CONDEMNATION

Will born again believer in Christ  lose their salvation when they sin?

by Ron Graham - twotug@embarqmail.com

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus,” Romans 8:1. Condemnation is a sphere of entrapment used by Satan and his horde of malevolent misfits to enslave even the followers of Jesus Christ. Every time we stumble and commit a sin the enemy moves in to convince us that we are once again under God’s condemnation. If you are born again and yet you have allowed the enemy to entrap you thusly, it’s imperative you memorize the above verse. If you don’t fall into that category memorize it anyway. Satan will never stop his attacks. Consider the above verse your security blanket.

“He that believeth on him (Jesus the Christ) is not condemned: John 3:18a. With this verse, Jesus’ words confirm the simplicity of salvation; believing “on Him” removes all condemnation “…but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name (Jesus) of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:18b. The simplicity of Jesus’ words come shinning through once again, condemnation is only upon those who reject Him.

“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” John 3:36. Although the wrath of God remains on the Christ rejecting world, Christ’s “ekklesia” (the assembly of the called out) has nothing to fear from their Father in Heaven. The wrath of God is not against us nor is it against sinners. Sin is no longer the problem; sin is not what condemns the lost of this world. Not one human being currently spending eternity in Hades is there because of their sins. Since Jesus took the “SIN” of the world upon Himself why would anyone think they go to Hell/Hades for sin? Many Christians today believe they are under condemnation because they continue to sin – yet Jesus took all sin upon Himself. As the last verse above plainly states, he that does not believe shall not see life. Because of their unbelief, the wrath of God is upon them, they are the condemned. Interestingly, there’s no mention of sin in that verse.

Jesus (God incarnate), didn’t just die for the sins of the people of the days when He walked the shores of Galilee and climbed the hills of Judea some 2,000 years ago, His death on that cross was intended to be the propitiation which God required. Fully sufficient was His death which is why He spoke this word from that cross “Tetelestai” (it is finished). Did you get that? Are we all on the same page here?

“For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,” Hebrews 10:26. Don’t misunderstand this verse. What Paul is telling us here (yes I believe Paul is the writer of the book of Hebrews) is that those who have been told about Jesus yet refuse to accept Him as their atonement (their covering) have no further recourse. No more sacrifice is offered that they may be forgiven. The wrath of God is upon them, they are condemned.  

So we know that Jesus didn’t just die for past sins but for all sin past, present, and here’s the kicker, future. Wow! What a God, what a Savior we have. He looked into the future as He hung on that cross and He saw you brother, and you sister, and He said “I’m dying today for your sins, all of them.” Is there any reason for us not to love Him? Is there any reason to continue to live under the condemnation of the enemy?

Stop allowing the enemy to have his way with you. He’s committed to instilling fear in you and he does it by way of condemning you each time you commit a sin. He knows what sin you enjoy the most and he capitalizes on that particular sin. He puts things in your path to trip you up so you will always be confronted with the desire that pushes you into your sin. Then he puts the condemnation on you so you feel useless and defeated.

Here’s the rub. When we as born again believers get caught up in some kind of sin we move ourselves away from our God. We become, as it were, estranged from God. Don’t misunderstand, God never moves away from us but we move away from Him as we seek a hiding place out of God’s line of sight so we might commit our sins in private. Of course it is impossible to move out of God’s sight, and when we come to our senses we are saddened and convicted that we’ve committed an offense against our God. Does any of this sinfulness void our salvation? No! “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.” John 10:28-29. Did you notice in the above verse what Jesus does not say “Of course this is all null and void if my sheep continue to sin”? Nothing can ever condemn us again.

When we say yes to Jesus Christ He gives us eternal life and we never die. Everlasting life means just that, no more death. It also means we are no longer under the curse or condemned. Confused? The body dies, yes. But those who reject Christ experience a second death which is Hell – the Lake of Fire. Is it becoming clearer?

The crux of the matter is this, anything that draws you away from God (unrepentant sin) will become a stronghold for the enemy. If Satan can get the children of God to feel pain and sorrow by leading them into his realm of condemnation, then be assured he will attach himself to that stronghold like a leech, sucking the life out of every believer who allows condemnation to reign in their lives. This is Satan’s most aggressive territory and his scheme in regards to believers is to continually assault us until we become prisoners of our own self-imposed guilt. As born again children of the Most High God we have nothing to fear from Satan. But many Christians allow fear to steal the joy from their lives and that is when Satan and his ilk have them. These malevolent supernatural beings have only one agenda, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy…” John 10:10a. Just when you think you’ve prevailed against the wiles of the devil, when you believe you hear the all clear signal you get attacked again. The born again “in Christ” believer cannot let down his/her guard – ever.

I know that there are Bible teachers, and pastors, that teach the opposite of what I’ve just written about, that a born again believer in Christ will lose their salvation when they sin. This false doctrine is very pervasive and it’s taught by those who limit the sufficiency of Christ’s atoning sacrifice on that cross. These folks are actually doing the enemy’s work for him. When we first believed, we became fully justified (saved) in God’s eyes. That, my friend, is a done deal; nothing can change that. Immediately after we said yes to the Son of God, Jesus the Christ, a very different kind of life’s journey was initiated, and God is the initiator and finisher. “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39. Nothing can void our salvation. But condemnation will steal our joy.

