The Good Of The Father (All Through Love) # 2145

 

He who is not loving knew not God, for God is love

First Epistle of John 4: 8, Concordant New Testament 

I hear too many people talking about the negative side of God.  That God is angry enough to afflict His children with illness of bad circumstances.  Back in my church days, I can recall being afraid to mention to my church friends whenever I found myself going through a trial of some sort, because I already knew what their response would be.  That somehow God was either angry with me, testing me or teaching me a lesson.  This is part of the reason that I grew up in the belief that God was an angry, vengeful God.  A good friend of mine recently described his days in the church as dealing with a God who was cranky a times.  This was my image of the Lord growing up.  For their part, the mainstream church has done all that they can to promote this image of an angry God.  A God who lives distant from His children due to their sin nature.  But is this the true image which we should have of the Father?  Is this how God really is?  The true answer to this question is, and has always been, no.  The apostle John has given us an indication of the one true reality of God, and that is love {First Epistle of John 4:8}.  It is through love that we have been created in His own likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  It is through His love for us that the Father dispatched His Son Jesus to be the price paid for our sin debt {Johns Account 3:16-17}.  Not that Jesus would come to condemn the world, but that the world "May be saved through Him."  Through His love, it was never the Lords intent that we would be left to the consequences of our former sin nature.  Through the Fathers love, He who knew not sin "He makes to be a sin offering" for us {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  Was it within the power of the Lord to condemn us in the face of our former nature?  Absolutely!  Yet it is the Father Who has chosen Himself to be seen as love in all which He does.

One of the things which I have discovered as I have come to know a more personal relationship with the Father is to see Him for Who He truly is.  Not as an angry, vengeful of cranky God, but as our loving Father.  It is this reality of the Lord that I wish has been revealed unto me sooner.  However, it took me forty years on my journey to discover the One true identity of God.  Of course, knowing the truth of the Father has also opened my eyes to how it is I see Him in my own life as well as that of others.  That God is not hell bent (Pun intended) to condemn and/or punish us for the bad behaviors which we ourselves feel guilty of.  Can we wrap our understanding around the truth that, because of His love for us, that the Father has already cleansed us of that sin?  Can we understand that Jesus has bled and died that our sin debt would be paid in full?  This has all been accomplished through the love nature of the Father.  That it has never been His intention to hold us accountable for that sin nature which we once were in bondage to.  He didn't simply turn a blind eye to that which we had done, but through His love for us He sacrificed His only Son in our place.  It is not we who bore the punishment for our sin, but Christ.  What greater expression of love will we ever find {Johns Account 15:13}?  This is also exhibited in what Jesus commands of us in regards to others as well.  That we are to love one another as He has loved us {Johns Account 15:12}.  In this we see the truth of the Father, that He does all through His love for us.

Greater love than this has no one, that anyone may be laying down his soul for his friends 

Johns Account 15: 13, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Spin Doctors) # 2144

 

Beware that no one shall be despoiling you through philosophy and empty seduction, in accord with human tradition, in accord with the elements of the world, and not in accord with Christ

Paul to the Colossians 2: 8, Concordant New Testament 

Most people think of a spin doctor as someone who pushes the views and narrative of a political candidate.  While this is true, there are also other spin doctors out there who willingly push the narrative of what we're to believe about God.  I'm talking of those within the mainstream church who preach the narrative at every opportunity.  A good friend mentioned this to me the other day in response to my last posting.  Of course, I've known of the church spin doctors for some time.  But to understand these messengers we first need to understand the message itself.  What is the church narrative?  Well, the narrative consists of a few issues which those in the church treat as truth.  The lie that our sin has separated us from God.  The false teaching that we ourselves live separately from the Father Who created us in His likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  I often refer to the evangel of the apostle Paul when speaking out against this narrative of the church.  For Paul has spoken to the truth which we have in Christ Jesus.  The truth which proclaims that our freedom from sins punishment lies within our life in Christ {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  The truth which Jesus Himself has spoken, that our life is embedded within the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  The narrative spoken by the church spin doctors speaks directly against this truth which we find in the scriptures.  Yet, when I suggest these passages to those who follow the church narrative, I'm accused of "cherry picking" the scriptures in order to support my own narrative.  Well, one of us is cherry picking scripture to support their narrative, but it's not me.  Honestly, why believe in the truth that Christ Jesus has bled and died on the cross for the forgiveness of sin only to turn a blind eye to that truth and proclaim that sin continues to be an issue in the life of every believer?  THIS is part of the narrative which the spin doctors preach!  It is also obvious from the various church congregations out there that there are plenty of those who willingly follow the narrative.

