Sunday, June 15, 2008 11:45:40 AM
I think most people would agree that the likelihood of Jesus ever changing Who He is and what He has done is not something that would even be up for discussion. I doubt anyone would disagree with the verse in Hebrews 13:8 that say Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. I guess we can say that is a given and not something we can expect will ever change.
I am not trying to say anything here that is trying to make a doctrine out of one or two verses but simply stating that I believe we are all assured that Jesus will always remain the same. His Grace is sufficient and what He has done for us through that Grace is something that may be difficult for a lot of us to understand but it has been done nonetheless. I think the majority of the human race has a problem with the fact we have received something from God without our involvement in any way. It is difficult to understand and accept the fact there is nothing we have done nor can do in order to obtain this great redemption that was so freely given to the human race by Him at the cross.
I am not going to go into any deep discussion about what the grace of God has done for all mankind in this post because I believe by now most know where I stand as far as what the grace of God has done for the human race 2000 years ago with no one being left out of the plan. When we look at what is being preached today and has been for hundreds of years, it is not really good news. Whenever you hear a message preached that has any kind of bad news in it, it immediately ceases to be Good News. Let us not forget the Gospel is good news.
As I read today in Hebrews I saw in Chapter 13 verse 9 that we are not to be carried away with divers and strange doctrines. I believe these doctrines alluded to here are anything we hear preached and taught that strays from the good news of the Gospel. I believe when we hear anything that says we have to do anything to be redeemed it can be classed as “strange” and should not be listened to. I believe that when we begin to listen to all that is being said out there, or should I say anything that is being said out there, we have to be careful because most of it falls under the category of being “divers and strange”.
Further on in the verse I read that we are to be established in grace. I looked up the meaning of established in the Greek dictionary and it means this……to be stable, firm, steadfast and sure. If we listening to every kind of doctrine that is out there (strange and divers) then we are definitely not established in grace. What does it mean to be established in Grace? I can only tell you what that means to my own heart as I cannot speak for anyone else.
I see myself as established in grace because I read Hebrews 13:8 and see Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. What He did “yesterday” is still in effect today and will be forever. Nothing we do or do not do can change that. When we look at Who it was that accomplished this great plan of redemption and realize it had nothing to do with any of us, then how can we be anything but established in grace.
Going back to the Greek meaning of the word established, am I stable in this? Absolutely because I know it was accomplished by Jesus apart from my involvement. Am I firm in this belief? Of course, but again, only because I know Who accomplished it. Am I steadfast in this belief? Absolutely, because I believe Jesus accomplished what He came to accomplish and that was to redeem the entire human race. Am I sure of this? Very much so because I look at the fact that what Jesus did can not be changed, altered nor can anything else be added or taken away from it because He is the same yesterday, today and forever.
My reason for being established in grace is not because of what I do or don’t do, what I believe or don’t believe but simply being established in what He has done more than 2000 years ago which was fulfilling the plan of God instituted before the foundation of the world. I have laid aside the strange and divers doctrines that were in my life for many years as all they did was cause confusion, bondage and fear. I now rest in the good news of the Gospel which is the redemption of the entire human race.
Saturday, May 31, 2008 8:12:17 PM
I have been going to different web sites that I used to visit and I see what they call the Gospel is still being preached and taught, stronger than ever I guess because the Internet has opened up the whole world to spread most any message people want to put out there.
The old Gospel message I believed for over a quarter of a century is still the same which is you have “to do this to get that” and continuing doing what ever “that” is in order to escape the flames of hell. It is still a work oriented redemption that is preached and I don’t expect that will change anytime soon.
Now that I see the Gospel for what it actually is I can also see that all the preaching and teaching that is done contrary to the true Gospel can not change the fact of what happened at the cross. It is what it is and it is a done deal and a true fact that God sent His Son to redeem the entire human race and that is exactly what He did.
Many do not believe Jesus did this for the entire human race and they are putting fear in people’s hearts by telling them they have to be careful or they will burn forever when they die. Of course in the same breath they preach that God is love which is something I find hard to figure out. However, whatever is being preached out there cannot change the fact of the cross. It is something that cannot be changed.