God began another work in us at the moment we became born again; this new work is called sanctification. This is a lifelong process and will only be complete at the point when we become glorified. These bodies must die (or be taken in the rapture) to become glorified. Therefore sin cannot be a factor in receiving salvation since we continue to sin right up until the day we die. If anyone says they no longer sin they are a liar. The Apostle John makes this clear in his first epistle to the brethren. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” 1 John 1:8-10. We sinned, we sin, and we continue to sin until God takes us home.

So sin is not a factor in keeping us saved, nor is it a deterrent from keeping the rest of humanity from gaining salvation. I hope everyone is on the same page here. Sin can’t negate or void our salvation. But when we do sin we run the chance of falling under the condemnation of the devil. Satan is not going to inflict his torture of condemnation on the lost world, they have no idea they are condemned. He’s not about to let the cat out of the bag regarding their position and ultimate destination. But he’ll do everything possible to torment the “in Christ” believer, so much so that he may even convince them to give up on life all together. Condemnation is a powerful satanic tool, many a believer lives under its destructiveness.

Even though sin won’t condemn us to Hell it is debilitating. As we grow in our walk with our Lord Jesus we begin to move away from sin because the Holy Spirit, who is sealed within us, convicts us when we do sin. Little by little we become disgusted by the fact that sin still reigns in our bodies. We begin to look at sin as God does. God hates sin, not the sinner. God loves us, all of us. Satan, on the other hand, is the culprit who will never stop trying to enslave us with condemnation.

Here’s something I’m sure many of you have not given much thought to. Those who’ve passed on (have died) and currently reside in Hell entertain no false assumptions as to why they are where they are. If those individuals had the opportunity to speak to us (the living), each one would tell us they are there as a result of their rebellion. They now know that no matter how good or bad they were, the only reason they are there is because they rejected God’s free gift of salvation, which is Jesus our Messiah.

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7. The fact is that Satan has such a short span of time remaining he’s not going to slack off with his darts of condemnation. There’s no doubt that in these last days Satan has increased his attacks exponentially and with the fervor of an unyielding zealot. Sooner or later all God’s children will be attacked by those satanic darts. But stand fast; they cannot penetrate your God given armor. Sometimes we need reminding of the armor verses of Ephesians 6. Amen?

God bless you all,

Ron Graham

All original scripture is “theopneustos” God breathed

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HOW GOD USES GOVERNMENT

 by Ray C. Stedman

It was the summer of 1787. The heat in Philadelphia was oppressive and the delegates to the Constitutional Convention fanned themselves languidly and longed for adjournment. Debate had dragged on for days over the issue of how the States would be represented in Congress. Luther Martin of Maryland had held the floor for the best part of two days in a long-winded speech on States Rights that left everyone weary and querulous. The Convention faced an impasse. At this point aged Dr. Benjamin Franklin rose and addressed himself to General Washington in the Chair.

    In this situation of this Assembly, groping as it were in the dark to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when presented to us, how has it happened, Sir, that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the Father of Lights to illuminate our understandings?

He went on to remind the Convention that at the beginning of the war with England the Continental Congress had, in that very room, prayed for divine protection, and their prayers were answered. He continued:

    I have lived, Sir, a long time and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truththat God governs in the affairs of men. If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground unseen by him, is it possible that an empire could arise without his aid?

He stated that it was his firm belief that without divine aid the Convention would succeed in their political building no better than the builders of Babel, but would find themselves so divided and split by local interests that they would become a reproach to future ages. He then concluded:

    I therefore beg leave to move that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of heaven and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business, and that one or more of the clergy of this city be requested to officiate in that service.

The motion failed, largely due to the embarrassment of the Assembly at not having funds to pay for engaging a chaplain. But Franklin had soundly made his point. Nations do not rise or continue at the whim and desire of men. A higher Power must be reckoned with, for the ultimate destiny of nations lies in his hands.

THE LAW OF RETRIBUTION

Surely there is one great fact everywhere revealedin history, in nature, in Scripture. It is called "the law of retribution." Even an atheist, who does not believe in God at all, must admit that when he examines the laws of nature he is faced with the fact that one either obeys them, and lives, or disobeys them, and dies. There is no other alternative. All man's wisdom and adaptability must function within these inexorable limits. He is not at liberty to go beyond them. No one fools around with 10,000 volts of electricity, hoping to make up the laws of electricity as he goes along. The laws are already in force and he had better discover them before he goes much further.

So it is also with nations. Napoleon's cynical answer to someone who asked him whether God was on the side of France was: "God is on the side of the heaviest artillery." Then came the battle of Waterloo, the loss of his empire, and, finally, exile to St. Helena. There, chastened and humbled, he said, "Man proposes; God disposes." What Franklin saw so clearly and Napoleon learned so painfully is that nations, like individuals, can lose their right to exist. "The powers that be are ordained of God, " (KJV) writes St . Paul in Romans 13:1, and J.B. Phillips translates I Corinthians 2:6 as referring to "the powers-that-be, who soon will be only the powers that have been."

