"Giving Paul the benefit of the doubt, should we not rather say there is a kind of gain that is wrong to be motivated by (hence, “Love seeks not its own”), as well as a kind of gain that is right to be motivated by (hence, “If I do not have love, I gain nothing”)? Edwards says the proper gain to be motivated by is the happiness one gets in the act of love itself or in the good achieved by it. CAN DISINTERESTED LOVE REJOICE IN THE TRUTH? The second clue that Edwards is on the right track is verse 6: “[Love] does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.” Love is not a bare choice or mere act. It involves the affections. It does not just do the truth. Nor does it just choose the right. It rejoices in the way of truth. So Micah 6:8 is not a strained parallel at all: We must “love kindness”! But if love rejoices in the choices it makes, it cannot be disinterested. It cannot be indifferent to its own joy! To rejoice in an act is to get joy from it. And this joy is “gain.” It may be that there is much more gain than this, or that this joy is in fact the firstfruits of an indestructible and eternal joy. At this point, though, the least we can say is that Paul does not think the moral value of an act of love is ruined when we are motivated to do it by the anticipation of our own joy in it and from it. If it were, then a bad man who hated the prospect of loving could engage in pure love, since he would take no joy in it; while a good man who delighted in the prospect of loving could not love, since he would “gain” joy from it and thus ruin it. Therefore, 1 Corinthians 13:5 (“Love seeks not its own”) does not stand in the way of the thesis that the pursuit of pleasure is an essential motive for every good deed. In fact, surprisingly, the context supports it by saying that “love rejoices with the truth” and by implying that one should be vigilant in love so as not to lose one’s “gain”—the gain of joy that comes in being a loving person, both now and forever."


Piper, John (2011-01-18). Desiring God, Revised Edition: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist (pp. 114-115). Random House, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

blogs to return July 9th

"But the foundation of the happiness of God is the sovereignty of God: “Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases” (Psalm 115:3). If God were not sovereign, if the world He made were out of control, frustrating His design again and again, God would not be happy. Just as our joy is based on the promise that God is strong enough and wise enough to make all things work together for our good, so God’s joy is based on that same sovereign control: He makes all things work together for His glory. If so much hangs on God’s sovereignty, we should make sure the biblical basis for it is secure."

Piper, John (2011-01-18). Desiring God, Revised Edition: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist (p. 33). Random House, Inc.. Kindle Edition.


"Another moment’s reflection reminds us that this is exactly what we affirm when we affirm the eternal divinity of God’s Son. We stand at the foothills of mystery in all these things. But the Scriptures have given us some glimpses of the heights. They teach us that the Son of God is Himself God: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). “In him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily” (Colossians2:9). Therefore, when the Father beheld the Son from all eternity, He was beholding the exact representation of Himself. As Hebrews 1:3 (RSV) says, the Son “reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature.” And 2 Corinthians 4:4 (RSV) speaks of “the glory of Christ, who is the likeness of God.” From these texts we learn that through all eternity God the Father has beheld the image of His own glory perfectly represented in the person of His Son. Therefore, one of the best ways to think about God’s infinite enjoyment of His own glory is to think of it as the delight He has in His Son, who is the perfect reflection of that glory (John 17:24–26). When Christ entered the world and proceeded to fulfill all righteousness, God the Father said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). As God the Father contemplates the image of His own glory in the person of His Son, He is infinitely happy. “Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights” (Isaiah 42:1). Within the triune Godhead (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), God has been uppermost in His own affections for all eternity. This belongs to His very nature, for He has begotten and loved the Son from all eternity."

Piper, John (2011-01-18). Desiring God, Revised Edition: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist (pp. 43-44). Random House, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

blogs to return July 9th

"Here is a great mystery. What can it mean for God to be loved by God? Within the inward relations of the Trinity we see the most perfect of all affections. The one who loves—in this case, the Father—loves with a 

perfect love. His affection knows no imperfection. And the one who is loved—in this case, the Son—is perfectly worthy to be loved. Thus there can be no more perfect love than the Father’s love for his beloved Son within the Trinity. With the Father’s expression of affection came a word of approval: “with you I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22). There is always something precious about a father’s approval. Is anything more important for a son than to have his father’s blessing? Notice the precise wording of what the Father said to the Son: “with you I am well pleased.” The very person of the Son pleased the Father. The Son was pleasing to the Father just because he was the Son. But the Father was also pleased with the Son’s obedience. By submitting to baptism, Jesus was choosing to take the part of sinful humanity. He was agreeing to carry out the great task the Father had given him: to suffer and to die for sinners. So the Father blessed him." The smile of fatherly approval rested on Jesus all the days of his life. As the Son did the work of our salvation, the Father was pleased with everything he did. He was pleased with his obedience to his parents. He was pleased with his resistance to temptation. He was pleased with his teaching and his miraculous deeds of mercy. He was pleased with his life of prayer. He was pleased most of all with the sinless sacrifice that he offered on the cross. We know this because he raised Jesus from the dead, which was the ultimate proof of his approval. The Father was pleased with all of it. He was pleased with what Jesus had done, was doing, and would do. The Father took pleasure in the person and work of his Son. The empty tomb is the proof of the Father’s affection and his approval for his beloved only Son."


Ryken, Philip; LeFebvre, Michael (2011-04-05). Our Triune God: Living in the Love of the Three-in-One (pp. 99-100). Good News Publishers/Crossway Books. Kindle Edition.



blogs to return July 9th

"In Christ we are predestined, redeemed, forgiven, adopted, reconciled, sanctified, and glorified. Christ is not only the beginning and the end of our salvation, he is our salvation, for in him we receive everything we need to be saved. The location of our salvation is Jesus Christ. The salvation that originated with the Father and is located in the Son is communicated by the Holy Spirit. Or as we expressed it earlier, salvation is administered by God the Father, accomplished by God the Son, and applied by God the Spirit: “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory” (Eph. 1:13–14). Since God’s best blessings are spiritual, we can receive them only by his Spirit. First the Holy Spirit enables us to hear the gospel of truth, which is the message of salvation. Then he changes us from the inside out, the gracious act also known as regeneration."