Some say well you have to believe it for it to be yours. Since when does believing something make it true? Is it not true whether you believe it or not? Believing something does not make it fact. It is already fact which is why you believe it!!! You cannot change the fact that the cross was the redemption of the whole world and that remains a fact whether you believe it or not.
It is time to realize that the event of the cross cannot be changed. You can fight it, preach it with your own understanding, teach it with a passion and try and make people believe it is not true and you have to do something to obtain it and whatever else you can come up with, but you cannot change it.
You can come up with your own interpretation of what the Bible says and you can do your best to pass that along to others but you still cannot change what actually happened at the cross. Trying to fight this is only in the mind and leads many to frustration because it soon becomes apparent when you try to keep the rules and regulation put out there by the church; it is something that is impossible to keep. If what most churches preach that you have to do to get into heaven was true, then we are all in deep trouble, including the ones that preach it. It is impossible to make it to heaven by what you do or don’t do.
You cannot change the fact that your redemption was done totally and fully apart from any of your involvement in it and that it is yours whether you believe it or not. You cannot change the fact that Jesus paid the penalty for the whole world. You cannot change the fact that all sin was looked after by His sacrifice. You can not change the fact that God had a plan for the redemption of the entire world and that that plan was fully carried out by His Son at the cross. You cannot change the fact that He placed all under unbelief so He could have mercy upon all. You cannot change the fact that all means all and not just a few like is preached out there. You cannot change what is already fact!!!
I am no longer bothered by what anyone believes or says about what I put here on this site when it comes to the redemption of the world. I have come to a full realization that the work of the cross is complete and it is what it is. It cannot be changed by me or anyone else regardless of what I do or don’t do. Trying to make it look like it isn’t so by the preaching and teaching out there has no effect on what actually transpired at the cross. It is what it is and you CANNOT change it!!!
Saturday, January 5, 2008 12:37:45 PM
I was thinking today and have also stated in a prior post, about how difficult it is to see redemption of the entire human race when we cannot get away from looking at the actions and deeds of the people around us or even our own as well. We very easily judge people by what they do or don’t do for that matter. I guess the reason for that is because when we see someone doing something we don’t think they should be doing, we immediately pass judgment on that person and at the same time of course we fail to even remotely believe that a person “doing that” can be redeemed.
We immediately see that person or persons very unworthy to ever receive anything from God, let alone make it into the Kingdom of Heaven. We could likely ask any faithful church attendee and the vast majority would say the same thing…..a person that does this or that, whatever that may be, is not worthy of making it into Heaven. That is the general consensus of people who class themselves as a believer in Jesus Christ.
Lets look a bit further at this question of whether people that do bad things are worthy to enter into Heaven or not. Let’s take someone that is going to the extreme in what they are doing such as a murderer for example. Is the person that murders worthy of going to Heaven? I would have to say that of course they are not worthy.
What about the one that does things that are “not so bad” but still not something that is acceptable in the eyes of the evangelical church world? Does that mean they have a better chance of entering in because whatever it is they are doing is not quite as bad as the murderer? At what point does a person cease to be “not so bad” so they can become worthy?
What about the ones that by all outward appearance seems to do good all the time? Does that make them worthy to be acceptable to God and make it to Heaven? Where is the point that we become so good so as to be worthy? What makes a person worthy? I know I have raised a lot of questions in the last few paragraphs.
I will end this post by simply telling you who is worthy and who isn’t. There are none of us that are worthy to make it to Heaven. All the good works, prayers, Bible reading, church attendance and whatever else you can think of, will not make you worthy. None of us are worthy. When we look at people and judge them by their deeds or lack of them, to see if they may be worthy or not, we have become judges because we are looking at what people do to see whether they are worthy or not.
You that pass judgment on others because of what they do are you saying you are worthy because you don’t do what these other’s do. Are you actually saying you are worthy of entering Heaven? Is this not a self righteous attitude when you say you are worthy because you are better than others and don’t do what they do?
