Romans 5;6-10--[Turn]. In Verse 10, both EVERLASTING and RESTORATIVE FORGIVENESS are
taught.
NOW, I want to say that Everlasting Forgiveness MUST BE ASSOCIATED with RECONCILIATION.
The Person,who has been everlastingly forgiven, has been reconciled to The Father,
and saved by Christ's Life.
THE SINNER IS FORGIVEN IN JUSTIFICATION.
THE SAINT IS FORGIVEN IN SANCTIFICATION.
Sin cannot make its way in to God's Presence. Jesus Christ prevents THAT.
If it were possible, for a person's sin to enter God's Presence, that person would be banished in judgment.
Sin does make way into the believer's presence, causing him, to lose fellowship with
The LORD,and severing The Joy of his Salvation.
Enjoyment of the things of The Lord is experienced through Restorative
Forgiveness.
Sins in the saint's life, AFFECTS HIS THOUGHTS, about God and Sin. He begins to look
lightly upon sin, and loses sight of God's Holiness.
Now, Get this truth; REAL CHRISTIANS DESIRE NOT TO SIN. . . When they do sin, they
should avoid despair,for Jesus Christ is their Advocate--GALATIANS 6;1--[Turn].
They are kept safe by Christ's Advocacy, and are kept in fellowship by
confession.
A believer's failure to confess sin HINDERS The Testimony of both The Christian, and
the local Church--
Proverbs 28;13--''he that covereth his sins shall not prosper; but whoso
confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.''
Nothing can hinder A Christian's Standing in The LORD;
His State, however, is imperfect.
He should pray with profound sincerity, that The Lord forgive his trespasses.
He needs to reflect on his abiding need for cleansing from all sin, by Christ's Blood.
Jesus Christ cleanses the believer from all sin. Not one of a believer's sins can
enter God's Presence;
Jesus Christ is There, pleading His own merit.
Satan stands at the believer's side. He does his work at The Court of Conscience, at
The Bar of public opinion.
However, he also APPEARS before The Divine Judge.
THE BELIEVER'S ADVOCATE requits Satan, alleges God's Election, AND POINTS TO THE
BELIEVER, AS A TROPHY OF GOD'S MERCY.
EVERY TIME A CHRISTIAN SINS, CHRIST'S BLOOD IS THERE, TO CLEANSE HIM.
Conversely, the sins of the lost are credited to their accounts. All the sins they commit, are treasured up for punishment--
Romans 2;5--''But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.''
''after thy hardness''--According to your hardness will God's Judgment be.
''and impenitent heart''--your unconstructed heart with no change of attitude.
''treasurest up for thyself wrath''--for the Jews, as already sated for the GGentiles [1;18].
There is a revelation of God's Wrath for both, on The Day of Wrath, and Righteous
Judgment, which Paul looks to, as a certainty.
When unbelievers stand before The Lord, at The Great White Throne Judgment, all their
sins will be reviewed, and judged by The Wrath of God.
REVELATION 20;11-15--TURN
Verse 11--''A Great White Thhrone''--Here, the scene is prepared for the last judgment, mentioned in the Bible.
The absolute purity of The Supreme Court of Heaven of The Universe is symbolized by the color of the THRONE.
Daniel 7;9--''I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and The Ancient of Days did
sit, whose garment was as white as snow; and the hair of his head like the pure wool;
his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.''
The Name of God is not mentioned, but The Almighty Father sits on the Throne--
Revelation 4;2,9;5;1,7,13--[Turn].
6;16--''And said to the mountains and rocks, Fallon us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.''
7;10, 15--''And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth
upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and
serve him day and night in his temple; and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.''
19;4--''And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped
God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.''
21;5--''And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all thongs new. And he said unto me, Write; for these words are true and faithful.''
The Son sits There, with The FATHER--Hebrews 1;3-[turn].
The Son works with The Father--John 5;19-21--[TURN].
Acts 17;31--''Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in
righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto
all men; in that he hath raised him from the dead.''
I Timothy 4;1--''I charge thee before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge
the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom.''
''From whose face the earth and the heaven fled away.'' The non-eternity of
matter is commonly taught in The Old Testament
Psalm 97;5--''The hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.''
Psalm 102;27--''But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.''
Isaiah 51;6--[TURN].
It is also taught in the New Testament--
MARK 13;31--''Heaven and Earth shall pass away; but my words shall not pass away.''
2 PETER 3;10--''But the Day of the LORD shall come as a thief in the night; in the which the heaven shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.''
''WAS FOUND''--All now is Spiritual.
VERSE 12-[read].
''The Dead, The Great, and The Small''
The Ressurrection of The Damned in Verse 13 is pictured by anticipation as already
over.
No living are mentioned, after the battle of verses 7-10, though some will be living
when Jesus comes to judge The Quick and The Dead--II TIMOTHY 4;1--[TURN].
All classes and conditions John saw ''standing before the throne''--REVELATION 11;18
[TURN].
REVELATION 13;16--''And he caused all both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark, or the name of the Beast, or the number of his name.''
19;5,18--''And a voice camme out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his
servants; and ye that fear him, both small and great. . .That ye may eat the flesh of
kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond,
both small and great.''
''Books were opened''--The record of each human being has been kept, in God''s Books.
''were judged''--The sentence upon each, rests upon written evidence.
''Another book which is The Book of Life''--This Book, has already been mentioned in
3;5; 13;8 and 17;8.
It is the roll of the living citizens of New Jerusalem, The Church of The Firstborn in
Heaven--HEBREWS 12;23--[TURN].
We are saved by grace; works demonstrate we lack absolute righteousness of God, and
need Jesus' Work.
VERSE 13--[READ]
''gave up''-The Earth gave up the lost dead; The Sea gave up fallen angels.
''Death and Hell''--An inseparable Pair
1;18--''I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore,
Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.''
6;8a--''And I looked, and behold a pale horse, and his name that sat on him was
Death, and Hell followed him.''
20;14--''And Death and Hell were cast into The LAKE OF FIRE, This is The Second
Death.''
The Gates of Hell in MATTHEW 16;18 refers to THE POWER OF DEATH.