Ryken, Philip; LeFebvre, Michael (2011-04-05). Our Triune God: Living in the Love of the Three-in-One (pp. 24-25). Good News Publishers/Crossway Books. Kindle Edition.

blogs to return July 9th

"God plays the symphony of our salvation in three movements. Each movement is associated with a different Person of the Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. First, there is the work of God the Father in administering our salvation. The Father is the one who organizes and oversees the plan of salvation. Second, 

there is the work of God the Son in accomplishing our salvation. Jesus is the one who died on the cross for our sins and rose again to give us eternal life. Third, there is the work of God the Holy Spirit in applying our salvation. The Spirit is the one who takes what Jesus Christ has done and makes it ours. This is the plan, and the triune God has been working it out since before the beginning of time." 

Ryken, Philip; LeFebvre, Michael (2011-04-05). Our Triune God: Living in the Love of the Three-in-One (pp. 22-23). Good News Publishers/Crossway Books. Kindle Edition.


blogs to return July 9th

"To know God is to know him as triune. There is one God in three Persons. Or to express the same truth in a different way, God is three Persons in one being—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This Trinitarian truth is foundational to the worship and the service of God. To know God as triune is to worship him as he is, rejoicing in his very being. We praise the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit for having equal, divine majesty, while at the same time honoring each Person’s unique personality: the Father is the Father of the Son; the Son is the Son of the Father; the Spirit is sent by the Father and the Son. Out of this worship comes our service, as we show the Father’s mercy and proclaim the Son’s sacrifice in the power of the Holy Spirit."

Ryken, Philip; LeFebvre, Michael (2011-04-05). Our Triune God: Living in the Love of the Three-in-One (p. 13). Good News Publishers/Crossway Books. Kindle Edition.

blogs to return July 9th

"Just as we tie our personal prayers to the words of the Bible, we do the same with our intercessions. It is not possible to remember in the intercessory prayers of daily worship together all the persons who are entrusted to our care, or at any rate to do it in the way that is required of us. All Christians have their own circle of those who have requested them to intercede on their behalf, or people for whom for various reasons they know they have been called upon to pray. First of all, this circle will include those with whom they must live every day. With this we have advanced to the point at which we hear the heartbeat of all Christian life together. A Christian community either lives by the intercessory prayers of its members for one another, or the community will be destroyed. I can no longer condemn or hate other Christians for whom I pray, no matter how much trouble they cause me. In intercessory prayer the face that may have been strange and intolerable to me is transformed into the face of one for whom Christ died, the face of a pardoned sinner. That is a blessed discovery for the Christian who is beginning to offer intercessory prayer for others. As far as we are concerned, there is no dislike, no personal tension, no disunity or strife, that cannot be overcome by intercessory prayer. Intercessory prayer is the purifying bath into which the individual and the community must enter every day. We may struggle hard with one another in intercessory prayer, but that struggle has the promise of achieving its goal.16 How does that happen? Offering intercessory prayer means nothing other than Christians bringing one another into the presence of God, seeing each other under the cross of Jesus as poor human beings and sinners in need of grace. [74]Then, everything about other people that repels me falls away. Then I see them in all their need, hardship, and distress. Their need and their sin become so heavy and oppressive to me that I feel as if they were my own, and I can do nothing else but bid: Lord, you yourself, you alone, deal with them according to your firmness and your goodness.17 Offering intercessory prayer means granting other Christians the same right we have received, namely, the right to stand before Christ and to share in Christ’s mercy."

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich (2004-11-15). Life Together and Prayerbook of the Bible: DBW 5 (pp. 90-91). Augsburg Fortress. Kindle Edition.

Blogs to return July 9th.

"The consideration of Scripture leads into prayer. We have already said that the most promising way to pray is to allow oneself to be guided by the words of the Bible, to pray on the basis of the words of Scripture. In this way we will not fall prey to our own emptiness. Prayer means nothing else but the readiness to appropriate the Word, and what is more, to let it speak to me in my personal situation, in my particular tasks, decisions, sins, and temptations. What can never enter the prayer of the community may here silently be made known to God. On the basis of the words of Scripture we pray that God may throw light on our day, preserve us from sin, and enable us to grow in holiness, and that we may be faithful in our work and have the strength to do it. And we may be certain that our prayer will be heard because it issues from God’s Word and promise. Because God’s Word has found its fulfillment in Jesus Christ, all the prayers we pray on the basis of this Word are certainly fulfilled and answered in Jesus Christ."

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich (2004-11-15). Life Together and Prayerbook of the Bible: DBW 5 (p. 89). Augsburg Fortress. Kindle Edition.

Blogs to return July 9th

1Pe 5:1-4  "So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly;  not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory." 


 I am an eyewitness to His suffering and risen glory, which I know I will also be included. As a leader, tutored under the master hand of Jesus, I want you to know leading like Christ is not something you grind through, your heart has to be motivated in love to others. If you lead in order to get rich or recognized, that won't bear any fruit in you or through you. As an example become a servant, leading as Christ led is putting every one else first and Christ at the front. Leading is not domineering control, that becomes a witness of your sin- wanting to play God!
In the same way if you are younger, this means submission to them as leaders in Christ. All of you, leaders, husbands, wives and children; before you begin the day [just like putting on clothes] surround your head and heart with humility. Love is demonstrated in humility. Pride is the way to be stopped in your tracks, God will oppose you. How do you think you will get past the opposition of the sovereign creator. 


1Pe 5:5  "Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." 

Humility is the characteristic of believing that gives us the ability to admit our needs, weaknesses, and limitations so that we can submit to the power of God in our life and receive our strength from Him and through others. It is not powerlessness; it knows where the power comes from. Humility is the beginning of faith that love works in us as we look outside of ourselves to I AM. Humility involves being able to give to others but also to receive from others as we keep our eyes fixed on I AM and thereby become more like Him in love. The key characteristic of humility is mercifulness. The loss of humility brings about rebelliousness.

You can't receive a thing from God without getting rid of your prideful attitude. Receiving involves accepting and an admission of need. So place all your needs before Him and He will lift you up and provide for you. He cares for you, He is Absolute Love.


