Why Jesus had to die and why He had to rise from the Dead

As parents we are responsible for cleaning up our kid’s messes when they are small. Why? Because they are unable to do it on their own. We love our children more than our own lives. We will do whatever it takes to ensure their safety.

In like manner, Jesus did whatever it took to secure the salvation of His children by dying in their place; becoming a substitutionary sacrifice for their sins. We can never cleanse our own sins. We must remember sin always requires death (Romans 6:23). In the Old Testament, countless animals were sacrificed on behalf of the people of Israel. The animal’s blood had to be shed because the life of the flesh is in the blood (Leviticus 17:11). The death of the innocent animal was substituted for the sinner. The daily sacrifices were a constant reminder of the nation’s sinfulness. These sacrifices were foreshadowing the once and for all sacrifice of Christ on the cross (Heb 9:28;1 Pet 3:18).

Only Jesus can eradicate the world’s sin dis-ease. Sin is a mess man can never clean up. Why? We are the ones that created the mess so we cannot be the solution, too can we? No. Someone else has to pay the price for our rebellion against a holy God. The Father decided in eternity past to send the Son to save us from His (the Father’s) just wrath and punish His only begotten sinless Son. Jesus’ death actually defies all human logic. Why? Because the innocent died for the guilty and the sinless died for the sinful. On a human level there is no way this is fair.

But wait a minute! We are not dealing with human fairness or our secular justice system. The events surrounding Jesus’ death are literally out of this world. We are dealing with heavenly things, celestial matters. We are witnessing a love so transcendent that it boggles the mind. God the Father had the “nerve” to allow His only Begotten Son to be humiliated, beaten, spit upon, flogged so severely that his back was split open and his flesh was ripped from His body. As a matter of fact, David a thousand years before Christ prophesied of this event in the twenty second Psalm. David said regarding Christ, “I can count all my bones” (Psalm 22:17).  Lastly, He was stripped naked, nailed to cross with His “crime” written above Him, “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews” (John 19:19).  Jesus obviously did not do this for His own benefit for He had no sin (2 Cor 5:21).  He was forsaken by God for the sins we committed (Psa 22:1; Matt 27:46).

We put Jesus Christ on the cross. What an indescribable love! It would be blasphemous not to declare it always.

The crucifixion of Christ serves as a reflection of the punishment that every human being that will ever live deserves but is unable to pay. Jesus’ death was repugnant, inhumane and profane. It is naturally the most offensive event in human history because the God-Man switched places with us and gave up His life. But God the Father would only accept a sin sacrifice from a perfect and sinless human being so Christ’s death was absolutely necessary. That is why the second person of the trinity had to come, become a man, and shed his sinless blood to satisfy the wrath of God’s anger against sin. Jesus accomplished that task which provided forgiveness of sins to all who repent and believe in what Jesus did for them.

Why did Jesus have to raise from the dead?

Death cannot hold unto an innocent man. Jesus committed no sin so death could not ultimately prevail against Him. Secondly, His resurrection proves that the Father’s wrath against the Son because of our sins was satisfied. Had Christ remained in the grave, there would be no reason to believe that He was the sinless Son of God.  His mission would have been a failure. His death would be no different than that of any other criminal.

Listen to what Hebrews 9:13-14 says, “For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”

This is what the writer of Hebrews is telling us, in the Old Covenant they had religious ceremony that would symbolically purify the flesh and declare one clean. Jesus’ sacrifice which was a once-for-all transaction entered into the heavenly Holy of Holies and offered His blood on the eternal mercy seat which cleansed the soul forever and made the recipient accepted by God and brought into His kingdom (Hebrews 9:23-26). The Old Covenant ritual was never designed to cleanse the soul. Only the life blood of Christ can do that.

In the final analysis, both the death and resurrection of Jesus had to occur.  Our sins made both events imperative. He died because of our sins, and He was raised for our justification (Romans 4:25).

Proverbs 28 Commentary (non exhaustive)

Verse 1 – The unrighteous because they are so accustomed to doing dirt are always watching their back as if someone is after them. Even if someone isn’t.  That is the definition of paranoia.

Verse 2: Land in Rebellion – I liken the U.S. like this with the current impeachment proceedings of Donald Trump.  It shows with all the partisan politics, no one can agree on anything. It also shows the rest of the world how divided our government is. I see this as very dangerous because it breeds distrust between our executive and legislative branches of government in particular. It also reveals to the rest of the nations of the world how unstable our “leaders” are.

Verse 4: Haters of the law - Our laws were providentially given by God through men to protect the righteous and punish the wicked.  Those who break the law show their hatred for civil order and ultimately are enemies of God who instituted human law.

Verse 5 - Wicked people do not understand or respect what is right. However, godly people understanding everything. Why? They look at life through the lens of scripture – divine truth. Biblical insight puts life in perspective. It allows a person to understanding WHY things are the way they are in this world. God’s word shines the light on darkness and reveals the wicked intentions of men’s hearts.

Verse 18: There is help for those who are honest - Today, honesty is rarely the best policy. A lie is more appealing. A person obviously lies to conceal the truth they are ashamed to reveal.  People tell lies to others because they believe the truth may hurt them so bad that it will damage or terminate the relationship. Let’s be honest, do you feel better living with a lie, or telling the truth? A lie keeps one in bondage, whereas the truth no matter how painful, liberates the soul of the deliverer and recipient of the message.

Verse 23: Rebuking one another – The writer believes proper rebuke is an art form. It should be done both privately and publicly. Rebuking someone is not publicly putting someone on blast to humiliate them. But rather pulling them to the side, and lovingly reasoning with them regarding what you see as currently wrong in their lives. You want to help them. Rebuking someone has to be direct so it most likely will hurt the recipient but is necessary if they are to repent and be restored by God. Public rebuke is mentioned in 1 Timothy 5:20 in the case of elders who are in sin. Paul instructs Timothy to rebuke publicly elders-pastors who are in sin so that all may fear.  No one is exempt from correction, not even leaders in the church. The key was that it had to be at least two or three witnesses that were aware of the sin in order to confront the offender publicly. Open rebuke is better than flattery which is usually disingenuous to a person – making them feel a false sense of confidence about themselves.

What is Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?

Therefore, I tell you every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, not in this age nor in the age to come.

`- Matthew 12:31-32

Why the strong language by Jesus? Those that blaspheme the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; why? The word blasphemy means to speak evil, to revile, to hold in contempt. Now, let us put context to Jesus’ statement. Jesus healed a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute. The people were amazed, but the Pharisees said that Jesus cast out demons by the power of Satan, and not by God’s power (Matthew 12:24). What a serious indictment to make! Why would someone be so foolish as to attribute the work of God to the devil? The reason has to be that the religious leaders hated Jesus and wanted Him dead. When one is led by the devil, they are not going to give praise to God when His power is working through one of His servants – in this case, the Lord Jesus Himself.

Jesus needed to warn all that if you speak against Him you can be forgiven. Perhaps the reason He made that statement is that many people were confused about who he was. Remember when Jesus was alone with His disciples, He asked them, “Who do men say that I am?” Some say you are John the Baptist, Elijah, and others say Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!" (Matthew 16:14-16). 

So, there was obvious confusion among those in that day as well as there are many today who are confused about the true identity of Christ.

