Now, We come to a list of adjectives, that describe their inner life--
DESTITUTE OF MORAL UNDERSTANDING, QUARRELSOME [Covenant Breakers, men whose word means nothing];
DESTITUTE OF NATURAL AFFECTION [Heartless];
IMPLACABLE [Irreconcilable--breach widens];
UNMERCIFUL [Un-pitiful, without pity, or compassion].
In closing the list of crimes, Paul describes the highest Moral Degradation and Abandonment of
God, I.E. Demonic Pleasure in those, who not only know God's Judgment on Sin, but, who deliberately commit these sins, and encourage others in sin.
Sinners, who consent to commit these sins, are in the last stage of Reprobation--are in The End of The Way--Ready and Ripe for God's Judgment--This is The Depths of Satan.
God does not infuse any new evil principle;
Those, who continue to pursue evil, fulfill that which is ALREADY in their hearts.
He, who commits Sin, transgresses The Law--
I John 3;4--''Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law; for sin is the transgression of the law.''
God's Standard is His Holy Law, and He is, His Own Law.
Now, Listen to This; Sin and Reprobation go hand in hand.
They stand or fall together.
Because of Sin, God provided Redemption for His people.
Sin and Redemption become measurements of each other. When Sin is minimized, Redemption becomes automatically impoverished.
You see, God's Law is the only true standard for measurement.
Sin, defined best, by the phrase. ''mossing the mark,'' obviously exists.
Its existence can be proved by The Revelation of Scripture, and it can also be verified, apart from any knowledge of God's Word.
God reveals Sin to Men, by The Word, by Jesus Christ, and General Revelation.
The Unclean Lives, lived by men today, are THE RESULT of their turning from The Light, unveiled in Creation.
Death did not exist, until Adam's Fall, in The Garden of Eden.
Death is the consequence of Sin--Romans 5;12--[Turn].
The Whole Creation groans, because It is under God's Wrath.
EVERY PERSON, WHO DIES, MANIFESTS THE REALITY OF SIN.
SIN IS SINFUL, BECAUSE IT IS UNLIKE GOD, WHO IS HOLY.
God describes Sin as Transgression, in that, It oversteps His Marked Boundaries.
God describes Sin as Iniquity, in that, It is altogether wrong.
As Error, in that, It disregards Light, and goes astray.
As Wickedness, in that, It lacks The Fear of God.
As Evil, because It opposes all things of God.
As Disobedience, because It is unwilling to be guided by God's Will.
As Unbelief, in that, It fails to trust God.
As Lawlessness, because It has contempt for God's Law.
And as Universal, since none are exempt.
All have sinned-Romans 3;23.
Everyone has always been A Sinner.
Each one sinned in Adam.
There is Solidarity of Mankind in Adam's Fall.
Sin is A Fact, an obvious Reality.
The Knowledge of Sin comes by The Law--
Romans 3;20--''Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight; for by the law is the knowledge of sin.''
By the works of The Law, or, out of the works of The Law--The Mosaic Law and any law, as the source of being right with God.
''The knowledge of sin''--The Effect of The Law universally, is rebellion against It.
I Corinthians 15;56--''The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.'' Galatians 3;19-22--[Turn]. Hebrews 10;3-4--''But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.''
Salvation comes only through The Righteousness provided by God--
Romans 3;21-23--''But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets. 22. Even the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe, for there is no difference; 23. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.'' Verse 21--''But now the righteousness of God APART FROM THE LAW.''
The God-kind of Righteousness, which Paul has shown from 1;18-3;20, is ''apart from the law'' of any kind, and is all of Grace,
But, It is not a new discovery to Paul, but it is witnessed by The Law and the Prophets--it is made plain continuously, by God Himself.
Verse 22-the Righteousness of God is through faith in Christ--IE. The immediate agency of The
Righteousness of God is faith in Christ.
The Justification, or, Getting Right with God, is offered to Jew and Gentile, on the same terms--
Verse 23-All men have sinned [missed the mark] of God's Righteousness, and come short of
God's Glory.
Man's coming short of God's Glory issues from his fallen condition.
Falling short denotes the sinful habit--an act, flowing from The Fall.
When men fall short, they do not value God's Name, or, His Attributes.
They value themselves above God, and exchange His Truth, for a lie.
Overwhelming data proves that man is a fallen creature.
Every person has some sense of Rightness and Wrongness--Romans 2;21-[Turn].
A Person must have a sense of RIGHT and WRONG, to judge Another's actions.
Man's confused drives, urges, and impulses demonstrate that he is fallen.
Before The Fall, those forces in Adam, were all perfectly balanced.
His desire for food, and self-preservation, before The Fall were harmonious.
However, when he fell, they were contaminated with Sin;
Perverted and Corrupted.
And since then, Man's drive for food, hid drive for self-preservation, and his urge for love are
Today, unbalanced.
Sin is A Fact, whether it is dormant, like a slumbering volcano, or, evidenced in the devastaing lava, of a man's fiery missions.
Sin is There, and One's evil nature, will, at times, manifest itself, in the hot lava of thoughts and deeds.
The Reality of Sin has many witnesses.
The Law of God was given, to uncover The Fact of Sin--Romans 3;20--''Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight; for by the law is the knowledge of sin.''
The Law is A Standard, to measure Man's Shortcomings.
It is The Scale, on which, Man must weigh His Deficiency;
A Looking Glass, which shows Man, his sinfulness;
A Stethoscope, which shows the condition of Man's heart;
A Rule, which evidences Man's Crookedness;
An Officer, which demands Man's condemnation;
and A Judge, that condemns Man to death, for his disobedience.
Scripture, The Highest Court of Appeal, declares The Fact of Sin.
Sin is a grievous malady--
Genesis 18;20--''And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gommorah is great, and because their sin is very grievous.''
Sin contaminates The Whole Man--
Isaiah 1;5-6--''Why should ye be stricken any more/ ye will revolt more and more; the whole head is sick, and the heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores; they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.''
Sin is an obscuring cloud, that hides God's Face from Man--
Isaiah 59;2--''But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, anf your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.''
Sin is a crouching Beast--
Genesis 4;7--''If thou doest well, shall 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.''
Sin is a binding Cord--
Proverbs 5;22--''His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.''
Sin is A Written Record, An Accusing Witness--
Isaiah 59;12--''For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them.''
Sin is a sum of additional sin-Sin added to Sin.
The Coming of Jesus Christ also reveals The Fact of Sin.
His followers confessed their sin, as they beheld His Holiness.
Next, We find that, SIN IS A STATE OF DELUSION AND DECEPTION.
It is NOT merely a deed.
There can bev no act, apart from Principle, and Sin is The Source, from which, The Act proceeds.
Sin is A Quality of Being,
There is no sin, separated from a sinner, and there is no act apart from an actor.
The Fact that Man sins, verifies The Fact that he is a sinner.
One Who knows, what he should do, and does not do it, reveals that, he is a sinner-his disobedient heart proves he sinned.
James 4;17--''Therefore to him that knoweth to do Good, and doeth it not, to him, it is sin.'' ''To him that knoweth''=''to one knowing how'' ''to do Good''=To do a good deed.
''And doeth it not''-and to one not doing it.
Not A Doer-James 1;23-24--[Turn].
Matthew 7;26-27--[Turn].