There is only one that was worthy. His name is Jesus and no one else that has ever lived or will ever live can even come close to being worthy of entering the Kingdom of Heaven. That is why everything had to be done by Him and everything is exactly what He has done. Redemption has nothing to do with whether we are worthy or not, simply because none of us are nor can be worthy. We have been accepted in the Beloved because He and He alone is worthy.
Read Revelation 5:2 to 5:12 and it will tell you Who was worthy to open the seals, and no this is NOT future but it is talking about the cross. If you read verse 9 it will also tell you how many people He redeemed by His blood because He was worthy to do so. He redeemed every kindred, and tongue, and people and nation. None are left out because of what Jesus did and none will enter in because they are worthy in any way. It is that simple. It is also finished.
Saturday, January 5, 2008 12:36:43 PM
As I have stated before in recent posts, the issue of sin and the understanding of its meaning appears to be the stumbling block for most people in actually seeing the redemption of the world. I know there are terrible things going on in this world and of course they should not be. Will that ever change? I doubt very much it will as it has been ongoing for thousands of years. I am not saying it cannot change because it surely can. Especially when people see redemption for what it actually is. Major transformation happens when that is seen in its true light.
I have a friend in England that I have been in contact with over a number of years and we have had discussions on this very subject over the past several days. He will admit that he has problems seeing things the way I see them as far as redemption is concerned and I fully understand that as a few years ago I had the same problem. I respect his views and he in turn respects mine and we have formed a great friendship over the internet over the years.
To see sin as something people do will always bring you back to thinking “that person cannot be redeemed” if they are still doing “this” or “that”. It causes us to be judgmental because what we are looking at is not what Jesus has done but what they as human beings are doing. Looking at it in that manner is not looking at it properly and redemption of the entire human race is something that will evade us because we are looking at actions and deeds.
Lets all be honest with ourselves, even those of us that may think we are much more holy and just and good than most other people, and look at our own lives. Or go a bit further and go over some of the things you may have thought of over the past week or so. I am sure there are many things that flashed through your head that was not as holy as you would like people to think or even see by your outward performance.
When we look at anything we may say or not say, do or not do, as the criteria for whether we measure up in other people’s eyes and most importantly, in God’s eyes, then we are stepping full force into self righteousness. If you look at anything, and I mean anything, apart from what Christ has done on your behalf for your redemption, then you are a self righteous person. A judgmental attitude will always be in the forefront when we take this view that we have to do something in order to be redeemed.
I personally look at people through how God sees them and it has taken and totally changed how I view life itself here on earth. I do not look at people and see their bad habits as then I would have to look at mine as well. I look at them as redeemed people of God that simply have not come to that knowledge as of yet. When they do come to understanding they are redeemed, then they will begin to view others in that same light as well. That is when we become believers. If you are trying to obtain right standing with God through your works, then you are in unbelief and are trying to achieve something that has already been completed on your behalf.
In this New Year, my prayer is that revelation would come to more and more people as the days go on. It is such a major transformation in ones heart and mind that I can say it is the greatest gift of all because it is seeing Jesus and what He has done. When you can see yourself as God sees you, which is your proper identity, and then you can begin to see others in their true identity as well, which is redeemed by the blood of the Lamb and in right standing with God.
Saturday, January 5, 2008 12:35:37 PM
One thing that has made the message of redemption clearer to me over the past year or so is how I now see why Jesus had to die. Why did it have to be the Son of God, born of a virgin? Could not some other human being have made the same sacrifice and come up with the same results of redemption?
Of course we know that it would have been impossible because Jesus was the only man born without sin as He was not conceived by man. He was conceived by God and therefore was not born with the nature that each and every one of us was born with. Why was it absolutely necessary for the sacrifice for sin to be someone without that nature that was passed on to the human race by Adam?
It was necessary because the sin He died for was the sin of unbelief that Adam fell into when he tried to be like God, when he was actually already like God. He tried to become something he already was. He was already perfect and holy and just in God’s sight but he partook of the wrong tree to try and make himself like God.