1Pe 5:6, 7  "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you." 


Keep an eye out with a clear head, because Satan is "the accuser, the liar and the thief" He wants to destroy your faith. Firm up your faith and stand against his assaults, you are not alone, there are lots of believers to stand with you. The things you suffer under Satan's attacks will be only momentary, God's love is eternal. His grace will restore and confirm your love and strengthen your love establishing your true self as His child. 
His power and rule are forever, thankfully!


1Pe 5:8-11  "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.  And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.  To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen." 


I wrote this to you through my faithful brother, so you could know the truth. Stand firm upon the truth. Give a loving greeting to one another, we all send our love to you. Praying for your peace in Christ. 


1Pe 5:12 - 14 "By Silvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him, I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it. She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does Mark, my son.  Greet one another with the kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ." 

1Pe 4:12-14  "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you." 


Knowing the love of God, walking in His love through obedience, brings strange reactions both inside and outside religious contexts. Anarchists and those not believing in the grace of God found in obedient faith; you would expect them to raise their voices and fists up to the commands of God and those who in faithful obedience attempt to follow after being Christlike. 
Yet don't be surprised that even those "good" people; yes, even those who are religious leaders try to separate Spirit led obedience to commands from so called grace. Some even say there is no connection between law and grace, obedience and faith. 
When you stand up for doctrinal integrity they will insult you for your stand of obeying Christ and your persistence in proclaiming that they repent, turn around and obey. This should be a great joy for in this you are demonstrating that you are a follower of Christ, for they did the same to Him. You will be exceedingly happy that  you stood firm when you stand in the glory of Christs' victory. This is to borrow from John Piper the joy of "Christian Hedonism". 


Dietrich Bonhoeffer call this separation of law and grace "cheap grace". 


     "Cheap grace is preaching forgiveness without repentance; it is baptism without the discipline of community; it is the Lord’s Supper without confession of sin; it is absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without the living, incarnate Jesus Christ. Costly grace is the hidden treasure in the field, for the sake of which people go and sell with joy everything they have.[5] [31]It is the costly pearl, for whose price the merchant sells all that he has;[6] it is Christ’s sovereignty, for the sake of which you tear out an eye if it causes you to stumble.[7] It is the call of Jesus Christ which causes a disciple to leave his nets and follow him.[8] Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which has to be asked for, the door at which one has to knock.[9]" It is costly, because it calls to discipleship; it is grace, because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly, because it costs people their lives; it is grace, because it thereby makes them live. It is costly, because it condemns sin; it is grace, because it justifies the sinner. Above all, grace is costly, because it was costly to God, because it costs God the life of God’s Son—“you were bought with a price”[10]—and because nothing can be cheap to us which is costly to God. Above all, it is grace because the life of God’s Son was not too costly for God to give in order to make us live. God did, indeed, give him up for us. Costly grace is the incarnation of God."

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich (2003-04-15). Discipleship: DBW 4 (pp. 44-45). Augsburg Fortress. Kindle Edition. 


Yes, suffering will come, but don't be ashamed of suffering, this is for your cleansing and redemption. This suffering is a part of knowing the Love of God, He is Absolute Love. Grace is found in every jot and title of "The Law" and the commands of Christ. Just don't let your suffering be from disobedience and law breaking. 


1Pe 4:15, 16  "But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name." 


The truth is this judgment has begun in the rule of Christ, but it is beginning with Godly people. Those who are being saved are being cleansed through trials. Now for the "cheap grace" followers and those who hate obedience to Christ, what do you imagine is in store for their judgment? Some even believe there is no ultimate eternal judgment. We are scarcely saved by Christ holding on to us and giving us grace to be obedient. (No one will boast before Him, it is all from Him providing His Spirit.) 


1Pe 4:17, 18  "For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And "If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?" 



Rom 2:3-8  "Do you suppose, O man--you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself--that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.  He will render to each one according to his works:  to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life;  but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury." 

So keep trusting and obeying! There is only one to put your entire faith upon, He is Absolute Love. All else is deception and decay. He is life, He is light, He is love. 

1Pe 4:19  "Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good." 



Mat 5:16-19  "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.  "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.  For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.  Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven." 

#endtimes #lastdays

1Pe 4:7  "The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers." 


Today the world around you could come crashing down. You might be hit by a bus or a bullet, you don't even know if you have another day. Jesus may catch you up to be with Him. Yes, even so come Lord. 
If this is really where your hope lies, don't get caught off guard, out of control. Put your mindset in a joyfully serious state, so your talks with God will bear fruit in your hearts and your actions towards others.
This is the most important thing in your life, that God's love shows through in how you interact in the world, you can cover over the mistakes and missteps of others by loving them. God is Love, He is Absolute Love. 


1Pe 4:8  "Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins." 


So be gracious in helping others in their needs. Don't grumble while you try to look charitable, your attitude shows your inner heart, you are not fooling anyone. At very least you are not fooling God. 
You are given such a gracious gift from God, invited openly to be His adopted child. Given all the gifts to blend in as one of the family. So as a steward of the family name, give honor to the name of God in how you act. I know you want to honor and glorify God as your Father, it is made possible because you are becoming like your big brother, He is Jesus Christ, Isa Al Masih, Yeshua Messiah, Yahweh. He is absolute love and you are His brothers and sisters. He is worthy of emulating and imitating Him as your role model demonstrates His worth to you. 
In any course His glory and honor and dominion is forever. You can't take it away, it eternally belongs to Him!


1Pe 4:9-11  "Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies--in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen." 

1Pe 3:18  "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, ..."

The eternal moment of Absolute Love in suffering for the sins akig on our unrighteousness, enables Jesus Christ to bring us to God; in the forgiveness granted through the eternal death, He has granted that the eternal Spirit of God enliven our hearts to Him in Absolute Love. 

Since this pattern is now living in our hearts, arm yourself to be ready to suffer, to give up yourself for others. This is really ceasing from sin, for if in absolute love for God; you love others, even though it means suffering, this means your passion is now transformed to do the will of God. 

1Pe 4:1,2  "Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,  so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God." 

