The Appearance of Salvation

"For the saving GRACE of God made its appearance to all humanity..." (Titus 2:11 CLNT)

The "saving GRACE" of God is for ALL. It is NOT offered to mankind but has "appeared to all humanity" as a free gift.  And because it is freely given by GRACE, none of us sinners have any say in the matter...

"...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." (Romans 3:23-24)

You will not find this truth in a church but you do find it in the Bible, and when you find it, and believe it, you start "training" to become a better person...

"For the saving GRACE of God made its appearance to all humanity, training us that, disowning irreverence and worldly desires, we should be living sanely and justly and devoutly in the current eon..." (Titus 2:11-12 CLNT)

The knowledge and faith that we are saved as a free gift of God's grace will change our attitude toward God to one of sanity and will allow us to be grateful to God while joyfully looking forward the return of Jesus, "our blessed hope"...

"...looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession...We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world." (Titus 2:11-14 NASB; John 4:44 NASB)

The gospel message I grew up hearing is flawed in that it requires people to accept the offer of salvation and thus save themselves through works, or faith, or a combination of both. 

Mankind's only hope lies in God's GRACE to save the world for free, and He sent Jesus to show us how He intends to do so.  When we believe this good news, that knowledge enables us to live righteously in this present age in peace and joy, optimistic about the future Victory, rather than in fear of future doom...

“As in Adam all die, even so in Christ, all shall be made alive…death is swallowed up in Victory!..He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (1 Corinthians 15:22, 55; 2 Corinthians 5:21)

Fire Is A Good Thing

"...Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven...removing those things that are shaken...that those things which cannot be shaken may remain...for our God is a consuming fire". (Hebrews 12:27-29)

Is FIRE good or bad? 

Well, it depends on whether your perspective is short term or long term. In the short term fire can be an awfully destructive power, but in the process it purifies its object or victim.  God is a "consuming fire" that will purify his creation. The "lake of fire" is part of that process.

"...And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire...where the beast and the false prophet are... And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire...And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:6-15)

The "lake of fire" consumes the "devil" (slanderer), and the "beast and false prophet" (adversaries of God). It will also consume "death and hell" (the enemies of mankind). And any "not found in the book of life" will be consumed as well (consumed by the fire, not eternally tortured).  But even they will eventually be "made alive" when “death is abolished”.

"As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive...(when) death is abolished...that God may be all in ALL" (1 Corinthians 15:22-58) 

All will then be "reconciled" to God...

"...and through him (Jesus) to reconcile to himself ALL THINGS, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” (Colossians 1:20)

Fire is good according to God...it is false religious doctrine that makes it eternally bad.

The World Series starts today and this came to my mind.

"...upon this rock I will build MY church and the gates of Hell will not overcome it.” (Matthew 16:18)

From the cross Jesus prayed "Father forgive them” and uttered his final words “it is finished” and then Jesus dismissed his spirit, died and was laid in the tomb.

It was the bottom of the ninth with two outs in the game of life. The destiny of ALL mankind was at stake. Day one passed, strike one. Day two passed, strike two. The final pitch was made at sundown on Day three and then it happened….Jesus hit it out of the park, a walk off homer that sealed the Victory for mankind.

“Behold, I tell you a mystery…when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory. “O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:51-57)

The Greek word for church is “ecclesia” and means “out-called”. Contrary to popular opinion it is not the Holy Roman Catholic Church or the Protestant Church, or any other organized entity created by the will of men. It is the Body of Christ, composed of all who, like Jesus, will be “called-out” of death, changed from flesh to spirit, and into abundant immortal life, just as Jesus who was the "first fruits."

“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…The first MAN, Adam, became a living soul. The last Adam became a LIFE-GIVING SPIRIT. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven. As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly." (1 Corinthians 15:20-49)

The World Series or the National Championship just doesn’t seem that important to me anymore…all of us win in the end!