Unused Knowledge of one's duty is sin--The Sin of Omission--Matthew 23;23--[Turn].
Man's disobedient heart proves he has sinned.
Although his sin is not manifested, it comes from the source, or principle, of his being.
Sin is A State of The Heart--
Jeremiah 17;9--''The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, who can know it/''
Sin, that cannot be known by Man, IS NOT A Sin of Action.
Many sins are committed, of which, others are unaware-they are committed in the heart.
Sin exists in the soul PRIOR to One's consciousness of it.
Paul said, Sin lay dormant in his heart, until The Commandment came, causing him, to become conscious of it--
Romans 7;9--''For I was alive without the law once; but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.''
A Momentary act of Sin cannot dwell, or reign, in the heart, but The Principle of Sin DOES.
''For I was alive without the law once''--Before The Conscience awoke, and Moral Responsibility came.
''But when the commandment came, sin revived''--Sin came back to life, waked up.
''And I died''--my seeming life was over, for I was conscious of sin, of violating The Law.
I was dead therefore, but didn't know it, now I found out, I am spiritually dead.
Sin covers the heart's deepest intentions, while it masquerades as Good.
The goal of every sin is to deceive, and Sin's Penalty is Death--Romans 6;23--[Quote].
Death is Separation.
Physical Death is separation of the soul, from the body.
Spiritual Death is separation of the soul from God.
Eternal Death is separation of bothy soul and body from God, throughout Eternity.
There are three kinds of life;
Physical, Spiritual, and Eternal.
The element of union is common to all three.
Physical life is union of the soul with the body.
Spiritual Life is union of the soul with God.
Eternal life is union of soul and body with God throughout All Eternity.
Faith does not flee from Responsibility, and it never explains guilt in any way, but as proceeding from Man's own depraved heart.
The Sun causes a foul odor, to proceed from a dunghill, but it doesn't cause the dunghill.
It is only the occasion of drawing forth the scent.
The LORD forced Pharoah to an issue, causing him to manifest the hardness of his heart.
God was not The Author of his hardness;
He only left him, to his unrestrained, deopraved nature.
In like manner,God's proclaimed Word, becomes the occasion for people, to manifest their depraved natures.
Hence, Man's Condition Before God proves The Necessity of his sin, by God.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
THE NECESSITY OF GOD'S FORGIVENESS--PART 3
Now, let's see, What The Bible says about The Doctrine of Sin--
Romans 1;18-32--[Turn].
When God gives people up, He does not simply permit them, to stray from Him.
Romans 1;24 speaks of God's Positive Withdrawal.
God withdraws all restraint.
Romans 1;24--''Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts to dishonor their own bodies between themselves.'' ''WHEREFORE''=''AND SO.'' Here We have Paul's blameless logic.
''GOD GAVE THEM UP''= God gave them over, to their own power--
These people had already deserted God, Who merely left them, to their own self-determination and self-destruction, part of the price of man's moral freedom,
The withdrawal of God's Restraint sent men deeper down.
Three times, Paul says, God gave them up-[24, 26, 28]--not 3 stages, in the giving over, but a repetition of the same withdrawal.
The words sound to us, like clods, on the coffin, as God leaves men, to work their wicked Will.
''that their bodies should be dishonoured''--Christians have a new sense of dignity, for the body-
I Thessalonians 4;4--''That everyone of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour.'' I Corinthians 6;13--''Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats; but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the LORD, and The LORD for the body.''
Heathenism left its stamp on the bodies of men and women.
Romans 1;25--''Who changed the truth of God into a lie and worshipped the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever amen.'' ''Changed''=''Exchanged''--for exchanging trade--What a bargain they made, The Truth of God, for The Lie;
is the price of Mythology.
''They worshipped the creature rather than the creator''--even when placed side by side.
All God has to do, is to let The Sinner alone, and he will drink the dregs of sin, of uncleanness and lust.
Man's Natural Heart is only evil continually, and the first stage of apostasy, or God giving up The
Sinner, is his abandonment, to the natural forms of Sensuality.
Romans 1;26-27-[Turn]. ''Unto vile passions''= Passions of Dishonor.
Natural Lusts degenerate to Unnatural lusts, when the restraint, is taken off.
''That which is against Nature''--The Degradation of Sex is the result of Heathenism [The loss of God in the life of Man].
Verse 27--'' burned in their lust''--inflamed with their lust.
Romans 1;18-32--[Turn].
When God gives people up, He does not simply permit them, to stray from Him.
Romans 1;24 speaks of God's Positive Withdrawal.
God withdraws all restraint.
Romans 1;24--''Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts to dishonor their own bodies between themselves.'' ''WHEREFORE''=''AND SO.'' Here We have Paul's blameless logic.
''GOD GAVE THEM UP''= God gave them over, to their own power--
These people had already deserted God, Who merely left them, to their own self-determination and self-destruction, part of the price of man's moral freedom,
The withdrawal of God's Restraint sent men deeper down.
Three times, Paul says, God gave them up-[24, 26, 28]--not 3 stages, in the giving over, but a repetition of the same withdrawal.
The words sound to us, like clods, on the coffin, as God leaves men, to work their wicked Will.
''that their bodies should be dishonoured''--Christians have a new sense of dignity, for the body-
I Thessalonians 4;4--''That everyone of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour.'' I Corinthians 6;13--''Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats; but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the LORD, and The LORD for the body.''
Heathenism left its stamp on the bodies of men and women.
Romans 1;25--''Who changed the truth of God into a lie and worshipped the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever amen.'' ''Changed''=''Exchanged''--for exchanging trade--What a bargain they made, The Truth of God, for The Lie;
is the price of Mythology.
''They worshipped the creature rather than the creator''--even when placed side by side.
All God has to do, is to let The Sinner alone, and he will drink the dregs of sin, of uncleanness and lust.
Man's Natural Heart is only evil continually, and the first stage of apostasy, or God giving up The
Sinner, is his abandonment, to the natural forms of Sensuality.
Romans 1;26-27-[Turn]. ''Unto vile passions''= Passions of Dishonor.
Natural Lusts degenerate to Unnatural lusts, when the restraint, is taken off.
''That which is against Nature''--The Degradation of Sex is the result of Heathenism [The loss of God in the life of Man].
Verse 27--'' burned in their lust''--inflamed with their lust.
''The recompence which was meet''=the recompense which was due.
Romans 1;28--God gave them over, because they did not like, to retain God in their knowledge.
The Ancient, Wise Heathen knew that morality is dependent upon religion, whereas Today's
Average Religionist doesn't even think so.
This means, The One, who does not approve of God enough, to receive The Knowledge of Him, into his inner heart and life, and rule over him as Sovereign, that God turns him over, to his un-approving mind, to common things, that are morally held in abhorrence by people, not reprobated.
Then verses 29-32 describe the condition of the reprobate heart.
''Being filled with all unrighteousness''--Unrighteousness is Injustice;
Righteousness is JUSTICE.
In other words, they break every commandment in The Law, and have no shame, or, sense of guilt, or, FEAR OF GOD.
Let's look at the list of Injustices;
FORNICATION [Referring to the seductor, or seductress, who tempt to sin];
COVETOUSNESS [Greed, Grasping after another's possessions];
MALICE [The Spring of Ill-will, and desire to injure];
Full of ENVY [Envy makes one sick of another's health];
Envy is The Fountainhead of MURDER.
