy Maker and Son' out of my mind; over and over I kept seeing the play being played out; with each sequence, a new remembrance was brought forth. If you have never seen this play, then you should. Our church hosted this play about twenty years ago, and I was really impressed with the performance and the characters. The basic story that they put forth is quite amazing, and the simplicity of the message is so easy to grasp. However, Paul is talking about something here in Romans 5 that is not that easy to get a handle on, especially if you do not accept the fact that Jesus is God! Don't get me wrong, because I am sure that some think that they understand clearly what Paul is saying; however, if they do not accept that Jesus Christ is God, then they really can't see the gift clearly that Paul is talking about. For thousands of years there has been those that would try to portray Jesus as a man that had sinned. Most recently, those within the movie industry have tried in several different movies; sadly, many in the world had bought into some of those portrayals, and have even been heard spouting off some of those falsehoods. As I child, I was also mislead in this area, by those that had used the instance of Jesus chasing out the money changers from the Temple, as an example of Him being just a man, and therefore subject to anger, as are we. Anything to prove their point! Paul is not talking about just a righteous man, because he makes the point in verse one, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned". It is perfectly clear that Paul is saying that man cannot save man, because all have sinned. This might explain why works is so important to those that don't quite see who Jesus really is; since they really don't think that His sacrifice was sufficient to completely take away all sin, because they can't see the perfection that was in His sacrifice; therefore, they must be obligated to make up the difference by achieving good works that go along with His ransom sacrifice, as if they must participate in the cleansing process. That is not the point of the "free gift" that Paul is referring to; because, then that would make the gift not free, but subject to some kind of work, by which it is earned; therefore, making it not a gift at all, but a payment for doing works; of which no one can achieve the payment needed, because "our works are filthy rags unto God"!!!! (Oh! what a tangled web we weave, when first we practise to deceive!)

"His Gift" -4

"I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord!!!" This is Paul's statement within the expression of the power of Jesus Christ compared to the power of his stature and gains (exclamations added). "The excellency of the knowledge", is debatable as to exactly what Paul is saying; if you do not consider the whole context of what points are being brought out. First off, Paul is speaking about rejoicing in Jesus Christ, not in works of the flesh; which he refers to as: "For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit , and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh." (Philippians 3:3) At first glance, our natural tendency is to make the "spirit" into the 'Spirit', as to assume that Paul is talking about our worship of God in the Holy Spirit; however, Paul is referring to our mind, or our rational spirit. What he is talking about here is the seat of our affections, emotions and passions; which are to be brought in line with our understanding that we spiritually helpless. It is then that we can begin to see Paul's point in "The excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ", because without Jesus Christ, we are broken and helpless, in every way. And the knowledge which Paul is speaking of, is the kind of knowledge which is established by the power of knowing; which takes us to greater understanding of who God is, and what He has done for us. Then, when we look at the word "excellency", we see a word that means 'far Superior', depicting the deity and the Lordship of who Jesus Christ is, of which Paul referrers to Him as, "My Lord". The word "Lord" used here is equivalent to the Old Testament word 'Jehovah', of which, the Watch Tower Tract Society has changed all the words 'Lord' listed in the Old Testament to 'Jehovah' where they are attributed to God. I find this very interesting, considering what the word 'Jehovah' actually is translated to mean 'The Lord'. Therefore; it really does not matter what you might think today about who Jesus is, because, "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and in earth, and things under the earth; and every tongue should confess the Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father". (Philippians 2:10 & 11) So, whether you like it or not, Jesus Christ is Jehovah!!!!

"His Gift" -3

"Hating even the garment spotted by the flesh". (Jude 23b) As we ponder what His gift to us really means, let us not forget what a gift even is, and that it is not something that can be purchased. The grace of God is nothing that can be worked for, because it is something that can only be provided to us by God Himself though Jesus Christ our Lord. That is why He had to come and die for us, because we were hopeless to attain salvation on our own! Only God was worthy enough to pay the price for our sin; "for there is none righteous, no, not one". And yet He made a way for man to be redeemed unto Himself, by providing Himself as a sacrifice for our sin!!! Now then; seeing the great price involved in the provision for His grace to us, do we really think that anything we have done, or that we can do, can even come close to measuring up to that gift which He has given? Therefore, the only thing left for us to do, is to receive His gift to us with a heart of thanksgiving; accepting His free gift knowing that it is by nothing that we have done, nor nothing we can do, by which we are saved. As earnest as someone might be in there desire to work their way to heaven, or for righteousness, anyone who tries is the same as a thief and a robber. Cain too, was earnest in his sacrifice unto God; believing that God would have respect for his sacrifice, as he offered up the fruit of the ground of which he had tilled. As a matter of fact, it was his earnestness that cause his heart to hate his brother; not because his brother had done what was right and acceptable before God, but because his earnest sacrifice was not looked upon as acceptable, even though his involved more effort on his part to bring it about. This is why God warned Cain, when He saw that he was wroth, saying, "Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door: and unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him." (Genesis 4:6 & 7) There is an attitude that is developed in the heart of a man that says, I've come to far, and worked to hard for this to be worth nothing! Yet, if we consider for a moment what God has done for us; something which He had planned and worked on since the very beginning; before even man was created, God had established the way to redeem the man which He knew He was to create, and which He knew would fall in sin. Now that's a lot of hard work!!! "Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: circumcised the eight day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, those I count loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them as dung, that I might win Christ, and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: that I might know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His suffering, being made conformable unto His death; if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead." (Philippians 3:4-11)

