What God Sees

"God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them...He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:19-21)

What does God see when He looks at people of the world?

I think that from the time Jesus "humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death" on the "cross", God no longer focuses on the sin of mankind.  God is not confined to time.  He sees mankind in its finished product as if it has already been manifested.  What He sees is the inevitable result of "Christ reconciling the world".  He looks at mankind and sees "every knee" bowing and "every tongue" confessing "Jesus Christ is Lord".

"And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:8-11)

Old Wives' Myths

“Neither give heed to myths…” (I Timothy 1:4).

“Refuse profane and old wives' myths…” (I Timothy 4:7).

“They shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto myths” (II Timothy 4:4).

“Not giving heed to Jewish myths, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth” (Titus 1:14).

Paul was warning about this over 1900 years ago. It makes good common sense for us to think about the "myths", "old wives’ myths" and "commandments of men" which get embedded in church doctrine from time to time and return to the truth if we have been "turned" to these "myths".  

"It is a trustworthy saying, deserving full acceptation, and it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers, Prescribe and teach these things." (1 Timothy 4:9-11)

So Go Ahead

“...So go ahead. Eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God approves of this! Wear fine clothes, with a splash of cologne! Live happily with the woman you love through all the meaningless days of life that God has given you under the sun. The wife God gives you is your reward for all your earthly toil. Whatever you do, do well. For when you go to the grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.”
(Ecclesiastes 9:5-10)

Do you get it? Let's review...

1. “Eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God approves of this!”
2. “Wear fine clothes, with a splash of cologne!”
3.  “Live happily with the woman you love...”
4.  “The wife God gives you is your reward for all your earthly toil.”
5. “Whatever you do, do well.”

I Got it...Especially the part about Sue Ann!

Speak To The People

“But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said, Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.” (Acts 5:19-20)

What are the “words of this life” that they were instructed to speak to the people?

“…they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead.” (Acts 4:2)

The “words of this life” – the gospel – is our resurrection from death through Jesus. Paul speaks of it as if it has already occurred…

“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world …deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that IN THE COMING AGES he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:1-8)

Speaking of something to happen in the future as if it has already occurred is a literary way of proclaiming the certainty of a promise from God. Obviously we are not at this time resurrected from death, because we all have to die first. And we are not now raised up and seated beside Christ Jesus in the heavenly realms…but it is so certain that Paul speaks of it as if it has already occurred and declares that it is this new covenant promise of our resurrection from death that we are to be ministering to people…

“He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life…For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive…so will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable…it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So it is written: The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual.” (2 Corinthians 3:6; 1 Corinthians 15:22-46)