VERSE 14--[READ]
''were cast''--As The Devil [20;10] followed Beast and False Prophet [19;;20] into
The Lake of Fire.
Death is personified and disposed of, ''The Last Enemy'' [1 Corinthians 15;26].
Paul sings the victory over death--1 Corinthiians 15;54 Quote from Hosea 13;14--[Turn].
HELL HAS NO MORE TERROR, for The Saints are in Heaven.
There is no more fear of death, for it is no more--Hebrews 2;15;Revelation 21;4-
[TURN].
VERSE 15-[READ]--The Doom is told for all out of Christ-Lake of Fire-MATTHEW 5;22-
[TURN].
2 THESSALONIANS 1;7--[TURN]
''rest with us''--Let up, release from troubles here. 2 CORINTHIANS 2;13; 7;;5;
8;13--[TURN]. They shared sufferiing with Paul, and will share the rest.
''at the revelation of The Lord Jesus''--Revelation=unveiling of The Messiah. At
this unveiling there will come The Recompence [V. 6] to The Persecutors, and The Rest
from the persecutions.
This Revelation will be from Heaven, as to place, and with the angels of His Power, and in FLAMING FIRE, in a fire of flame.
VERSE 8-[READ]
''rendering'''= to give
''vengeance''= to vindicate those knowing God.
VERSE 9--Eternal Destruction is eternal separation from The Face of The Lord, and
from The Glory of Hiis Might.
END-
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Thursday, January 1, 2009
GOD'S RESTORATIVE FORGIVENESS-2
Joshua stood before the LORD--Zechariah 3;1--[Turn]. A sense of shame is more acute,when one is in God's presence.
In The World's Twilight, much may pass unnoticed, which in the light of God, MUST BE
CONDEMNED.
Everything is open, to The Lord--
Hebrews 4;13--''Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight; but
all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him, with whom we have to do.''
''that is not manifest''=not shown. God's Microscope can lay bare the smallest microbe
of doubt and sin.
''naked''--Both soul and body are naked to the eyes of God.
''opened''-''laid open''--VERB=To bend back the neck, as the surgeon does, before
operating. God sees ALL the facts in our inmost hearts.
''with whom we have to do''--With Whom the matter, or account for us, is.
When the white light of God's Presence shines upon a Christian, he cries with Job,
''If I wash myself with snow water, and make my hands never so clean; yet shalt thou
plunge me in the ditch and mine own clothes shall abhor me'' [9;30-31].
God is Holy. Therefore, no one can stand before Him, and declare himself, clean.
Now, Get this truth; THE MORE, A PERSON KNOWS ABOUT THE LORD, HE LOATHES HIMSELF
AND REPENTS.
Restorative Forgiveness is necessary, EVERY DAY of one's life.
Satan stood at Joshua's right hand, to resist him [Zechariah 3;1].
The Devil stands beside every child of God, to resist and accuse him.
Satan seeks to prevent the believer, from DOING God's Will.
Then, when the believer FAILS, Satan ACCUSES him, before the LORD.
Nevertheless, The Lord Jesus Christ is The Christian's Advocate.He sits at The Father's Right Hand, and stands to plead the believer's case.
Christians stand in Him, WHO REPRESENTS THEM, TO THE FATHER.
The LORD rebuked Satan,and reminded him, that He has chosen Israel.
HE CHOSE THEM FOR his Loves--Song of Solomon 7;12-''Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine flourish, whether the tender grape appear; and the
pomegranates bud forth; there will I give my loves.''
Israel was a ''brand plucked out of the fire,''--a figurative expression of the
punishment Israel had endured, in Babylonian Captivity.
THEY HAD BEEN DISOBEDIENT;
THE LORD HAD CHASTENED THEM, AND THEN, DELIVERED THEM.
GOD DIDN'T DELIVER ISRAEL, from Egypt, or from Babylon, TO DESTROY THEM.
ALL BELIEVERS WERE CHOSEN IN CHRIST, BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD.
There is a sense, in which, they too, are plucked from the fire of judgment, when the
Lord calls them out from the people of the world--
I Peter 1;2--''Elect according to the foreknowledge of God, The Father, through
sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus
Christ; Grace unto you, and peace be mulitiplied.''
The Lord also delivers them from punishment for sins, they commit, AFTER THEY ARE
SAVED.
But sin removes THE ENJOYMENT of God's Promises.
CHRISTIANS, WITH UNCONFESSED SINS, CANNOT ENJOY GOD'S PROMISES, OR, BLESSINGS, UNTIL
THEY CONFESS THEIR SIN;
THEY ARE NOT RESTORED TO FELLOWSHIP.
Jesus Christ offered Himself, once in the end of The Age, to put away sin--Hebrews 9;
26 [TURN].
NO ADDITIONAL PROPITIATION is nnecessary, to forgive the believer, who has been everlastingly forgiven.
Christ died to put away Sin's Penalty, FROM THE ELECT;
He lives, to put away SIN, FROM within the Elect.
Christ's death, on the cross,destroyed SIN'S PENALTY for belivers.
The Ever-living Christ DESTROYS SIN'S POWER OVER BELIEVERS.
In The World's Twilight, much may pass unnoticed, which in the light of God, MUST BE
CONDEMNED.
Everything is open, to The Lord--
Hebrews 4;13--''Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight; but
all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him, with whom we have to do.''
''that is not manifest''=not shown. God's Microscope can lay bare the smallest microbe
of doubt and sin.
''naked''--Both soul and body are naked to the eyes of God.
''opened''-''laid open''--VERB=To bend back the neck, as the surgeon does, before
operating. God sees ALL the facts in our inmost hearts.
''with whom we have to do''--With Whom the matter, or account for us, is.
When the white light of God's Presence shines upon a Christian, he cries with Job,
''If I wash myself with snow water, and make my hands never so clean; yet shalt thou
plunge me in the ditch and mine own clothes shall abhor me'' [9;30-31].
God is Holy. Therefore, no one can stand before Him, and declare himself, clean.
Now, Get this truth; THE MORE, A PERSON KNOWS ABOUT THE LORD, HE LOATHES HIMSELF
AND REPENTS.
Restorative Forgiveness is necessary, EVERY DAY of one's life.
Satan stood at Joshua's right hand, to resist him [Zechariah 3;1].
The Devil stands beside every child of God, to resist and accuse him.
Satan seeks to prevent the believer, from DOING God's Will.
Then, when the believer FAILS, Satan ACCUSES him, before the LORD.
Nevertheless, The Lord Jesus Christ is The Christian's Advocate.He sits at The Father's Right Hand, and stands to plead the believer's case.
Christians stand in Him, WHO REPRESENTS THEM, TO THE FATHER.
The LORD rebuked Satan,and reminded him, that He has chosen Israel.
HE CHOSE THEM FOR his Loves--Song of Solomon 7;12-''Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine flourish, whether the tender grape appear; and the
pomegranates bud forth; there will I give my loves.''
Israel was a ''brand plucked out of the fire,''--a figurative expression of the
punishment Israel had endured, in Babylonian Captivity.
THEY HAD BEEN DISOBEDIENT;
THE LORD HAD CHASTENED THEM, AND THEN, DELIVERED THEM.
GOD DIDN'T DELIVER ISRAEL, from Egypt, or from Babylon, TO DESTROY THEM.
ALL BELIEVERS WERE CHOSEN IN CHRIST, BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD.
There is a sense, in which, they too, are plucked from the fire of judgment, when the
Lord calls them out from the people of the world--
I Peter 1;2--''Elect according to the foreknowledge of God, The Father, through
sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus
Christ; Grace unto you, and peace be mulitiplied.''
The Lord also delivers them from punishment for sins, they commit, AFTER THEY ARE
SAVED.
But sin removes THE ENJOYMENT of God's Promises.
CHRISTIANS, WITH UNCONFESSED SINS, CANNOT ENJOY GOD'S PROMISES, OR, BLESSINGS, UNTIL
THEY CONFESS THEIR SIN;
THEY ARE NOT RESTORED TO FELLOWSHIP.
Jesus Christ offered Himself, once in the end of The Age, to put away sin--Hebrews 9;
26 [TURN].
NO ADDITIONAL PROPITIATION is nnecessary, to forgive the believer, who has been everlastingly forgiven.
Christ died to put away Sin's Penalty, FROM THE ELECT;
He lives, to put away SIN, FROM within the Elect.
Christ's death, on the cross,destroyed SIN'S PENALTY for belivers.
The Ever-living Christ DESTROYS SIN'S POWER OVER BELIEVERS.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
GOD'S RESTORATIVE FORGIVENESS-
I John 1;7-2;2--[Turn]
Verse 7-[Reads]--''If we walk''--keep on walking in The Light with God--
''If we walk in the light as he is in the light''--God is Light. [vERSE 5]-And D\dwells in Light Unapproachable-I Timothy 6;16--[Turn].
''We have fellowship one with another''--but, as we cannot have it, unless we have it with God in Christ, and to do that, we must walk in the light with Christ.
''And the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.''
This clause co-ordinates with the preceding one. Walking in the light with God makes
possible fellowship with one another, and is made possible also, by the blood of
Jesus Christ.
The blood alone, cleanses the conscience and life of God's Child.
VERSE 8--[READ]. ''If we say that we have no sin''--that is, we have no personal
guilt, no principle of Sin.
This, some of the Gnostics held, since to them, matter was evil, and the soul was
not contaminated by the sinful flesh, a thin delusion,which The Christian Scientist
cult delude themselves with, today.
''We deceive ourselves''--we lead ourselves astray. We don't deceive others, who
know us. The negative truth of the same idea-''And the truth is not in us.''
Verse 9--[READ].--If we keep on saying the same thing about our sins as God does
[homo-lo-geo].
''He is faithful.''--Jesus made confession of sin necessary to forgiveness.
It is God's Promise,and He is ''RIGHTEOUS,'' to forgive and to cleanse.
Verse 10--[Read]--If we say, we have not sinned--This is the denial of any specific
act of sin.
The claim to personal perfection--two causes;
1. The stifling of the conscience, in making God, a liar.
2. Ignorance of God's Word, which is not in us, else, we should not make the claim.
I John 2;1--[Read]--''My little children''--JJohn is now an old man, and regards
his readers as little children.
''that ye sin not''--that you may not sin.
John has no patience with professing Perfectionists [1;8-10], but has still less,
with loose lives,like some of the Gnostics, who went to all sorts of excesses,
without shame.
''If one commits sin''. We have an Advocate, The Holy Spirit is God's Advocate on
Earth,while Christ is Man's Advocate with The Father.
Being Righteous, Jesus is qualified, to plead our case, and to enter into The
Father's Presence. Hebrews 2;18--[Turn].
Verse 2-''and he''--He, Himself, in His Own PERSON. Both Priest and Sacrifice.
Hebrews 9;14-[TURN].
He is the satisfaction for our sins,and sins of the whole world of the elect--
2 Corinthians 5;19-21--[Turn].
Zechariah 3;1-10-[Turn].
God's Restorative FORGIVENESS IS MECESSARY, FOR EVERY PERSON, BORN OF THE HOLY
SPIRIT.
The Blood of The LORD JESUS CHRIST IS EFFICACIOUS TO CLEANSE God's chosen ones, FROM
ALL SIN--I JOHN 1;7
Now, I want to clearly state; CHRIST'S BLOOD IS NOT ONLY COMPETENT TO FORGIVE A
PERSON'S SIN,BUT IT CONTINUALLY CLEANSES HIM FROM ALL SIN--PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE.
You see, all the believer's sins were future, when Christ died for them, on the
cross. He atoned for them, when he became the sinner's substitute, for His blood has
CLEANSING PROPERTY...
HIS DEATH WAS OBJECTIVE--It judicially put away sin, from before The Lord.
IF His blood had been incompetent, to atone for ALL SIN, Believers could not plead
The Mercy of God.
God's Word shows that, justification and sanctification are so bound together,
that THEY CAN'T BE SEPARATED.
Justification DOES PRECEDE Sanctification, that is, the sins of the believer were
JUDICIALLY ATONED FOR, in Christ's Death.
Sanctification is God's Work in the believer, to make him suitable, for GOD'S
PRESENCE.
What Jesus Christ objectively wrought on the cross, The Holy Spirit objectively
applies,to the hearts of believers.
Hence there is an initial cleansing, and there is a continual cleansing.
The Tear Ducts of The Eye are a good example.
In the same way, The Blood of Christ is always there, continually cleansing the
redeemed sinner, from impurities that intrude.
The Prophet Zechariah taught Restorative Forgiveness;
Jesus Advocacy is portrayed in chapter 3.
The Holy Spirit's message to Israel, proceeded from cleansing to obedience to
service.
Joshua was one of the priests, among the exiles, who returned to Babylon, with
Zerubbabel--the dirty garments in which, he was clothed,SIGNIFIED ISRAEL'S DESPICABLE
STATE, at that time.
ISRAEL NEEDED RESTORATIVE FORGIVENESS. Even the priesthood had become defiled, and
unsuited,for holy service.
The Prophet Malachi described Israel's Priests, as a sad contrast, to the
original priesthood, represented by Phinehas [Numbers 25].
Joshua stood before The Lord--
Verse 7-[Reads]--''If we walk''--keep on walking in The Light with God--
''If we walk in the light as he is in the light''--God is Light. [vERSE 5]-And D\dwells in Light Unapproachable-I Timothy 6;16--[Turn].
''We have fellowship one with another''--but, as we cannot have it, unless we have it with God in Christ, and to do that, we must walk in the light with Christ.
''And the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.''
This clause co-ordinates with the preceding one. Walking in the light with God makes
possible fellowship with one another, and is made possible also, by the blood of
Jesus Christ.
The blood alone, cleanses the conscience and life of God's Child.
VERSE 8--[READ]. ''If we say that we have no sin''--that is, we have no personal
guilt, no principle of Sin.
This, some of the Gnostics held, since to them, matter was evil, and the soul was
not contaminated by the sinful flesh, a thin delusion,which The Christian Scientist
cult delude themselves with, today.
''We deceive ourselves''--we lead ourselves astray. We don't deceive others, who
know us. The negative truth of the same idea-''And the truth is not in us.''
Verse 9--[READ].--If we keep on saying the same thing about our sins as God does
[homo-lo-geo].
''He is faithful.''--Jesus made confession of sin necessary to forgiveness.
It is God's Promise,and He is ''RIGHTEOUS,'' to forgive and to cleanse.
Verse 10--[Read]--If we say, we have not sinned--This is the denial of any specific
act of sin.
The claim to personal perfection--two causes;
1. The stifling of the conscience, in making God, a liar.
2. Ignorance of God's Word, which is not in us, else, we should not make the claim.
I John 2;1--[Read]--''My little children''--JJohn is now an old man, and regards
his readers as little children.
''that ye sin not''--that you may not sin.
John has no patience with professing Perfectionists [1;8-10], but has still less,
with loose lives,like some of the Gnostics, who went to all sorts of excesses,
without shame.
''If one commits sin''. We have an Advocate, The Holy Spirit is God's Advocate on
Earth,while Christ is Man's Advocate with The Father.
Being Righteous, Jesus is qualified, to plead our case, and to enter into The
Father's Presence. Hebrews 2;18--[Turn].
Verse 2-''and he''--He, Himself, in His Own PERSON. Both Priest and Sacrifice.
Hebrews 9;14-[TURN].
He is the satisfaction for our sins,and sins of the whole world of the elect--
2 Corinthians 5;19-21--[Turn].
Zechariah 3;1-10-[Turn].
God's Restorative FORGIVENESS IS MECESSARY, FOR EVERY PERSON, BORN OF THE HOLY
SPIRIT.
The Blood of The LORD JESUS CHRIST IS EFFICACIOUS TO CLEANSE God's chosen ones, FROM
ALL SIN--I JOHN 1;7
Now, I want to clearly state; CHRIST'S BLOOD IS NOT ONLY COMPETENT TO FORGIVE A
PERSON'S SIN,BUT IT CONTINUALLY CLEANSES HIM FROM ALL SIN--PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE.
You see, all the believer's sins were future, when Christ died for them, on the
cross. He atoned for them, when he became the sinner's substitute, for His blood has
CLEANSING PROPERTY...
HIS DEATH WAS OBJECTIVE--It judicially put away sin, from before The Lord.
IF His blood had been incompetent, to atone for ALL SIN, Believers could not plead
The Mercy of God.
God's Word shows that, justification and sanctification are so bound together,
that THEY CAN'T BE SEPARATED.
Justification DOES PRECEDE Sanctification, that is, the sins of the believer were
JUDICIALLY ATONED FOR, in Christ's Death.
Sanctification is God's Work in the believer, to make him suitable, for GOD'S
PRESENCE.
What Jesus Christ objectively wrought on the cross, The Holy Spirit objectively
applies,to the hearts of believers.
Hence there is an initial cleansing, and there is a continual cleansing.
The Tear Ducts of The Eye are a good example.
In the same way, The Blood of Christ is always there, continually cleansing the
redeemed sinner, from impurities that intrude.
The Prophet Zechariah taught Restorative Forgiveness;
Jesus Advocacy is portrayed in chapter 3.
The Holy Spirit's message to Israel, proceeded from cleansing to obedience to
service.
Joshua was one of the priests, among the exiles, who returned to Babylon, with
Zerubbabel--the dirty garments in which, he was clothed,SIGNIFIED ISRAEL'S DESPICABLE
STATE, at that time.
ISRAEL NEEDED RESTORATIVE FORGIVENESS. Even the priesthood had become defiled, and
unsuited,for holy service.
The Prophet Malachi described Israel's Priests, as a sad contrast, to the
original priesthood, represented by Phinehas [Numbers 25].
Joshua stood before The Lord--
Thursday, December 4, 2008
GOD'S EVERLASTING FORGIVENESS
MARK 2;1-11--[TURN]. VERSE 1 [READ]-After the first tour in Galilee, Jesus is back in the city, which is His Headquarters, for the work in Galilee.
''He was in the house''--phrase means that He was at home, in the home of Peter, now the home of
Jesus.
People spread the rumor--''He is at home; He is indoors.''
Verse 2--[Read]-The house door opened into the street, not into a court, as did larger houses.
The house was packed inside, and there was a jam outside.
Verses 3-4--[Read--Verse 4--They uncovered the roof;
They un-roofed the roof [only time used in The New Testament].
They climbed up a stairway, on the outside, or ladder, to the flat tile roof, and broke up the tiles.
There tiles of lath and plaster, and even slabs of stone, stuck in, for strength, that had to be dug out.
The roofs were a composition of mortar, tar, ashes and sand, spread on the roofs, and rotted hard and grass grew in the crevices.
On the roofs, of The Poor, in the country, grass grew readily, and goats could be seen, on the roof, cropping it.
''They let down the bed''--The Greek Verb means to lower from a higher place, as from a boat.
Each Man had a rope, tied to the corner of the bed [pallet].
Verse 5 [Read]--''Their Faith''--The Faith of The 4 men, and that, of the man, himself.
There is no reason, for excluding his faith.
They all had confidence, in the power and willingness of Jesus to heal this desperate case.
''Forgiven''--his sins had caused the paralysis.
Verse 6--[Read]-- These Scribes [and Pharisees-Luke 5;21] were there, to cause trouble, to pick flaws in Jesus' Teaching and Conduct.
His Popularity and Power had aroused their jealousy.
Their looks gave them away--Jesus knew their thoughts, and perceived their reasoning--no sound had come, but feeling did.
Verse 7--[Read]--''He blasphemes''--This is The Charge in their hearts, which Jesus read, like an open book;
They justify the charge, with the conviction that God Alone, has the power, to forgive sins.
The Greek Word for ''Blasphemy'' means injurious speech, or, slander.
They held, it was blasphemy for Jesus, to assume this Divine Prerogative.
Their logic was correct.
The only one flaw in it, was The Possibility that Jesus had a peculiar relation to God, which justified His Claim.
So the 2 forces clash here, as now, on The Deity of Christ Jesus.
KNOWING FULL WELL THAT He had exercised The Prerogative of God, in forgiving the man's sins, He proceeds to justify His Claim, by healing the man.
Verses 8-10 [read]--The Scribes could have said, either of the alternatives in verse 9.
Jesus could say either with equal effectiveness.
He chose the harder first--the forgiveness which they could not see.
So, He now performs the miracle of healing, which, all could see, that all could know He really had the authority and power, Here and now, on Earth, to forgive sins, without waiting for The Day of Judgment.
Now, There are three aspects to God's Forgiveness of Sinners, whom He has elected to
Salvation;
[1] Everlasting Forgiveness
[2] Restorative Forgiveness
[3] Governmental Forgiveness.
Everlasting Forgiveness occurs at Regeneration.
Restorative Forgiveness is for the continual cleansing of The Believer.
Governmental Forgiveness is for The Children of God, who have sinned, and been restored to
Fellowship.
EPHESIANS 2;1-3--[TURN]. Verse 1--We were spiritually dead.
Verse 2--For a period of Time, We walked after The World System.
''According to the prince of the power of the air''--Satan is pictured Here, as the ruler of devils, and other forces of Evil.
In John 16;11, Jesus called him, ''The Prince of this World.''
''The spirit that now worketh''--Those who deny the existence of A Personal God successively deny the vicious tendencies, the crime waves, in modern men.
The power of the devil, in men's lives, explains the evil at work, ''in the sons of disobedience.''
Verse 3--[Read] ''Among also we all had our conversation''==''We all once lived.''
''Desires''= wishes, will of the flesh, or, of the mind.
''OBJECTS OF WRATH''--This is the condition of every man outside of Christ.
Yet, God intervenes, and He everlastingly forgives those, He elected to Salvation--
Ephesians 2;4-5--[Turn].
It is all of Grace, because All were dead.
Jesus' Blood is The Foundation of that forgiveness--Ephesians 1;7--[Turn].
David, a child of God, cried to The Lord, for Restorative Forgiveness, recognizing that, None can stand, in The Presence of The Lord, if God marks iniquities--
Psalm 130;3-4--''If thou, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand/ But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.''
But Sin is not necessarily done with, when it is confessed, and when the sinner is restoratively
forgiven.
David yielded to his flesh, when he committed Sin, with Bathsheba, and had Uriah killed;
thus, he experienced Governmental Forgiveness.
The Sword never departed from his house--
2 Samuel 12;10--''Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.''
Just so, even though Christ's Blood cleanses from all Sin, if One sows to his flesh, he shall reap Corruption--
Galatians 6;8a--''For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption;'' ''Corruption''--Nature writes in One's Body, The Penalty of Sin.
The Lord Jesus has the power to forgive Sin. In Mark 2;5, He told the palsied man, ''Thy sins be forgiven Thee.''
In Verses 6-7, The Scribes knew, that God Alone, could forgive Sin, but didn't recognize Christ's Deity.
It is beautifully appropriate, that the designation, ''Son of Man'' is used in Verse 10--
Verse 10--''The Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins.''
The Saviour has has power to forgive sin, not only as The Son of God, but as The Son of Man,
Who came, to be The Surety of The Elect.
The Eternal Son of God assumed a human nature, and was given the title, ''Son of Man.''
He was more than ''A'' Son of Man--He was ''THE Son of Man.''
Acts 5;31--''Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a prince and a saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.''
Jesus Christ does NOT set the sinner free, by a simple exercise of His own authority.
That would violate obligations of Law and Demands of Justice, and Holiness.
The LORD Jesus paid the penalty for sin.
He fulfilled The Law, and satisfied Justice double, or, twice--
Isaiah 40;2--''Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and say unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she hath received of the LORD double for all her sins.''
Let's contrast this with the lost--Revelation 18;1-6--[Turn].
It's either double forgiveness, or, double punishment.
In Mark 2;7, The Scribes accused The Lord of blasphemy, because they did not recognize that He is The Eternal Son of God.
But because, Jesus Christ is The Only Mediator between God and Man, HE WAS NOT
BLASPHEMOUS.
Ha He not been Divine, their accusations, would have been true.
To help men make the equation between The Man, Jesus Christ, and The Godhead, Christ performed a miracle, to prove He was The God-Man.
JOHN 20;23--''Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them, and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.''
The Lord Jesus spake this, to His Disciples, BEFORE The Holy Spirit came, in His Abiding Presence on Pentecost.
NOW, PLEASE PAY CLOSE ATTENTION.
The Disciples WERE NOT GIVEN the Power, to effectually, or, to authoritatively remit sins;
THEY COULD ONLY DECLARATIVELY REMIT THEM.
NO MAN, HAS EVER HAD THE POWER, TO EFFECTIVELY, OR TO AUTHORITATIVELY PARDON SIN. . .
GOD, ALONE, CAN DO THAT. . .
Under The Law, The Priest ONLY PRONOUNCED A Cleansed Leper Clean.
The Priest was God's Representative on Earth, to declare that God had cleansed The Leper.
Likewise, NEW TESTAMENT MINISTERS, ONLY PRONOUNCE, THAT A PENITENT
BELIEVER'S SINS, HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN, BY THE SOVEREIGN GOD.
DIVINE FORGIVENESS IS THE ETERNAL, IMMUTABLE PLAN OF GOD.
It IS NOT an act of excited sympathy.
Man's Forgiveness is generally excited by sympathy for The Offender.
DIVINE FORGIVENESS IS IRREVERSIBLE, WITHOUT LIMITATION.
Every Sin, A Christian shall commit is abundantly pardoned by The Lord.
In Contrast--Man's Forgiveness is limited;
It is not an irreversible plan.
DIVINE FORGIVENESS OCCURS WITHIN A BELIEVER--Grace works a change, in his heart.
Man's Forgiveness, however, is outside an offender.
When God forgives, He forgets the forgiven one's sin.
Forgetfulness with Man, is a defect.
With God, It is an attribute.
God never compares His Forgiveness with Human Forgiveness.
Scriptures state instead, that He puts The Forgiven Person's Sin, BEHIND His Back, as far as the east is from the west, and cats The Sin into the depths of the sea--
Psalm 103;12--''As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
Isaiah 38;17--''Behold, for peace I had great bitterness; but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption; for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.''
Micah 7;19--''He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.''
Divine Forgiveness so far excels Human Forgiveness, that no human analogy, can illustrate it.
Now, Get This Truth; THE NON-REMEMBRANCE OF SIN IMPLIES FORGIVENESS--
Hebrews 8;12--''For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.''
God's Forgiveness is so complete, that He describes it, as not remembering The Forgiven Man's Sin, iniquities, and transgressions.
With God, Forgiveness is tantamount to forgetting A Person's Sins.
He does not store remembrance of it, in His Mind;
He does not think over The Sins of His People.
Their iniquity is removed, and The Righteous Judge has no judicial memory of it.
Man, however, exercises his memory, to meditate on it, and to lay up in his mind.
He may have almost forgotten a certain thing, but then, some incident occurs, and it recalls the event to his mind.
Now Get This Truth; DIVINE FORGIVENESS SIGNIFIES THAT, GOD WILL NEVER SEEK ANY FURTHER ATONEMENT--
Hebrews 10;18--''Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.''
God will never again punish what He has already punished.
What He has forgotten, CANNOT BE REMEMBERED.
Those, WHO DO NOT HOLD to The Biblical Theology, say, that any father would forgive his child.
That statement is based upon a misunderstood and mis-appreciated concept of The Fatherhood Of God and The Brotherhood of Man.
2 Flaws are apparent in this Liberal View;
First of all, GOD IS NOT The Father of all sinning, wicked Rebels--
John 8;44--'' Ye are of your father, the devil.''
Second, GOD IS MORE THAN The Creative father of Individuals.
A Private Being may forgive private wrong, irrespective of The Settlement of Judgment.
However, God is The Great Public Governor of The Universe.
Sin against His Government cannot be forgiven, APART FROM SACRIFICE.
Now Get This Truth; FORGIVENESS DOES NOT INDICATE REMISSION OF PUNISHMENT.
Jesus Christ was punished, in the place, of those elected in Him.
He became Surety for those, The Father gave Him, in The Covenant of Redemption.
Every recipient of Grace knows that GOD'S FORGIVENESS IS THAT, OF RECONCILIATION.
Now, Listen, to This;
THE BIBLE DOES NOT SAY, that God forgives, because He is Loving and Merciful.
The Scriptures testify, that He is Faithful, and Just, and He forgives, on that basis--I John 1;9--[Quote].
God's Justice must be satisfied, and it is satisfied, in The Person of The Lord Jesus Christ.
You see, GOD FORGIVES IN LOVE, BECAUSE HE PARDONS IN JUSTICE.
Gracious Forgiveness harmonizes with The Wrath of The Sovereign.
Sin must be punished, and God's Wrath, must be poured out.
Jesus Christ was made an offering for sin.
He stood in the place of sinners, bearing their justice punishment.
Gracious Forgiveness harmonizes with The Love of The Holy Father.
Since Justice was satisfied in Christ's Sacrifice, Love can be extended to God's Chosen Ones, and
Mercy can operate, to bring them to Christ.
The Greek Verb for Forgiveness signifies A Sending Forth, or, A Sending Away.
The Greek Noun indicates Dismissal, or Release.
Divine Forgiveness enables the believer to know, with full assurance of Faith, that his sins are forgiven.
The Grace of God reigns, and The Riches of Grace are seen in Divine Forgiveness.
It is absolutely perfect.
The Following make it so;
[1] The Repentant Sinner is fully forgiven.
[2] He is freely forgiven.
[3] He is everlastingly forgiven.
[4] The Forgiveness extends to all, for whom Christ died.
[5] Forgiveness is by faith.
[6] It is irreversible.
Now, Get this; A SINNER WHO KNOWS, HE IS EVERLASTINGLY FORGIVEN WILL AVOID ANTINOMINISM-HE WANTS TO PLEASE GOD-NOT HIMSELF.
END
''He was in the house''--phrase means that He was at home, in the home of Peter, now the home of
Jesus.