The rise and fall of empires is, of course, the very stuff of history. We chronicle it in voluminous detail without actually understanding it. We record the flux of political and economic change which results in toppled thrones, violent or peaceful conquest, radical swings from world leadership to obscurity, and feel we have analyzed the underlying reasons for change. But political movements and economic pressures are as much effects as they are causes. The causes in turn which produce them are ill-defined and little understood, arising as they do from forces that operate in our essential humanity, and are, therefore, so close to us as to make detection difficult. For example, an unknown writer has said:

    If a man does not believe in God, his own ego becomes the ruler of his life. Since there are no standards of right and wrong existing apart from himself, right becomes that which pleases him, and wrong that which does not minister to his own ego. Since he himself is the supreme consideration, he is restrained by nothing but his own wishes and easily reaches the conclusion that the best possible world is one in which his will is supreme. He therefore enforces it upon others to the limit of his ability. The denial of God thus becomes the seed from which totalitarianism develops.

    Freedom is possible only if men believe in God and seek to do his will. William Penn was right when he said that if men will not be governed by God, they must be governed by tyrants.

In the fact of history, it is hard to argue with that. One must not, of course, make the mistake of equating the widespread practice of religion with being truly "governed by God." Religious totalitarianism is perhaps the worst kind of all; certainly it is the most deeply hated. But the religious tyrant is no more being governed by God than the iron-fisted atheist is. Pirate ships often flew the flags of lawful nations to deceive and disarm their intended victims, and even modern dictators are not averse to flying the flag of the church. But Senator Daniel Webster caught the essence of true government by God, in a speech made in 1847.

    If truth be not diffused, error will be; if God and his Word are not known and received, the devil and his works will gain the ascendancy; if the evangelical volume does not reach every hamlet, the pages of a corrupt and licentious literature will; if the power of the Gospel is not felt through the length and breadth of the land, anarchy and misrule, degradation and misery, corruption and darkness will reign without mitigation or end.

"THE LIFE OF THE LAND IS PRESERVED IN RIGHTEOUSNESS"

When Hawaii became the 50th State of the Union, she brought with her to statehood the motto she had adopted as a territory, reflecting her missionary beginnings: "The life of the land is preserved in righteousness." It sounds like a pious platitude, but it is actually a profound truth which should be taught in every classroom in the land. A widespread myth exists in our day that the foundation of our freedoms lies in the great documents that launched our national history: the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. But important as these may be as instruments of freedom, they are not the foundation of it. Freedom rests on the moral righteousness of each individual member of the nation. When individual righteousness fails on a large scale, laws lose their force, judges fail in their powers, enforcement becomes impracticable, and the Constitution itself is soon changed to reflect the currently acceptable level of morality.

This was clearly demonstrated in the late sixties of this century, when violence swept the country, youth exploded in revolt, a tidal wave of drug abuse and occultism hit, and Chief Justice Earl Warren, of the Supreme Court, sensing the impotence of laws, called for "a company of moral counselors" who would hopefully build a moral climate in which laws again would have meaning, and enforcement would again be possible. Those were days in which the nation came perilously close to total disaster, but how quickly they have been forgotten, and the salutary lessons they unfolded have been lost.

If Benjamin Franklin's mature conviction is indeed true that "God governs in the affairs of men," allotting to each their due portion of world leadership and status, and permitting each to continue without overthrow only as long as they fulfill his purposesit is certainly in order to inquire: what are the values which God seeks to achieve in bringing nations into existence; and what are the wrongs which he will no longer tolerate that mark their appointed end? It would surely be the highest possible exercise of statecraft to discover the answers to these crucial questions and disseminate them widely and clearly, not only in legislative halls, but in the shops, offices, homes and classrooms of a land.

For centuries Western statesmen have turned to the Bible for the answers to the questions formulated above. Abraham Lincoln termed the Bible "God's best gift to men," and the impact of its pages upon his thinking is apparent in many of his speeches and writings as president. The Bible's view of nations seems to group them in two major classifications: Those who are moving toward darkness, or those who are moving toward increasing light . A nation moving toward light is growing in two essential areas: truth and love. Its knowledge of reality is increasing, manifesting itself in growth in literacy, education, science, medicine, and above all (since God is the greatest Reality), theology. But light also means that along with increasing truth there is increasing love, manifesting itself as legal and social justice, public and private courtesy, care for the aged and infirm, help to the poor, the safeguarding of personal liberty, and, of course, cleanliness and conservation of resources.

A nation moving toward darkness experiences the reverse. Truth declines so that, though surrounded by books and knowledge, the general populace learns less and less, illiteracy increases, personal liberties diminish, violence and crime mount, pollution and corruption abound, and the courts find it hard to administer justice. One remarkable fact about a nation in decline which the Bible reveals is that its increasing spirit of cruelty and violence may be used by God as a cudgel to awaken a more enlightened nation to its declining state, and, hopefully, to arrest that decline and turn it again toward truth and light. Thus the Babylonians were raised up to punish Israel and Judah, much to the dismay of some of the prophets who could not understand how God could use a wicked and rebellious nation to chastise a more God-fearing state. Communism in our day is a case in point.