But, those in that day that witnessed Jesus’ healings, miracles, and power knew His power came from God. Remember what the teacher in Israel said, Nicodemus in John chapter 3, “Rabbi we know you are a teacher from God, for no one can do these signs unless God is with Him” (John 3:2b). Nicodemus was a Pharisee (John. 7:50). He was a member of the sect that hated Jesus. So, for some of the eyewitnesses of Jesus’ power to say that it was demonic, was an unforgivable act. It proved their utter disdain for the Holy Spirit who is God, the third person of the triune. An attack on one member of the Trinity is an attack on all members of the Trinity. The one’s calling Jesus demonic were the actual ones being influenced by Satan. Jesus called them brood of vipers and declared that the devil is their father (Matt 12:34; John 8:44).

Can someone blaspheme the Holy Spirit today? There are some that say no. And why? The reason they say that is because Jesus is not currently on earth so no one can eyewitness His miracles today and attribute His power to the devil. The writer would argue that people can do blaspheme the Holy Spirit every day. How? Not in the exact same way some did during the time of Christ, but through their willful unbelief in the power of the Spirit of God through the preaching of the gospel. Now understand, the gospel comes in various forms: audible which is the most common from a preacher or a podcast or radio. Written, through perhaps a blog, a book or transcript. And visual, television and video.  Jesus had this to say regarding His words, “The words I speak to you are spirit and they are life” (John 6:63b). Paul declared these words in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”

Psalm 19:7 says, “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.”  To my knowledge, there is no worse sin than blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. It is so heinous that it is unforgivable declared by our Lord Jesus.

For them, in that day it was attributing the power of God to Satan – declaring Jesus as demon-possessed and His works and mission as Satanic. Anyone that witnessed Jesus’ undeniable and verifiable miracles and healings and rejected Him deserves eternal damnation.  Jesus through the Holy Spirit is still healing many – the healing of the soul by granting eternal life to those who believe in His ultimate expression of love, the sacrifice of His own precious life. To treat the atonement as profane and common, or worst demonic would place a person in the same unforgivable and unpardonable sinful status as the Pharisees. That person’s doom is tragically irreversible.

Sin - The Worst Disease Of All time!

It would be safe to say that most people wonder why others are affected by someone else’s sins. The best way to answer that question I believe is to explain it parabolically. One can liken sin to a football game. When one player jumps offsides, is that one player penalized five yards, or is the whole team? We know it is the whole team. Why? Because although the team is made up of many players, they are still one unit. The team wins and loses together.  The point I am making is that sin not only affects the offender, but it also affects everyone around us.

When Adam and Eve sinned, God cursed the entire earth because of them. The tragic result of their disobedience is that all of their descendants would be born with the same sinful nature. God imputed the original sin of Adam to all of us (Romans 5:12). The Bible declares we all, that is mankind sinned in Adam. How? Because we were in the loins of Adam when he committed the sin. That makes us guilty by imputation. The sentence of that disobedience was death; death to all of mankind. That is how we know God’s word is true. Every time someone dies it should be a painful reminder of God’s promise to Adam and Eve that death was the penalty for disobedience. “In the day you eat of it, you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:16-17). At this juncture, someone would declare, “That’s not fair! Why should I be punished for something someone else did?” My reply to that is this, if we were in the garden and tempted by the serpent, we would have committed the same sin.  Here’s why. When Eve was tempted to eat the forbidden fruit, she was perfect. She had never committed any sin prior to that temptation. But, although Adam and Eve were perfect, they were temptable; and they fell into sin. We are sinful and imperfect. Every time we sin, we prove our rebellious nature and our solidarity to our first parents.

Why would God place the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the garden?

To this question, I will provide two answers. The first answer I will give is that God placing the tree in the garden is none of our business. God never has to provide answers for what He does.

The second answer is I heard one preacher say that God placed the tree in the garden to let Adam and Eve know that although God gave them dominion over the earth, they still had limits because they were human and could not do anything they wanted to do. Back to the writer’s commentary: They had to obey God. So right from the beginning, God was establishing law and order for mankind. Even before man fell into sin, God in His infinite wisdom deemed it prudent to put restrictions on man so that he would understand the need for submission and obedience to God. This was a healthy prohibition so that Adam and Eve could distinguish God’s word from an enemies’ word. They could determine truth from lies. God was testing their fidelity to Him.

Sadly though, they failed.

How can one get cured of this dreaded disease?

Jesus Christ is the only cure for this disease. Romans 6:23 tells us the wages of sin is death. But the gift of eternal life is in Jesus Christ our Lord. Just like a natural disease that spreads and can infect others, sin is a spiritual disease that infects and contaminates the soul of man. Without asking God to remove its deadly effects through genuine faith and repentance along with belief in Christ’s atonement on the cross, man will die not only physically, but spiritually forever separated from God (Matthew 25:46).

Here is the prescription for sin’s disease; Isaiah 53:5-6, “He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement that brought us peace was placed upon Him. By His wounds, we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray. We have turned, everyone to his own way; and the Lord has laid upon Him (i.e. Christ) the iniquity of us all."

Notice the terms, transgressions, and iniquities. Many in the church look at Isaiah 53:5 and conclude that verse 5 is making reference to physical healing which cannot be true. If that were the case, then every believer would have been divinely healed physically at the moment of conversion. No. Verse 5 is making reference to a divine relationship healing. When Christ was punished, bruised and hung on a cross for us, He healed the broken relationship we had with the Triune Godhead due to our sins. This was a spiritual healing. Our sins separated us from God (Isaiah 59:2). We were prior to our conversion cut off from God – completely. The Bible says we had no hope and were without God in the world (Ephesians 2:11-13).

Out of all the marvelous healings wonders and signs that Jesus performed while on the earth to clearly prove He was from God, all of those combined pales in comparison to the healing of one’s soul when they are forgiven of their sins. Jesus is still healing although He is currently not on earth; he is curing believers of sin’s disease, eternal death and replacing it with eternal life (John 3:16).

Sin is an infectious cancer that has no earthly cure. Until man realizes this problem in his life, he will never enjoy true peace. All man is doing now is trying to fix a spiritual problem with human solutions which he can never do. The natural man is spiritually dead in his sins (Eph 2:1; Col 2:13). Yes, he is alive on the outside, but dead on the inside because he is devoid of God’s spirit. And unless he receives the only cure available in Jesus Christ, he will never see life. Rather, the wrath of God will remain upon him (John 3:36).

What is the sin unto death?

For years I thought the sin unto death in I John 5:16 was a specific solitary sin. What was most confusing, I did not know what that sin was. Others have regarded the sin unto death as the unpardonable sin. That is the sin that is discussed in Matthew 12:31-32. The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. These are two separate matters.

So, back to the original question, what is the sin unto death? Well, before I answer that question, let us read the text. “If anyone sees a fellow believer committing a sin that does not lead to death, he should ask, and God will give him life – to those that commit a sin that does lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying one should pray for that. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin that does not lead to death” (1 John 5:16-17).

How do we make the distinction between a sin unto death and a sin not unto death since the writer John does not provide an example of each in his letter? That is why it is very important to be well versed in God’s word. A sin not leading to death is one whereby a believer is confronted about their sin, they repent, and they are restored into a right relationship with God and with the saints (Galatians 6:1).

As John said, fellow believers can intercede on behalf of the sinning believer and God will grant the offender life because it is not a sin that leads to death.

A sin unto death is when a believer has a premeditated, unbroken habitual pattern of sinful behavior – oftentimes against the Body of Christ. Ultimately, they are living as if they are unsaved. A very serious offense!

