The Good Of The Father (That Eonian Life) # 2205

 

Now it is eonian life that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Him Whom Thou dost commission, Jesus Christ

Johns Account 17: 3, Concordant New Testament Translation 

If I were to ask you why you believe in God, what would you say?  That your sins be forgiven you?  That you spend eternity with Him in heaven?  Most believers would choose the latter.  To choose a heavenly abode over the trials and tribulations of this world.  In fact, this is the most common answer that people give me when asked why it is that they believe in God, eternal life.  Modern Christianity has taught us that eternal life and heaven are linked together as one as a reward for our righteousness.  That the believer will be with the Father in heaven for all time.  I was one of those who grew up believing in this version of the afterlife.  This is what I was taught while in the church.  So it is that I understand just why it is that most believers feel this way.  After the death of my mother in 2016, I trusted in my heart that she was now in the Fathers presence for all time.  I also knew that I would most assuredly see her again when my time came to join her there.  I still believe this, but I am also beginning to understand more about that which we call eternal life.  In His prayer in the garden before His death, Jesus spoke to the truth behind what we have been told is eternal life.  Many Christians do not understand that these words spoken by Jesus are the best definition of eternal life which we have.  For eternal life is not centered around our own being in the afterlife, but something completely different.  First off, the wording "Eternal life" is a crude reference to what Jesus has referred to as our Eonian life.  Now, eonian, as defined by definition, is "Lasting forever or for an indefinitely long time."  That sounds ok within this context.  However, eonian life is also defined as that which is relating to a specific geological eon, or age.  Still, Jesus obviously intended the use of His words which we see in His prayer in the garden that night.  I believe that His intent was to give us the true meaning of that time after we have passed from this life.  That eternal life has never been about our existence in the Fathers heaven, but of knowing Him intimately.

Jesus has spoken that "It is eonian life that they may know Thee" {Johns Account 17:3}.  That the truth about heaven and the afterlife is less about our reward for a good life and more about knowing He Who has provided for it.  Jesus obviously understood this, while too many modern believers have yet to grasp it.  Those within the modern church continue to preach of the reward for those who trust and believe in the Lord Jesus.  I know a man, a pretty dogmatic believer if ever there was one, who will adamantly condemn all who do not believe in Christ Jesus to the fires of hell.  For these poor souls, there is no reward given unto them by the Father.  Despite the fact that it is God Who loved the world enough to dispatch His one and only Son to save the world, there will be those who apparently will not be offered the reward of an eternity in Gods heavenly abode {Johns Account 3:16-17}.  But if this were indeed true, why is it that Jesus would pray that Gods children would "Know Thee?"  Why wouldn't Jesus simply spell it out and condemn those who did not believe?  Why indeed.  Well, we're told that despite being dispatched by the Father that all who believed in Him should not be perishing, but have life eonian, we're told that Jesus has not come to judge the world, but that ALL the world would be saved through Him {Johns Account 3:16-17}.  So it is that our afterlife has already been determined long before we were born into this life.  That the Father's true desire for us is for our life eonian.  Not that we would somehow be rewarded, but that we would finally know Him.  The apostle John has also spoken that what we have been promised is not a reward, but life eonian {First Epistle of John 2:25}.  God INTENDS for His creation to come to know Him.  Yes, in that day every knee shall bow and declare Jesus as Lord {Paul to the Philippians 2:10-11}.  But even this is accomplished "For the glory of God, the Father."  So it is that all will acknowledge Jesus as Lord, and all will come to know the Father.  So, what does this truth we have in the scriptures tell us about the punishment of hell for unbelievers?  Is there even a hell?  That's a topic for another day.  For now, I rest in the truth that in my life eonian that I will come to know the Father.  That is reward enough for me.  

And this is the promise which He promises us: the life eonian

First Epistle of John 2: 25, Concordant New Testament Translation 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (By No Other Name) # 2204

 

And there is no salvation in any other one, for neither is there in any other name, given under heaven among men, in which we must be saved

Acts of the Apostles 4: 12, Concordant New Testament Translation 

Growing up in the church, I was taught that salvation was by the grace and mercy of the Father.  However, I was also told that my salvation was something I could earn as well as lose.  If I believed in Jesus, I would be saved.  Yet if I behaved in a way that the Lord did not approve of, I could definitely lose that salvation.  Moreover, there was also that unpardonable sin of not accepting the Lord Jesus which could also keep me out of heaven.  Like many believers, I began to see heaven as a destination.  I was regaled with sermons of a physical description of heaven.  Never once was I introduced to the idea that my salvation is not a destination, but in the person of Christ Jesus Himself.  The physician Luke mentions this within the book of Acts, that there is no other name in which one must be saved {Acts of the Apostles 4:12}.  While those within the church will claim that this passage does not directly tie Jesus to our salvation, I believe that the verse is pretty clear that it does.  For Jesus has also proclaimed that "No one is coming to the Father except through Me" {Johns Account 14:6}.  If we believe that our salvation is defined by being in the presence of God for eternity, then Jesus is definitely the pathway to our salvation.  But is heaven an actual physical destination, or, as I believe, is it found within Jesus?  When we look at the passages describing heaven, we will definitely see that Jesus IS our salvation.  You might say, but isn't there a separation between Jesus and the actual physical description of heaven?  Perhaps, but we're speaking of salvation here.  IS our salvation actually within Christ Jesus?  I believe this to be true.  For it is through Jesus alone by which we come to the Father.  If heaven is a destination in which we will reside in God's presence, then Jesus is our way unto Him.  But wait, Jesus has also proclaimed that our lives are not lived outside of the Fathers presence, but in union with He and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  So, if our salvation includes residing within the presence of God for eternity, then Jesus is most assuredly in that conversation.  Remember, Jesus has proclaimed that, "I and the Father, We are one" {Johns Account 14:30}.  Jesus IS our salvation.  

Seeing my salvation as a person and not a destination has been a lot for me to unpack.  This is due to having been told for most of my life that salvation is linked to a physical destination.  I believe that this is where most believers find themselves, seeing salvation as punching their ticket into God's heavenly abode.  Of course, contrary to the warnings given by the apostle Paul that we're saved through the Father's grace and not through works, those within the church continue to speak to the false belief that salvation is somehow earned {Paul to the Ephesians 2:8-9}.  Paul understood that if men were given the opportunity to gain salvation through their own means, that there would be a lot of self-righteous believers out there.  Indeed, I have seen this pride among a lot of believers.  I also understand that these so called believers continue to view salvation through the church narrative as a destination and not in the person of Christ Jesus.  That Jesus is the door to our salvation, that IN Jesus we shall be finding pasture {Johns Account 10:9}.  I believe that one of the keys to understanding the truth that our salvation is indeed a person and not a destination comes from knowing the truth of our life within the love of the Father.  That man is NOT a separate independent self living outside of God.  This is the false teaching of the church based upon the lies of the deceiver spoken in the garden {Genesis 3:4-5}.  For Satan has convinced us that if we were to partake of the fruit which God had commanded not to, that we would "Be like God, knowing good and evil."  Of course, most every believer knows that there is but one God.  The author Norman Grubb, in his book No Independent self, goes so far as to proclaim that, "There is no independent, self-operating self in the universe, except the One who calls Himself the I AM {Exodus 3:14} and says, "I am the Lord and there is none else, there is no God beside Me {Isaiah 45:5}."  So it is that we have never been separated from God, but are an intimate part of who He is.  Therefore, our salvation is not about the destination, but the person of Christ Jesus, the door to our salvation.  