Now if this love has taken hold of you, all these other passions are in the past. These are the passions that have been replaced by a passion for God's will: living enslaved by your senses, driving passions that never are satisfied, drunken parties, sex with partners that is meaningless, and idolizing those that have no sense of right and wrong. These people are even surprised at you not giving yourself over to these mindless activities, their malicious hatred is evident towards you. 

Don't worry God is waiting to judge you as righteous and alive in Him and them as condemned and to remain dead toward Him. 

1Pe 4:3-5  "For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead." 

This is why the gospel is preached to them, even though they are dead to God now, judged in the flesh by their actions; God is able to bring them to life in the Spirit. He has made you alive to His will. This is what He does, He is Absolute Love. 

1Pe 4:6  "For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does." 

1Pe 3:8, 9  "Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.  Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing." 

Having the mind of Christ means that with humble and tender compassion and sympathy you understand where each other is coming from. You are family and care for one another like brothers and sisters. In every way you bless each other, talk to one another in a way that brings help and healing. 
If you really want a life that is filled with love, joy and peace, if you want to be happy, pursue the ways of God. His ways are pure and perfect, they lead to life. 
This is because God keeps His eye on those who emulate Him, He listen to the needs of His children. You really don't want to be face to face with Him in His anger against evil. 

1Pe 3:10-12  "For "Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit;  let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it." For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." 

Now who would you think can ultimately cause you any lasting pain if you are right with God? 

Rom 8:31  "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" 

Even if you have to suffer to remain pure in your love of God, the end of it will be more gloriously blessed than you can imagine. Don't fear those people who are against God's ways. Stand up to them in love, sharing  with them the love and hope that God has granted to you. This will give great glory and honor to Christ. 
It will be a lot better to stand fast in God's will, by His strength, than to suffer punishment for evil actions. 

 

1Pe 3:13-17  "Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?  But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,  having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame." For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil."

Remember what Jesus Christ did, how He suffered because of your sinfulness. You were unrighteous, evil and He was pure and without sin. He suffered so that you could die to the desires of the flesh and be made alive to the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of love, He is Absolute Love. 
It was like you were imprisoned by your unbelief, but you were awakened to obedience.
When God judged the evil unbelief by a great flood Noah and His family believed and through obedience were saved. 

1Pe 3:18-20  "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water." 


Now it is you act of belief in Baptism that saves you in the same way. The obedience you show, in demonstrating your death to self and being raised to new life in Jesus Christ, is like an inward washing of your guilt before God. 
In this you demonstrate the Lordship of the risen Christ, acknowledging that He is ruling at God's right hand. His kingdom rule has begun in you and all things are under His command. 


1Pe 3:21, 22  "Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him." 

"What is the final battle that Jesus envisages? It is no longer, clearly, a military battle against Rome or even a revolt against Herod and the chief priests, an attempt (perhaps) to take over the Temple or Jerusalem itself. It is no longer the traditional freedom fight of pious Jews fed up with pagan rule—and with corrupt local rulers colluding with that rule, and so becoming no better than pagans themselves. It goes much deeper. It is the battle against the satan himself. And, though the satan no doubt uses Rome, uses Herod, uses even the chief priests themselves, Jesus keeps his eye on the fact that the satan is not identified with any of these, and that to make such an identification is already to give up, and so to lose the real battle. “Your moment has come,” he said to the chief priests, the officers of the Temple police, and the elders who had come out to arrest him. “Your moment has come at last, and so has the power of darkness!” (Luke 22:53). The darkness, it seems, had to be allowed to do its worst in order to be defeated. And the dark powers that put Jesus on the cross continued to the last with their mocking questions: “Save yourself, if you’re God’s son! Come down from the cross!” (Matt. 27:40), echoing the same voice in the desert, “If you really are God’s son, tell these stones to become bread!” (Matt. 4:3). Somehow it appears that Jesus’s battle with the satan, which was the battle for God’s kingdom to be established on earth as in heaven, reached its climax in his death. This is a strange, dark, and powerful theme to which we shall return. For the moment the point is clear: Jesus is indeed fighting what he takes to be the battle against the real enemies of the people of God, but it is not the battle his followers or the wider group of onlookers was expecting him to fight. Jesus has redefined the royal task around his own vision of where the real problem lies. And he has thereby redefined his own vocation, which he takes to be the true vocation of Israel’s king: to fight and win the key battle, the battle that will set his people free and establish God’s sovereign and saving rule, through his own suffering and death."

Wright, N. T. (2011-10-25). Simply Jesus: A New Vision of Who He Was, What He Did, and Why He Matters (pp. 126-127). Harper Collins, Inc.. Kindle Edition.


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"Forgiveness and healing! The two go so closely together, personally and socially. Whole societies can be crippled by ancient grudges that turn into feuds and then into forms of civil war. Families can be torn apart by a single incident or one person’s behavior that is never faced and so never forgiven. Equally, societies and families as well as individuals can be reconciled, can find new hope and new love, through forgiveness. Jesus was tapping into something extremely deep in human life. But, like the physical healings, forgiveness didn’t stop with this kind of reconciliation. To understand this we must come forward from the Exodus to the other great defining moment in Israel’s history: the exile. We’ve already mentioned the time when the people were taken away to Babylon. Well, the prophets of the time were quite clear why this had happened: it was because of the people’s wickedness. Like their distant ancestors dancing around a golden calf in the desert, they had forgotten their true God. They had worshipped idols. So, instead of being a light to the nations, Israel had become a byword for a godforsaken nation. People looked at the Israelites and sneered at them and their God, the God who had apparently left them defenseless. Exile was seen, throughout the ancient scriptures, as the punishment for Israel’s sin. In a culture where honor and shame were everything, the exile brought deep, deadly shame upon Israel. And, in the eyes of the watching world, on Israel’s God. But if that is so, then forgiveness must mean that exile is now over. “Comfort, O comfort my people,” sang one of the greatest prophets. “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from YHWH’s hand double for all her sins” (Isa. 40:1–2). And, as the prophecy that follows makes clear, this word of forgiveness is part of the overall message that Israel’s God is in fact king. He will be known as king through his victory over the tyrannical pagan kingdom of Babylon and his bringing his people back home to their land. This was to be the new Exodus: tyrant, rescue, vocation, God’s presence, inheritance. Just as physical healing is the up-close-and-personal version of what it looks like when God takes charge, to fix and mend the whole world, so individual forgiveness is the up-close-and-personal version of what it looks like when God does what he promised and restores his exiled people. As we saw, most Jews of Jesus’s day saw the Babylonian exile as only the start of a much longer period of history in which God’s people remained unredeemed, unrescued, and unforgiven. When Jesus was announcing forgiveness, both on the one-to-one personal scale and more widely, this was the story people would have had in their heads. And this was the story we must assume Jesus intended them to have in their heads."