JEREMIAH'S STIRRING COMMISSION

One book of the Bible is especially given to us to trace how a nation grows increasingly dark until it reaches the point of overthrow and national death. It is the Book of Jeremiah the prophet. He was sent to the nation of Judah to minister during its final forty years. He began his ministry in the days of the godly king Josiah and ended it four kings later, in the days of Zedekiah, who was led captive to Babylon. At the beginning of his ministry he was given a stirring commission:

    "Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.

    See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms,

    to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow

    to build and to plant." (Jer. 1:9-10, RSV)

Throughout his long ministry Jeremiah was faithful to declare to kings and people alike four great facts about God. He described. first, the sovereignty of God, his right of control over all the nations of earth. Then he spoke of the faithfulness of God to fulfill his Word to the letter, no matter how long it would take. In this connection Jeremiah described the ruthlessness of God, who would not spare or pity his people if they refused to heed his warnings. Finally, in language of infinite beauty and warmth, Jeremiah described the tenderness of God, who grieved over his sinning people and promised that a remnant would survive the overwhelming judgments to reestablish the land in truth and love. There is an illuminating passage in the 27th chapter where Jeremiah is sent by God to Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, to say to him:

    "It is I who by my great power and my outstretched arm have made the earth, with the men and animals that are on the earth, and I give it to whomever it seems right to me. Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, my servant, and I have given him also the beasts of the field to serve him. All the nations shall serve him and his son and his grandson, until the time of his own land comes; then many nations and great kings shall make him their slave." (Jer. 27:5-7, RSV, emphasis mine)

Here is the biblical basis for Benjamin Franklin's statement: "God governs in the affairs of men." Here God calls an idol-worshiping monarch "my servant" and states that it is his God-given destiny to rule for a time over all the nations of earth, but in the end he too shall be judged and be subjected to the rule of other people.

To this same Kind Zedekiah Jeremiah had been sent some years earlier to detail to him what God expects of governments.

    "Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!" says the Lord. Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who care for my people: "You have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the Lord." (Jer. 23:1-2, RSV)

Who are these shepherds? They are the leaders of the nation Rulers and government leaders are viewed as shepherds by God, responsible to him for the care of his flock. This is what governors, presidents, and legislators are for. God says further to them:

    "Thus says the Lord: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of this oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place." (Jer. 22:3, RSV)

Note what the rulers of this land were expected to do. First, they were to set an example of justice and righteousness themselves: "Do justice and righteousness." This is why it is a serious matter when leaders and elected officials do things which are wrong. Many said during the Watergate crisis: "Why make such a fuss about this? Everyone does this kind of thingbusinessmen, leaders of industry, common citizenswhy make so much over what politicians in Washington do?" The answer is: Because all government leaders, elected or appointed, from the president on down, are, as St. Paul calls them in Romans 13:6, "ministers of God." Each is the agent of God and is to represent God's standard of righteousness and judgment. When such leaders are guilty of wrongdoing, the effect of their wrongdoing is greatly intensified. Though we may sympathize with them in succumbing to unusual pressures, nevertheless we must recognize that their failure introduced widespread dissension and evil into a land.

Second, governmental leaders were to "deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed." The task of government is to keep the courts honest and just, so that the guilty can be found out and the innocent freed. The uncontrollable rise of crime and violence is an unerring indicator of the darkening of a nation's life and its decline toward obscurity.

The third responsibility of the shepherds was "to do no wrong or violence to the alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place." Here the power of government itself is to be held in check and guarded against misuse, especially against minority groups. This is a recognition of the ease by which bureaucracy can increase and turn a deaf ear to those who have no ability to defend themselves: the aliens (those with differing cultural patterns), the widows and the fatherless (who have no one to plead their cause).

The prophet went on to show that special care must be exercised by those in power to avoid using the public purse for their own enrichment.

    "Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms by injustice; who makes his neighbor serve him for nothing, and does not give him his wages; who says, 'I will build myself a great house with spacious upper rooms,' and cuts out windows for it, paneling it with cedar, and painting it with vermilion." (Jer. 22:13-14, RSV)

Incredibly, in a day when the city was surrounded by a foreign army, its treasury was bankrupt, and its temple was being looted, the king utilized his power to cause his subjects to build an ornate palace for himself! All this was noted by the God of the nations, and marked this nation as degenerate to the point deserving overturn.

Perhaps the most remarkable statement to be found in the chronicle of Jeremiah, which points to the decay of the nation, occurs in the 34th chapter, after King Zedekiah had issued an order to free the slaves held by the Israelites, and then had abruptly rescinded it when he felt the judgment threatening the nation had been withdrawn. Jeremiah was sent to the king with this message from God:

    "You recently repented and did what was right in my eyes by proclaiming liberty, each to his neighbor, and you made a covenant before me in the house which is called by my name; but then you turned around and profaned my name when each of you took back his male and female slaves, whom you had set free according to their desire, and you brought them into subjection to be your slaves." (Jer. 34:15-16, RSV, emphasis mine).

The remarkable phrase in this passage is "you . . . profaned my name." This was a serious charge to any Jew. They all had been brought up to revere and respect the name of God, and they went to extreme lengths to avoid defiling the name by using it irreverently or without care. Yet God's charge to this king is: "You have profaned my name." How? By failing to respect the human rights of slaves! God regards it as blasphemy against himself to treat another person in an inhuman or depersonalized way. God holds the nation to account for such actions.

The prophet went on to announce to the king:

    "Therefore, thus says the Lord: You have not obeyed me by proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother and to his neighbor; behold, I proclaim to you liberty to the sword, to pestilence, and to famine, says the Lord. I will make you a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth." (Jer. 34:17, RSV)

As we think of our own national history, we can see what a heavy charge must be leveled against us in this respect. How have we treated the American Indians, the original inhabitants of this land? Or what have we done to the Africans whom we forcibly brought to these shores? Or the Chinese and Japanese, the Mexicans, the Puerto Ricans, and other nationalities that have sought refuge and opportunity among us? How often have we despised them and treated them as less than human? The God of the nations says, "You have profaned my name." He has every right further to say, "I will make you a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth." Is this, perhaps, the true explanation for the decline in America's prestige and influence in world affairs of recent years?

WE ARE ALL RESPONSIBLE

Nations live by pursuing truth and love; they die by self deceit, by bigotry and injustice, and especially by ungodliness, pride, and self-sufficiency. It would be a serious mistake to blame governmental agents as having ultimate responsibility for a nation's destiny. It has been said that every nation gets the government it deserves. Final responsibility, therefore, rests with the individuals that make up a nation. "No man is an island," and every one of us is responsible for the influence we exert upon our neighbors, our community, our city, county, state, and national governments.

The ultimate issue is our own personal godliness. Do we "Fear God, and honor the king?" Do we, in the great words of Micah, "Do justice . . . love kindness, and. . . walk humbly with [our] God?" (Micah. 6:8, RSV). The hand of doom rests upon any people who deliberately refuse to hear and heed the Word of God. Ultimately, judgment will come. No political manipulation can avert it. No partial compromise will delay it, no defiance will evade it. There will come at last, as to ancient Judah, some eleventh year, ninth month, and fourth day, when a breach shall be made in the walls of the city, and the inhabitants shall be led forth into captivity and death.

First published in 1976 in the book, A Nation Under God., Carl E. Gallivan, Editor, by Discovery Publishing.

Copyright (C) 1995 Discovery Publishing, a ministry of Peninsula Bible Church. This data file is the sole property of Discovery Publishing, a ministry of Peninsula Bible Church. It may be copied only in its entirety for circulation freely without charge. All copies of this data file must contain the above copyright notice. This data file may not be copied in part, edited, revised, copied for resale or incorporated in any commercial publications, recordings, broadcasts, performances, displays or other products offered for sale, without the written permission of Discovery Publishing. Requests for permission should be made in writing and addressed to Discovery Publishing, 3505 Middlefield Rd. Palo Alto, CA. 94306-3695.

Simplicity In The Truth: Is It That Simple?

It all depends: What kind of truth do you want God’s word to be?

We have been robbed and we are found guilty of an offense not committed by us and sent to prison on death roll.  It is an undeserved verdict that we persistently deplored.  God creates heaven and earth. He creates a man and a woman.  He puts them in a beautiful garden with one commandment; “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die,” Gen 2:16-17.  Adam had one commandment to observe. You would think that it would be easy after all the Jews had 613 commandments under the Mosaic Law and our secular society has thousands of legislated laws.

So, what happened? Adam was tricked into eating the forbidden fruit and was thrown into prison on death roll.  Him and the woman got kick out of the Garden of Eden. He lost everything.  We also, as of today, suffer the consequences of his crime. That is so unfair.  Satan, God’s adversary, tricked Adam.  God knew it all along.  Yet, God did nothing to stop him.  That is so unfair. It is like seeing someone sitting on the railroad track listening to his iPod without being aware that a train is heading toward him. I just stand there and watch. I will not intervene.  Is it right?  Then, why did God just stand there and watch?  Does it make sense to you?  On top of that you and I are accused of being a sinner, and we must repent!  What, a sinner?  To repent of something I didn’t do!  That is so unfair.  God is so unfair.  I do not deserve to be sentenced to the death penalty because of one-mans transgression.  (Rom 5:12-19)

One’s vantage point

Is this what you feel about God?  He is so unfair?  Whether you are a Christian or a non-believer, you can’t deny it, you must have questioned God’s motive and inaction to stop this trickery from Satan.  I decided to do something about it.  I was a young boy when I called for a meeting between God and Satan.  I told both that I would have nothing to do with their disagreement and quarrel.  I considered that it was their problem. Therefore, to leave me out of it.

I did not become an atheist; I just minded my own business.  I could not understand why God would just stand by and do nothing.  I mean when you read stories in the bible; it is one injustice after another.  God stand by and let Cain kill Abel. Cain got angry because God did not like the gift Cain offered compared to Abel’s. What wrong with God?  If someone gave me a gift even if it wasn’t a nice gift I surely would show some appreciation! And what about the deluge?  I mean just because of a few outcasts from heaven, everybody, including children was eradicated. What about the people of Israel, when they entered into the so-called promise land, they were commanded by God to kill everyone, including innocent woman and children?  God is so unjust don’t you think?

Satan Lies

It is true; Satan is God’s adversary.  I twisted the story above just to prove one point, which is, Satan twisted the truth around, and he is better at it than I am.  Satan makes God look like the bad guy.  Satan is a deceiver, a liar and a murderer, John 8:44.  He has only one motto, that is “they (as we) must not believe.”  We all fall for his lies, all with no exception, 1 Jn 5:19b.  In addition, we are of our own demise.  We believe in his lies, and the whole world by choice is under Satan’s lies. 

What do you want to believe?

If you find God unfair, well like it or not you believe in Satan lies. He made you believe either that God does not excite, or if He does excite you are to blame God anyway.  This is what I constantly hear: ‘If’ there was a just God, why does He allow wars? ‘If’ there were a loving God, why would He allow suffering and not intervene? That is Satan lies, and many believe.  If there would be a just God, if God really exist, if God was a good God, this world would be a better world.  Atheist, how can you blame God, since you don’t believe in god?  However, you blame Him with all the injustice of this world with “IF GOD” statement to prove his non-existence.

‘I was once in an antique store. There was a table that interested me, so I call out to the storekeeper, “what kind of wood is it made out of?”  He replied, “what kind of wood would you like it to be?” 

What do you want to believe?  So you see, it is not always Satan doing.  Are you really looking for the truth or are you looking for an excuse to refuse the truth?  What do you want to believe?  Satan will tell you whatever you want to hear.  Come on now, do you want the truth?  Replying with, “what is the truth” to avoid answering the question only shows that you want to stay in the lies, the lies that you have accepted from Satan. You are guilty as charged, a sinner and your destiny is hell.  Oh yes, choosing to believe in the non-existence of hell is another lie you accepted to believe. It is your choice.  

What kind of wood do you want the table to be? What kind of truth do you want God’s word to be?

Even Christians are divided among themselves because of tradition and of different interpretation of God’s word.  The secular loved to point that out. Christians do a very good job to stay divided and keep on dividing.  Jesus stated that by loving each other the world would know Him, John 13:35.   For denominations to respect their boundaries is not what Jesus called loving one another. Tradition is one aspect that causes division between Christian.  So please take the time to read my commentary title “Christianity is like the menu of an ice cream parlor.” 


There is nothing wrong with different taste in music and service format. It is when we put down and belittle another church that is wrong.  Do we not have the same God, and the same word?  We are seen by the secular society as being hypocrite, and they are right, we are hypocrite. What is worst?  We know it. We choose to ignore the causes and choose to do nothing about it. Did you ever stop thinking what Jesus really thinks about division? For a start, Jesus hates divorce, Malachi 2:16. So how would Jesus react seeing His Church divided?  Paul instructed “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment,” 1 Corinthians 1:10.  In Jesus’ eyes, there is only one body.  He doesn’t see church building and denominations.

Diversity of opinion in Theology is the main cause for division, Colossians 2:16.  Same Bible or not quit. There are so many versions, 1 Corinthians 3:4-6.  Theologians have our best interest of serving Jesus by studying God’s word on our behalf. Does it unite us? No, not necessarily, and quite the opposite, it divides us even more.  A pastor, minister and/or teacher all state the same statement: “don’t take my word for it, look it up for yourself.” Nevertheless when challenged, some stick to their gun like their job depends on it.  Then there are followers who do not care less about the message and the teaching but are present religiously every Sunday just for the tradition sake. In reality, in a small community, who wants to rock the boat?  Surely, not for a tiny discrepancy in the interpretation!  Nevertheless, all these tiny discrepancies are accumulative and gradually the truth drift away farther, farther away.  Who wants to confront the establishment and risk losing their entire Christian friends?

Come on now, lets be realistic, Most Christians choose what they want to believe.  If the table is made of pine, many will prefer to believe that it is made of cherry, oak, or maple.

Majority shows up as a custom each Sunday or Saturday, (that too is a tradition), sit in their pew, quietly listen to a sermon only to drift away without questioning that what they heard was of sound doctrine or not.  Alternatively, when it does sound suspicious they just brush it of like dust off the jacket, and comment, ‘Oh what a nice day to be at church’. We all did that myself included. But then I was stirred up from inside like a burning fire to find the truth.   I was raised as a catholic.  I was forbidden to read the Bible. The clergies told me that only they knew the truth.   I joined another denomination, which encouraged me to study God’s world, yet to follow diligently their interpretation of the truth without intrusion.

How can I tell whether I am choosing my truth?  I really do not want to fall into the trap in which the Pharisees fell into. The Pharisees choose to believe that their table made of pine was made of oak.  This is what Jesus replied to the Pharisees after they accused His disciples of not walking according to the tradition of the elders: “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.  And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. “For laying aside the commandments of God, you hold the tradition of men,” Mark 7:6-8 and proceeding to verse 9, “All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.”  They reject the truth for lies.

It is obvious that Jesus had observed that the Pharisees were placing more importance to tradition than God’s commandments. Jesus went on to explained to the disciple the reason why the Pharisees did so. In Mark 7:21-23, He explained that it was because the Pharisees did not want to deal with the issue of sin.  Same with some Christians, by adapting to a secular view of sin, and that is, it is no longer sin but human nature, which are part of man evolution.  Some Christians avoid the issues of sin; rather prefer to twist the scripture to fulfill their personal agenda and financial gain by the name of Jesus.