I know the vast majority of us always looked at the sin that Jesus died for as our actions and deeds. We were always told that he died for our drinking, dancing, smoking, cursing, and anything else we did that was looked upon as bad things. That is still what is being taught today by the evangelical church, therefore they preach that you must stop doing what you are doing and do “good things” instead. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with doing good things, and we should be. But if you are doing them to try to gain favor with God, then you are wasting your time.
If Jesus took away the sin of the world, and that sin is our bad actions and deeds, then why do we still have those things? Why is it that we cannot overcome so we can become “good Christians” like the church constantly tries to hammer into people’s heads? The reason is that it is not for our actions and deeds that He died for, but to take away what Adam passed on to the human race.
He did not die for our actions because it’s quite obvious these things still exist. What He died for is a “condition” and not and “action”. He took away the “condition” that Adam had placed the human race under. That condition was Adam’s very nature that he took upon himself when he strayed from the Tree of Life to the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Simply put, he went into unbelief by trying to become something he already was. That nature was totally annihilated at the cross and a new race of human beings was born in Christ. That nature does not exist any longer. We now have a new nature that is a righteous nature because He took the entire human race (spiritually speaking) into Himself at the cross and rose again the third day with that new race.
Before the cross everyone was born with the nature of Adam (sin). After the cross everyone is born with the new nature (righteousness). Romans 3:10 (actually a quote from Psalms 14) says that “there are none righteous, no not one”. I believe if He was to come back and say something similar, He would now say “there are none unrighteous, no not one”. This is simply because He did the entire work apart from any of our involvement. When He saw the work was completed and His Father was satisfied with the required sacrifice to restore the human race back to His Father, He said “it is finished”. And that is exactly what it is…..finished. We all have been restored back to Father God and are completely secure in Him.
Saturday, January 5, 2008 12:34:28 PM
A happy and prosperous new year to everyone. As we begin a new year I have been reflecting over the past year in my search for Truth and I see that there are still many unanswered questions in my mind and heart. I have also come to the conclusion that it does not matter that questions remain as I doubt anyone will ever have all the answers they would like to have while living here on earth.
However, there is one thing that has become what I would call “forever settled in my heart” and that is the fact that our Redeemer has come and He fully and totally accomplished what He came to do. As I read through the Old Testament scriptures I see it more and more clearly that the prophecies were about Jesus and what He would accomplish at the cross. Not something that is in our present day future, although it was future to them when they prophesied it because it was before the cross that God showed these prophets what was coming.
It has been a bit difficult at times to see some of these things, and there are yet many that I do not understand, because of the “church upbringing” that I and most of those that believe in the total redemption of the entire human race had as well. When you go through almost 30 years of listening to the bondage and the poison that comes from the vast majority of pulpits, the only way our thinking pattern can be changed is for God to reveal Himself in us and to show us what it means to have been redeemed.
The scriptures (OT writings) are quite clear in Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel etc that the purpose for the Son of God to come and redeem the human race back to Father God was to get rid of the sin that was passed on to everyone. It was also for Him to take the judgment that was ready to be sent upon the human race upon Himself so that none of the human race would have to face any of it.
What is this sin I mentioned in the last paragraph? It is the sin of unbelief that Adam fell into when he tried to be like God when he actually already was like God because God had created him in His image. Is the sin that Jesus died for an action? No, I believe the sin Jesus died for is a condition. If He died for our actions and deeds then why do we all still have things in our lives that are at times “not so good” in the eyes of people? It is because we are still human and that is the way God created us.
We must look at people through His eyes and not through what we may perceive as good or bad or anything else. The love of God was shed abroad in our hearts, not to judge others for what they may be doing or not doing, but to see them accepted in the Beloved. If we look at what others do then we must look at what we do or don’t do as well and we all fall into the same category when it comes to that. If we look at actions and deeds to see if a person is holy or not so holy, then we are looking at them through our own minds and hearts and we are arriving at our own conclusions.