Back in my days in the church, I would never have referred to my pastor as a spin doctor.  I was drinking that kool aid along with everyone else.  In fact, on the rare occasions that someone disagreed with the pastor, I treated them just like those who follow the narrative treat me today.  For me, the words of the pastor were the truthful words from God.  To disagree with the teachings was to believe in blasphemy and false teachings.  That all changed one Easter Sunday as I sat in my usual spot for the morning sermon.  The pastor began by speaking to the truth that Jesus was crucified and died on the cross only to be raised three days later.  However, at the end of his sermon, he invited everyone who had "unresolved sin issues" to come forward and the church staff would pray over them.  Unresolved sin issues?  Wait, you just got done telling me that Jesus died for the forgiveness of my sin.  Now you're telling me that isn't true?  That was the last time I stepped into a church service.  It's funny, but once I removed myself from the church narrative, I began to seek a closer relationship with the Father.  A relationship which wasn't possible while I followed the church narrative.  What I've found is that God is not guided by church traditions.  That Christ Jesus has indeed died to sin "Once for all time" {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  This is the truth we have in the Father which has been spoken and revealed to us through the scriptures.  The truth was never meant to be contradicted by the narrative of a human created religion.  A religion which speaks to the false narrative that we live separately from God.  Nothing could be further from the truth, and the scriptures speak to our life lived within the Fathers love.  But I'm guessing that doesn't fit the narrative.  

But the most high is not dwelling in what is made by hands, according as the prophet is saying, "Heaven is My throne, yet the earth is a footstool for My feet, what kind of house shall be built for Me?" 

Acts of the Apostles 7: 48-49, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Dog Issues) # 2143

 

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are of God, for many false prophets have come out into the world 

First Epistle of John 4: 1, Concordant New Testament 

Webster has defined the word dogmatic as being "Characterized by or given to the expression of opinions very strongly or positively as if they were facts."  In my time, I have been witness to many in the Christian faith who have displayed such qualities.  Their consider their opinions on the way we worship, pray and tithe to represent the gospel of the Lord.  I believe that this is why the apostle John calls upon us to "Test the spirits" of those who claim to speak the word of the Lord {First Epistle of John 4:1}.  Indeed, there have been many false prophets who have come out into the world.  In my time in the church, I ran into many of these dogmatic types of believers.  Their minds could seldom be swayed to another view opposite of their own.  In their mind, theirs is the just and righteous view of God, no matter what.  For disagreeing with these dogmatic believers, I have been accused of blasphemy, lies and not following the true intent of the Lord.  But what is the true intent of God?  Indeed, we have the scriptures to guide us, but did God really intend for the rules and regulations found in the Old Testament to govern our lives today?  Remember, it is Jesus who has called out the Pharisees of His day for exhibiting this very same dogmatic behavior {Matthews Account 23:13-16}.  Many Christians agree that the Pharisees of Jesus' day were deserving of His rebuke, but they turn a blind eye to those very same behaviors today.  The apostle Paul has spoken to the truth that "No one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit" {Paul to the Colossians 2:8}.  Yet this is exactly what a dogmatic believer does.  Their trust and faith in the scriptures and human traditions can and has led many astray. 

One of the biggest stones which the dogmatic believer will toss around the neck of the believer is that of the unforgiven sin.  For it is sin which keeps us in bondage and separated from God.  This is also one of the lies spoken by the mainstream church and every dogmatic believer.  The truth about sin is that Jesus has already dealt with this issue.  Paul speaks to us that Jesus has indeed died to our sin "Once for all time" {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  But the dogmatic Christian will wring his hands and proclaim, "what about my sin today?"  Really?  First off, would God dispatch His Son to die on the cross for the forgiveness of sin if He intended sin to be an issue for His creation?  The dogmatic believer truly believes that Jesus died on that cross for the forgiveness of sin, but still believes that sin is a big issue in his life.  How does that work?  It works because they buy into the teachings of the church hook, line and sinker.  For without the false teachings of the church, there would not be those who adamantly defend it to the fullest.  I've taken my share of push back for this belief, but I see the dogmatic Christian believer in the same light as those who have been radicalized by the Islamic religion.  Of course, the one common factor in this is religion.  The religion which places tradition over relationship with the Father.  Religion which speaks to the sin bondage of the children of God.  Something which Christ Jesus has already been sacrificed for {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  The dogmatic believer will never admit it as truth, but our sin debt has been paid at the cross.  That relationship which the Father desires with His creation is void of any and all human traditions.  The truth of our life is that we live life WITHIN the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  Within the Father, there is no guilt nor condemnation, only the love of God.  It is this love of God which the dogmatic believer steals away from the innocent. 