A few things can happen when believers are in sin. 1) the sinning believer will be severely chastised by the Lord which is a good thing (Hebrews 12:5-11). A Godly spanking does hurt but it will also bring about healing, deliverance, growth, and holiness. As children of God, sometimes we need to be punished for our sins so that we can feel ashamed and endeavor to do better. We all run-off-the-rails sometimes and tough loving discipline from our Heavenly Father puts us back in right relationship with Him.  2) the offender can be put out of the Church so that their current evil ways do not corrupt other believers. Bad company corrupts good morals (1 Corinthians 15:33). God must maintain the purity of His church (Matthew 18:15-17). This Godly discipline should make the offender ashamed of themselves which should bring about contrition and wholehearted repentance. We must continue to admonish them in love (2 Thessalonians 3:15). 3) God could allow Satan to take the life of the person. In their current state of sin, they are absolutely no good to anyone. They are a current embarrassment to the Lord, the Church, and themselves. They are a liability to the kingdom, and not an asset in their current state of rebellion (1 Corinthians 5, whole chapter).

The last matter, of course, is a case where one is not to pray for. Why? In the fifth chapter of 1 Corinthians a man is fornicating with his father’s wife – most likely his stepmother.  That is a gross sin against another believer! Paul said to give one over to Satan for the destruction of his flesh that his soul may be saved in the day of the Lord (vs 5).

The matter is bitter-sweet in these instances. Why? Because the believer decides not to repent of their sin(s), they could die early – never fulfilling their role in the Body of Christ. They also will suffer I believe great loss at the judgment (Bema) seat of Christ. They will lose in terms of rewards because they deprived themselves of the joy of serving the Lord and others while on earth (1 Corinthians 3:13-16). The sweet part is that since they are eternally secure, they will not lose their salvation – their soul has been saved.

Concluding, a sin unto death could be any sin that is pre-meditated, unconfessed, habitually repeated with no remorse. When we see someone in that state of mind and we know it because we have talked and pleaded with them to repent to no avail, prayer will not help them.  God will deal with them most severely – perhaps even to the point of ending their lives.       

Our Great Salvation

To describe our salvation in a million words would not be enough. So what I would like to do is cover some of the wonderful features of our salvation and why we MUST praise God for it always. One can view our salvation as trinitarian. Why? Because it has three tiers or components to it. They are justification, sanctification, and glorification. Permit me to spend a little time on each.

Justification - The act of pronouncing one righteous. To be acquitted. In salvific language, it means the sinner is absolved of all guilt of their sins forever when they believe in the substitutionary act of Jesus Christ who came to the world to take away our sins (Psalm 32:1-2; Matt 1:21; 9:2b; Luke 7:48; John 1:29; Eph 1:7; 1 John 2:2). God the Father punished His own Son for our sins which satisfied or propitiated God's wrath against sin. When one believes in what Christ did for them, they are given a declaration of righteousness. The sinner is not essentially righteous, they are still a sinner. The blessed difference is that they are now a sinner saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). 

Romans 4:25, "Who was delivered up because of our offenses and was raised up for justification."

Sanctification - The Greek word is hagiasmos. It means to be separated to God, to be set apart. A synonym of sanctification is holiness. Sanctification is the believer's responsibility to conform into the image of Jesus Christ through holy righteous living. God through the Holy Spirit assists us in this effort. Philippians 2:12-13 says this, "Work out your salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure."This is the reason why we have been chosen or elected to be in the kingdom of God. Romans 8:29 says, "For whom He (God) foreknew, He predestined to be conformed into the image of His Son..." This is the primary reason for being chosen to be in God's family. We are to mirror the life of Christ on the earth. Sanctification is a life long process. As we grow in Christ-likeness, we should love to hate our sin. Sanctification is holiness in action. It is the visible enduring fruit of our justification in action.

Christians must live their lives out loud. Not just in words, but in righteous and holy deeds. We must be clearly distinct from the world around us. We can longer do what they do and say what they say. The apostle Peter described us like this: "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who were once not a people but now are the people of God, who  had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy" (1 Peter 2:9-10).

Peter then continues his discourse urging us on how we are to behave in this world:

"Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works which they observe glorify God in the day of visitation."

The word Pilgrim comes the Greek parepidemos. It is an adjective meaning to sojourn in a strange place - that is this world, particularly this world's anti-God ideology.  Christians from God's point of view are aliens and strangers in a foreign land. We do not fit in here; at least we are not supposed to. The worst thing a believer can do is get comfortable here. We are on a mission to reach souls with the love and truth of Christ. We are not here to pitch our tent permanently. This current earth is disposable, it will burn up (2 Peter 3:10-13)!

Glorification -  The Greek word endoxazo is in the passive voice which would relate specifically to the verb form of the word glorified. In relation to the believer, it is the reality of when our salvation is complete; meaning we are immortal (1 Cor 15:51; Phil 3:21; Thess 4:13-18. We are perfect, no longer subject to pain, suffering, sin, and death. The former things have passed away forever (Revelation 21:4). This is the third and final tier in our great salvation.  This is presently our future hope.

In our present evil world, the above is very hard to imagine or believe. Thank God we have the revelation of His word which comforts our weary souls or we would have no hope. Paul the ultimate first-century adventurer for Christ talked about his affliction in serving the Lord. He provided these encouraging words, "Therefore we do not lose heart. Listen carefully to this man's penetrating words - Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. While we do not look at the things that are seen, but at the things that are not seen. For things that are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

Only God Almighty could cause a sinful man to speak in such superlative language! Truly the Spirit of the living God dwelt in Paul (2 Tim 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21).

In Romans 8:30 we read, "Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified."

Every person that enters into the kingdom of God is guaranteed a future glorification. That is why it is such a great salvation. God promised to grant this blessing to all the elect before He created the universe It was a done deal in the mind of God from eternity past.

How does our salvation conquer sin?

When we were justified, we were made free from the penalty of sin instantly; that is eternal separation from God. In our current status of ongoing sanctification, we are battling the power of sin; so it will no longer have dominion over us. And finally, when we are glorified, we will forever be free from the presence of sin. In our glorification, we can never be tempted to sin any longer. Why? Because we will be just like Jesus; we will have our glorious resurrected body. Since we are in Him, and He conquered death, sin and the grave, we have inherited that same victory. Our race is over. We have successfully labored into God's eternal rest (Hebrews 4:11).

I can hardly wait!

Amen. Even so, come Lord Jesus (Revelation 22:20b)!

The Gift we would rather not claim

Yesterday I was watching a program where a girl found out she would not be able to have children because there was something wrong with part of her reproductive system. She was a teenage girl and was involved with the youth at her church. She became angry and blamed God saying He is not good. She told her mother that she was never going to attend church again. 

It was her way of getting back at God for not loving and being there for her - in her mind.

This young girl's resentment toward God is nothing new. People are yelling, screaming and cursing God every day when things go wrong in their lives. Once again the proverbial question is, "If God is so good and loving and He has all power, then why is this happening to me? I don't deserve it!" 

This is the time when a person should do a very careful inventory of their lives. Because I see two possible scenarios. 1) The person is in sin and has refused to repent and ask for forgiveness so they are being punished. 2) They are in a furious season of trial and tribulation and their faith has to be tested.

Admittedly when we are going through trials, we often do not understand or like what is happening to us. None of us want pain in our lives. We hate it. It frightens us. Even mature Christians forget that we are still in the hands of The Almighty during our darkest times. He seems so far away. What is most aggravating to us all is that when we call on God and He does not respond when we believe He should, we feel abandoned by Him. Listen to the cry of David in Psalm 10:1, "Why O Lord do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?" 

David was stressed because He saw the wicked oppressing the poor and defying God. He wanted God to take vengeance on his enemies but to David God could not be found when he needed the Lord the most. 

When we are feeling and thinking like this - with fear, anger, and despair, that is the time we need reassurance. When we are emotionally and spiritually drained, we need the well of God's word to quench our thirst.  That's right. We need revival!

Now, back to the title question. What is the gift that we rather not claim? It is the gift of suffering. Wait a minute! Suffering is a gift from God? I know it sounds hard to believe but yes. I'll prove it. Philippians 1:29 says, "For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ (emphasis added) you should not only believe in Him but also suffer for His sake.” Jesus said to the disciples, "In this life, you shall have tribulation or trouble but be of good cheer I have overcome the world.”(John 16:33)

The apostle Peter writes in his first letter to the saints that they are rejoicing due to their living hope in Christ although at the present time they were being afflicted by various trials. Why? This reason is very key, so that the genuineness of your faith more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Now, these next words are absolutely powerful and beautiful, "Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. Though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls (1 Peter 1:6b-9).

This is what we must place in front of us at all times, God's word so we do not lose our way in this life. It is so very easy to forget the promises of the word when we are going through trials in our lives, but we must hang on to God's promises so that we do not lose heart and stop running the race and fighting the good fight of faith (2 Timothy 4:7).

Once we know that we are in a spiritual war, we understand that difficulties are necessary to test our faith which is our trust in God to see us through our fiery trials. Although it seems like hard times will never end when we are going through them, they will. And although it seems like we cannot endure them, we can if we do not give up (Galatians 6:9). Jesus is there. He loves and cares for us and feels what we feel (Hebrews 4:15). 

Its a win-win for the child of God in the overall. How? If God decides to bring us through the affliction, then we can rejoice in the Lord's faithfulness to us. If He providentially decides to allow our sickness and pain to end our natural lives, then it's far better because we have graduated to eternal glory where there is no more pain, sickness, and death- ever (Revelation 21:4).

Suffering under God's tender hands is a blessing although the temporary trials by which He administers them are painful. We must remember that we go through is not for nothing. Suffering for Christ's sake is the instrument by which God has decided His children will glorify Him. If we keep this perspective, then we do not have to be ashamed of what we are going through for there is a reward when we endure the trials God has set before us - the crown of life (James 1:12). 

So let us endeavor to endure the hard times with joy. We can only do it in the Lord.

Arguments Against Predestination and Election

For those readers who are not familiar with the doctrine of Predestination and election, it is the teaching where God before time began decided of His own initiative to chose those whom He wanted to be recipients of His saving grace for His own glory. Paul in Ephesians 1:4 said those who have been chosen were chosen before the foundation of the world. 

Well, obviously if there are those who are chosen, then there are those who were not chosen. This is where the tension begins when dealing with this contentious yet Biblical doctrine. Those who militate against this doctrine will continue to cry out, "Why would God chose some and not all? That's not fair!" Since when do we believe we have the right to determine for God what is and what is not fair? God never needs our approval or denial to do anything.

Romans 9:20-21 says, "But who are you O man to reply back to God? Will the thing formed say to Him that formed it why have you made me like this? Does not the potter have power over the clay from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? Bottom line, God does whatever He wants with human beings because He made us. He is the Potter and we are the clay.

Be careful. If someone desires fairness from God, that means you will receive justice. Divine justice for the wicked is equal to God's judgment. 

Election is not fair because

It appears God is a respecter of persons. For most, it is emotionally unfair for a loving God to choose some individuals for His kingdom and pass by others. God is never a respecter of persons. The reason why this is true is because the ones chosen have done nothing to merit the grace of God in deciding to choose them. God chose whom He wanted because it pleased Him to do so. Nothing more. God did not look down the corridors of time into the future to see what man would do and then elect them based on His prior knowledge of what He knew they would do. If He chose based on that premise, God would be choosing us after we chose Him in eternity past. God does not respond to a pre-incarnate faith and repentance because they do not exist. 

Another issue that arises is the fact if God has chosen the elect for salvation does that mean He has chosen the non-elect for damnation? In other words, is predestination double? Are some predetermined for salvation, and are others predetermined for damnation? The best way the writer knows how to answer that question is this: God knows in advance who will never believe in Jesus so they are already condemned because they will never believe in the only begotten Son of God (John 3:18). We do not know who the non-elect and the elect are, that is why we must preach the gospel to all people.  It is not that the non-elect cannot choose to believe; nothing or no one is preventing them. They do not want to repent because they love darkness rather than light and their ways are evil (John 3:19). God does not seal their doom before they are born, they seal their own doom when they refuse to believe in Christ.

God is active in salvation, He is passive in reprobation. In other words, when God redeems a life, God chooses that person before the foundation of the world. God is reactive to the sinner who rejects Him in judgment. 

An important truth to remember is this: No is saved before they are born (the elect). And no one is damned before they are born (the non-elect). One person receives saving grace from God whereas the other person receives divine justice from the same God. Why? Because the Lord is sovereign and He does whatever He wants to do (Psalm 115:3).

We must remember that all men are guilty of sin before God and are deserving of God's wrath elect and non-elect alike. It is God's divine prerogative to save some and punish others. Election is God's transcending love on lost sinners to save them since we cannot obtain salvation through human achievement. If election did not exist, the Father never would have sent Christ to die for sinners so that many could be saved.

But Christ died for the sins of everyone!

This is where we enter into the nature of the atonement. What is the atonement? It is the act of where Christ shed His blood for the forgiveness of sins. Most Christians say that Jesus died for the sins of everyone who will ever live - this is what scholars call unlimited atonement. The minority report says Christ died only for the elect that the Father chose before the foundation of the world for Christ to come and redeem - this is what scholars call limited atonement. The latter view is held by those who hold to a reformed view of Biblical theology; or what many would call Calvinists. For the record, the reformer John Calvin (1509-1564) did not invent limited atonement.

If Jesus died for everyone, that means He paid the price in full for their sins. If everyone's sin debt is paid, then that means all will go to heaven and no one will go to hell. But wait a minute! The Bible clearly teaches that many people will die in their sins if they do not believe (John 8:24). So tell me, how effective is an atonement that forgives sins of all but does not guarantee the salvation of all? If all the sins of all people for all time are paid in full yet many die in unbelief, what type of atonement is that and how were their sins paid for? The response this writer gives may offend and produce shock value to the reader but here it is: I would argue that those who die and perish had none of their sins paid for. Why? Because they will pay the price for their own sins eternally in hell. There is never a double payment for sins taught in the Bible. It does not make sense nor is it fair for Jesus to die for the sins of those who die in sin.  Why would God the Father who knows all things before they happen send His only Begotten Son who He loves on a recovery mission that was doomed for failure before the foundation of the world? What you have is only a potential atonement and not an actual one. Why do I say that? Because the plan of redemption becomes a partnership instead of a monergistic work of God. God did His part, and now He is waiting for the sinner to pickup the Paton and activate the deal; that is repent, believe and become saved.

Here is another question the writer needs to present. Which is more loving of God, to send Christ to die for everyone because that is what is fair in the eyes of man yet guarantee the salvation of no one, because He is waiting for a spiritually dead unregenerate person in their sins to activate their own salvation when they're unable and unwilling to, or for Christ to die for those whom the Father gave to Him and actually save all of them (John 6:37)?

This is why predestination and divine election are essential. In order for man to become really saved, God must guarantee it. He did that before the world began. God did not send Christ to die for all men as an expression of His love hoping that sinful man would have the willingness to believe on his own. God knew from before the beginning that evil men would not trust Christ so He predetermined a plan of intervention that would bring about a transformation in man's soul so that when the gospel is preached those chosen would repent, believe and be saved. So you see, God's love is what compelled Him to extend mercy to save an innumerable amount of souls throughout history.

How is the gospel offer valid to those who are non-elect since they will never believe?

Once again, we do not know whom God has chosen, and whom He has not. That is why we must declare the truth to all people. You see we are all on an even playing field when it comes to sin; we are all guilty before God. Everyone needs the truth. What one does with it is their choice. Here is the big question that needs to be answered, is the word of God in the life of the person who rejects it effective? In other words, when a person rejects the truth, did the word of God return void (Isaiah 55:11)? The answer is no. Why? God's word always accomplishes its intended purpose - even in the life of those who reject it. How? When God's truth is rejected, the result is that it exposes a person's rebellion, unbelief, degeneration which results in righteous judgment. The word of God accomplished its work, albeit negatively in that person. So, the gospel is a valid offer even for those who reject it. It is the only truth that can save or condemn a person and the rule all men must be judged by.

Finally, when dealing with divine election we must remember this maxim in scripture, God will have mercy on whom He will have mercy and compassion on whom He will have compassion (Exodus 33:19). What God does for one person He does NOT have to do for another - that is His divine privilege. No one can judge and inprison God by corrupt human fairness. His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9).

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His way past finding out! For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor? Or who has first given to Him and it shall be repaid to him? For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever, Amen (Romans 11:33-36).

For God so loved the World...God is angry with the Wicked every day?

So, how do we harmonize the two ideas when they are apparently mutually opposed to one another and both are true at the same time? You see, in the mind of God, He can have perfect compassion for the lost, and perfect anger against the wicked simultaneously. When the Bible discusses the wicked, it is describing people in what they are actively doing versus who we essentially are. You see all men are wicked naturally speaking until that person recognizes they are sinful, lost and in need of a Savior then we become partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4).

The overarching attribute of God is love. However, within His love the Lord does become and displeased and angry, It should be no great wonder about God. We do the same thing in our own relationships. When parents get upset with their children and become angry with them for something they have done wrong, it does not negate their love they have for them, they just have to resort to discipline to correct the bad behavior.

I see God's love and His anger as symmetrical. They are both perfect and complete, They do not contradict one another. Rather, they complement each other. They are constants in God. God will always love because He is love (1 John 4:8,16). He also must exhibit His holy righteous anger against evildoers every day so that He can display His wrath and all may fear Him.

The Bible says it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31).

What is Prevenient Grace?

The word prevenient is a Latin word that means something happening beforehand. So when we are talking about prevenient grace in theological circles, it is making reference to the grace that God grants to those who He will save in time. This grace is distinct from the common grace everyone receives every day in the form of the air we breathe, and the daily provision God provides.  Whenever God decides to save someone, He will use the instrument of the gospel message to inform the sinner why they must repent of their sins. Once the gospel has been effectively preached, God will open the heart and mind of the person so they understand and hear the truth, respond in faith and be saved (Acts 16:14; Luke 24:45). The grace, of course, has to be granted by God before the sinner can respond positively to the gospel message. This grace is the power or enablement that God must give to the sinner or else one can never believe unto salvation.

There are many that believe that God's grace does not always lead to salvation. Why? Because man has a free will and can resist the power of God to convict him of sin so that he repents, believes and becomes saved. To believe this way is to say that God's power to save ultimately lies within the person and not God to save them. In other words, God's prevenient grace removes the depravity of man, but it still does not guarantee that he will repent and believe the gospel.

There have been centuries of debate regarding the matter of what prevenient grace can do. The writer believes the debate exists because you have those that teach that God saves all those He elects or the limited atonement view, or you have the majority report, those that teach unlimited atonement. Limited atonement teaches that God the Father sent the Son to die for the elect alone. Whereas unlimited atonement teaches that Christ died for everyone who will ever live. There are intense debates on both sides. For those who are in what is called the Arminian camp (named after James Arminius 1560-1609), their definition of prevenient grace says that God grants the sinner this benefit, but it does not always lead to salvation. In the Reformed or what many call the Calvinistic camp (named after the Reformer John Calvin 1509-1564), God's prevenient grace always leads to salvation.

So, we must ask the questions, did the Father send Jesus to die just to make all men savable, but guarantee the salvation of no one? Or did the Father send the Son to actually save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21)? You see why there has been and will continue to be such intense debates between evangelicals? I just listened to a podcast last week where a minister said that for Jesus to die just the elect or chosen is "ridiculous"! Why would he say that? Because he is convinced that Jesus died for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). John 1:29 says, "Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world." Those are pretty straightforward texts, right? They mean what they say and they say what they mean. The word world always has to be qualified and defined by the context which many fail to do.

Now here is the question the writer must ask, "If God's sovereign prevenient grace only makes men savable, meaning the grace removes some type of evil restraint from him so that he is in some moral neutral state - his heart is open to receive the gospel, but he still does not repent and believe, how powerful is God's grace if it does not lead to actual salvation? Let me say it another way. Let's view it from the divine perspective. Since God knows all things before they happen because He created the end from the beginning decided in eternity past to send Christ to suffer and die for sinners, what makes more sense, and more importantly what view is Biblically supported, Christ dying and paying for all sins of everyone that will ever live yet most of humanity perishing in hell for their own sins due to unbelief, or Christ dying for the sins of those whom the Father chose in eternity past for Christ to come to earth to redeem? Remember Jesus' words in John 6:37, "All the Father has given to Me will come to Me (emphasis added), and those that come to me I will in no wise cast out."

If one believes that Christ died for the sins of all men but ultimately leaves the final decision to man to determine whether salvation is successful or not, then His death was in vain and God's rescue plan failed. Why? Because natural man will not seek God on his own (Romans 3:11). God must pursue man first. (Luke 19:10). I have written about this in times past, but it bears repeating, God has nor will He ever leave His salvation plan in the hands of evil men to determine whether it succeeds or fails. God in eternity past predetermined the success of salvation before He created the universe! We have nothing to do with it. Man is strictly a beneficiary of God's divine grace when he believes. He is never the cause of salvation becoming a reality.

I would submit to the reader that a prevenient grace that does not lead to salvation is not grace at all. What good is a grace that does not save? Remember the words of Paul in Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace through faith you have been saved. It is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast." Paul knew that God's grace is what saved him. It is that same grace that saves all those who place their trust in Jesus' complete atoning work on the cross.

What about those who have never heard of Jesus? What happens to them?

This would be another of one of those age-old questions, wouldn't it? If someone has never been preached the gospel then obviously they cannot believe what they do not know. They can neither accept or reject the truth. So, what has to happen? God has to manifest Himself in some other way to them. When one refers to those who have never heard of Christ, often we are talking about people who live in the most remote parts of the world, far from what we regard as normal civilization. 

God has left His handprint all over the place - on the earth and in the heavens. This is what is known as natural or general revelation. God made absolutely sure all mankind could know Him in the natural sense. The Bible says the heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament His handiwork (Psalm 19:1). God has also made Himself known through the conscience. Romans chapter one tells us the things that are made - that we see clearly tell us that the invisible God is real because without Him none of what we see could exist. So scripture shows by two pieces of evidence that God exists: 1) His creation. 2) Through conscience. That leaves man without excuse. If man understands and receives these revelations, then, of course, God can shed more light to him. The Lord has placed in every man the innate ability to get to know Him in a personal way. The Bible says if someone seeks the Lord with all their heart they will find Him (Deut 4:29; Jer 29:13). Most men suppress the truth they know about God so they replace the worship of the true God with falsehood thus sealing their doom (Romans 1:21-23).

What about those with mental incapabilities. How can they believe when they do not understand the gospel?

Many regard someone mentally challenged like an infant. Babies cannot comprehend anything so someone, lest say mentally retarded, cannot understand Biblical truth. Depending upon the severity of their mental disability would determine if they could understand the gospel. If they are unable to, they can never reach the point of moral accountability where they understand the need for repentance of their sins and placing their faith in Christ. I believe God places special grace on them when they die and takes them to heaven. Why do I believe this? Because trusting in Christ is a faith-based decision as well as a moral decision to believe. Adults or children with minds of infants do not even know their right hand from their left or even their name sometimes so how could they be held responsible to choose something they could never understand? You see people in this type of condition are what I call morally neutral. They can neither accept nor reject the gospel due to their mental ineptitude.

Their curse I believe ultimately is their blessing because I am convinced a divine exception is granted to them.

Let me provide a Biblical reason why I believe this.

In II Samuel 12 we read about David's sin of adultery with Bathsheba who was the wife of a man named Uriah. Bathsheba becomes pregnant as a result of the affair. David has Uriah killed in battle so he can marry Bathsheba. When the child is born, the prophet Nathan rebukes David for his sins of adultery and murder. The worst part is Nathan tells him that their son will die. The son becomes ill by God's hand (not due to the child's sin because he had none, but as a result of David's sin which was forgiven, but he suffered painful temporal consequences the rest of his life). As a result, David fasts and prays hoping the child will get well but he dies. David then gets up washes and anoints himself changes his clothes and worships the Lord. Afterward, he eats. His servants see this behavior as strange - why he is eating now? David said to them, "While the child was alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, 'Who can tell whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that my child may live?' But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me" (II Samuel 12:15b-23).

Why did David make that statement? Because he knew where his deceased son went and where he was going when he died. It was David who said in Psalm 23:6, "Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."  David's son went to heaven and that is where David is now. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (II Corinthians 5:8). David is in heaven because he was a righteous man. His son was granted a divine exception and taken to glory because he had no mental or moral capability to believe God regarding anything.

Jesus said in Matthew 19:13, "Let the little children come to Me and do not forbid them; for such is the kingdom of heaven." Children who have not reached the age of what is called accountability are extended grace and granted salvation by God if they die very young. It does not mean they deserve salvation because they are still sinners by nature, but for whatever reason(s) unknown to us, their lives are cut off prematurely due perhaps to an illness suffered at birth or they are tragically killed.

Concluding, those who have never heard the gospel will eventually receive it in one form or another; through creation, conscience and finally the full gospel itself (Christ). God will hold a person responsible for what light and truth has been revealed to them. God saved the Old Testament saints without them hearing the name of Jesus Christ. How they were justified is they believed the word of God they heard and knew at that time (Genesis 15:6). Their justification is just as valid as those of us who have received the full gospel truth. The only differences in their justification and ours are time, and amount of revelation presented. Their justification was granted to them as a credit because it was before Christ went to the cross; Jesus had not come yet (pre-incarnate) to purchase their redemption and physically pay for their sins (again Genesis 15:6). Our justification was granted to us as a deposit because Christ  (incarnate) has already died and risen and paid the price for our sins with His blood (Eph 1:7; Col 1:14; Heb 9:12;13:12; 1 John 1:7; Rev 1:5). The Old Testament saints were looking forward to the cross anticipating the redeemer; while we in the New Testament are looking back at the cross loving and praising the redeemer for what He has already done for us.

If God is so good…

A subject my wife and I discuss frequently is that if you're looking for flaws in people you're sure to find them - guaranteed! That is the view of the pessimist. They always look at life from a negative point of view. Think about it for a moment, if people criticize God 24/7 and He is absolutely perfect in every way, how much more do you think we will be criticized? 

Just a thought.

Back to the subject at hand, "If God is so good, then why"....everyone can fill in their own blank(s). This is an age-old question that for most has not been answered satisfactorily. I recently heard a person on social media raise this question from those who do not attend church because they do not see the need to worship a God who allows death and tragedy every day. Believe me, I understand the frustration and disenchantment people are experiencing. We want things to be better. We want the world at peace and harmony. We want to cure every sickness and disease and get rid of world hunger and poverty. We want to save the planet and protect wildlife. We need to stop polluting our air and oceans. We must preserve and protect our natural resources. We must go green and be Eco-Friendly. We want everyone to love one another with all of our religious, philosophical, political, and ideological differences. Unfortunately, the extremists will try to do this at any cost - even to the point of killing those who resist their agenda. Of course, we call those type of people terrorists.

Well, none of the things I mentioned above has happened completely. Guess what? It will never happen by the hands of sinful mankind. We cannot make things better. Sorry to burst your bubble. We are masters of making things worse though. That is why we must call on God. But what is God's problem? If He is so good as you Christians say, why is He taking so long to fix things? He must not be real or He simply does not care, or He does not have the power to fix the world's problems.

It is amazing to me how blind and short-sighted the world is. We are definitely the offspring of our first father Adam. Let me explain.

When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, God asked Adam did he eat the fruit the Lord commanded him not to eat. Adam responded, "The woman who You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree and I ate" (Genesis 3:12).

 Do you see what Adam did? First, he blamed his wife then God for what he did wrong. Not once did he blame himself for disobeying the command of the Lord. That is what scholars call the "Adamic (pronounced A-da-mic) Nature" or the sin nature. You see the sinner blames everyone for their problems except themselves. So it is natural or in our nature to blame God for the problems of this world. Just like it was Adam's fault he ate the forbidden fruit, it is our fault the world is in the misery and pain it is currently in. Sadly, we cannot and will not get out of our own way and call upon the Lord in humility and contrition to deliver us from the pain we are in. The world keeps trying to fix what it was never designed to fix. What has been the net result, we are making things worse and worse. Who gets the blame ultimately? God does.

The world is defiantly saying to God after continuing to ruin things, "Why don't You fix this mess You have made?" When He does not fix it on demand, God is not good in the eyes of those who are usually the greatest offenders in the world.

Is God serving us or should we be serving Him?

Understand this, the Bible says God is good and His mercy endures forever (Psalm 136). That is forever true because God is immutable. So when someone says, "If God is so good why does He allow bad things to happen" etc, that is not God's problem, It is ours. Evil in this life never diminishes the goodness of God, rather evil is the magnifying glass that should show the world clearly its own wickedness. Sadly, it usually does not which reveals to the writer the abysmal depths of man's hopeless depravity apart from divine intervention.

The idea that God sent His only Begotten Son to pay the price for our sins is the ultimate love.  Better question(s) we should be asking is, "Why does God cause wonderful things to happen to us when we do not deserve them? "Why would God send Jesus Christ who was/is perfect die for those who are hopeless and guilty and deserve to go to hell? Why would a good God send His perfect Son to die for wicked human beings; forgive their sins when they trusted in Christ and adopt them into His family as sons and daughters? On top of that, why would God give them an eternal inheritance and seal them with His Holy Spirit claiming them as His own (Ephesians 1:5-14)? Why in the world would a good God do all of these things to those who hate Him?"

Answer? God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son. That whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).

You see God has already taken care of all of our problems when we trusted in Christ. We are victorious and more than conquerors (Romans 8:37). We as believers realize that the way things are now will not remain. This hopeless world is passing away with all the evil that is in it. We as Christians are looking forward to new heaven and earth where eternal peace will dwell (Isa 65:17;2 Pet 3:13; Rev 21:1).

One must have an eternal perspective to see there is a blessed eternal hope past this life of sin. When one has this hope, they have victory because this is not all there is. 2 Corinthians 4:18 says that we are not to look at the things that we see, but on the things that we do not see. For the things that we see are temporary, but the things we do not see are eternal. That is our blessed future inheritance for those of us who are children of  God.

My God is so good that He promised that the present sufferings of this life are not to be compared to the glorious future that awaits us (Romans 8:18).

So the pessimist will continue to ask, "Why does God allow bad things to happen?" The writer's reply is, "Because of the wickedness of man and sin has to run its course". One can also think of it this way, as long as evil exists, it is a clear indication of God's mercy on full display toward sinners. God can very easily get rid of evil. You know how? Get rid of everybody and immediately evil would be gone! Do you see the point I'm driving at? Evil and calamity exist because we are here. Want evil gone? Then we have two choices: 1) stop sinning completely or 2) die.

So, what do you think about evil now?

You want your evil forgiven forever? Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for your soul salvation. Once you have been forgiven, you can then look at the wickedness in the world and not blame God for the evil that He graciously allows because He desires that all men repent and not perish.

God has already solved the problem of evil forever through the sacrificial atoning death of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. There is no other solution to mankind's problems. This is what makes God not only good but what I would call Omnigood (or all good)! One day God will get rid of all evildoers so that this world will return to Eden paradise it was in the beginning.

In God's timing, all will be made right. Just wait on Him (Isaiah 40:31).

What is Justification by Death?

I realize this is a question that many are not familiar with so I will explain it. When someone dies and they are eulogized at their memorial service, what you often hear is "Well they are in a better place." Sometimes this is true, but it is not always true.

In other words, if we believe that everyone goes to heaven when they die, we believe in a false doctrine called universalism, or justification by death. What this means is many believe that a person automatically goes to heaven because they are dead - their death justifies or makes them righteous in the sight of God. Why do so many people believe this? Because of their ignorance of Biblical truth. In the world's eyes, their loved one who was a loving, kind, giving soul who would not harm a fly is just the type of person God would (or perhaps in their eyes should) welcome into His kingdom. While this is a novel and heartwarming sentiment, it is a master deception by the enemy. Mankind continues to make the perpetual mistake of thinking they have the right to determine for God how His kingdom is to run.

There is no such thing as justification by death. It is a false doctrine whether someone knows it or not.

I understand those who are not Biblically minded will emotionally and mentally default to this pseudo-ideology.

Justification is the act whereby one is given a declaration of righteousness by God when one trusts in Jesus Christ as their sin bearer. We are given a divine pardon and acquittal from God. In God's eyes He treats us as if we had never sinned! How? Because Jesus took the punishment for our sins (Isaiah 53:5). An incredible reality! 

We have to realize the implications of such a belief system. For those that believe in justification by death, you automatically deny the reality of the clear teaching on the doctrine of hell and eternal separation from God which is undeniably taught in scripture. Who taught on hell more than anyone else? Jesus! While I can cite numerous passages that teach the reality of hell, I will only point out some. 

Mark 9:45-46

• And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched - where the worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.

Matthew 23:15,33

• verse 15: Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.
• verse 33: Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the damnation of hell?

Matthew 25:41-43

• Then He will say to those on the left hand (the goats), Depart from Me into the everlasting fire prepared the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave Me no food. I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink. I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and did not visit Me.

While I understand that it is heart wrenching to many - including Christians who are unfamiliar with this truth, there is a really horrible place called hell. Anyone who rejects the Lord Jesus Christ will end up there when they die. Don't hate me because I told you the truth (Galatians 4:16). Love always tells the truth (Ephesians 4:15).  We should be way long tired of fake news by now. We also need to stop telling ourselves lies about death and the afterlife to make us feel better. Like someone wisely said, "Eternity is a very long time to be wrong!"

Let's know the truth and be set free (John 8:32). 

This is one of those sacred cows I needed to kill. Those of you who have been following the blog should know my pedigree by now. My endeavor is to bring nothing but the truth.

To believe that everyone automatically goes to heaven when they die destroys the entire Bible. There would no point in preaching the gospel. Jesus came to the earth to preach repentance and ultimately died in vain. There would no need for the church, missionaries or pastors. Christianity would not exist. Why bother with any of this if when we die we go to heaven anyway? We can do whatever we want if justification by death is true.

You see how the world is hopelessly duped? Why? Because lies are more alluring than the truth. When Biblical truth goes against someone's worldview, they take the path of least resistance - the popular path, the wide gate which is the path to destruction (Matthew 7:13)! 

Let's be willing to uphold Biblical truth even to the point of ridicule, and persecution by all. This position will distinguish between those who are true soldiers in the Lord's army and those who are not.

Remember, we are in a truth war. It ain't for the faint of heart!

Will everyone that has ever lived be Resurrected?

In Daniel 12:1-2 we read this, “At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt.”

So, what does all of this mean? Daniel receives visions and records what is going to happen to his people in the future, the nation Israel. Michael is the archangel who watches over the nation. In the latter days, Israel will experience the worst time in its history. As a matter of fact, it will be the worst time in human history because the Lord will unleash His wrath upon mankind for their rebellion. Sin has a payday - death (Romans 6:23).  In verse two Daniel says that many of those who are in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt.

Jesus mentions this same reality in John 5:28-29, “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear his voice and come forth - those that do good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.”

What Jesus and Daniel have declared is that there will be a resurrection of the just and the unjust; a raising of the righteous and the wicked. What are they being raised for? For reward and judgment respectively.

During the end times, when the seven year tribulation period has ended, there will be two resurrections; one at the Millennium, and one after the Millennium. The Millennium occurs after the second coming of Christ (Revelation 19:11-21).  Revelation chapter 20 talks about a thousand years of global peace where the devil will be chained and thrown into the abyss or bottomless pit (Revelation 20:3).  Also in the same chapter, it talks about those who remained faithful to death in that they did not accept the mark of the beast and were beheaded.  These were resurrected and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection (vs 4b). 

Let’s review: During the end times, there is great tribulation on the earth. As I mentioned earlier it will be the worst time the world will ever know. The devil, the antichrist (also known as the Beast, the man of sin and the lawless one) and lastly the false prophet will form an alliance, an unholy trinity. The world will worship them. The beast will have a mark that he will force all those on the earth to receive either on the right hand or on their foreheads. Those who do not will be put to death by beheading. These are the faithful that we call tribulation saints. Many Christians believe the church has been raptured to heaven during this time (pre-tribulationists). 

What I wrote in the last paragraph can be found in Revelation 13.

Now after the thousand years are completed, the devil is released from his imprisonment. In one last-ditch effort, he deceives and gathers all the enemies of God (called Gog and Magog) to converge and destroy Israel. Scripture says fire will come down from heaven and destroy them. The devil will be cast into the lake of fire where the beast and false prophet are. This act will end the reign of global terror by the devil forever (Revelation 20: 7-10).

The Great White Throne Judgment

All those who were not resurrected during the Millennium will be raised during this time. All the wicked dead from all time will be raised from the dead to face judgment for everything they have ever done while they were on the earth. This group includes all the OT enemies of God like Pharoah of Egypt during the time of Moses, and Adolph Hitler of Nazi Germany and even those who live and die during the Tribulation and Millennium period. The Bible tells us the books will be opened. These books are records of the deeds of those who have rebelled against the Lord their whole life long. In other words, they will be facing Jesus Christ as their judge, not their Savior for their wretched life. They will know why they are guilty. Understand, prior to these countless lives facing eternal judgment, they were in hell when they died physically. Their ultimate destination is the lake of fire that death and hell will be thrown into (Revelation 20:14).  Just as the redeemed will live eternally with the Lord, the holy angels, and all the saints, the unredeemed will live eternally without the Lord, with the devil, his angels, the beast and the false prophet. The saints are given new resurrection immortal bodies fit for heaven and eternity whereas non-believers are given bodies fit for eternal hell. No one ever goes out of existence. Believers receive everlasting rest. Non-believers receive everlasting torment because their names are not found in the book of life (Revelation 20:11-15).

The Bible refers to this as the second death. You can also call it eternal death.

So, all who die will be resurrected; either to be rewarded or be punished. Keep in mind that many will never die but will be changed and given immortal bodies when Christ comes for His church but that is for perhaps another article (1 Thess 4:13-18; 1 Cor 15:51-58). 

Lord I Believe Help My Unbelief!

There was a man who had a demon possessed son. He brought him to the disciples who could not cast the demon out. Jesus frustrated with His disciples lack of faith asked the father how long his son had been in that condition. The father replied that his son has been this way since childhood. The father requested that if Jesus could do anything, have pity on them and help the boy (Mark 9:23).

This father is completely desperate and has nowhere else to turn but to Jesus. Jesus said to him, all things are possible to them that believe. To me, the following reply by the father is one of the most honest and prolific statements in all the Bible, "Lord I believe; help my unbelief" (Mark 9:24)!

No doubt that man's faith was emboldened when he saw the demon cast out of his son. The man received two things he asked for; for his faith to be strengthed by Jesus which the Lord did when
He cast the demon out of his son. Jesus gave the man a two for one deal.

Sweet.

For those of us who are children of God, we have experienced doubt in the promises of God. Our faith sometimes gets weak like this man. We want to believe, but oftentimes we allow our trials to overshadow our trust in the Lord to deliver us or to make His strength perfect in our weakness in the trial. I do not know if this man is in heaven, but if he is I would love to shake his hand when I get there. Why? 1) He went to the person who he knew could help. 2) Because of his love for his son and the agony of his son's demon possession he pleaded for mercy to Jesus to help him. 3) The father knew that his faith was not strong and was willing to admit it - he had doubt in the power of God.  As a result, Jesus being the merciful God-Man that He is cast the demon out of his son (Mark 9:25). 

Now let us switch reels. I likened the above account to a parable. Everyone is in need of deliverance from the Lord. The world needs salvation. There is only one person who can deliver your soul. Just like there was only one person who could deliver that demon possessed boy, the Lord Jesus Christ. When you have a person who has complete authority of the natural world by healing the sick, and the supernatural world by casting out demons, you're dealing with someone who is omnipotent.

So, just like this man who was completely hopeless before meeting Jesus, all the world is hopeless and like that demon possessed boy until they encounter the Lord, plead for mercy for Him to save them when they believe on His name. For anyone that is sincere about their repentance, God will give them faith to believe in Him and receive eternal deliverance in salvation.

God loves the Sinner but hates the Sin right?

Is this a true or "churchy" statement? it may surprise many that the Bible never makes the above statement. We in the church have popularized it. Does the word of God even imply the statement is true? Let's examine the word to find out.

Psalm 5:5 says the Lord hates the workers of iniquity. Psalm 11:5 says the wicked and the one who loves violence His (the Lord) soul hates. The word wicked in Hebrew means someone who is intent on breaking God's law, His rules. They do not want to stop sinning. For them sinning is insatiable. We would call someone like that a menace to society. This is the type of person that God hates. Please hear me clearly as I write, God not only hates the sin, He hates the person who commits sin without remorse.

Why?

Because God cannot punish sin without punishing the sinner right? It would be just as illogical to say an oncologist will treat cancer but not treat the cancer patient. By getting rid of the cancer, they cure the patient of the disease.

How God's love rescues us from sin's penalty

It is because of the Father's love and hatred of our sins that the Father sent the Lord Jesus to die and take away our sins (John 3:16; Rom 4:25; 1John 2:2;4:10). As we all know, our sins were not crucified, Jesus was crucified as if He was an actual sinner bearing our sins and suffering our penalty which was death (II Corinthians 5:21). Do we see how deplorable it is for someone who knows the most extreme lengths of God's love for them through the death of Christ to despise that love and to persist in rebellion against God? God has every right to hate that person. Here is the wonderful thing though - God's arms are still open wide to receive recalcitrant sinners to repent and believe the gospel. But time is of the essence. God will not be patient forever.

What about Christians who sin?

The difference between a believer and a non-believer is that our sins have been removed from us forever when we trusted Christ for the forgiveness of our sins and the justification of our souls. We are no longer in sin, we are now in Christ. He is our blessed refuge and hope. He earned salvation for us so sin's penalty has been removed forever because we acknowledge our need for Jesus Christ, the only Savior of the world. God no longer hates us when we sin. But we must be quick to confess and forsake it to God so that we do not break sweet fellowship with the Lord (1 John 1:9).

For the unrepentant sinner, their sins have not been forgiven because they refuse to confess them and trust Jesus for the forgiveness and removal of them. Their sin remains (John 9:41). What is the tragic result of their sinful condition? God is angry with the wicked every day (Psalm 7:11).

Rounding The Bases

For those who believe that God is a God of love only, what I have written is a shocking revelation to you. God is the only being who loves and hates perfectly.  What is perfect hatred? It is hatred without malice or evil. We can't relate because we can neither love nor hate perfectly.

God does indeed love sinners and hates all sin. Notice I did not say God loves all sinners. God hates the wicked. I know that type of thinking runs antithetical to what we have been taught to believe.

It is most important we know and understand this characteristic of God so that we have a greater reverence for Him. The greater our knowledge of how the Almighty's pedigree is, the deeper we can go in our relationship with Him. Every child wants to have an intimate relationship with their father. How much more should we desire a deep relationship with our Heavenly Father?

So, let us spend the rest of our natural lives loving what God loves and hating what He hates.

What is Biblical Hope?

A common definition of hope is a wish. Someone has received some news like a potential job offer, a raise on a current job. News about a health prognosis. The outcome is not certain and unforeseen so usually, there is tremendous anxiety. Why? Because we do not know the outcome in advance. Many believe thinking positive can sway the outcome, but that does not work. I do not mean to sound negative, but our thoughts do not have any mental-bending-telepathic powers to determine the outcome of things. Putting "positive energy" in the universe is nothing more than New Age Mysticism. Oftentimes our hope is disappointed in this life - we do not get that job we wanted. Sometimes a person's surgery or therapy does not improve their health and their situation becomes terminal; they are going to die. 

Ordinary hope is never a guarantee because it is based on those who do not always keep their word.  Sometimes things do go our way. What we hoped (wished) for does comes to pass and we are elated. Ordinary hope realized is not everlasting though. Death will end all earthly hope. If one's hope is not in the Lord Jesus Christ, then you are in a hopeless state and most miserable (1 Corinthians 15:19).

How does the Bible define hope? The Greek word is elpis. It means a favorable and earnest expectation. This hope is based on the promises of God to us. This hope is not something we wish to happen. This hope is a surety to happen although it is in the future and not seen physically. We as believers can clearly see the hope that is in Christ through the revelation of scripture. 

One of the things that we hope and trust is the second coming of Christ. Titus 2:13 refers to that event as the blessed hope. Once again, we are hoping in something that is guaranteed to happen. We have to hope in that reality because it has not happened yet. Once it is actual, we obviously do not need to hope for what we can see.

Romans 5:5 says hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. What makes Biblical hope so wonderful is where it is based; the rock solid truth of God's word. That is why we can rejoice in this hope and why it will never disappoint us (Romans 5:2).

The stark difference between worldly hope and Biblical hope is simple, worldly hope will end in failure and disappointment because it cannot bring lasting joy. God's hope, on the other hand, will last forever because it is guaranteed by God Almighty and nothing in heaven, on earth or anything under the earth can stop God's love for us that promises and assures our hope.