The Good Of The Father (The Choice) # 2120

 

No one can come to Me if ever the Father Who sends Me should not be drawing him, and I shall be raising him in the last day 

Johns Account 6: 44, Concordant New Testament 

If you have spent much time adhering to the teachings of the Christian religion, then you know that there is the process by which we are saved.  That being that we accept Christ Jesus into our hearts.  This is "The choice" which a believer makes to ensure that they are indeed saved.  I made that choice relatively early in life.  Most of my childhood years were spent going to church on Sundays and listening to one pulpit pounder or another give their rendition of what the scriptures said.  But one thing was for certain, I needed to accept Jesus for myself in order to guarantee my spot in the Lords salvation.  Or did I?  In recent years, outside of the influence of the mainstream church, I have grown in my understanding not only of my own life in the Father, but that the choice which drew me unto Jesus had been made well before I was born.  For not only is Jesus the Way the Truth and the Life, but He is THE way to God {Johns Account 14:6}.  But was it I who came to Jesus, or did the Father Himself draw me unto Him?  Jesus has spoken that no one can come to Him "If ever the Father Who sends me should not be drawing him" {Johns Account 6:44}.  These are the very words of Jesus telling us that it is not we who come to Him, but the Father Who draws us unto Him.  This kind of puts a new meaning to that all too familiar come to Jesus moment many of us have thought we have experienced.  Did Saul have a come to Jesus moment on the road to Damascus?  Or, as he later describes his own revelation of Christ in him, was it only "When it delights God" that Jesus was revealed unto him? {Paul to the Galatians 1:15-16}.  Consider the circumstances of Sauls mission that day, he was on his way to Jerusalem in order to persecute the followers of Jesus, with the full blessing of the leaders of the Jewish church.  So, his intention that day was not to come to Jesus, but to persecute Him.  So, it's safe to say that for Saul this was never a come to Jesus moment.  This was a draw Saul unto Jesus moment initiated by the Father.

For some time, I referred to Sauls encounter on the road to Damascus as his come to Jesus moment, I was in error on that account.  For it is God Who drew him to the very one he had been persecuting.  What followed is Sauls own revelation of Christ in him which he speaks of in Galatians {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  In my thinking, this throws into question the entire church narrative that we are the ones who "come to Jesus" in order to achieve that free gift of salvation given unto us by the Father.  That we are the ones who take that personal initiative to accept Christ into our hearts.  This also denotes the fact that we indeed have that free will to make that choice, but that's a topic for another page.   The truth is that we ourselves are not the ones who choose Jesus, for that decision has been made by the Father long before we were ever born.  It is God Himself Who draws us unto Christ.  It is God Who drew Paul unto his revelation of his life in Christ.  I feel that at the base of this belief that we are the ones who choose and accept Jesus into our life is the error of the belief that we are indeed separated from God via sin.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Jesus bled and died that we would no longer be slaves to sin {Paul to the Romans 6:6-11}.  This in no way means that there is no longer sin in this world, only that we have died to that which once defined us {Paul to the Romans 6:1-2}.  It is through Christ that our life is not apart from God, but through Him {Johns Account 14:20}.  Knowing this, we can see that it is not we who come to Jesus, but the Father Who draws us to Him.  Which is more a decision than a choice. 

Jesus is saying to him, "I am the Way the Truth and the Life.  No one is coming to the Father except through Me 

Johns Account 14: 6, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Conditional Salvation) # 2119

 For in grace, through faith, are you saved, and this is not out of you; it is Gods approach present, not of works, lest anyone should be boasting

Paul to the Ephesians 2: 8-9, Concordant New Testament 

If you've spent any time in the confines of any Christian church you've indeed heard the qualifications which are required of us in order to punch that ticket into heaven.  In my time spent in the church, I was told that I needed to accept Christ Jesus and believe in order to get into heaven.  But then they raised that bar of expectations on me, telling me that it was my still existent sin which could still prevent me from seeing Gods heaven.  So, what is the standard?  A life void of sin?  Accepting the Lord Jesus?  Someone please tell me so that I can be assured that I'm on the right path.  I have a gym friend who is constantly reminding me of the qualifications required for those believers desiring to get into heaven.  That qualification is that one accepts Jesus into their hearts.  I get it.  The apostle Paul attests to this in his letter to the Romans {Paul to the Romans 10:9}.  But what about those who for one reason or another have never heard or been made aware of Jesus?  I'll get to that scenario in a bit.  But first allow me to address the mainstream church free gift of conditional salvation.  That's right, although the Father has graced us with His free gift of salvation, those within the church continue to confess that we must "Accomplish something" in order to make our salvation possible.  That something is our acceptance of Christ Jesus.  Now, in this the church goes strictly by scripture.  For Paul himself has spoken that we must believe.  However, Paul also speaks to the truth that it is by the grace of the Father by which we have been saved {Paul to the Ephesians 2:8-9}.  So, which is it?  Do we accept Jesus and by doing so stake our claim to the Lords salvation?  Or, do we trust in the grace and truth of the Father and accept that through Christ Jesus it has already been provided for?  I choose to trust in the Lord.  