I am the door.  Through Me if anyone should be entering, he shall be saved, and shall be entering and coming out and will be finding pasture

Johns Account 10: 9, Concordant New Testament Translation

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (All Unto Jesus) # 2203

 

For the One not knowing sin, He makes to be a sin offering for our sakes that we may becoming God's righteousness in Him 

Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5: 21, Concordant New Testament Translation 

Remember that I have given you fair warning of what you're about to read.  That what you're about to read may just change your opinion about sin not only in your life, but in the world as well.  As I said, you've been warned.  The other week I had a conversation with a dogmatic, church centered man who stood fast to his claim that there is indeed an unpardonable sin which God will never forgive.  Of course, this made the hair on the back of my neck stand up, but I listened to him nonetheless.  He was adamant that the unpardonable sin was one who steadfastly refused to accept Christ Jesus no matter what the case.  Now, I have heard far too many so called believers make this claim before,  In fact, back in my church days I believed it myself.  That was what I was taught to believe.  So, when this man claims that there is an unpardonable sin, I know exactly where he learned that.  My answer to his statement was simple, what about Jesus?  Hasn't Jesus bled and died to take away the sin of the world {Johns Account 1:29}?  Is it not through the love of the Father Who has dispatched His one and only Son, that the world will be saved through Him {Johns Account 3:16-17}?  But yet you speak to me of an unpardonable sin which Jesus somehow refused to acknowledge?  Despite the truth spoken in the scriptures that ALL will believe {Paul to the Philippians 2:10-11}.  So, if all shall believe and confess Jesus as Lord, that unpardonable sin will still be counted against us?  Well, if that's the hill that you want to die on, so be it.  In the film Come Sunday, the reverend Carlton Pearson was removed from his leadership position of the church he had led for a good number of years, all because he questioned the church belief that there is no hell for us to fear.  What drove the reverend to this conclusion?  Well, it seems that he had been troubled by the belief that those who has never even heard of Jesus would be doomed to an eternity in hell.  Why would God do this?  How is it that someone who has never even heard of Christ Jesus even be accused of the unpardonable sin?  That's the question every believer needs to be asking.

Despite the fact that we live in an information age, where news alerts and stories flash across the screens of our devices at lightning speed, it is a well known truth that there remain those among us who have yet to be introduced to the truth of the Lord Jesus.  If this were not true, the mainstream church would not spend untold amounts of our tithe money each and every year on so called mission trips.  It is also a well known fact that there continue to be tribes of people in remote areas of the world who have never even heard of the bible, or Jesus for that matter.  Do these children of the Lord need to fear hell for their unbelief?  No!  But what about that unpardonable sin?  The apostle Paul, in his evangel, addresses that sin issue in his letter to those in Corinth.  Here, Paul lays out the truth that it is Jesus Who has been made that sin offering for our sakes {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  But what is meant by the words of Paul as he describes Jesus as our sin offering?  Well, simply put, it is Christ Jesus Himself who has taken ALL of our sin and imperfections upon Himself that we would be free of them.  That's right, Jesus took all which made us that imperfect sinner unto Himself at the cross.  Do you feel guilty over your continued lust and addiction to pornography?  Jesus has taken that unto Himself that you would be free of the bondage it carries.  Think that your bad language will keep you out of the Fathers eternity?  That's right, Jesus has taken those imperfections upon Himself as well.  He has set us free from that which once held us in bondage.  Paul assures us of this in his letter to the Romans.  If you follow the church narrative and continue to feel the guilt of sin, Paul speaks to the truth that "We, who died to sin, how shall we still be living in it" {Paul to the Romans 6:2}.  This is the truth about sin that those within the church for one reason or another refuse to acknowledge, that we have indeed died to sin {Paul to the Romans 6:11}.  We are no longer held by the chains of the bondage of sin {Paul to the Romans 7:6}.  So, what is it that the evangel of Paul tells us about that unpardonable sin?  That's right, Jesus has taken that upon Himself along with all which once held us in bondage.  THIS is our freedom which we now have in Christ Jesus.  The mainstream church narrative will preach about sin as if the forgiveness of Jesus never even existed, but the truth which we have in Him testifies that Jesus took that which we were enslaved to upon Himself that we would be free from it.  

Yet now we are exempted from the law, dying in that in which we were retained, so that is for us to be slaving in newness of spirit and not in oldness of letter 

Paul to the Romans 7: 6, Concordant New Testament Translation

~Scott~ 

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The Good Of The Father (The Salvation Lie) # 2202

 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 Translation

Once again I am going to tackle a subject which most church going believers will scowl and claim I am speaking falsehoods.  That is the subject of our salvation.  We fill those pews each and every Sunday in the hopes that we will be able to "Punch that ticket" of admission into the Lord Gods paradise.  We pray for His forgiveness each and every day, fearing that there might be something He saw which would cause Him to recant His promise to us.  But, can God ever lie?  Obviously to even think that God could lie to us is a lie in itself.  So, how is it that so many of the Christian religious faith adhere to the false claim that our salvation is a conditional thing?  I don't get it.  We're told numerous times in scripture of the Fathers love for us {Johns Account 3:16-17}.  We're told that Jesus has indeed gone to prepare that place for us {Johns Account 14:2}.  So tell me, where in the scriptures is it written that one shall LOSE that which God has promised?  Where in the scriptures is it written that it is by our efforts alone that we're saved?  The apostle Paul speaks to this in his letter to the Ephesians, that it is "In grace, through faith, are you saved" {Paul to the Ephesians 2:8-9}.  Yet, I continue to see far too many believers walking around with their chests puffed out and proud that they have punched their ticket to heaven.  I have a gym friend who fits this description as well.  But these same people also often live with the fear that any sin they seemingly commit will cause God to break His promise to them.  I used to be among that crowd.  I would pray continuously that God would find me worthy of His eternity.  But that question always loomed in the back of my mind, if God has promised my salvation, why would He lie to me and revoke that promise?  I knew that God is incapable of lying, but those within the church attempted to convince me that this is exactly what He would do if I behaved badly.  This is the salvation lie of the church.  

Step into any church and you might hear the claim, that those who believe in the Father will be saved...but.  That Christ Jesus has given Himself on that cross for the forgiveness of sin...but.  See, there is always a catch to the salvation lie.  Yes, Jesus has died for the forgiveness of sin, BUT we can still sin.  Yes, God has provided for our salvation, BUT that sin could cause Him to change His mind.  In effect, admitting that God will indeed lie to His children.  But, is it at all possible for God to lie?  No!  This is the lie of the church, performance based salvation model.  That in order for us to get our ticket to heaven punched, that we need to behave well enough for God to approve it.  What blasphemy is this?  When you realize the truth spoken by the scriptures, you see that it is not I who speaks blasphemy, but  those within the church!  I only expose the lies of the church.  And for that I'm a marked man.  One thing I have told a good friend of mine in numerous conversations and podcasts is that we fight the thousands year old church narrative that heaven is something that we earn.  This is exactly why I refer to it as the salvation lie.  While it is not possible for God to lie, those within the church will lie to us at any given opportunity.  Think I'm lying?  Tell me where it is in the scriptures that God will revoke that which he has promised.  On the ghost of a chance that you are able to cherry pick some verse to fit your church based narrative, know that at that point you are openly admitting that God is capable of lying.  And, as we all agree, that is impossible.  So, we must then accept God at His word that He has provided for our salvation through His love and grace.  That our salvation has absolutely nothing to do with our own efforts.  So it is that your confidence that you have done well enough to warrant your presence in the Fathers paradise is misguided.  You needed Jesus in order to achieve that!  For it is Jesus who took all of our sin, bad behaviors and human errors upon Himself at the cross {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  Whatever it is that we think will keep us out of heaven, Jesus has already taken that upon Himself out of His love for us.  But that doesn't fit the salvation lie narrative.  