Wright, N. T. (2011-10-25). Simply Jesus: A New Vision of Who He Was, What He Did, and Why He Matters (pp. 72-73). Harper Collins, Inc.. Kindle Edition.


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1Pe 2:15  "For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people."


Did you ever ask, what is God's will for me? The answer, please!! With all your trust in the goodness of God, do good to others, even in the midst of their foolishness. 
Now as a husband I know this, my wife's goodness to me, though undeserved; when I miss up and act foolishly, really humbles me. She knows how prideful and piggishly stupid I can be, yet when I see her respect and pure loving conduct it just melts all that pride away. I really am sorry and sincerely apologetic.  

1Pe 3:1, 2  "Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct." 

Here is the will of God, it is fill your heart up with the grace and love of God. Your preciousness will shine through from God to others. This is the way to beauty, strength, through quiet trust and gentle faith. This is what holiness looks like. It is like Sarah as a picture of faith and submission to God. You know that you can help your husband most by urging Him to lead toward God. 

Here is faith boldly placing trust in God, instead of fearing the frightening specter of losing your identity in your husband, submit in order to find your identity in Jesus Christ. He is Absolute Love. 

1Pe 3:3-6  "Do not let your adorning be external--the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear-- but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening." 

Husbands wise up and don't be so foolish and piggish, lead in the example of Christ. Your prayers will be empty if you can't understand your wife's needs. Lift her up as an honored partner in your life's move toward grace. She may be smaller and your physical strength could overpower her body. Yes you could force her into having your way. That is not really submitting and that doesn't reflect from you the meekness and humility of Christ. Marriage is a union of soul and purpose. Marriage is God ordained and initiated.  If you are married you will only find grace as you walk together. Hand in hand, at the same pace, striding toward your inheritance of eternal life, in reflection of the Love of God. 

1Pe 3:7  "Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered." 

So together come to a unity of thought and action. Your joy of life will be found in knowing what each other is struggling with and being sympathetic; (feeling the same things along with the other person). Having a friendship with one another and with humility softening your heart towards one another will bring peace to the relationship. 

1Pe 3:8  "Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind." 

1Pe 2:7-10  "So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone," and "A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense." They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." 

Don't you desire to be honored, recognized by others? Everyone does. It is very difficult when you are not at home, don't feel you belong, to have that sense of recognition and respect. Even if it is difficult to do what is right, your reputation and the reputation of your family is on the line. Your relationship to the heavenly Father is going to be reflected by your actions. If someone is mean, or hurtful, let them see you loving those around you, this will bring honor and glory to God. 
Rulers and governments are a means of praising good deeds and punishing evil actions, so be submissive  and not rebellious. Your love of others will silence those who want to blame God for all that is wrong in the world. 

1Pe 2:11-15  "Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.  For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people." 

So live free from the things that enslave people and cause them to be locked up as criminals. It's not a freedom to do whatever you like, but a freedom to love others and honor others, as though you were serving God. 
Even difficult, and hard to love people, those who rule over you in a way that seems wrong; remain respectful and submissive. How can you do that? Only by the grace of God. The grace God gives to you in order that you see that suffering unjustly is what God has called us to do, to be followers of Jesus.  

1Pe 2:16-19  "Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor."  Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust." For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly."

Do you really want credit, to be honored as a member of God's family, part of His household? There is no glory or honor in receiving punishment because you deserved it, you are getting your just dues.
However, if you are mistreated or suffering when your motives are good and your actions are loving, it is only because God has given you the grace to behave like His child. You will be honored because God is honored through your actions. 
This shows your family resemblance to Jesus Christ. He was without sin, never deceitful or hateful. He is Absolute Love. He even though the whole world came against Him, only continued to trust in the Love of the Father and believed in His justice as well as His grace, His hatred for evil as well as His overwhelming, unending Absolute Love. 

1Pe 2:20-23  "For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.  He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly." 




This belief in both vindication for God's grace and mercy and desire to hold up justice; caused Him to bear my sins, my hatred and disdain for God upon His own body and soul. In this act of dying and suffering for me, He caused me to be able to die to myself and my sinfulness. To begin living rightly, cleansing me and healing me, so that I might be alive to God and put my hope and trust in Him. 
We were all running away, going the opposite way that we should, now we are on our way back to God. He is Absolute Love. He is leading and guiding our souls, uniting us to Himself. 


1Pe 2:24, 25  "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.  For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls." 

1Pe 1:22-2:1  "Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,  since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;  for "All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever." And this word is the good news that was preached to you. So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander." 


Since Christ purified your souls, so that you love like He loves; He is Absolute Love, be careful to keep your love pure. Do talk maliciously about others. Don't let yourself be deceived by others or yourself, if the love in your heart isn't revealed in the way you act, you will only look like a hypocrite. No envy or slander reflects the worth and glory of God. He gives all and is all. 


As you learn and grow begin with baby steps, no crawl or if need be just soak everything in and be fed by other strong family members. Look to spiritual parents, big sisters or brothers who can feed you. You have tasted Christ, yet you still might need to just be fed by others and learn more of the glories of Christ from others. It is no disgrace for a new born to need others to feed and teach them. This is how it is meant to be in a family.


1Pe 2:2,3 "Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation-- if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good." 


Jesus is building the household, He holds the entire household together. He is the chosen Messiah, precious; glorious. His job now is building the household to become a family. This family will be pure, spiritually knit together and as Jesus represents all of the household we all now are acceptable to God. 
If you believe in Him, trust Him and follow His lead, you will never be ashamed of yourself. God will grant peace to you no matter who you are.