In the film Come Sunday, the reverend Carlton Pearson causes quite a stir within his congregation by proclaiming that there is no hell.  That the free gift given unto us by the Father has negated the need for eternal punishment.  As a result of his radical teachings, the reverend Pearson was removed from his position in the church.  It seems that the church leadership couldn't stomach the blasphemy of trusting in the free gift of God.  Carlton Pearson was driven to his own revelation of the Father from watching a commercial on television which depicted starving people in a far away impoverished land.  Would God really condemn to hell these of His children whom may have never even heard of Christ Jesus?  Would God condemn any of His children to hell?  Is there even a hell?  Far from being a theological question, this is more along the lines of believing what the Father has already revealed to us through the scriptures.  That His salvation is not something that we earn, but something He Himself has given unto us.  Of course, it is through Christ Jesus that we will come to the Father, for He is the "Way and the Truth and the Life" {Johns Account 14:6}.  Nobody shall ever come to the Father except through Jesus.  That being said, we must also understand that it is the Father Who has graced us with the gift of His salvation.  The church has not done this, it could never have achieved it.  What we have is forgiveness given unto us by the grace of God through Christ Jesus.  Through Christ Jesus, we have access to the Father {Johns Account 6:44}.  Contrary to the teachings of those within the church, there is NOTHING which we can do that will ever guarantee us entrance into the Lords presence.  However, when He reveals the truth of our life in Him, we will understand that we already have a place there {Johns Account 14:20}.  

No one can come to Me if ever the Father Who sends Me should not be drawing him.  And I shall be raising him in the last day

Johns Account 6: 44, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Jesus In Context) # 2118

 

Knowing this first, that no prophesy of scripture at all is becoming its own explanation.  For not by the will of man was prophesy carried on at any time, but, being carried on by holy spirit, holy men of God speak

Peter to the Dispersion (2) 1: 20=21, Concordant New Testament 

Has anyone ever been involved in a conversation that they cannot seem to win?  I know that I have.  Recently one of my gym friends has taken to describing any notion of scripture that is different from his own as someone taking the scripture out of context.  Now, this is an easy defense for someone who chooses not to accept someone's opinion of how the scripture is to be translated.  This is why I rarely engage in discussions of scripture with someone who seems to have an agenda outside of the Father.  Come to think of it, this is a defense which I once used to defend my own interpretation of the scriptures back in my church days.  The apostle Peter speaks to the truth that "No prophesy of scripture at all is becoming it's own explanation."  The New King James version makes this more clear, that "No prophesy of scripture comes from someone's own interpretation" {Peter to the Dispersion (2) 1:20-21}.  My same friend who accuses me of taking the scriptures out of context cringes at the thought that someone might have a different interpretation than he does.  In his eyes, he has the final say in what the scriptures are telling us.  I believe that this is the very reason by which the apostle John speaks to the truth that one must "Test the spirits to see if they are of God" {First Epistle of John 4:1}.  Yes, we may come across different interpretations of the word, but we also must do our diligence when contemplating these passages.  What makes our task that much more difficult is the countless versions and interpretations of the scriptures that we have out there.  Every so often, I'll see one more version pop up which claims to be the "Closest interpretation" to the original texts.  While this might be true, it is still the Fathers spirit within us that speaks to us as we read these words. 

I recall back in my church days that there was produced a Hawaiian native version of the New Testament which drew the interest of more than a few people.  This "Pidgeon bible" spoke the word in the native dialect of the Hawaiian islands.  In my posts, I often reference the Concordant interpretation because I have found that it closely resembles the original Greek language of the time.  Others choose to use another interpretation.  But I have done my diligence, I have tested the spirits when it comes to this version of the scriptures.  I can refer to the passages which I have given to memory in my discussions with others.  But at the end of the day, it's not about my interpretation of the scriptures, but on what the Father within me is speaking to me through the word He has given us.  In my opinion, the voice of the Father within us can never be taken out of context.  This is something I have mentioned to my friend, without much success.  There is a reason that so many people stay out of discussions which involve religion.  In these discussions, nobody comes out a winner.  When we keep man created religion out of the conversation and focus our attention on Christ Jesus, nothing can be taken out of context.  For it is the scriptures which tell the story of Jesus.  

And therefore we are also thanking God unintermittingly that, in accepting the word heard from us, from God you receive, not the word of men, but, according as it truly is, the word of God, which is operating also in you who are believing 

Paul to the Thessalonians (1) 2: 13, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (The Church Jesus Is Building) # 2117

 

And He is the head of the body, the ecclesia, Who is sovereign, Firstborn from among the dead, that in all He may be becoming first

Paul to the Colossians 1: 18, Concordant New Testament 

There are many in the Christian religion community who have referred to Jesus in the past tense.  As is Jesus, having been raised from among the dead, has now been declared dead after all.  Look what Jesus HAS done.  Consider what it is which Jesus HAS accomplished.  One thing I have learned is that words matter, and these words of so called believers give a false impression of Jesus.  For Jesus is not dead, but very much alive in our lives today.  The apostle Paul speaks to this in his admission that it is Christ Jesus who lives in him {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  Jesus Himself has spoken to the truth of our life now lived within the love of the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  I mention this to illustrate that it is Jesus Who is the One who is active in the building of His church.  Some might refer to the traditional brick and mortar buildings and cathedrals built by man as the church, but these are not the church which Jesus is building.  The church which Jesus actively continues to build is that of the body of Christ, the followers of Jesus.  It is Jesus Who is the head of this body, His ecclesia {Paul to the Colossians 1:18}.  Everywhere we look we can see examples of this church which Jesus is building.  My own group of Gym friends I have developed over the past few years is a good example of the ecclesia of God.  There are no sermons or tithes given, but Jesus definitely has gathered this group together for His purpose.  And His church has grown!  At last count, I've counted near seventy people who are a part of this gathering.  Not all of us are believers, but there is no doubt that Jesus is definitely leading us.  Some might cringe at the thought of unbelievers being a part of the ecclesia of Christ, but we do well to remember that Jesus Himself was accused by the Pharisees of His day of gathering with sinners and tax collectors {Matthews Account 9:11}.  How did Jesus respond to their accusations?  "No need have the strong of a physician, but those having an illness" {Matthews Account 9:12}.  

Jesus is building His church one person at a time.  One struggling believer at a time.  One person doubting that there is a God at a time.  Jesus has proclaimed that He has not come to simply call the righteous among us, but to reconcile sinners and unbelievers unto the Father {Lukes Account 5:32}.  For this He was condemned by the religious authorities of His day.  There also continue to be those within the church who believe falsely that the ecclesia of the Lord is made up simply of those who believe in Christ.  To this I say, aren't we all part of that family?  Have we all not been created in the Fathers likeness?{Genesis 1:27}  To believe that only believers are a part of the ecclesia of Jesus is to deny that the rest of us have absolutely no connection to God.  That God has never been interested in reconciling His own unto Himself.  Paul speaks to the Father reconciling all unto Himself through Christ Jesus {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5: 18-19}.  I see the church being built by Jesus as the Father reconciling His own once again to Himself.  This includes believers and non-believers alike.  In this church, all are welcome. 

Yet all is of God, Who conciliates us to Himself through Christ, and is giving the us the dispensation of the conciliation, how that God was in Christ, conciliating the world to Himself, not reckoning their offenses to them, and placing us in the word of the conciliation 

Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5: 18-19, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

Good Of The Father (Quick To Listen) # 2116

 We all talk a different language, talking in defense

The Living Years ~ Mike and the Mechanics (1988) 

I've come to realize over the years that there are those of us who are so very good at talking and listening to others.  In my time I've known more than a few.  I was reminded of this the other day while in a discussion with a gym friend.  The discussion was in danger of becoming more of a disagreement when I realized that what my friend needed was someone to listen and not to speak.  Realizing this, I introduced him to another friend whom I know has a heart for listening to people.  To my knowledge, their conversation soon flourished as a friend who needed that someone to listen found just that.  Now, I could have simply turned on my listening ears myself, but my friend was in a better place at that moment to listen to another.   I mention this situation because all too often we might find ourselves in the company of someone who doesn't need a speech, but simply someone to listen.  I perceived that in my friend the other day.  So, instead of escalating a conversation, I chose to connect him with someone I know would be more than glad to listen to him.  I have a dear friend whom I have known for some time, a retired pastor, who has been one of the most patient listeners I have ever known.  I know that no matter what I am dealing with, that I can talk with him and that he will guide me to what the Father is showing me in that situation.  I suggest that this is a unique gift, that gift of listening.  My mother had it.  She could walk into a room and within minutes she would be talking to a stranger like she had known them for years.  The art of listening.  The scripture tells us that we should be "Swift to hear, tardy to speak, tardy to anger" {James to the Twelve Tribes 1:19}.  If I would have continued in that conversation with my friend, I would not have been following the advice of James.  In my mind, he needed to hear what I had to tell him.  In reality, what he needed was that ear to hear what he had to say.  

I submit that many of the heated discussions which we engage in are a direct result of not having that ear to listen in the moment.  I admit that I've been guilty of that a time or two.  Sometimes I think I know better, sometimes I think that the Father needs to tell the other person something through me.  But what if I were to simply listen?  What would God reveal to me through this?  Many times, God places us in the presence of others not to convert or evangelize them, but that we would hear what God has for us to hear.  There is much to be said of seeking wise council in others.  In those who have the ear to listen.  The real reason that I introduced my friend to someone who I knew would listen to him is because in that moment I wasn't thinking about listening, but of trying to convince him that I was right and he was wrong.  That's not what he needed to hear.  I am thankful that I heeded the voice of the Father within me before that conversation got out of hand.  There are no winners in an argument.  Some might scoff at my speaking to knowing that voice of the Father in me, but this is the truth of my life in Him.  Unlike many well meaning Christians, God is always swift to listen to us.  We need only that ear to listen to what He is speaking to unto our hearts.  The truth is that God has always been an intimate part of us.  He created us in His likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  Jesus speaks to the truth that our life is lived through Him {Johns Account 14:20}.  When we speak to Him, He listens.  We can learn a valuable lesson from that.  

Now you are aware, my beloved brethren!  Yet let every man be swift to hear, tardy to speak, tardy to anger

James to the Twelve Tribes 1: 19, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father {Baggage Claim) # 2115

 

Knowing this, that our old humanity was crucified together with Him, that the body of sin may be nullified, for us by no means to be still slaving for sin, for one who dies has been justified from sin.  Now if we died together with Christ, we believe that we shall be living together with Him also, having perceived that Christ, having been roused from among the dead, is no longer dying.  Death is lording it over Him no longer, for in that He died, He died to sin once for all time, yet in that He is living, He is living to God.  Thus you also, be reckoning yourselves to be dead, indeed, to sin, yet living to God in Christ Jesus our Lord

Paul to the Romans 6: 6-11, Concordant New Testament 

Have you ever hung onto something which you knew was no good but still gave it credence?  I believe that this is the very cycle many face with addictions.  They know what they're doing is harmful, yet they continue in the destructive cycle.  I've seen this repeated far too many times.  In fact, I myself have been involved in this cycle as well.  For many years, I was stuck in a cycle of food addiction as well as pornography.  I knew that these things were bad for me, but I continued to engage in the cycle of destruction.  Why do I mention this?  Because I believe that there are far too many well meaning believers out there who have been deceived into clinging onto something which Jesus has already done away with.  I'm talking about the idea of sin.  Yes, I know that I spend a lot of time writing about the S word, but it is my hope that by doing so that the children of God will come to the realization of the truth which we have in Christ.  In his evangel, the apostle Paul speaks to the truth that Jesus has indeed died to sin "Once for all time" {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  In fact, one of the core beliefs of this so called Christian religion is that Jesus indeed gave Himself to take away the sin of the world.  The truth we have in Christ is that we have died to what once defined us.  Many in the church will continue to proclaim that we're still sinners.  They will back up this claim with the very words of Paul which we find in Romans, that all have sinned {Paul to the Romans 3:23}.  Yet they leave out the important part which we find in the following passage.  That "Being justified gratuitously in His grace" that it is Jesus Who has delivered us from sin {Paul to the Romans 3:24}.  

How many of Gods children continue to hold onto that false belief that they remain sinners?  I personally feel that there are quite a few that do.  This false belief continues to be spoken by those within the mainstream church.  That sin continues to be an issue in the lives of all believers.  So it is that the hordes continue to follow this teaching.  This despite claiming to believe that Jesus has indeed died for the forgiveness of their sin.  Did Jesus somehow miss a few sins while hanging on that cross?  I find that highly unlikely.  Moments before His death, Jesus proclaimed "It is accomplished!" {Johns Account 19:30}.  He had accomplished what He had come to do.  Why is this important?  Because to trust in the words of the Lord is to believe that we are no longer defined by that which we once held onto so tightly.  We're no longer sinners in the eyes of God.  That debt has been paid.  That's not to say that sin in this world does not still remain, only that we who have died to sin are no longer defined by it.  Paul proclaims "We, who died to sin, how shall we still be living in it?" {Paul to the Romans 6:2}.  Why do we continue to cling to that old baggage?  Because someone in the church says we do?  Again, the evangel spoken by Paul makes it clear.  That "If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation" {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:17}.  I'm no longer that guy I once was!  Through Christ Jesus, I am a sinner no longer.  Knowing this, I no longer hold onto that former identity.  

May it not be coming to that!  We, who died to sin, how shall we still be living in it? 

Paul to the Romans 6: 2, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (The Jesus Life) # 2114

 

For me to be living is Christ, and to be dying, gain 

Paul to the Philippians 1: 21, Concordant New Testament 

There are plenty of people who talk a good game when it comes to following Jesus.  I have come to know a few of them.  Back in my church days, to follow Jesus was as close to Him that I could ever hope to be.  As a sinner, I was taught that Jesus could never be in the presence of sin.  Never mind the fact that He was scolded by the Pharisees and teachers of His day for dining with sinners and tax collectors {Matthews Account 9:10-12).  Despite that, I had been taught by those within the church that to "Be like Jesus" was the closest that I could ever hope to be to my Savior.  This kept me at a distance from truly knowing Him.  It wasn't until I had been away from the church for awhile that I realized that what I had been taught was a but another lie spoken by the institutional church.  I realized that Jesus has been with me all along despite the man the church told me that I was.  The words of the apostle Paul speak to his knowing of his own life in Christ.  For Paul "To be living is Christ, and to be dying, gain" {Paul to the Philippians 1:21}.  Paul recognized that which he once knew was no more.  His life was no more, for he had been crucified on that cross with Jesus {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  What remained is his life within Christ Jesus.  I often wonder what Paul would say to one of the pulpit pounders of today who speak to our life apart from Jesus.  The evangel of Paul speaks to us not of a life separated from Christ, but our life AS Christ.  Jesus Himself was criticized for speaking that "I and the Father, we are one" {Johns Account 10:30}.  The Pharisees of His day must have been pulling their hair out at this blasphemous statement.  Yet this is the truth we have in Christ.  Jesus has assured us of a life lived within the love of the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  But, for their part, the church continues to speak to Jesus and Gods children being separated by sin.  

It's not too difficult to see that this world which we live in is one of wickedness.  Those within the church will proclaim that we are bound to this wicked world.  That our only hope lies with living a righteous life and punching our ticket to heaven.  Yet Jesus has assured us that He Himself has overcome the world {Johns Account 16:33}.  This doesn't mean that we will not have trying circumstances, but that we do not live within the confines of this world.  Our home is not in flesh and blood, but within the love and grace of the Father.  This might seem difficult to fathom when we are faced with the every day challenges of life, but I believe that this is exactly why Jesus reminds us that He has overcome the world and all associated with it.  In the words of Paul, our life is IN Christ Jesus.  What fear, then, is there of death if we already know our future?  Again, Paul reminds us that to be dying, is gain {Paul to the Philippians 1:21}.  Death is not the end, but a beginning.  Knowing what I know of my own life in Christ, I would say that death is merely a continuation of what we're now living in the Father.  Walk into any funeral service and you'll likely encounter a pretty somber atmosphere.  There's more than likely a feeling of finality.  That this is the final act of a ones existence.  I experienced this with the death of my mother.  Even our so called "Celebrations of life" often leave out the truth of the union life we live in the Father.  The message is clear, death is final!  Not according to Paul.  In the words of his evangel, death is our ultimate gain.  Welcome to the Jesus life. 

In that day you shall know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you

Johns Account 14: 20, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~