God sent His Son to redeem the world by taking away their sin. Not actions and deeds, but the condition Adam had placed the entire human race under. He did this at the cross and the entire human race was restored back to Father God at that time which is why Jesus could say “It Is Finished”. There is nothing left to be done. The cross was the end of the human race under Adam and a new race of redeemed people began. We are all part of that new race in Christ. That is my peace and my rest as we begin a new year.
Sunday, October 21, 2007 8:16:10 PM
In John 12:31 we can read the words of Jesus and He says “now is the judgment of this world”. As I said in my last post, I believe that it was indeed the judgment of this world and it was when Jesus went to the cross.
If you read verse 32 we see Jesus said if He be lifted up from the earth, He would draw all unto Himself. I know the word men is italicized and it was added by the translators. Some say He meant all men would be drawn unto Him at that time and some say He meant all judgment would be drawn unto Him at that time. I believe it means both and my reason for saying that is because the judgment that was being poured out was for all mankind and all mankind had been drawn into the Lord at that time.
So yes, He did draw all judgment and yes He did draw all men unto Himself as well because that is who the judgment was for. As I said in the first paragraph, it was Jesus that said that “now” (at that time) the judgment of the world was at hand and then He continues to say when that would happen. You can see this by reading verse 33 when it says the reason He said this was to signify what death He should die.
He was making it plain to them that the judgment they had feared for all their lives was indeed coming to the earth and it was due to come at any time. But He also told them He would be taking this judgment upon Himself and they had nothing to worry about as far as this judgment and wrath was concerned.
Is there a judgment in the future? I am at a loss to find anything to indicate there will be a future judgment. If His wrath was poured out upon Jesus and He took the full brunt of it as He says He did and also as the prophets prophesied would happen, then I for one am not looking for any further judgment or wrath of God falling upon the human race.
Like I said in few days ago in one of my posts, we must verify what we believe by going to the Old Testament and reading what the prophets said. They said wrath and judgment was coming but they also said a Redeemer was coming to take this upon Himself. I think it is safe to say we can “rest our case” on what they prophesied and forget what so called modern day prophets have been uttering from behind pulpits and on television for decades, that judgment is imminent. This is used to keep people in fear and bondage and believe me it is working very well.
Something interesting I read in Isaiah 61:2 and that it says the day of the vengeance of our God (the day of the cross) is the same day as He comforts all that mourn. I believe they were comforted because they came to a realization that His wrath (vengeance) had been poured out upon the Redeemer and they were comforted that this was something that would not be coming upon them. All this happened in the body of one Man, the Lord Jesus Christ. All of it happened in one day, the day of the Lord when God’s vengeance was poured out upon His Son instead of upon us.
Can you imagine the terrible penalty He suffered for us? Can we even begin to appreciate what transpired on that cross? This is something we should ponder on because it is something we need to see and be so thankful for what He did. This is love expressed to the fullest extent. You can continue to live in fear of the judgment and wrath coming if you wish. I intend to praise Him for the fact He already took the punishment for the entire world and rest in that. It is finished!!!!
Sunday, October 21, 2007 8:14:21 PM
Since beginning to receive at least some knowledge of Jesus and who He is and what He did, in July of 1978, one book of the Bible that was always fascinating and captured my interest was the book of Revelation. I read it many times and either listened to audio or bought a fair amount of books to try and get an understanding of this mysterious book.
It did not take long for me to see that there were dozens and dozens of different interpretations as to what the seals meant, the immensely huge New Jerusalem coming down to earth, etc. I remember wondering how such a great city was going to fit on the earth as its dimensions were 1500 miles square!!!! After a while I just stopped buying those types of books and also stopped listening to any teaching on that particular book and I also stopped reading from it as it became quite obvious none knew what they were talking about and it just got me more confused than anything else.
Today I have started reading the book of Revelation and I think I can see what this book is about. I no longer see it as a mysterious book that is difficult to understand. The whole gist of the book of course is judgment and wrath. Terrible calamities are listed over and over again in this book as something to be feared should it come upon the inhabitants of the earth. Obviously the wrath of God was something to be feared for us mere human beings. I mean who do you suppose could stand all these things that would come upon the earth? I know a lot say we would escape it through the rapture but that is another hilarious fabricated event that I won’t go into at this time.