For the One not knowing sin, He makes to be a sin offering for our sakes that we may becoming God's righteousness in Him 

Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5: 21, Concordant New Testament Translation 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Witness For The Defense) # 2201

 

Yet hallow the Lord Christ in your hearts, ever ready with a defense for everyone who is demanding from you an account concerning the expectation in you, but with meekness and fear

Peter to the Dispersion (1) 3: 15, Concordant New Testament Translation 

Back in my church days, there were many times that I would take it upon myself to come to the defense of the Lord.  To be ever ready to defend Him from all sorts of blasphemy and heresy.  These days, there have been times where I have reverted back to those old habits, despite knowing God as I now do.  In retrospect, I would ask this one question, does anyone really believe that God needs us to defend Him in anything?  I have been witness to many so called believers who have taken it upon themselves to be that witness for the defense of God.  In my experience, whenever this happens it becomes less of a discussion about our faith in the Lord and more akin to a political debate.  I am reminded of the words of the apostle Peter in which he speaks to hallow the Lord Jesus in our hearts, and to speak Him unto others "With meekness and fear" {Peter to the Dispersion (1) 3:15}.  Forgive me, but I don't think that arguing with someone over the commandments, edicts or church traditions of the Lord treats anyone with meekness.  In my experience, these debates lead more to hurt feelings and grudges.  This begs my next question, is this how the Father desires to be seen, as One Who forces His word on others?  Or, does He desire for us to proclaim Him, as Peter has, in meekness and fear?  I would suggest the latter.  I know a guy who, claiming to be a believer, will adhere to a dogmatic view of the Lord while condemning to hell others who have yet to believe.  Again, is this how God desires to be represented?  I would say no to that all day long and then twice after church on Sunday.  Yet I have dabbled in this defense of God from time to time as well.  I agree that these discussions of the Lord can and will get our ire up at times, but we need to put ourselves in the other persons shoes for a minute.  How is it that we would feel if someone approached us with demands and condemnation?  The best pastors I have ever known do not condemn when speaking Christ unto others, but speak of Him with love and a respect for their audience.  

 I would mention that the word of the Lord is meant to be the good news to all mankind.  Yet I know a man who has considered the New Testament to be the "Fluff" of the bible, and that people need to be confronted with the hard truth as well.  That sin remains an issue, and that those who engage in it are destined for hell.  But has God deemed that sin continue to be a struggle for His children?  I would say no to that, and here's why.  We're told that God, through His love for all of the world, dispatched His Son that all would be saved through Him.  That Christ Jesus has not come to judge the world, but that through Him all would be saved {Johns Account 3:16-17}.  The apostle Paul, in his evangel, speaks that Jesus has died to sin "Once for all time" {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  As I have often asked my dogmatic friend, does God truly want to confront us with the brutal truth of an eternity in hell, or grace us with the truth of His love, grace and redemption?  Did Jesus condemn the woman caught in her own sin?  No, His words to her revealed His forgiveness, "From now on by no means any longer be sinning" {Johns Account 8:11}.  Are we any different from that woman caught in sin?  I suggest that Jesus' words to us would, and are, the same.  Go and sin no more.  But Paul speaks to us that sin is no longer the issue.  That we, who have died to sin, how shall we continue to live in it {Paul to the Romans 6:2}.  This is what my friend has referred to as the fluff of the scriptures.  I get it.  This is what I was taught while growing up in the church as well.  That God needed those "Christian soldiers" to defend Him.  I realize now that this was but another lie spoken by the church.  That the Father desires us not to speak words of condemnation, but of the truth we find in His love for us.  THAT needs no defense.  

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 Translation 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (As The Father) # 2200

 

Jesus, then, answers and said to them, "Verily, verily, I am saying to you, the Son can not be doing anything of Himself if it is not what He should be observing the Father doing, for whatever He may be doing, this the Son is doing likewise 

Johns Account 5: 19, Concordant New Testament Translation 

I recall more than a few years ago when those in the congregation of the old church I used to frequent started wearing bracelets and apparel with the letters WWJD emblazoned on them.  I have since come to refer to this as the "What would Jesus do phase,"  At first it seemed logical.  Have an unruly church member?  What would Jesus do?  Someone falling into temptation?  What would Jesus do?  It seemed that wondering what Jesus would do was the answer to any question a believer might have.  But, wondering what He might do and actually doing as He would are definitely two totally different things.  So, how is it that we can know what Jesus will be doing at any given moment?  Well, Jesus Himself explains this in the gospel of John.  Here, Jesus explains that He only does what it is that He should see the Father doing {Johns Account 5:19}.  So it is that Jesus will never be doing anything of Himself, only that which He observes the Father Himself doing.  So, if we pose the same questions, but in a different format, they become more understandable.  Have an unruly church member?  What would the Father do in this situation?  Have someone who has failed to know the truth about sin?  What would the Father say to them in this instance?  For whatever the Father is doing, that Jesus will be doing as well.  I believe that the marketers of the WWJD movement would have been better off asking, what is God doing?  But, that's just my opinion.  Of course, if we do not know the truth of the Father, how is it that we can know what it is that He is doing?  In yesterdays page, I posed the question that God has but one true character, and that is love {First Epistle of John 4:8}.  A good friend has since reminded me that I was in error in this.  Of course, I remembered the two characteristics of the Father, but somehow it escaped me for a minute.  The truth we have in the Father is that God indeed has two characteristics, that being love AND pain and tragedy, for He is indeed all in all.  However, it is important to note that God CHOOSES to display only His love nature unto His creation.  Therefore, His opposite, pain and tragedy, are not what we ultimately know Him by (I will redo this post at a future date}.  

To know what the Father will be doing at any moment we must, as Jesus has, know the Father.  And who is God?  Well, it is the Fathers love in which we now live {Johns Account 14:20}.  See, Jesus knew the Father very intimately, which is why He could proclaim that He only did what He saw Him doing.  When Philip asked him, "Show us the Father," Jesus had the perfect response {Johns Account 14:8-9}.  That he who has seen Jesus has indeed seen the Father as well.  This falls right in line with the words of Jesus when He spoke that, "I and the Father, We are one" {Johns Account 10:30}.  So, knowing who the Father is and what He is doing is all part of the intimate knowledge which we now have of Him.  Of course, there are those who, either through adhering to wrong teaching or never having known Him, will be unaware of their relationship they share with God.  Of course, this DOES NOT invalidate that relationship in any way, only that He has yet to be revealed in them.  Over the years, I have grown in a better understanding of my own life within the Fathers love.  I grew up being taught that my life was separated from God by sin.  I have since referred to this as one of the lies spoken by the church.  Would God invite us to live within His love while we were still in sin?  The scriptures proclaim the truth to us that Christ Jesus has died to sin, "Once for all time" {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  That is ALL sin past, present and future.  Through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, we now live free in Gods love.  Again, there will be those who continue to adhere to the same bondage of sin spoken by those within the church.  I'm not that guy.  Knowing that we live within the Father provides us with the intimate knowing of what He is doing.  As with Jesus, we may only do what it is we see the Father doing, if we have that revelation of our life lived within Him. 

Philip is saying to Him, "Lord, show us the Father and it is sufficing us."  Jesus is saying to him, "So much time I am with you, and you do not know Me, Philip!  He who has seen Me has seen the Father, and how are you saying, 'Show us the Father'? 

Johns Account 14: 8-9, Concordant New Testament Translation 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (What You Never Knew About God) # 2199

 

In a beginning Elohim created the heavens and the earth.  As for the earth, it came to be a chaos and vacant, and darkness was over the surface of the abyss.  And the spirit of Elohim was vibrating over the surface of the waters.  And Elohim said: Let light come to be!  And light came to be.  And Elohim saw the light that it was good.  Then Elohim separated the light from the darkness. 