People spread the rumor--''He is at home; He is indoors.''
Verse 2--[Read]-The house door opened into the street, not into a court, as did larger houses.
The house was packed inside, and there was a jam outside.
Verses 3-4--[Read--Verse 4--They uncovered the roof;
They un-roofed the roof [only time used in The New Testament].
They climbed up a stairway, on the outside, or ladder, to the flat tile roof, and broke up the tiles.
There tiles of lath and plaster, and even slabs of stone, stuck in, for strength, that had to be dug out.
The roofs were a composition of mortar, tar, ashes and sand, spread on the roofs, and rotted hard and grass grew in the crevices.
On the roofs, of The Poor, in the country, grass grew readily, and goats could be seen, on the roof, cropping it.
''They let down the bed''--The Greek Verb means to lower from a higher place, as from a boat.
Each Man had a rope, tied to the corner of the bed [pallet].
Verse 5 [Read]--''Their Faith''--The Faith of The 4 men, and that, of the man, himself.
There is no reason, for excluding his faith.
They all had confidence, in the power and willingness of Jesus to heal this desperate case.
''Forgiven''--his sins had caused the paralysis.
Verse 6--[Read]-- These Scribes [and Pharisees-Luke 5;21] were there, to cause trouble, to pick flaws in Jesus' Teaching and Conduct.
His Popularity and Power had aroused their jealousy.
Their looks gave them away--Jesus knew their thoughts, and perceived their reasoning--no sound had come, but feeling did.
Verse 7--[Read]--''He blasphemes''--This is The Charge in their hearts, which Jesus read, like an open book;
They justify the charge, with the conviction that God Alone, has the power, to forgive sins.
The Greek Word for ''Blasphemy'' means injurious speech, or, slander.
They held, it was blasphemy for Jesus, to assume this Divine Prerogative.
Their logic was correct.
The only one flaw in it, was The Possibility that Jesus had a peculiar relation to God, which justified His Claim.
So the 2 forces clash here, as now, on The Deity of Christ Jesus.
KNOWING FULL WELL THAT He had exercised The Prerogative of God, in forgiving the man's sins, He proceeds to justify His Claim, by healing the man.
Verses 8-10 [read]--The Scribes could have said, either of the alternatives in verse 9.
Jesus could say either with equal effectiveness.
He chose the harder first--the forgiveness which they could not see.
So, He now performs the miracle of healing, which, all could see, that all could know He really had the authority and power, Here and now, on Earth, to forgive sins, without waiting for The Day of Judgment.
Now, There are three aspects to God's Forgiveness of Sinners, whom He has elected to
Salvation;
[1] Everlasting Forgiveness
[2] Restorative Forgiveness
[3] Governmental Forgiveness.
Everlasting Forgiveness occurs at Regeneration.
Restorative Forgiveness is for the continual cleansing of The Believer.
Governmental Forgiveness is for The Children of God, who have sinned, and been restored to
Fellowship.
EPHESIANS 2;1-3--[TURN]. Verse 1--We were spiritually dead.
Verse 2--For a period of Time, We walked after The World System.
''According to the prince of the power of the air''--Satan is pictured Here, as the ruler of devils, and other forces of Evil.
In John 16;11, Jesus called him, ''The Prince of this World.''
''The spirit that now worketh''--Those who deny the existence of A Personal God successively deny the vicious tendencies, the crime waves, in modern men.
The power of the devil, in men's lives, explains the evil at work, ''in the sons of disobedience.''
Verse 3--[Read] ''Among also we all had our conversation''==''We all once lived.''
''Desires''= wishes, will of the flesh, or, of the mind.
''OBJECTS OF WRATH''--This is the condition of every man outside of Christ.
Yet, God intervenes, and He everlastingly forgives those, He elected to Salvation--
Ephesians 2;4-5--[Turn].
It is all of Grace, because All were dead.
Jesus' Blood is The Foundation of that forgiveness--Ephesians 1;7--[Turn].
David, a child of God, cried to The Lord, for Restorative Forgiveness, recognizing that, None can stand, in The Presence of The Lord, if God marks iniquities--
Psalm 130;3-4--''If thou, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand/ But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.''
But Sin is not necessarily done with, when it is confessed, and when the sinner is restoratively
forgiven.
David yielded to his flesh, when he committed Sin, with Bathsheba, and had Uriah killed;
thus, he experienced Governmental Forgiveness.
The Sword never departed from his house--
2 Samuel 12;10--''Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.''
Just so, even though Christ's Blood cleanses from all Sin, if One sows to his flesh, he shall reap Corruption--
Galatians 6;8a--''For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption;'' ''Corruption''--Nature writes in One's Body, The Penalty of Sin.
The Lord Jesus has the power to forgive Sin. In Mark 2;5, He told the palsied man, ''Thy sins be forgiven Thee.''
In Verses 6-7, The Scribes knew, that God Alone, could forgive Sin, but didn't recognize Christ's Deity.
It is beautifully appropriate, that the designation, ''Son of Man'' is used in Verse 10--
Verse 10--''The Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins.''
The Saviour has has power to forgive sin, not only as The Son of God, but as The Son of Man,
Who came, to be The Surety of The Elect.
The Eternal Son of God assumed a human nature, and was given the title, ''Son of Man.''
He was more than ''A'' Son of Man--He was ''THE Son of Man.''
Acts 5;31--''Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a prince and a saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.''
Jesus Christ does NOT set the sinner free, by a simple exercise of His own authority.
That would violate obligations of Law and Demands of Justice, and Holiness.
The LORD Jesus paid the penalty for sin.
He fulfilled The Law, and satisfied Justice double, or, twice--
Isaiah 40;2--''Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and say unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she hath received of the LORD double for all her sins.''
Let's contrast this with the lost--Revelation 18;1-6--[Turn].
It's either double forgiveness, or, double punishment.
In Mark 2;7, The Scribes accused The Lord of blasphemy, because they did not recognize that He is The Eternal Son of God.
But because, Jesus Christ is The Only Mediator between God and Man, HE WAS NOT
BLASPHEMOUS.
Ha He not been Divine, their accusations, would have been true.