"His Gift" -2

Looking a little deeper into the passages that were shared yesterday, they can be easily be taken to mean several different things. On the one hand, we are instructed by Jude to have compassion on some, while others require being pulled from the fire; at least this might be your first thought about his meaning. Was he speaking of something new, or was he continuing a previous point being made? Going back to verse 11, which is where Jude starts with "Woe unto them!", and prior to verse 14, which he speaks of the prophesy of Enoch, Jude is trying to illustrate a particular character to the persons that are deceived and who deceive others. Starting with "for they have gone in the way of Cain"; which was one who did not understand what a proper sacrifice to God involved, and then hated his brother for being right. Then moving to "and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward"; which is a reference in the New Testament as the symbol of false and seducing teachers. And then finishing with "and perished in the gainsaying of Korah"; which is speaking about full on rebellion against God, and the result of it. Jude then gives the character of who these are in the following fashion: "These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever." (verse 12 & 13) After which, he begins speaking about the prophecy of Enoch and the Last Times; of which Enoch spoke about the Lord coming with ten thousands of His saints to execute judgement; from which he runs the topic to the things spoken of the apostles, about what is to be expected in the last times; and then from that, he speaks about what we as Believers are required to do for ourselves in the midst of a world filled with deceivers; which is to pray, keep ourselves in the love of God and look for the mercy of Jesus Christ unto eternal life. What in the world does any of this have to do with "His Gift"? I know that is what you are asking, because I have been asking it myself!!! Cain was mistaken about what a sacrifice unto God was all about, being that his was based upon works; yet Abel, his was a sacrifice of atonement; one in which he was asking for God to have mercy, while at the same time offering up to God a more perfect sacrifice, which involved the shedding of blood. The issue that set Cain off against his brother, was not that Abel was not any better than him, it was that God did not accept his sacrifice; making him then jealous of his brother, and hating him for getting it right; even though in his heart, Cain still thought his sacrifice was the better one, because it was based upon his works. Those that get who Jesus was wrong, will also misunderstand the purpose that He had to come; because it is not about what we can do, but is about what He has done...

"His Gift"

"And of some have compassion, making a difference: and others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh." (Jude 22 & 23) As I was praying this morning, I again made the mistake of resting in bed while I prayed; not really the best way to wake up. The most important thing for us to remember at this time of the year, is what this thing called Christmas is all about. It's not about Santa, or Reindeer, or little elves with pointy ears; it's about the Gift that was given to us! As Adam started his comment, I was so pleased to see his excitement over the wonderful gift of our Lord Jesus Christ; but that excitement only lasted but a second, because, no sooner had I finished reading the introduction, was I made disappointed by his assertion that Jesus was not the creator. As I tried to illustrate yesterday in our Lord's prayer to the Father, He, being Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour gives eternal life!!! Now why would anyone want to challenge the very one who gives eternal life? He, also being Jesus Christ was given power over all flesh; which specifically means All Living Flesh, being that He came in the flesh. There is something that people like Adam need to understand about who Jesus was; because between the time that He lay in the manger, to His death on the cross, He was a man who walked the earth; however, His frailty was only governed by the flesh in which He dwelt. I can't wait to see what our new bodies will look like in heaven! Glorified bodies that they will be! And as I think of how they will look, I can only wonder if they will in one way or another be made of flesh? One thing for sure: they will no longer be spotted by sin!!! And, they will no longer be subject to decay or death! Now, who do you think will make us these New Bodies???

"THREE IN ONE"