Genesis 1: 1 - 4, Concordant Old Testament Translation 

It's one of the oldest questions ever asked, and I've asked it myself from time to time.  Why is it that a loving God would allow such suffering and tragedy into this world, into His creation?  Seems like a good question, right?  Well, I would submit that this is more of a question for philosophers than for believers in the Lord.  But let's stop for a minute and unpack this question shall we?  First, we know and believe that God created the heavens and the earth {Genesis 1:1}.  We know that before God spoke His creation, that the earth was "A chaos and vacant" {Genesis 1:2}.  So, the Lord spoke, and the light was created.  And He "Saw the light that it was good" {Genesis 1:4}.  Now, step back for a minute and consider this, what is it that is the opposite of the light?  Yes, darkness is the opposite of the light God created.   I find it interesting that in the gospel of John that Jesus is described as being 'The light of men" {Johns Account 1:4}.  Thus "The light is appearing in the darkness, and the darkness grasped it not" {Johns Account 1:5}.  Once again, we're presented with a pair of opposites.  If Jesus was with God in the beginning as the gospel of John speaks to us, can we assume that Jesus, being the light of men, is the opposite of darkness?  I would say yes to that.  But what is the darkness in the context of Jesus being the light of men?  Well, I would say that the darkness in this context is the world we live in.  For Jesus appeared into the darkness, and the darkness grasped it not.  Indeed, Jesus was presented unto this world, and many refused to grasp the truth which He spoke.  All of this many believers find not so difficult to comprehend.  But this is the easy part.  What if I told you that there is something about God that you never knew?  That our loving God, has an opposite.  Yes, just as the light is the opposite of the darkness, God indeed has an opposite to who He truly is.  But before we can understand this opposite to the Father, we must first know and understand who He truly is.  

What is the true character of God?  Well, the apostle Johns speaks to this in his epistle.  Here, John proclaims that the one true character of God, is love {First Epistle of John 4:8}.  Love is how the Father desires to be known, and love is how He desires us to see Him.  In fact, I would venture to say that it is through His love that God has done all which He has done.  Now, many within the church might discount this as a false teaching.  I get it.  This is why many church going believers continue to struggle with the concept that God could somehow "Allow" tragedy and pain in this world.  I used to think that way as well.  However, it took the death of my mother back in 2016 to change the way that I viewed God.  For years, she had been in pain and living in a care facility.  I did what I was taught to do, I prayed for the Lords healing over her.  When her moment came, I was angry with God for ignoring my prayers.  But had he ignored my prayers for her healing?  It wasn't until some time after her passing that I realized that He had indeed answered my prayer, just not in the way I was expecting.  My mother was no longer suffering or in pain.  Through His nature of love, God had healed her of her pain.  So, what does all of this have to do with God and opposites?  When we understand that the one true nature of God is love, then we can also begin to understand that He does NOTHING out of a desire to bring us pain and suffering.  Pain, tragedy and suffering IS the opposite of God.  Would we know the existence of light if it were not for the darkness?  No, because light is the opposite of the darkness.  Remember, it is God Who separated the light from the darkness.  I understand that this concept of the opposites to God is a tough pill to swallow for many believers, but that does not mean that it's not true.  That simply means that we fail to realize the true nature of the Father.  Yes, I've been there.  Remember that with God there is no turning, that He is the same yesterday, today and forever {To the Hebrews 13:8}.  Therefore, if His true nature is love, then He will not deviate from that.  Therefore, that which we see as tragic and painful, must not be a part of Him, but the opposite of His love nature.  Because we understand that pain and tragedy go against all which he is. 

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

First Epistle of John 4: 8, Concordant New Testament Translation 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Those Least Among Us) # 2198

 

Yet they were silent, for they argued with one another on the road as to who is greatest.  And, being seated, He summons the twelve and is saying to them, "If anyone is wanting to be first, he will be last of all, and servant of all."  And, taking a little child, He stands it in their midst, and, clasping it in His arms, said to them, "Whoever should be receiving one of such little children in My name, is receiving Me, and whosoever shall be receiving Me is not receiving Me, but Him Who commissions Me."

Marks Account 9: 34-37, Concordant New Testament Translation 

The disciples of Jesus had a problem, and they argued over this while on the way to Capernaum.  Jesus, knowing of their discussion, allowed them to proceed.  The issue they were discussing?  Who is the greatest in the kingdom of the Lord?  See, the disciples were human after all, and they would often display these traits in the presence of Jesus.  For His part, Jesus showed patience and grace as he guided them along.  This situation wasn't any different.  So, when they had finally reached their destination, Jesus spoke some truth for His followers to contemplate.  Jesus did not rank His followers by ability or seniority, but by how they humbled themselves.  That's right, whether they were called first or last did not matter, what mattered in the end was how they conducted themselves.  "If anyone is wanting to be first, he will be last of all" {Marks Account 9:35}.  I thought of these words of Jesus the other day as I was reading a short story about the man the church has been referring to as "Saint Peter."  And I wondered, would Peter have allowed himself to be exalted in such a way?  Remember, this is the very same man who denied Jesus before His crucifixion {Lukes Account 22:54-62}.  Granted, it is not Peter who decided that he deserved such recognition, but the mainstream church which has promoted him to such status.  I believe that were we to speak to Peter, that he would disavow these praises of men and humbled himself as Jesus had spoken him.  But Peter is not alone in being uplifted by the church, not by a long shot.  A number of the other disciples have also achieved saint status as well.  And what of the so called leader of the Catholic church?  How much reverence is displayed to him?  Indeed, it seems that many within the church have forgotten the words spoken by Jesus, that the first shall be last and the last shall be first.  

The story goes that during a University of Alabama football game, the Crimson Tide were playing Texas A &M and their star QB Johnny Manziel.  The odds makers had favored the Aggies to defeat the Tide by a good margin.  True to form, Manziel displayed his cockiness throughout the game.  In the end, the Alabama squad shocked everyone by defeating the favored Texas team.  As the two teams met at midfield, one of the Alabama players took Johnny Manziel aside and gave him some good advice, "Humble yourself."  Now, I admit that I myself have needed this advice too many times in my own life.  Just as that Crimson Tide player gave advice to the cocky young college player, so it is that Jesus spoke wisdom unto His own followers, humble yourselves.  But, who wants to be told that we must be humble?  More often than not, we choose to follow the fleshly path and serve ourselves instead of being a servant to others.  Yes, I've been there as well.  One of the biggest burdens to shed in our own realization of our life within the Fathers love is that it is no longer about a life we live, but of our life in Him.  This is what Jesus was attempting to speak to His followers that day.  Does God rank people according to who was saved first?  Not a chance!  As I said, it is the church that has introduced this ranking of those who believe in the Lord.  We also see this in the internal politics practiced by those within the church.  I have had the unique opportunity to have shared many conversations with a dear friend who once used to be among that crowd.  Even while he was serving the congregation, something didn't sit right with him.  I get it.  For instead of humbleness he witnessed favoritism and politics.  One might not expect to find such practices within the church, but they're indeed there.  I dare to say that whenever people are involved, humbleness will go out the window.  Again, I have been guilty of this myself.  As I said, these bonds of the flesh are often difficult to break.  However, it can be done.  Since experiencing my new relationship with the Father after His revelation given to me, I have slowly come to realize that I don't live for myself, but for Him.  We are not separate, but in union {Johns Account 14:20}.  The apostle Paul speaks brilliantly to this in Galatians.  Paul understood that his life was not within Christ {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  Of course, those within the church will continue to speak to our life separated from God.  I also believe that the words spoken by Jesus also speak clearly to them, humble yourselves.  

Yet anyone who shall be exalting himself shall be humbled, and anyone who shall be humbling himself shall be exalted

Matthews Account 23: 12, Concordant New Testament translation

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Knowing Not God) # 2197

 

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

First Epistle of John 4: 8, Concordant New Testament Translation

I saw a blurb the other day of a priest who was suddenly killed when a ceremonial cross in the church he was leading fell and killed him.  Not thinking about it, I sent a message to a brother in the Lord asking the question, "Do you think the Lord was angry with him?"  In my heart, I knew that this was a foolish question, but I had to ask.  See, this is what many who populate today's churches would think, that God somehow uses personal pain and tragedy to teach us a lesson.  I will call this bunk every day of the week!  For the record, many so called believers are not even aware of the one true nature of God.  The apostle Johns speaks to this nature of the Lord in his epistle {First Epistle of John 4:8}.  That being that God, above all else, is love.  Huh?  You mean that same supreme being who killed mankind with a flood is love?  The same God who allowed the Israelites to wander aimlessly in the desert is love?  The God Who allowed the Godly man Job to endure the tortures of Satan is love?  Yes!  God is love.  However, I, like so many others before me, have often struggled with that reality of God.  How is it that a loving God can allow such pain and tragedy?  I know now that I need not wonder about such things, because I know that He is love above all else.  Here's the shocker that many Christians have a difficult time understanding, that everything God does, He does out of His love for us.  What?  Again, it's taken me some time to understand this truth of the Father.  For much of my life, I was immersed in the teachings and theology of the mainstream church, and I followed along with what I was taught.  That was all I knew about God.  This is why I can cut todays believers a bit of slack when it comes to knowing the truth of God the Father.  Because I was once among that crowd.  Yet, as He did with the man Saul, God revealed Himself to me at the appropriate time in my life.  While Saul was converted on that road to Damascus, I followed a different path altogether.  I would suggest that each persons path to knowing the truth of God is different from the next.  In the coming days, I will be sharing my testimony of how writing a simple blog page helped introduce me into a better knowing of who God truly is.  But for now I will say this, that far too many believers are unaware of the truth of their life within the Father.  Jesus Himself speaks to this union in the gospel of John {Johns Account 14:20}.  That our life is not lived separated from God, as many within the church will espouse to, but IN His love.  So, if the truth of the Father is that He is love, we enjoy a life within His love.  The trouble is that far too many Christians fail to realize this truth that they have within Him, and that's where the issue begins.  When we see ourselves as separated from God, that is the view that we will have of Him, cold and distant.  This is simply not true, and a lie spoken by those within the church.  Trust me, there is plenty of scriptures to support the truth of our life lived in Him.  But that isn't what those in the church want us to believe.  This doesn't fit the narrative.  Yet that in no way means it is a false teaching.  For those who have come to know Him, it is the truth of who He is. 

For you died, and your life is hidden together with Christ in God 

Paul to the Colossians 3: 3, Concordant New Testament Translation 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (A Voice In The Wilderness) # 2196

 

I am marveling that thus, swiftly, you are transformed from that which calls you in the grace of Christ, to a different evangel, which is not another, except it be that some who are disturbing you want also to distort the evangel of Christ  

Paul to the Galatians 1: 6-7, Concordant New Testament Translation 

I have been writing this page for some time it seems.  In it I have laid out the foundations of what it is that I believe.  My hope is that others will read this page and be introduced to the same revelation given unto me by the Father.  But there are others who refuse to see things in the way that I do.  I get it.  The other day a friend challenged me on the wording of the words of Paul we find in Galatians 2:20.  It is here where Paul adamantly describes his life within Christ.  This happens to be one of the core verses of what I believe.  Yet my friend seemed to be of the belief that this was simply something related only to Paul and not to be translated to the rest of Gods children.  Like I said, I get it.  I get it because I know who it is that has influenced his opinion.  I used to be among that crowd myself.  I sat in that pew each Sunday and swallowed the kool aid which was preached from the pulpits.  I believed in the sermons that the pastor spoke as if they were the gospel.  To me they were the gospel of the Lord.  I mean, I wouldn't be misled by a pastor, right?  Wrong!  Turns out that the gospel which has been revealed to me by the Father is different from that which was pushed on me all those years in the mainstream church.  A lot different.  This isn't me believing in some blasphemy, this is my belief in the scriptures of the Lord.  Yet it seems that those within the church don't interpret the bible in the same way that I see it.  That was evident in my interaction with my friend the other day.  In his evangel, the apostle Paul marveled at those who were so quickly turned to another evangel than the one he had spoken to them.  Which was not another evangel than the words which Paul spoke but "Except it be that some who are disturbing you want also to distort the evangel of Christ" {Paul to the Galatians 1:7}.  These were not the words of Paul, but a watered down version.  This is the struggle I face today, with those who have accepted a watered down, religious inspired version of the evangel of Christ Jesus.  So much so that they refuse to even accept the suggestion that their own interpretation is not at all what God intended. 

Notice the warning which Paul gives us in his words in Galatians, that the believers he once knew in Galatia had been seduced by some who wanted to distort the gospel of Christ which he himself had spoke unto them.  The question Paul must have asked of them is, why?  Why would you distort the truth of the gospel of the grace of Christ Jesus for a counterfeit?  A counterfeit which speaks not of grace, but of condemnation.  Why would you desire to be enslaved and not free?  These are the questions I've asked more than a few believers myself.  In response, as with my friend, they often defend their adaptation of the gospel by claiming that it's of the scriptures.  While this counterfeit gospel might have sources within the bible, so do the words spoken by Paul which we find within his evangel.  Yet when I attempt to introduce the words of the evangel of grace spoken by Paul, I'm often told that I am "Cherry picking" scriptures to support my blasphemous beliefs.  Well, someone here is cherry picking the words of scripture, but it's not me.  As Paul has spoken, there are those within the church who seek to distort the evangel of Christ Jesus we find within the scriptures.  In other words, don't blame the message, blame the messenger.  For it is the messenger who distorts the words of the evangel of grace and distort it into a message of condemnation.  Taking the grace of the forgiveness of sin and twisting it into something completely different.  Paul speaks that Jesus has died to sin "Once for all time" {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  That we no longer live in the condemnation of unforgiven sin, for through Christ we are now dead to it {Paul to the Romans 6:2}.  But I guess that's just me cherry picking verses again.  As Paul received the revelation of the Father on that road to Damascus, so it is that I have received it as well.  Recently, a dear friend encouraged me to hold firm to my revelation and to continue speaking that which the Father has put upon my heart.  That is the reason I do this.  

For the era will be when they will not tolerate sound teaching, but, their hearing being tickled, they will heap up for themselves teachers in accord with their own desires 

Paul to Timothy (2) 4: 3, Concordant New Testament Translation 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Living The Lie) # 2195

 

For you died, and your life is hid together with Christ in God 

Paul to the Colossians 3: 3, Concordant New Testament Translation 

I have written on this topic more than a few times before, but recent events in my life have led me once again to remind others of the dangers of living the lie of the deceiver.  First off, what exactly is the lie of the deceiver?  Well, to live the lie is to believe in the false statement spoken by Satan to Adam and Eve in the garden.  That if Eve were to eat of that which the Lord had commanded her not to, that she would "Not surely die" {Genesis 3:4}.  Not only that, but "For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil" {Genesis 3:5}.  Be like God?  Is this even possible?  Not at all.  However, Satan was under the delusion that he could be more important than the God Who created him.  It is he who once declared that "I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north, I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the most high" {Isaiah 14:13-14}.  Clearly, Satan had deceived himself into thinking that he is more important than God.  This is the lie which he lives, and this is the lie which he continues to speak to the children of God.  Unfortunately, there are those among us who have swallowed that lie hook, line and sinker.  I have a gym friend who is among that crowd.  I have thought for awhile that he showed the very signs of narcistic behavior.  Living for himself, thinking that God wanted him only to be happy and treating others as if they were his personal property, females especially.  The more I thought about it, I realized that this went deeper than the behaviors of a narcissist.  He is, in fact, living the lie spoken by the deceiver.  He has accepted the lie that he lives separate from God.  But where is it that people are introduced to this falsehood?  Definitely not through scripture.  For God has spoken that we do not live separate from Him, but WITHIN  Him.  Jesus Himself speaks to this union in the book of John {Johns Account 14:20}.  No, we're not introduced to the lie through the scriptures, but through those within the church who have misinterpreted the scriptures for thousands of years.  It's no wonder, then, that I refer to this false teaching as the lie spoken by the church.

