Did He Die In Vain?

"I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain" (Galatians 2:21).

Those who grew up in church should ponder the above. Every church I know of, including the one I grew up in, teaches that salvation is being offered men, but that the offer must be accepted and received by faith in this life. The minimum requirement in my church is to “believe and accept” the gospel. The most legalistic of the churches teach one must repent, be baptized in water and join the church. Some even go so far as teaching that you can lose this salvation if you fall into sin later.

But however minimal the requirement...such teaching implies that Christ died in vain. Salvation is a free gift by the Grace of God, not by works.

“…for the free gift of God is eternal life…For by grace are you saved…for the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men….” (Romans 6:23b; Ephesians 2:8; Titus 2:11-13)

God has guaranteed the salvation and reconciliation of "ALL people". That is trustworthy and should be accepted and taught...

“This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe. Command and teach these things.” (1 Timothy 4:9-11)

I have had only 2 persons, friends or foes, come to me IN PERSON to object to my telling them that the Bible teaches salvation of all people. One said that he could not agree with me because it went against everything he had been taught in church, but that he would study the Bible until he could tell me why. About one year later he simply said. “I have finished my study...and you are right.” The other just says it makes common sense that an omnipotent God whose nature is Love would find a way to save everyone he created, and that it had always bothered him that God would torture some people in hell forever.

"...there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all..." (1 Timothy 2:5-6)

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)

Holy Spirit - The Power of God's Love

"If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.  But this He spoke concerning the SPIRIT.”  (John 7:37-39)

God is love. We will become the image of God.  The power of love will flow as rivers of living water from us after this fleshly body is destroyed and we have been resurrected a “Spiritual body”…

”So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in POWER; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a SPIRITUAL body.” (1 Corinthians 15:42-44) 

The Holy Spirit is the POWER of God, and love is the most powerful attribute of our omnipotent God. Love is the flowing river of living water now pouring from Calvary. It flows unquenched out of the heart of God through his Son Jesus.  

Frederick Lehman grasped this Love in his great hymn…

The love of God is greater far

Than tongue or pen can ever tell;

It goes beyond the highest star,

And reaches to the lowest hell;

The guilty pair, bowed down with care,

God gave His Son to win;

His erring child He reconciled,

And pardoned from his sin.

When years of time shall pass away,

And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,

When men, who here refuse to pray,

On rocks and hills and mountains call,

God’s love so sure, shall still endure,

All measureless and strong;

Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—

The saints’ and angels’ song.

Could we with ink the ocean fill,

And were the skies of parchment made,

Were every stalk on earth a quill,

And every man a scribe by trade,

To write the love of God above,

Would drain the ocean dry.

Nor could the scroll contain the whole,

Though stretched from sky to sky.

O love of God, how rich and pure!

How measureless and strong!

It shall forevermore endure

The saints’ and angels’ song. 

Turn Them Off

"Behold, I am against those who have prophesied false dreams, declares the LORD, and related them and led My people astray by their falsehoods and reckless boasting; yet I did not send them or command them, nor do they furnish this people the slightest benefit, declares the LORD.” (Jeremiah 23:32)

It is hard to distinguish between what God has actually said from what men say that God says. Both can come from the pulpit of a well meaning and respected preacher.  Following is  an example...

“Adam sinned and immediately died spiritually. Eventually, he died physically” 

The verse of Scripture he was commenting on was…

“For the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23)

Do you see the word “spiritually” in that verse? 

There is no such thing as “spiritual death” to be found in the Scripture. You are either dead physically or you are alive because you still have spirit (breath-power) in you. If you do not have “spirit”, you are not alive…you are in the grave just like King David.

“Then David rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David…Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.” (1 Kings 2:10; Acts 2:29)

David will not be spiritually alive until the return of Jesus to resurrect him. The same is true of all others…

“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14:3)

When someone says he has a word from God turn them off if he is not reading from the Bible.

A Prayer Of Faith

"I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for ALL people. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants ALL people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for ALL people...." (1 Timothy 2:1-7)

Paul instructs us to pray for "all people" because God wants "all mankind to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth".

I have heard the phrase "prayer of faith" all my life. But what is that prayer? 

It is asking God for what He wants - not what we want.  If we pray for what God wants we can rest assured that it will be answered for God gets what He wants!

Unanswered prayer is simply not what God wants at the time. There is nothing wrong with praying for your wants and those of others. It gives us peace to place our wants in the hands of our Father. We are encouraged to do so by Paul.

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7)

But praying for our wants is not a "prayer of faith”.  That only comes when one is "enlightened" with "the spirit of wisdom and revelation" as God reveals to us in His word what He wants.