"But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life." (Jude 20 & 21) I can't think of a better way to end this debate, then to admit to you and everyone else that Jesus is the One and Only Son of God!!! True, true, true as can be; Jesus is the Son! He is the Second Person of the Three Person God!!! As Jude expounded in this power packed little epistle, "building up yourselves on your most holy faith" requires that we relate to and look to All Three of the Godhead Persons, because they are All Three required for our completeness in God! The Father, The Son, and The Holy Ghost are all One complete God; and as hard as that might be for some to swallow, it does not change Who They are, was and always will be! Adam, you used as a reference, 1 Corinthians 8:4 & 6 as the proof that the Father is the ONE GOD; listing also that which Jesus spoke in John 17:3 about "that they might know thee the only true God", which was part of His prayer in His final hours. Like I said yesterday, If you take these verses alone to mean what you think that they are saying, then you might be able to prove your point; however, no single verse is ever meant to be taken alone as the definition or the context of what is being said. I was told something a long time ago, and it has become my general rule of thumb: if a single verse is presented to me, I should always include at least three prior or the three after, or both, before I base an opinion of what that verse is saying. Sometimes the single verse can mean just the opposite of what you think that it does, if you do not combine it with the surrounding verses. This is one of the sharp differences that I can remember from studying with the J.W.'s as a child: they do not study the complete Bible. They study from their Scripture Studies, which are printed by The Watchtower Tract Society; and in the process of their studies, there is a Scripture reference given, at which time they stop, look it up in their New World Translations Bible, and then agree that the Studies are correct. Quite amazing how easy it is to convince someone truth, without actually using the Whole Truth of God!!! First off, the point that Paul was making in 1 Corinthians 8:6, was about touching those things that are sacrificed to idols, and about having a clear conscience, whether with your self or with others. The reference that Paul was making about "But to us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by Him", was to illustrate whom we are to worship, because in the verse prior to this, he states, "For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, as there be gods many, and lords many; but to us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by Him." Do you see how including the previous verse can bring new meaning? Now, concerning John 18:3; which is the beginning of Jesus praying to the Father, as he is about to give His life for you and me. Again, you cannot just take a single verse or two, and make a doctrinal case with it. Verse three, taken by itself, can mean just about whatever you want it to mean, depending what definition you are looking for; for He says, "And this is eternal life, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ , whom thou hast sent." Let's try again, but this time, try taking in the magnitude of this prayer, remembering that Jesus is about to give His life, and be humiliated and scourged for us! This time let's take the first five verses together as one!!! "These words spake Jesus, and lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that the Son also may glorify thee: as thou hast given Him (being the Son) power over all flesh, that He (being the Son) should give eternal life to as many as Thou (being the Father) hast given Him (being the Son). And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on earth: I have finished the work which thou hast gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was." So there!!!

"Wow, O Wow!"

If you would take a moment and continue to read what Jude says about what shall happen to those that are deceivers of the faith, you might think that he was a little upset over something. He starts out saying, "I would put you in remembrance, though you once knew this,"; as if to say, You should know what I am talking about, and then he goes on to name off all those that have been stricken by God for leading others into into rebellion, believing not in the power of The Almighty God. A word to the wise, Don't mess with God's Word for your own personal gain! "But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; how that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit." (Jude 17-19) The word that Jude uses 'sensual', as has it has been translated, is not a word of honor; it is taken from the word 'Psuchikos' which means animal like in nature, and in reference to men, it is to invoke that they are governed by the fallen instinct of man, verses the Spirit of God, in the case Jude is referring to. Yet, before this, Jude says, "they separate themselves", which is a term that involves making their beliefs the only truth, and spouting that their sect or belief is the only real way to eternal life; even though, their belief is based upon false teachings. Does this remind you of any organizations? This is really the reason that so many are caught up into false religions, and that they fear to be cast out; for fear of being taken out of the only way to salvation, they are held there by a doctrine that teaches them not to doubt what they are told. We that are true Believers know better, in that we know to question anything that man says, and measure what we are told by the Word of God. If it does not line up, then we don't accept it; period!!! Which brings me to your third and fourth references; ones which taken by themselves could lead someone to believe what you are saying is true. However, you are forgetting one very important factor in your quest to make a point: Jesus humbled Himself to be a man, that He might redeem mankind unto Himself!!! (A quick point to you that might be stuck on just one of my postings: to get to the main page which lists over 700 of my posts, you can click on Rich and Marianne which is shown within our picture, or you can type Rich and Marianne in most search engines, and the main page will be listed near the top. FYI)