1Pe 2:4-6  "As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture: "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame." 


So you will receive honor along with Jesus. Your will receive glory in line with the glory Jesus Christ has received. You will be loved by the Father and rest in His love. 
Those who don't believe, won't follow, their path will become rough  they will stumble. You won't obey the road signs if you don't want to be where they point. The signs you follow will lead you to a different destiny. No peace, no rest, no love never finding fulfillment. 


1Pe 2:7,8  "So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone," and "A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense." They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do." 


But you are a part of God's family, God's own possession, you belong to Him and have direct access into His throne room. Your cry to proclaim to others is He is fabulous, marvelous, excellent in all things. 
He called to me and I found the way to God through Him. He is Absolute Love, He is Light and Life. I was blind and walking in darkness, now I an see the way. Grace upon grace, and full of mercy is He. Jesus Christ, Isa Al Masih, Yeshua Messiah, He is Yahweh. 


1Pe 2:9, 10  "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." 


So as loved children, remember, you are not at home. The temptations and trials here are great. If you give in to your own desires, not keeping your desires purely focused on God. Those desires are going to be like a war going on in your soul. The way to win this war is to not engage yourself in it, abstain from any of these activities that feed a passion other than purity in obedience to God's commands. 


1Pe 2:11  "Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul." 

1Pe 1:8, 9  "Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls." 

This salvation that brings you such joy and hope, the prophets of old told about this grace you have received. They knew it was coming, the suffering of the Messiah and the glory of His resurrection. They knew that He would be glorified and vindicated winning your salvation and cleansing. 
They saw, through what God revealed to them, that they were servants of those who would come after them. Now you can see a glimpse of what Angels long to see, the result of receiving direct teaching from the fullness of God's Spirit being given. 

1Pe 1:10-12  "Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully,  inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.  It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look." 

What you should be doing now is getting your minds fully set upon Jesus Christ, He is Absolute Love. As His children you should have your passions, everything you hope for completely set apart for following Jesus. You are His children and as we know children start to emulate their parents. Your greatest desire should be to be like Jesus. 

1Pe 1:13-16  "Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,  since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." 

This is the way to be like Him. Judge justly. Have a healthy fear of not being as purely loving as He is, you've got a lot of growing yet to do. You know that even though you are adopted, the adoption was completed by the very precious blood of the Messiah. His life and sacrifice was perfect and His payment on your behalf cannot perish or diminish. It is as solid as gold. You are ransomed from the captivity of going it on your own.                      
He is leading the way to a new you, fashioned in the image of God.
His grace now allows you to be passionately faithful, putting all your hope in God.

1Pe 1:17-21  "And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile,  knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold,  but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot." He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God." 

This is all about loving God and loving others, He is Absolute Love. His Word and His love are eternal, they last when all else is fading away around you. 

1Pe 1:22-25  "Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;  for "All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever." And this word is the good news that was preached to you." 

1Pe 1:1, 2  "Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you." 

I, Peter, am a messenger of Jesus Christ, I've been with Him, He was my Rabbi. What I know I know for sure, because I learned this from Him; He has lots of people spread out afar who who belong to Him. He planned it long ago and it is sure because He is Absolute Love. He is Sovereign over all, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. 

I heard Him say: Joh 10:14-16  "I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd." 

All this God has known and decided on even before it took place. The Spirit of God has done the cleansing by the sprinkling of Christ's blood. Your heart is now full of desire to be obedient to God. May His grace and peace be multiplied among you!

Here is what has happened in you. It is all Glory to God, for He caused you to be born again that your hope would be placed upon Him. This hope you have because Jesus Christ is alive, risen from the dead, that what you receive from God is imperishable, it will last forever and cannot be taken away from you! This glorious reward of  pure fellowship with God, fully restored is going to be revealed at the last day! It is fully guarded through your faith. 

1Pe 1:3-5  "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." 

This brings such joy, even though for a little while there are lots of difficulties to endure. Yes, grief is a part of the now, but through grief the genuineness of your faith will be revealed. Everyone is going to go through the fire of this testing. Your joy in Christ in the midst of all these trying events result in praise, honor and glory for  Jesus Christ now and when He returns. 

1Pe 1:6, 7  "In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith--more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire--may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." 


2Co 4:6-11  "For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;  always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.  For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh." 

Your perseverance in faith, even though you don't see Him face to face, still you love Him and believe in Him. You continue to rejoice in Him. This inexpressible joy and giving glory to God demonstrates the outcome of faith, your souls salvation. Hallelujah, you have been set free from sins slavery!

1Pe 1:8, 9  "Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls." 

"The Bible assumes as a self-evident fact that men can know God with at least the same degree of immediacy as they know any other person or thing that comes within the field of their experience. The same terms are used to express the knowledge of God as are used to express knowledge of physical things. "O taste and see that the Lord is good." "All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces." "My sheep hear my voice." "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." These are but four of countless such passages from the Word of God. And more important than any proof text is the fact that the whole import of the Scripture is toward this belief. What can all this mean except that we have in our hearts organs by means of which we can know God as certainly as we know material things through our familiar five senses? We apprehend the physical world by exercising the faculties given us for the purpose, and we possess spiritual faculties by means of which we can know God and the spiritual world if we will obey the Spirit's urge and begin to use them."

Tozer, A.W.; Tozer, Aidan; Tozer, Aidan Wilson (2011-01-31). The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer (Special Kindle Enabled Edition with Interactive Table of Contents and Built in Text to Speech Features) (Illustrated) ... | The Writings of Aiden Wilson Tozer of) (Kindle Locations 544-553).