"Making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him... I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened..." (Ephesians 1:16-18)

God "wants all people to be saved" and asking for that is the prayer of faith that will be answered.  

All other prayer is just asking our Father for stuff we want, like all kids do.

We are to bring It...not offer it!

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God, bringing salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” (Romans 1:16)

"bringing salvation to everyone who believes". What does that mean?

Let me illustrate it this way.  If a benefactor gave me a new car it would be good news.  But that good news would only have power if someone brought it to me and I believed it was mine.  The title was transferred to me as a free gift from my benefactor. It is mine whether I accept it, believe it, or even know about it.

Salvation is a free gift from God. It was given to me, and all others, by the "grace of God".  It is ours right now.  We did not earn it and we cannot lose it.  This good news (gospel) is the power that brings salvation to us...the knowledge of that salvation.  And when we believe we have peace and joy.  

The bad news of sin brings shame and death to us all, but the good news of the grace of God brings salvation to "all people".

”For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord…the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people…we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people…teach these things and encourage the believers…” (Romans 6:23; Titus 2:8-15)

Bring it!

What Is Your God's Batting Average?

”Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners..." (1 Timothy 1:15)

When I was a kid playing peewee baseball I read a book entitled "The Kid Who Batted 1000".  I loved that book but of course batting 1000 over a baseball career is impossible.

So how about God?  In the game of salvation, what will be God's career batting average?

"...John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world...he is the atoning sacrifice for our sin, and not only for ours, but also for the sins of the whole world...we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world." (John 1:29; 1 John 2:2; 4:14)

I heard an evangelist say that about 10% of mankind will make it to heaven while the other 90% will be eternally separated from God...or worse. His god has a poor batting average and will not make the big leagues.

God, the real one, informed John and Paul of His success rate in the game of salvation...

"God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him..For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all will be made alive... so that God may be ALL IN ALL..we have set our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe.  Command and teach these things." (John3:17; 1Corinthians 15:22, 28; 1 Timothy 4:10-11)

God sent Jesus to "take away the sin of the world" by becoming "the atoning sacrifice...for the sin of the whole world".  Therefore he is "the Savior of the world" and "those who believe...teach these things".  

For a religious institution, a 1000 batting average is impossible...and so they settle for 1 hit out of 10.  But not God, He goes 10 for 10...every time.

"Who then can be saved? Jesus looked at them and said, With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” (Luke 18:26)

He's Been Set Free

“…those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint…It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Isaiah 40:31; Galatians 5:1)

Until last Saturday, I had not had to deal with the death of a sibling. Now I have…my oldest brother Dee has been set free. Pondering our relationship over the years there are some regrets for not spending more time with him, but I keep coming back to the last conversation we had on the phone the day before. We planned on spending the next day together and the last words exchanged between us was just what he knew I needed to hear and what he wanted to hear back from me…

Dee: “See you tomorrow, love you”

Me: “Look forward to it, love you too big brother”

Regrets are real, but love covers a multitude of sins.  Dee and I will still see each other tomorrow, that was our mutual faith and hope. And we both knew Yogi was right when he quipped “it ain’t over ‘til it’s over”.

Amazing grace
How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I’m found
Was blind, but now I see

My chains are gone
I’ve been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy reigns
Unending love, amazing grace

See you soon big brother when we rise together to soar “like eagles” and meet "the Lord in the air"...

“We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18)

We Don't Really Know Him Yet

“I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.” (Philippians 3:10-11)

Some have made this verse something to be attained in this life. But to me it is just a simple statement of our “hope” for the next. Like Paul

“I want to know Christ…” – I will really know Jesus only when I meet him face to face in...

“…the power of his resurrection…” – Just as Jesus experienced the power of the resurrection, so too I am to be resurrected, and will see Jesus face to face having experienced...

“…the participation in his sufferings…” – This participation of his sufferings occurs when I die and have become...

“…like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.”

Only then, after my death and resurrection, will I really “know him”.

As for the present, well...

“For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known…” having faith that “...those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint….” (1 Corinthians 13:9-12; Isaiah 40:31)

Cremation Is OK

I have a friend who asked if cremation was biblical. There is no law in the bible on how we must dispose of a dead body.  However, a dead body is clearly something that was to be quickly dealt with. Even touching it made the Jew unclean…obviously for sanitary reasons.

Jewish rabbis and Christian theologians have argued about cremation for centuries…that is what they are paid to do.  But if one would just use common sense we would all reach the same conclusion. It is OK with God.