"The Only Wise God" -2

Alrighty then; let's not forget the fact that Jude has referred to our Saviour as God, let alone "the only wise God; but I am sure that you have some reason that this is the case; Right? I know that what I am about to say might cause some out there to take offense, but none the less, it must be said. Jude knew a thing or two about how the enemy of our Lord likes to work. First off, you must realize why it is so important that Jesus was not just God's Son, but was in fact, God manifested in the flesh! The primary reason was that man had already been defeated by the enemy, which was the result of the first Adam; by whom, mankind was separated from God in a chain reaction from birth. It was only possible to break that chain by the birth of Jesus being born without the seed of man, but instead, by the seed of God. This was not just an ordinary child that was born to a virgin, but was in fact the very Son of God. I am sure that we can agree on that, Right? I hope you said yes, and now we can move on to the next point? And because He had no earthly father, two very important things were set in motion by His birth: one was that the curse which was passed down from the seed of Adam had been broken; and the second, was that God had been manifested in the form of a man. That is where I might have lost you, but just in case you are still with me on this, my next question would be, How many Gods are there? For if Jesus was born God in the flesh, then how is God one, if it were not for the fact that God is more than one? Now, take the word 'Only' into this debate, and what you have now is a stand alone picture of God, because we know that the Father and Jesus can not both be 'Only' if they were not One! And now we come to the part of offense; for the reason that this is too hard for the average person to accept, is because, for one, our human minds cannot consider such a complex relationship, without the enabling of the Holy Spirit. And it is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that this truth can be revealed in us, and is kept in us, by Him who dwells within us; that being the very Spirit of the Living God; of which He is also God. Therefore, those that do not see the Truth, do not possess the Holy Spirit within them! I am sorry if that offends you, but it is the truth!!! But sadly, there is another spirit which I believe has captured your soul; and this one is no gentleman! He is no doubt the spirit of the Antichrist, and he is not nice, nor does he play nice, because he is the enemy of Jesus Christ our Lord. Jude, who no doubt was also numbered among the physical brothers of Jesus Christ, as he starts his letter with this identity, "Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and the brother of James"; addresses the danger in how the Antichrist works, and the importance of our need to contend for the faith. This he does in his second paragraph, which we show as verses 3 & 4: "Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ". This is not just some doctrinal differences that Jude is speaking of, but malice, with the intent to maim!!!

"The Only Wise God"

"Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen." (Jude 24 & 25) If ever there was someone who had a heart against those that teach false doctrines, it was Jude. A small Book, but filled with boldness towards the truth. To your second piece of evidence, which I must admit, defiantly makes me wonder what you believe death means, and if you think that it means life stops; Do you? Let me see; the way you put it was: "Whilst in contrast, Jesus was dead." And then you listed Revelations 1:18 as your evidence to support your point. Let's examine this a little, shall we? Starting in verse 10, John speaks about being in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and then he hears a voice behind him, as a trumpet, saying, "I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia;". At which time John tuned to look upon Him which spake, and after turning and seeing what he saw, he fell at his feet as dead! The description of what he saw gives no justice to the majesty of what he actually saw, of that I am sure; there are some things that you just can't put into words. But, as John lay there as a dead man, Jesus laid His right hand upon him, saying, "Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and I have the keys to hell and death." The word 'hell' that Jesus is speaking of is 'hades', and is a place that held disembodied spirits of the unrighteous and righteous separated from the body at death up to the time of Christ's resurrection. If you really think that The Lord Jesus Christ laid dead in the tomb for three days, then you are greatly mistaken! Acts 2:27 shows us that Jesus was in hades upon His death, which is referred to as hell by the translator's of the K.J.V. of the Bible. Let me take this to another level, by saying that, although the man Jesus did die upon that cross, before His head could even complete dropping, upon His death, The Lord Jesus was in 'hades' giving comfort to the saints that were waiting for His arrival. "The Only Wise God" that Jude is referring to, is given that title because of experience! Much the same as Jesus uses the description of Who He Is and Was in Revelations 1:18; depicting His wisdom in death, as well as in His Resurrection from the dead, and even that of hell; to which He says, "I have the keys to hell and death". "O death, where is thy sting." Do you really know what that means???

"JESUS IS LORD" (you think!)

"I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Jesus Christ, who before Pontius Pelate witnessed a good confession; that thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: which in His times He shall show, Who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the Light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen." (1 Timothy 6:13-16) I was really scratching my head on this one, Adam. You have started your defence with something that really puts forth the fact that Jesus was and is God; even though, I'm sure you were trying to make some kind of point about Jesus not having immortality because He died on the cross; weren't you? First off, I want you to know something about the death of Jesus on the cross: death did not hold Him!!! And besides that, Jesus needed to go visit those that were in Hell (not the lake of fire), for they had been waiting for Him to show up and visit with them for three days. The Scripture that you specifically quoted was 1 Timothy 6:16, drawing my attention to the fact that "He alone possesses immortality", and then adding "it is His to give!" I am trying to understand what kind of point that you were trying to make with that statement, because Paul is making a point to Timothy about being strong in the faith, and laying hold of eternity; which means taking ownership of eternal life (for you that are in Adam land). The greatest example that Paul could give Timothy of this ability was Jesus, who happens to be "the Author and Finisher of our faith"(Hebrews 12:2). It was how He gave witness of His immortality before Pontius Pilate, in that He refused to be let go when Pilate told him that he had the power to crucify or release Him; even going a step further, by telling Pilate, "Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin." (John 19:11) Pilate did not like being told that he had no power, therefore, Pilate sought to release Him, but that was not to be. Paul's point to Timothy was about the eternal perspective that Jesus kept, even at the hint of being let go, He pushed onward to the cross; why??? Because, because, because; His death meant LIFE!!!!!! (Some times you have to see it, to believe it; you figure that out on your own! Just read verse 16 again, about a thousand times!!!)

