Random Thoughts on the Really Good News

"At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me …” (II Timothy 4:16). Paul was on trial for sharing the message given him by Jesus which was unpopular with the establishment.  At his trial he had no one to stand with him before the Roman court. Even though alone, he didn't complain because... "Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me …" (II Timothy 4:17). The Lord is all he needed. Earlier in this letter to Timothy he had lamented... "… All they who are in Asia are turned away from me…only Luke is with me …" (II Timothy 1:15). Paul was willing to walk alone for the sake of the truth. He did not walk away from the message that Jesus had commissioned him to share with mankind, even when it meant losing his religious status with lifelong friends... "For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ" (Philippians 3:8) And what was the message that had...

" ...you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die...the  wages of sin is death..."   (Genesis 2:17; Romans 6:23a) Good old Grandpa Adam and Grandma Eve believed a lie....and it was Satan who told the lie.   Once we start believing that a lie is the truth, it is almost impossible to convince us otherwise...Christians included. And of course the whole purpose of lies is to hide the truth, right. Sooo....What was that first lie? "...you surely will not die...but when you eat...you will be like God." (Genesis 3:4) I was taught in Church that Christians go immediately to Heaven when they die. But after I began to seriously study the Scripture, I found that I was believing and teaching something that was not true...a lie. The truth about when we get to heaven comes from Scripture, such as the following.  Note the "will be" , the "after that" and the "at his coming" : ...

“For us, who love God, who are the called according to His purpose, there is an awareness that He is working all together for good” (Romans 8:28). God is working ALL together for the good of all. This truth is so refreshing to me in a world of religious, political and journalistic fabricators. Truth has become what they perceive it to be, or would like it to be.  But when people discover an absolute truth about God, they will find that it is always working things out for the good of mankind, all of them.  Yet it is my experience that only those who love God have the “awareness” that God is working “all together for good”  in this world.  All who have lived on this planet - even the religious, political and journalistic fabricators among us - will discover the truth that they have been saved by the grace of God. “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners…this is good and acceptable in the sigh...

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth....The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen." (Genesis1:1 - Revelation 22:21) I enjoy reading the Bible and meditating on what it says. I cannot tell you why but it has been my passion for more than 40 years. It is is the most controversial and talked about book in the world.  Millions of people meet each week all over the world claiming to follow its teachings yet never seem to come to a consensus of what that teaching is. As much as I enjoy it, it has been time consuming for me to distinguish between what it actually says and what the church proclaims it to say.  And after all those years of study it is clear to me that the above verses, representing the first and last verses of the Bible, is what I want my grand kids to know for sure. 1.  God is the creator of all things 2.  The Grace of Jesus, the Son of God, is with all mankind. I do not want my grand kids to get their understanding of God and...

“For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice. Pilate said to Him, What is truth?” (John 18:37-38) Error does not become the truth just because it is taught by a Rabbi, Pastor, or Ulama. It is simply educated error. Nor does error become truth because it is the traditional teaching in the Synagogue, Church or Mosque. Many times truth becomes much more difficult to find because of the respect the common man gives to the doctrinal errors of educated religious teachers. So what is the truth as I understand it? "Come now, and let us reason together, says the LORD, Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool…The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!…Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life…” (Isaiah 1:18; John 1:29; John 14:6...

"Fear is not in the habit of speaking truth.” Tacitus It appears to me that fearing God is not bad...it has its place in the quest for the truth about God. In fact it is the beginning of this wisdom... "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Proverbs 9:10) However, when fear enslaves us, we never move on to seek the truth and find the liberty that comes when we find the truth. Thomas Paine once said... "The slavery of fear had made men afraid to think. But such is the irresistible nature of truth, that all it asks, and all it wants, is the liberty of appearing.” Rights of Man, 1791 When men think and reason about God....and discover the truth...their fear of God 's wrath becomes love for God's Grace....but few seem to find it...that is sad to me. "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. (1 John 4:18) "..the truth will make y...

"And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” (Acts 20:32) What does “the word of His grace” mean and what is this word? The Greek for “word” is “logo” and simply means that which is communicated to mankind by God. And what is that? His GRACE…unmerited favor among those who are sanctified.  Mankind is sanctified (deemed Holy by God) through the truth of His Word (what He has communicated to us)… “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.” (John 17:17-18) Christ Jesus came to save the world. He consecrated himself for that purpose and through his shed blood he succeeded. “…all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness… But he has appeared once FOR ...

“Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions...For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God...each one of us will give an account of himself to God.” (Romans 14:1-2) I have actually heard Christians say that if we are saved we will go directly to heaven and we will not have to give an account for our opinions or anything else. Most Christians apparently believe this.  Of course in saying that they have denied the above clear teaching in the Word of God, and they will, nonetheless, "give an account" to God for that opinion, among other things…assuming the Bible is true. But as hard as it is for me, I am not to pass judgment on their opinions for it is at the judgment seat of God that opinions will be judged. I am OK and care deeply about being judged BY GOD for those opinions that I have as a result of my personal study of the Bible. And I am in the process of ridding myself of any opinions which I borrowed f...

Again, the truth is the truth whether people (including Jews and Christians) believe it or not! “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, CONDEMNED SIN in the flesh” (Romans 8:3) What did Paul mean when he said Jesus “condemned sin”? In what respect is “sin” condemned by Christ? The obvious truth is hidden from most Jews and Christians because they do not believe the truth that sin…all sin…everyone’s sin…was atoned for on the cross. They only apply it to those who join their various groups by doing those things their groups require. But that is not what God says. Sin condemned mankind to its "wages" …which is "DEATH" . (Romans 6:23) Christ “condemned SIN”  and "death" to be swallowed up in Victory at the resurrection. God in his Son “condemned sin” to being temporary…to bring death only in this life. Although every person will die because of sin, it...

The truth is the truth whether people (including Jews and Christians) believe it or not. “O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his MERCY endures forever” (Psalm 118:29 KJV) “For by GRACE are you saved…” (Ephesians 2:8 KJV) GRACE and MERCY…the flip sides of God’s coin of Love. MERCY is God’s not giving to mankind the judgment they DO deserve….extermination in death. GRACE is God’s giving mankind what they DO NOT deserve….the free gift of resurrection from death to immortal life. This is the coin that God flips to determine our eternal destiny…either way it turns up WE WIN! “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.” (1 Corinthians 15:54) That is the TRUTH from the BIBLE and yet not one institutional Church or Synagogue that I am aware of will teach it.