Since coming into a limited knowledge of the gospel of grace, I now believe that judgment and wrath that were due to come upon the human race were not delayed or stopped but they did come to earth as prophesied by the Old Testament prophets. If you read the OT you will see they did prophesy that judgment and wrath was coming upon this evil world. There is no mistaking the fact it was prophesied throughout the OT and that it would surely come.
However, they also prophesied that a Redeemer was coming to take all this wrath and judgment upon Himself on our behalf. I really believe that when God’s wrath was being poured upon the earth, it was at the exact same time Jesus was being lifted up on the cross. At that time He drew all of mankind into Himself and He took the total and full wrath and judgment of His Father as He poured it out upon His Son. He tasted death for every man. I do not have to worry about the book of Revelation and what it says. I truly believe it is a symbolic picture that John had while he was at the crucifixion of our Lord.
John saw all these things coming upon Jesus and I don’t know if he also knew the entire human race had been drawn into the Savior or not, but he knew these things had fallen upon the Son of God when He hung on that cross. John wrote what he saw while on the Isle of Patmos but it is clear he saw these things on the “the day of the Lord” (Rev 1:10) and I believe that day was the day of the cross. He wrote it at a later date but he was only writing what he saw being poured out upon Jesus Christ as the wrath and judgment of God was poured out.
This may be a different take on this than what we are used to hearing or reading, but I am convinced in my heart that this is how it is. I am convinced there will not be any more wrath or judgment poured out upon the human race as many falsely prophesy. I have been hearing their prophesies each and every time there is some disaster somewhere and of course they wait for events to be past before they say they saw this coming!!! Go figure!!! You never hear any of them say what they prophesy ahead of time and didn’t come to pass, that they were in error. No, they say they prayed and changed God’s mind. Go figure on that one too!!!
I am going to continue reading the book of Revelation prayerfully and look at it as past events and not something future we have to fear. In verse 3 of chapter 1 it says “blessed is everyone that reads the words of this prophesy”. If I read it thinking these things are future and still to come upon the human race, how can that be a blessing? However, if I read it as something that was poured out upon Jesus when He was on the cross and He took it on behalf of the human race, then it is a blessing indeed to read this book.
Saturday, October 6, 2007 1:11:22 AM
I know we can all take verses from the New Testament and say they say this or that or that the meaning of them is this or that. How are we to know if what James or Peter or any of the apostles were saying is true and how can this be verified?
Can we take the book of Galatians and say it is not saying this or that because James says in his book something somewhat to the opposite? Can we be unsure of something that is said in Romans because Peter in his epistles says something a bit different, or so it would seem to us? No, that is looking for confusion as far as what the New Testament says about any subject.
So how do we verify what the true meaning of anything in the New Testament says and whether we are to believe it or not? We are to do what Jesus said to do, and I quoted this verse in my post yesterday, and that is to go to the law, the Psalms and the prophets because they said everything there was to know concerning Him. In Acts 3:18 we see Peter saying that what had happened in their midst had been prophesied by ALL his prophets.
I believe that before we take anything from the New Testament and make some sort of doctrine out of one or two verses, we have to make sure these things are verified by the prophets because everything was revealed to them. It is easy to take some sort of stand on something we read in the New Testament that may not be able to be verified by the scriptures. I believe this is of utmost importance because by not doing this, we see divisions; new denominations and what have you just rise up over some misunderstood verse in the New Testament.
A lot of the positions taken by some of the apostles are not valid when compared to what the Old Testament scriptures said regarding redemption. I know what I’m saying here is not a very popular stand but why would Jesus tell them to go to the Scriptures (OT) to see if what he had done at the cross was valid? He told them that because it had been revealed to the prophets and that is where validation has to come from. I believe Paul’s stand on things were valid because he was a top teacher of the law prior to his Damascus road experience when the Lord revealed Himself in Him, all the things He knew about a coming Messiah came to light in his heart and that is why he could say he wanted to know nothing but Christ and Him crucified.