"THE PROOF"

I do not need to research for answers, nor do I need to seek out truth, because the Truth lives in me, and the Truth is the proof!!! The truth is the proof: that is the words that have kept ringing in my mind all night long, as if to continue to enforce in me the mystery of the Trinity. Something that is not really a mystery at all to those that believe, but is merely a fact of the way things are in the character of who God really is. As is verified in the product of all of God's creation; everything that has been made by Him is three, even down to the smallest of particles! When it comes to the human body, we are born, we live, and then we die; which does not begin to show what I am talking about, but I thought I would just throw it out there. Something that I learned a long time ago, and that I have carried deep within my soul for the last thirty years, is the fact that in the nature of God, it is not a matter of plus and minus, but of multiplication and division. It's not one plus one plus one equals three; but rather, one times one times one equals One!!! For with God, He alone, who created everything from the vastness of space, to the very distance between space and matter, has not only verified Who He is by His creation, but continues to hold it together by His very Word!!! Say what you will about what you think that you know, but the product of His creation is the proof of Who He is, time and time again!!! "Come and let us reason together" the Lord would say, "Come and consider the handiwork of My creation", you who doubt the existence of a trinitarian God! "Is there anything that is beyond My power and might?" How can anyone even consider to doubt who God is, or what He is capable of doing? Not that there is any reason to doubt Him, or that He is a Triune God; as a matter of fact, there is reason not to doubt it, once you consider all that He has made; especially when it comes to the creation of man! "Let Us make man in Our image" was the words of God as He considered forming man from the dust of the ground in His own likeness. If you could just consider what that means, and reason that in your mind; just that alone should instruct your thinking to what the God's character consist of; for He did not make a Holy man, but Adam was fallible and subject to failure, of which he had proven. Therefore, the image that God was speaking of must have been one of substance and not of qualities. Man was created body, soul and spirit. Three distinct parts that made one human-being. It was the spirit of man that became separated from God at the fall of man; which was due to the fact that man's spirit was connected to the Spirit of the Living God, who is Holy, and of which no sin can dwell. Sin separated man from God's Spirit, due to the fact that God is Holy, and no sin can dwell within Him. What was left, was the physical body of man and his eternal soul; the soul that had been created by the very breath of God; of which, that eternal soul was destined to live on, in separation from a Holy God. There was only one way for God to correct this situation, and that was to make way for a second Adam, one which was Holy, and could redeem man unto Himself; by way of being Holy, as only He is Holy, yet in the body of a man!!! Why must God come and die upon the cross? Is that the question that you ask? For no other reason than to redeem man unto Himself!!!! For He alone is Holy, and He alone was able to make a way for man to become infallible! That is what Grace is all about!!! Grace is God's way of providing unto us a way to be Holy and to reconnected onto Him in a way that we could never do by ourselves! Again; let me repeat something that I have said before: Grace continues where mercy leaves off!!! Yes, it's true that He came to die for our sins, that is God's mercy; but Grace provides for us to be taken beyond redemption, and to be given a place within the Holiness of God...

"Yes!!! Dialog!!!"

Finally, after almost two years, I finally have some dialog with this blog. Don't get me wrong, I have had some privately between me and friends, but Adam, you have given me a great chance to dive deep. As I have said before, this subject of whether or not Jesus is, was, and always will be God, is very important to me. I do not mind referring to Jesus as the Son of God, nor did He mind using that name for Himself; as a matter of fact, He refereed to Himself more as "the Son of man", being that He was the Messiah. Being in the form of flesh, Jesus was subject to the same things that we as men are subject to, including death; the difference being, that Jesus has raised up from the dead! In John 2:19 Jesus gives an example of the power given to Him over death, even that of His own death. After having cleared the money changers from the temple, the Jews asked Him, "What sign showest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?" To which Jesus replied, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." This He said referring to His body and how He would rise from the dead in three days, after He had been crucified. Now then, my dear friend Adam; the Gospels are given to us in four Books, all of which do not lie, nor do they not alien themselves which each other; although, many have tried to prove that there are contradictions between some of their writings. Mark and John are probably the two that get the most attention, because John focuses on the deity of Jesus Christ, showing Him as God; while Mark gives us more of the human side of who Jesus was, relating Him towards man for the benefit of mankind. Just because Jesus was a man, born into this world (by a virgin!!!), does not mean that He had given up all of His Godly properties, nor did His death on the cross void His being He whom He said that He was!!! I am not sure if I have seen the video that you are referring to, but I can assure you of one very important thing: if that video tries to portray Jesus as just a man, and denies that He was God in the flesh, then it is not worth me or anyone else watching!!! Besides that, I have learned something over the last thirty years; something that is important for anyone that wants to stay strong in the truth of God's word: Don't study false teachings!!!! Period!!! At one time I thought it was okay to do this; mostly because I was relating it to the counterfeit money idea, and how you should study what a counterfeit looks like, so that you will know one when you see one. This does not hold true to God's word! We must study the Word of God to know God's Word; then when false teaching are presented to us, we shall know that they are false, and that they should not be listened to. If the video that you are talking about claims that Jesus was not God, then I would recommend you either burn it, or send it back from which it came...he knows who he is...

"He is I AM" -3

"And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last." (Revelations 22:12 & 13) Again we can see here at the end of God's word, there is another proclamation of who Jesus is, this time it is given in association with His soon return. I do not pretend to be a Bible Scholar, but according to my interpretation of what is being said, Jesus is reassuring us that He is coming back very soon, that He has rewards to give out, and just in case you may have forgotten, He is God! Not a whole lot of mystery in those statements. Still, I am sure that there are those who are not convinced, and some that probably never will be, at least not until judgement day; which will be the day that anyone who did not believe, shall confess that Jesus is LORD! We don't have to go far away from this chapter to find further proof that Jesus is who He said He was; because if we go back to Revelations 21:22-23, we can see what shall be within the Holy City, and the description of God that is given. First of all, I must take us back to what we established several days ago, God is One; He is one God; there is only One God; any way that you want to say it, it must be established. Now, the two very distinct pictures that are given within these two verses, are given to give the reader an illustration of God dwelling with men, and what that will look like. In verse 22, there is the illustration of the temple, which John states, "And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it." This is more important than you might realize, because this temple that is missing, is to be the place of worship to God, much like a place where you would go and worship, a place wherein God dwells. The thing that sets this apart from a normal place to worship is the fact that the place is not present, but instead, God is the temple therein; adding to that, the description of who God is, which is "The Lord God Almighty and The Lamb". And, if that does not quite do it for you, then looking at verse 23, we see the source of Light within the city: "And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the Light thereof." Again, let me remind you how God is One; which in the case of the verse above, we see that the glory of God is what gives light to the city; that glory of God being the Lamb, who is Jesus! I Know that this will not convince my J.W. friends, because they are held onto by a spirit that is greater than them. And until they open up there hearts and let Jesus inside, they will continue to be trapped in the situation of being held captive by the spirit that denies who Jesus really is. It is really not a question of being provided proof, it is a heart condition that must be dealt with; before the brain will accept the truth, the heart must be willing to receive it. That was how it was for me, over thirty years ago. I had no hope or real peace, because I, like many of those that are trapped in bondage, was held by that spirit that continued to keep me from seeing The Lamb of God for who He was and is. A Lamb that was not just given by God, but was God who manifested Himself as a Lamb to be slaughtered for our sins; something that can only be received by the prompting of the Holy Spirit. And, as I was so prompted, I did not shut my heart to the truth, but willingly, opened up my heart and let Jesus come inside. Only then could I see the Truth; and the Truth set me free!!!!

"He is I AM" -2

"And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you." (Exodus 3:14) The AM in the statement of God to Moses is a verb, and it is the Hebrew word 'Hayah, which means to exist, to be; to become, to come to pass; to be done, to happen, to be finished. The key to the meaning of Jehovah/Yahweh is undoubtedly found in this verb. Perhaps, "I AM THAT I AM" should be translated "I am He who is", or "I am He who exists". The reason that this presents such an interesting principle to who Jesus is, is because this is a verb; which for a gentle reminder to those of us who have not been in school for several decades, it means that it is an action word; which shows action or state of being. Contrast this to the statements made by Jesus to John in Revelations 1:17 & 18, "Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am He that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death." Three times in the first chapter of Revelations, Jesus declares Himself as "The Alpha and Omega"; "The Beginning and the End"; "The First and the Last". There is really no way to deny what is being said here by Jesus Himself, yet this too is turned into a product of manipulation by those that do not accept that Jesus is God. One way that they try to accomplish this, is by stating that Jesus was the first of God's creations, which therefore makes the point of His origin at the beginning; however, "The Alpha and Omega" is the part which they avoid speaking about, because what it represents is eternal existence, meaning, that He had no beginning and has no end! The Father and the Son have always coexisted together, and Jesus was not generated from the Father as His Son, but that They have always been together as ONE. What this does to the true meaning of "First and Last, Beginning and the End", is to make these statements take on the meaning 'To have been the source of all creation', or 'The one who brought everything into existence'. Looking back to the word 'Hayah' and the reason that it is the verb that it is, is because it is timeless; unlike a noun, which expresses truth or existence of something, be it a person, place or thing; what this word does is go way beyond existence, expressing eternity, which has no beginning and no end. Again; this is not too hard to comprehend! If Jesus has made such a bold statement of who He is, then there must be something to what He is saying! He is clearly not saying what He is saying at the beginning of Revelations just to make Himself seem important, nor is He trying to establish what His order in creation was; but He was making the point of His eternal existence, plain and simple; much the same as God did when He told Moses who He was, and what to tell the children of Israel. They are One in the Same...

"He is I AM"

"Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. Then said the Jews unto Him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said to them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am." (John 8:56-58) Here is the thing that we must know about Jesus, He is who He said that He was! "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord." (Deuteronomy 6:4) It is really not that hard to understand; He was not a god, He was Thee God!!! If the Lord our God is a jealous God, then why would He allow anyone to take His place? Having had many conversations with those that do not believe that Jesus was, is, and always will be God, I have heard every sort of angle to how they bend the Scriptures to defend their belief. Yet, the proof of the whole counsel of God will continue to prove them wrong; which is part of their problem, in that, they do not accept the whole counsel of God, only those parts that agree with what they say; and if they cannot ignore that parts that are undeniable, then it is changed to suit their needs. For example; when the Word of God, spoken of in John 1:1, is shown in the simplest language to be God, and then Jesus is declared to be the Word of God, they change the meaning to be a god; and then they verify this misnomer by stating that Satan is referred to as the god of this world. When in reality, the only reason that he is given such a title is because he is the creator of evil and the father of lies; hence, he is the one who is responsible for this fallen world. Jesus, on the other hand, is of God, of which there is no denying. And because He is of God, then He cannot be classified as a god without changing the description of who God is, because there is only one God. The reason that the Jews were so bent on having Jesus killed was because of who that He said that He was, because He claimed to be God; and the charges of His claim, He did not deny, nor could He. So, either Jesus was a liar, or He was who He said that He was! The main reason that this is such an important issue, is due to the great sacrifice that God would go to, to redeem fallen man; a sacrifice that involved the giving of Himself for our salvation. Do you see the Love that was given in that? Can you see how much God loves us? I think part of the problem that they have, is that they cannot see the Love of God; they see God as the mighty judge of their eternal souls, and then, they see Him providing a Son to be the ransom on a cross (or a stake in their case) for our sins; as if God were a monster that would not only have asked Abraham to kill his son, but had no problem doing the same to His own. There is a definite fear that is present in their hearts and minds when it comes to their approach to God, and it is not a good fear; it is a fear that says, God has already judged me and found me lacking, therefore, my only hope is try and be righteous; then, maybe, just maybe, I will be worthy of inheriting this world, in the last day. This blog today has my heart broken for so many people that I know who are trapped in that belief; as if they can not deny what they have been told, for fear of losing whatever righteousness that they have already gained. This is no joke!!!

"No Doubt About Him"

"The Same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made." (John 1:2 & 3) I can get very passionate about this subject; mostly because of how I was deceived as a child, and the great revelation that I had at my conversion. I have spent many a day on the front porch arguing with those that peddle The Watchtower Tract Society wares, trying to convince them that they have been deceived, with only a few temporary success stories. There is a spirit that is very much alive in that organization, as well as others, which firmly denies the deity of Jesus Christ; and I truly believe that it is the spirit of the antichrist. John spoke about this same spirit in 1 John 4:3, which at that time had convinced many that Jesus had not come in the flesh, but that He was just a spirit and was not subject to the temptations and desires of mortal men. In this same line of deception, were those that taught that Jesus Christ did not raise from the dead in His body, but had raised up in the spirit only, taking on many different forms, as He moved among those that did not know who He was, or recognize Him. Today, there are those that go as far as to say that Thomas cursed, as he said, "My Lord and my God", after having placed his finger in His nail pierced hand and his hand in His side. After which Jesus responded, "Thomas, because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet believe". It is my opinion that Jesus was addressing two very important issues with His answer to Thomas; the first one being that He had raised in the flesh, the other, more important one being, that He was indeed God! Another, issue that comes from this meeting with Thomas (John 20:24-29), was how Jesus appeared in the room with all the disciples, seeing that the doors were shut. To which, I would like to make a simple observation: that Jesus, being God, the Creator of all things, has control over everything in which He created; the elements, human life, space and time; you name it, and He has shown the ability to control it. Therefore, isn't it safe to say, that since we are molecular in our physical forms, He being in control of all the molecules, could pass through any surface. If He could do that, then would it leave a mark? let's say, like on the cloth that was wrapped around Him in the tomb? Just sayin....

"Yes Indeed, Jesus Is God!"

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1) Yesterday I had the chance to share something that changed my life over thirty years ago, and it had to do with the deity of Jesus Christ. Being raised in a J.W. home for most of my childhood, I was taught that Jesus was not God, but more in line with that of a mighty angel; as a matter of fact, Michael the arch angel, as strange as that might sound. The day that I accepted Jesus Christ into my heart, a Four Square Church group came to the facility that I was at, to do the Sunday Service in a faculty cafeteria. I had no intention on going to church that day, or any other; having been sickened by religion and the institutions that have sprung from it, I had my Bible and felt that was all that I needed. There must not have been much of a turnout that morning, because ten minutes before the service was to begin, the Chaplin made an announcement over the loudspeaker, asking for some men to come down. I will never forget that voice, as he was very old, and it sounded as if it was his last request, as he said, We have a great group here today that has come to share with you; so please come down. And so I went. The preacher was a middle aged black man, slender, and slightly greying; an average looking man, who did not appear to be all that spiritual; at least not at first. I do not remember how his sermon started, or even what verses he had opened up the service with; what I do remember was his watch, as he took it off, explaining in the simplest terms, as he held it up for all to see, saying, Do you see this watch? this watch tells me that somewhere out there, there is a watchmaker; and you, and me, and all that we see, tells me that there is a Creator; and I am here today, to tell you that, that Creator is Jesus Christ! At which time he preceded to read from several different Scriptures that all declared Jesus as the Creator of all things. Then, as a master surgeon, that preacher used his scalpel to carve away at my stony heart; declaring Jesus, the Creator of the universe, placing Himself upon a cross to die for me. Up to that day, I had thought that Jesus was created by God to be a sacrifice for our sins; much the same as God had created everything else, He created an entity to be a ransom for our sin. My heart was broken into a thousand pieces, as I pictured Jesus on the cross; and for the very first time, I saw Him as the Creator. "God will prepare Himself a sacrifice for us", took on a whole new meaning! And then yesterday, as I was asked, Why would God need to come Himself to die on the cross? I was taken back to that day, remembering what I saw, and how that God alone is Holy and without sin. There was no other way for God to provide a perfect sacrifice, then to provide Himself, for He alone is without sin... "For He hath made Him to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:21)

"Alive Unto God"

"For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God." (Galatians 2:19) It's not really a matter of the law being our enemy, or even an opposition to our life in Christ; it's that the law provides us the dependency upon God's grace and mercy; hence, the desperate need for the salvation that is only available through Jesus Christ. In a manner of speaking, Paul is making a point about the law being the preceptor to salvation; the schoolmaster that leads us to Christ. To put it another way, might be to say that the law shows us what we cannot be, or our lack of ability to fulfill the righteousness of God; making us dead, as to have no more dependence upon mere legal righteousness for justification and salvation than a dead man would have; it no longer matters! However; to be alive unto God, that in and of itself is a whole other issue, because what Paul is speaking of now constitutes a manner of living. To live unto God, means to be devoted to Him, to live conformably to the will, purpose, precepts, and example of God. Other examples of this can be found in Luke 20:38, where Jesus is speaking of the resurrection of the dead, and Romans 6:9-11, where Paul compares the resurrection of Jesus unto God the Father, to our life in God. In Luke 6:27-40, Jesus was approached by 'The Sad Guys', who wanted to test Him on the resurrection, saying that seven brothers who had all died trying to raise up seed by one woman, who also then died, yet, who's wife would she be in the resurrection? To which, Jesus turned their question around to show them, that did not believe in the resurrection, how that there is no other way to be drawn unto God other than the resurrection from the dead, dead meaning of this world. And, Jesus goes on to say in verse 38, "For He is not God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto Him". Meaning, that those that are counted worthy of obtaining life after death, are living unto God in a manner that specifies that they have their life in Him. Which is the same thing that Paul approaches in Romans 6:9- 11, where he shows Jesus being raised from the dead, to die no more, making death no longer an issue; and then showing how the death He died for sin, put sin to death, in that His resurrection left sin in the grave, along with death. And in verse eleven, Paul makes our comparison to this, by saying, "Likewise, reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." The key is in our approach!!!

"Perfect Balance" -5

"For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." (Galatians 2:18-21) Another sleepless night! It started with a vision of someone walking a tightrope; if it was me or not, I could not tell; all that I knew, from that point on, was that I was trying to figure out what was on either side of that rope. Maybe I was focused on the wrong thing? Instead of being worried about what was on either side of the rope, likened to a song that was stuck in my head about 'one sides ice and one is fire', I should have focused more upon the rope! Pretty much the most narrow path that you can ever walk upon, and yet it is not impossible for those that have the ability to perform it. Some will even have the courage to perform it without the use of a net; although, I think that they might have a safety wire attached to them; you just wouldn't know it unless they fell. However, in the case of this vision, I believe that the rope is meant to represent Jesus Christ; being the narrow path that must be walked upon. And yet, in so doing, He will hold our feet to that rope in such a way, that it is not impossible to walk. And then there was one more element to this vision, one which really had me going, which was the 20 foot staff in the hands of the person walking that tightrope. What could this be? was the question that kept passing from pillow to pillow all night. The word 'frustrate' that is used in Galatians 2:21 is the word 'atheteo', which is a word that means to displace, abolish, or get rid of. If you know anything about walking a tightrope, or have ever witnessed it being done, then you know how important it is for the person walking that rope to have hold of the staff, and to keep it centered with his body and his body centered with it. This is what grace is to our life in Christ! It is like the staff to tightrope walker, and something that we can never displace, abolish, or get rid of; because if we do, then we will realize the other definition to frustrate, the one that is given in Webster's: To Defeat!!!