To help men make the equation between The Man, Jesus Christ, and The Godhead, Christ performed a miracle, to prove He was The God-Man.
JOHN 20;23--''Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them, and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.''
The Lord Jesus spake this, to His Disciples, BEFORE The Holy Spirit came, in His Abiding Presence on Pentecost.
NOW, PLEASE PAY CLOSE ATTENTION.
The Disciples WERE NOT GIVEN the Power, to effectually, or, to authoritatively remit sins;
THEY COULD ONLY DECLARATIVELY REMIT THEM.
NO MAN, HAS EVER HAD THE POWER, TO EFFECTIVELY, OR TO AUTHORITATIVELY PARDON SIN. . .
GOD, ALONE, CAN DO THAT. . .
Under The Law, The Priest ONLY PRONOUNCED A Cleansed Leper Clean.
The Priest was God's Representative on Earth, to declare that God had cleansed The Leper.
Likewise, NEW TESTAMENT MINISTERS, ONLY PRONOUNCE, THAT A PENITENT
BELIEVER'S SINS, HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN, BY THE SOVEREIGN GOD.
DIVINE FORGIVENESS IS THE ETERNAL, IMMUTABLE PLAN OF GOD.
It IS NOT an act of excited sympathy.
Man's Forgiveness is generally excited by sympathy for The Offender.
DIVINE FORGIVENESS IS IRREVERSIBLE, WITHOUT LIMITATION.
Every Sin, A Christian shall commit is abundantly pardoned by The Lord.
In Contrast--Man's Forgiveness is limited;
It is not an irreversible plan.
DIVINE FORGIVENESS OCCURS WITHIN A BELIEVER--Grace works a change, in his heart.
Man's Forgiveness, however, is outside an offender.
When God forgives, He forgets the forgiven one's sin.
Forgetfulness with Man, is a defect.
With God, It is an attribute.
God never compares His Forgiveness with Human Forgiveness.
Scriptures state instead, that He puts The Forgiven Person's Sin, BEHIND His Back, as far as the east is from the west, and cats The Sin into the depths of the sea--
Psalm 103;12--''As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
Isaiah 38;17--''Behold, for peace I had great bitterness; but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption; for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.''
Micah 7;19--''He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.''
Divine Forgiveness so far excels Human Forgiveness, that no human analogy, can illustrate it.
Now, Get This Truth; THE NON-REMEMBRANCE OF SIN IMPLIES FORGIVENESS--
Hebrews 8;12--''For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.''
God's Forgiveness is so complete, that He describes it, as not remembering The Forgiven Man's Sin, iniquities, and transgressions.
With God, Forgiveness is tantamount to forgetting A Person's Sins.
He does not store remembrance of it, in His Mind;
He does not think over The Sins of His People.
Their iniquity is removed, and The Righteous Judge has no judicial memory of it.
Man, however, exercises his memory, to meditate on it, and to lay up in his mind.
He may have almost forgotten a certain thing, but then, some incident occurs, and it recalls the event to his mind.
Now Get This Truth; DIVINE FORGIVENESS SIGNIFIES THAT, GOD WILL NEVER SEEK ANY FURTHER ATONEMENT--
Hebrews 10;18--''Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.''
God will never again punish what He has already punished.
What He has forgotten, CANNOT BE REMEMBERED.
Those, WHO DO NOT HOLD to The Biblical Theology, say, that any father would forgive his child.
That statement is based upon a misunderstood and mis-appreciated concept of The Fatherhood Of God and The Brotherhood of Man.
2 Flaws are apparent in this Liberal View;
First of all, GOD IS NOT The Father of all sinning, wicked Rebels--
John 8;44--'' Ye are of your father, the devil.''
Second, GOD IS MORE THAN The Creative father of Individuals.
A Private Being may forgive private wrong, irrespective of The Settlement of Judgment.
However, God is The Great Public Governor of The Universe.
Sin against His Government cannot be forgiven, APART FROM SACRIFICE.
Now Get This Truth; FORGIVENESS DOES NOT INDICATE REMISSION OF PUNISHMENT.
Jesus Christ was punished, in the place, of those elected in Him.
He became Surety for those, The Father gave Him, in The Covenant of Redemption.
Every recipient of Grace knows that GOD'S FORGIVENESS IS THAT, OF RECONCILIATION.
Now, Listen, to This;
THE BIBLE DOES NOT SAY, that God forgives, because He is Loving and Merciful.
The Scriptures testify, that He is Faithful, and Just, and He forgives, on that basis--I John 1;9--[Quote].
God's Justice must be satisfied, and it is satisfied, in The Person of The Lord Jesus Christ.
You see, GOD FORGIVES IN LOVE, BECAUSE HE PARDONS IN JUSTICE.
Gracious Forgiveness harmonizes with The Wrath of The Sovereign.
Sin must be punished, and God's Wrath, must be poured out.
Jesus Christ was made an offering for sin.
He stood in the place of sinners, bearing their justice punishment.
Gracious Forgiveness harmonizes with The Love of The Holy Father.
Since Justice was satisfied in Christ's Sacrifice, Love can be extended to God's Chosen Ones, and
Mercy can operate, to bring them to Christ.
The Greek Verb for Forgiveness signifies A Sending Forth, or, A Sending Away.
The Greek Noun indicates Dismissal, or Release.
Divine Forgiveness enables the believer to know, with full assurance of Faith, that his sins are forgiven.
The Grace of God reigns, and The Riches of Grace are seen in Divine Forgiveness.
It is absolutely perfect.
The Following make it so;
[1] The Repentant Sinner is fully forgiven.
[2] He is freely forgiven.
[3] He is everlastingly forgiven.
[4] The Forgiveness extends to all, for whom Christ died.
[5] Forgiveness is by faith.
[6] It is irreversible.
Now, Get this; A SINNER WHO KNOWS, HE IS EVERLASTINGLY FORGIVEN WILL AVOID ANTINOMINISM-HE WANTS TO PLEASE GOD-NOT HIMSELF.
END
Friday, November 21, 2008
THE NECESSITY OF GOD'S FORGIVENESS--PART 4
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.
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.
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.
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