STRIFE [Or Contention];
DECEIT [Fraud];
MALIGNITY [Which is trearcherous conduct, or habit of the mind];
WHISPERERS [Gain-sayers, Defamers, Revilers, False Accusers];
HATERS OF GOD;
INSOLENT [Over-Bearing;said of those, who perpetrate criminal outrage];
PROUD [Self-Conceited. who conduct themselves arrogantly above others];
BOASTERS [Those who brag about bringing others down];
DISOBEDIENT TO PARENTS [Apostasy from the piety and affection due to parents is a Fountain of Corruption].
Romans 1;28--God gave them over, because they did not like, to retain God in their knowledge.
The Ancient, Wise Heathen knew that morality is dependent upon religion, whereas Today's
Average Religionist doesn't even think so.
This means, The One, who does not approve of God enough, to receive The Knowledge of Him, into his inner heart and life, and rule over him as Sovereign, that God turns him over, to his un-approving mind, to common things, that are morally held in abhorrence by people, not reprobated.
Then verses 29-32 describe the condition of the reprobate heart.
''Being filled with all unrighteousness''--Unrighteousness is Injustice;
Righteousness is JUSTICE.
In other words, they break every commandment in The Law, and have no shame, or, sense of guilt, or, FEAR OF GOD.
Let's look at the list of Injustices;
FORNICATION [Referring to the seductor, or seductress, who tempt to sin];
COVETOUSNESS [Greed, Grasping after another's possessions];
MALICE [The Spring of Ill-will, and desire to injure];
Full of ENVY [Envy makes one sick of another's health];
Envy is The Fountainhead of MURDER.
STRIFE [Or Contention];
DECEIT [Fraud];
MALIGNITY [Which is trearcherous conduct, or habit of the mind];
WHISPERERS [Gain-sayers, Defamers, Revilers, False Accusers];
HATERS OF GOD;
INSOLENT [Over-Bearing;said of those, who perpetrate criminal outrage];
PROUD [Self-Conceited. who conduct themselves arrogantly above others];
BOASTERS [Those who brag about bringing others down];
DISOBEDIENT TO PARENTS [Apostasy from the piety and affection due to parents is a Fountain of Corruption].
Thursday, November 13, 2008
THE NECESSITY OF GOD'S FORGIVENESS--PART 2
All Men, even The Unsaved, have some principles;
but they don't abide by them.
GOD IS HIS OWN PRINCIPLE, HIS OWN LAW.
Arbitrariness cannot be attributed to Him.
HE IS HIS OWN STANDARD.
Romans 1;16-18--[Turn].
Paul knew by experience, that The Gospel is The Power of God.
He had seen The Dynamite of God, at work.
''to the Jew first, and also to the Greek''--The Jew is first in Privilege, and in Penalty [Romans 2;
9].
Verse 17--In The Gospel, of which, Paul was not ashamed, was revealed, A God-kind of Righteousness, that One must have, and can only obtain it, by means of ''faith to faith.''
Faith is The Starting Point, and Faith is The Goal.
This God-kind of Righteousness is revealed by God--Man unaided,could never have attained it, or, conceived it.
By RIGHTEOUSNESS, Paul meant both Justification and Sanctification.
This God-kind of Righteousness, revealed in The Gospel, has 2 ideas;
1. The Righteousness God has, and
2. The Righteousness God gives.
Verse 18-''For the wrath of God is revealed''
There is A Parallel and Antecedent Revelation of God's Wrath corresponding to The Revelation of God's Righteousness--This is an Un-written Revelation, but It is plainly known.
It is The Temper of God towards Sin.
It is not Rage, but is The Wrath of Reason and Law.
The Revelation of God's Righteousness, in The Gospel, was necessary, because of Man's Failure to attain It,for God's Wrath rested upon All--Jews and Gentiles.
Ungodliness=Irreligion, lack of Reverence toward God--
UNRIGHTEOUSNESS-Lack of Right Conduct towards men--Injustice.
This naturally follows Irreverence.
The basis of ethical conduct rests upon The Nature of God, and our attitude toward Him, otherwise we have The Law of The Jungle [MIGHT MAKES RIGHT].
''Hold down The Truth''-Truth is out, in the open, but wicked men put it, into a box, and sit, on the lid,, and hold it down, in their un-righteousness--Their evil deeds conceal The Open Truth of
God from Men--
God's Wrath is perpetually revealed.
It was the fear of God's Wrath that caused Adam and Eve, to flee from God's Presence'
Genesis 3;8-10--[Turn].
The same fear caused Judas, to hang himself.
Conscience has compelled man, to reveal secret sins, although no torture could extort such confessions.
God's Wrath is perpetually revealed, in the general, moral sentiment of Mankind.
The Perpetual Revelation of God's Wrath is Preparatory and Predictive.
''REVEAL'' in Romans 1;18 means to uncover, bring to light;
Hence, to make known.
SOMETHING IS REVEALED, WHEN IT BECOMES KNOWN, BY ITS EFFECT.
Thus, The Thoughts of The Heart are revealed, in an expression from Man. That which proceeds from the heart, reveals Man's Character.
The Human Heart has always had an indwelling sense of God's Justice.
All Men know The Righteous Judgment of God.
Consequently, they know, that those who practice Sin, are Worthy of Death, and are of The Devil--
I John 3;8--''He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinned from the beginning; for this purpose the Son of God was manifested,m that he might destroy the works of the devil.'' ''committeth sin''= doeth sin-''He that keeps on doing Sin [habit] is of the devil''--
When One acts like the devil, he shows that he is not a true child of God.
There is eternal conflict with certain victory over Satan.
Men also know, that there is A Righteous Wrath Against Sin--
Romans 1;32--''Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.''
The Repentant Malefactor, suspended on the cross, knew that his punishment was just--
Luke 23;39-41--[Turn].
Now, Get This Truth; ALL SIN IS AGAINST GOD.
Men will continue to commit Sin against The Sovereign God, until The Last Enemy is destroyed.
Sin against a person, is actually Sin against God.
All Unrighteousness is Sin--
I John 5;17--''All unrighteousness is sin; and there is a sin unto death.''
Whatever that is not of faith is sin [Romans 14;23].
''Ungodliness'' denotes irreverence for God, and pertains to one's religious character.
''Unrighteousness'' denotes that which is immoral.
Ungodliness has no fear of God--Romans 3;18--''There is no fear of God before their eyes.''
Unrighteousness has no standard for Man.
Ungodliness denies God's character.
Unrighteousness, which is Injustice, destroys man's character.
Ungodliness attacks The Godhead.
Unrighteousness attacks God's Government.
Ungodliness condemns Good.
Unrighteousness seeks to justify Man.
but they don't abide by them.
GOD IS HIS OWN PRINCIPLE, HIS OWN LAW.
Arbitrariness cannot be attributed to Him.
HE IS HIS OWN STANDARD.
Romans 1;16-18--[Turn].
Paul knew by experience, that The Gospel is The Power of God.
He had seen The Dynamite of God, at work.
''to the Jew first, and also to the Greek''--The Jew is first in Privilege, and in Penalty [Romans 2;
9].