The author Norman Grubb, in his book No Independent Self, exposes the lie which has been spoken by the church for so long.  Grubb writes that "There is no independent, self-operating self in the universe, except the One who calls Himself the I AM {Exodus 3:14}.  Amen!  How is it that we can be separate from God Who has created us in His very likeness {Genesis 1:27}?  In his evangel, the apostle Paul speaks to the truth that we do not live separate from God, but that we are "Hid together with Christ in God" {Paul to the Colossians 3:3}.  Does this sound like we've been separated from God?  Not at all.  However, I doubt that you will ever hear it preached from the pulpits of the church anytime soon.  For those within the church have used this false teaching to keep people in the pews for generations.  The message is simple but effective.  You are sinners in need of Gods forgiveness, and you need the church and its archaic traditions to overcome that.  But wait, you can never overcome your sin, because despite the truth that Christ Jesus has given Himself for the defeat of sin, the church continues to preach that sin is relevant in the lives of believers.  Again, Paul disputes this lie in his evangel.  Paul speaks to the truth that Jesus has died to sin "Once for all time" {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  Not only that, but that we have died upon that cross with Him {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  How is it that those within the church can consider us sinners if we have died with Christ to sin {Paul to the Romans 6:2}?  This is why I speak to the truth that it is not through the scriptures, but through the lie of the deceiver that Gods children have been misled.  The truth spoken in scripture speaks not of our bondage to sin, but of our freedom which we have in Christ Jesus {Paul to the Galatians 5:1}.  Therefore, my prayer for my friend is not that he would change his behavior, but that the Father would reveal unto him the truth of his life in His love.  Only then can the lie be broken.  

For freedom Christ frees us!  Stand firm, then, and be not again enthralled with the yoke of slavery 

Paul to the Galatians 5: 1, Concordant New Testament Translation 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Fear Not) # 2194

 

Religion has actually convinced some people that there is an invisible man living in the sky watching everything you do, every minute of every day.  And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he doesn't want you to do.  And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever until the end of time.  But he loves you.  He loves you, and he needs money.  He always needs money.  He's all-powerful, all-knowing, all-perfect and all-wise, somehow he just can't handle money 

~George Carlin~ 

I remember growing up in the church learning to fear God.  Learning to fear that He would turn His back on me and that I would somehow lose my salvation which had been given to me through His grace.  Come to think of it, a lot of what I learned from the church was based upon fear.  This is the precise reason that I started using that quote from George Carlin at the beginning of a few of my writings, because George described perfectly the preaching of the mainstream church.  Even today, in conversations with people that I know who continue to attend one church or another, they speak of God with an attitude of fear.  My mother loved to watch the old Billy Graham crusades on TV, but even Billy used fear to get his message across.  Repent, or face the fire of hell!  Believe, or spend your eternity in that lake of fire.  It seems that fear has been the message of the church for many years.  Is their intent to scare people into salvation?  If so, they're doing a good job of that.  But was it Gods intent that we should fear Him enough that we would follow Him?  Absolutely not!  The apostle Paul speaks to that which the Father has given to us, and it's not a spirit of fear {Paul to Timothy (2) 1:7}.  What He has given unto us is love.  After all, love is the true nature of God {First Epistle of John 4:8).  It is through His love for us that He dispatched His only Son to take our sin upon Himself {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  It is through His love for us that we have been created in His own likeness {Genesis 1:27}.  It is through His love that I am not known as a sinner, but as His beloved child {First Epistle of John 3:1}.  Need I say more?  In fact, I would suggest that all which the Father has done for us He has done out of His love for us. But if you are given to listening to the sermons coming out of the church you might not realize that at all. 

There is a common saying that you will catch more bees with honey than you will with vinegar.  That is, people are more attracted to the good things in life than the tragedies.  Apparently that message has been lost on those within the church.  Is it no coincidence that one of the most common phrases preached by pastors today is "Thou shall not!"  It's as if we're still standing at the base of Mount Sinai listening to Moses declare the laws given to him by God!  But is this how the Father wants for us, to fear Him?  Does He desire our fear, or our love and devotion?  Paul speaks to the truth that we no longer live under the rule of the law, but within the love and grace of God {Paul to the Romans 6:14}.  Again, this message of love has been lost on those in the church.  Those who continue to preach the message of our salvation based upon fear.  One of my favorite parables spoken by Jesus is the story He gave of the prodigal son.  How the son moved away from home, squandered his father's inheritance then came to his senses and returned once again to the place he knew that he would be loved, back home.  But how would his father react to him?  Would he treat his son with contempt for squandering his inheritance?  He feared his fathers reaction.  But his fears were not realized because when his father saw his son coming home, he suddenly ran to embrace him.  The son he thought he had lost had returned.  The reason that I love this parable of Jesus is because I believe that Jesus spoke it as an example of the Fathers love for us.  That despite our trespasses He shows us His love and grace reconciles us unto Himself {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:18}.  His desire is not that we would fear Him, but love Him.  Because He has not given us that spirit of fear, but of love.  

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

First Epistle of John 4: 8, Concordant New Testament Translation 

~Scott~ 

Good Of the Father (Finding Jesus) # 2193

 

The God who makes the world and all that is in it, He, the Lord inherent of heaven and earth, is not dwelling in temples made with hands, neither is He attended by human hands, as if requiring anything, since He Himself gives to all life and breath and all 

Acts of the Apostles 17: 24-25, Concordant New Testament Translation

The other day I mentioned a good friend of mine who some time ago had sat in on a service at a local church for the first time.  By his own admission, he was searching for a relationship with Christ Jesus.  Did he find what he was looking for?  Yes, although eventually.  My friend found his own way into a knowing of Jesus in the same way which I have, through discussions with another good friend.  This is contrary to the way which some believers see the process of coming to know Jesus.  Growing up in the church, i was always taught that God somehow dwelled within the confines of the church building itself.  That I needed to attend each and every service in order to be "Within the Lords presence."  Indeed, there continue to be those within the church who believe in this.  So, you're telling me that God, the creator of all that we see, is limited in what He can do?  That He is limited in His presence of His creation to simply existing within brick and mortar building?  I'll never buy into that lie spoken by the church.  Neither did the apostle Luke, it seems.  For it is Luke who speaks in the book of Acts that God "Is not dwelling in temples made with hands" {Acts of the Apostles 17:24}.  So, do you still believe that Gods sole place is within the church?  In "Gods house." as they say?  I would say no to that false teaching.  Now, is the Father able to be within the confines of the church?  Absolutely.  The Father is able to be and reside wherever He desires.  Now here's a shocker for you, one that many within the church refuse to consider.  What if God desires to be known...within us?  What? God within sinful man?  What blasphemy is this?  Not blasphemy, but the truth of our life within the Father.  Jesus Himself speaks to this reality in the gospel of John {Johns Account 14:20}.  Jesus in the Father, we are within Him, and He is within us.  This is the truth we have in the Father.

