The Good Of The Father (He Who Knew No Sin) # 2107

 

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

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

When we understand the sin of man, we understand that someone needed to die.  Somehow, there needed to be a death, a sacrifice in order to cover that which we had done in the eyes of the Lord.  Anyone familiar with the writings of the old testament knows that the priests of Israel would offer up sacrifices for the misdeeds of the people.  We know that Abraham also offered up his sacrifice upon the deliverance of his son Ishbak (Isaac).  For His part, Jesus made no friends among the leaders of the Jews when He drove out the moneychangers from the temple, who were there to exchange money for the animals the people needed for their sacrifices of atonement {Matthews Account 21:12-13}.  So it is that mankind needed a sacrifice to atone for our sin.  Not just any sacrifice would do, this sacrifice needed to be guiltless, sin free.  The death of the innocent needed to cover the sin of the many.  This was accomplished through Gods dispatching of His Son Jesus {Johns Account 3:16-17}.  For it is through the willing sacrifice of Christ that the sin of the many has been blotted out forever {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}.  In the eyes of the Father, that which once convicted us has been washed away by the shed blood of His Son.  Interestingly enough, this is celebrated as one of the truths of Christian theology.  That Jesus came, suffered for many and gave His life to the death of sin {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  We also believe that Jesus died but once to accomplish this.  Jesus Himself, on that cross, declares that what He has been sent to accomplish has been done as the Father willed {Johns Account 19:30}.  This is the truth which those within the Christian religion accept and celebrate at this time each year.  Indeed, we celebrate this truth, but we do not practice it. 

It is no secret that those within the mainstream church continue to proclaim that it is our sin which has separated us from God.  I have written on this practice many times.  My question has always been, if we celebrate the death of Jesus as one of our core principals of the Christian faith, why do we continue to falsely believe that sin continues to be an issue in our lives?  Did Jesus somehow miss a few sins as He hung on that cross?  I find that difficult to believe.  So do those in the church, which is why they continue to preach that He died for the forgiveness of sin.  They proclaim it, yet they don't practice what they preach.  The apostle Paul speaks in his evangel that Jesus gave Himself to sin "Once for all time" {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  The apostle also reminds us that we're to consider ourselves "Dead, indeed, to sin" {Paul to the Romans 6:11}.  Indeed, He Who knew no sin has accomplished what He has been sent to do.  So, either we believe what the scriptures have declared or we don't.  There is no room for lukewarm belief on this matter.  Do you believe that Jesus has died for your iniquities?  That He is the propitiation of that which once held you captive?  Or, do you trust in the lie of the deceiver who will proclaim that sin remains?  This brings another interesting aspect into this conversation, what is sin?  If Jesus has died to take away the sin of the world, what is it that the mainstream church continues to wring its hands over?  Bad judgement?  Bad behavior?  Wicked thoughts?  These ARE NOT SIN.  These are simply man following the lead of his flesh.  When we trust in the knowing of our life lived within the Fathers love, we can be confident in proclaiming that sin is not the issue {Johns Account 14:20}.  For Jesus has given Himself for the death of sin.  He Who knew no sin became the death of many. 

Seeing that Christ also, for our sakes, once died concerning sins, the just for the sake of the unjust, that He may be leading us to God; being put to death, indeed, in the flesh, yet vivified in the spirit

Peter to the Dispersion (1) 3: 18, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Living Separate) # 2106

 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 the 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 

Paul got it.  Paul wasn't like so many of our so called luke warm believers of today.  He knew in his heart that he wasn't alone in this life, that the spirit of the Lord Jesus is the epicenter of all who he is.  In essence, Paul WAS Jesus.  He speaks to this is his foundational passage we find in Galatians.  That I am no longer, that it is Christ Jesus who now occupies this vessel of mine {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  Paul definitely wasn't living separately from Christ.  Jesus was right there in the thick of it with him.  We could learn a lot from the life of Paul.  First and foremost is living knowing that we are not alone in this life.  Knowing that each and every decision and event is not simply ours alone.  For to know that we do not live separate opens up a whole new understanding not only of who we are, but how we now live.  I hear a lot of once united couples declaring that they now live separated.  Not divorced necessarily, just separated.  I see this as a life lived in limbo.  The same can be said of far too many believers today who live in the delusion that they are separate from God.  This is the lie spoken by the deceiver.  The lie spoken to Eve that if she were to take of the forbidden fruit that her eyes would be opened and that she would "Be like God, knowing good and evil" {Genesis 3:5}.  The trouble is, the eyes of too many believers have not been opened.  They continue to live within the lie that they are separate from God.  One of the verses those within the church spit out in order to prove this point comes from the words of the prophet Isaiah, that "your iniquities have separated you from your God" {Isaiah 59:2}.  When someone reminds me of this passage, I ask them one important question, what about Jesus?  Isn't Jesus the One who came to erase the sin of the world?  Isn't it Jesus Who took our iniquities upon Himself at the cross {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}?  