Early in Genesis, when the dying process was pronounced upon mankind, God said…

“By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return." (Genesis 3:19)

God does not care how that is accomplished, in my opinion, but eventually the body must “return” to dust. And that is where common sense comes in, which sometimes is the opposite of religious teaching and ritual. 

What is the fastest way to get a dead body back to dust (ashes)?  Yep, cremation.  And for that matter, putting a dead body in a coffin to protect it from returning to the ground from which it was "taken" slows the process of God’s intent. 

So, for me, I have instructed my wife and kids to have me cremated and put my ashes back into the "ground" as soon as possible to complete the will of God and save them some money.

Religious tradition is very important to some folks, and so if you prefer the traditional method, by all means, that is OK too.  But even the most expensive vault around a coffin will not prevent the body from its eventual “return” to dust in the “day of the Lord”….assuming you believe the bible.

“…and it will come -- the day of the Lord -- as a thief in the night, in which the heavens with a rushing noise will pass away, and the elements with burning heat be dissolved, and earth and the works in it shall be burnt up.” (2 Peter 3:10)

And on that cheerful note I bid you adu with something more encouraging…

“And the multitude of those sleeping in the dust of the ground do awake…to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor” (Daniel 12:2: Isaiah 61:3)

Is Your Faith in the Grace Of God?

"...we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this GRACE in which we now stand." (Romans 5:1-2)

Sinners are standing in the "GRACE" of God, regardless of whether they presently know it or believe it. However, only by believing that we have been saved by Grace can we "access" the joy of this "GRACE in which we now stand". 

We do not "access" our salvation by faith but the joy in knowing of our salvation.  Again, we sinners are saved by the "GRACE" of God because of his "great love", whether we know it now or not. It is a gratuitous "gift"...

"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 our trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved!…it is the gift of God..." (Ephesians 2:4-5, 8)

By "access" Paul is referring to how we enter into the knowledge of our salvation. That knowledge comes by "faith" which is simply believing what God has said to us, or done for us.  

Paul was "astonished" that some, now most, of those within the concentric circles of Christendom were "deserting" the gospel of grace of God to a gospel of works. If any work, even the work of faith, is required in your doctrine of salvation, it "is really no gospel at all"...

"I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the GRACE of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is really no gospel at all." (Galatians 1:6-7)

This turning from the gospel of grace has been going on and perfected over the last 2000 years - I say again, any doctrine of salvation which requires works of any kind, is "no gospel at all". 

The gospel of grace that Jesus gave Paul to preach was good news for ALL sinners.  Returning to it is the only way to free ourselves from the bondage of religious tradition which has in the past and is now “destroying the word of God...” (Mark 7:13). 

"Access" the KNOWLEDGE of your salvation by faith...

"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free...” (John 8:32).

Destructive Heresies and Dead Radicals

About fake news from the liberal press...

"...there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies...these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories." (2 Peter 1:1-3)

The liberal news is bad enough but Islamic radicals take it to another level all in the name of their god.  But God, the real one, is not the god of religious terrorists...

"For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endures to all generations." (Psalm 100:5)

With the availability of the internet and open borders these terrorists can easily spread their "destructive heresies".  They are adept in using "fabricated stories" to fool and control young people.  They have no regard for the "truth" saying anything to gain or retain power. They deserve to go to hell in my view.

Nevertheless, they are to be reconciled to God like all sinners...so I do not believe God will eternally torment radical muslims in hell (or anybody else), that itself is a "destructive heresy" and "fabricated story"... 

"The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible...He is before all things, and in him all things hold together...God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him 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 1:15-20)

So for the radical Islamic terrorists, I will have to be content with praying that the Lord will allow the Commander in Chief of the good old US Military to wipe those devils from this present earth...thus sending them to their reconciliation ASAP.

"Oorah"

If There Is A Hell

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.  We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth....This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe. Command and teach these things." (John 1:14; 1 Timothy 4:9-11)

If there is a hell where God casts unbelievers to be tortured forever, did God create it? And if He puts anyone there did He know He would put them there before he created them? Would you create a child knowing you were going to torture them forever? 

If God puts in hell only those who reject the "offer" of salvation from it, would it be better for "the heathen folks" if Missionaries did not make the offer at all?

If hell is real, how does that impact the issue of abortion? Which fetus has the best shot at not going there?  If there is a hell would it be better not to have children at all than to run the risk of them ending up there?

Just some questions that will not be discussed in your SS class this week...but should be.

If you still believe in hell as a place of eternal punishment after thinking about these questions then read and reread 1 Corinthians 13 until you understand what the bible means when it says "God is love". Then you can responsibly address those passages that translate the Hebrew and Greek words "sheol", "hades", "gehenna, and "tartarus" with the one English word "hell".

Only the gods of religion torture infidels (unbelievers) for eternity, they ALL teach it in some form or fashion. However, the "grace and truth" of the gospel of God through our Lord Jesus Christ is the good news of the salvation of sinners from death by means of the resurrection (as opposed to the "offer" of salvation from hell) and we are to share that gospel. 

So I am sharing it with you. Faith in it has set me free to experience the fruit of the spirit - love, joy, and peace. Thank you Lord God.

"God is love...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 John 4:8; 1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

Law Reveals Sin - Grace Saves The Sinner

"Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor." (Galatians 3:24-25)

Paul says the Law (given to Israel through Moses) served as a tutor for the Jews until they are brought to Christ and are justified by believing that Jesus Christ is their Messiah.  Once they believe they no longer need the Law for it will have served its purpose.  

Although we Gentiles never were under the Law of Moses, we do observe from studying Israel that the Law of Moses, or obedience to church Creeds or Statements of Faith, can save or justify anyone.  It is only by the GRACE of God that anyone is saved, Jew or Gentile, believer or unbeliever.  

"... I do not nullify the GRACE of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly...^"So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God...There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 2:21; 3:26-28)

Soaring Above The Thorns

“Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

The apostle Paul had a “thorn in his flesh” which was frustrating to him and he had petitioned the Lord three times to take it away.  The above is the answer from God to Paul’s petition. Paul was content with that answer…

“Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:10-11)

But I wonder how he could be content.  Maybe it was because Paul was a student of the Old Testament Scripture and found comfort in the words of Isaiah…

“Do you not know?  Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:28-31)

As I grow older, and the reality of my mortality sets in, I realize that all I have to trust in is my "hope in the Lord" that just as He will not leave me in the grave, but will call me and all my loved ones out, immortal and perfect, “to soar on wings like eagles” just as He did for our Lord Jesus Christ.

Useless and Divisive

Following is a paraphrase from an article I recently read which was interesting to me.

“The portions of religious Creeds and Statements of Faith which conform to the truth are useless. Why? Because what need is there of a creed or statement if we have the inspired writing in our hands. And religious creeds and statements of faith which do not conform exactly to the truth of the inspired writing only lead to confusion and division…which is rampant.”

So why do we have them?

Beats me...read the Bible.

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

The Olympics of Bad Days

“But it is God who has wronged me, capturing me in his net. “I cry out, ‘Help!’ but no one answers me. I protest, but there is no justice. God has blocked my way so I cannot move. He has plunged my path into darkness. He has stripped me of my honor and removed the crown from my head. He has demolished me on every side, and I am finished. He has uprooted my hope like a fallen tree. His fury burns against me; he counts me as an enemy.” (Job 19:6-11)

Job had just been through the Olympics of bad days. He was a good man and yet God "wronged" him by allowing all his kids and grandkids to be killed and then all his his wealth and health to be taken away - and in case that wasn't enough, his wife tells him to curse God and die.

But does God really wrong good people for no apparent reason? Yes he does.

So how are we to deal with that? 

Well, Job told his friends what happened and that it was wrong for God to do so…they accused him of secret sin and counseled him to repent and walk the aisle next Sunday...to which Job replied...

"I have heard many things like these; you are miserable comforters, all of you! Will your long-winded speeches never end?" (Job 16:2-3)

Job's friends did not like Job blaming God, because they could not believe God would do bad things to good people. God said Job was right and told his sorry friends...

“...I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about Me, as My servant Job has.” (Job42:7)

I am convinced God is still mad at religious people who self-righteously judge others.  However, even though Job felt "wronged" by God, he was not right in condemning God of injustice for doing so...

“Would you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself? Do you have an arm like God’s, and can your voice thunder like His? Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor, and clothe yourself in honor and majesty..Then I myself will admit to you that your own right hand can save you.” (Job 40:8-14)

So, it is OK to feel "wronged" by God when bad things happen to a good person. However, it is NOT OK to question His justice in doing so unless “our own right hand can save” us.

Job was humbled, and his friends were put in their place and in Job's hands.  Job forgave them, and only after he prayed for his “miserable comforters” did God restore his fortunes…

“After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before.” (Job 42:10)

Some things I learn from the book of Job are:

God is Sovereign over the good, the bad and the ugly;

Friends suck sometimes, especially in accusing you of sin just because some bad stuff happens to us;

It is OK to get mad at God when bad stuff happens to good people.

Good people are blessed by God when they pray for their sorry friends who misjudge them.

The rest of the Bible assures me that when God is through with us, He will save us all!

"...we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe." (1 Timothy 4:10)