When did Jesus Save the World?

"God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:24)

Jesus said this to a Samaritan women at Jacob's well. From that conversation she came to believe that Jesus was the Messiah and went into town to tell her friends. Some of those friends came to the well to visit with Jesus over a two day period and concluded:

"...we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world.” (John 4:42)

What did they mean by "Savior of the world"?

It has been almost 2,000 years and the world is not saved any more than it was at that time. Therefore it must be saved in the future or Jesus is not the Savior of the world.

What does all humanity have in common?  They all die.

The wages of sin is still "death" no matter how many religious organizations you join or how many times you tell people to "repent or perish".

"For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God...The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 3:23; 6:23) 

No one has ever prevented their death by "repenting of their sins" or "confessing with their mouth that Jesus as Lord" or "believing in their heart that Jesus is Lord". These acts, if you really know who Jesus is, are simply expressions of one's faith that Jesus is in fact "the Savior of the World". 

So when will Jesus "save" the world?

The bible teaches that it is when humanity has been resurrected from the dead. And it is in that "truth" that we "MUST" worship. All other worship is just the vain babbling of religious men.

Humanity can worship in this truth now, but it cannot "worship in spirit" until after all the dead have been resurrected into a immortal spiritual body.

"For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.... But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam ALL die, so also in Christ ALL will be made alive....so that God may be ALL in ALL....But someone will say How are the dead raised? and with what kind of body do they come?....It is sown a natural body, it is raised a SPIRITUAL body....Just as we have borne the image of the earthly, we will also bear the image of the heavenly." (1 Corinthians 15:16-49)

Only after ALL have died and ALL have been resurrected from death to immortality will humanity be able to worship God both "in spirit and truth".

Then every knee will have bowed and every tongue will have confessed that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

“For it is written, as I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God….of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. " (Romans 14:11; Philippians 2:10-11)

Then humanity will all know that "this One is indeed the Savior of the world".

DearGod

Dear God:

It’s me again. I finally retired from my job and have had more time to study the Bible. Read it through several times and wrote down what I think you’re telling me for my family and the few friends I have left. It is really good news for humanity! Thanks for letting me know about it. That something in me I asked you to strengthen seems to be working out. The Bible calls it your Spirit and just wanted you to know how much it helps me.

But it seems a lot of folks don’t like it. Especially the Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and most Christians. But I wanted you to know I believe you anyway. Here is a copy of what your Spirit says to me. Again, thanks.

Jrwlbook.blogspot.com

P.S. Let me know if I missed something.

I love you a lot,

Robert

First Class Ticket - What's it Worth?

Of what value was a first-class ticket on the Titanic?

Such is how I feel about life on this planet in general. It really doesn’t matter whether you go economy or first class. It is good to work to go first class if you can but remember that the trip through this world ends in tragedy for all – and a new life for all in Christ Jesus.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

Eternal life beyond the Titanic is what we can be assured of because God loves humanity – even liberal, Trump hating Democrats – and all of us will be changed at the mysterious last "trump" (pun intended).

“Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So, when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 15:50-58)

The “work of the Lord” was His giving Himself as a ransom for all. His death on the cross will save humanity – all of them.

“This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all mankind to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all…” (1 Timothy 2:3-6)

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

We will abound in HIS work as we foolishly labor to go first class on the Titanic.

April 25th - We're Going To Be Like Him

”...God is love.” (1 John 4:8)

Love is His essence. His attributes are justice, power and wisdom. His essence is absolute, his attributes are relative. 

God was just to make the penalty for sin death.  God was also just when he "justified" the unjust through Christ "by his blood"; and, promised the "resurrection" of the dead. His essence would not be love if He did not use His attribute of omniscient power to save and change all of His erring children.

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!” (Romans 5:8-9)

“For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive…Listen, I tell you a mystery: we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: Death has been swallowed up in victory.” (1 Corinthians 15:20-54)

I have chosen to believe the Bible which states that GOD IS LOVE! We are all children of God and will have to wait for the resurrection to be like Him, but humanity is assured that it will happen…

“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2)

Alexander the Coppersmith

"Alexander the coppersmith displayed to me much evil: the Lord will be paying him in accord with his acts --whom you also guard against, for very much has he withstood words of ours. At my first defense no one came along with me, but all forsook me. May it not be reckoned against them!. Yet the Lord stood beside me, and He invigorates me, that through me the heralding may be fully discharged, and all the nations should hear; and I am rescued out of the mouth of the lion. The Lord will be rescuing me from every wicked work and will be saving me for His celestial kingdom: to Whom be glory for the eons of the eons. Amen!" (2 Timothy 4:14-18)

Alexander the Coppersmith was most likely a witness for the prosecutor, and in his testimony brought "evil" accusations against Paul before the Roman tribunal.

Paul had to testify for himself and had no friends there to testify on his behalf. Alexander was being used as a witness to impeach the character of Paul, and was lying about him to do so.

But the Lord was on Paul's side, and Paul used it as an opportunity to share the evangel, which is really good news even for the Roman judge. Paul most likely told the judge what he told everybody about God...

"Faithful is the saying and worthy of all welcome (for for this are we toiling and being reproached), that we rely on the living God, Who is the Saviour of all mankind, especially of believers. These things be charging and teaching." (1 Timothy 4:9-11)

Paul was "being reproached" by Alexander, and warned Timothy to guard himself against such men. Nevertheless, the Lord would stand with them and their message of grace - so, whether convicted and thrown into to lion's den, or found not guilty and released, the Lord will be saving them for the "celestial kingdom" and will be with them for the "eons of the eons". 

As for Alexander, well, he misses out on the kingdom, and has to wait for his salvation until the end of those eons.

High Five!😇

Fear or Love

”He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure.” (Isaiah 33:6)

I found the phrase “fear of the Lord” 22 times in the New International Version of the Bible. Humanity is admonished to fear the Lord as a conscious CHOICE. That choice to fear the Lord is the key to the treasure of finding a sure foundation for loving God and our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus.

But God does not GIVE us a "spirit of fear".

“God hath not given us the spirit of fear...” (II Timothy 1:7).

The choice to fear the Lord is the BEGINNING, not the end, of wisdom. It starts us on our journey to find that sin has been atoned for as the result of God's love and faithfulness.

”Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the LORD a man avoids evil.” (Proverbs 16:6)

Unfortunately, the fear of God is where most Jews and Christians remain. But we are not to continue to fear God. We are to move on to the understanding that "God is love" - perfect love that sets us free from the bondage of fear.

 “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love." (1 John 4:16)

The perfect love of God "keeps no record of wrongs", and the love of God "never fails".

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

That is the GRACE of God in action! In His grace, God gives us a "spirit of power, and of love, and a sound mind".

“God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (II Timothy 1:7).

"This is how we know that we live in him and He in us: He has given us of his spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world..." (I John 4:14).

When we gain the wisdom that God is not just the Savior of some, but is the Savior of the whole world through Jesus, the love of God lives in us - driving out fear.

"If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment.  There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because HE FIRST loved us." (1 John 4:13-19)

Love and fear are not intended to occupy the same ground. There may be some of one and some of the other; but the more we fear "punishment", the less we know about the love of God. But when we grasp the love of God in saving the world, that "perfect love drives out fear".

It may be a fearful thing to fall into the hands of an angry God, but it is glorious thing to realize His anger lasts "only a moment" - while His love lasts forever.

"For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning." (Proverbs 30:5)