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Why Particular Redemption or Definite Atonement is Important

#SBC



"First, this view maintains that Christ’s death actually saves. Scripture nowhere teaches that Christ came into the world to make salvation possible, much less that it becomes actual because of faith in Christ. This would be to make the instrument of receiving salvation (viz., faith) the basis of redemption. The good news everywhere announced in the Scriptures is that God has reconciled us to himself through Christ’s death, that this happened at the cross with Christ’s blood-shedding, and that it has secured an objective forgiveness of sins (Isa. 53:10–11; Matt. 26:28; John 1:29; 3:17; 4:42; 1 Tim. 1:15; etc.). “Now that we are reconciled [by his death], shall we be saved by his life” (Rom. 5:10). All for whom Christ died have been redeemed, reconciled, and saved from the wrath of God. Through faith we receive this salvation that was accomplished at Golgotha. The “once and for all” accomplishment of Christ in his saving work at the cross leaves nothing for sinners to complete by their own actions, whether their decision or effort (Rom. 9:12–16). This is why the evangelistic appeals in the New Testament are unhesitatingly joyful and full of comfort. All who embrace this gift are assured that Christ’s work has already secured their salvation, the benefits of which they now receive through the gracious work of the Spirit that was included in Christ’s purchase of his people. Second, this view emphasizes the relationship between the Trinity and redemption. In the eternal councils of the Trinity (the covenant of redemption), the Father elected a certain number of the human race and gave them to his Son as their guardian and mediator, with the Spirit pledging to bring them to Christ in order receive all of the benefits of his mediation. Jesus said that he came not to make salvation possible but to actually save “all that the Father gives me.” He adds, “And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day…. this is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father” (John 6:37–39, 65). In John 10, Jesus said, “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep…. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep” (John 10:11, 14–15), which includes Gentiles as well as Jews (v. 16)"

Horton, Michael S. (2011-10-11). For Calvinism (Kindle Locations 1649-1668). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.


"In the New Testament letters as well, there is the correspondence between the will and the work of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit in election, redemption, and calling, which creates an unshakable ground of comfort. From the mass of fallen humanity, the Father has elected individuals “in Christ” (Rom. 8:30–34; Eph. 1:4–13).32 Scripture clearly teaches that the Father chose many, but not all, to eternal life and entrusted their salvation to the Son (John 6:38–39; 15:16; 17:9; Rom. 8:29; Eph. 1:4–5, 7, 15). Scripture also teaches that the Spirit effectually calls the elect and unites them to Christ. Although they do indeed believe in Christ, it is because of God’s sovereign grace rather than their own free will: the Spirit brings the elect to Christ, giving them faith (John 1:12–13; 6:44; 15:16; Rom. 8:30; 9:6–24; Eph. 2:8; 2 Thess. 2:13). Chosen in Christ “before the foundation of the world,” the elect are redeemed by Christ and united to Christ by the Spirit (Eph. 1:3–14). Luke reports that when a group of Gentiles heard the gospel, “as many as were appointed to eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48). Our entire salvation is credited not to the cooperation of sinners with God, but to the cooperation of the persons of the Trinity. In unity with the Father and the Spirit, the Son’s purpose was to save the elect. No charge can be brought against “God’s elect,” since Christ has redeemed them and intercedes for them in heaven (Rom.8:33–34). Therefore, Christ’s death is referred to as “the blood of the eternal covenant” (Heb. 13:20). Peter wrote to believers as those who are chosen “for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood” (1 Peter 1:2). The rest are “vessels of wrath prepared for destruction” (Rom. 9:22). Prior to their decision—indeed their existence — God elected Jacob and rejected Esau, exhibiting God’s prerogative to show mercy on whomever he chooses (Rom. 9:1–21). Jesus actually redeemed his elect (Rom. 8:32–35), his sheep (John 10:11, 15), his church (Acts 20:28; Eph. 5:25–27), and his people (Matt. 1:21). He gave “his life as a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28; 26:28; cf. Isa. 53:12; Heb. 9:28). Sent to fulfill the Father’s purpose, Jesus was confident that “nothing of all that he has given me” will be lost but will be raised on the last day (John 6:38–39). The Savior entered Paradise as conqueror with the triumphant announcement, “Behold, I and the children God hasgiven me” (Heb. 2:13). All of this shows “the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose,” which was “guaranteed … with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us” (Heb. 6:17–18). “He has … accomplished redemption for his people’ (Luke 1:68 NASB, emphasis added). Third, this view places the focus entirely on Christ rather than on the believer. How do I know if I am one for whom Christ died? The only answer given in Scripture is that we look to Christ, in whom we were chosen and whose death is sufficient every human being — indeed, for a thousand worlds. However, short of affirming universal salvation, the alternative views hold that in spite of Christ’s objective work, many for whom he died will be finally lost, bearing their own judgment. But what then of Christ’s promise above that he will not lose any of whom the Father had given him?"


Horton, Michael S. (2011-10-11). For Calvinism (Kindle Locations 1676-1706). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.


"If Christ’s sin-bearing does not actually bear away God’s wrath for every person for whom he died, then, as Herman Bavinck concludes, “The center of gravity has been shifted from Christ and located in the Christian.” Instead of Christ’s objective work, “faith is the true reconciliation with God.”33 In this view, then, faith not only receives this reconciliation but accomplishes it, and faith becomes a saving work — the basis of, rather than the instrument of receiving, God’s forgiving and renewing grace."

Horton, Michael S. (2011-10-11). For Calvinism (Kindle Locations 1715-1720). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

"For this is the cause why we be not all in ease of heart and soul: that we seek here rest in those things that are so little, wherein is no rest, and know not our God that is All-mighty, All-wise, All-good. For He is the Very Rest. God willeth to be known, and it pleaseth Him that we rest in Him; for all that is beneath Him sufficeth not us. And this is the cause why that no soul is rested till it is made nought [29] as to all things that are made. When it is willingly made nought, for love, to have Him that is all, then is it able to receive spiritual rest. Also our Lord God shewed that it is full great pleasance to Him that a helpless soul come to Him simply and plainly and homely. For this is the natural yearnings of the soul, by the touching of the Holy Ghost (as by the understanding that I have in this Shewing): God, of Thy Goodness, give me Thyself: for Thou art enough to me, and I may nothing ask that is less that may be full worship to Thee; and if I ask anything that is less, ever me wanteth,--but only in Thee I have all. And these words are full lovely to the soul, and full near touch they the will of God and His Goodness. For His Goodness comprehendeth all His creatures and all His blessed works, and overpasseth [30] without end. For He is the endlessness, and He hath made us only to Himself, and restored us by His blessed Passion, and keepeth us in His blessed love; and all this of His Goodness." __________________________________________________________________
Julian of Norwich (2010-04-21). Revelations of Divine Love (Kindle Locations 111-118).  . Kindle Edition.