Verse 17--In The Gospel, of which, Paul was not ashamed, was revealed, A God-kind of Righteousness, that One must have, and can only obtain it, by means of ''faith to faith.''
Faith is The Starting Point, and Faith is The Goal.
This God-kind of Righteousness is revealed by God--Man unaided,could never have attained it, or, conceived it.
By RIGHTEOUSNESS, Paul meant both Justification and Sanctification.
This God-kind of Righteousness, revealed in The Gospel, has 2 ideas;
1. The Righteousness God has, and
2. The Righteousness God gives.
Verse 18-''For the wrath of God is revealed''
There is A Parallel and Antecedent Revelation of God's Wrath corresponding to The Revelation of God's Righteousness--This is an Un-written Revelation, but It is plainly known.
It is The Temper of God towards Sin.
It is not Rage, but is The Wrath of Reason and Law.
The Revelation of God's Righteousness, in The Gospel, was necessary, because of Man's Failure to attain It,for God's Wrath rested upon All--Jews and Gentiles.
Ungodliness=Irreligion, lack of Reverence toward God--
UNRIGHTEOUSNESS-Lack of Right Conduct towards men--Injustice.
This naturally follows Irreverence.
The basis of ethical conduct rests upon The Nature of God, and our attitude toward Him, otherwise we have The Law of The Jungle [MIGHT MAKES RIGHT].
''Hold down The Truth''-Truth is out, in the open, but wicked men put it, into a box, and sit, on the lid,, and hold it down, in their un-righteousness--Their evil deeds conceal The Open Truth of
God from Men--
God's Wrath is perpetually revealed.
It was the fear of God's Wrath that caused Adam and Eve, to flee from God's Presence'
Genesis 3;8-10--[Turn].
The same fear caused Judas, to hang himself.
Conscience has compelled man, to reveal secret sins, although no torture could extort such confessions.
God's Wrath is perpetually revealed, in the general, moral sentiment of Mankind.
The Perpetual Revelation of God's Wrath is Preparatory and Predictive.
''REVEAL'' in Romans 1;18 means to uncover, bring to light;
Hence, to make known.
SOMETHING IS REVEALED, WHEN IT BECOMES KNOWN, BY ITS EFFECT.
Thus, The Thoughts of The Heart are revealed, in an expression from Man. That which proceeds from the heart, reveals Man's Character.
The Human Heart has always had an indwelling sense of God's Justice.
All Men know The Righteous Judgment of God.
Consequently, they know, that those who practice Sin, are Worthy of Death, and are of The Devil--
I John 3;8--''He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinned from the beginning; for this purpose the Son of God was manifested,m that he might destroy the works of the devil.'' ''committeth sin''= doeth sin-''He that keeps on doing Sin [habit] is of the devil''--
When One acts like the devil, he shows that he is not a true child of God.
There is eternal conflict with certain victory over Satan.
Men also know, that there is A Righteous Wrath Against Sin--
Romans 1;32--''Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.''
The Repentant Malefactor, suspended on the cross, knew that his punishment was just--
Luke 23;39-41--[Turn].
Now, Get This Truth; ALL SIN IS AGAINST GOD.
Men will continue to commit Sin against The Sovereign God, until The Last Enemy is destroyed.
Sin against a person, is actually Sin against God.
All Unrighteousness is Sin--
I John 5;17--''All unrighteousness is sin; and there is a sin unto death.''
Whatever that is not of faith is sin [Romans 14;23].
''Ungodliness'' denotes irreverence for God, and pertains to one's religious character.
''Unrighteousness'' denotes that which is immoral.
Ungodliness has no fear of God--Romans 3;18--''There is no fear of God before their eyes.''
Unrighteousness has no standard for Man.
Ungodliness denies God's character.
Unrighteousness, which is Injustice, destroys man's character.
Ungodliness attacks The Godhead.
Unrighteousness attacks God's Government.
Ungodliness condemns Good.
Unrighteousness seeks to justify Man.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
THE NECESSITY OF GOD'S FORGIVENESS--PART 1
Romans 5;12--''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.''
We have seen, that Sin was decreed by The Forgiver;
now we want to look at;
''THE NECESSITY OF GOD'S FORGIVENESS.''
Sin's Beginning has a character, that is qualitatively different from that of all origins.
Only one verse in The Bible speaks of its exact source--
Ezekiel 28;15--''Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.''
Some interpret Ezekiel 28, by applying it only, to the King of Tyrus.
The prophet was speaking, of a particular king, but it was Lucifer, who directed that wicked king.
But Verses 13 and 15 refute the idea, that this portion of Scripture refers to the king of Tyrus.
The king was not a created person. He came into the world by Generation.
Scripture goes beyond him, to speak of Lucifer, Who became SATAN.
Adam fell, when he was tempted, in The Garden of Eden.
Sin then began, in the human family, in The Garden of Eden.
However, Sin actually had its beginning, in Lucifer, The Son of The Morning.
Lucifer was finitely, not infinitely perfect, until iniquity was found in him.
Finite Perfection is capable of sinning;
Whereas, Infinite Perfection is incapable of sinning.
Infinite Perfection belongs to God Alone.
The primary difference between Lucifer's Sin and Adam's Sin, is that Lucifer's Sin originated solely with himself, without any evil, outside of himself.
Adam, however, was entered from without. He had a weakness within himself, to respond to
temptation.
Since Sin came into The World, it is the motive for all man's thoughts and actions.
Each man must see himself, in complete solidarity with Adam, recognizing sin as his own.
Not until then, will he genuinely confess.
Sin is the biggest of all contradictions. It affects all things.
However, God uses it, in the ways of righteousness and justice, as an instrument, of His Own
Glory.
Nevertheless, God does not tolerate sin;
He condemns it.
There is an unusual relation between seeking to know The Origin of Sin, an An Exculpation of One's Guilt.
That search is not as innocent, as it might appear, for the motive may be, to blame another.
Sin must be considered as ONE'S OWN.
No Genuine Confession of Sin will be made, by a person, so long as he looks for Sin's Origin.
It is only, as One recognizes his Sin, that He cries for Forgiveness.
Sin began neither with God's Creation of Lucifer, and the angelic host, or with Adam's fall in Eden.
Sin is related to Reality's Destruction and Disruption, whether with Lucifer's Fall, or with Adam's Fall in Eden.
Now Get this Truth; THE REALITY OF SIN CAN NEVER BE ASSIGNED TO GOD'S GOODNESS IN CREATION.
All things God created were pronounced Good [Genesis 1].
Sin took place as an event.
Anyone who says, God made Man Sinful, denies The Holiness and Love of God.
The person, who says that Moral Purity is Man's Goal, instead of his starting point, attributes to
God, The Principle, Paul condemned--
Romans 3;8--''And not rather [as we be slanderously reported; and as some affirm that we say], Let us do evil, that good may come. . .whose damnation is just.''
Sin is Man's Fall, not his exaltation. It is his disguise, not his dignity.
Now, in Romans 3;8, we have two lines of thought, set forth;
Line Number One--The excuse brought forward by the unbeliever.
Line Number Two--The Accusation, that Paul affirms, that very excuse that we may do evil, that good may come.
We find that, it was The Accusation of Antinominism, because Paul had preached Justification by
Faith, and not by Works.
Satan subtly lured Eve, and then, Eve tempted Adam. Satan deceived Eve, by making her believe, that God had withheld something from her.
The Devil continues to use the same technique, making people believe, that God has deprived them of something.
Eve's reaction to Satan's temptation is common among Mankind.
She allowed Satan to subtract from, add to, alter, and misapply God's Word--Genesis 3;1-6-[Turn]; 2;16-17--[Turn], 3;4-5--[Turn] I Peter 3;16; 2 Timothy 2l;15--[Turn].
Because Eve's tragic mistakes are followed, by all men, in all ages, SATAN'S METHODS OF
TEMPTING MEN TO SIN, HAVE NEVER CHANGED.
Eve responded to Satan's Persuasion and sought higher knowledge.
Instead of finding it, she lost her God knowledge, and fellowship with God.
Then she persuaded her husband, and he did likewise.
FREEDOM WAS GOD'S GIFT to Adam, and ADAM'S ABUSE OF THAT GIFT, WAS HIS SIN.
When he fell, every man without exception, became enslaved.
QUESTION; Does Man have the ability to choose/
Yes. . .However, he freely chooses evil, in the same manner, that a motor-less car chooses to run downhill, or Niagra Falls chooses to go only one direction-Down.
Adam's Original Uprightness was not achieved by his own ability.
God gave it, when He created Him.
Adam's Original Position before God, meant that he bore within himself, the possibility, but NOT The Actuality of Sin and Death.
Man is A Sinner--his ungodly, unrighteous, depraved condition prevents his standing in The
Presence of The Holy, Righteous God.
Man needs Righteousness. Since none are righteous, A Righteousness must be provided by The
LORD, to meet human need.
Philippians 3;9--''And be found him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.'' 2 Corinthians 5;21-Quote.
Now, The Objective Revelation of God in Nature, is sufficient, to render every man under heaven, Inexcusable before God--
Romans 1;19-20--''Because which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things og him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.''
Man is not Righteous--
Romans 3;10--''As it is written, there is none Righteous, no, not one.''
All are under The Wrath of God. . . God's Wrath stands in apparent antithesis to His Righteousness.
However, God's Justice is Retributive.
In reference to sin, God's Wrath is A PRINCIPLE, NOT A PASSION.
Wrath and Love are complimentary attributes in God.
The Wrath of God differs from The Wrath, existing in A Man.
No Man, outside of Jesus Christ has Perfect Hatred.
In Man, Wrath is an exciting passion. In God, It is A Principle, which makes no ripple in on The
Infinite Rivers of His Holy Being.
With Man, Wrath is a malignant passion, burning with the desire, to make its object miserable.
With God, Wrath is the natural reaction of God's Justice-God has no evil disposition.
In Man, Wrath is a selfish passion.
In God, It is a unselfish principle.
In Man, Wrath is a painful passion.
In God, Wrath is a necessary principle.
Now, Get This Truth; One could neither esteem, nor love God, if he viewed honestly and dishonestly, cruelty and benevolence ALIKE....
The Truth that Wrath is just as much a part of God's Character as Love, emphasizes 3 important points;
One--It corrects the theological error that Christ's Death appeased Divine Vengeance.
According to God's Word, Christ's Death was THE EFFECT, not the cause, of God's Love and
Wrath.
God loved His Own in Christ, BEFORE The Foundation of The World.
The effect of that love, was He sent His Son, to die for All, that God gave Him, in The Eternal Covenant of Redemption.
TWO--It supplies a warning to Sinners--''Be sure your sin will find you out''--All Sin shall be brought to light.
THREE--It urges the necessity for Regeneration.
The only way to avoid God's Wrath, is to avoid Sin.
The only way to avoid Sin, is through Christ's Redemptive Work, which is applied by The Holy
Spirit in Regeneration.
We have seen, that Sin was decreed by The Forgiver;
now we want to look at;
''THE NECESSITY OF GOD'S FORGIVENESS.''
Sin's Beginning has a character, that is qualitatively different from that of all origins.
Only one verse in The Bible speaks of its exact source--
Ezekiel 28;15--''Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.''
Some interpret Ezekiel 28, by applying it only, to the King of Tyrus.
The prophet was speaking, of a particular king, but it was Lucifer, who directed that wicked king.
But Verses 13 and 15 refute the idea, that this portion of Scripture refers to the king of Tyrus.
The king was not a created person. He came into the world by Generation.
Scripture goes beyond him, to speak of Lucifer, Who became SATAN.
Adam fell, when he was tempted, in The Garden of Eden.
Sin then began, in the human family, in The Garden of Eden.
However, Sin actually had its beginning, in Lucifer, The Son of The Morning.
Lucifer was finitely, not infinitely perfect, until iniquity was found in him.
Finite Perfection is capable of sinning;
Whereas, Infinite Perfection is incapable of sinning.
Infinite Perfection belongs to God Alone.
The primary difference between Lucifer's Sin and Adam's Sin, is that Lucifer's Sin originated solely with himself, without any evil, outside of himself.
Adam, however, was entered from without. He had a weakness within himself, to respond to
temptation.
Since Sin came into The World, it is the motive for all man's thoughts and actions.
Each man must see himself, in complete solidarity with Adam, recognizing sin as his own.
Not until then, will he genuinely confess.
Sin is the biggest of all contradictions. It affects all things.
However, God uses it, in the ways of righteousness and justice, as an instrument, of His Own
Glory.
Nevertheless, God does not tolerate sin;
He condemns it.
There is an unusual relation between seeking to know The Origin of Sin, an An Exculpation of One's Guilt.
That search is not as innocent, as it might appear, for the motive may be, to blame another.
Sin must be considered as ONE'S OWN.
No Genuine Confession of Sin will be made, by a person, so long as he looks for Sin's Origin.
It is only, as One recognizes his Sin, that He cries for Forgiveness.
Sin began neither with God's Creation of Lucifer, and the angelic host, or with Adam's fall in Eden.
Sin is related to Reality's Destruction and Disruption, whether with Lucifer's Fall, or with Adam's Fall in Eden.
Now Get this Truth; THE REALITY OF SIN CAN NEVER BE ASSIGNED TO GOD'S GOODNESS IN CREATION.
All things God created were pronounced Good [Genesis 1].
Sin took place as an event.
Anyone who says, God made Man Sinful, denies The Holiness and Love of God.
The person, who says that Moral Purity is Man's Goal, instead of his starting point, attributes to
God, The Principle, Paul condemned--
Romans 3;8--''And not rather [as we be slanderously reported; and as some affirm that we say], Let us do evil, that good may come. . .whose damnation is just.''
Sin is Man's Fall, not his exaltation. It is his disguise, not his dignity.
Now, in Romans 3;8, we have two lines of thought, set forth;
Line Number One--The excuse brought forward by the unbeliever.
Line Number Two--The Accusation, that Paul affirms, that very excuse that we may do evil, that good may come.
We find that, it was The Accusation of Antinominism, because Paul had preached Justification by
Faith, and not by Works.
Satan subtly lured Eve, and then, Eve tempted Adam. Satan deceived Eve, by making her believe, that God had withheld something from her.
The Devil continues to use the same technique, making people believe, that God has deprived them of something.
Eve's reaction to Satan's temptation is common among Mankind.
She allowed Satan to subtract from, add to, alter, and misapply God's Word--Genesis 3;1-6-[Turn]; 2;16-17--[Turn], 3;4-5--[Turn] I Peter 3;16; 2 Timothy 2l;15--[Turn].
Because Eve's tragic mistakes are followed, by all men, in all ages, SATAN'S METHODS OF
TEMPTING MEN TO SIN, HAVE NEVER CHANGED.
Eve responded to Satan's Persuasion and sought higher knowledge.
Instead of finding it, she lost her God knowledge, and fellowship with God.
Then she persuaded her husband, and he did likewise.
FREEDOM WAS GOD'S GIFT to Adam, and ADAM'S ABUSE OF THAT GIFT, WAS HIS SIN.
When he fell, every man without exception, became enslaved.
QUESTION; Does Man have the ability to choose/
Yes. . .However, he freely chooses evil, in the same manner, that a motor-less car chooses to run downhill, or Niagra Falls chooses to go only one direction-Down.
Adam's Original Uprightness was not achieved by his own ability.
God gave it, when He created Him.
Adam's Original Position before God, meant that he bore within himself, the possibility, but NOT The Actuality of Sin and Death.
Man is A Sinner--his ungodly, unrighteous, depraved condition prevents his standing in The
Presence of The Holy, Righteous God.
Man needs Righteousness. Since none are righteous, A Righteousness must be provided by The
LORD, to meet human need.
Philippians 3;9--''And be found him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.'' 2 Corinthians 5;21-Quote.
Now, The Objective Revelation of God in Nature, is sufficient, to render every man under heaven, Inexcusable before God--
Romans 1;19-20--''Because which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things og him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.''
Man is not Righteous--
Romans 3;10--''As it is written, there is none Righteous, no, not one.''
All are under The Wrath of God. . . God's Wrath stands in apparent antithesis to His Righteousness.
However, God's Justice is Retributive.
In reference to sin, God's Wrath is A PRINCIPLE, NOT A PASSION.
Wrath and Love are complimentary attributes in God.
The Wrath of God differs from The Wrath, existing in A Man.
No Man, outside of Jesus Christ has Perfect Hatred.
In Man, Wrath is an exciting passion. In God, It is A Principle, which makes no ripple in on The
Infinite Rivers of His Holy Being.
With Man, Wrath is a malignant passion, burning with the desire, to make its object miserable.
With God, Wrath is the natural reaction of God's Justice-God has no evil disposition.
In Man, Wrath is a selfish passion.
In God, It is a unselfish principle.
In Man, Wrath is a painful passion.
In God, Wrath is a necessary principle.
Now, Get This Truth; One could neither esteem, nor love God, if he viewed honestly and dishonestly, cruelty and benevolence ALIKE....
The Truth that Wrath is just as much a part of God's Character as Love, emphasizes 3 important points;
One--It corrects the theological error that Christ's Death appeased Divine Vengeance.
According to God's Word, Christ's Death was THE EFFECT, not the cause, of God's Love and
Wrath.
God loved His Own in Christ, BEFORE The Foundation of The World.
The effect of that love, was He sent His Son, to die for All, that God gave Him, in The Eternal Covenant of Redemption.
TWO--It supplies a warning to Sinners--''Be sure your sin will find you out''--All Sin shall be brought to light.
THREE--It urges the necessity for Regeneration.
The only way to avoid God's Wrath, is to avoid Sin.
The only way to avoid Sin, is through Christ's Redemptive Work, which is applied by The Holy
Spirit in Regeneration.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
GOD FORGIVES SINNERS--PART 5
In our last post we closed by saying;
God not only allows men, to walk in their own ways, but He gives them up to uncleanness and vile affection, and over to a reprobate mind.
He also sens them strong delusion, to believe a lie--
2 Thessalonians 2;11--''And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.''
God punishes Sin with Sin.
God may put things, that are good, in themselves, in the way of people. For instance, The Law and
The Gospel become occasions for drawing out, the corruptions of men's hearts.
Paul said, he would not have known sin, but by The Law--
Romans 7;7--''What shall we say then/ Is the law sin/ God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law; for I had not known lust, except the law had said, thou shalt not covet.''
The Law and The Gospel Themselves, are good.
However, The Law draws corruptions out of the heart, and The Gospel becomes The Savor of Death to those who disbelieve--2 Corinthians 2;14-16-[Turn].
God allows Sin, but sometimes overrules Sin for Good.
He overruled Adam's Sin for his Perfection in Grace.
He overruled The Sin of Joseph's Brothers, ''. . .to save much people alive'' [Genesis 50;20].
He overruled The Sin of wicked men, who crucified Christ, and made His Soul, an offering for sin, for the good of His Elect--
Isaiah 53;10--''Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief; when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.''
God is not responsible for Man's Sin--
Isaiah 45;7--''I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil; I the LORD do these things.''
God did not originate moral evil.
Darkness did not proceed from God, Who is Light, nor the evil of sin from God, Who is Holy.
Here in Isaiah 45;7, Light is contrasted with Darkness, and Peace with Evil.
Darkness is the privation of Light, and the evil of punishment is the privation of peace.
God forms Light, and creates Darkness.
He forms the Light of Nature and Rational Understanding.
John 1;9--''That was the true light which lighteth every man, that cometh into the world.''
Darkness is also God's Creation--Natural Darkness results from the absence of The Sun.
Deprivation of Spiritual Light causes Spiritual Darkness.
The Lord makes Peace, and creates Evil [Isaiah 45;7].
He now makes peace, among His Saints.
At His Revelation, He will make universal peace.
The Evil, that God creates, is The Evil of Punishment for Sin, not The Evil of Sin itself.
Sin is not found among God's Creatures in Genesis 1.
Sin didn't begin with God's Original Creation.
The Lord doesn't infuse any evil into men.
But He subjects depraved men in various providential dealings;
He allows Sin, and overrules It, for the good of His People.
Sin began among The Angelic Host with Lucifer;
and with Mankind, It began in Adam.
God purposed The Fall of Both. If He had not, Neither could have fallen.
The Lord also purposed to prepare Redemption for His Elect, through the sacrifice of The Lord
Jesus Christ.
Although evil hands were associated with the preparation of that Redemptive Work, they were only instruments, that God used, to fulfill His Purpose.
God made Christ's Soul, An Offering for Sin--
Isaiah 53;10--''Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief; when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.''
We must distinguish between the words, Purpose and Author.
God purposed Sin;
otherwise, It could not exist.
According to God's Determinate Counsel and Foreknowledge, The Sins of Wicked Men nailed
The Lord Jesus Christ, to The Cross--
Acts 2;23--''Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands hath crucified and slain.''
God purposed to order events, so that evil should come to pass, to fulfill His Purpose.
Nevertheless, He hates evil.
To say that, God is The Author of Sin--that is, The Agent, Actor, or Doer, of a wicked thing, would be Blasphemy.
Sin had no actual existence, before it was committed by creatures, Which God pronounced
''Good'' after His Act of creating them.
Therefore, Sin's Beginning cannot be attributed to God.
God's Foreknowledge of Sin, does not make Him, The Author of Sin;
Anticipated Sin and Actual Sin are entirely different.
Just A Divine Election, or Fore-ordination, does not cause One's Actual Redemption, so Foreknowledge of Sin's Occurrence does not cause that Sin.
Sin became a reality, only as God's creatures perverted His Will.
It has no original substance in itself. Sin has no thesis. It has only antithesis.
Since sin came by God's creatures, it is a secondary, and not a primary consideration.
People seek to excuse their own sin, by asking, ''Why did God make Adam, capable of falling/''
They refuse to admit A Personal Sinful Condition. For that reason, considering The Origin of Sin, is not as innocent, as it may appear.
Now, Listen; GOD CREATED MAN, CAPABLE OF FALLING, BECAUSE HE COULD NOT MAKE MAN, IN ANY OTHER CONDITION--GOD CANNOT CREATE GOD.
Whatever He creates, must be inferior to Himself;
Immutability cannot create itself-only mutability.
Man was created Upright [Ecclesiastes 7;29], but he was created with two principles;
Inferior and Superior.
The Inferior Principle was related to Man's Flesh, and the superior principle was related to his fellowship with God.
When Adam fell, he lost the superior principle, and kept the inferior [which had become corrupted].
Adam could no longer fellowship with God;
so he fled, seeking to hide himself from God.
The Inferior Principle became The Reigning Principle in the lives of Adam, and his descendants.
When The Superior Principle was forfeited through Sin, Man was alienated from The Life of God.
Every Person since Adam comes into The World, dead in trespasses and sins.
Adam's Trial was ordained of God, because Probation is an essential part of self-determination.
However, God's Ordination of Adam's trial was benevolent, not unjust.
And God provided hope for Adam and All His Elect Ones.
The Lord Jesus Christ could never be tempted, the same way Adam was. He had no inferior principle, no weakness within, to yield to temptation.
He had only The Divine Principle--He couldn't yield to external temptation.
Temptation Itself, cannot pervert the soul.
Only An Evil Will, self-determined against God, can turn temptation into an occasion for ruin.
Satan was The First Actor in Sin, and The First Tempter to Sin;
when he approached Eve, he concealed the fact, of his own fall, and his enmity against God.
Sin began with Lucifer.
God pronounced it evil--
Ezekiel 28;15--''Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, til iniquity was found in thee.''
Now, I ask you, If Adam, Who possessed the strength of uprightness, yielded to temptation, how can Adam's descendants, who only have an inferior principle, resist it/
All men react in only one way, until God's Grace intervenes.
None can overcome temptation, apart from God's Grace.
So, to summarize; God, in His Plan, to glorify Himself, allowed sin to exist, but He was not its author--He only allowed it.
Man is responsible for his own sin because of his Depraved Will and Nature--Romans 5;12-[Turn].
''Therefore''=''for this reason.'' What reason/
The argument made in verses 1-11, assuming our Justification, and urging joy in Christ, because of the present reconciliation by Christ's Death, and the certainty of future salvation, by His Life.
''As by [through] one man''--Paul begins a comparison between the effects of Adam's Sin, and the effects of Christ's REDEMPTIVE Work, but did not see the 2nd Member of the comparison.
Instead, he discusses some problems of Sin and Death, and starts over again, in verse 15.
The Effects of Adam's Sin were transmitted to his descendants, by both his Natural and
Federal Headships.
Christ is Head of all believers, as Adam is Head of the race. In this was Adam ''the figure of him to come.''
''Sin entered the world''--Here, We have The Personification of Sin.
Sin came from outside, into the race of man.
''And Death by Sin''--Physical and Spiritual to all men.
''For that all have sinned''--transmission from Adam became the fact of experience.
END OF POINT ONE-GOD FORGIVES SINNERS
God not only allows men, to walk in their own ways, but He gives them up to uncleanness and vile affection, and over to a reprobate mind.
He also sens them strong delusion, to believe a lie--
2 Thessalonians 2;11--''And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.''
God punishes Sin with Sin.
God may put things, that are good, in themselves, in the way of people. For instance, The Law and
The Gospel become occasions for drawing out, the corruptions of men's hearts.
Paul said, he would not have known sin, but by The Law--
Romans 7;7--''What shall we say then/ Is the law sin/ God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law; for I had not known lust, except the law had said, thou shalt not covet.''
The Law and The Gospel Themselves, are good.
However, The Law draws corruptions out of the heart, and The Gospel becomes The Savor of Death to those who disbelieve--2 Corinthians 2;14-16-[Turn].
God allows Sin, but sometimes overrules Sin for Good.
He overruled Adam's Sin for his Perfection in Grace.
He overruled The Sin of Joseph's Brothers, ''. . .to save much people alive'' [Genesis 50;20].
He overruled The Sin of wicked men, who crucified Christ, and made His Soul, an offering for sin, for the good of His Elect--
Isaiah 53;10--''Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief; when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.''
God is not responsible for Man's Sin--
Isaiah 45;7--''I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil; I the LORD do these things.''
God did not originate moral evil.
Darkness did not proceed from God, Who is Light, nor the evil of sin from God, Who is Holy.
Here in Isaiah 45;7, Light is contrasted with Darkness, and Peace with Evil.
Darkness is the privation of Light, and the evil of punishment is the privation of peace.
God forms Light, and creates Darkness.
He forms the Light of Nature and Rational Understanding.
John 1;9--''That was the true light which lighteth every man, that cometh into the world.''
Darkness is also God's Creation--Natural Darkness results from the absence of The Sun.
Deprivation of Spiritual Light causes Spiritual Darkness.
The Lord makes Peace, and creates Evil [Isaiah 45;7].
He now makes peace, among His Saints.
At His Revelation, He will make universal peace.
The Evil, that God creates, is The Evil of Punishment for Sin, not The Evil of Sin itself.
Sin is not found among God's Creatures in Genesis 1.
Sin didn't begin with God's Original Creation.
The Lord doesn't infuse any evil into men.
But He subjects depraved men in various providential dealings;
He allows Sin, and overrules It, for the good of His People.
Sin began among The Angelic Host with Lucifer;
and with Mankind, It began in Adam.
God purposed The Fall of Both. If He had not, Neither could have fallen.
The Lord also purposed to prepare Redemption for His Elect, through the sacrifice of The Lord
Jesus Christ.
Although evil hands were associated with the preparation of that Redemptive Work, they were only instruments, that God used, to fulfill His Purpose.
God made Christ's Soul, An Offering for Sin--
Isaiah 53;10--''Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief; when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.''
We must distinguish between the words, Purpose and Author.
God purposed Sin;
otherwise, It could not exist.
According to God's Determinate Counsel and Foreknowledge, The Sins of Wicked Men nailed
The Lord Jesus Christ, to The Cross--
Acts 2;23--''Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands hath crucified and slain.''
God purposed to order events, so that evil should come to pass, to fulfill His Purpose.
Nevertheless, He hates evil.
To say that, God is The Author of Sin--that is, The Agent, Actor, or Doer, of a wicked thing, would be Blasphemy.
Sin had no actual existence, before it was committed by creatures, Which God pronounced
''Good'' after His Act of creating them.
Therefore, Sin's Beginning cannot be attributed to God.
God's Foreknowledge of Sin, does not make Him, The Author of Sin;
Anticipated Sin and Actual Sin are entirely different.
Just A Divine Election, or Fore-ordination, does not cause One's Actual Redemption, so Foreknowledge of Sin's Occurrence does not cause that Sin.
Sin became a reality, only as God's creatures perverted His Will.
It has no original substance in itself. Sin has no thesis. It has only antithesis.
Since sin came by God's creatures, it is a secondary, and not a primary consideration.
People seek to excuse their own sin, by asking, ''Why did God make Adam, capable of falling/''
They refuse to admit A Personal Sinful Condition. For that reason, considering The Origin of Sin, is not as innocent, as it may appear.
Now, Listen; GOD CREATED MAN, CAPABLE OF FALLING, BECAUSE HE COULD NOT MAKE MAN, IN ANY OTHER CONDITION--GOD CANNOT CREATE GOD.
Whatever He creates, must be inferior to Himself;
Immutability cannot create itself-only mutability.
Man was created Upright [Ecclesiastes 7;29], but he was created with two principles;
Inferior and Superior.
The Inferior Principle was related to Man's Flesh, and the superior principle was related to his fellowship with God.
When Adam fell, he lost the superior principle, and kept the inferior [which had become corrupted].
Adam could no longer fellowship with God;
so he fled, seeking to hide himself from God.
The Inferior Principle became The Reigning Principle in the lives of Adam, and his descendants.
When The Superior Principle was forfeited through Sin, Man was alienated from The Life of God.
Every Person since Adam comes into The World, dead in trespasses and sins.
Adam's Trial was ordained of God, because Probation is an essential part of self-determination.
However, God's Ordination of Adam's trial was benevolent, not unjust.
And God provided hope for Adam and All His Elect Ones.
The Lord Jesus Christ could never be tempted, the same way Adam was. He had no inferior principle, no weakness within, to yield to temptation.
He had only The Divine Principle--He couldn't yield to external temptation.
Temptation Itself, cannot pervert the soul.
Only An Evil Will, self-determined against God, can turn temptation into an occasion for ruin.
Satan was The First Actor in Sin, and The First Tempter to Sin;
when he approached Eve, he concealed the fact, of his own fall, and his enmity against God.
Sin began with Lucifer.
God pronounced it evil--
Ezekiel 28;15--''Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, til iniquity was found in thee.''
Now, I ask you, If Adam, Who possessed the strength of uprightness, yielded to temptation, how can Adam's descendants, who only have an inferior principle, resist it/
All men react in only one way, until God's Grace intervenes.
None can overcome temptation, apart from God's Grace.
So, to summarize; God, in His Plan, to glorify Himself, allowed sin to exist, but He was not its author--He only allowed it.
Man is responsible for his own sin because of his Depraved Will and Nature--Romans 5;12-[Turn].
''Therefore''=''for this reason.'' What reason/
The argument made in verses 1-11, assuming our Justification, and urging joy in Christ, because of the present reconciliation by Christ's Death, and the certainty of future salvation, by His Life.
''As by [through] one man''--Paul begins a comparison between the effects of Adam's Sin, and the effects of Christ's REDEMPTIVE Work, but did not see the 2nd Member of the comparison.
Instead, he discusses some problems of Sin and Death, and starts over again, in verse 15.
The Effects of Adam's Sin were transmitted to his descendants, by both his Natural and
Federal Headships.
Christ is Head of all believers, as Adam is Head of the race. In this was Adam ''the figure of him to come.''
''Sin entered the world''--Here, We have The Personification of Sin.
Sin came from outside, into the race of man.
''And Death by Sin''--Physical and Spiritual to all men.
''For that all have sinned''--transmission from Adam became the fact of experience.
END OF POINT ONE-GOD FORGIVES SINNERS
Saturday, November 1, 2008
GOD FORGIVES SINNERS--PART 4
Last time we closed out, with this question;
How can the two aspects of God's Providence--God's Sustenance and Government, leave room for Human Responsibility/
LISTEN--In God's Word, both God's Sovereignty and Man's Responsibility are taught.
But Divine Revelation doesn't allow penetration, into The Mystery of The Harmony between
God's Sovereignty and Man's Responsibility.
Scripture always presents Providence-God's Invincible Power, and Man's Continued
Responsibility.
God's Enemies are portrayed as Enterprisers, unable to escape God's Supremacy.
Although God's Enemies nailed Christ, to the cross, they did what God's Disposing Power had determined--
Acts 2;23--''Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands hath crucified and slain.''
God permits Sin--but, He does not allow The Sinner, to decide, free from His Command.
If He did,God would merely be, an observer, of a contest, with a uncertain outcome.
To sin, or not to sin, would ultimately lie in Man's Power of Decision, and God could only react accordingly.
God's non-intervention is always a positive action, not helpless, or frustrated inaction.
Every Act of Sin is committed by a Individual, whose life, God sustains.
Acts 17;28A--''For him we live, and move, and have our being;''
Ananias and Sapphira were being sustained by God, when they lied to Him--Acts 5;4--[Turn].
God restrained Abimelech from sinning against Sarah, but He did not restrain King David from conspiring against Bathsheba and Uriah--
Genesis 20;6--''And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou did this in the integrity of thine heart; For I also withstood thee from sinning against me; therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.''
Adam, and many others, were unrestrained, but God did restrain Laban from harming Jacob--
Genesis 31;7--''And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages 10 times; but God suffered him not to hurt me.''
God also prevented Balaam, from cursing Israel in Numbers 23.
God allows Sin to be committed. However, Suffering is not connivance with, approbation of, or mere permission of Sin.
God not only allows men, to walk in their own ways, but He gives them up, to uncleanness and vile affections, and over to a reprobate mind.
[Continued next time]
How can the two aspects of God's Providence--God's Sustenance and Government, leave room for Human Responsibility/
LISTEN--In God's Word, both God's Sovereignty and Man's Responsibility are taught.
But Divine Revelation doesn't allow penetration, into The Mystery of The Harmony between
God's Sovereignty and Man's Responsibility.
Scripture always presents Providence-God's Invincible Power, and Man's Continued
Responsibility.
God's Enemies are portrayed as Enterprisers, unable to escape God's Supremacy.
Although God's Enemies nailed Christ, to the cross, they did what God's Disposing Power had determined--
Acts 2;23--''Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands hath crucified and slain.''
God permits Sin--but, He does not allow The Sinner, to decide, free from His Command.
If He did,God would merely be, an observer, of a contest, with a uncertain outcome.
To sin, or not to sin, would ultimately lie in Man's Power of Decision, and God could only react accordingly.
God's non-intervention is always a positive action, not helpless, or frustrated inaction.
Every Act of Sin is committed by a Individual, whose life, God sustains.
Acts 17;28A--''For him we live, and move, and have our being;''
Ananias and Sapphira were being sustained by God, when they lied to Him--Acts 5;4--[Turn].
God restrained Abimelech from sinning against Sarah, but He did not restrain King David from conspiring against Bathsheba and Uriah--
Genesis 20;6--''And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou did this in the integrity of thine heart; For I also withstood thee from sinning against me; therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.''
Adam, and many others, were unrestrained, but God did restrain Laban from harming Jacob--
Genesis 31;7--''And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages 10 times; but God suffered him not to hurt me.''
God also prevented Balaam, from cursing Israel in Numbers 23.
God allows Sin to be committed. However, Suffering is not connivance with, approbation of, or mere permission of Sin.
God not only allows men, to walk in their own ways, but He gives them up, to uncleanness and vile affections, and over to a reprobate mind.
[Continued next time]
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