Beware that no one shall be despoiling you through philosophy and empty seduction, in accord with human tradition, in accord with the elements of the world, and not in accord with Christ 

Paul to the Colossians 2: 8, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Jesus In Real Life) # 2142

 

For we have not a Chief Priest not able to sympathize with our infirmities, but One Who has been tried in all respects like us, apart from sin 

To the Hebrews 4: 15, Concordant New Testament 

I've had more than a few people ask me if Jesus ever faced the situations and trials that we ourselves so often deal with in the midst of our lives.  Was Jesus ever late for work?  Did He ever deal with a over zealous boss?  And what about people, did Jesus ever have to deal with those who mocked and belittled Him?  Well, one look at the scriptures and we can determine the answer to many of these questions.  We know that Jesus was ridiculed and mocked not only by the Romans who crucified Him, but by many who stood by and waited for Him to die on that cross.  One of the main complaints that I've had about scripture is that we rarely see stories of the young boy Jesus as He grew into the man He would become.  However, we can take a look at the culture of the day and determine what the life of this young Hebrew boy would be like.  In the film Young Messiah (2016), we see the life of a young Jesus personified.  While there have been those who criticized the film version of the life of the young Jesus, I felt that it gives us a glimpse into the life of the boy who would one day suffer and die at the hands of those who hated Him.  Jesus indeed played and hung out with other boys He knew.  He certainly had his moments where He frustrated His parents Mary and Joseph.  In many respects, He was like any other child of His day.  But He also must have had questions as well.  What was His life like?  Was He different than others?  Can we imagine a pre-teen child being able to comprehend all which He was, the Father in human form?  While the film Young Messiah answered a few of the questions people may have had, there are many which remain.  We can be assured that there is nothing which we will ever experience which Jesus has not already been through {To the Hebrews 4:15}.  For this reason, it is Jesus Who will sympathize with all we will ever experience in life.  

So, has Jesus gone through everything we have?  Were there cars and computers in His day?  No, but when we realize the truth of just Who He is, and who we are, we can began to see how Jesus can and will share in our experiences.  In his evangel, the apostle Paul speaks to the truth of the life of Christ Jesus within him.  Yet I am living; no longer I, but living in me is Christ {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  Paul understood that his life was never about himself, but about the spirit of Jesus Who lived within him.  Jesus Himself also speaks to our union with He and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  We can honestly say that the life we live is within the Father and not apart from Him in any way.  So, does Jesus know what it's like to be cut off by some inconsiderate driver on the freeway?  Absolutely!  Has Jesus ever experienced the pain and hurt of a broken family relationship?  Definitely.  For if our life is within Him, He is part of every joy and hurt we will ever endure.  We can safely say that Jesus is our life.  Some dogmatic souls within the church might bristle at this reality, for they see mankind as having been forever stained by sin {Paul to the Romans 3:23}.  But it is Jesus Who has died to sin "Once for all time" {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  For Jesus did not die that He would judge those who have been found innocent through His death, but that they would be saved through Him {Johns Account 3:16-17}.  The truth is that there will never be anything which we experience that Jesus has not been through with us.  We endure all through Him.  This is our life lived within the Father. 

With Christ have I been crucified, yet I am living; no longer I, but living in me is Christ.  Now that which I am now living in flesh, I am living in faith that is of the Son of God, Who loves me, and gives Himself up for me 

Paul to the Galatians 2: 20, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (The Angry Side Of God) # 2141

 

He who is not loving knew not God, for God is love 

First Epistle of John 4: 8, Concordant New Testament 

How many of us grew up in a church where God was someone to be feared and not loved intimately?  That God was a hairs breath away from bringing down His judgement on those who behaved against His will.  The other day I chuckled at a comment given by a friend of mine in his podcast, that God was somehow "Cranky."  Today I do not see Him as such, but during my days in the mainstream church I definitely looked upon God as some cranky, cantankerous being who was waiting for that day where His judgement would be brought upon my sinners arse.  This is the version of God that I was raised on, and it is the version of God which the powers that be within the church continue to chirp to their congregations to this day.  Needless to say, this is a lie, but I'll get into that in a bit.  Imagine growing up living in fear of a loving God who created you in His own likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  Imagine living in fear of a God whose very nature...is to love {First Epistle of John 4:8}.  So, is He a cranky God?  Well, many well meaning Christians would have us believe that.  Since it is almost impossible to have an intimate relationship with One Who is angry or cranky, I never knew that close relationship with the Father until I spent time away from the church and their false teachings.  I know and understand now that God is neither angry nor cranky against us.  How do I know this?  Well, I know the truth of how it is that God looks upon His creation.  Not with anger or animosity, but with love.  It is through His love for us that Jesus was dispatched to bear that sin burden for us {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  Do these sound like the actions of a God Who is angry with us?  All of the scriptural evidence, in my opinion, leads us into the understanding that God is not set upon condemnation, but on reconciliation {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:18-19}.  The truth of the matter is, God does not speak of His condemnation for us, but those within the church.  This is the environment which I grew up in. 

One of the most iconic scriptures we know speaks to the truth of Gods love and mercy towards us.  That God loved us so much that He has given us His only Son, that through Him we would NOT be judged, but that all the world would be saved through Him {Johns Account 3:16-17}.  So, Jesus has not come to judge, but to save.  To redeem.  Again, does this sound like the actions of an angry God?  If I knew then what I know today I never would have fallen for the false claims of those speaking the lies of the church.  The apostle speaks that God so LOVED the world, not that He judged the world.  But many Christians will counter with the claim, what about Gods anger in the old testament?  What about it?  Realize that this was before Jesus was dispatched unto this world.  That the entire scripture, from the old testament forward, lays the foundation for the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus.  This was not dome out of anger or punishment, but of love.  Anger will never produce reconciliation.  Nor will it ever produce trust and faith.  What anger does produce is hostility and fear.  While I have never felt openly hostile towards God, I definitely was afraid of Him.  Those in the church will counter and tell us, but that's righteous fear, which is somehow allowed in Christianity.  The truth is, fear is fear no matter how you look at it.  We're also told that the Father has not given us that spirit of fear, but of power and love and sanity {Paul to Timothy (2) 1:7}.  So, if we have that fear of the Father, is it from Him?  I would say not to that nonsense.  But those within the church seem to embrace that fear of the Father and what He ultimately will do to us.  The fires of hell burn brightly in the back of our minds whenever we think of how He looks upon us.  But this is not the truth of how God sees His creation.  God has chosen love over anger and fear.  It is those within the Christian religion who continue to stoke the fires of Gods anger among any and all who will listen.  

For thus God loves the world, so that He gives His only-begotten Son, that everyone who is believing in Him should not be perishing, but may be having life eonian.  For God does not dispatch His Son into the world that He should be judging the world, but that the world may be saved through Him 

Johns Account 3: 16-17, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (In Gods Eyes) # 2140

 

For you died, and your life is hid together with Christ in God.  Whenever Christ, our life, should be manifested, then you also shall be manifested together with Him in glory

Paul to the Colossians 3: 3-4, Concordant New Testament 

I had an interesting conversation with a friend the other day.  The discussion revolved around his habit of turning to pornography in his life.  He shared this with me after I confided in him that I had suffered through the same affliction which he was experiencing.  During our conversation I asked him the question, what would you think of someone who had those thoughts for your daughter?  Well, his answer was that he would have a serious conversation with that individual and remind him of his mistake.  I'm sure that he knew where I was headed by asking such a question, but he gave me the answer I had expected.  Not that many years ago, this was the question a good friend of mine asked me when I was in the midst of my own porn addiction.  This is what made me begin to question my behaviors.  If God looked upon me as His loved child, wouldn't He do the same with those women I had been fantasizing over for so long?  This is what convicted me that I needed to change how I viewed other people.  I didn't hold a monopoly on having the love of God in my life.  But it wasn't until I began to see where my own life truly stood that I began to see how I was seen from His eyes.  Not as a sinner or a wayward believer, but as His loved child {First Epistle of John 3:1}.  It's a well known fact that those within the church have sold us a bill of goods for thousands of years.  That our sin has ultimately separated us from God.  This is a lie!  For He was created us in His own likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  The truth is that the Father has always been a part of who we are.  Yes, that means men AND women are a part of who He is. 