“as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures,” 2 Peter 3:16.

Many Christians view Christianity as a code of conduct, as a tradition. Yes, I agree that we are to be the light of the world and we are to answer to a higher code of conduct, yet it is no longer a result of our repentance but rather a tradition just like the Pharisees view their religion. How to know the difference? We know when we put more emphasize toward the law then saving souls, pointing at people’s sin, rather than point them to the redeemer. They quote 1 Jn 5:18, “We know that whoever is born of God does not sins,” Paul explained this well in Rom 7:17-20 that it is no longer us who sinned but sin that dwells in us.  And besides the light is supposed to draw people to salvation not to scare them away from it, unless you are children of disobedience, Satan’s children who hate the light.

The lies

Bottom line, we are responsible for our own choice, even when we were deceived, since Jesus reveals the truth, and we are the one who chooses to reject or to accept the truth. Jesus warns us “many will come in My name saying I am and deceived the many.” We were told to watch, to question, and to discern. Jesus teaches His disciples to instruct us, to guide us, and to rebuke Christians, who are going for another gospel than the one, He instructed. It is all in the Books of the Epistle, and to the letters to the seven churches mention in the Book of Revelation.   “Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead,” 1Timothy 4:1-2 NLT.

So we were deceived to believe that the table was made of oak when actually, it was made of pine. So what are you going to do about it?  Keep the table and pretend that nothing happened and keep hiding the truth to your friend. No?  Keep the table and tell your friend you were deceived, and although it is the wrong type of wood, it looks good and you got use for it.   This is what I would do: get rite with the table, acquire a table made of real oak, be proud to show case it and warn my friend not to believe in that particular salesman who deceived me.  Look for and keep the truth.  We are to look diligently for the truth to the last one.  Take the example of the woman who lost a coin in Luke 15:8. Even though this parable relates to the joy over one sinner saved, we are to share the joy in a truth that had been lost and now found.

In a resent commentary I’ve read titled “The Best Kind of Bible Study” from Joe McKeever, he quoted Eugene Peterson in his book title "Eat This Book,"

“Peterson thought of a dog of his which had dragged out of the woods where they lived a large bone, probably from a moose. Day after day, that little dog gnawed at that bone until he had consumed it. The sounds (grunting, growling, purring) the animal made as he "worked" the bone called to mind this word from the Hebrew. That, says Peterson, is how we are to approach Holy Scripture: working at it, meditating upon it, gnawing and chewing until we have consumed it.”

Christians are to have the same reaction as the king of Judas had when the Book of Moses was discovered in the House of the Lord in 2 Chronicles 34:29-33. He not only read it, but he re-instituted it.  The truth may be disturbing, because it requires that we do something with it, and change is hard sometimes. Yet are we pleaser of man or of God?

“Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eye service, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God,” Colossians 3:22. Although this is a commandment for a servant toward his earthly master, we Christians have a new master call Jesus.

When we find a new truth, long ignored and forgotten we rejoice. We become astonish, and maybe resentful. With courage, we then accept the truth by applying it in our lives.  Satan had created mountains of lies that we have received as truth.  We are to seek the truth to replace the lies. Why?  Satan lies have only one purpose, and that is to keep us away from God.  Although we have accepted Jesus to pay for the penalty of our sin, one single lie will hinder our relationship with God because there are no lies in God.  As a father who corrects his children so is God as a Father will correct us.  Why? We are to become more and more like Him, like-minded, “Be holy, for I Am Holy,” 1 Peter 1:16.  Why?  It is to prepare us to reign with Jesus, Revelation 20:6.  Why? It is because it is our inheritance to who ever accept Jesus, Hebrews 9:15, Colossians 3:24.  It is our goal in this lifetime to get ready for our destiny prepared by God, as sons of God, Romans 8:19, Galatians 3:26.  What a mighty God we have!  Why? Just because He wants too, Romans 5:17. We will fall into God righteous justice if we do not repent. Prayer will not be answered. Would you be favorable to a child of disobedience?

Are You Sleeping At Your School Desk?

God wants us to grow in His knowledge so that we become more and more like him. God is preparing us to be like Christ minded for the purpose to reign with Him for eternity, and we are sleeping on our school desk.  Lessons to learn from The Parable of the Sower. The seeds represent the word of the kingdom of God, the truth.

Therefore hear the parable of the sower:  Matthew 13;18-23

• When anyone hears the word about the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. (God’s word, the truth rejected)

• However, he who received the seed into stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; nevertheless, he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. (Refusing to repent and to change after receiving the truth, the pressure from the secular society is great)

• Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. (The truth accepted doesn’t bring joy, after repentance, change is a burden, more mindful on earthly goal then on the kingdom of God, therefore, his light doesn’t shine, sadly many Christians are in that category)

• But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” It does not need an explanation.

So you see, when a truth is revealed to you, and you apply it with joy, you will constantly bear fruit, you will influence people. It is like an olive tree that produces oil, and abundance of it, the oil that represents God’s Spirit that flows through you. When Jesus states, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you,” Matthew 6:33, He admonishes to learn from Him, to be teachable, and to look for the truth.  Do not take your salvation for granted as some do and never show up for class.  There is much more after salvation that meets the eyes. We are not just saved from a horrible destiny in hell, but we are chosen to reign with Jesus. There is a purpose for Jesus to invite you to rest in Him, and that is to concentrate in your study.  Please read my commentary title, “To Rest In The Lord Is Simple."

Fellow Student Let Me Introduce You To Your Teacher – Holy Spirit

“For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit,” 1 Corinthians 12:13

No matter what are the present condition and circumstance that you find yourself in today; sick or healthy, rich or poor, free or slave, Jews or gentiles, man or woman, we are in the same class room and we have also a common teacher, Holy Spirit. In the Upper room discourse, Jesus said to His disciples, "I will not leave you orphans; I will not leave you alone. If I go away I will send another Comforter to you, and he will guide you into all the truth. He will take of the things of mine and show them unto you, and he will say to you the things that I have not been able to say," John 14:16-18. Focus on what he said, "I have many things to say to you, but you are not able to bear them yet. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth," John 16:13.

What a mighty God we have indeed!  He thought of everything.  It took approximately 1600 years to put the Bible together, as we know it today. God’s word, and His truth are in the palms of your hands.  Yes, there are many versions, and guess what, they all have flaws. I use the New King James and the International Children Bible. A concordance is a great tool to understand the meaning of a word from it original translation. However most importantly count on your teacher, Spirit of Truth to teach you and guide you. 

Tutors are very important.  You need someone of experience to help you.  It is not easy to find and to trust. Nevertheless it is important.  Do you have someone in mind, well for you? If not, I’ll share with you some web site that helped me a great deal, and I am talking by experience.

Late Ray Stedman, at http://www.raystedman.org. His library is full of commentaries, available in audio also.  I suggest that you read or listen to his teaching on 1 Corinthians 2:10-13, title “God’s Teacher” as a starter.

Lambert Dolphin, at http://www.ldolphin.org/.  Very resourceful web site.  I suggest that you download a free book title, “Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done”

Jack Kelley, at http://gracethrufaith.com/. Question and answer.  He will reply pertaining to any scriptures that you have difficulty understanding. He also has available, Bible study in MP3 format and ebooks

Conclusion – The Truth

Adam was not deceived.  Eve was. Adam deliberately disobeyed and blames the woman. Cain was instructed by God the proper offering he was to do. Cain disobeyed, and in envy murdered his brother. The deluge was God way of cleansing the whole world since the cruelty of man was great.   “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually,” God commanded Israel to kill everyone of every tribe when they entered the promise land, because the tribe’s religion was an abomination to God, sacrificing children as burned offering, conducting sexual immoralities as a religious ritual, and giving no justice toward the poor and the needy. God gave them 400 years to repent, and they did not. The Promised Land to the children of Israel needed cleansing before its occupation.

“The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness,” 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12.

So, what kind of wood did you want the table to be? What kind of truth did you want God’s word to be?  It is up to you and nobody else. If I have some how encourage you to search for the truth, and to let go of one lie, I will rejoice with you inasmuch as our Lord rejoices. 

“For many are called, but few chosen?”

Everybody is saved: True or false?

Didn’t Jesus die for all of us, for all our sins; the sins of all humanity, our past sins, our present sins, and even for the sins we will do in the future. We conclude that we are all saved. Yes?

So why would Jesus stated, “For many are called, but few chosen” in Matthew 20:16?  He died for everybody. Therefore, many are called. So why few are chosen? The chosen ones, what did they do to be selected? What steps did they take to be saved? It is straightforward. If it were so basic than why would only a few know? The chosen fulfilled the only condition that needed to be saved.  They accepted Jesus as the one that God had sent. They believed that Jesus is the Son of God, who paid for the penalty of their sins, John 3:16. Therefore salvation is easy.  So why should others not be chosen.  This analogy will help understand.

This analogy explains how easy it is to be saved and why many refuse to be saved. Jesus’ death and resurrection represents a life jacket, and the lifeboat represent the kingdom of God. A sinner is one that is in the ocean destines to drown.  The ocean represents the world.  How long can one stay afloat? Eventually, one gets tired, sinks, and drowns. A lifeboat comes along, and a life jacket is thrown to the ones in the ocean. Unfortunately, many refuse to seize the life jacket and let it drift away. Some grab the life jacket, but instead of swimming toward the lifeboat they swim the opposite way. Eventually they let go of the life jacket and drown. Some grab the life jacket, swim toward the lifeboat and grab on to the side of the lifeboat but refuse to get in the lifeboat until the lifeboat get to shore. The shore represents eternal life.  Only a few grabs on to the life jacket and get into the lifeboat and once in, they help by throwing life jacket in the ocean.

In a nutshell, I just explained the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13:3-23. Consequently, all could have been saved, only a few accepted to be saved. Hence, do you consider being a strong swimmer who loves the ocean? Eventually, you will get tired and will drown. So, why not get into the lifeboat?

In conclusion: What did the chosen ones do to be selected?  They choose to be chosen. Salvation is for everybody.  Find out how easy it is to be on the lifeboat by reading this article title, “To become a Christian, that is easy, First & Final Step...all you need to do is to Believe.  This is why and how.”