Evangelical Christianity has built huge empires based on verses of the Bible that are not verified by Old Testament prophets. There is probably no movement that has more confusion and different beliefs than that, simply because their doctrines are not validated by the Old Testament scriptures. The scriptures (OT) are for doctrinal proof.
Take as an example in James where he says in 2:20 “oh vain man” that says we are justified by faith alone. Do you suppose he was talking about Paul when he said “vain man” because of what Paul had confronted him and others with? Paul had made it clear to them it was by faith alone, apart from any works or the law. If he was referring to Paul, then I think I would go by what Paul said and not James. Paul verified everything by the scriptures. I am sure James did as well in many areas but I am just making a point here that doctrine has to be verified by Old Testament scriptures, according to what Jesus said.
I recall a while ago talking to my friend Bill and he said this….the New Testament was an attempt by the apostles to interpret what the Old Testament said. In some places it is accurate and some other places it is not because it clearly contradicts what the prophets of old prophesied about the coming redeemer of the world. I agree with what Bill says regarding this. I know this is not popular amongst most but truth never the less.
Saturday, October 6, 2007 1:09:30 AM
In my last post I mentioned a couple of “labels” that people tend to attach to this gospel of grace and peace and I want to say that I have no problem with what some of these are saying as some of the things they say and believe are fine. I didn’t say those things to oppose in any way what they are saying or to say I am against anyone that still attends church.
I just wanted to make clear that I personally do not believe the gospel of grace and peace should have any label attached to it. The gospel of grace and peace is simply Christ and Him crucified. I believe the sacrifice of the cross was complete and was in no way a means for us to achieve anything or be purified in the future. I believe the blood that was shed on that cross was sufficient to accomplish everything it was intended to accomplish without having to go through any form of purification in the future.
I also believe that to enter into the presence of the Lord at death will be sufficient to complete whatever we still have in our minds that may not have been renewed. I think this morning of the words uttered by Jesus as His last words on the cross, it is finished. I believe everything the entire human race ever needed to be made right with God was exactly that….finished.
If there was some purification for the future it would be saying He came to give the human race a chance to be purified at some point, if not in this life then in the life to come. To me that would be saying the work of the cross was not complete and a further work is required. I am a firm believer that the work of the cross was sufficient to accomplish exactly what it was intended to accomplish. That being of course the full and total redemption of all mankind through His shed blood. To say I have to do anything, whether in this life or the life to come, is saying it was not completed at that time.
Jesus said in Luke 24:44 that if you want to know truth you have to go to the law, the Psalms and the prophets. When you do go to the Scriptures you will not find anywhere that mankind would be given a chance at redemption. Everything about Him had been revealed to the prophets. And by the prophets He was not talking about those that call themselves prophets today and stand behind pulpits pronouncing judgment and saying all these disasters are coming upon the earth. These are quite clearly self made false prophets.
It is quite clearly foretold by all the prophets in the Old Testament that there would be an event that would redeem, purify and make the entire human race back to right standing with God. This event of course we know as the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I believe His blood accomplished exactly that for which it was intended and that was to make the entire world righteous by His sacrifice.
As I have discussed with a few of my friends, I believe the verse that says every knee shall bow (Romans 14:11) is being fulfilled minute by minute as people pass on from this life. (This verse is a quote of the scripture in Isaiah 45:23 by the way, which is why it is preceded by “it is written”) I know this verse is looked at that it is a time in the future when everyone that has ever lived here on earth will bow to the Master. Some even believe that after “every knee has bowed”, forcefully for some, some will be cast into everlasting fire. This of course is not according to the gospel of grace and peace. I think it is a bowing down in adoration of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
I am not writing this to be at odds with anyone that believes there is a future purification process and have taken on some label. I am simply saying that I believe the gospel of grace and peace was totally fulfilled at the cross by His blood that He shed. I believe it was totally sufficient to accomplish what He came to accomplish and that was the redemption of the entire human race.
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