I realize that there continue to be many believers out there who continue to follow the church line of "Finding Jesus."  I was one of them.  I spent my entire life in the church looking for something I already had.  This is the dilemma that believers today find themselves in.  Looking for Jesus.  I would suggest that they start that search by looking within.  THIS is where Jesus will be found in each of us.  The apostle Paul speaks to this as well in Galatians {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  Paul understood that his life, his existence, was now within Christ Jesus.  This is the same identity which we share with Him.  It is we who have been put to death with Him on that cross {Paul to the Romans 6:6}.  That which once declared us as sinners has been put to death through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.  We are no longer sinners, but justified through His death {Paul to the Romans 5:18}.  Therefore, our search for Jesus should begin with our own realization of who it is that we are within the Fathers love.  Those within the church will proclaim that it is our sin which has separated us from God.  But if Jesus has died for the defeat of sin, what sin remains within us {Paul to the Romans 6:10}?  Jesus did not die for our forgiveness one day, only to have sin raise its ugly head to condemn us the next.  No, when Jesus died to sin, He died to our sins past, present and future.  That condemnation is now gone.  When God looks upon us He does not see us as sinners in need of His grace and forgiveness, but as His redeemed children {First Epistle of John 3:1}.  This is the identity which we have within Him.  This is who we are.  Therefore, when we seek Jesus, all we need do is look within ourselves.  It is there that we will find what we're looking for. 

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 Translation 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Something For Everyone) # 2192

 

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 Translation 

What do food carts and religion have in common?  Do you even know?  Well, here in Portland, the food cart scene is pretty widespread.  No matter what you're looking for, you can usually find it somewhere.  The other day a friend of mine recommended a local sushi cart which he often visits.  Now, personally, having fish bait for lunch isn't really my thing, but I might just try it sometime.  So, what does all of this have to do with mainstream religion?  Well, it turns out more than you think.  Because just like in the food cart scene, with religion there is definitely something for everyone.  Don't like how your pastor is portraying God, find another church that suits your theological needs.  A simple google search of local churches will often bring up a multitude of houses of worship for one to choose from.  There is, indeed, something for everyone.  It has been nearly 15 years since I last stepped into a church service, so I think that I'd need to do my research if I were to even consider a church to attend.  Which pastor speaks to my belief of my life within the Father?  Which one holds true to the apostle Paul's words of having Christ within me {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}?  Now, if I really wanted a challenge, I could do some research into which pastors adhere to the truth that I have indeed died to sin beside Christ Jesus {Paul to the Romans 6:8}.  However, something tells me that I might have a difficult time finding a pastor who speaks to this truth.  If there is indeed one out there, he might not be a practicing pastor for too long.  So, it seems that when it comes to the multitude of churches within our communities, there is indeed something for every belief, except that which I believe in my heart.  But instead of feeling discriminated against, I will continue to see and know God as He truly is, and not how some pulpit pounder describes Him.  These might seem like blasphemous words to someone entrenched within the church religious theology, but I have a different knowledge of the Father, a knowing which many pastors refuse to speak to.  

The other day I was talking with a friend who for all intents and purposes agrees with the pastor of his church and his teachings.  I get it, I've been there myself.  But I opened up the conversation with him about, as the apostle John tells us, of "Testing the spirits" {First Epistle of John 4:1}.  Testing the spirits to see if they are of God.  Is that message given by your favorite pastor really a message which is speaking of the truth we have in the Father?  I would say no.  Yet we're still called to test the spirits, to listen and consider the words of our church leaders, or anyone speaking of the Lord for that matter, to determine if this message is indeed from the Father.  Now, if you're like my friend, you might do very little in the way of testing the spirits or considering the words spoken by your pastor.  Because those within the church are big into proclaiming that the pastor is indeed Gods messenger given unto us for teaching purposes.  Now, there is a bit of truth in this, for God can speak to His children through anyone He chooses.  But will you know recognize His voice when He does?  In my own experience, the truth of the Father was not revealed to me until after I had stepped away from the church.  Even then, God used the words of a good friend to introduce Himself to me.  To reveal to me a God which I had never known before.  Think this sounds a bit too crazy?  Well, consider the revelation which the man Saul received on that road to Damascus {Acts of the Apostles 9:1-5}.  Saul was a man who followed the edicts of his church lock, stock and barrel.  In fact, on that day he was to Damascus in order to seek out and persecute followers of Jesus and the early church.  But God had other plans for Saul.  God chose that day to reveal Himself unto this man who had spent so much time persecuting His Son Jesus {Acts of the Apostles 9:4}.  Indeed, Paul himself speaks to the truth that "When it delights God" that God would "Unveil His Son in me" {Paul to the Galatians 1:15-16}.  God chose this day to show Saul who He truly was.  I assure you that the God which was revealed unto Saul that day was NOT the God which he had spent so many years studying in the synagogues of his faith.  It is in this way that the Father has revealed Himself to me as well.  I bounced from one church to another, never knowing the relationship I shared with Him.  The truth is, we will never find God within the confines of organized religion.  While the church might offer something for everyone, it is God Who will reveal Himself within us.  

For the era will be when they will not tolerate sound teaching, but, their hearing being tickled, they will heap up for themselves teachers in accord with their own desires 

Paul to Timothy (2) 4:3, Concordant New Testament Translation 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (A God Who Hates) # 2191

 

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

First Epistle of John 4:8, Concordant New Testament Translation

I shared a video of outspoken Christian scholar Martin Zender to a friend the other day.  The video in question spoke to the love of the Lord, and how Gods desire is that all of His creation would be saved.  Unfortunately, this didn't end well.  My friend, who is a regular church attendee, dismissed this video in part because it did not speak to the punishment of the wicked among us.  I get it.  To be honest, I am usually pretty careful to whom I send these videos to for that very reason.  There are times that I get tired of hearing the criticism of my beliefs.  Of hearing how God is a vengeful and hateful God instead of His true character of love and grace.  But, this is where the mainstream church has brought us.  They've spent thousands of years corrupting not only Gods true intentions, but the minds of His children as well.  Indeed, I question a religious belief which claims to accept the existence of a God of love while at the same time claiming that this same God will send His creation into eternal punishment.  Is this an act of love?  I think not.  Yet this continues to be the misguided belief of many within the mainstream church religious system.  I know the system all too well, for I was once a part of it myself.  Yes, I once condemned those who behaved badly as deserving of the damnation of an eternity in hell.  Of course, I also lived in fear that if I didn't act according to the desires of God that I myself would be condemned as well.  This is what I was taught to believe.  So it is that I can cut my friend a bit of slack here, because I'm well aware of the preaching he endures each and every week from the pulpits of the church.  This is the churches idea of who God is.  A loving, graceful God who will condemn you to eternal punishment if you don't do what He tells you.  Again I ask, is this the personification of the love of the Father?  I would say no, as I now know the truth which speaks to love being the Fathers one true character {First Epistle of John 4:8}.  

When I speak to love being the true character of God to someone who attends church every week, I get a mixed response.  Yes, God is love and is merciful...but.  But what about those who openly defy His laws?  What about those who know about Him but continue in their wrong behaviors?  These area just a few of the objections those within the church will find to justify their own version of who God is.  Forget the truth that one day ALL will bow before the Lord Jesus {Paul to the Philippians 2:10-11}.  Does this sound like a God who will banish His children into the eternal punishment of hell?  Here's a deeper question, if indeed God is love, is there even a hell awaiting us?  Or, is the threat of hell simply something the church has used for generations to get the people to fall in line?  Is that threat of hell something the church has used to keep their pews full?  I believe that this is entirely possible, knowing that those within the Christian religious system have already misled us.  In the film Come Sunday, bishop Carlton Pearson is removed from his church for daring to speak the blasphemy that there is no hell.  I have a few Christian friends who refuse to watch this movie because they feel that it goes against the teachings of the church.  Well, they're right about that.  But I believe that Carlton Pearson was onto something.  I believe that he received the revelation of the Father which revealed to him the truth of His love for His children.  This is also the same revelation of the Father which I myself have received.  This is also the same revelation which converted the apostle Paul on that road to Damascus {Acts of the Apostles 9:1-5}.  Is it beyond the Lords capacity to reveal Himself unto His children?  I'd say no to that.  I also believe that, as in Paul's case, that He will reveal Himself unto others that they will speak His truth into the world.  This is why I do what I do, to speak to the God of love.  

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 Translation

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (How I See Jesus) # 2190

 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 Translation

The other day I had someone ask me about Jesus.  Well, not entirely about Him, but how it is that I saw Him.  See, he has heard me speak of Jesus on more than one occasion, so I guess that he was curious as to how I viewed Him in my life.  We've had a few discussions over church and faith issues, so I pretty much knew where it is that he stands in his beliefs.  But, he wanted to know where I stood, so I told him.  Contrary to his church ideology which preaches that Jesus is separated from the Lords creation, I explained that the Father had revealed to me the truth of the Lord Jesus in my life.  Much like Jesus was revealed unto the man Saul on that road to Damascus {Acts of the Apostles 9:1-5}, the Father has revealed to me my life within His love.  My friend was a bit confused over this explanation of my faith.  A sinful man within God?  How is that possible?  I quickly reminded him that anything, anything is possible with God {Matthews Account 19:26}.  I have always wondered if Jesus spoke these words we find within the book of Matthew because He knew that there would be those who would not understand His message.  His own apostles wondered, "Who, consequently, can be saved?" {Matthews Account 19:25}.  Who indeed.  Because my friend has been seeing Jesus through the lens of organized religion, and not that of the His Father in heaven.  Yes, this is that very same lens which distorted my own view of Jesus for so many years.  I grew up drinking the same church religious kool aid which condemned me despite the truth that Jesus has given Himself that I would be free {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  This is the same religious system which acknowledges the sacrifice of Christ Jesus yet refuses to abide by its benefits.  The truth which speaks that we have never been separated from the Father Who created us {Genesis 1:27}.  The truth, as Paul speaks in his evangel, that it is Christ Jesus who we now live for {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  In fact, it is these words of Paul which first introduced me to the truth of my own life within the Father.

In many ways, my conversation with my friend opened the door to share with another how it is that they can experience the same revelation of Christ within them as I have.  Despite speaking against the organized church propaganda which has been preached for thousands of years, there are still those who, like my friend, seem willing to hear the message of my own experience.  I don't condemn and warn of the pitfalls of their sin, but remind them that it is through Christ Jesus that they have been made free {Paul to the Romans 6:10-11}.  That they no longer live a life defined by sin {Paul to the Romans 6:2}.  This has indeed been one of the lies spoken by those within the church, and the effects of it have devastated so many lives.  Every day, I see those who, like my friend, live a life of fear of losing their "Reward" of an eternity in heaven.  That their sin, which has angered God enough to turn His back on them {Isaiah 59:2}, would someday cause Him to discard those He professes to love into hell.  This is the same fear I grew up with.  I remember praying often that God would forgive me and accept me into His presence.  Never in my life did I realize that I already lived within His love.  That's not what the church taught me to believe.  I would only break the bonds of the lie spoken by the church through the revelation given to me by God.  That I didn't need to fear that He would stop loving me {First Epistle of John 4:8}.  That I had no need to fear an eternity apart from Him {Paul to the Corinthians (1) 15:22}.  Through my own experiences, I can empathize with the struggles my friend is having in his faith.  While I can never flip the narrative spoken by those within the church, I can continue to speak the revelation which the Father has given unto me.  My prayer is that my words will lead to others experiencing the same love of the Father that I have.  

For sin shall not be lording it over you, for you are not under the law, but under grace 

Paul to the Romans 6: 14, Concordant New Testament Translation 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (The Atonement Lie) # 2189

 

Who Himself carries up our sins in His body on the pole, that, coming away from sins, we should be living for righteousness, by Whose welt you were healed

Peter to the Dispersion (1) 2: 24, Concordant New Testament Translation 

When I look at the word atonement, I think of one thing, guilt.  That I must atone for something I have done.  Ironically, this is a major part of the teaching and preachings of the church.  That man has sinned and that he will one or another make atonement for those sins, most likely through suffering an eternity in hell.  This is what I was taught growing up in the church.  I had a discussion gym friend the other day on this very issue.  He was annoyed at how many times he has been told to pray for the Lords forgiveness for his sin.  "Hasn't Jesus bled and died for my forgiveness already?"  The truth is he's spot on, Jesus has indeed already died to sin {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  The apostle Peter, in his dispersion, speaks to the truth that Christ Jesus "Carries up our sins in his body on the pole" {Peter to the Dispersion (1) 2:24}.  That's right, Jesus BECAME that sin which we once carried on the cross.  Not only that, but the apostle Paul speaks to the truth that we ourselves perished with Jesus on that cross {Paul to the Galatians 2:20, Paul to the Romans 6:6}.  That our old sin nature which we once carried with us is no more.  We've died to that.  So, tell me, what is it that we still need to atone for?  What sin is there that remains which Christ Jesus Himself has not suffered and died for?  It is for this reason that I speak to the church teaching of atonement for sin as a bold faced lie.  This falls in line with the same lie spoken by the church which proclaims that it is our sin which has separated us from God.  How is it that we could ever be separated from He Who created us in His likeness {Genesis 1:27}?  Yet this is the lie which continues to be preached from the pulpits of the church.  Some might, and indeed have, asked me why it is that I hammer this point so often in my posts.  Well, those within the church have been speaking to this lie for thousands of years, so I guess I'm trying to make up for lost time by speaking the truth which we have in the Fathers love.  Every day I run across people who have been fed the lie for so many years that they've come to believe it as being true.  That God has distanced Himself from His beloved children.  I get it.  I was once fed that same lie as well.  

The thing about speaking a lie is that if it is spoken often enough, it becomes seen as the truth eventually.  This is what has happened to the teachings of the church.  What has been lost in all of this is the truth which we have in the grace and forgiveness of God.  Paul has spoken to the truth that we do not live under the condemnation of the law, but within the grace of the Father {Paul to the Romans 6:14}.  If we indeed still needed to atone for sin, wouldn't Paul have mentioned this?  But Paul takes this further when he speaks to the truth of our death with Christ Jesus to sin.  That "We, who died to sin, how shall we still be living in it?" {Paul to the Romans 6:2}.  Knowing this truth, what is it that we still need to atone for?  This is the question I asked of my friend.  I can understand his frustration, as I said, I've been there.  I've sat alone in prayer many times, asking God why He still condemned me if Jesus had forgiven me.  I know in my heart that there are still many believers out there who utter this same prayer every day.  My prayer is that they will receive the same revelation of the truth which He has given unto me.  It's this truth which I continue to speak to in these posts I write.  Yes, there continue to be those who are critical of my belief in the truth, but the truth has yet to be revealed to them.  This is the same revelation which was revealed unto the man Saul on that road to Damascus {Acts of the Apostles 9:1-5}.  This is the truth which I speak, the truth of my life not separated, but within the love of the Father.  The truth which Jesus Himself speaks to, of our life lived within the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  I believe that this is the truth spoken by Jesus which will set us free {Johns Account 8:31-32}.  

Jesus, then, said to the Jews who believed Him, "If ever you should be remaining in My word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will be making you free" 

Johns Account 8: 31-32, Concordant New Testament Translation 

~Scott~