When the apostle Paul speaks to the truth that our lives are "Hid together with Christ in God," he is not simply speaking to men, or women for that matter {Paul to the Colossians 3:3-4}.  No, he is speaking to all of the Fathers children.  I'll be the first one to say that to dabble in pornography is to dehumanize those of the Fathers children whose images we all too often lust after.  I should know, I've been in those shoes.  I've struggled with the shame of having those thoughts for one of the Fathers children.  My friends reaction to the question I posed to him let me know that he would not be comfortable with someone having such thoughts for his own daughter.  Yet, this is exactly what he himself had been doing.  It was what I had done.  Instead of piling guilt and condemnation upon him, as some who follow the church theology might do, I reminded my friend of who he was in the Fathers eyes.  That when God looked at him, He did not see a sinner, but His child.  The child that He loved so much that He would dispatch His own Son to bear that burden of his sin {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  Not just for the short term, but that Christ has died to sin "Once for all time" {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  Knowing this, we can began to see through the false teachings of those within the mainstream church.  Those who continue to profess that our sin is still relevant in the eyes of the Father.  That we remain guilty and deserving of His judgement.  The truth of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus is that our sin debt has been paid through His death on the cross.  When we look at ourselves in the mirror, there's a chance that we might see someone different than who God sees.  

With Christ have I been crucified, yet I am living; no longer I, but living in me is Christ.  Now that which I am now living in flesh, I am living faith that is of the Son of God, Who loves me, and gives Himself up for me 

Paul to the Galatians 2: 20, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (The Secret To Forgiveness} # 2139

 

Bearing with one another and dealing graciously among yourselves, if anyone should be having a complaint against any, according as the Lord also deals graciously with you, thus also you 

Paul to the Colossians 3: 13, Concordant New Testament 

I learned something about forgiveness this week while in the midst of my own trial.  I had been dealing with a brother seemingly caught in his own wrong behaviors.  Initially, leaning on my old church teaching, I felt that it was my duty to remind him of his deviant ways in order to bring him back into the Christian fold.  Se, back in my church days that's what we did when we came across a sinning brother.  That was our duty, or so we were taught.  Is it any wonder, then, that so many people today view the mainstream church as being full of judgmental people?  In fact, one of the main reasons that people give for leaving or changing churches is just that, to escape that condemnation which comes from others pointing out their shortcomings.  Yes, I was once part of that crowd as well.  But this week I discovered something which I had forgotten in the middle of my encounters with my friend.  That being, what has God done with me while I was in the midst of my own iniquities?  Was it in His nature to condemn me for my own bad behaviors?  The apostle Paul reminds us in Colossians that we are to be "Dealing graciously among yourselves" {Paul to the Colossians 3:13}.  That is, that we, as believers, are to deal with others in the same way that God has done with us, in grace and forgiveness.  For the true meaning of hypocrisy is to accept the Lords forgiveness for our own shortcomings but then hold others to a different standard.  I believe that this is the very reason why Paul addressed this issue in his evangel.  The truth is, men have had differences and conflicts with others since time began.  The fact is, it is not God Who condemns, but mankind.  I've sat through many a Sunday sermon where the pastor called upon his congregation to confront a sinning brother,  This is the same teaching I resorted to recently in my dealings with my friend.  To be honest, it didn't turn out too well.  In the midst of one of our heated discussions, he asked me something which caused me to take a step back.  That question was, "Are you God?"  

As I contemplated my friends question to me, I recalled a time when I was engaged in some pretty bad behaviors.  From pornography to strip clubs, I was into some pretty shady stuff.  All while professing to others that I was a follower of Jesus.  I was afraid of bringing my troubles to my friends in the church because I was afraid of their reaction.  That they would confront me in the same way that I had confronted my friend.  This weighed on my heart as I recalled that, while in my own sin, that God had loved me enough to display His love and grace to me in my darkest of times.  That He has dispatched His Son that my sin debt would be paid {Paul to the Romans 6:6-11}.  It has never been God intention that I would stand convicted for the that which I once walked in.  Paul speaks that it is only by the grace of the Father that we have been redeemed, not by anything we've done on our own behalf {Paul to the Ephesians 2:8-9}.  Can you imagine the righteous crowd of Christians who would gloat that they were the ones who saved someone?  This is why the words of Paul reminding us of the saving grace of the Father are so very important.  For left to our devices, the price of that forgiveness would be a steep one to pay.  So, no, I am not God.  Who I am is His loved child who lives my life within Him {Johns Account 14:20}.  Therefore, I'm called to display the same mercy and grace which has been given unto me {Paul to the Ephesians 4:31-32}.  Remembering His grace towards us is the key to our forgiveness we give to others.  

Let all bitterness and fury and anger and clamor and calumny be taken away from you with all malice, yet become kind to one another, tenderly compassionate, dealing graciously among yourselves, according as God also, in Christ, deals graciously with you

Paul to the Ephesians 4: 31-32, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~