In all my time in the church, I was never introduced to a life lived within the love of the Father.  However, I was in fact reminded at every opportunity of my sinful life lived outside of Him.  Again, those within the church will point to scripture to emphasize their teachings.  They recite the words of Paul which we find in Romans, that ALL have sinned and are wanting of the glory of God {Paul to the Romans 3:23}.  This is that hill they die on!  However, they cringe at the context of the following passage, that we are now justified "Through the deliverance which is in Christ Jesus" {Paul to the Romans 3:24}.  Yes, we all were once sinners, but we're now redeemed through the sacrifice of Christ Jesus.  While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us {Paul to the Romans 5:8}.  So, apparently in spite of our sin condition, God loved us enough to dispatch His Son as the propitiation of our sins.  Not only that, but it is Christ Jesus Who has spoken to the truth of our life lived within the Father {Johns Account 14:20, Johns Account 17:21}.  It is Jesus Who speaks to the truth that we do not live separate from God.  It is those within the church who continue to preach the lie that we do.  Who are you going to trust, God or misguided men?  Has God ever lied to you?  Has He ever revealed to you something which wasn't true?  As far as I'm concerned, if the Father has spoken it, I believe in it.  Therefore, I believe in my heart that I now live within the love of the Father, not within the lie of the deceiver.  

That they may all be one, according as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us, that the world should be believing that Thou dost commission Me 

Johns Account 17: 21, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Gods Army) # 2105

 

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 3: 15, Concordant New Testament 

I know a guy, a gym friend who has made it his habit to attempt to argue certain things about Christianity knowing that it will trigger a reaction from some people, myself included.  I recall back in my church days how I felt that it was my duty as a follower of the Lord to defend Him against any who would disparage His word.  However, the only thing this ever accomplished were arguments and hurt feelings.  Indeed, I have even known friends who have stopped talking to me due to their own views of the scriptures not aligning with what I believed.  While I regret that these brothers and sisters in the Lord have chosen that path, I also stand firm in the truth of the Father spoken in the gospels and the evangel of the apostle Paul.  The apostle Peter sums it up best in his attempt to illustrate how it is that we're to engage in discussions of this nature.  Peter speaks to our being "Ever ready with a defense for everyone" concerning our expectation, yet with meekness and fear {Peter to the Dispersion 3:15}.  Notice that the apostle never mentions that we engage in heated arguments.  Notice also that he never mentions that we're to disregard those who do not agree with our viewpoint, only that we conduct ourselves with meekness and fear in our discussions.  Obviously I could have learned this lesson earlier in life.  I certainly would have avoided more than a few tense arguments along the way.  To the best of my knowledge, Jesus never angrily confronted anyone in order to speak to them the truth we have in the Father.  What he DID do is approach those who needed to hear His words with meekness and kindness towards those around Him.  Instead of arguing His point, Jesus invited those who were curious to "Come and see" {Johns Account 1:39}.  

A few years ago I came across the question I wish I would have asked earlier.  Dos God really need us to defend Him?  Does the creator of all which we see truly need our help in defending His words and actions?  My own knowing of the truth of my life in the Father has not come from winning some argument, but from the revelation of the Lord.  I would dare say that no religious argument has ever resulted in the conversion of another into knowing the truth of the Father.  Paul has spoken that his own knowing of Christ Jesus in him came "When it delighted God" {Paul to the Galatians 1:16}.  I believe that it is not up to us to somehow convince someone to realize the truth of the Lord in us.  However, I believe that He will definitely speak through us to bring about that result.  At the end of the day, it is not we who are doing the converting, but the Father Who is speaking and working through us.  Knowing this, is it God who is arguing His case, or have we simply forgotten who we are in Him?  I would choose the latter.  The truth is that we can listen or read the words of the gospels, but it is only by the revelation of the Father that we will come to know the truth of our life in Him {Johns Account 14:20}.  Those whom the Father draws unto His Son will be raised up in that day {Johns Account 6:44}.  

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

Johns Account 6: 44, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (His Eternal Love) # 2104

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor messengers, nor sovereignties, not the present, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord

Paul to the Romans 8: 38-39, Concordant New Testament 

I recently shared a conversation with a gym friend who had suffered the loss of a child through suicide.  What struck me about this conversation is just how much it led me into a deeper understanding of the love of the Lord.  As I offered to pray for my brother for Gods help in his grief, he shared with me what so many well meaning believers have been led to believe.  That suicide is considered a sin, and that those who commit the act are akin to being a murderer.  Are we not destroying what the Lord God has lovingly created?  At this moment, I was reminded of the words of the apostle Paul as he laid out all which will never separate us from God {Paul to the Romans 8:38-39}.  In fact, I ask the question, what can ever separate us from Gods love?  We're told that he who does not love does not know God, because He is love {First Epistle of John 4:8}.  I consider this passage to be one of the key verses to truly knowing God.  That His love transcends everything.  Paul was correct in his letter to the church in Rome that there is absolutely nothing which will ever separate us from the love of the Father, including that most desperate of acts of suicide.  As I assured my friend in that moment, God has not abandoned his son, and that he can look forward to that day when they will be reunited once again.  But let's continue this topic of the love of God.  As Paul has proclaimed, there is nothing which will ever separate us from the love of God.  If we are to agree with this, then we are to agree that not even sin will separate us from the love of the Father.  What?  You mean I haven't been separated from God by my sin, which the church continues to tell us?  No, not ever!  As Paul has said, there is NOTHING which will ever separate us from the love of the Father.  

I grew up in a church theology which spoke to the fact that I lived here in a sinful world and that God dwelled in heaven.  This was the separation between myself and God.  This, of course, is the separation theology which continues to be preached by those within the church.  Of course, this belief not only ignores the truth spoken by Paul in his evangel, but the truth that Christ Jesus gave Himself for the forgiveness of our sins, to take away the sin of the world {Johns Account 1:29}.  That Jesus is that propitiation of that which we were once guilty {First Epistle of John 2:22}.  How can we be found guilty for that which Jesus has died to {Paul to the Romans 6:10}?  So, what is it that will ever distance us from the love of God?  It is for this reason that I see the separation theology spoken by the church to be an outright lie.  Believe me, I have faced much push back for speaking this belief.  But I am speaking the truth of the love we find in the Father.  The world may condemn us, but God never will.  He has found us to be innocent through the blood shed by His Son on the cross.  That ship has sailed.  What remains is we who have been redeemed and reconciled unto the Father {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:18}.  This is exactly why Paul has proclaimed that we consider ourselves "Dead, indeed, to sin" {Paul to the Romans 6:11}.  In our times of heartbreak, we can be assured that the love of the Father covers all. 

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

First Epistle of John 4: 8, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (No Relation) # 2103

 

Nothing, consequently, is now condemnation to those in Christ Jesus,  Not according to flesh are they walking, but according to spirit

Paul to the Romans 8: 1, Concordant New Testament 

A good friend sent me an article the other day which asked the question, why is it that men dislike being in groups?  Well, let's first address the elephant in the room in that women are more relational than men.  Therefore, I'm not shocked when I hear that men are not inclined to participate in church small groups, it's not in our DNA.  I can speak to this from the experience of having been involved in more than a few small groups in my day.  Does this mean that men are not relational?  Not at all, we're just not designed to be as relational as our female counterparts.  Think of a group of guys gathered around a TV watching a football game.  Think of a group of friends gathered together at a bar shooting the bull.  It's not that we're non relational, we just often prefer to be that lone wolf.  But how does this play out in the church setting?  Well, I can recall being involved in more than a few accountability groups where I came away feeling much unlike a good person and more like that condemned sinner.  Has anyone ever felt that way?  I would say that accountability groups are designed not for accountability, but for accusations.  Sure, we can sugar coat it and say that we're in it for the accountability, but what happens when someone eventually opens up in true accountability and is immediately accused of being weak in their faith or commitment to the Lord?  Yes, this has happened to me in a few of these groups.  I came away feeling not like a valued friend, but as someone who had been condemned by others.  By definition, being accountable consists of taking responsibility for our own actions.  If I mess up, I fess up.  I have no issue with this part of being accountable to others.  What I DO take issue with is the practice many well meaning Christians take in response to someone admitting their faults.  It seems that pointing the finger of accusation is the most common response to someone who admits their faults.  Tell me, is this how God has approached our own failures?  

The apostle Paul has spoken to the practice of condemning others in his letter to the church in Rome.  That "Nothing, consequently, is condemnation for those in Christ Jesus" {Paul to the Romans 8:1}.  Paul also asks, who is it that condemns us?  Is it Jesus?  He Who is also "Pleading for our sakes" {Paul to the Romans 8:34}.  Therefore, if Christ does not condemn us, who is left?  Nobody except those in the flesh who surround us.  One thing I've learned is that when others accuse us of something, they feel convicted of it themselves.  The true meaning of a group centered on accountability should be to uplift and never to tear down.  For this is the desire of the Father.  As Jesus has proclaimed, we are to love one another {Johns Account 13:34-35}.  The apostle John takes this a step further when he claims that those who do not love have not known God, for God is love {First Epistle of John 4:8}.  The Father has graced mankind with His one true love nature by dispatching His Son to be that sacrifice for us {Johns Account 3:16-17}.  What has man done but to condemn others?  Again, who is it that condemns?  Is it God?  No!  I would say that accountability is not accountability without the forgiveness and grace granted us by the Father.  The forgiveness which we are free to give unto others if we choose to.  Accountability grows the individual in the Lord, it never condemns. 

Who is the condemner?  Christ Jesus, the One dying, yet rather being roused, Who is also at God's right hand, Who is also pleading for our sakes? 

Paul to the Romans 8: 34, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (The Works Of God) # 2102

 

You are the light of the world.  A city located upon a mountain can not be hid.  Neither are they burning a lamp and placing it under a peck measure, but on a lampstand, and it is shining to all those in the house.  Thus let your light shine in front of men, so that they may perceive your ideal acts and should glorify your Father who is in the heavens

Matthews Account 5: 14-16, Concordant New Testament 

The question was raised the other day of what it looks like watching the Father work through His creation.  Although definitely exciting to witness, we must also be aware of the truth of our life in Him in order to realize that He is indeed working through us.  Now, this might seem like a foreign concept, especially for those who adhere to the separation theology spoken within the mainstream church.  Yet Jesus has proclaimed that we do not live apart from God, but that we live our life within Him {Johns Account 14:20}.  Without this knowing, one might not grasp the concept of the Father working through us.  Granted, Gods reach is not so short that He cannot work His will through His creation, but in order to be witnesses to His works, it helps to have the revelation that our life is lived in Him.  In fact, it has been said that the world will know the Lord through the works and lives of those who already know Him.  I believe that is true.  I also believe that this is what Jesus was referring to when He proclaimed "Let your light shine before men" {Matthews Account 5:16}.  Yes, let His light in you shine before men, that they may perceive your ideal acts and should glorify your Father Who is in the heavens.  We see this referenced in Johns account as well, that the "Light" is the light of men {Johns Account 1:4}.  Through my years in the church, I heard many stories of those who marveled at the works of the Lord in their lives.  Yet they always stopped short of that realization of God working His will through them personally.  Yes, I was among that crowd once as well.  For it wasn't until I had stepped away from the teachings of the church that my life in Him was revealed to me.  That my sin had not separated me from Him, but that through Jesus' death on the cross God has reconciled me once again to Himself. 

Jesus has proclaimed that those around us will "Perceive your ideal acts and should glorify your Father Who is in the heavens" {Matthews Account 5:16}.  That those around us will see the works of the Lord done through us.  In my time, I have been witness to many moments where I have seen the Father working not only through myself, but through others as well.  Granted, I have been more in tuned to seeing His works in others since my own revelation of my life in Him.  That is why I say that others may not perceive the works of the Lord in those around them until they have their own realization of their life lived in the Father.  I say this from my own personal experience.  While I was still in the church, I looked for the works of the Lord apart from myself.  I had been taught that my life and that of the Father were forever separate due to my ever present sin in my life.  I now consider this to be one of the lies spoken by the church.  The truth of the Father tells us that Jesus has been dispatched to die on the cross for the forgiveness of sin {Johns Account 3:16-17}.  The apostle Paul speaks in his evangel that Jesus has died to sin "Once for all time" {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  That we should reckon ourselves to be "Dead, indeed, to sin" {Paul to the Romans 6:11}.  The truth of the scriptures reveal to us that sin is no longer the issue, but you probably will never hear that proclaimed within the church.  I know I didn't.  Not only has the Father taken care of the sin issue which once held us in bondage, but has reconciled us to Himself once again.  I see this and I glorify the Father Who is in heaven. 

"I am the grapevine.  You are the branches.  He who is remaining in Me, and I in him, this one is bringing forth much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing 

Johns Account 15: 5, Concordant New Testament 

~Scott~ 

The Good Of The Father (Mind Games) # 2101

 

We are of God.  He who knows God is hearing us.  He who is not of God is not hearing us.  By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of deception

First Epistle of John 4: 6, Concordant New Testament 

Perhaps you've heard the old phrase, just because something appears to be true doesn't mean that it is.  Well, this could be said of Christianity as well.  There are those who claim that we have been separated from God by our own sin.  However, there are also those who have accepted the truth of Christ Jesus which leads into forgiveness for said sin.  Beneath this false belief is the lie of Satan the deceiver.  This is the same lie which he spoke unto Eve in the garden, when he falsely claimed that she could "Be like God, knowing good and evil" {Genesis 3:5}.  Not knowing any better, Eve accepted the lie of the deceiver as fact.  Unfortunately, it is this very lie which has overtaken many followers of Jesus over the centuries.  The false belief is that we are our own selves, totally independent from God.  Tell me, can that which has been created ever be separated from He who created it?  We know that we have been created in the likeness of the Father {Genesis 1:27}.  We also know that it is God Who has breathed into us His breath of life {Genesis 2:7}.  I see this as God imparting Himself into His creation.  So, again, how is it that we could ever be separated from God Who has created us?  By the lies spoken by the deceiver, that's how.  The apostle John speaks to this deception when he proclaims that those who are not hearing the truth have chosen instead to follow the "Spirit of deception" {First Epistle of John 4:6}.  Indeed, I have run across many so called believers who have made that choice to follow the lies of the deceiver instead of the truth which has been spoken by the Father.  One of their biggest stumbling blocks is sin.  Now, the apostle Paul in his evangel is very pointed in his description of the current state of sin.  It is Paul who has spoken that Christ Jesus has given Himself to sin "Once for all time" {Paul to the Romans 6:10}.  Not only that, but that we who have placed our trust in Jesus should "Be reckoning yourselves to be dead, indeed, to sin {Paul to the Romans 6:11}.  Yet rather that accepting the liberating truth we find written in Paul's evangel, they choose to accept the lie.  For his part, Satan is more than happy when they do.  

It's been said that the very definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting a totally different result.  One could also apply this message to those who follow the lies of the deceiver as well.  You seek relief from what you continue to see as sin?  You're told that this relief comes in the form of continually seeking the Lords forgiveness for that which He has already forgiven you for?  It is this which you have accepted as truth.  You've accepted the lie of Satan as fact.  The truth is that the deceiver cannot change that which has already been accomplished.  He can never change that which the Father has already accomplished through the death of His Son on that cross.  However, what he CAN do is to convince Gods children that He has abandoned them.  That even though He has provided for their  complete forgiveness, that He has in fact turned His back on His own creation.  Is it, then, any wonder why he is referred to as the deceiver?  For he has succeeded in his deception of the followers of Jesus.  He has succeeded in convincing many that the sin which has been put to death by Christ Jesus is still alive and well in the lives of every believer.  For it's part, the mainstream church facilitates the lies of the deceiver by continuing to speak to their validity.  Instead of speaking to the truth of sin which we find in Paul's evangel, those in church pulpits continue to speak the lie.  The apostle refers to this as the spirit of deception, and I have seen many be deceived.  

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 

~Scott~