Blogs to return Monday

Jas 5:13-20 "Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins."

"If you are suffering in any way and you don't know what direction to go, seek God in prayer. If you are happy and all is going well sing praises to God giving Him credit. If you are weak in your faith don't languish about by yourself, call the shepherds, those appointed to watch over your faith, let them pray over you and care for you by pouring oil and anointing you, in the Name of the LORD; and their faithful prayers will give you a restoration from your weariness, and the strength of the LORD will again raise you up to a sense of fullness and forgiveness. So realize this, that faith is a matter we must sustain together and for one another. We need to pray for one another and confess our sins to one another, in order that we can be fully restored to one another if we have sinned. The kind of praying we need in the face of sin and weakness of faith is from Godly people, People like Elijah who prayed that it wouldn't rain and it didn't for over three years. And he prayed again and it did rain. So if any of you as beloved sheep are straying from the truth, not living by faith, another one of you is responsible to try to restore a faithful walk in that person. Remember if you turn someone away from sin you are involved in saving their soul and that act of love and concern and faith covers over many sins."

Jas 5:1-3  "Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days." 


There are lots of pitfalls with accumulating wealth. If your heart is drawn to accumulating things you're living in a fantasy that will come crashing down on your head. It is all passing away, All that does not stand in the fire of God's loving passion will be completely consumed. His love is an absolute Love for His glory, for truth, for justice and for His "only begotten" Son Jesus Christ, Isa Al Masih, Yeshua Messiah, Yahweh.
This could include you in eternal consuming fire if your treasure lies in what you can accumulate for yourself here on earth. All those things will be evidence against you, telling what you really love. 


Mat 6:19-21  "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."



If you have wealth from honest hard work or as a gift given, use it to help others and to give glory to God, not to close your eyes or be shielded from the needs of others. If luxury and self-indulgence are your chief ends you are setting yourself up for a surprisingly uncomfortable end! If you have gained wealth at the expense of others, by fraud or any type of enslavement, all of that will be a testimony against you. 


Jas 5:4-6  "Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you." 


This message is so difficult to hear in my ears in this world, we are all so wealthy and the culture keeps telling us that to gain wealth is the ultimate satisfaction. How much of a lie we are fed every day. The health and wealth preachers are spreading the lie daily! The media spreads the lie every minute.


 So if you hear this message be patient and wait on God. Yes, for your daily needs, but not only physical sustenance, but let Him be your satisfaction and treasure. He is Absolute Love. 
Establish in your heart what you value, what you will pursue, where you will find satisfaction and contentment, it is only in Him. 


Php 4:4-7  "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.  Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;  do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by pdays rayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."



Jas 5:7, 8  "Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand." 


Read yesterdays blog about grumbling against each other. You are not to take over God's role, He is the judge. 


Jas 5:9  "Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door." 


Jas 4:11, 12  "Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?" 

Php 4:8  "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." 

Rom 12:9-18  "Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.  Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.  Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.  Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.  Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.  Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all."

This kind of life is going to take the patience only God can give, you will not avoid suffering in this me oriented world. 


Jas 5:10, 11  "As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful." 


Above all don't be wishy-washy, never settled in your resolve to love God and through His love flowing into you feed that love out to the service of others. You will find yourself to be be unstable. You can't step in and out, say yes and then no, sit on the fence. You are likely to fall off on the wrong side!


Jas 5:12  "But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your "yes" be yes and your "no" be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation." 


Jas 1:5-8  "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.  But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;  he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." 

Commands of Jesus are extension of grace.

Mat 9:2-7 "And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven." And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man is blaspheming." But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"--he then said to the paralytic--"Rise, pick up your bed and go home. And he rose and went home."

Jesus is the eternal Word of God, His commands are an extension of grace. His commands carry the power to complete what is commanded.

God speaks and it comes into being.

Gen 1:3 "And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light."

His command creates light from darkness and He creates something full of grace by command.

Sometimes out Theological categories control the paradigms of our thought process. We become dogmatic in separating the realities of God's power through gracious and absolute command. He is sovereign our thoughts regarding Him are not! God is beyond our Theological categorization.

Mat 3:9 "And do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father,' for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham."

More often than not either/or conclusions are arrogant and illusory, instead we should think in all humility being open to broader categories of both/and! God is without limit.

Jas 4:11  "Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge." 


The way you talk about others, with malice, maligning you others around you, this is breaking the law. You say; "what law is that?" The royal law of God, that says "love your neighbor as yourself". He is Absolute Love. You have judged the law to be irrelevant or that you are above God's law. You might as well be called a murderer or an adulterer. You are not a doer of the law no matter how many good deeds you do, if you complain about and degrade others by what you say. 
There is only one who can judge or condemn others. In the same way He can save you and other law breakers by His Word. 
You are not fulfilling your calling as God's child when you speak against others. Why don't you let God be God? There is one accuser, he is Satan. There is one judge, He is Absolute Love. He is able both to save or destroy. 



Mar 2:5-11  "And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."  Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, "Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, "Why do you question these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, take up your bed and walk'?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"--he said to the paralytic--  "I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home." 

Mat 10:28  "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell." 

Jas 4:12  "There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?" 


So don't be so arrogant, talking against one another and making decisions like you were you own master. You think you can do whatever you like, you can't even tell me what is going to happen tomorrow. It is all in God's hand, so you should look to Him. You may not even have tomorrow. Tomorrow you might be  standing before the Judge. 


Jas 4:13, 14  "Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"-- yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes." 



Luk 12:16-21  "And he told them a parable, saying, "The land of a rich man produced plentifully,  and he thought to himself, 'What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?'  And he said, 'I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.'  But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?'  So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God." 

So instead of talking against others, ignoring God's laws and acting like your in control you should be seeking out direction from the Lord. If you know this is the right way to live and you aren't living this way, you are living in sin!


Jas 4:15-17  "Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that."   "As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.  So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin."