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...

My two year old grandson has a friend from daycare who is to blame for all his woes.  When something goes wrong and he is asked what happened?  His response is always "Donnie did it".  Sounds like the fake news blame game for all the problems of the world - "Trump did it"! 😀 ”God has shut up ALL in disobedience so that He may show mercy to ALL. Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways...For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.” (Romans 11:32-36) God takes responsibility for the disobedience of mankind because He is our creator.  And He tells us why He made people disobedient sinners...so that he can show us His MERCY! Paul says ALL things are “from Him and  through Him and  to Him” . I admit that I have a hard time with God showing Mercy to some men. Fortunately for them, I am not God...and neither are YOU. I try no...

“…Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst…” (1 Timothy 1:15) How did Jesus get the worst sinner to believe in him? “About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul! Saul!” (Acts 1:6) OK, that would do it - and Paul believed. Sooo, how is God going to get the rest of the really bad sinners to believe? “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened…” (Revelation 20:11-12) That should do it! It is at the great white throne when all the worst sinners "confess" that Jesus is Lord and "believe" that God did indeed raise him from the dead - and are "saved" . "If you confess ...

“...in Adam all die…it is appointed unto men once to die” (1 Corinthians 15:22; Hebrews 9:27) All people are to die once, not twice. “...and I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God… and they were judged, each one according to their works…if anyone was not found written in the scroll of the life, he was cast to the lake of the fire - this is the second death…” (Revelation 20:7-15) Everyone will die and be resurrected where they will be "standing before God" .  The "lake of fire" is the "second death" , not some eternal torture chamber conceived in the mind of religions. In death, people "know nothing" . “For the living know that they will die; but the dead know nothing … For there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going” (Ecclesiastes 5-10). "if anyone was not found written in the scroll of life, he was cast into the lake of fire."   It does not say there are any who are not written the...

Jesus told his followers... “... I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you...In that day you will not question me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in my name, He will give it to you...I am leaving the world again and going to the Father...In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world. ” (John 16:16-33) Jesus was speaking of his return at the close of this age. Only at that time will joy be permanent and only then will we ask of the Father and it will be done. NOTE, asking for and receiving all that we ask is for that time, NOT IN THIS AGE. He told them that in this age they will have " tribulation " ...but the problems of this world and age are temporary and when all the ages are concluded John says... “And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be H...

Success...what is it? " What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then He will reward each person according to what he has done. " (Matthew 16:26-27) Mankind measures success by accumulated wealth and power.  Most of us, however, are just average people trying to do the best we can with whatever we have. And when Jesus returns success will be measured by how we treated our family for the most part under the circumstances we were given in this age by God. Worldly success is "meaningless" ... “I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind…A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil… Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love...For this is your lot in life…” (Ecclesiastes 1:14; 2:24; 9:...

"For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.…" (1 Timothy 2:5-6) Jesus never said he was God. He is the Son of God and came to mankind as the “image” of the invisible God. “No one has ever seen God. The One and Only Son-- the One who is at the Father's side-- He has revealed Him...he is the image of the invisible God..."   (John 1:18; Colossians 1:15) Many intelligent, rational, and thinking men drift away from institutional religions to focus solely on the potential of mankind apart from God. But if they studied the Jesus of the Bible they would find that  “the man Christ Jesus”  is the very man that they propose we all can and should be.  And Jesus  is the "image" of what all mankind will eventually become… "And God said, let us make mankind in our image.” (Genesis 1:26)

There are some people who will be alive when Jesus returns. We should live with joy that it may be us - like little children! "It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners...a ransom for all..." "Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed...." (1 Timothy 1:6-2:7; Corinthians 51-54) After I had discussed the wonder of his salvation and this coming change with one of my grandsons a few years ago he said "I can't wait to get to heaven". My first action was to silently pray "please God, keep him from those who would rob him of that JOY". As a child I had felt that joy when my Mom would tell me about Jesus my Savior and the heaven we are destined for. But by the age of 15 I had been baptized...

"For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sin according to the Scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:3) "He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross..." (1 Peter 2:24) The bible does not say sin is a debt that needs to be paid to God, but a result of bad behavior. All die as the result of sin - there are no exceptions, not even Jesus. But Jesus did not die for his own sin, but “for our sins" . He “ bore our sins in his body on the cross".  Jesus IDENTIFIED himself with sinful men to demonstrate God’s love for sinners. "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."  (Romans 5:8). In the resurrection of Jesus God has revealed that the death of a sinner will be "swallowed up in Victory"  when resurrected - a free gift. "The wages of sin is DEATH but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our LORD.”  (Rom...

Celebrated feminist Gloria Steinem is quoted as saying... "The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off." (Pardon her French) That is the reaction I generally get from Christians to the truth that Jesus is the Savior of ALL mankind, that the hell of religion is a myth, and that the whole creation will be reconciled to God...but it is the teaching of the Bible... "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him...This is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners...we have placed our hope in the living God who is the savior of all people... God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against us, and  He has committed to us the word of reconciliation...in him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace."   ( John 3:17; 1 Timothy 1:...

"For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of SOUL and SPIRIT, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12) Soul and Spirit are not the same. When God joined His Spirit (breath power) with a body He "formed" from the soil, it became a "living SOUL" . This is true both of mankind and other animals and birds. "And Jehovah Elohim formed Man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and Man became a living SOUL...And out of the ground Jehovah Elohim had formed every animal of the field and all fowl of the heavens, and brought them to Man, to see what he would call them; and whatever Man called each living SOUL, that was its name." (Genesis 2:7; 19 Darby) Christianity has robbed mankind of the difference between "SOUL"  and "SPIRIT"  , treating them as one and ...

The disciples of Jesus came to him and asked who would be greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Note it is his "disciples" who asked the question...and it was these followers that needed a "change" . "The disciples came to Jesus and asked who would be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me... " (Matthew 18:1-5) Have you ever noticed how a little child reacts to being told about God loving them and Jesus dying for them? It makes them happy and they believe without question - UNTIL - they get to some church that tells them if they have not been saved they will be forever separated from God who will eternally pu...

“We know that the whole creation will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God… The "whole creation" has been promised "liberation"  in the Word of God  That is the "hope" for the salvation of mankind because it is the "will of God" . ...in this hope we are saved…we wait patiently for it…the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God." (Romans 8:22-27) This promised "liberation" is not immediate, it comes after resurrection, so we have no choice but to "wait patiently" for it. We learning to "wait patiently" as we gain the "knowledge of the truth" . “God our Savior, Who will have ALL mankind to be saved and 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 a ransom for ALL, to be testified in due time." (1 Timothy 2:4-...

Why does God allow evil things to happen? This question came in a group setting from a person who says he does not believe in God because a real God would not allow children to be sick and abused. It was a good point and I sat there for a moment waiting to see if the Christians in the room had an answer. They did, they blamed it on the Devil and man's free will.  Not sure I would believe in God either if that was the only answer I could give. The question deserves a biblical answer and not some manmade hogwash of “free will”, or the "Devil made me do it". Learning some Bible verses helped me answer the question: “…the Lord God caused to grow…the tree of knowledge of good and evil." (Genesis 2:9) "I make peace and create evil, I the LORD do all these things." (Isaiah 45:7) "It is an experience of evil God has given to men to humble them...He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way" (Ecclesiastes 1:13; Psalm 25:9) “God is ...

"This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses…the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses…Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead…And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great GRACE was upon them all... I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile...  (Acts 2:32; 3:15; 4:10, 33; Romans 1:16) The message of the Jewish disciples to the Jewish people was the RESURRECTION of "Jesus Christ of Nazareth" . The resurrection of Jesus proved he was their Messiah and Savior. And when they shared that they had witnessed his resurrection - "great GRACE was upon them all" . At first they went ONLY to their fellow Israelites. Then Cornelius, a devout and God-fearing Gentile, had a vision and sent for Peter. Peter told him about the RESURRECTION o...

“ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength...Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these. ”  (Mark 12:30-31) God gave Israel the Law they were to obey which included what is called the 10 Commandments. The Jewish religious leaders identified a total of 613 laws and have written volumes to explain how to observe them. Then the "Word became flesh" , and he reduced that law into two commandments - love God and each other, introducing us to the glory of " grace and truth" .  "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth...For the law was given through Moses: grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ." (John 1:14-17) The written law brings death to all, yet the new covenant of "grace and truth" "gives life" to all. "...because...

"The divine alchemy which transformed the Victim of human hate into the Sacrifice for their sins is almost too wonderful for human apprehension." A. E. Knock - All in All "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us...He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself,...

Speaking of the Law Moses wrote... “It is not up in heaven so that you have to ask, "Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it." (Deuteronomy 30:12-14) The children of Israel were afraid of God so they asked Moses to go up into heaven on Mount Sinai and get the word of God and bring it to them, and then they would do what Moses told them. Paul said this about the above passage in Deuteronomy... "Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: “The person who does these things will live by them." (Romans 10:5) Before Christ Jesus came to save mankind, and make us righteous by faith in him, obeying the law was all that could be done to become righteous. How does that work out for people?  Isa...